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Before I say anything else, I need to acknowledge what this moment is. Episode 313 of Empowered and Unapologetic. The final episode.

Even typing that makes my chest tighten a little.

I don’t know if this is a goodbye, a see you later, or a long exhale so I can hear myself think again. And honestly, that uncertainty feels fitting. Because that’s how endings actually arrive. Not with fireworks. Not with a neat bow. But quietly. After a long stretch of holding, pushing, creating, surviving, showing up.

We live in a culture obsessed with beginnings. New habits. New goals. New versions of you. Reinvent, upgrade, optimize.

But we rarely honor endings.

Let me say this clearly, because I need to hear it too:

“An ending does not mean something failed. Often it means something worked.”

This podcast worked. It held courage. It held truth. It held your stories. It held mine. It reached people I will never fully understand the impact of. And because it worked, it reached a natural edge.

Not a cliff. An edge.

Edges are where growth pauses. Where honesty asks for space. Where something new wants to emerge but isn’t ready to be named yet.

Most women don’t allow themselves to end things this way. We wait until we’re burned out. Bitter. Resentful. Numb. That’s not what this is. This is intentional. And intention feels very different from collapse.

As mothers especially, our lives are shaped by endings we don’t always name. The end of pregnancy. The end of sleepless nights. The end of being needed constantly. The end of the woman you were before kids.

And then one day, your daughter is in a sorority across the country. Another is moving out. The youngest makes her own breakfast and goes to dinner at the mall like a grown adult. And you’re sitting there thinking, when did this happen?

There is a space we almost never talk about. The space between who you were and who you’re becoming.

“This is not a problem to fix. This is a developmental passage.”

When you’re in that in between, you might feel foggy. Emotional. Unmotivated. Like nothing quite fits anymore. That doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means the old version of you has done her job.

And that version deserves gratitude.

But gratitude does not require permanence.

“Gratitude does not require permanence.”

I can love this podcast. I can be proud of it. I can honor what it gave me and what it gave you. And I can still let it go.

That has been one of the hardest lessons of my life. I have batched episodes while exhausted. Recorded through tears. Played catch up because I believed I had to keep producing to matter. But here’s a truth I’m integrating in real time: my worth is not tied to output.

And neither is yours.

You are allowed to pause without having a plan. You are allowed to close a chapter without immediately replacing it. You do not have to define the next chapter yet.

Pressure blocks wisdom. Rest creates clarity.

Some seasons exist to create space, not outcomes.

Right now, I am in a season of integration. My body is changing. My marriage is evolving. My children are stepping into independence. My business is shifting. I am not who I was five years ago. And that’s not a crisis. That’s growth.

If you’re standing in an ending right now, I want you to ask yourself gently: What season of my life is ending? What did it give me? What did it cost me? What parts of me am I ready to release?

You are not lost. You are not late. You are not broken.

You are in a passage.

Beginnings get all the attention, but endings deserve care too. This podcast held a season of my life. It did its job. And there is wisdom in knowing when a form has done its job.

This is bye for now, not forever.

Some endings are not conclusions. They are quiet invitations to begin again. More honestly. More aligned. More gently.

And I am so excited to see who I become next.

Click here to talk to a therapist. Click here to take my on-demand 4-week course to reignite your marriage and reclaim your identity. Or, click here to explore my on-demand 2-hour workshop to reconnect with your partner.

Useful links:

• Join our FaceBook Page – Empowered and Unapologetic
• Follow me on Instagram
• Check out the new website! https://veronicacisneros.org/
• Outside The Norm Counseling – 951 395 3288 call to schedule an appointment today!
• 5 Things that are Killing your Marriage Free Guide available at www.veronicacisneros.org

Meet Veronica Cisneros

Veronica Cisneros, LMFT, helps women stop fighting the same fight on repeat and start truly connecting in their relationships.

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 12 years of experience, Veronica specializes in helping high-achieving women break out of destructive conflict cycles and build healthier, more connected relationships—without losing themselves in the process.

As the founder of Outside the Norm Counseling, marriage coach, and host of the Empowered and Unapologetic podcast, Veronica brings a no-nonsense approach to relationship healing. Her clients know—she doesn’t do bandaids. She gets to the root.

Veronica’s guidance blends practical communication tools with deep emotional insight, empowering women to challenge old patterns, repair emotional wounds, and foster real, lasting change in their marriages and families. She’s walked the walk too—with over 25 years of marriage, three daughters, and a thriving career, she knows what it takes to navigate the messiness of love, parenting, and personal growth.

Whether she’s working with couples in her practice or coaching women through relationship burnout, Veronica helps people shift from blame and burnout to clarity, compassion, and collaboration. Her honest, relatable style—and that sharp wit—make her a trusted voice for women ready to stop surviving their relationships and start thriving in them.

Whether you listen to the podcast, join the free Facebook community, or do the Workshop,  you’re in the right place. Let’s do this together!

Thanks for listening!

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