It's my birthday week, and I've been thinking about the woman I was at 20.

The girl who thought she needed to have everything figured out. Who looked to other people for answers. Who wanted to make the right decisions, even when those decisions didn't necessarily feel right for her.

And the girl who dreamed of becoming a potter but chose a more practical path because that's what she believed she was supposed to do.

Looking back, there are so many things I wish I could tell her.

Not because I regret the life I've lived, but because I've learned that some of the greatest lessons come from the detours, the mistakes, and the moments when life doesn't go according to plan.

In this birthday episode of Courageously Awake, I'm sharing five things I wish I'd known in my 20s—and why those lessons still matter today.

In this episode, we're talking about:

• Remembering that this is YOUR life to live.
• Why disappointing other people doesn't mean you're doing something wrong.
• Letting go of the pressure to have everything figured out.
• Why the things that light you up deserve a place in your life.
• Learning to stop outsourcing your decisions and start listening to your own heart.

I also share my journey from wanting to become a ceramic artist, to choosing a more practical career path, to eventually finding my way back to the pottery wheel after 40.

Because sometimes the things we love have a way of finding us again.

This Week's Practice

Write a letter to your younger self.

Start with: "Dear younger me, here's what I wish you knew..."

Then ask yourself: What part of this advice do I still need to hear today?

Voice Liberator Reflection

If you truly believed this was YOUR life to live, what would you do differently starting today?

Continue Your Journey

🎧 The Voice Within: 7 Days to Hear Your Own Voice Again

A free seven-day private podcast experience to help you recognize conditioning, reconnect with your inner voice, and begin trusting yourself again.

Listen here

💛 Truth Sessions

A four-week guided journey to help you recognize your voice, practice self-trust, and begin living from what feels true to you.

Explore Truth Sessions

Remember: You don't have to have it all figured out to begin living a life that feels like yours.

Stay courageously awake. Keep listening. And trust what feels true.

xoxo

@rochelletownsend.inc