Listening to the Signals That Guide Your Next Chapter
We spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear in front of us but we forget that paths are made by walking…not waiting. – Jody Harris
The pain woke me again at 2 a.m.—a deep ache in my hips that pulled me straight out of sleep. It had become a familiar pattern. Some nights I could ignore it, but on others, it felt like the pain was asking me to pay attention.
When a Symptom Becomes a Signal
One night, unable to sleep, I messaged my Touched By a Horse® coach. I knew we’d be talking the next afternoon, and I wanted to explore what this recurring pain was really about. Out of curiosity (and frustration), I Googled the emotional significance of hip pain.
There it was:
A fear of moving forward.
That hit me hard.
Because the truth was—I was moving forward. Or so it looked on the outside. I had joined the TBAH program. I was learning Gestalt. I was building a new chapter after years of caregiving, loss, and transition.
But inside? I felt the old roots of fear tugging at me. Fear of change. Fear of stepping fully into the work I knew I was being called to do. Fear of not doing it right. Fear of leaving the familiar version of my life, even when it no longer fit.
Our bodies don’t lie.
They whisper, then nudge, then shout when we avoid something essential.
The Stories Our Bodies Hold
It’s impossible for people and cows to give their best when bogged down in barnyard muck. Cow Wisdom
My hips were asking me:
Where are you holding back?
Where are you hesitating?
Where is fear slowing your forward motion?
When I looked deeper, I realized I had spent years shaping my life around other people’s needs—Mike’s health, the boys’ schedules, family responsibilities, caregiving, grief. After losing Mike, I began rebuilding, but the familiar patterns stayed. I still questioned whether I was allowed to choose my direction, my creativity, my calling.
Somatics teaches us that the body stores our unspoken stories. Our throat tightens when words are trapped. Our stomach flutters with anxiety. And sometimes—our hips ache when we stop ourselves from stepping into our future.
Recognizing this changed everything.
It helped me see the crossroads I was truly standing at. It softened the fear. It also reminded me that forward motion doesn’t require speed—it requires awareness.
I shifted from resisting the pain to listening to it.
And in listening, I could finally move.
Your Body’s Sensations Are Invitations
If your body has been signaling that it’s time for change—exhaustion, tight shoulders, restless sleep, emotional heaviness—you’re not alone. These sensations are not inconveniences; they are invitations.
The question becomes:
What is your body asking you to walk toward in 2026?
Step Forward With Intention
If you’re ready to listen to what your life is saying—and create a guided path forward—the Visioning PlayShop is the place to start.
Join me in person at Serenity Ranch for a day of grounding, clarity, and visioning with the horses.
Let your body exhale. Let your future take shape.
Click below to learn more and register.
Every story needs a soundtrack.
This is the one I’ve chosen for this post—sometimes because of the title, sometimes the lyrics, sometimes simply the feeling it stirs in me.
CS Bar — my grandfather Charles Socolofsky’s brand. Today, it’s mine too. A legacy carried forward, one story at a time.
On the ranch, there’s a saying: Ride for the Brand. It means you show up with loyalty, integrity, and heart—you stay true to the one you serve. For me, writing here is a way of riding for the brand of my own life’s work: being authentic, living with courage, and sharing stories that matter.
Stories are powerful. They don’t land the same way for everyone—each reader brings their own experiences, hopes, and hurts to the words. That’s the beauty of it. My stories may carry one meaning for me, and yet spark something entirely different for you. That doesn’t make either version wrong. It means we’re connecting in the only way humans truly can—through our imperfect, varied interpretations of life.
So here, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll tell my stories—the raw, the ordinary, the joyful, the hard—and trust that you’ll find the piece that speaks to you. This is my way of riding for the brand and inviting you along for the journey.
Onward!
Susan
