Elaine L. Stewart, CHC

Elaine L. Stewart, CHC I'm a certified health coach, working with women in their 50's+ who want to live their life by design and not by default
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I work with women in their 60's and beyond to live their life by design and not by default. We address life and health issues to let go of the roadblocks that hold us back from living our lives full out!

The last day of 2025. I enjoy this day every year because my friends and I get together on New Year’s Eve, have a great...
12/31/2025

The last day of 2025. I enjoy this day every year because my friends and I get together on New Year’s Eve, have a great dinner and then make some lists – the first one is the list of things we decide to let go of that either didn’t work in the year or experiences that didn’t serve us. This list goes in a burn bowl!

The second list is what we want to have or achieve in the new year. These aren’t my usual goals. These are about having more joy, being in nature more, appreciating what I have and what I don’t have, connecting with family and friends – new and longtime ones.

I’m one year closer to that day when I take my last breath. I’m not being morbid here just remembering that time is precious and if I’m going to do or be or have something, it needs to be NOW.

How about you? Do you have an end-of-year ritual? What would you like to be, do or have while you still can?

You’re Allowed to Want More Than ThisThis year I spoke with dozens of women who shared the same truth:“I don’t recognize...
12/30/2025

You’re Allowed to Want More Than This

This year I spoke with dozens of women who shared the same truth:

“I don’t recognize my life anymore and I don’t know how to change it.”

Not because anything is “wrong,” but because something inside them has been wondering for a long time now. An ache. A restlessness. A sense that they’ve spent decades being capable, reliable, needed and somewhere along the way, they misplaced themselves.

Maybe that sounds familiar.

This past year didn’t just bring change in the world. It stirred change inside many of us. Fear showed up in unexpected ways. Doubt whispered old stories: Don’t rock the boat. It’s too late. You should be grateful for what you have.

I know those voices well. I’ve stayed in situations I had outgrown because starting over felt terrifying. I told myself I was being practical when really, I was protecting myself from disappointment.

But something shifted for me this year. I stopped seeing fear and doubt as enemies. I began listening to them as signals, not to retreat but to pay attention. They weren’t trying to keep me small. They were asking me to come home to myself.

And that changed everything.

Instead of bracing for life’s changes, I started meeting them with curiosity. Instead of asking What’s wrong with me? I asked What do I need right now?

Those small moments of self-permission became the foundation for something new — an emerging strength, a steadier sense of courage that doesn’t require perfection.

If this year has left you tired, questioning or silently longing for more, I want you to hear this:

You are not behind.
You are not too late.
You are ready.

A small invitation for today:

Write down one thing you tolerated this year that you no longer want to carry into the next.

Not because you failed but because you’re allowed to choose yourself now.

This is the work I’m stepping more deeply into as we enter the new year and I can’t wait to walk this next chapter with you.

A Christmas Wish from My Heart to YoursIn this holiday season, my deepest wish for you is peace — the kind that settles ...
12/25/2025

A Christmas Wish from My Heart to Yours

In this holiday season, my deepest wish for you is peace — the kind that settles into your body and reminds you that you are safe, loved and enough just as you are.

May you be surrounded by the people, pets, memories and small comforts that make your heart feel at home.

From that place of calm, may clarity and curiosity awaken inside you — opening you to more of what you truly deserve: deeper connection to your inner wisdom, tender moments with those you love and a renewed trust in yourself as you step into the days ahead.

What These Women Are Really Asking ForMore results from my survey, Your Voice Matters.Women asked for:• courage• permiss...
12/24/2025

What These Women Are Really Asking For

More results from my survey, Your Voice Matters.

Women asked for:
• courage
• permission
• emotional support
• help letting go of others’ opinions
• space to dream again

They’re not asking to be fixed.
They’re asking to be supported.

Coaching Question:
What kind of support would actually help me right now, not what I think I should need?

Micro-Action:
Name one support you’ve never asked for and why.

Please comment below on how it felt to figure out what kind of support you need.

“I Know What I Want… I Just Don’t Believe It’s Possible”As I’ve been reading through the responses to my recent survey, ...
12/23/2025

“I Know What I Want… I Just Don’t Believe It’s Possible”

As I’ve been reading through the responses to my recent survey, Your Voice Matters, one sentence appeared again and again:

“I know what I want… I just don’t believe it’s possible.”

That sentence stopped me in my tracks.

Because this belief doesn’t come from a lack of intelligence, ambition or desire. It doesn’t come from logic. It comes from experience.

Many of the beliefs we carry about what’s “realistic,” “allowed” or “too much” were formed early in life. They were shaped in moments when we learned, often unconsciously, what was safe to want, what would be supported and what might lead to disappointment, rejection or loss of love.

When a belief is formed that early, it doesn’t feel like a belief at all.
It feels like truth.

So we grow up knowing what we want but holding it at arm’s length. We tell ourselves, That’s not for someone like me.

Over time, the question isn’t just What do I want?
It becomes, When did I stop believing my wants mattered?
This is why awareness is such a powerful first step.

You can’t change or heal what you’re not aware of.
But the moment you begin to question an old belief, you create an opening where something new can emerge.

Reflection Prompt:

Where did I first learn that what I want isn’t realistic or allowed?

Micro-Action:

Write one sentence that begins with:
“It might be possible that…”
No pressure. No commitment. Just curiosity.

