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Welcome to The Wellness Rewind, your go-to weekly newsletter for practical tips and inspiration to create a balanced, mindful, and energized life. Forwarded this by a friend? Subscribe here to join the community and never miss out!
Let’s be honest: The goals you set in January feel like they belong to a different person.
They made sense in a vision board haze. Now? They’re either gathering dust in your Notes app or haunting your morning routine like a ghost of ambition past.
This week, we’re talking about the power pivot—and why changing your mind isn’t flaky, it’s necessary. Whether it’s a fitness plan, a work goal, or a business dream that suddenly feels “meh,” you’re allowed to switch gears without guilt.
Think of this as your mid-Q2 permission slip to pause, reassess, and shift toward what actually feels aligned now, not six months ago.
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Let’s get into it.
What's Inside
The Power Pivot: Why Changing Your Mind Isn’t Flaky, It’s Fierce
Let’s have a moment of radical honesty.
How many goals you set in January still feel… relevant?
If you answered “ehhh…” or gave a long sigh—welcome, friend. You’re in very good company.
This time of year is sneaky. We’re far enough into 2025 that the initial rush of motivation has worn off, but not far enough to start thinking about Q3 resets. And yet, something feels off. Maybe it’s the meditation practice you thought you’d commit to. Or the product launch that once thrilled you but now makes you want to take a nap. Or the half marathon you were so sure you’d sign up for—but haven’t touched your running shoes since March.
Here’s the truth no one talks about:You are allowed to change your mind.
Not because you’re flaky. Not because you’re not “disciplined enough.” But because you’ve grown. And growth requires recalibration.
If you’ve ever quietly quit a goal, felt guilty about “quitting,” then forced yourself to stick with something just because you committed to it six months ago—this is your permission slip to pivot.
My Own Pivot Moment (AKA: What Wellness Bum + Root + Renew Taught Me About Letting Go)
When I first launched Wellness Bum, it was a lifestyle blog with scattered wellness thoughts, matcha recipes (RIP, matcha phase), and dreamy travel shots. Cute, but no direction. Even the original name, live the little things, didn’t make sense. It was a blog that started as a way to document my health hacked gluten free recipes of some of my favorite meals and random life of leisure my former married life lived.
Fast forward to now: we’re building an app, rebranding, hosting daily Threads convos with 600k+ impressions, and sending this newsletter to a community of wellness-driven, wildly ambitious humans (hi!). It only happened because I stopped chasing the aesthetic and started chasing alignment. The blog itself pivoted many many times until we found our footing.
The same goes for Root + Renew. I thought we’d be a women’s skincare brand forever—until I realized most of our customers were men, footballers, runners, and everyday athletes. Now we’re pivoting to serve a global, unisex community who care about skincare without the fluff.
Was I scared to pivot? Absolutely.
Did I feel like I “failed” the old plan? A little.
But was it worth it? Every single time.
🤔 5 Questions to Ask Before You Pivot
Feeling the nudge but not sure if it’s time? Try journaling these:
What would I do if no one else’s opinion mattered?
What’s the cost of staying the same?
What would “success” in this pivot look like—emotionally, not just externally?
Am I afraid of failure… or afraid of being seen starting over?
What’s one tiny ex
🧠 5 Productivity Tools to Help You Reprioritize
Feel like your task list is more chaos than clarity? These tools can help you strip it down and get real about what actually matters:
Notion – Build a “This Feels Good” vs “This Feels Draining” tracker
Sunsama – Daily planning meets mindful focus (with a built-in sunset feature, because…aesthetic matters)
Brain.fm – Music that tricks your brain into working smarter, not harder
The Eisenhower Matrix – Yes, it’s old school. But it’s the GOAT for urgency vs importance
Centered App – Focus sprints + wellness breaks = high-performance without the crash
Your Turn: The Power Pivot Self-Check
Are You Ready to Shift?Here’s your 3-question gut check to see if it’s time to change course:
Does this still excite me—or just exhaust me?
Ask: Am I holding on out of alignment or out of obligation?Who was I trying to impress when I started this?
The 2024 version of you? Your boss? Instagram? A “should” in disguise?What do I actually need right now?
A challenge? A pause? A new system? Or… freedom from the pressure to do it all?
You’re not stuck. You’re just evolving.
The smartest people I know pivot often, strategically, and without guilt. Flaky? No. Fierce? Always.
So here’s your homework this week:
Pick one thing—just one—you’ve outgrown, and ask what a pivot could look like. You don’t have to act on it yet. Just explore it. That’s where the clarity lives.
Want to share? Tag @wellnessbum or @valeriealvarez on Threads, and I might feature you in next week’s Rewind. No Threads? Just hit reply and tell me how it’s going.
Real Talk from the Rewind Crew
Here’s how three of you tried my Sunday Slowdown Ritual last week and the shifts you felt:
📝 Michelle A. — Austin, TX
Tried: Silent walk + no phone 'til noon
“By Wednesday, I didn’t even crave Instagram in the morning. I started hearing my own thoughts again—and they weren’t screaming. Just… whispering ideas I hadn’t noticed before.”
📝 Jason R. — Brooklyn, NY
Tried: The ‘soft chore’ of folding laundry while listening to jazz
“Turns out folding clothes while vibing to Miles Davis is a spiritual practice. I even started color coding my drawers. Who am I?!”
📝 Sara V. — Portland, OR
Tried: Sunday candle-lit journaling + lavender foot soak
“I felt like I was in a spa commercial, but like…in a good way? I slept better that night than I had in weeks. Highly recommend the candle hack.”
Want to be featured next week? Try this week’s Power Pivot check-in and tag @wellnessbum or @valeriealvarez on Threads—or just hit reply 💌
Until next Sunday...
Remember, pivoting isn’t a sign you’re lost. It’s a sign you’re paying attention.
Talk soon,
Valerie
@valeriealvarez
P.S. Send this to your friend who’s ready to change their mind—but just needs the nudge. This might be it.
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