Let me say this upfront:

If the word “challenge” makes you want to hide under a weighted blanket—this is not that kind of challenge.

I get it. When we hear “challenge,” we often think of hustle, pressure, or rigid goal-setting. Run five miles a day. Meditate for an hour. Do 100 pushups. Change your whole life by Tuesday. This isn’t that. I’m always drawn to those and then I fall off and feel bad. That’s not what I want here.

MyPeacein50 is not about pushing harder or proving anything. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about “getting it right.” It’s about coming home to yourself—gently, slowly, one breath and one practice at a time.

This blog is here to walk you through what the MyPeacein50 Challenge actually is, why I created it, and how you can prepare in a way that feels grounding, accessible, and entirely your own. Whether you’re craving structure or resisting it, I promise: there is room for you here.

What Is the MyPeacein50 Challenge?

As I approach my 50th birthday, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly means to live with more peace, purpose, and presence. Like many of us, I’ve spent years pushing through stress, overriding my body’s signals, and delaying rest until it was “earned.”

This year, I wanted to try something different. So I created MyPeacein50—a yearlong experiment of healing in motion. Starting July 7, I’ll be sharing one small, embodied peace practice each week for 50 weeks. Each practice will be grounded in self-compassion, nervous system support, and trauma-informed care.

Think of it less like a “challenge” and more like a companion—a weekly invitation to reconnect with yourself through small, sustainable acts of care. Some weeks, that might look like a mindful walk. Other times, it might be setting a boundary, practicing breathwork, writing a letter to your younger self, or taking a few minutes of intentional stillness.

And occasionally, it might be something unexpected—like revisiting an old playlist from a time when you felt most free or alive, or eating a childhood comfort food with full permission and presence. These aren’t gimmicks. They’re portals—reminders of who you’ve been, what you’ve survived, and what still brings you joy.

No gold stars. No pressure. Just a space to experiment, reflect, and begin again—at your own pace.

Why "Even If You’re Not a Challenge Person"?

I’ve had so many clients, colleagues, and friends tell me some version of:

“I love the idea of this, but I never finish challenges. I fall behind, and then I feel guilty.”

I hear you.

That’s why MyPeacein50 is designed to be challenge-optional. There’s nothing to “complete.” No leaderboard. No countdown clock. If all you do is read the blog each week and take one deeper breath than usual, that’s enough.

This isn’t about willpower—it’s about permission.

Permission to participate imperfectly.
Permission to pause and return.
Permission to make peace a practice, not a performance.

You don’t need to do all 50 weeks. You don’t need to follow in order. You can skip, adapt, circle back, or just observe. This is your journey.

What You’ll Get Each Week

Starting July 7, you’ll receive:

• A weekly blog post: One practice, thoughtfully written and rooted in evidence-based healing strategies.
• A reflection prompt or somatic tool: Something simple to try in real life—walking, breathing, moving, setting a boundary. Some weeks it might be more playful or unexpected—like humming to release tension, stargazing to shift perspective, or even lying on the floor for a few minutes just to feel gravity do the work. The goal is to reconnect with your body and presence, in ways that feel doable and maybe even a little bit fun.
• A gentle nudge, not a demand: Always invitational, never prescriptive.
• Optional community engagement: You’re welcome to follow along on Instagram or tag your own posts with #MyPeacein50—but only if it feels good to do so.

Each practice fits within the larger arc of the journey, which unfolds in five phases:

1. ROOT – Grounding and coming home to the body
2. FLOW – Creativity, expression, and emotional processing
3. BLAZE – Boundaries, purpose, and inner resilience
4. BLOOM – Relational healing and belonging
5. SHINE – Reflection, visioning, and living your values

Each month builds on the last—but it’s not linear. You’re allowed to meet the practices as you are, when you’re ready.

What Makes This Different?

MyPeacein50 is not a mindset project. It’s a body project. It’s not about forcing change—it’s about inviting restoration. Here’s what makes it unique:

• It’s somatic, not just cognitive. Each practice involves the body—through breath, movement, stillness, sound, or sensation.
• It’s responsive, not performative. No checkboxes. No streaks. Just invitations to notice and tend.
• It honors trauma and complexity. Many of us carry histories—personal, intergenerational, systemic—that shape how we relate to peace. This project doesn’t bypass that. It meets it.
• It centers self-compassion. Inspired by the work of Dr. Kristin Neff, this challenge is about kindness, not critique. Grace, not grind.

