<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez]]></title><description><![CDATA[Get proven faith-based insights weekly to cultivate a thriving, resilient marriage, plus real-life caregiving wisdom.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XyS9!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41f28efe-e1f5-46b7-8b85-c39704224623_960x960.png</url><title>Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez</title><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 21:47:30 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[thrivingnow@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[thrivingnow@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[thrivingnow@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[thrivingnow@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[I highly recommend this to any man..]]></title><description><![CDATA[I Don't Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/i-highly-recommend-this-to-any-man</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/i-highly-recommend-this-to-any-man</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:30:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VXHB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdf2abc0-bab9-4824-a53e-56efa22ee384_1200x896.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VXHB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdf2abc0-bab9-4824-a53e-56efa22ee384_1200x896.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VXHB!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><br>A woman named Vanessa left a review this week that stopped me in my tracks.</p><p>She wrote that she got the book for free, and from the first page it felt personal, like walking alongside the story instead of just reading it. Then she said something I didn&#8217;t expect. She recommended it to any married man who wants a better understanding of what it means to be a husband, and especially a godly husband.</p><p>She was right.</p><p>I wrote this book because caregiving will test you. But it was never going to cost me my marriage. I just didn&#8217;t want to be a caregiver. I wanted to be a husband.</p><p>Hearing that a reader received it that way, as a book about being a husband first and a caregiver second, means more than I can say.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been putting off reading it, or you know a husband who needs to hear that he&#8217;s not alone, this might be the week.</p><p><strong>Get the book here</strong> &#8594;  <a href="http://&quot;Get the book here&quot; &#8594; http://newcaregiver.nickgonzalez.com/">http://newcaregiver.nickgonzalez.com/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ The book is live, thank you for Monday]]></title><description><![CDATA[I Don't Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-book-is-live-thank-you-for-monday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-book-is-live-thank-you-for-monday</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:43:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png" width="1408" height="630" 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/__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Wct!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd2ae2d7-64ed-4464-9095-3bccea4c313b_1408x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hi everyone,</p><p>Monday&#8217;s launch went exceptionally well, and the book is now fully live!</p><p>Thank you for your support of &#8220;<strong>My Life as a New Caregiver, Nine Years In: I Don&#8217;t Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband</strong>.&#8221; If you don&#8217;t have a copy yet, now is the time to grab one. It&#8217;s available in Kindle and paperback on my <a href="http://newcaregiver.nickgonzalez.com/">bookstore and on Amazon.</a></p><p>Thanks to everyone who joined the Facebook Live. If you&#8217;d like to watch the recording, <a href="https://fb.watch/Jo2MDH3nJ1/">click here.</a></p><p>And here&#8217;s the one thing I&#8217;d ask: if you&#8217;ve already read the book, please take a few minutes to write a short, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_wr_but_top?ie=UTF8&amp;channel=glance-detail&amp;asin=B0H9NCGS8S">honest review</a> on Amazon.</p><p>Grateful for every one of you walking this with me.</p><p>Nick Gonzalez</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Can Finally Hold This Book]]></title><description><![CDATA[Paperback and Kindle are both live]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/book-launch-day</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/book-launch-day</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:31:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png" width="838" height="1196" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1196,&quot;width&quot;:838,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1774261,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/213509764?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!asTo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F479be3f0-eeb7-4797-9f2b-b2e97ebb3bb0_838x1196.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>I&#8217;m very excited today because my book is now officially launched into the world.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Two weeks ago, I gave away almost a hundred copies of the book. Last week, the <a href="https://a.co/d/07hwnlqc">Kindle</a> edition went live for $0.99. And today, the paperback is officially available too. You can get it through <a href="https://a.co/d/0gE8CGtK">Amazon</a>, or through <a href="https://books.nickgonzalez.com/">my Books.by store</a>. Later today, I&#8217;m expecting a shipment of books to land on my doorstep, and for the first time, I&#8217;ll get to hand someone a copy instead of a link.</p><p>If the boxes show up in time, I&#8217;ll be doing a live unboxing on Facebook at 6pm today. Come hang out and ask me anything about the book, the writing process, or caregiving in general while we're live, and I'll be giving away a few PDF copies to people who join. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nickg123">https://www.facebook.com/nickg123</a></p><p>*I Don&#8217;t Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband* started as a simple book with stories about caregiving. Writing it was actually one of the most therapeutic things I&#8217;ve ever done. I laughed, cried, and loved the entire process. </p><p>I thought the book would be about 100 pages. Two hundred fifty pages later, I had the guide I wish someone had handed me when I started this journey: nine chapters, one for each year, telling the full story of caregiving, grief, faith, and love.</p><p>Plus, I wrote about how to navigate Medicare, SSDI, home health care, and caregiver grants, and how to recognize and avoid the twelve paths to caregiver burnout before they take you down. Most importantly, I share a Christian perspective grounded in truth, the practical footing you need, and the reminder that you&#8217;re not alone in it.