Still Blooming: Real Talk on Grief, Growth, and Living Out Loud

There was a time I thought “bloom where you’re planted” was just a cute quote for a Target mug. But life — especially midlife — has a way of making you dig deeper.

After recently losing my mother-in-law, something shifted in me. I started asking better questions. Am I showing up as my full self? Am I hiding parts of me to fit into someone else’s idea of who I should be? Do I want to spend the next 20 years shrinking or blooming?

This blog began as a space to hold grief and growth at the same time. But it’s also become a home for something more: a journal, a conversation starter, and a love letter to authenticity.

The day we drove home from my mother-in-law’s funeral, I was hit with a wave of clarity — and not the soft kind. It was the kind that rearranges you. The kind that makes you question everything and somehow answers nothing.

I was exhausted. Not just physically, but soul-deep. I had spent the past few years juggling caregiving, career, motherhood, coaching, and pretending like I was fine. And maybe I was, on paper. But somewhere in the middle of making it all work, I had misplaced pieces of myself — the creative one, the curious one, the woman who used to reflect, write, make, breathe.

Laying her to rest was painful, but eye-opening. I listened as people reflected on her life — The common thread was what drew me to love her in the first place: she silently showed up for people in ways that spoke to humanity. She didn’t ask for permission or need an audience. Where she seemed unbothered — she poured into others. She knew who she was and did things her way — like it or not. She lived this one wild and crazy life on her own terms. It forever changed the way I show up.

Grief cracked something open. And in that quiet, cracked space, a little voice whispered: “What if you didn’t go back to business as usual?”

That’s how Still Blooming began. Not as a plan — but as a pause. As a space to breathe and figure out who I was becoming on the other side of all the roles, the losses, the letting go and using my coaching as a way to help others to the same.

And then came resin.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with floral resin art. It started with petals from the funeral — a handful of soft, fading roses that I couldn’t bear to throw away. I wanted to preserve them. Not just as a keepsake, but as a reminder — that something beautiful could still come from sorrow. That memory and light could live in the same space.

From that came my first Memory Bloom pendant. And just like that, art met healing in my hands.

But this blog isn’t just about grief. It’s not just about art. It’s about what it means to keep blooming — even when life keeps life-ing.

Here, I write about:

• The in-between — that weird, tender space where you’re not who you were, but not yet who you’re becoming

• Career reflections and coaching truths — the ones that help women stop shrinking and start showing up fully

• What I’ve learned from 25+ years in business operations and administration, leadership, and now coaching women through grief, burnout, and reinvention

• Resin art, symbolism, and the creative process of turning life’s fragments into something beautiful

• Real talk — the kind that doesn’t slap a positive quote on pain, but honors the messy middle with grace and grit

• Encouragement for women who are stepping into more of who they are — even if it’s awkward, late, or loud

  
  

Still Blooming is where I come to process, to journal, to whisper (and sometimes shout) encouragement into the void — in case someone else out there needs it too.

It’s just me — real words for real women who are navigating real life. It’s a space for non-toxic positivity, real talk, reflection, and the gentle reminder that we’re all blooming at our own pace.

This is where I remember what matters. And where I remind you — and myself — that even when the petals are bruised, we’re not done.

So welcome to my little corner of the internet. Read what speaks to you. Leave what doesn’t. And if anything makes you nod, exhale, or feel a little less alone, stick around.

We’re growing something good here.

With light, love, and a little sass,

~ April

---

💛 Looking for a meaningful way to carry a memory, express gratitude, offer encouragement, or hold onto hope?

Discover the Memory Bloom Pendants — handcrafted with love, light, and a little shimmer. Thoughtful for yourself or someone you love.

Let’s keep the conversation going.

Join me on 👉 Facebook