And perhaps most importantly:
It’s not about fixing what’s broken. It’s about discovering the wisdom your body already holds.

How to Prepare (Gently)

So what should you do to get ready? Here’s a preparation guide—gentle, low-pressure, and entirely optional.

1. Download the Calm Calendar

To help you track your journey, I’ve created a free Calm Calendar. It’s a simple monthly visual that lists each weekly theme and includes space for intention-setting and reflection.

The Calm Calendar isn’t about tracking “progress”—it’s about noticing your patterns, anchoring into rhythm, and creating space for curiosity. It’s a visual companion, not a to-do list. You might jot down how each practice felt, note a word or emotion that arose, or simply check in with how your nervous system responded. Let it be a place where permission lives alongside presence.

2. Choose Your “Peace Container”

You don’t need fancy tools. But having a small ritual space—a journal, a folder, a note app—can help anchor the experience. Ideas:

• A notebook to capture weekly insights or intentions
• A calendar where you reflect at the end of each week
• A digital folder of quotes, notes, or photos that ground you
• A physical space with objects that symbolize calm (stones, candles, photos, leaves)

Think of it as your peace container—a way to hold what arises. Something to return to, especially in the messy middle of the year when you might wonder why you started.

3. Set an Intention (Not a Goal)

Ask yourself:

“What do I hope this year of peace will help me remember, reclaim, or reconnect to?” Your intention can be a word, a sentence, or a feeling: ease, clarity, gentleness, softness, truth. It doesn’t have to be profound—just real. Let it guide you, especially in the weeks when you feel distracted or disconnected. Revisit your intention monthly—or let it change with you. Think of it as a tuning fork rather than a destination.

4. Invite a Friend (Optional)

Peace doesn’t have to be solitary. If it feels supportive, invite a friend, colleague, or loved one to join you. You can share blog posts, text each other your weekly insights, or sit in silence together for a few moments each week. Healing can happen in community—even if it’s quiet, virtual, or wordless. This isn’t about accountability. It’s about companionship. Walk together if that feels good. But walking alone is equally valid.

5. Practice Permission Early

Here’s a pre-launch practice:

Set a 2-minute timer. Place a hand on your chest. Breathe slowly. Whisper to yourself, “I don’t have to earn rest. I am allowed to begin gently.”

Let that be your first week. Just that. You can also write a permission slip to yourself. Something like:

I give myself permission to go slow. I give myself permission to skip a week. I give myself permission to rest even when the world doesn’t.

What If I Don’t Finish?

You don’t need to finish. You don’t need to complete all 50 weeks. You don’t need to prove anything to yourself or anyone else. You don’t need to perform your peace. This is not a program to finish—it’s a rhythm to return to. It’s a lens for life. A way to keep showing up with more care. And if you do walk the full 50 weeks? Beautiful. But if you only engage for 5 or 15 or 27? That’s still meaningful. That’s still peace. Even if your only takeaway is one deep breath or one new boundary, it will matter.

My Invitation to You

After years of pushing through, I’m choosing to move differently. Not to escape the pain of the world—but to meet it from a more grounded, regulated place.

MyPeacein50 is my offering. My experiment. My imperfect, wholehearted commitment to curiosity, connection, and calm. You’re invited to:

• Visit the #MyPeacein50 page on my website to learn more. 
•  Subscribe to receive the posts directly in your inbox every Monday morning 
• Download the free Calm Calendar to track your reflections or notes from week to week
• Follow along on Instagram or LinkedIn or share your own moments with the hashtag #MyPeacein50 (totally optional) 
• Share your own ways of coming home to yourself 

Final Thoughts: You Are the Practice

Peace doesn’t live in some perfect future version of you. It lives in this version of you. The one reading this blog. The one who’s made it through so much. The one who’s still here. You don’t need to prepare the “right” way. You don’t need to do every activity. You just need to begin—however you are, wherever you are. And if you don’t begin until Week 3 or 10 or 24? That’s okay, too. Peace isn’t a deadline. It’s a relationship.

Peace doesn’t arrive all at once.
It arrives in moments.
And those moments build a life.

See you on July 7.
Until then, may your breaths be deep and your pace be kind.

— Lisa