The Renewal Lab

The Renewal Lab Movement-based holistic coaching for mind-body renewal.Movement becomes medicine Move.Heal.Transform
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Last night, a deep dive conversation after my post on Acceptance took us to the very edge of the human experience, and i...
04/23/2026

Last night, a deep dive conversation after my post on Acceptance took us to the very edge of the human experience, and it left a profound mark on me. To the friend who sparked this realization, thank you. I had to share 🤍
We talk about the stages of grief, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, like they are clear steps to climb. But we rarely honor the vast, shallow, and seemingly endless space in between them.
The Wait.
And the heaviest wait of all is not for an apology or a life change, it is the wait to see someone you loved so dearly, who has been taken, again.
There is a profound unfairness in a loss that requires you to hold your love, but have nowhere physical to direct it. In this Wait, the silence is deafening. Your nervous system wants to scream. It screams in confusion, in agony, and in a primal rejection of this new reality. The gap can feel like it’s going to swallow you.
But as the lyrics from Andrew Ripp’s In Good Hands have been reminding me, there is another way to inhabit this gap. We can fill the void not with noise, but with the quiet strength of being held.
We are in good hands, especially in this darkest season of waiting. The realization that all our seasons, the past, the future, and this painful present, are in sovereign keeping is the only thing that can settle the panic. This isn’t just about getting through, it’s about finding a place to rest within the unknown, knowing that the final reunion is ordered.
I’m taking this perspective and this stillness to the trail tomorrow. Let’s keep talking, people. My heart is open, and I am here for these deep dives. Connection is the heartbeat of this journey. I’m sharing some tools in the comments to below to help regulate in the wait 👇. NervousSystemHealth WaitToReunite FaithOverFear SovereignHands TheUltimateWait HeldInHope

04/22/2026

Acceptance can be hard to walk into.
It’s vulnerable. It’s the raw act of acknowledging what is, rather than what we wish it were. It’s the finality of closing a chapter, but my friends, that is just one part of your story.
Acceptance isn’t a white flag; it’s a compass. It’s the moment you stop asking Why is this happening? and start asking Who am I becoming because of it?
The Body Keeps the Score…We often mistake armoring for strength. We think if we keep the facade up, we’re winning. But true strength is the moment you stop the posturing and allow your nervous system to finally settle. Your grief does not define you, and you don’t have to carry it in isolation. We can hold the weight of it together with the rest of who you are.
The Input…This is the most freeing gift you can give yourself. Walk through that door. It’s not easy, and the threshold might feel heavy, but I PROMISE you that it will be worth it. Breathe it in. This is where your renewal actually begins.
As you see in my video today, I’m back on the swing. I’ve always loved play because it is the ultimate state of regulation. In our house, acceptance often looks like a DANCE. We blast the music, we sing at the top of our lungs, and yes, we usually end up dancing on the furniture! When we are playful, we aren’t performing; we are present.
Thank you for walking the stages of grief with me. I hope this allows you to feel the process and understand it is just that, a process! We are in this together. We don’t need to walk it alone.
We are expanding integrative ways to reveal and live in your acceptance. 👇
IntegrativeWellness PlayAsMedicine SovereignLiving YouAreNotAlone

It’s okay to sit in the quiet. Just don’t set up camp there. After the fire of anger and the mental loops of bargaining,...
04/21/2026

It’s okay to sit in the quiet. Just don’t set up camp there.
After the fire of anger and the mental loops of bargaining, your brain enters Conservation Mode. This is Stage 4: Depression. It’s the realization that the loss is real, and your system shuts down to protect what’s left of your resources.
The Body Keeps the Score Reality
This is the Dorsal Vagal Collapse. Your limbs feel like lead, your spine slumps, and your digestion slows. Your body has essentially gone offline. It’s not laziness, it’s a survival response to extreme emotional weight.
The Renewal Lab Move..The Controlled Shock
Today, we aren’t asking the body to run or fight. We are asking it to wake up. The Vibration Plate, The micro-shaking helps shake out the stagnation. It stimulates blood flow and lymphatic drainage, gently telling your muscles that it’s safe to move again.
Hydrotherapy, Whether it’s a frozen Minnesota lake or 20 seconds in a cold shower, this is your Hydro-Reset. Cold exposure provides a controlled shock that forces the nervous system out of the heavy collapse and back into Alert Presence. 20 Seconds of Courage.
That’s all it takes to shift your state. You don’t need an hour of cardio. You just need 20 seconds of choosing to feel alive again.
The Intent…I am allowed to rest, but I am still alive.
👇 Check the comments for the science of why the shiver is your best friend today.
Tomorrow, we reach the horizon. Stage 5: Acceptance.
NervousSystemReset TheBodyKeepsTheScore Hydrotherapy SomaticHealing DepressionRecovery

If I had just done it differently...Welcome to Stage 3 of Grief…Bargaining. This is the stage where your brain a master ...
04/20/2026