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been following along, thank you. Genuinely. Whether you were one of the advance readers, someone who left a note of encouragement along the way, or someone who&#8217;s just now hearing about the book for the first time, you&#8217;re part of why it exists.</p><p>If you want a copy, here&#8217;s where to find it:</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://a.co/d/01PhjEoy">**Paperback (Amazon):**</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://a.co/d/0cyj93EJ">**Kindle:**</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://books.nickgonzalez.com/">**Paperback + free shipping (My Books.by Store)</a></p></li></ul><p>And if you&#8217;ve already read it, or something in it hit close to home, please write a quick <a href="https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_wr_but_top?ie=UTF8&amp;channel=glance-detail&amp;asin=B0HDJVS9PL">review</a>. It means more than you know. A review doesn&#8217;t just tell me you liked it. It helps Amazon put the book in front of the next caregiver who needs it.</p><p>Later today, I&#8217;ll be opening boxes. Right now, I&#8217;m just grateful.</p><p><strong>What's one thing you wish someone had told you when your caregiving journey started?</strong></p><p>Nick G.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[We're #1 on Amazon 🎉]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nine Years In just became a #1 New Release, and the paperback drops Monday.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/were-1-on-amazon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/were-1-on-amazon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:29:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg" width="1024" height="1024" 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/__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s3Uv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd47e02ea-884f-4348-9b22-42dc9dcf7b2d_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>Hey everybody,</span></strong></p><p><span>I just have to share this with you first.</span></p><p><em><a href="https://a.co/d/0ii01jqC"><span>My Life as a New Caregiver, Nine Years In</span></a></em><span> hit </span><strong><span>#1 in New Releases in Christian Death &amp; Grief Counseling</span></strong><span> on Amazon this morning. Seeing that little orange &#8220;#1&#8221; badge next to a book I spent years living before I ever wrote it down is something I won&#8217;t forget.</span></p><p><span>Here&#8217;s where things stand:</span></p><ul><li><p><span>The Kindle edition is </span><strong><a href="https://a.co/d/0ii01jqC"><span>live now</span></a></strong><span> and available for purchase &#8212; it&#8217;s also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, so if you&#8217;re a KU member, you can read it for free.</span></p></li><li><p><span>The </span><strong><span>paperback goes live this Monday, 8/31</span></strong><span>.</span></p></li></ul><p><span>If you&#8217;ve already grabbed a copy, thank you. If you haven&#8217;t yet, this is the moment &#8212; every purchase in these first days helps the book climb higher and reach more caregivers who need it.</span></p><p><strong><span>One More Thing:</span></strong></p><p><span>And if you&#8217;ve read it, would you take two minutes today to </span><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_wr_but_top?ie=UTF8&amp;channel=glance-detail&amp;asin=B0H9NCGS8S"><span>leave an Amazon review?</span></a><span> </span></strong>You don't need to have bought it on Amazon to leave one. <span>Even a couple of honest sentences go a long way right now, helping other caregivers find this book when they need it most.</span></p><p><strong><span>Grateful for every one of you who&#8217;s walked this launch with me.</span></strong></p><p><span>Nick</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[She Finished It Before Breakfast]]></title><description><![CDATA[A note from someone in my support group, and the paperback launch date.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/she-finished-it-before-breakfast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/she-finished-it-before-breakfast</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:57:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:374791,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/212878820?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!46Zo!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6d84632-1289-42e2-9e6a-4f63ab300e92_2760x2760.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>One of the women in my support group texted me the morning after our last meeting. She&#8217;d started the book that night and finished it before breakfast.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>&#8220;It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it reinforced my vision of you as a fierce and loving caregiver for Marisol,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;I&#8217;m so early in my journey, and I hope I can channel some of my &#8216;inner Nick&#8217; as I continue on.&#8221;<br>&#8212; Christine L., support group member</span></p><p><span>She&#8217;s since passed the book on to two other women in our circle whose husbands also have Alzheimer&#8217;s.</span></p><p><span>That&#8217;s the whole reason I wrote this. Not to tell my story for its own sake, but so someone earlier in the journey than me could find a little language for what they&#8217;re carrying, and maybe borrow a few tools I had to learn the hard way.</span></p><p><span>The paperback of </span><em><span>My Life as a New Caregiver: Nine Years In</span></em><span> launches this Sunday, August 31. The </span><a href="https://a.co/d/06NmzD3Q"><span>Kindle</span></a><span> is already available for pre-order / Here&#8217;s the link to the deets.  </span><a href="https://newcaregiver.nickgonzalez.com/"><span>https://newcaregiver.nickgonzalez.com/</span></a></p><p><span>Nick G.</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Prayer That Wouldn't Ask for Anything]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey friends,]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-prayer-that-wouldnt-ask-for-anything</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-prayer-that-wouldnt-ask-for-anything</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:09:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey friends,</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png" width="337" height="303" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:303,&quot;width&quot;:337,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:268950,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/212738190?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gXPv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a7b34a2-739e-4e21-ace9-a09b7fa912af_337x303.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>A little while back, I shared a poem here called &#8220;No Other Words to Pray.&#8221; It goes like this:</p><p><em><strong>No Other Words to Pray</strong></em></p><p><em>Heavenly Father, I pray for my wife, Marisol.