Meraki Counseling

I see you. The women who carry communities on their backs. You build movements, raise humans, holds others’ pain—and somehow your heart still gives a damn. Yet behind the scenes, you’re tired. You keep showing up. You keep giving. And now, you’re running on fumes. Again.

As the days blur together, the cracks begin to show. You feel anxious, resentful, or one conflict away from breaking down. You’ve always been the helper—the one who keeps the peace, remembers birthdays, answers the late-night texts, and fills the gaps no one else seems to notice. You hold everyone else’s pain, but when the day ends, you’re left alone with your own.

Even when you slow down, your mind doesn’t. Instead of relaxing, you spiral—bracing for the next disaster, the next mistake, the next thing you forgot. You’re drinking more than you want to, snapping at your kids, working through weekends, and convinced your house (and your life) needs to be spotless just to feel safe. Maybe you’re obsessing over your body, losing sleep over emails, or wondering if your anxiety is just . . . who you are now.

Eventually, the shame creeps in: I should be able to handle this. Other people have it worse. I just need to try harder. Don’t be dramatic. Stop being so sensitive.

But here’s the truth? You’re not broken. You’re burnt out from surviving.

You’ve tried trying harder: time management hacks, yoga, self-help books, journaling, even therapy that left you feeling more unseen than supported. You’ve pushed, adjusted, and optimized every part of your life until there’s nothing left to give. And still, it doesn’t feel like enough.

Now you worry that if you stop—if you let go for even a moment—everything will collapse. Your job, your family, your relationships, your carefully maintained image of competence. The idea of being vulnerable? It’s terrifying. What if asking for help makes you look weak? What if people finally see you’re not okay? You’ve been taught that strong women hold it all together, that female leaders set the tone. That you don’t have the luxury of falling apart.

Is it any wonder you feel like you’re failing?

But here’s what I want you to hear: It’s not about doing it all right.

You’re not too much. You’ve just been carrying too much, for too long, without enough support. You’re not broken—you’re exhausted. And those sharp, fragmented pieces you feel? They’re still YOU. They just need some tending to.

Healing isn’t about becoming a better version of you so you can keep grinding. Instead, it’s about peeling back the layers someone else told you to wear, until you find the raw, beautiful mess of who you are—and choosing to love her anyway.

It’s a process of curiosity—of gently exploring what lives beneath the anxiety, perfectionism, and emotional overload. It’s about loosening the grip of old beliefs, inherited wounds, and the fears that keep you stuck in cycles YOU NEVER CHOSE.

It’s also about getting honest. Honest about what you want. Honest about what’s not working. And most importantly, allowing yourself to be honest with self-compassion—to learn how to want more for yourself without guilt.

Eventually, a quieter voice emerges. One that wonders:

What if I deserve peace? What if I’m allowed to want something just for me? What if I can stop pretending I’m okay—and actually BE okay?

Here’s the thing: living with less guilt, more renewable energy, and deeper clarity isn’t just a dream. It’s possible. And ironically, it makes you more available and authentic to the people who care about you most.

You don’t have to keep holding it all alone. You don’t have to hit rock bottom to deserve support. You don’t have to prove how much pain you’re in to earn your place to heal.

I work with women who are helpers, healers, leaders, and caregivers—the ones who carry more than most will ever see. Now it’s your turn to be held.

Together, we’ll untangle the pressure. We’ll reconnect you with the parts of yourself you’ve had to bury to survive. We’ll help you find your way back to who you are—and who you want to be.

You’re allowed to want more. You’re allowed to rest. And you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

You deserve to live with more clarity, renewable energy, and peace . . . I’d love to help you walk toward it.

Meraki Counseling is based in Cedarburg, WI. I offer in-person psychotherapy for women in Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon, Port Washington, as well as online therapy for Milwaukee and Madison and throughout Wisconsin.