Your Grit and Grace | Melanie
@yourgritandgrace.substack.com
Helping high achievers ditch burnout culture, laugh at their inner critic, and find their way back to the sparkly kiddo inside (you know, the one who made up dance routines in the living room).
🌿 Explore more: https://linktr.ee/Yourgritandgrace
🌿 Explore more: https://linktr.ee/Yourgritandgrace
I don’t have tidy words today.
What happened in Minneapolis is horrific.
Calm beats chaos — every single time.
Take one breath. Stay human.
What happened in Minneapolis is horrific.
Calm beats chaos — every single time.
Take one breath. Stay human.
January 9, 2026 at 4:22 AM
I don’t have tidy words today.
What happened in Minneapolis is horrific.
Calm beats chaos — every single time.
Take one breath. Stay human.
What happened in Minneapolis is horrific.
Calm beats chaos — every single time.
Take one breath. Stay human.
I’ve been watching cardinals in my yard lately.
They don’t disappear in winter. Respect.
They’re out here singing without trying to impress anyone. Love it.
It made me rethink motivation, clarity, and Ikigai — a gentler way I’m approaching purpose this January. 🐦
They don’t disappear in winter. Respect.
They’re out here singing without trying to impress anyone. Love it.
It made me rethink motivation, clarity, and Ikigai — a gentler way I’m approaching purpose this January. 🐦
January 9, 2026 at 3:33 AM
I’ve been watching cardinals in my yard lately.
They don’t disappear in winter. Respect.
They’re out here singing without trying to impress anyone. Love it.
It made me rethink motivation, clarity, and Ikigai — a gentler way I’m approaching purpose this January. 🐦
They don’t disappear in winter. Respect.
They’re out here singing without trying to impress anyone. Love it.
It made me rethink motivation, clarity, and Ikigai — a gentler way I’m approaching purpose this January. 🐦
Mid-winter was never meant to be a hustle season.
If your body is still resting… trust it.
New reflection is up 🐍✨ - bit.ly/what-fell-aw...
If your body is still resting… trust it.
New reflection is up 🐍✨ - bit.ly/what-fell-aw...
What Fell Away This Year Wasn’t a Mistake
An honest reflection on rest, shedding, and not rushing what’s next.
https://bit.ly/what-fell-away-this-year-wasnt-a-mistake"
January 2, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Mid-winter was never meant to be a hustle season.
If your body is still resting… trust it.
New reflection is up 🐍✨ - bit.ly/what-fell-aw...
If your body is still resting… trust it.
New reflection is up 🐍✨ - bit.ly/what-fell-aw...
Happy final days of an arbitrary calendar moment made up to stress you out.
Nature’s still asleep.
If you are too?
Dayyyyyummmm.
Hottie-boom-body behavior.
Let’s rest.
Nature’s still asleep.
If you are too?
Dayyyyyummmm.
Hottie-boom-body behavior.
Let’s rest.
December 31, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Happy final days of an arbitrary calendar moment made up to stress you out.
Nature’s still asleep.
If you are too?
Dayyyyyummmm.
Hottie-boom-body behavior.
Let’s rest.
Nature’s still asleep.
If you are too?
Dayyyyyummmm.
Hottie-boom-body behavior.
Let’s rest.
Almost 40 and still eating grapefruit like a T-rex.
Sticky hands. No phone. Full presence.
Also: check your grocery store’s zero-waste bins.
I find citrus there all the time. Cheaper, less food waste, unexpected joy 🍊
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be elegant.
#CitrusMindfulness #MindfulEating
Sticky hands. No phone. Full presence.
Also: check your grocery store’s zero-waste bins.
I find citrus there all the time. Cheaper, less food waste, unexpected joy 🍊
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be elegant.
#CitrusMindfulness #MindfulEating
December 31, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Almost 40 and still eating grapefruit like a T-rex.
Sticky hands. No phone. Full presence.
Also: check your grocery store’s zero-waste bins.
I find citrus there all the time. Cheaper, less food waste, unexpected joy 🍊
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be elegant.
#CitrusMindfulness #MindfulEating
Sticky hands. No phone. Full presence.
Also: check your grocery store’s zero-waste bins.
I find citrus there all the time. Cheaper, less food waste, unexpected joy 🍊
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be elegant.
#CitrusMindfulness #MindfulEating
What if January wasn’t about reinventing yourself…
…but about finally supporting yourself?
I wrote about a softer way to begin again—no resolutions, no fixing, no pretending you’re broken. 🌱
Link: bit.ly/the-soft-reset
…but about finally supporting yourself?
