Sore, Centered, and Slightly Unhinged

Weekly check in with Coach Joanie

Hi friends, The Rubins are living life on the road again. Four days in NYC. Currently in Baltimore. Pennsylvania next week. Ohio after that. It’s the year of bar mitzvahs and weddings and extended family everything. Normally, I love an extended travel stretch. Except this time? It’s cold...

Feb 20, 2026

Edible. But not delicious.

Hi friends, It’s the end of the week, which means market day is tomorrow.And if I’m unlucky enough to be cooking on a Friday night, there is a very real chance I am making a meal that only loosely resembles the recipe I originally planned. If you know me, you know I LOVE a meal plan.Like… emotion...

Feb 06, 2026

When life hands you lemons...you cry.

Hi friends, This week’s lesson was a masterclass in resilience, pivots, and not panicking when the plan falls apart — taught by a 9-year-old with a lemonade stand. My daughter has become laser-focused over the last few weeks on running a lemonade stand. Not a casual “set up a table and see what h...

Jan 30, 2026

Joanie 0. Bee 1.

Hi friends, I’m writing this from the local medical clinic at 8am. Not because I threw my back out.Not because I ignored a warning sign.Not because I did something particularly reckless. I got stung by a bee.While walking down the beach.Minding my own business.Existing peacefully. I didn’t swat.I...

Jan 23, 2026 bee sting bone density corrective exercise fitness lean muscle menopause perimenopause

A True Story About Pain, Percocet, and Poor Life Choices

Hi friends, After last week’s airport-floor fiasco, this week felt… suspiciously calm. No puking.No mystery rashes.No late-night “is this an emergency or just island life?” debates. We slipped back into a nice rhythm of homeschool, work, and seeing friends — and I could practically hear my nervou...

Jan 16, 2026

When life pukes on the airport floor

Hi friends, This week has been… a doozy. It started with Adina throwing up on the airport floor as we were boarding our flight back to Barbados. And for the record, I usually have lightning-fast mom reflexes — catching kids mid-fall, stopping spills, intercepting chaos before it happens. Not this...

Jan 09, 2026

Happy New Year (from a very grateful mom of one)

Happy New Year, friends! I’ve spent the last week in Florida surrounded by lots of family — which was loud, joyful, chaotic, and a very clear reminder that as a mom of one, I have so much respect for anyone raising more than one kiddo. I always thought I’d have a whole brood.But the older I get,...

Jan 02, 2026

The weirdest week of the year (and why it matters)

Merry Happy HanuChrismaKwanWinterSolstice, friends! I hope you’re celebrating in whatever way feels good to you — and also getting enough sleep, not eating only sugar, not fully burning yourself out, and taking at least a little care of your mental health.Because… this time of year is nutso, righ...

Dec 26, 2025

Why your 30's and 40's can feel like moving countries.

Hi friends! I’m finally back on our tiny island oasis of Barbados — and let me tell you, while my brain isn't as excited to return, my body is thrilled to be home. The past month has been everything I love about life:✨ new foods ✨ new culture,✨ worldschooling for Adina,✨ a magical wedding,✨ thous...

Dec 05, 2025

My Spanish is still terrible, but my heart is full 🇵🇦💛

Hola mi amigo!(Yes, I’m still prouncing my Spanish all wrong. Yes, Adina still corrects me. No, I will not stop.) After a month of bouncing between Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, and now Panama… I did something wild this week:I sat in front of actual, real-life women and taught in person. No Zo...

Nov 28, 2025

I’m not opening a naked gym (yet).

Hey Friends! This weekend is my favorite event of the entire year — our annual Halloween bash.This year’s theme: Greek Mythology Toga Party. By the time you read this, our house will be half Olympus, half Underworld (and fully covered in gold laurel leaves, a centaur cutout for the photo booth, a...

Oct 17, 2025

Carrying all the things ≠ carrying the wrong things

Hey friends, Do you ever check the news, slam your laptop shut, and mutter, “Nope. Can’t carry all this today”? Same. I finally made a rule: no news before 9am and none after 6pm. I need those bookends in my day to actually function as a mom, wife, and human who already carries enough—groceries, ...

Oct 03, 2025

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