Beginning again (and being your own intern)
Why being a beginner matters, a quick life update, and one tiny “intern move” for your week.
Hey there—
A year ago, I started to rebrand A Timeout with Mom into something new—and then I pressed pause. A lot of life happened: we moved from Illinois to Michigan, the kids started new schools, I took on a new role at work, and by day’s end my brain was mush.
We were also building a house while living in a tiny two-bedroom apartment—four people and a dog—which nearly pushed us all over the brink. More on that another time…I’m still healing. ;)
I realized I was forcing something that needed more time to take shape. What kept returning was the idea of being a beginner—so essential in life, and somehow harder as we get older.
At 40, I became an intern at a clinical private practice—the final step in my M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. For the first time in years, I was truly a beginner again, learning from the ground up. It was equal parts exciting and humbling.
Since those intern days, The 40-Year-Old Intern has become more than a title—it’s a mindset. It’s about continual learning, staying curious, and finding the courage to challenge “the way it’s always been done.”
Interns are a little rogue—unpolished, unafraid to ask “why,” not yet jaded. They see differently and push back on old habits. That season left me a better version of myself—at work, at home, and in life.
Today, I’m beginning again—with content for mothers in mid-life. It’s a time that can feel exhausting and exhilarating all at once.
If I had to place a bet, I’d place it on moms at this stage of the game.
If you’re new here
This is a space for moms in the middle of a pivot—ready to rediscover themselves, ask new questions, and build what’s next. You don’t need a five-year plan; you just need a moment and the permission to start again.
What I learned from being a beginner (again)—and taking a necessary pause
Beginner > burnout. Starting small trades perfection pressure for honest progress.
Questions change everything. “Who am I now?” and “What do I want next?” seem simple—asked consistently, they’re catalytic.
Feedback is your friend. As an intern, I welcomed red ink. It was encouraging, uncomfortable, and pivotal—and it accelerated my growth.
Tiny > heroic. Big reinventions are stacks of two-minute moves.
Identity gets updates. Motherhood changes everything; somewhere in the routines, we forget to raise ourselves too. Beginning again helps us remember and redefine.
Where I’ve been (and where I’m going)
Therapy: I currently have my Michigan LLPC and continue seeing clients in private practice.
Marketing: I’m still leading strategic marketing and building brands in the corporate world. But I’m glad mental health has made its way into more conversations about the workplace—we need more of it.
This newsletter: Sundays, short and useful—stories, insights, and tools to be the intern of your own life: start again, build confidence, find joy.
Intern Move of the Week (2 minutes)
Title the season you’re in. On a sticky note, write one line you’ll let be true this week:
“I’m in a rebuilding season.”
“I’m in a care-and-maintenance season.”
“I’m in an experiments-only season.”
Then pick one tiny action that matches it (two minutes, max). Small is honest; momentum is medicine.
If you try it, hit reply and tell me your note + your two-minute move. I read every email.
See you next Sunday,
Danielle