A Pause at 55: Living with Intention, Compassion… and a Little Fire

There’s something about milestone birthdays that quietly ask us to stop and take stock, and sometimes, if we’re paying attention, they also give us a gentle nudge (or a not-so-gentle kick!) to step forward with renewed energy.

As I approach my 55th birthday on 18th February, I’ve been reflecting not just on age, but on meaning. And when I looked a little deeper, I smiled, because the symbolism around this year feels beautifully aligned.

In numerology, 55 is the number of freedom, expansion, and change. It’s associated with adventure, personal evolution, and breaking free from old limitations. It’s not a number that whispers - it invites you to live more boldly, more authentically, and more in alignment with who you’ve become.

That feels about right.

This birthday also arrives during the Year of the Horse, which begins on 17th February, just one day before I turn 55. The Horse symbolises independence, vitality, courage, and forward momentum. It’s about trusting your own rhythm, following your inner knowing, and moving forward with heart rather than force.

And perhaps unsurprisingly, this year is also calling me back to something deeply meaningful.

In April, I’ll be returning to walk the Camino, almost eight years since I last did it. The Camino has a way of meeting you exactly where you are, not where you were, not where you think you should be.

Eight years ago, I walked it as a very different version of myself. This time, I return with more softness, more trust, and a deeper respect for my body, my pace, and my inner voice. I’m not going back to recreate the past, I’m going back to honour who I am now.

This past year has invited me to re-evaluate many things:
my work, my time, my energy, and where and with whom I choose to invest them.

I’ve reflected on the connections that nourished me, the conversations that stayed with me long after they ended, and the opportunities that arrived sometimes quietly, sometimes unexpectedly. I’ve also met challenges that stretched me, slowed me down, and reminded me to listen more carefully to myself.

Some lessons arrived gently.
Others arrived with clarity I couldn’t ignore.

At this stage of life, I’m learning that success isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters. It’s about sustainability, integrity, and creating a life and body of work that doesn’t cost you your wellbeing.

Perhaps the greatest lesson of this year has been the reminder to be kinder to ourselves.

To rest without guilt.
To honour our energy.
To allow ourselves to change direction - even when the old path once fit perfectly.

There is a quiet confidence that comes with age. A knowing. A sense that you don’t have to prove yourself anymore - only to be honest with yourself.

So as I step into this new chapter - guided by the freedom of 55, the forward-moving energy of the Horse, and the steady footsteps of the Camino, I do so with gratitude for the years behind me, compassion for the versions of myself that were still learning, and curiosity for what lies ahead.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this:
It’s never too late to realign, to reclaim your energy, and to walk your path in a way that feels deeply true to who you are now.

So I’ll ask you what I’m asking myself:
Where in your life are you being invited to move forward with more freedom, more trust, and a little more joy?

A Special Birthday Bonus ✨

As a way of saying thank you for the connections, conversations, and shared moments along the way - I wanted to offer something special as I step into this new chapter.

🌿 Weekend Retreat – Delphi Resort
To celebrate my birthday, I’m offering a discounted rate on my upcoming weekend retreat at the beautiful Delphi Resort in Co. Galway.

This retreat is an invitation to step away from the busyness of everyday life, to pause, rest, and reconnect with yourself, your energy, and what truly matters to you.
✨ [Click here for full details and booking]

💗 Heart Space Gathering – Claregalway, Co. Galway
On Saturday 14th February, I’ll be hosting a Heart Space Gathering in Claregalway - a gentle, heart-led space for connection, reflection, and presence.

To honour friendship and shared growth, you’re invited to bring a friend for half-price. Because some journeys are meant to be shared.

✨ [Click here for full details and booking]

If either of these offerings speaks to you, you’ll be so welcome. And if not, simply know how grateful I am to be walking this path alongside you.

💗Gift Vouchers - 10% discount if bought before the 13th February - Contact Sharon

About Sharon

Sharon Fitzmaurice is a holistic wellness coach and well-being practitioner with over 18 years’ experience supporting individuals and groups in their well-being. She is a Reiki Master Teacher, clinical hypnotherapist, mindfulness & meditation teacher, author of Someone Please Help Me, So I Did and Awaken Your Wellbeing, speaker, and host of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, as well as the founder of Soulful Journeys.

Through her work, retreats, and community spaces, Sharon creates compassionate, grounded environments that support healing, reflection, and sustainable personal growth.

Who Am I Beneath the Noise? Rediscovering Our Own Beliefs in a World of Influence

We often hear that social media is shaping our opinions, manipulating our emotions, and influencing how we see the world and in many ways, it does.

But if we pause for a moment, we might realise that influence isn’t new. Long before we began scrolling through feeds and hashtags, we were absorbing the beliefs and worldviews of others.

