Rooted, Not Rigid: Getting Real About Core Values in Everyday Life
Building something grittier (and way more honest) at Twisted Willow Wellness
Let’s talk about core values.
Not in the sterile therapist voice where someone makes you rank “Integrity” and “Adventure” on a color-coded spreadsheet. I mean actually living your values—in the grocery store, on your lunch break, or when you’re squinting at a movie theater seating chart and trying not to lose it in front of your kids.
At Twisted Willow Wellness, we call Core Values the first root of wellness—because without them, everything else gets wobbly. They’re how we choose, how we pivot, how we make sure we’re living on purpose—not just running on autopilot.
The Stitch Situation: Parenting, Priorities, and Popcorn
Memorial Day weekend. We promised the kids Stitch. It was chaotic in that nostalgic family-movie-night way. But when we got there? No four seats together. Just singles and awkward pairings.
We could’ve called it, chalked it up to bad timing. But instead, we paid more for the 3D version—because it had seats together.
Sure, it stung a little. But it wasn’t a random “screw it” decision. It was rooted in something solid: we value time together more than we value saving twenty bucks.
That tiny moment—cramped seats, overpriced popcorn, foggy 3D glasses—hit like a grounding cord. This wasn’t about indulgence. It was about alignment. And that feeling? It sticks with you.
Fast Forward to the Tuesday After Memorial Day
My schedule looked like a dare. Back-to-back sessions, admin catch-up, a to-do list that had clearly mated with another to-do list.
Old me would’ve powered through. Hustled hard. Bragged about surviving it.
But instead, I closed the laptop for ten damn minutes. I lit a candle, poured the strongest coffee I could find, dropped to the office floor, and did some breathing exercises while Ani DiFranco called me back to myself.
Comfort over achievement. Breath over burnout. That’s a value I hold tight—and honoring it gave me just enough space to show up without burning out.
Core Values Aren’t Just a Concept—They’re a Way Through
They’re how you make choices that feel like you.
How you recognize yourself in the middle of the mess.
How you remember: this matters, and this doesn’t.
Lately, I’ve been feeling something new. A kind of alignment I didn’t have when I was just “doing the work” without naming what I was working for. Now, it’s clearer. More honest. Built from the inside out.
Twisted Willow isn’t here to fix you—it’s here to root with you.
Come as you are. Stay as long as you need. Let’s grow from there.
xo,
Corinne
Therapist. Rebel. Slightly feral wellness witch