🌸 Connection in the Chaos
By Allison Ockenden
Director of Today, Tomorrow and Always
Host of From The Heart Podcast – Talking Truths, Taboos and Triumphs
CONNECTION IS BUILT IN THE TRENCHES, NOT THE HIGHLIGHT REEL
Connection after 40? It’s not found in perfectly planned brunches or matching wine glasses.
It’s found in:
sending a meme at 11pm that says, “This made me think of you.”
replying “Same” to a friend’s emotional rant.
the “You okay?” messages that don’t ask for details—just offer a lifeline.
Because let’s be honest — life now is messier, louder, lonelier in ways we didn’t expect. And deeper in ways we never imagined.
We’ve all been there:
sitting in the car outside the house, needing just five minutes to cry, scream, or breathe before stepping back into dinner, homework, emails, life.
those days when a simple “I’m thinking of you” feels like a rescue mission.
FIND THE ONES WHO DON’T FLINCH WHEN YOU FALL APART
At From The Heart, we know connection isn’t about quantity — it’s about realness.
✨ The gritty, honest, vulnerable stuff.
✨ The moments when mascara runs and you let it — because the person in front of you sees you, without judgment.
✨ Crying with someone because they get it.
✨ Belly laughing over the chaos of raising teens while trying to remember your own name.
✨ Going silent for three weeks and then picking up like nothing ever changed.
And it’s also about reconnecting with yourself — the woman under the laundry, under the school drop-offs, the Zoom calls, and the “I’m fine” responses.
The strongest bonds are forged in shared chaos.
YOU DON’T NEED TO FIX IT—YOU JUST NEED TO SIT BESIDE IT
Reintroduce yourself to her — the version of you who’s still fierce, still funny, still fighting for something more.
Sometimes we get so caught up in being there for everyone else that we forget who we were before the world told us who we had to be.
đź’ Ask yourself:
What do you need today, love?
What’s still true for you?
Because before we can show up for others, we’ve got to show up for ourselves.
THE KIND OF CONNECTION THAT LASTS
We’re not here for polished friendships or performative perfection.
We’re here for:
the “drop the rope, I’ve got you” kind of connection
the “I brought wine and tissues” kind
the “no advice, just hugs” kind
The kind of friendship that doesn’t flinch when things get raw. That stays when you’re moody, messy, or mid-menopause meltdown.
Connection isn’t built in highlight reels.
It’s built in:
the cracks
the late-night texts
the imperfect apologies
the tired show-ups
the silences that are still safe
A TRUTH TO HOLD ONTO
You don’t need to be everything for everyone.
You don’t need to have it all together.
You just need to be real — and find your people who do the same.
🌷 Because the truth is:
You are not too much.
You are not behind.
You are not alone.
You are just a woman, doing her best, craving depth, and needing space to exhale.
And if that’s where you’re at — welcome. You belong here.
✨ Real connection starts when the filters come off. ✨
By Allison Ockenden
Director of Today, Tomorrow and Always
Host of From The Heart Podcast – Talking Truths, Taboos and Triumphs
