A Blissful Life 7/21/2026: Before the World Tells You Who to Be

The years between childhood and adulthood are tender ones. You are old enough to notice everything, but not always old enough to know what to do with everything you notice.

You begin to see yourself through other people’s eyes– through friendships, school, sports, social media, family expectations, compliments, criticism, and comparison. You start to wonder how you are coming across, whether you belong, and whether you should be more confident, more outgoing, more talented, or more certain of yourself. Somewhere within all that noise, it can become difficult to hear your own voice.

I think about this often as a mother, a teacher, and someone who spends so much of her life helping others reconnect with themselves. Many of us reach adulthood and realize how much time we have spent trying to return to parts of ourselves we learned to quiet. We begin unlearning the belief that we must earn our rest, hide our sensitivity, shrink our needs, or become someone else to be accepted.

What might it look like to introduce some of those lessons earlier?

Not by giving preteens and teens a speech about confidence or handing them a list of rules for how to live. But by creating space for them to experience themselves more clearly. Space to move, breathe, reflect, laugh, connect, ask questions, and begin recognizing what feels true for them.

Real confidence does not come from always knowing the answer. It comes from learning to trust yourself when you do not. It grows when you can notice what you are feeling without being completely overtaken by it. It grows when you speak honestly, recover from disappointment, try again after embarrassment, and understand that belonging should not require abandoning who you are.

This is the heart behind Strong Roots, a wellness and confidence experience Lisa Pulkoski and I are offering at Ocean Bliss this August for preteens and teens ages 11 through 15.

Lisa is a licensed social worker and yoga teacher, and together we wanted to create an experience that feels grounded, engaging, and real. Over the course of the week, we will use yoga, mindful movement, breathwork, meditation, journaling, creative reflection, nature, meaningful conversations, and shared activities to explore stress, emotions, boundaries, communication, confidence, and connection.

The intention is not to tell anyone who to be. It is to offer them the time and tools to listen more closely to themselves before the outside world becomes too loud.

Something powerful can happen when we step outside our usual roles– the classroom, the team, the friend group, and the familiar social dynamics. In a new space, different parts of us have room to come forward. The quieter person may realize they have something important to say. The confident one may discover they do not always have to perform. Someone who feels different may realize they are not alone.

Strong Roots begins with a sunset bonfire welcome circle on Sunday, August 2, continues at Ocean Bliss Monday through Wednesday, and closes with a final circle on Thursday, August 6. We are keeping the group to ten participants so the experience can remain personal and connected.

My hope is that each participant leaves with more than a few enjoyable days. I hope they leave with practices they can use when school feels stressful, friendships become complicated, emotions feel bigger than expected, or they simply need to remember who they are beneath everyone else’s opinions.

We cannot remove every challenge from the path ahead. But we can help preteens and teens grow roots deep enough to remain connected to themselves as they move through it. Before the world tells them who to be, let’s give them space to listen within.

Registration for Strong Roots is now open. Sign up at oceanblissyoga.net. Questions? 917-318-1168.