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for strength, because you have been giving me strength all along.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for faith, because I only trust in you.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for healing, because Marisol is already healed.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for peace, because you are my peace.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for comfort, because you are the God of all comfort.</em><br><em>I don&#8217;t ask for joy, because your joy has been my strength.</em><br><em>So that leaves me no other words to say but:</em><br><em>Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. <br>Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus.</em><br><em>Lord I love you, Lord I love you, Lord I love you, Lord I love you.</em><br><em>Lord we praise you, Lord we praise you, Lord we praise you, Lord we praise you.</em></p><p>I wrote it one night, a week before I finished the book, at a point where I realized I had stopped asking God for things and started simply thanking Him for what He&#8217;d already given.</p><p>I&#8217;ve been thinking about that poem again this week, now that the book is actually out in the world.</p><p>Because here&#8217;s the truth: nine years of caregiving didn&#8217;t end with me having all the answers. It ended with me having less to ask for and more to be grateful for. Strength I didn&#8217;t know I had. Peace that showed up uninvited. Joy in rooms that should have only held exhaustion.</p><p>That&#8217;s really what My Life as a New Caregiver: Nine Years In is about. Not a story of overcoming, exactly, but a story of learning to stop asking and start praising, even in the middle of the hard part.</p><p>If you&#8217;re in a season right now where you don&#8217;t know what to pray, where the words just aren&#8217;t coming, I understand that more than you know. Sometimes all that&#8217;s left to say is thank you.</p><p>Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus.</p><p>Nick G.</p><p>If this resonates, the Kindle pre-order is <a href="/__u/substack.com/redirect/d93d0a95-ae08-45b7-82e4-23b8b4979061?j=eyJ1IjoiMXhwYzIzIn0.CLANPFQcIx2w7gpeHzRvxA_PCoTjmUbPPZbhQ67RYJY">live</a>.  By the way, you don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books. Navigate to read.amazon.com, log in with your credentials, and read directly on the screen, or download the free Kindle app on your device. </p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I need a favor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey friends,]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/a-favor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/a-favor</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:02:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey friends,</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png" width="438" height="668" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:668,&quot;width&quot;:438,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:461672,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/212514093?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xgsy!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54bd4c90-27d5-4eda-a987-6dc000a7e84c_438x668.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>We&#8217;re live! And I&#8217;m super excited to ask you for a favor.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>My book, <em><a href="https://a.co/d/07uKruun">My Life as a New Caregiver: Nine Years In</a></em>, is now available for Kindle pre-order! After years of walking this caregiving road and writing it all down, it&#8217;s finally real, and I want it in the hands of people who need it most.</p><p>Right now the pre-order is just $0.99. All I&#8217;m asking is that you grab a copy. It takes about 30 seconds, and every single pre-order helps push the book toward more caregivers who are walking this same road, often alone, often exhausted, often wondering if anyone else understands what they&#8217;re carrying.</p><p>You&#8217;ve been part of this journey with me from the start, so it means the world to ask you first.</p><p><strong><a href="https://a.co/d/06NmzD3Q">Pre-Order the Kindle for $0.99 &#8594;</a></strong></p><p>Thank you for being here, and for helping others find their way through.</p><p><strong><span>Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.</span></strong><span><br></span><em><span>Author &amp; Founder of Thrive Now</span></em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My book launches August 31 — and it’s free until Sunday!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Free through Sunday. $1 after that. Here's how to grab it.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/my-book-launch</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/my-book-launch</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:11:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:938066,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/211661699?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUPK!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74931a4b-abc7-4c3a-ac8b-4b1c341e6db9_1456x816.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Hi Friend,</span></p><p><span>Here&#8217;s something I haven&#8217;t said plainly enough on here yet: </span><strong><span>my book is coming out on August 31.</span></strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Nine years ago, Marisol was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer&#8217;s. Nobody handed me a manual. No one warned me what was coming, or told me how to hold onto my marriage while becoming her caregiver at the same time. *My Life as a New Caregiver: Nine Years In* is the resource I wish someone had put in my hands on day one.</p><p><strong>**This book is for you if:**</strong></p><ul><li><p>- You just left a doctor&#8217;s appointment with no roadmap and no idea what&#8217;s next.</p></li><li><p>- You love the person you&#8217;re caring for, but some days you&#8217;re barely holding on.</p></li><li><p>- You need real, practical guidance on caring for your loved one, and for yourself.</p></li></ul><p><strong>**What&#8217;s inside:**</strong></p><ul><li><p>- Step-by-step guidance on Medicare, SSDI, home care, and caregiver grants, so you&#8217;re not starting from zero.</p></li><li><p>- The Caregiver&#8217;s Secret: 12 ways to avoid burnout.</p></li><li><p>- 9 chapters of caregiving, grief, faith, and love, with discussion questions built in for support groups and book clubs.</p></li></ul><p><strong>This isn&#8217;t just my story. It&#8217;s the guide I built for yours.</strong></p><p>**Right now, you can read it for free.** </p><p>I&#8217;m giving away advance copies through this Sunday, no strings attached. After that, the free window closes, and it moves to a $1 Kindle pre-order, before landing at its regular price of $14.95 when the paperback releases August 31.</p><p>If you want to read it before anyone else, this is the week to grab it.