From the moment we’re born, we’re taught how to see the world. Our parents or caregivers pass down their experiences and beliefs, many shaped by their own upbringing and fears. Teachers guide us with the best of intentions, but within the framework of what society deems acceptable. Religion, culture, politics, books, and media all layer on top of one another until, without realising it, our inner world is painted in colours chosen by someone else.

So how can we ever know what we truly believe?

The Many Voices That Shape Us

Every story we read, every film we’ve watched carries someone else’s perspective. None of this is inherently bad - after all, it’s how we learn and connect.

But there comes a time when we begin to question:

Is this what I believe, or what I’ve been told to believe?

For many, that question arises during moments of change, when a long-held value no longer fits, or when an experience shakes what we once thought was certain. That discomfort is often the first whisper of awakening: the moment when our true self begins to stir beneath layers of conditioning.

The Pull of Collective Thinking

It’s easy to see how others can be swept away by strong opinions or divisive narratives, especially in the digital age. We see people fiercely defending their beliefs online, joining movements, or sharing outrage. But beneath that surface noise lies something tender - a deep human need to feel seen, heard, and safe.

When we feel threatened, uncertain, or powerless, we instinctively reach for belonging. We look for others who share our feelings and validate our fears. This is where confirmation bias creeps in, the comforting thought that if others think this too, it must be true. And negative bias makes fear and anger louder than calm reason, because those emotions make us feel momentarily in control.

When groups unite around shared fear, they often need an “other” to blame someone to project their discomfort onto. This pattern has existed throughout human history, from tribal divisions to online shaming.

What’s heart-breaking is that much of this behaviour doesn’t come from hatred, but from fear.

When we forget who we are at our core - loving, aware, connected beings - we cling to what feels familiar, even if it hurts others.

The Courage to Question

Learning to think for ourselves isn’t about rejecting everything we’ve been taught. It’s about seeing clearly where those beliefs came from and choosing, consciously, what we want to keep.

This takes courage, because questioning inherited beliefs can feel like betraying our families, our communities, or even our faith. But true self-awareness doesn’t destroy connection - it deepens it.

When we understand our own conditioning, we also develop compassion for the conditioning of others.

We begin to see that everyone is carrying stories - stories that shaped them, just as ours shaped us.

Finding Our True Voice Amid the Noise

To rediscover our own beliefs, we must learn to listen inwardly again. The world is loud, but the soul speaks in whispers.

Here are a few gentle practices to help you return to your inner truth:

Pause and notice. When you feel strong emotion about a topic - outrage, fear, or certainty - take a breath. Ask yourself, What part of me feels unsafe right now?

Question with compassion. Before sharing or agreeing with an opinion, reflect: Does this align with love, empathy, and the person I am becoming?

Create stillness. Spend time in silence, nature, or journaling. When the noise of the world fades, what truths rise within you?

Stay open. True wisdom isn’t about being right; it’s about being willing to see differently.

Through these practices, we begin to separate what is ours from what we’ve inherited. It’s not an act of rebellion - it’s an act of remembering.

Coming Home to Authentic Truth

When we strip away the conditioning, we don’t lose ourselves - we uncover who we’ve always been.

Beneath the noise, beyond the narratives and the borrowed beliefs, there is a quiet knowing that has never been influenced or swayed.

It’s the part of us that recognises truth not because others agree with it, but because it feels like peace.

When we live from that space, we don’t need to shout to be heard or cling to what others believe. We simply stand in our own authenticity - gently, courageously, and with love.

“In learning to think for ourselves, we don’t reject others - we just stop abandoning ourselves.”

A Reflection from My Heart

As a holistic wellness coach, Reiki Master, and soul guide, I have seen how easy it is for people to forget their own inner wisdom beneath the noise of life. Every day, I meet souls who are longing to reconnect with their truth - not the version of themselves the world expects, but the one their spirit remembers.

This journey back to self isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about remembering who you’ve always been before the world told you who to be. Healing happens when we come home to that remembrance - when we reclaim our beliefs, our voice, and our capacity to love, beginning with ourselves.

That’s why I’m inviting you to join me and our beautiful Soulful Journeys Online Community as we embark on a transformative new chapter.
The Soulful Journey Series: Awakening Your Inner Truth

Together, we’ll explore the tender art of coming home to ourselves through shared wisdom, guided practices, and heartfelt connection.

If this message resonates with you, know that you are warmly welcome.
Come journey with us and remember, you’ve never truly been lost. You’ve only been finding your way back to love. 💫

Sharon Fitzmaurice is a Holistic Wellness Coach, Reiki Master Teacher & Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Speaker, Author, and Host of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast. She is the author of Someone Please Help Me, So I Did and Awaken Your Wellbeing, and the founder of Soulful Journeys Online Community.

A passionate advocate for mental health awareness and survivors of childhood abuse, Sharon’s mission is to inspire others to heal, grow, and reconnect with their authentic selves. Through her work, writing, and conversations, she reminds us that within every story lies the power to transform and rise.

