As this year comes to a close, I’m being honest about where I am.

Q4 took more out of me than I expected. My brain felt short-circuited, my body felt tired, and the idea of “finishing strong” just wasn’t realistic. So in this episode, I talk about what it means to simply finish. Not perfectly. Not impressively. Just with compassion.

I reflect on why one season doesn’t define an entire year, why endurance deserves more grace than we give it, and how I’m choosing to move through this ending without rushing myself into clarity or closure.

This episode is for anyone who made it to the end of the year tired, quieter than usual, or still figuring things out. You’re not behind. You’re human.

In this episode, I explore:

• Why Q4 felt heavy and disorienting

• Letting go of the pressure to “finish strong”

• What endurance looks like in real life

• Ending the year with honesty instead of urgency

• Holding hope without forcing a plan

As I close out the year, I also share about The Hall Pass, a community-centered offering created for Black women navigating layoffs, career shifts, and employment transitions. It’s rooted in access, care, and not having to move through uncertainty alone.

Learn more about The Hall Pass here:
https://stan.store/brownheartwellness/p/the-hall-pass-for-black-women-navigating-layoffs

I also briefly name that I’m opening space for new coaching clients as we move into the new year, for those who want support while they figure things out at a humane pace.

Take what you need from this episode. Leave the rest. And thank yourself for finishing.

This week on The Brown Heart Wellness Podcast, I’m joined by Kali Fields Williams a holistic wellness practitioner and author of Renewable You, helping women reconnect with their inner wisdom and live with intention and balance.

We talk about what it really means to heal the whole woman,mind, body, and spirit, and how to move from simply setting intentions to fully integrating them. Kali shares her journey of balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, and self-healing, and how breath, boundaries, and being still have become her anchors.

If you’ve been craving alignment or searching for the next brave step in your healing journey, this conversation will remind you that you already hold the wisdom you need within.

🤎 Brown Heart Affirmation:
“I honor the woman I’m becoming — whole, grounded, and guided by truth.”

🧘🏾‍♀️ Brown Heart Mindful Moment:
Take a slow, deep breath. Place your hand over your heart and whisper to yourself: “I am safe in my becoming.”

00:00 – Opening + Brown Heart Affirmation
02:15 – Introducing Kali and her wellness journey
05:45 – From intention to integration: embodying healing
10:30 – How motherhood and entrepreneurship changed her practice
15:20 – The power of boundaries and stillness in self-leadership
21:10 – Breathwork and energy as tools for regulation
25:40 – Brown Heart Mindful Moment
27:10 – Outro + Call to Action

Here's how to find Kali

• Renewable You Book Waitlist

• LinkedIn - Kali Fields Williams (let her know you heard her here)

If this episode spoke to your spirit, share it with a friend who’s walking her own healing journey.
🤎 Join the One Brave Thing community for free until November 8, 2025
and follow along at @brownheartwellness for daily reflections and mindful moments.

After a beautiful, intentional break to bring the Positioned to Pause Retreat to life, Samantha returns with reflections on the power of community, compassion, and rest.

This episode is a love letter to the women who showed up, the ones who helped make it happen, and the reminder that you don’t have to recreate the same oppressive systems inside the business you’re building.

“Rest isn’t what happens when everything stops. Rest is what allows you to keep becoming.”

Brown Heart Affirmation:

“Today, I choose compassion over comparison.
I honor the season I’m in.
My pause is not proof of failure, it’s evidence of faith.”

Today's conversation is all about:

• The beauty of pausing with purpose

• What it means to heal with other people

• How community and joy fuel brave living

• A gentle invitation to join the One Brave Thing Community (free until Nov 8)

Healing happens with other people.
Join the free community through November 8 → samanthaedu.com/obtcommunity

This episode and the Positioned to Pause Retreat were made possible by partners who believe in rest, joy, and community care:

• The Honey Pot Co – Wellness reimagined for the modern woman.

• Smooth September Tea – Hand-blended teas that soothe and center.

• Georgia in a Jar – Southern sweetness and local love in every bite.

• Get Into Wine – Charcuterie pairings and bottles that make community gatherings even sweeter.

• Hormonal Cookie – Balancing indulgence with nourishment for your inner goddess.

Thank you for pouring into this moment of rest and reflection. 🤎

Samantha Edu is a licensed therapist, certified coach, and founder of Brown Heart Wellness—a community where Black women leaders, caregivers, and creatives learn to live bravely, rest intentionally, and lead authentically through the ROOT Framework (Reflect, Open, Overcome, Thrive).