</p><p><strong><span>&#128073; [</span><a href="https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gq95v8xc63"><span>Get your free copy here &#8212; link expires Sunday</span></a><span>]</span></strong></p><p><br><strong>UPDATE</strong>: The link has expired, but you can now <a href="/__u/substack.com/redirect/597556e5-423a-466d-8bde-85f6352de1b5?j=eyJ1IjoiMXhwYzIzIn0.CLANPFQcIx2w7gpeHzRvxA_PCoTjmUbPPZbhQ67RYJY">pre-order the Amazon Kindle version for $0.99 here</a>.  Thanks for your support in advance.</p><p></p><p><span>And if a friend, a spouse, or someone you know is quietly carrying this same weight right now, send them the link too. This week, it&#8217;s free for them as well.</span></p><p><span>Talk to you soon!</span></p><p><strong><span>Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.</span></strong><span><br></span><em><span>Author &amp; Founder of Thrive Now</span></em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[“I Read the Vows Carefully. Then I Stopped.”]]></title><description><![CDATA["I Don't Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband."]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/myvows</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/myvows</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:09:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png" width="728" height="602" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:602,&quot;width&quot;:728,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:713902,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/211045457?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WVgx!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1cd283c-e73d-4573-bc23-35667a05e759_728x602.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">1989. The day I got the better end of the deal.</figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Before I married Marisol, I read through the wedding vows carefully. I wanted to know exactly what I was agreeing to.</span></p><p><span>When I got to &#8220;in sickness and in health,&#8221; I stopped.</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><span>I remember thinking, I don&#8217;t want any part of that.</span></p><p><span>Around the same time, I came across a question I wasn&#8217;t ready for. Something like, if your fianc&#233;e got a terminal diagnosis today, would you still marry her? I couldn&#8217;t even answer it in my own mind. I just moved past it and hoped it would never be relevant.</span></p><p><span>Who knew that twenty-seven years later, life would ask me that question again.</span></p><p><span>But now I can answer it.</span></p><p><span>A few years into caregiving, I heard a song I also wasn&#8217;t looking for. It&#8217;s called &#8220;Would You Still Love Me?&#8221; by Brian Nhira. Every line felt like Marisol was asking me the question she can no longer ask out loud.</span></p><p><span>What if I couldn&#8217;t speak? What if my memory fades away? Would you still love me?</span></p><p><span>Yes. Still. Every single day.</span></p><p><span>There&#8217;s a word I&#8217;ve never fully made peace with. Caregiver. I understand what it means. I know it&#8217;s accurate. But every time someone uses it to describe me, something inside me quietly pushes back. Before I was her caregiver, I was her husband. I&#8217;m still her husband. And those aren&#8217;t the same thing.</span></p><p><span>I don&#8217;t want to be a caregiver. I just want to be her husband.</span></p><p><span>And I am. Every single day.</span></p><p><span>Marriage doesn&#8217;t ask you to mean those vows on your wedding day. It asks you to mean them on the day it actually costs you something. That&#8217;s the day the vow becomes real. Everything before that is just rehearsal.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;re in a season where love is costing you more than you expected, you&#8217;re not failing at marriage. You&#8217;re finally living inside it.</span></p><p><span>That&#8217;s the whole idea of my new book: nine years of learning to live inside that vow instead of just saying it. </span><strong><span>My Life as a New Caregiver: Nine Years In</span></strong><span> launches August 28. </span><a href="https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gq95v8xc63"><span>Download a free copy</span></a><span> before it closes on Friday, August 21.</span></p><p><span>Talk to you soon!</span></p><p><strong><span>Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.</span></strong><span><br></span><em><span>Author &amp; Founder of Thrive Now</span></em></p><p><span>PS: </span></p><p><span>If this post meant something to you, I'd love to hear about your own "in sickness and in health" moment. Hit reply and let me know.</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Left the ER With a Splint. She Walked Away Fine.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nine years of caregiving in one clumsy afternoon.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/i-left-the-er-with-a-splint-she-walked</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/i-left-the-er-with-a-splint-she-walked</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:54:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg" width="1018" height="713" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:713,&quot;width&quot;:1018,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:232777,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/210238032?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EKFF!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3133d9de-4ba2-485c-981d-0d34a82c46d2_1018x713.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">36 years in. Still catching each other</figcaption></figure></div><p>We were at a family member&#8217;s home, a house with an upper and lower level. In a moment of distraction, I let Marisol walk around on her own.</p><p>Moments later, I heard the bump.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>I turned, jumped up, and dove across the room to try to catch her. I didn&#8217;t make it in time. The wall stopped me first. She was okay, a little shaken, but okay.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t as okay. My pinky finger had taken the impact of the wall. It swelled up immediately, and by the end of the day I was in the ER. Sprained finger. She walked away fine. I left with a splint.</p><p>I guess only Superman could have walked right through that wall. But at least I tried.</p><p>Nine years in, and that&#8217;s still the job. Not the diving through walls, though there&#8217;s been plenty of that too. The job is the half-second before the bump. The one where your whole body goes on alert before your brain catches up. The one where you&#8217;re doing dishes or paying bills or trying to sleep, and part of you is always listening.</p><p>I used to think that half-second would fade. It hasn&#8217;t. What&#8217;s changed is what I do with it.</p><p><strong>I wrote a book about the nine years that taught me the difference.