Hi friend! I’m Vanessa.
I’ve been writing and creating since I knew I had hands.
It’s true.
And my mom saved nearly every single piece of my work since age three.
I have them in tubs in my closet. Yes, even in my 1983 diary. I wrote about my love, Ricky Schroeder, and that I was mad at my friend, Chrissy, who lived down the street.
Fast forward…
I’m now 50 years old.
I’m also a published writer, certified life coach, speaker, and marketing communications connection builder for small companies and other creative, heart-centered business owners.
Oh, and a veteran homeschooling mama to three vastly different teens, including a set of twins. I’ve got oodles of blog posts on The Homeschool Mom website.
My love of journals, pens, stickers, and washi tape knows no bounds. I will never, ever give up paper planning. Ever.
The soundtrack of my life is firmly rooted in 80s and 90s songs, with lots of Taylor Swift.
I’m almost always drinking tea, sending gifs (usually Outlander, Golden Girls, or Schitt’s Creek ones), and Voxing my other midlife mom friends.
Spark creativity, ignite joy, restore energy
Every week at Flourish & Flow, I share honest reflections about navigating midlife with creativity and intention. You'll find:
Creativity & Connection - Finding your voice and building community
Practical-ish Magic - Simple tools for navigating transitions
Rituals & Rhythms - Seasonal approaches to energy and flow
A little bit more about me…
I’m a recovering people-pleaser.
As the oldest daughter (and granddaughter and niece, you get the picture), I spent most of my life being really good at following rules, getting good grades, doing all the “right” things, and stressing myself out to the point of actual burnout—more than once.
In 2018, my intuitive health coach asked me if I was in my flow.
Um, no, ma’am.
No flowing.
Just me, splayed out on the side of the river, doing my best to get through most days with a “CAN DO” attitude on the outside and an “I’m thisclose to falling apart” on the inside.
Maybe it’s my big Capricorn energy or my innate need to fix things all by myself, but I decided things had to change.
FLOW & Sustainable Self-Care
I created a self-care routine based on the word FLOW. Perimenopause was kicking my butt, and all three of my kids were entering into "#thepuberties. I was homeschooling full-time, working from home, and usually swimming in a sea of dishes and laundry.
Not only did FLOW help me connect back to myself, I started sharing about it on my Instagram and a few podcasts. I even did a workshop at a homeschool conference.
I was on to something. Sure, midlife motherhood was proving to be a challenge, but a whisper inside me gently (and sometimes not so gently) pushed me to embrace this stage of life.
Flourishing in Midlife
In late 2020, at nearly 46, I enrolled in a life coaching program. I also set a goal to be published in 2021, although I had approximately zero idea how this would happen.
By the beginning of February 2021, I had reached my goal of being published when my "Intuitively Grow Your Fearless Flow" essay was accepted by The Kind Press.
For the last four years, I’ve been writing, coaching, and speaking about midlife motherhood and how to reclaim your energy, creativity, and joy.
Flourishing in midlife doesn’t mean everything is perfect.
That would be boring.
And also completely unreasonable.
I’m so happy we’ve connected in this space. I can’t wait to learn more about you.
Vanessa 🦋