I wrote about a softer way to begin again—no resolutions, no fixing, no pretending you’re broken. 🌱
Link: bit.ly/the-soft-reset
The Soft Reset: Beginning Again Without Becoming a 'New You'
Why starting softer might finally change everything.
bit.ly
December 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM
What if January wasn’t about reinventing yourself…
…but about finally supporting yourself?
I wrote about a softer way to begin again—no resolutions, no fixing, no pretending you’re broken. 🌱
Link: bit.ly/the-soft-reset
…but about finally supporting yourself?
I wrote about a softer way to begin again—no resolutions, no fixing, no pretending you’re broken. 🌱
Link: bit.ly/the-soft-reset
We lose our minds over tiny inconveniences.
But tolerate years on autopilot.
The real emergency isn’t the delay.
It’s letting your life pass you by.
You’re allowed to notice.
You’re allowed to change.
Even on Christmas Eve. ✨
But tolerate years on autopilot.
The real emergency isn’t the delay.
It’s letting your life pass you by.
You’re allowed to notice.
You’re allowed to change.
Even on Christmas Eve. ✨
December 24, 2025 at 5:03 PM
We lose our minds over tiny inconveniences.
But tolerate years on autopilot.
The real emergency isn’t the delay.
It’s letting your life pass you by.
You’re allowed to notice.
You’re allowed to change.
Even on Christmas Eve. ✨
But tolerate years on autopilot.
The real emergency isn’t the delay.
It’s letting your life pass you by.
You’re allowed to notice.
You’re allowed to change.
Even on Christmas Eve. ✨
Merry Christmas Eve, Eve.
In a world of corporate nonsense, this silly Mint Mobile holiday card actually made me smile.
We love small joys where we can get them. Tammy Reynolds for the win.
#MintMobile
#RyanReynolds
#HolidayHumor
#ChristmasEveEve
#SmallJoys
In a world of corporate nonsense, this silly Mint Mobile holiday card actually made me smile.
We love small joys where we can get them. Tammy Reynolds for the win.
#MintMobile
#RyanReynolds
#HolidayHumor
#ChristmasEveEve
#SmallJoys
December 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Merry Christmas Eve, Eve.
In a world of corporate nonsense, this silly Mint Mobile holiday card actually made me smile.
We love small joys where we can get them. Tammy Reynolds for the win.
#MintMobile
#RyanReynolds
#HolidayHumor
#ChristmasEveEve
#SmallJoys
In a world of corporate nonsense, this silly Mint Mobile holiday card actually made me smile.
We love small joys where we can get them. Tammy Reynolds for the win.
#MintMobile
#RyanReynolds
#HolidayHumor
#ChristmasEveEve
#SmallJoys
What if December didn’t need a plan?
New post is up about The Week of Nothing — an experiment in not optimizing, not rushing, and not trying to earn rest.
Just space.
And the surprising things that show up when we stop filling every moment.
Link: bit.ly/the-week-of-...
New post is up about The Week of Nothing — an experiment in not optimizing, not rushing, and not trying to earn rest.
Just space.
And the surprising things that show up when we stop filling every moment.
Link: bit.ly/the-week-of-...
The Week of Nothing (aka The Most Productive Thing You’ll Do All Year)
Or: How I Stopped Turning Rest Into Homework
https://bit.ly/the-week-of-nothing"
December 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
What if December didn’t need a plan?
New post is up about The Week of Nothing — an experiment in not optimizing, not rushing, and not trying to earn rest.
Just space.
And the surprising things that show up when we stop filling every moment.
Link: bit.ly/the-week-of-...
New post is up about The Week of Nothing — an experiment in not optimizing, not rushing, and not trying to earn rest.
Just space.
And the surprising things that show up when we stop filling every moment.
Link: bit.ly/the-week-of-...
The people who seem most at ease made a quiet choice:
they do less.
Not less care.
Less pressure.
Busy fills time.
Peace creates space.
We get to choose. ❄️
#WackaWednesday #MindfulMoments
they do less.
Not less care.
Less pressure.
Busy fills time.
Peace creates space.
We get to choose. ❄️
#WackaWednesday #MindfulMoments
December 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The people who seem most at ease made a quiet choice:
they do less.
Not less care.
Less pressure.
Busy fills time.
Peace creates space.
We get to choose. ❄️
#WackaWednesday #MindfulMoments
they do less.
Not less care.
Less pressure.
Busy fills time.
Peace creates space.