The Journey of Remembering

There was a time in my life when I thought I had lost everything - not in the physical sense, but in the way that leaves you hollow on the inside. What I call my darkest night of the soul. It was a place of despair, self-doubt, and disconnection. And yet, it was in that same darkness that a light began to flicker - a knowing that I was more than the pain I carried, more than my body, more than the roles I played in life.

That moment was my awakening. Not an instant transformation, but the beginning of a slow, tender journey of remembering. Remembering that I am soul in physical form. Remembering that there is a deeper wisdom always available to me when I dare to turn inward.

It’s why soul-led work isn’t just something I do now - it’s who I am. Every client I sit with, every group session, retreat or workshop I hold, every podcast conversation I share comes from this place of knowing. It is the compass that guides me back when I forget, when I stumble, when life feels heavy again.

This week on the podcast, I had the joy of sitting down with Suzanne Roberts, someone whose journey resonated so deeply with my own. Suzanne, Founder of Unifying Solutions and author of It’s Deeper Than That: A Pathway to a Vibrant, Purposeful Life, also walked through the fires of pain and self-hatred. Her childhood trauma led her into darkness, but her love of physics opened a doorway to something greater -the reality of polarity, of energy, of soul.

Listening to Suzanne describe her “inner laboratory” - the way she turned inward to explore and discover the truth of who she really is - felt like hearing my own story reflected back to me. That same turning inward is what saved me too.

In our conversation, we explored the science of magnetism and the current of life force that runs through us all, how meditation and mindfulness open the gateway to soul presence, and how healing is never about becoming someone new but about remembering the wholeness that was always there.

What touched me most was her reminder that being of service is at the heart of a purposeful life. That, I believe, is why so many of us who have walked through darkness feel called to guide others toward their own light.

As I sit with this episode, I feel an immense gratitude for my own journey - even the painful parts. Without that dark night, I might never have woken up to the truth of who I really am. Without it, I would not be living this soul-led path today.

My hope is that in listening to Suzanne’s story and hearing a little of my own, you will be reminded of your soul too. That quiet voice within that whispers: you are so much more than the physical, you are light, you are energy, you are soul.

✨ Listen here https://www.youtube.com/@sharonfitzmauricepodcast

An Invitation to You

If this conversation touched something within you, I’d love to invite you into my Soulful Journeys Online Community. It is a heart-centred space where like-minded souls gather to connect, share, and support one another on the path of healing, awakening, and purpose.

Inside, you’ll find monthly soul circles, guided practices, live teachings, and a community of people who truly understand the ups and downs of walking a soul-led path. It’s a place where you don’t have to pretend to be anything other than yourself - where your story, your light, and even your struggles are welcomed and honoured.

Together, we remind each other that we are never alone. Together, we walk each step more courageously and more lovingly than we might on our own.

If your soul feels called, you are so welcome to join us. 💜
👉 Join our Community — Sharon Fitzmaurice

Remembering What Is Important

Reflections from the rugged coastline of Achill Island

Dear friends,

I’ve just returned from a soul-nourishing two-week holiday on the breath-taking shores of Achill Island, where the wild Atlantic winds reminded me to breathe more deeply, and the untamed coastline seemed to whisper truths I had almost forgotten.

Like many of you, I live a life of service - guiding others, creating space for healing, holding space for transformation and development. It’s a path I walk with deep love and purpose. But sometimes, in the busyness of giving, we forget to give to ourselves.

As I walked each day along the cliffs, watching the waves crash below and the sky stretch endlessly above, I began to reflect on how available we often make ourselves to others -through work, messages, care-giving, and constant productivity. And yet, how seldom we offer that same availability to our own soul.

A Quiet Realisation

In that stillness, I found myself asking:

“Why do I do what I do?”

The answer came softly but clearly:

To help others remember their own strength… but only if I first remember my own.

This moment of reconnection reminded me of a truth I often teach, but needed to re-learn for myself:
We cannot pour from an empty cup. We cannot lead from depletion. We cannot help others heal without honouring our own healing.

Your Gentle Invitation

So, this July, I invite you - lovingly and without pressure - to remember what is important. Not the deadlines. Not the unread messages. But the deep exhale. The silence between actions. The space where you can simply be.

Take a walk. Let the wind kiss your face. Turn your phone off for an hour. Ask yourself:

“Am I available to my own soul today?”

It doesn’t have to be a big retreat. Even a few quiet moments can bring you back to your centre.

This Is Why I Do What I Do

Returning from this holiday, I feel more grounded in my purpose:
To walk alongside others in their healing journeys - not as someone who has all the answers, but as someone who remembers what it means to come home to herself.

Let’s continue to remind each other.
To pause.
To reflect.
To nourish what truly matters.

Sharon Fitzmaurice
Holistic Wellness Coach | Soulful Journeys Founder | Author | The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast