Jess Leone

You Don’t Need to Be Angry to Release

I’ve learned that if I don’t give my intentions somewhere to land, they stay abstract. They live in my head, or on a list, or in a passing thought I revisit when it’s convenient. At some point, I realized I needed a way to be present with what I say I care about, not just talk about it. I needed something that asked me to show up with my body, not just my words. That’s where ritual started to matter to me. Not as a performance, and not as a promise that everything will change overnight, but...

16 days ago • 1 min read

When your body forgets it’s safe (especially this time of year)

The holidays can light up your nervous system like a Christmas tree. 🎄 Family dynamics. Busy schedules. Pressure to “make it perfect.” Even the good things—travel, excitement, nostalgia—can flip the same internal switches that go off when we’re in danger. That’s your HPA axis talking. It’s the stress-response highway that runs from your brain to your adrenal glands, pumping out cortisol and adrenaline whenever life feels “too much.” The problem? Your body can’t tell the difference between a...

28 days ago • 1 min read

Are You Practicing Gratitude... or Performing It?

Let’s be real, Reader. This time of year, everyone’s shouting “be grateful!” like it’s a magic spell that’s supposed to fix everything. 🙄 But what happens when gratitude feels fake? When your nervous system is fried, your boundaries are thin, and you’re trying to convince yourself you’re thankful for things that actually hurt? Yeah… that’s where The Gratitude Myth comes in. In this week’s episode, I sit down with my friend Carrie Kish for a raw, real, and slightly rebellious conversation...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Grief isn’t something we move past; it’s something we learn to move with.

Pictured here: my good friend Michael Mattie’s cup 💕 (The one he’d use every time he was at my home.) He is a dear friend of our community that departed last May. A few weeks ago, I hosted my first Friendsgiving for my Sacred Circle girls and decided to spend some time in quiet reflection... and here is what I realized: The more time goes on, the more I understand duality. How I can hold deep gratitude and even deeper sadness. I’m learning to live in the contradiction … where love and loss...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Can you trust what’s left when everything falls away?

Reader, the trees are teaching again. Every October, they let go without hesitation, releasing everything they don’t need so they can survive the winter ahead. I’ve spent the last few years learning that same lesson the hard way. My version of “falling leaves” looked like outgrowing jobs, relationships, and identities I once thought defined me. It looked like setting down roles that felt heavy but familiar. And for a long time, it felt like loss. There’s something disorienting about watching...

3 months ago • 1 min read

🐝 Hey, I saved you a seat in "The Hive"

*That's Amy to my right & she's AMAZINGGG :)* Reader, I’ll be real with you. I was never much of a 'journaler'. Sitting down with a notebook always felt forced to me. So when I asked my good friend Amy to join me as a practitioner for our space, KNOWING that journaling was her thing... I was intrigued. I have a ton of excuses as to why I don't journal. It's also never been "intuitive for me", and always thought it was supposed to look a certain way. Since I have been in her presence and...

3 months ago • 1 min read

The 2-step reset for any heavy emotion

Reader, You know those moments when an emotion hits hard: grief, anger, anxiety, sadness...and your first instinct is either to shove it down or let it consume you? Neither one really gives us the freedom we’re looking for. Instead of fighting your emotions or getting swallowed by them, try this check-in: Step 1: Ask yourself: Am I willing to accept this?Not “do I like it” or “do I want it here forever,” but simply: Am I willing to allow it to exist right now? This is where we honor what’s...

3 months ago • 1 min read

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY!

Hey hey, Reader, Our Facebook group turned FIVE YEARS OLD a few months ago and it's honestly wild to me...the amount of love and community that have been shared there is so special, and I am really ready to revitalize this space into what's next for all of you.For some time now, this group has been pretty stagnant. Putting the podcast on hold for the last few months has shown that to be true, but I know there is value in having an online space.As I have gotten clear on who I am and what I...

3 months ago • 2 min read

When the “plan” no longer fits

Reader, we’re taught from a young age that safety comes from sticking to the plan. The map feels comforting: dotted lines, clear markers, a “right” way forward. But here’s the thing, babe: the map was drawn by someone else. Parents. Teachers. Society. And while it might have guided them, it was never meant to chart your unique path. That’s why your body starts to rebel. You wake up with a heaviness in your chest before heading into the job that “should” make you happy. You picture the house,...

4 months ago • 1 min read

Peace at the cost of your truth isn’t peace

Hey Reader, Think back to when you first noticed the rules. Maybe it was at the dinner table, when you were told to lower your voice while your brother was praised for being bold.Maybe it was at school, when speaking up got you labeled “bossy” while silence earned you a gold star.Or maybe it was later, when you dimmed your light in relationships because shining too brightly made someone else uncomfortable. Little by little, you learned the choreography: smile when you’d rather scream, nod...

4 months ago • 1 min read