If I had just done it differently...
Welcome to Stage 3 of Grief…Bargaining. This is the stage where your brain a master pattern-matching machine tries to negotiate with reality. It creates if/then loops to protect you from the crushing feeling of helplessness.
The Body Keeps the Score Reality
Bargaining lives in the Monkey Mind. It manifests physically as restlessness and deep tension in the neck and shoulders. It’s the literal weight of trying to carry a situation you cannot control.
The Renewal Lab Move Precision Presence (Tai Chi / Yoga)
Today, we stop the mental sprint. We move with the deliberate precision of a Heron.
✨ Why it works:
Whether it’s the slow-motion flow of Tai Chi or the focused balance of Yoga, these movements force your brain out of the imaginary past and into the absolute present. You cannot balance on one leg while living in a what if. By focusing on the exact placement of your hands and feet, you shut down the ruminating loops in your brain.
The Intent..I release the what if and accept the what is👇 Check the comments for how to break the Monkey Mind loop today.
Tomorrow, the energy drops. We face the Heavy Quiet. Get your vibration plates ready for Stage 4 of Grief.
MonkeyMind NervousSystemRegulation BodyKeepsTheScore MindfulMovement HealingJourney

Your brain is smarter than you think.When rock bottom hits or a door slams shut, your nervous system doesn’t just deal w...
04/18/2026

Your brain is smarter than you think.
When rock bottom hits or a door slams shut, your nervous system doesn’t just deal with it. It deploys Denial as a biological shock absorber. It’s not about being weak or out of touch it’s your brain metering in the pain so you don’t short-circuit.
But here’s the catch: While your mind is busy buffering, your body is bracing.
In this stage, grief shows up as numbness. It lives in your fascia, your tightened chest, and that frozen feeling in your limbs. You can’t skip this stage, but you can gently wake the body up so it’s ready to process what’s coming.
At The Renewal Lab, we don’t force acceptance. We practice Somatic Awakening.
✨ Today’s Renewal Move: Gentle Tactile Stimulation
We aren’t trying to fix the grief yet. We are simply telling the nervous system…It is safe to feel your skin again.
1. Dry Brushing: Rhythmic, upward strokes to move lymph and wake up sensory receptors.
2. EFT Tapping: Softly stimulating meridian points to signal to the amygdala that you are safe in the present moment.
The Intent: “I am here, and I am safe to feel.”
👇 Check the comments for a deep dive on how to perform these moves and why they work.
Tomorrow, we move from the numb to the fire. You won’t want to miss Day 2.
EFTTapping DryBrushing NervousSystemRegulation HealingJourney MNWellness

In our culture, we often treat grief like a detour something to get over so we can get back to our lives. But at The Ren...
04/17/2026

In our culture, we often treat grief like a detour something to get over so we can get back to our lives. But at The Renewal Lab, we know that grief is actually a sacred form of movement; it’s the soul’s way of recalibrating after deep loss. If you’ve been hit by a fresh wave lately, remember there is no right way there is only your way.
Grief doesn’t move in a straight line; it moves in a circle, inviting us into different rooms of the heart. You might lean into Shock, the nervous system’s shield that allows you to survive the initial impact, or meet Anger, grief’s bodyguard, which is really just love with no place to go. You may find yourself in the What Ifs of Bargaining, or the heavy, foggy quiet of Depression where your body is simply asking for rest. Eventually, we reach Acceptance the New Song where we don’t find a way to be fine with the loss, but we learn the grace of how to carry it.
We don’t move on from grief; we move with it. We navigate this by using oxygen as our first medicine, practicing radical stewardship of our physical vessels, and showing up in total presence without expectations. I am committing the next few days to diving deeper into this learning, exploring how the body keeps the score and how we can use movement to find our way back to peace. Lead yourself with grace today. You are worth the time it takes to heal. 👇read below the five stages
Move. Heal. Transform.
SomaticHealing MindBodyConnection GriefJourney

The most important person you will ever steward is yourself. I woke up this morning reminded that to be a vessel for lig...
04/16/2026

The most important person you will ever steward is yourself.
I woke up this morning reminded that to be a vessel for light, I have to be a steward of my own peace first. Yesterday was a day of deep reflection, the kind of dragonfly moments that remind us how fragile and beautiful this life is.

But we can’t outrun love. And we certainly can’t outrun the rest we actually need when our hearts are heavy.

There is a beautiful science to the detox. When we slow down, whether it’s a soak in the tub or a quiet conversation with God, we are telling our nervous system that it is safe to stop performing. We move from doing to being. This morning, I’m leaning into that being with some beautiful, non-toxic soaps gifted by a neighbor. It’s a reminder that when we are in the middle of a detox, physical or emotional, the ingredients we surround ourselves with matter. Kindness is a healing ingredient.

I’m feeling called by another new big hit of grief just now this morning. I am pausing my trail reflections for a few days to commit this space to breaking down, learning, and understanding grief better. We cannot lead others through what we refuse to walk through ourselves.

To anyone sitting in the shadows of a heavy heart, or trying so hard to find the right words to say, I see you. 🤍

Grief isn't something to be solved or outrun; it’s something to be breathed through. You don't have to have it all figured out to be worthy of care. You don't have to be the strong one to be a leader. Sometimes the most Godly thing you can do is just be still and let yourself be loved by the people, and the God, who see the true you.

I’m taking this morning for me, and then I’m heading out to the trails after class to breathe in the fresh air on the trail and keep moving forward.

Lead yourself well, so you can love others better.

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