Reclaiming Joy, Redefining Success, and Embracing the Unpredictable Path

I remember sitting in the back of a meditation class in years ago—nervous, tired, a little lost. I wasn’t drinking during the classes, but I also wasn’t exactly sober either. I was searching for something—maybe meaning, maybe peace, maybe just a break from the static in my own head.

At one point, the teacher gently said to me, “You might want to try drinking a little less.” It wasn’t judgmental. It was intuitive. It landed.

I wasn’t ready to hear it. Not yet. But I never forgot it.

That memory came rushing back to me during my conversation with Kate Yuoska on The Fully Mindful podcast. Kate is a digital marketing professional by day, and by heart, she’s a yoga and breathwork guide who leads with authenticity, ritual, and connection to nature. She’s also in long-term recovery, and when she shared her own story of being hungover at her first yoga teacher training, I laughed—not because it was funny, but because I’ve been there too. Many of us have.

We’re seeking answers, even when we’re not ready for the truth.

In our conversation, Kate shared the winding path that’s led her to where she is now—and along the way, we touched on themes that I think so many of us—especially those juggling careers, caregiving, healing, or all of the above—can relate to.

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1. You Don’t Have to Burn It All Down to Realign

I used to think that in order to live a life of purpose, I’d have to give everything up. My job, my stability, the whole “real world” setup. Like somehow, you couldn’t really be living your truth unless you quit your job and went off-grid to grow herbs and meditate at sunrise.

And while I do love herbs and sunrise meditations, that just wasn’t realistic for me. I’m a mom. I’m a lawyer. I’m a coach and breathwork facilitator. And most of the time, I’m making dinner while texting my teen back and responding to emails from clients.

Kate gets that. She lives that. She works full-time in marketing and runs her own wellness practice. She’s not pretending it’s all breezy—but she’s also not buying the lie that purpose only counts if it’s your full-time job.

Her story reminded me of what I’ve found to be true over the years: we don’t have to walk away from everything to walk toward something that lights us up. We can integrate. We can choose both.

And there’s science to back that up. In Range, David Epstein explores how people with broad interests and diverse experiences often end up more fulfilled and creative than those who follow one straight path. Similarly, positive psychology research shows that purpose and meaning are more about how we engage with our lives than what title we hold.

For me, that’s meant holding client calls after mediation or mindful self-compassion breaks. Or when I used to go to court, writing mindfulness talks between court prep. Living in the “and,” even when it’s messy.

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2. Motherhood—and Purpose—Can Take Many Forms

Kate shared something deeply vulnerable in our conversation: her journey through infertility. I could feel the emotion in her voice as she talked about tracking cycles, canceling travel, and living under the heavy weight of wanting something so badly—and not knowing if it would happen.

It’s not something I’ve personally experienced, but her story resonated. Because I know what it feels like to ache for something that’s not coming easily. To feel like your body—or your life—isn’t cooperating with the plan.

What I found incredibly powerful was the way Kate reclaimed her narrative. She said, “If I’m not going to birth a child, I’m going to birth something else.” And that’s how Mystical Rituals—her personal brand of yoga, breathwork, and ritual—was born.

There’s a quote I love from Tara Mohr:

“We must mother our creative ideas just as we might mother a child—nurturing them, protecting them, and letting them grow into the world.”

Kate reminded me that motherhood, purpose, and impact don’t have to follow a single script. That we can choose how we create, how we nurture, and how we love—whether or not that includes children.

As a mom myself, I’ve also had to redefine what it means to mother—not just my child, but myself, my work, and my calling. I’ve found purpose in writing, in teaching, in simply being present with someone who needs to be heard.

Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It just has to feel like yours.

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3. Rest Isn’t a Reward. It’s a Requirement.

This is the one I think most of us need to hear again and again.

Rest is not something we earn. It’s something we need. And yet most of us—especially those of us in service-driven or high-stakes careers—don’t treat it that way.

I’ve seen it in the legal world, where burnout is often worn like a badge of honor. I’ve seen it with my coaching clients—lawyers, doctors, educators, nonprofit leaders—people who give so much, and feel like they can’t stop. And I’ve seen it in myself, too.

But as Kate and I talked about in the episode, our bodies will force us to slow down if we don’t choose to do it ourselves. Whether through illness, anxiety, or exhaustion—if we don’t create space to feel, to breathe, to be, the cost is steep.

That’s part of why Kate and I created The Sanctuary Retreat.

Not as a luxury. Not as an escape.

But as a return. A reset. A radical permission slip to just be.

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Listen + Join Us

You can listen to the full episode with Kate Yuoska here (or wherever you listen to your podcasts). I think it’s one of the most honest and expansive conversations I’ve had on the podcast so far.

And if you’re craving a break from the noise—if your nervous system is saying, “Please, just one weekend to breathe”—you’re warmly invited to join us this June for The Sanctuary Retreat at Trout Lake Abbey.

Retreat details here

No experience with yoga or breathwork needed. Just bring your beautiful, tired, curious self.

With love and breath,

Melissa