Ever had that moment where you’re sure you’ve won an argument but the victory feels hollow? I have. For the longest time I thought being right was the key to connection. Turns out it often does the opposite.

In this episode I’m sharing a big shift in my own thinking around what’s “right” and what’s “wrong”. What I used to consider a moral compass now feels like a self imposed limitation. I’ve been learning to sit with the idea that multiple truths can and do exist at the same time.

I’ll be sharing some stories from my own life and the lessons I’ve learned about how letting go of the need to be right has, ironically, led to a much deeper understanding of myself and the people around me. We’ll also talk about how perfectionism plays into this and the freedom that comes with embracing uncertainty and having your perspectives change.

If you’ve ever felt weird when you receive praise or found yourself stuck in black and white thinking, I invite you to join me on this Wise Walk. Let’s talk about what it really looks like to choose connection over being correct and find the wisdom that’s waiting for us in the gray areas.

• Have you been in a heated discussion where someone ends up saying you're right, but instead of feeling satisfied, you realize you just want to feel understood and connected on a deeper level?

• Have you ever been unsure if you’re right or wrong but still deeply wanted to feel seen, heard, and understood for what you’re going through?

• Are there moments in your life where you could shift your mindset away from black and white thinking and open yourself to the colorful shades of gray, letting go of comparison and competition?

• Are there areas in your life where you once felt absolutely certain about something, only to look back later and realize your perspective has changed?

• Can you see where your past attachment to being right may have limited your growth or kept you from new insights?

• Where in your life can you start approaching situations with a more cooperative rather than competitive mindset, allowing for a fuller expression of different truths?

• The next time someone says you’re right or wrong, can you notice what comes up in you and whether it invites more connection or causes a shutdown?

• What can you do in those moments to build trust, encourage dialogue, and bring people together rather than drive a wedge?

Thanks for spending this time with me. I hope this conversation helped you reflect on your own journey with right and wrong, and maybe gave you a new way to look at connection. I’ll be back next Thursday with another Wise Walk, so until then, keep tuning in, stay open, and get your stride on.

In this episode:

[04:33] I remember being passionate and advocating for what I firmly believed in. I felt sincere satisfaction when the other person said that I was right.

[05:04] This doesn't always bring us closer together.

[06:33] We can all be right according to our own experiences. Maybe we can come to a sympathetic understanding.

[07:36] This also frees us from perfectionism.

[10:20] The more we learn. The more we realize we don't know everything.

[12:17] We are constantly evolving.

[14:34] Saying you are right may stop the conversation.

[17:04] I'm at a state of life where I embrace being wrong. Being wrong is an opportunity for growth and to hear the other person's experiences.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Being right doesn’t actually fulfill me. I just want to feel understood and connected on a deeper level.” - Mary Tess
  
• “I view being wrong as an opportunity for growth, to come together and see each other in ways that are deep and meaningful.” - Mary Tess
  
• “Let’s move away from comparison and competition and toward cooperation and curiosity.” - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

Mary Tess Rooney

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Heart Value

I’ve come to realize that not every decision needs to be backed by logic or explained away with reasons. When I was recently invited to take on a regular yoga teaching role, I immediately started listing all the practical benefits. But something felt off. The more I tried to rationalize a yes, the more I knew in my heart it was really a no. That experience reminded me how powerful it can be to pause, listen inward, and honor what feels aligned, even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

On today’s Wise Walk, I’m sharing how I’ve been learning to let my heart lead, how that shift has created more balance and peace in my life, and how I’ve stopped over explaining my feelings just to make others comfortable. Together, we’ll explore how to trust that inner knowing, hold space for our emotions, and let our feelings guide us forward.

• When you consider options in your life, do you lead with logic or drop into your heart to listen?

• Do you have enough experience to trust your heart’s wisdom, or is that still a muscle you're building?

• Do you tend to lead from your intellect more than your heart, and is that something you want to reflect on?

• When someone offers you an opportunity, can you check in with your heart and honor how it feels?

• If it doesn’t feel right, can you communicate a simple no without explaining or justifying it?

• Do you find yourself trying to make others comfortable with your “no” by offering logic or reasons?

• Can you give yourself grace and stop explaining your heart-centered decisions to others?

• Can you accept your own inner knowing without needing outside validation or agreement?

• When someone doesn’t understand your perspective, can you simply share your feelings and hold space?

• Are you able to let your feelings speak for themselves, even without words or logic to explain them?

• Where can you hold space for someone stuck in “should” thinking and gently ask how they feel instead?

• Can you fully accept someone’s emotional truth without needing them to justify or explain it?

• Can you allow a feeling—yours or someone else’s—to stand on its own and be accepted as it is?

Thank you for walking with me today. I’m so grateful we can hold space for each other as we lead with our hearts.

In this episode:

[02:46] I reflect back on times when logic has taken over my decisions. Sometimes logic and rationale will get us to the place we need to go.

[03:34] There are times when it's not an intellectual decision or about rationale. We need to give ourselves permission to listen and lead with our hearts.

[04:34] I was rationalizing saying yes to teaching yoga when in my heart I knew the answer needed to be no.

[05:28] There was a heart knowingness before I even made the decision.

[06:01] My heart did feel good about teaching yoga every other week.

[07:32] In the past, I would try to come up with rationale when something didn't feel right.

[09:59] Wise Walk big takeaway: Accept and allow my feelings to speak for themselves without having to explain or justify.

[11:10] I don't have an explanation. I'm just trying to accept and honor my feelings.

[13:07] Because we've all been raised with belief systems and expectations, it makes holding space for our feelings challenging.

[16:04] This week I'm going to be very aware of when people make "I should" instead of "I feel" statements.

Memorable Quotes:

• “What feels aligned to you matters more than what makes sense to someone else.” - Mary Tess
• “I love how when we feel our way forward, there is this expansiveness and we also don’t have to justify our answers.” - Mary Tess
• “Just make peace with your feelings and hold them sacred in your own heart.” - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

Mary Tess Rooney

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Heart Value

I’ve always believed that good leadership starts with staying true to yourself. Back when I was managing high-stakes corporate projects, I learned that the only way to turn things around was to lead in a way that felt natural to me, not just copy someone else’s approach. That lesson came back to me recently during a challenging moment in a volunteer role that I had held for years.

Someone criticized the way I had been running things, and instead of pushing back, I chose to step aside. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it gave me the space to reflect on what leadership really means and how sometimes the strongest move is to let someone else step in and learn, even if they stumble a bit along the way.

As we go on this week's Wise Walk together, I’m sharing what that experience taught me about boundaries, authenticity, and the value of stepping away when something no longer feels aligned.

• Where are you currently being asked to lead in your life?

• When you take on a project, initative or event, do you have full freedom and support to carry it out in a way that feels authentic to you?

• Do you stay true to your vision when others try to steer you toward a path that feels misaligned?

• Is there a leadership role where it might be time to step aside for someone more passionate and vocal?

• Have you led something successfully yet begun hearing restless feedback about doing it differently?

• If people bring fresh ideas, are you willing to invite them to lead and let their vision unfold?

• Can you hand off the reins smoothly, set the new leader up for success, and settle into a supportive back seat?

• How does it feel to ride along, caring about the destination but no longer steering the bus?

• Can you give the new leader space to stumble and learn just as you once did?

• As they take charge, can you appreciate how far you’ve already brought everyone on the journey?

Thanks for joining me on this Wise Walk. I hope it reminded you that staying true to yourself is always the best path forward. Until next time, read the signs, direct your path and get your stride on.

In this episode:

[08:01] I felt judgment and under attack when this individual criticized how I was leading a project. It was also disheartening because my efforts and leadership benefited many individuals for over 6 years.

[09:18] It was hurtful to hear criticism instead of collaboration and helpfulness.

[10:03] I reflected on my professional experience and decided it was time to pass the baton.