</strong></p><p>It&#8217;s called *My Life as a New Caregiver*, and the subtitle is the truest sentence I&#8217;ve written in a long time: <strong>I Don&#8217;t Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband.</strong></p><p>It&#8217;s part guide, part practical memoir, and part companion for the nights when you&#8217;re not sure you can do this again tomorrow. I wrote it because when I started this, nobody handed me anything close to a map. I wrote it for the version of me nine years ago, and for whoever you are reading this right now, standing in your own kitchen, waiting for your own half-second to pass.</p><p>The book releases <strong>August 31.</strong></p><p>I know not everyone reading this is a caregiver. Some of you are here for the marriage letters, and I&#8217;m grateful for that too. But if you are one of us, if you know the listening I mean, I wanted you to hear about this directly from me before it goes public everywhere else.</p><p><strong>Here&#8217;s what I want to do before launch day.</strong></p><p>I want to give away copies of the full book, free, to anyone who wants one. All I ask in return is your honest feedback, sent to me directly within seven days of reading it. Short or long, whatever you have.</p><p><strong><a href="https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gq95v8xc63">Get your free copy here.</a></strong></p><p>This offer ends <strong>August 16,</strong> so I have time to hear from you before the book goes live everywhere on August 31.</p><p>You don&#8217;t have to do this. But if you&#8217;ve ever stood in that half-second I described above, I&#8217;d love for you to read it before anyone else does.</p><p>Talk to you soon.</p><p>Nick G.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Most Dangerous Marriage in the Room]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two dangerous people don&#8217;t automatically make a dangerous marriage.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-most-dangerous-marriage-in-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-most-dangerous-marriage-in-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:30:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png" width="1456" height="950" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:950,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:195759,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/208652410?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WYyv!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7683a84c-8b41-49f3-946c-64783797a311_2760x1800.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hey friend,</p><p>We&#8217;ve talked about the most dangerous man in the room. We&#8217;ve talked about the most dangerous spouse in the room. Today I want to bring those two together, because a prepared person married to another prepared person doesn&#8217;t just produce two dangerous individuals. It produces <strong>a dangerous marriage.</strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>You remember the pattern. Ezra studied before he taught. Paul kept requesting books from a prison cell. Nehemiah prayed for months before he ever picked up a trowel. None of them waited for a crisis to start preparing. They were already ready when the moment came.</p><p>A dangerous marriage works the same way. It&#8217;s not the marriage that looks impressive on a stage or in a photo. It&#8217;s the one that&#8217;s been quietly preparing for years, so that when the hard season comes, and it will come, there&#8217;s already a foundation underneath it.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what that preparation buys you:</p><p><strong>A legacy that outlasts you.</strong> Marisol and I are 36 years into this marriage, and the two people who said &#8220;I do&#8221; back then could not have carried what we carry today. It wasn&#8217;t one dramatic moment that built that strength. It was thousands of ordinary days, the ones nobody applauds, that quietly prepared us for the extraordinary ones.</p><p><strong>Resilience when hardship shows up uninvited.</strong></p><p>Nobody trains for caregiving. I certainly didn&#8217;t. But the marriage Marisol and I had already built before Alzheimer&#8217;s appeared is the same marriage that has carried us through nine years (so far) of it. Preparation doesn&#8217;t keep the storm from coming. It decides whether you make it through together.</p><p><strong>Influence that reaches past your own four walls.</strong> Your kids are watching. Your grandkids are watching. So are the people at your church, at your job, in your neighborhood; whether they say it or not, they&#8217;re taking notes on whether your marriage is coasting or still growing. A dangerous marriage doesn&#8217;t just protect the two of you. It becomes a model for everyone watching.</p><p>So here&#8217;s the question I&#8217;ll leave you and your spouse with today: </p><ul><li><p>Are you preparing together, or are you just coexisting until the next hard thing forces the issue?</p></li></ul><p>Next time, I&#8217;ll be writing about how to quietly prepare to be dangerous.</p><p>Stop waiting for inspiration. Start preparing on purpose. That&#8217;s what makes a marriage dangerous, in the best possible way.</p><p><br>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div.<br>Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community<br>https://Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Most Dangerous Spouse in the Room]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you still dangerous?]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-most-dangerous-spouse-in-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-most-dangerous-spouse-in-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:00:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png" width="708" height="718" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/de727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:718,&quot;width&quot;:708,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:193137,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/204793781?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e562!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde727e95-abca-4627-96ff-547772e1c9cf_708x718.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Hey friend,</strong></p><p>This past Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking to the men of the MEGA Men&#8217;s Ministry Discipleship Zoom, and I want to share the heart of that message with you -- because I believe it applies to every husband, every wife, and every believer who is serious about their calling.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>I opened with a question: <em>If the enemy could choose who he does not want in the room, would he pick you? Or are you still safe?</em> The most dangerous person in any room is not the loudest, the most talented, or the most charismatic. They are the most prepared. The devil is not after the prepared man or woman -- he is afraid of them.