We get to choose. ❄️
#WackaWednesday #MindfulMoments
Noticing small things on a walk and deciding they’re adorable feels like a very underrated life skill 🍂
(These leaves absolutely have personalities.)
(These leaves absolutely have personalities.)
December 16, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Noticing small things on a walk and deciding they’re adorable feels like a very underrated life skill 🍂
(These leaves absolutely have personalities.)
(These leaves absolutely have personalities.)
If you’re carrying a little resentment heading into the holidays, this 8-min meditation might help you breathe again. 🤍
🎥 Watch here:
youtu.be/lww7z7ICqzk
Free journaling prompts are in the description too!
#Mindfulness #Meditation #LettingGo #YourGritAndGrace
🎥 Watch here:
youtu.be/lww7z7ICqzk
Free journaling prompts are in the description too!
#Mindfulness #Meditation #LettingGo #YourGritAndGrace
Let Go of Resentment Meditation
YouTube video by Your Grit and Grace
youtu.be
December 15, 2025 at 9:46 PM
If you’re carrying a little resentment heading into the holidays, this 8-min meditation might help you breathe again. 🤍
🎥 Watch here:
youtu.be/lww7z7ICqzk
Free journaling prompts are in the description too!
#Mindfulness #Meditation #LettingGo #YourGritAndGrace
🎥 Watch here:
youtu.be/lww7z7ICqzk
Free journaling prompts are in the description too!
#Mindfulness #Meditation #LettingGo #YourGritAndGrace
If you’re already allergic to year-end self-optimization posts, same.
This week’s Substack digs into why year-end feels so emotionally loud — and why the problem isn’t you. It’s the expectations we keep pretending are normal.
bit.ly/when-surviva...
This week’s Substack digs into why year-end feels so emotionally loud — and why the problem isn’t you. It’s the expectations we keep pretending are normal.
bit.ly/when-surviva...
When Survival Is the Achievement: A Mindful Reframe for Year-End
A reframe for anyone whose biggest win was simply not giving up on themselves.
bit.ly
December 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
If you’re already allergic to year-end self-optimization posts, same.
This week’s Substack digs into why year-end feels so emotionally loud — and why the problem isn’t you. It’s the expectations we keep pretending are normal.
bit.ly/when-surviva...
This week’s Substack digs into why year-end feels so emotionally loud — and why the problem isn’t you. It’s the expectations we keep pretending are normal.
bit.ly/when-surviva...
Gentle reminder from Mickey today:
Not every day is a growth day, you emotionally complex sugar cookie.
Some days are just for naps, snacks, and vibing — no meaning-making required.
If your dog doesn’t guilt-trip himself about “being productive,” maybe you don’t have to either. 🐾💛
Not every day is a growth day, you emotionally complex sugar cookie.
Some days are just for naps, snacks, and vibing — no meaning-making required.
If your dog doesn’t guilt-trip himself about “being productive,” maybe you don’t have to either. 🐾💛
December 10, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Gentle reminder from Mickey today:
Not every day is a growth day, you emotionally complex sugar cookie.
Some days are just for naps, snacks, and vibing — no meaning-making required.
If your dog doesn’t guilt-trip himself about “being productive,” maybe you don’t have to either. 🐾💛
Not every day is a growth day, you emotionally complex sugar cookie.
Some days are just for naps, snacks, and vibing — no meaning-making required.
If your dog doesn’t guilt-trip himself about “being productive,” maybe you don’t have to either. 🐾💛
New blog up today:
Mindfulness Melted My Inner Scrooge.
A story about burnout, healing, and the surprising moment holiday joy came back… even after years of feeling disconnected from the season.
Soft, honest, a little sparkly.
💛✨ bit.ly/mindfulness-...
Mindfulness Melted My Inner Scrooge.
A story about burnout, healing, and the surprising moment holiday joy came back… even after years of feeling disconnected from the season.
Soft, honest, a little sparkly.
💛✨ bit.ly/mindfulness-...
Recess Recap #11: Mindfulness Melted My Inner Scrooge
How healing created space for holiday joy I didn’t know I still had.
https://bit.ly/mindfulness-melted-my-inner-scrooge"
December 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
New blog up today:
Mindfulness Melted My Inner Scrooge.
A story about burnout, healing, and the surprising moment holiday joy came back… even after years of feeling disconnected from the season.
Soft, honest, a little sparkly.
💛✨ bit.ly/mindfulness-...
Mindfulness Melted My Inner Scrooge.
A story about burnout, healing, and the surprising moment holiday joy came back… even after years of feeling disconnected from the season.
Soft, honest, a little sparkly.
💛✨ bit.ly/mindfulness-...
