Walking My Talk

Why I choose boundaries, truth, and what matters most

We all see life through our own lens. We can relate to the words of another, but never exactly as they wrote or spoke them, because we are always swayed by our own individual back-story.

I know this to be true especially through the feedback I’ve received from readers over the 20+ years that I’ve been writing newsletters and almost as long with books. Some people tell me what I think – or what they think I think – yet it’s obvious by their response that we have a totally different way of looking at the world.

Something I finally mastered last year is that I no longer read personal emails from readers that go for more than two or three paragraphs. That is my practice now. I’ll explain more on why that is later in this newsletter. Even if you don’t receive mail from readers yourself, this is still relevant as an example of boundary setting.

We each need to know ourselves well enough to recognise where there are energy leaks and ensure we don’t set ourselves up for those repeatedly.

It may be through giving too much time to someone who is addicted to excuses and drama.

It could be spending your sacred time on activities that not only leave you uninspired, but also drain you.

Perhaps you waste your energy trying to be understood by people who will never actually be capable or willing to know you that deeply.

Recently, I was blamed for lowering someone’s energy. This came from someone I serve, with no cost to them.

How did I do that?

By mentioning in a newsletter that I was tired.

Oh no, I’m human! And, I am certainly not into toxic positivity that denies growth or the state of the world.

While my intention is to bring beauty into your world and to expand your levels of self-kindness — and most of the time I get that right — I’m not willing to disguise the challenges and growth. I’m also unwilling to put my energy into how something I write will be perceived.

My newsletters don’t need to be read several times for hidden messages between the lines. If such meanings are being searched for, it may be helpful to pause and reflect on the lens through which the words are being read.

Still, a part of this beautiful human experience is that we are all different. We can’t please everyone and don’t need to waste energy wishing to.

If my writing helps you find a bit of courage on a day when you couldn’t do so yourself, then that’s enough for me. It’s a privilege to serve this way and to share my thoughts, even if it means being misunderstood by others who see life through a different lens.

It really is OK. I learnt a long time ago to not waste my energy trying to be understood by everyone – that’s too exhausting!

The reason I no longer read personal emails that go for more than a couple of paragraphs is because they are a guaranteed energy leak for me. They are either an unsolicited psychoanalysis of myself or my message (and usually terribly far off the mark of the original intention of the message), or the topics off-loaded in them are things that need to be shared with a counsellor.

I am not that.

Nor am I a guru.

I am simply a strong woman who walks her talk when it comes to courage, living regret-free, following her heart, staying true to her values, taking risks, and sharing the wisdom she has gained along the way through all that.

I am also a woman who recognises the sacredness of her time, and who chooses to use that gift for the things most important to her heart — including solo parenting an amazing young person.

I am not a dumping ground.

I am not a willing subject of someone else’s psychoanalysis.

I am a storyteller, and if my stories suit you, then I thank you with all my heart for the time we share through them.

It can seem like boundaries are something to separate us, in a world that needs more unity than ever. After all, community is essential for our wellbeing and survival. But like-minded souls still find each other, just without the energy leaks.

Boundaries are like a tea strainer – letting the good flow through and keeping the heavy matter out.

They are not just a common term used in counselling rooms around the world. They are a choice for how to spend your time and energy.

Boundaries are a form of love for your worthy heart.

They are a form of self-kindness.

And, once you own them, they can feel fabulous.

With love,
Bronnie. x

PS. This month’s vlog is now available. It’s titled: A Healing Homecoming | Slow Living, Life & Beauty on the Land. Thanks to those of you who followed me across to the new YouTube channel that’s just for the vlog. I very much appreciate the time we spend together through that medium, and am grateful for both your support and your connection with each episode. It’s time to make a cuppa and join me there!

Also, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying is being released as a gorgeous hardcover, heirloom edition 17th March, 2026. More on that in next month’s newsletter.

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