</p><p>I took the men through three portraits of dangerous people in Scripture -- Ezra, who set his heart to study before he ever stood up to teach; Paul, one of the greatest missionaries, who was still requesting books and parchments from a prison cell while awaiting execution; and Nehemiah, who prayed for four months, surveyed the walls in secret, counted the cost, and moved with holy confidence when the moment came. What they had in common was this: they took responsibility for their own formation. No one forced them to grow. They decided. And because they were prepared, God could turn them loose -- and when God turns a prepared person loose, the kingdom advances.</p><p>The same principle applies to your marriage. A thriving relationship does not happen by accident -- it requires preparation too. Keep learning. Keep growing. People change, seasons change, and the person you married at 25 is not exactly the same person standing beside you today. Neither are you. That is not a problem -- that is life. But it does mean that a prepared spouse pays attention. They stay curious about their partner. They do not coast on what they learned in year one. The most dangerous spouse is not the one who used to know their partner well. It is the one who is still studying them today -- still showing up, still growing, and still choosing their marriage on purpose.</p><p>This is the word I want to leave with you today, husbands and wives alike. Stop settling for potential and start pursuing preparation. The marriage, the family, the ministry you are called to is not waiting for your inspiration. It is waiting for your preparation. One step forward in your formation is one step closer to becoming the most dangerous spouse in every room God places you in.</p><p>Are you still studying your spouse -- or have you stopped paying attention?</p><p><span>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div.</span><br><span>Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community<br></span>https://Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’m speaking tomorrow -- want to join me?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Most Dangerous Man in the Room]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/im-speaking-tomorrow-want-to-join</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/im-speaking-tomorrow-want-to-join</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2026 03:47:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Quick note:</p><p>I&#8217;m speaking tomorrow morning (Sat. June 27) at the MEGA Men&#8217;s Ministry Discipleship Zoom at 8am (it ends at 9 AM). </p><p>My message is called <em>&#8220;<strong>The Most Dangerous Man in the Room.</strong>&#8221;</em> If you know a man who needs a word, send him the link. I&#8217;d love to see you there.</p><p><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88310927071?pwd=a2hSR2VTVWZQa2pIeU9obWVkRzNGQT09">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88310927071?pwd=a2hSR2VTVWZQa2pIeU9obWVkRzNGQT09</a></p><p>See you tomorrow morning!<br>Nick G.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png" width="482" height="470" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:470,&quot;width&quot;:482,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:38882,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/203789398?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-uyN!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bb795ce-2314-4bc0-9e47-c3c8de623692_482x470.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Before this book goes public, I want you to read it first.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hi Friend,]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/before-this-book-goes-public-i-want</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/before-this-book-goes-public-i-want</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:53:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XyS9!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41f28efe-e1f5-46b7-8b85-c39704224623_960x960.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Friend,</p><p>I have some personal news &#8212; and I wanted you to hear it before anyone else.</p><p>My new book is launching on Amazon soon, and I&#8217;d love for you to be part of my <strong>launch team.</strong></p><p>The book is called <em><strong>My Life as a New Caregiver: I Don&#8217;t Want to Be a Caregiver. I Just Want to Be Her Husband.</strong></em></p><p>It is part memoir, part practical guide, and part companion for the journey - nine years in the making. It&#8217;s honest, it&#8217;s raw, and it&#8217;s written for anyone who has ever loved someone through an illness and wondered if they had what it takes to keep going.</p><p>As a launch team member, here&#8217;s what you receive:</p><p><span>&#127873;</span> A free advance PDF of the entire book; delivered three chapters at a time over three weeks, before the public release.</p><p><span>&#128204;</span> Your name acknowledged personally in my launch week Substack post.</p><p><span>&#11088;&#65039;</span> A chance to be part of something that I believe can reach caregivers who are desperately waiting for someone to say: I see you. You are not alone. You are doing a great job.</p><p><strong>All I ask in return:</strong></p><p><span>&#9989;</span> Read the book.<br><br><span>&#9989;</span> Leave a short, honest Amazon review during launch week &#8212; your words help other caregivers find it.</p><p>That&#8217;s it. No complicated commitments.</p><p>Reply to this email with the word YES, and I&#8217;ll send you the first three chapters today.</p><p><br>With gratitude,</p><p>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div.<br>Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community<br>https://Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I've been away. Here's why.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Her name is Ada Marina. She was 97 years young.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/ive-been-away-heres-why</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/ive-been-away-heres-why</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:02:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg" width="1456" height="1680" 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/__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_2pW!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2f34b1a-e7b0-44a6-ae07-90640c001caa_1622x1871.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>"Ada Marina Gonz&#225;lez &#8212; 1928&#8211;2026"</p><p>Hi everyone!</p><p>Six weeks ago, I shared my mom with you, and then I went quiet. My life demanded it, and I needed to honor that. But I&#8217;ve been thinking about this community a lot, and today I&#8217;m ready to come back.</p><p>I&#8217;m back now, not because the grief is finished, but because showing up is part of how I&#8217;m built. My mom modeled that. She never waited until everything was perfect to be present for the people she loved. I don&#8217;t think she would want me to either.