Holiday reminder:
Even if you're in a cranky lil funk, you're still human gold.
Festive elf today? Grumpy casserole tomorrow?
Valid. All of it. 💛
#mindfulness #wackawackawednesday #yourgritandgrace
Even if you're in a cranky lil funk, you're still human gold.
Festive elf today? Grumpy casserole tomorrow?
Valid. All of it. 💛
#mindfulness #wackawackawednesday #yourgritandgrace
December 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Holiday reminder:
Even if you're in a cranky lil funk, you're still human gold.
Festive elf today? Grumpy casserole tomorrow?
Valid. All of it. 💛
#mindfulness #wackawackawednesday #yourgritandgrace
Even if you're in a cranky lil funk, you're still human gold.
Festive elf today? Grumpy casserole tomorrow?
Valid. All of it. 💛
#mindfulness #wackawackawednesday #yourgritandgrace
This is the gratitude I didn’t see coming — the kind that shows up in the middle of chaos, illness, and real-life exhaustion. A softer take for anyone who’s still in recovery mode after the holiday.
Read it here: bit.ly/the-gratitud...
Read it here: bit.ly/the-gratitud...
The Gratitude I Didn’t See Coming
After a Thanksgiving week full of chaos, exhaustion, and unexpected softness, I realized gratitude doesn’t always show up the way we’re taught to look for it.
bit.ly
November 28, 2025 at 4:14 PM
This is the gratitude I didn’t see coming — the kind that shows up in the middle of chaos, illness, and real-life exhaustion. A softer take for anyone who’s still in recovery mode after the holiday.
Read it here: bit.ly/the-gratitud...
Read it here: bit.ly/the-gratitud...
Hello, you resilient little biscuit 🌻
This year’s been feral, but don’t give up on it yet.
Time? Fake.
Kindness? Elite.
You still trying?
Top-tier behavior.
#WackaWackaWednesday
This year’s been feral, but don’t give up on it yet.
Time? Fake.
Kindness? Elite.
You still trying?
Top-tier behavior.
#WackaWackaWednesday
November 28, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Hello, you resilient little biscuit 🌻
This year’s been feral, but don’t give up on it yet.
Time? Fake.
Kindness? Elite.
You still trying?
Top-tier behavior.
#WackaWackaWednesday
This year’s been feral, but don’t give up on it yet.
Time? Fake.
Kindness? Elite.
You still trying?
Top-tier behavior.
#WackaWackaWednesday
Holiday giving can feel like pressure disguised as tradition.
This week’s post is a gentler take — about presence, connection, and letting go of the guilt-gifts.
Read: bit.ly/less-stuff-m...
🎁💛
This week’s post is a gentler take — about presence, connection, and letting go of the guilt-gifts.
Read: bit.ly/less-stuff-m...
🎁💛
Less Stuff, More Soul: A Mindful Guide to Holiday Giving
(Here’s your reminder that love doesn’t come with a tracking number.)
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Holiday giving can feel like pressure disguised as tradition.
This week’s post is a gentler take — about presence, connection, and letting go of the guilt-gifts.
Read: bit.ly/less-stuff-m...
🎁💛
This week’s post is a gentler take — about presence, connection, and letting go of the guilt-gifts.
Read: bit.ly/less-stuff-m...
🎁💛
For the women who keep life glued together — appointments, bills, emotions, all of it — this one’s for you.
Pretty please, advertisers… no more “women on the go.”
I’m in my park-it era.
My stop-drop-and-flop-it era.
Presence > panic. Rest > rush. 💛
#wackawackawednesday #RestisPowerful
Pretty please, advertisers… no more “women on the go.”
I’m in my park-it era.
My stop-drop-and-flop-it era.
Presence > panic. Rest > rush. 💛
#wackawackawednesday #RestisPowerful
November 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
For the women who keep life glued together — appointments, bills, emotions, all of it — this one’s for you.
Pretty please, advertisers… no more “women on the go.”
I’m in my park-it era.
My stop-drop-and-flop-it era.
Presence > panic. Rest > rush. 💛
#wackawackawednesday #RestisPowerful
Pretty please, advertisers… no more “women on the go.”
I’m in my park-it era.
My stop-drop-and-flop-it era.
Presence > panic. Rest > rush. 💛
#wackawackawednesday #RestisPowerful
Fear’s not the villain — it just needs to fire its PR rep. 😏
New post’s up on Your Grit & Grace: “The Fear Season.”
🦁 bit.ly/the-fear-sea...
