From Burnout to Breathing Again:
How to Know Where You’re At, What You Want, and What’s Really Next
Six or Seven years ago, there was a version of me that looked really “together” on the outside.
Early mornings in construction. First one in the office.
Boxer. Married. Big house. Fancy car. Hitting all the “milestones.”
And also? Avoiding everything.
I poured wine to quiet the noise.
I stayed silent when things felt off.
I white-knuckled my way through anxiety attacks in downtown Toronto.
I told myself I was fine.
But the truth? I was absolutely not fine.
And I didn’t even know what I actually wanted.
I just knew… this couldn’t be it.
The Real Start of My Healing? Wasn’t Some Big Dramatic Leap.
It started in baby steps.
In googling “how to feel better.”
In quitting drinking and realizing, if I can do this, I can do anything.
In deciding I wanted a different kind of life—and being willing to figure out what that even meant.
When I look back, there’s a clear before and after:
Before Chelsea wanted validation. External praise. Permission.
Now Chelsea builds from alignment. Integrity. Truth.
And that didn’t happen overnight.
It happened through tiny, deliberate choices that became a new way of being.
How to Know Where You’re At Right Now
If you’re in a season where something feels off—you can’t quite name it, but you know you’re craving more—I see you.
Here are a few ways to gut-check where you're at:
Are you constantly exhausted, even when you "should" feel fine?
→ You may be running on cortisol, coffee, and avoidance. (I was.)Are you numbing with wine, food, overwork, or scrolling?
→ Not a sign of failure. A sign that something in you needs tending to.Do you know what you don’t want… but aren’t sure what you do?
→ That’s okay. Clarity comes from taking one step in the direction of curiosity.Are your reactions bigger than the moment requires?
→ You might be carrying stored emotional weight that your body is trying to release.Do you know your core values—and live by them daily?
→ Most people don’t. I didn’t. Until I sat down and actually figured them out.
What Do You Actually Want?
Sometimes the real work is letting yourself want more.
Not more stuff. More substance.
Peace in your nervous system.
A life that doesn’t need escaping.
To be proud of how you show up.
To feel like your life fits you.
For me, that shift started when I asked:
Who do I want to be?
And then—what would she do?
That’s the work I walk my clients through now. Not just stopping the habits that don’t serve you—but replacing them with grounded, aligned, supportive ways of living, coping, choosing.
Ready to Hear the Full Story?
This week’s podcast episode is as real as it gets.
I talk about the years I spent avoiding, the anxiety that finally broke me open, and what it’s actually taken to build a life I love—one breath at a time.
👉 Click here to listen now.
(Or search “The Deliberate Exchange” wherever you get your podcasts.)
If You’re Ready to Start Walking This Road With Support…
DM me.
Or reach out here.
This is the work I do in my 1:1 coaching and inside SheWalks Canada—helping women break old patterns, move through avoidance, and build a steady, grounded life that feels like them.
Because healing doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by intention.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
Breathe It In, Be Deliberate
Chelsea