</p><p>I have a lot coming in the weeks ahead; things I&#8217;ve been working on quietly during this season that I can&#8217;t wait to share with you. But for today, I just wanted to come back and let you know I&#8217;m still here.</p><p>So are you. And that matters more than you know.</p><p>With gratitude.</p><p><br>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div. | Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community <a href="https://thrive.nickgonzalez.com/">Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[That's my Momma!]]></title><description><![CDATA[My mom passed away yesterday. Here&#8217;s what she taught me about legacy.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/thats-my-momma</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/thats-my-momma</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 15:02:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg" width="960" height="726" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GH52!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4441330a-9d83-408c-94f4-8ea2d9a38a4d_960x726.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><em>&#8220;Ada Marina Gonz&#225;lez. 97 years young. Still my favorite listener.&#8221;</em> </figcaption></figure></div><p>My mom went home to be with the Lord yesterday morning.</p><p>Her name is Ada Marina Gonz&#225;lez, and she was 97 years young. I say &#8220;young&#8221; because that&#8217;s exactly how she lived, with a lightness and a warmth that made everyone around her feel like they were her favorite person in the room.</p><p>Family members called her when life got hard. Not because she had all the answers, but because she never made you feel judged for the question. She had a gift for listening that most people spend a lifetime trying to learn.</p><p>When I would call her, I never had to worry about a conversation, as she always had a story and made it very easy to talk to. Many times I would just listen to her for 5-10 minutes at a time, saying, &#8220;Ah ha, okay, yes.&#8221; What was always funny to me is that it also took about 5 minutes to say goodbye on the phone.</p><p>She was, in every sense of the word, easy to be with and easy to talk to.</p><p>And sitting with that today, I realize &#8212; that&#8217;s the whole Language of Legacy right there. Not a title. Not an achievement. Just a woman who showed up, kept the door open, and made people feel safe enough to tell the truth.</p><p>That&#8217;s what I want my marriage to look like. That&#8217;s what I want this community to feel like.</p><p>Thanks for letting me share her with you today.</p><p>&#8212; Nick Gonzalez, M. Div. | NickGonzalez.com</p><p><em>P.S. </em></p><p><em>Hug somebody today. Tell them what they mean to you. Ada Marina would have wanted that.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Missed Me? (I Missed You Too.)]]></title><description><![CDATA[The last two weeks have been a lot.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/missed-me-i-missed-you-too</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/missed-me-i-missed-you-too</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2026 22:39:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_xQT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F431c3b92-91e4-4ed8-9a50-ef08acd1d446_872x762.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_xQT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F431c3b92-91e4-4ed8-9a50-ef08acd1d446_872x762.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_xQT!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The last two weeks got away from me. We had an ER visit, we changed home health care providers, and honestly, life with Alzheimer&#8217;s doesn&#8217;t really ask for your permission before it turns the whole schedule upside down.</p><p>So I missed a couple of posts. And I&#8217;d rather just tell you that than pretend it didn&#8217;t happen.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what I can tell you, though: everything I&#8217;ve been sharing with you this year? I&#8217;ve been living it. The &#8220;Daily 15.&#8221; The Language of Legacy. Choosing connection over details when everything in you just wants to stop and take a break on the couch.</p><p>Some mornings, my &#8220;Zero Tech&#8221; five minutes were just sitting next to Marisol, holding her hand, and not saying a word. And that was enough.</p><p>I&#8217;m back now. I&#8217;m glad you&#8217;re still here. And I&#8217;ve got a lot more to talk about in the weeks ahead.</p><p><strong>The Bottom Line:</strong> Thriving doesn&#8217;t always look like winning. Sometimes it looks like staying in the room.</p><p>Nick G.</p><p><em>P.S. </em></p><p><em>If you&#8217;re walking through a caregiving season of your own, drop a note in the comments. I&#8217;d love to hear from you.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Tool Your Marriage Needs Right Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[This Week Is a Good Time to Start]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/a-tool-your-marriage-needs-right</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/a-tool-your-marriage-needs-right</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:31:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png" width="1456" height="1319" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1319,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:552876,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/194928976?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T_4a!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3c41d59-8e3a-4bc3-914b-9b26c6bf4535_1600x1449.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Marisol and I have been married 36 years. And if I&#8217;m honest, some of the most powerful moments in our marriage didn&#8217;t happen on a vacation or during a big conversation. They happened in the quiet minutes when we stopped talking <em>at</em> each other and started talking <em>to God together.</em></p><p>That shift changed everything.</p><p>If your marriage has been feeling more like two people running parallel lives under the same roof, I want to invite you to try something simple: the <strong><a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">7-Day Prayer Challenge</a></strong><a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">.</a></p><p>It&#8217;s a short eBook I wrote specifically for couples like you. Not a theology textbook. Not a 30-day program that requires a calendar and a miracle. Just seven days of one-minute prayers, built around the wisdom of the Lord&#8217;s Prayer, with a brief devotion and one honest conversation prompt each day.</p><p>In one week, couples have moved from roommate mode to genuinely reconnecting. One reader told me it was so impactful that she uses it in marriage classes and gives it as a gift. Another said she and her husband went through it together and found tools they&#8217;re still using today.</p><p>The eBook is just <strong>$9.95</strong>, and it comes with a 90-day guarantee. If you don&#8217;t notice a real shift in your relationship, email me directly, and I&#8217;ll refund every penny. No hoops, no questions.