Rooted and Rising By Rachel Barnes

I'm 41, and life feels different — in the best way. I'm past the baby years. My kids are a little older. And for the first time in a long time, I have a little more space, clarity, and energy. I've been sitting with that.  Really thinking about it. Because at some point — I'm not even sure exactly when — I started coming last. Not intentionally. Just gradually. The way it sometimes happens when life gets full. But this season feels different. I'm finding my way back to myself. In a steady, intentional way. To me, a glow-up right now isn't about becoming someone new. It's about elevating my standards again. Getting back to the things I love. Being consistent. Taking care of myself in a way that actually feels good . And I'm noticing how much that changes everything. The Things I'm Doing That Make Me Feel Like Myself Again Getting Things Out of My Head This might be the biggest shift of all. For a long time, I kept everything in my he...

I’m 40, a mom of three, married, active, and someone who has always taken care of herself. And a few years ago… something shifted. Just enough to make me feel like I wasn’t fully myself.   It didn’t start with “brain fog” At 38, I went to my doctor for my annual appointment and mentioned exhaustion and feeling different — more overwhelmed and more tired than I had ever felt before. I didn’t have the language for it yet. I didn’t walk in saying “I have brain fog” or “I think this is perimenopause.” I just knew something wasn’t right. I couldn’t think as clearly as I used to. I felt overwhelmed and not as sharp as I had been. I couldn’t focus the way I used to. And the fatigue? It was next level. Not “I need a nap” tired. I couldn’t make it through my day the way I used to. By the end of the day, I felt completely drained. And that part really got to me. Because I knew this wasn’t me.   The appointment that surprised me My doctor listened, r...

Today is my 41st birthday, and I’ve been thinking a lot about this season of life. After going through perimenopause, in my late 30s — and not even realizing I was in it — it actually feels really good to be in a place where I’m taking steps to feel better… and creating a space to share that with other women too. Midlife isn’t what I thought it would be. In my early 30s, I assumed this phase would feel easy. Then it didn’t. And I knew something had to shift. So I went on a journey to find answers. They didn’t come from one place. And I’m still learning. But I’ve been doing the work, asking questions, and figuring out what actually helps. I’ve learned a lot along the way. And the more I talk about it, the more I realize — we’re all kind of figuring this out together. So here are 41 things I’ve learned so far: 🌿 The Realizations A lot of women don’t actually know what perimenopause is. A lot of women are walking around not feeling like the...

Hi — I’m Rachel. I’m 40, a mom of three, married almost 15 years, and someone who genuinely loves building a life that feels good. I love coffee, running, being outside with my kids, traveling, Disney World… all of it. I’ve always been someone who sets goals, follows through, and creates the kind of life I want to live. I built a career in finance. Worked full-time while raising my kids. Helped our family become debt-free. I’ve always been the one who figures things out. And for a long time, I did. Then things started to feel harder than they should A few years ago, I noticed a shift. My energy dropped. I was experiencing brain fog… I felt more overwhelmed doing things I used to handle easily. For a long time, I blamed it on stress. Learning what was actually going on But eventually, it started to feel like it was more than that. So I began asking better questions. Talking to my doctor. Looking into things I had never thought much about before. ...