If you feel called, I’d love for you to share below:

How did it feel to let yourself sit in possibility—even for a moment?

Thinking About Change Isn’t FailureMore results from my survey, Your Voice Matters.Most women said:“No, I haven’t tried ...
12/22/2025

Thinking About Change Isn’t Failure

More results from my survey, Your Voice Matters.

Most women said:

“No, I haven’t tried something new but I’ve been thinking about it.”

Thinking can be viewed as avoidance. Sometimes it is BUT sometimes, it’s your mind trying to protect you from something.
It’s a sign you’re standing at the edge.
What’s missing isn’t motivation.
It’s inner safety.

Here is a question for you to ask yourself and one small action to take it you’re up for it.

Coaching Question:
What would make taking one small step feel safer for me?

Micro-Action:
Break the step in half. Then in half again. Do only the first piece.

Please comment below on how it felt to take one small step.

“Am I Too Old?” Isn’t the Truth — It’s a HabitYou may recognize some of the results women presented from my survey, Your...
12/19/2025

“Am I Too Old?” Isn’t the Truth — It’s a Habit

You may recognize some of the results women presented from my survey, Your Voice Matters.

Most women said they think “I’m too old” or “It’s too late” occasionally or several times a week.

That matters.
Because this isn’t a fact.

It’s a learned thought that shows up when courage is required.
Here is a question for you and a small action you can take if you’re up for it.

Coaching Question:
What would I try if age were no longer part of the equation?

Micro-Action:
Notice the next time this thought appears and gently replace it with:
“I’m allowed to want what I want at any age.”

Please comment below on how it felt to try something you’ve wanted do despite age.

The Life You Want Is Still CallingMany women who completed my survey shared the same truth:They are caring for everyone ...
12/17/2025

The Life You Want Is Still Calling

Many women who completed my survey shared the same truth:
They are caring for everyone — grandchildren, siblings, spouses, households — and leaving little or nothing for themselves.

Here are more results from my survey, Your Voice Matters.
Travel. Art classes. Community events. Nature. Creativity.

The desire is alive — but it’s followed by “but…”
Responsibility. Fear. Physical limitations. Someone else’s reaction.

Desire doesn’t disappear with age.
It waits.

Here are two small actions for you to take if you’re up for it.

Reflection Prompt:
What do I want that I keep postponing — not because I don’t care, but because it feels complicated?

Micro-Action:
Take one symbolic step toward that desire (research, schedule, ask, imagine).

Please comment below on how it felt to take a step toward your desire to do what you want.

What Changes When You Finally Start Paying Attention to Your Own Life?I put out a survey called Your Voice Matters becau...
12/16/2025

What Changes When You Finally Start Paying Attention to Your Own Life?

I put out a survey called Your Voice Matters because I genuinely want to understand what you're experiencing right now. It was created to ask women a simple but powerful question:
Where are you in your life when it comes to using your voice and getting what you truly want?

What surprised me most is that the greatest gift of the survey wasn’t the answers themselves—it was awareness.

So many of us move through life on autopilot. We do what needs to be done. We care for others. We meet expectations. We keep going. And somewhere along the way, we stop checking in with ourselves. We become so focused on what’s required of us that we lose touch with what we need, what we want and who we are becoming.

The truth is, you can’t fix or change anything you aren’t aware of.
When you pause and look at the whole of your life, not just the roles you play, you may begin to notice what has been given up, postponed or set aside for others. You may find yourself asking a question that many women think to themselves but rarely say out loud:

What happened to my life? Is this what I truly want? Is this all there is?

Awareness matters because without it, we live in a subtle form of denial. We close our eyes to what feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar. We may rely on others to do our thinking for us or we stay focused on the stories that keep us small, safe and contracted.

But what if we didn’t?

What if awareness became the doorway to something more?

What if you allowed yourself to expand, to question old assumptions, imagine new possibilities, see your life through a wider lens?

What if this stage of life wasn’t about settling, but about growing into your most authentic self?

Awareness is where change begins. And sometimes, simply asking the question is the bravest first step.

When Everybody Else Comes First“Here is a woman who is always tired, for she lives a life where too much is required.” –...
12/15/2025

When Everybody Else Comes First

“Here is a woman who is always tired, for she lives a life where too much is required.” – Anonymous

This quote reminds me of some of the responses I received from my survey, Your Voice Matters. Many women who completed my survey shared the same truth:

They are caring for everyone — grandchildren, siblings, spouses, households — and leaving little or nothing for themselves.

This isn’t because they don’t value themselves.

It’s because they learned early that being needed was safer than being seen.

Coaching Question:

If your needs mattered just as much as everyone else’s, what would you ask for right now?

Micro-Action:

Give yourself 10 uninterrupted minutes this week and name it non-negotiable. No justification required.

Please comment below on how it felt to take time for yourself.

"The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are." – M...
11/28/2025

"The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are." – Malcolm Gladwell

This is why I'm so passionate about questioning everything.

The "world" you grew up in told you:
- Be nice (even when it costs you)
- Don't make waves (even when you're drowning)
- Put everyone else first (even when you're empty)

And if you're STILL surrounded by people who believe those things, you'll keep living by those rules.

The question isn't just "do these people share my values?"

The question is: "Are these the values I actually WANT to live by? Or am I just repeating what I was taught?"

You get to choose. And sometimes that means choosing different people.

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