</p><p>The next seven days could change the next fifty years of your marriage.</p><p>&#128073; [<a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">Grab the 7-Day Prayer Challenge here]</a></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div. | Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community <a href="https://thrive.nickgonzalez.com/">Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</a></p><p><strong>P.S.</strong></p><p>Prefer something you can hold in your hands? The 7-Day Prayer Challenge is also <a href="https://prayer.nickgonzalez.com/">available in paperback</a> for $14.95. Same content, great gift option too.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is “The Drift” costing you? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[36 years has taught me one hard truth.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/what-is-the-drift-costing-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/what-is-the-drift-costing-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:15:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:29345,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/i/194267516?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_848, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ighb!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d1f38f4-2b8c-4cba-8799-b3bec7b0cd62_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hi everyone,</p><p>Marisol and I have been married for 36 years. And if there&#8217;s one thing three-plus decades will teach you, it&#8217;s this: no marriage stays in the same place. You are either moving closer together &#8212; or you are slowly drifting apart.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>There is no &#8220;neutral.&#8221; (I know, I know. I wish there was too.)</p><p>When I talk about &#8220;<strong>The Silent Room syndrome&#8221;</strong>, I&#8217;m not describing a peaceful evening where you both finally get some quiet. I&#8217;m talking about the beginning of a drift &#8212; one that, if left unchecked, quietly leads to separate bank accounts, separate bedrooms, and eventually, separate lives.</p><p>Nobody drifts on purpose. It just... happens. One busy season at a time.</p><p>The real cost of the drift isn&#8217;t financial. It&#8217;s the slow erosion of the legacy you both believed God put you together to build.</p><p>That&#8217;s why I wrote the <strong><a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">7-Day Prayer Challenge</a>.</strong></p><p>Most couples don&#8217;t need a 500-page textbook. They need an emergency brake. Something simple, doable, and grounded &#8212; because God didn&#8217;t design marriage to run on fumes.</p><p>For <strong>$9.95</strong> (less than a fast-food meal that you&#8217;ll forget by tomorrow), you get the exact roadmap that Marisol and I use to keep our anchor dropped. Seven days. One minute of prayer a day. And a whole lot of movement back toward &#8220;Center.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#128073; <a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">Stop the Drift &#8212; Get the 7-Day Challenge</a></strong></p><p>Don&#8217;t wait for a crisis to start investing in your connection. The drift doesn&#8217;t announce itself. But you can stop it today.</p><p>To your vision,</p><p><strong>Nick Gonzalez, M.Div. | </strong>Author &amp; Founder, Thrive Now Community <a href="https://thrive.nickgonzalez.com/">Thrive.NickGonzalez.com</a></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>P.S.</strong></p><p>Want to start now? Grab the eBook for instant download at <strong>$9.95,</strong> and you&#8217;ll be on Day 1 before you finish your coffee. <strong><a href="https://payhip.com/b/x8Uf1">Download the 7-Day Challenge now</a>.</strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://thrivingnow.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thrive Now with Nick Gonzalez is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The “Silent Room” syndrome. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[How to create spiritual intimacy in 5 minutes.]]></description><link>https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-silent-room-syndrome</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://thrivingnow.substack.com/p/the-silent-room-syndrome</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Gonzalez, M. Div.]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:21:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XyS9!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41f28efe-e1f5-46b7-8b85-c39704224623_960x960.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Hi everyone,</strong></p><p>I&#8217;ve noticed a recurring theme in my years as a marriage mentor. Many couples are great at &#8220;doing life&#8221; together, but they feel a growing silence when it comes to their spiritual connection.</p><p>They want to pray together, but it feels awkward. They want to connect deeply, but they don&#8217;t know the words.</p><p>Marisol and I learned early on that spiritual intimacy doesn&#8217;t happen by accident. It happens by design.</p><p>Because I want to help you bridge that gap, I&#8217;m putting my book, <strong><a href="http://prayer.nickgonzalez.com">7-Day Prayer Challenge: How to Pray with your Spouse to create Spiritual Intimacy</a></strong><a href="http://prayer.nickgonzalez.com">,</a> front and center today.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://prayer.nickgonzalez.com/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hwFw!, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/w_424, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/thrivingnow.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F40550229-d91e-4d20-9219-61b962d1fd29_205x307.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hwFw!, 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class="image-caption">This isn&#8217;t just a book title for us; it&#8217;s the practice that saved our marriage from the 'drift' many years ago.</figcaption></figure></div><p>This isn&#8217;t an intimidating theological study. It is a simple, 7-day roadmap designed to help you and your spouse create a lasting spiritual bond in less than 5 minutes a day.</p><p><strong>You can grab your copy of the <a href="https://prayer.nickgonzalez.com/">7-Day Prayer Challenge book right here</a>:</strong></p><p>To the 900+ couples in this circle, your spiritual bond is the anchor for everything else. Let&#8217;s start building that intimacy today.</p><p><strong>To your vision,</strong></p><p>Nick I. Gonzalez, M.Div. | Author &amp; Marriage Mentor. | NickGonzalez.com</p><p><strong>P.S. </strong></p><p>If you feel like you don't have time for a new project, remember: this challenge is designed to take less than 5 minutes a day. It&#8217;s not a heavy lift; it&#8217;s a small pivot that yields a huge spiritual return. You can get started right <a href="https://prayer.nickgonzalez.com/">here</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>