#Mindfulness #ImposterSyndrome #YourGritandGrace
New post’s up on Your Grit & Grace: “The Fear Season.”
🦁 bit.ly/the-fear-sea...
#Mindfulness #ImposterSyndrome #YourGritandGrace
🌒 The Fear Season: Why Imposter Syndrome Means You’re Onto Something
(Your nervous system’s freaking out because you’re growing — not because you’re wrong.)
bit.ly
November 14, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Fear’s not the villain — it just needs to fire its PR rep. 😏
New post’s up on Your Grit & Grace: “The Fear Season.”
🦁 bit.ly/the-fear-sea...
#Mindfulness #ImposterSyndrome #YourGritandGrace
New post’s up on Your Grit & Grace: “The Fear Season.”
🦁 bit.ly/the-fear-sea...
#Mindfulness #ImposterSyndrome #YourGritandGrace
This week’s Wacka Wacka reminder: you didn’t claw your way through burnout just to play small now.
Live wide open. Choose joy. Say yes to the magic your inner kid always believed in. 💛
#WackaWackaWednesday #MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #BurnoutRecovery #YourGritandGrace
Live wide open. Choose joy. Say yes to the magic your inner kid always believed in. 💛
#WackaWackaWednesday #MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #BurnoutRecovery #YourGritandGrace
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
This week’s Wacka Wacka reminder: you didn’t claw your way through burnout just to play small now.
Live wide open. Choose joy. Say yes to the magic your inner kid always believed in. 💛
#WackaWackaWednesday #MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #BurnoutRecovery #YourGritandGrace
Live wide open. Choose joy. Say yes to the magic your inner kid always believed in. 💛
#WackaWackaWednesday #MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #BurnoutRecovery #YourGritandGrace
There's no reason we should have to "thrive in a fast-paced environment"...
Fake urgency isn’t leadership. It’s a burnout factory in a cheap Halloween costume.
Being still is the brilliance, babe. ✨ #Mindfulness #Burnout #YourGritAndGrace
Fake urgency isn’t leadership. It’s a burnout factory in a cheap Halloween costume.
Being still is the brilliance, babe. ✨ #Mindfulness #Burnout #YourGritAndGrace
November 5, 2025 at 3:07 PM
There's no reason we should have to "thrive in a fast-paced environment"...
Fake urgency isn’t leadership. It’s a burnout factory in a cheap Halloween costume.
Being still is the brilliance, babe. ✨ #Mindfulness #Burnout #YourGritAndGrace
Fake urgency isn’t leadership. It’s a burnout factory in a cheap Halloween costume.
Being still is the brilliance, babe. ✨ #Mindfulness #Burnout #YourGritAndGrace
Your future self is watching this version of you like a favorite movie — popcorn in hand, cheering for you to slow down and actually enjoy this scene.
You don’t have to rush to the plot twist. This moment? It’s part of the hurrah-journey, too. 💛
#MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #YourGritAndGrace
You don’t have to rush to the plot twist. This moment? It’s part of the hurrah-journey, too. 💛
#MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #YourGritAndGrace
October 29, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Your future self is watching this version of you like a favorite movie — popcorn in hand, cheering for you to slow down and actually enjoy this scene.
You don’t have to rush to the plot twist. This moment? It’s part of the hurrah-journey, too. 💛
#MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #YourGritAndGrace
You don’t have to rush to the plot twist. This moment? It’s part of the hurrah-journey, too. 💛
#MindfulLiving #SelfCompassion #YourGritAndGrace
Modern life tells us to rush, to fill every silence, to hustle through every transition.
But nature doesn’t panic when she pauses — she trusts her timing.
This week’s post is a love letter to that stillness.
🦁 Witch, Please: Finding My Inner Lioness → bit.ly/witch-please...
But nature doesn’t panic when she pauses — she trusts her timing.
This week’s post is a love letter to that stillness.
🦁 Witch, Please: Finding My Inner Lioness → bit.ly/witch-please...
Witch, Please: Finding My Inner Lioness (and the Courage to Be Still)
🪄 Witchy-witchy, woo-woo, wink — a spell for slowing down before you combust.
bit.ly
October 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Modern life tells us to rush, to fill every silence, to hustle through every transition.
But nature doesn’t panic when she pauses — she trusts her timing.
This week’s post is a love letter to that stillness.
🦁 Witch, Please: Finding My Inner Lioness → bit.ly/witch-please...
But nature doesn’t panic when she pauses — she trusts her timing.
This week’s post is a love letter to that stillness.
🦁 Witch, Please: Finding My Inner Lioness → bit.ly/witch-please...