Yesterday morning, I felt like I was standing on the very precipice of winter—looking out at three feet of snow while knowing, intellectually, that the thaw is inevitable. I’ll admit, I had a little moment of exhausted panic. After all the hard work of shoveling and moving piles of snow, I had this sudden realization: when this all finally melts, the water has nowhere to go.
But then, a tiny bird landed on my window feeder. I looked up at the bright blue sky and stepped outside to breathe in the warming air, and I remembered. I know from experience that spring always finds a way. The snow will melt, the grass will turn green, and all that life is already teeming just under the frozen ground, waiting for its moment.
I am reminded of another winter where I stood on the edge of a massive life shift.
My first wedding was on Valentine’s Day. I was four months pregnant, battling hyperemesis gravidarum, and quietly hoping no one would notice my small bump. It was an intimate, beautiful day, but it was also a season of physical and emotional endurance. Beneath the surface of my emotional winter, the spark of love that had become “us” was already bearing fruit; I had begun to feel those first, delicate flutterings of movement in my womb. This first noticing of when the baby moves is called Quickening (https://www.barakabirth.com/blog/2014/03/21/the-quickening) —the moment the life inside becomes tangible.
But just as the deep snow outside my window can bury the ground and keep the soil from breathing, the weight of our life’s “winters” can bury our hearts. For me, that was a time of magic and mystery, yet looking back, it reminds me how easily we build defenses when we feel vulnerable or “weather-beaten.” In the Emotion Code (https://discoverhealing.com/ref/heatherlefoll/) , we call this a Heart Wall—an invisible barrier built of trapped emotions to protect us from heartache.
While these walls are built for “safety” during our coldest seasons, they eventually become the very thing that keeps the spring from reaching us. A Heart Wall doesn’t just block out pain; it filters the love we give and receive. It can even dampen that profound, energetic bond between a mother and her child in the womb. To truly experience a “Quickening” in our own lives—a feeling of the stirring of new life and connection—we must be willing to look at the frozen layers we’ve placed in front of our hearts and trust that it is finally safe to melt.
** The Landscape of Your Heart
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This week, I want to invite you into a little ritual—not a “to-do” task, but a moment of quiet, embodied discovery. We talk so much about our hearts, but we rarely sit down to actually look at the landscape they hold.
Find a quiet corner, grab a blank piece of paper, and your favorite medium—whether that’s crayons, paints, colored pencils, or markers. Take a deep breath, feel your feet on the floor, and draw a large heart to serve as your inner sanctum. Allow your heart to guide your hand as you color in the landscape of your image.
I did this exercise myself this morning, and the results were so revealing. I chose my colors by intuition, without much conscious thought.
In my drawing, I watched as the lines blurred and bled together, with the pressure of my hand shifting between light and very dark strokes. The lighter oranges and yellows emerged as my joyful moments, while the darker lines and deep blues held the weight of my more painful, traumatic experiences. I realized a blue “X” had formed to represent the death of my first husband, while nearby, a red/purple smudge appeared—the mark of the divorce from my second husband. I even saw a blue outline on the pulmonary artery and realized it was the pain that currently holds and contains my love.
As you begin to fill your heart with your own colors, don’t worry about being an “artist.” Just let the colors land where they want to go. As you move the pencil, stay curious:
* Do the colors bleed into one another? Does your grief for a past loss seep into your joy for the present?
* Are they layered? Is one side more defined than the other?
* Is there white space? Do some relationships stand in total isolation?
While you work, notice if your hand hesitates or if your chest tightens around a specific color. That tightness—like my blue outline—may be your “Heart Wall” showing itself to you. It’s not a flaw; it’s just a map. There is no “right” way for your heart to look today. Whether it’s a messy kaleidoscope or a series of defined chambers, it is simply a snapshot of your heart’s emotional intelligence in this moment.
Hold this map with kindness. It’s telling you exactly where your winter thaw needs to begin.
** Food for your Heart
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While we work on melting those internal barriers, we can also nourish the physical heart that carries us through the cold. I love thisStrawberry-Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding (https://meals.bluezones.com/recipe/56c49726f83f55a2e4d91bbd?ref=search) for this time of year. Those deep red strawberries are a beautiful nod to the heart, while the chia seeds represent the “potential” of the season—tiny powerhouses waiting for the right environment to bloom. It’s light, healing, and perfectly pink for the week of love. Plus, the high dose of Omega-3s in the chia seeds is essential for heart health and emotional balance, helping us maintain a steady pulse even when the external “winter” feels long.
** Emotions in Motion
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This week, I am so honored to highlight a local sanctuary that truly understands the maternal heart: Emotions in Motion (https://www.emotions-in-motion.com/) . Founded by Jessica, a therapist, holistic coach, and yoga teacher, this space was born from her own journey through the beautiful, overwhelming chaos of motherhood. Jessica has moved away from the “hustle” of corporate life to create a holistic mind-body practice dedicated to helping women break free from the toxic “mom guilt” and unrealistic expectations that keep us depleted.
Emotions in Motion is a “status quo disrupter.” Jessica doesn’t just offer another thing for your to-do list; she offers a way to slow down and come back to yourself. Whether through her individual therapy (specializing in perinatal and maternal mental health) or her Rooted group coaching program, she helps moms move from a state of constant “fight or flight” into a more grounded, intentional way of living.
* The Rooted Program: A beautiful 3-month journey that began February 1st focusing on nervous system regulation and building self-care rituals that actually stick—without the guilt.
* Holistic Healing: Jessica blends traditional therapy with movement, mindfulness, and even “walk-and-talk” sessions in nature, honoring the vital connection between our physical bodies and our emotional well-being.
* Cycle Breaking: Her work helps mothers heal old wounds and generational patterns, ensuring that the love we pass down to our children is filtered through a heart that is clear and whole.
If you are feeling stretched thin and ready to redefine what “well-being” looks like for you and your family, I encourage you to explore the empowering community Jessica has built at Emotions in Motion.
** Featured Package
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Perhaps you feel like you are on the precipice of winter in your heart—present, yet unable to truly touch the joy reaching for you.
I invite you to gently begin dismantling the walls once built for your protection. I’ve designed the Heart Wall Bundle specifically for those ready to move out of survival mode.
* 4 Focused Sessions: 30 minutes each, dedicated to your heart’s healing.
* The Goal: We identify the specific “materials” your wall is built from and systematically release the trapped emotions.
* Support: You’ll receive an email summary after each session to track your journey toward an open, vibrant heart.
* Investment: $350.00
Heart Wall Bundle $350 (https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog.php?owner=33984276&action=addCart&clear=1&id=1856066)
** A Sneak Peak into Next Week
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What does the actual process of clearing the energetic walls and barriers in our hearts look like? Next week, we’re getting practical. We’ll dive into the how muscle testing works, answering one of the most common questions I hear: “How do I know if I have a Heart Wall?”