Momentum in the Mountains: A Journey Through Heritage, Healing, and the Seasons of Womanhood

By Naomi Stockman – Licensed Therapist & Depression and Anxiety Specialist

Where reflection meets rediscovery, momentum begins.

There’s something about mountains that reminds you just how far you’ve come.

As I write this, I’m sitting in a quiet guesthouse in Switzerland — the country my parents left behind in 1969 in search of a new life in Australia. Now, decades later, I’ve returned with them — along with my husband, our 20-year-old daughter, and our 6-year-old son — to walk the cobbled streets they once knew, to break bread with cousins I’ve only seen in photos, and to reconnect with a part of myself that was always there, just quietly waiting.

We’ve wandered through Interlaken, explored Thun Castle with its roots in the 12th century, and strolled the lakefronts of Spiez and Thun. It’s been breathtaking — not just the views, but the realisation of how deeply connected we are to where we come from.

But this trip hasn’t just been about sightseeing. It’s been about something deeper: momentum.

Momentum Isn’t Always About Speed

As women over 40, we know that life doesn’t always run in straight lines or at high speed. Momentum is not just about going faster or doing more. Sometimes, it’s about returning — to ourselves, to our stories, to what matters most.

I specialise in helping women navigate anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and eating disorders. And what I see, time and time again, is that so many of us are carrying invisible weight — beliefs and burdens that slow us down, whispering that we’re “too old” or “too late” to change.

But healing is possible at any age. Momentum can build even after long stillness.

This trip has reminded me that heritage and healing often go hand in hand. Revisiting our roots can awaken something powerful within us — not just nostalgia, but identity. Strength. Continuity.

Healing in Motion

There’s a kind of therapy that happens when you travel with your children and your parents at the same time. You’re not just a tourist — you’re a daughter, a mother, a partner… a woman in the middle of three generations.

I’ve watched my 6-year-old son walk hand-in-hand with my mother through streets my mother once rode a bicycle as a girl. I’ve sat across from my 20-year-old daughter as she laughed with her great-aunt over dessert, fluent in a language she doesn’t speak but somehow understands.

It’s taught me this: healing doesn’t always happen in the therapy room. Sometimes it happens around a dinner table, on a path between lakes, or in a conversation about family recipes and memories of years gone by.

Creating Forward Motion After 40

So many women I work with feel stuck. Life, careers, relationships — they all demand so much. And then comes the whisper: “Is this it?”

But let me remind you:

✨ You are not done.
✨ You are not past your peak.
✨ You are not too tired, too wounded, or too late.

You are in momentum — even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Every time you reflect, repair, or rediscover something inside yourself, you are moving forward. You don’t have to climb mountains to change your life. Sometimes, you just have to take one meaningful step — toward becoming more of who you are, toward connection, toward purpose.

We’re Not Anywhere Near the End Yet

My aunts and uncles are in their 60s and 70s, still carrying the vitality of life like a flaming beacon. We have decades ahead of us — decades to live, to love, to try new things.

If the past 40 years have had storms, shadows, and struggles, let this be your sign: it’s time to do something different.

You are at the helm of your ship. Your life is yours to steer. Whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or beyond — there are a million possibilities waiting for you.

Shift gears. Step into your life force. Light up a path filled with love, passion, excitement, peace, and adventure.

My Invitation to You

Healing doesn’t only happen in therapy — sometimes it happens on cobblestone streets and over shared dessert.

Whether it’s through therapy, travel, family connection, or simply getting still enough to hear your own heart again — allow yourself to reclaim your momentum.

You’re not late to the party. You’re ready now to arrive.

Naomi Stockman
🌐 www.mylocalhypnosis.com.au
📍 Clinical Hypnotherapist & Transformation Therapist