[11:52] I knew when it comes to leading something that matters, that I can only drive the bus the way I know.

[12:34] I want people involved to be part of the solution and not criticize afterwards.

[13:14] Taking a step back has freed me to do other things in my life.

[15:53] It's important for me to remember the fact that they don't know what they don't know.

[17:14] It's always easier to come in on things that you don't have full visibility to.

[19:30] I am so grateful for our Wise Walks that give me the ability to self-reflect and process some of these things that go on in my own life and welcome in other's experiences, challenges and perspectives.

[20:20] The biggest takeaway for me is to lead your way. Lead authentically and if it's not in alignment, take a step back or get off the bus entirely.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Clarity comes when you give yourself permission to step back and trust what feels right.” - Mary Tess
• “Lead in a way that aligns with your truth, not someone else’s expectations.” - Mary Tess
• “Giving others space and grace allows them to stumble, learn, and eventually shine.” - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

Mary Tess Rooney

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Heart Value

Have you ever started a big project and wondered how you would ever pull it off? I felt that way recently when it came time to prep my house for sale, and just thinking about all the steps involved made the whole thing feel heavy. But then something beautiful happened. A good friend stepped in, and with her help, what once felt impossible started to feel exciting and even fun.

On today’s Wise Walk, we are talking about what it means to find your “mission impossible” partner, the person who shows up with energy, ideas, and that can-do spirit that makes a daunting task feel doable. We will explore how to spot what is holding you back, how to create space for your dreams, and why the right support can completely change your experience of a challenge.

Let’s slow down and get real about the power of asking for help, the magic of clearing emotional and physical clutter, and the joy that comes from turning what once felt overwhelming into something light, energizing, and full of possibility.

• Are you feeling called to do something that feels heavy emotionally, physically, energetically, or spiritually, like a mission impossible?

• As you sit with that idea, is there someone you can call and say, this is what I am envisioning, dreaming, and being called to do?

• Can you ask them to help you mission impossible the crap out of it and block time together to make it happen?

• Are you willing to give yourself the space and time to turn that mission from impossible to possible?

• When you think about what feels impossible, what is holding you back or weighing you down?

• Is there a way to lighten that physical, emotional, energetic, or spiritual block so you can move forward?

• Do you have a sounding board or expert you can call upon for support and fresh ideas?

• Are you sharing your mission with others who might have time or energy to help you?

• Who in your life can make your mission not just possible, but fun, light, and energizing?

• Are you asking the right people who genuinely want to support you and see your mission succeed?

• Do you have fun-filled people in your life who can help you turn the impossible into possible?

• Are you willing to share your vision so those who care about you can help bring it to life?

I hope you are dreaming big, clearing any blockages, and leaning on the friends and sounding boards who lift you up.

Whenever the timing feels right, take those steps toward making your mission possible.

As always, I would love to hear what you took away from today’s episode.

In this episode:

[03:46] I'm ready to put my house back on the market. It's stressful being on call to show the house.

[05:11] I've been trying to process the type of experience I want to have. When the realtor calls, I want to take the dogs and go.

[06:05] I reached out to my friend Katie. She volunteered to help me mission impossible.

[08:00] She has a great eye for real estate. We have been clearing any distractor.

[10:35] I don't love the idea of storage units. In this scenario it's helpful.

[12:24] I'm donating stuff to bring other people joy. It feels expansive and lighter.

[14:38] I love the fact that Katie is just as excited to make it happen.

[15:10] We can do this in any part of our life. If we figure out the mission and the barriers and who or what can help us.

[17:23] I'm super grateful because Katie and I still have five days to continue to our work.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Making the decision sometimes is the hard part. But following through and clearing things, that’s another hard part.” - Mary Tess
  
• “We are getting creative. We are working together. And we are making this mission possible.” - Mary Tess
  
• “We don’t need to change who we are, but we can free up space so others can see the potential for themselves.” - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

Mary Tess Rooney

Email

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Heart Value