The Coffee Mug That Changed How I Think About Hard Things (And Why Your Brain Health Can't Wait)

I'm holding my favorite coffee mug right now as I write this.

It's handmade by a ceramicist named Arthur Tobias—slightly imperfect, beautifully sturdy, with spiral finger marks running up the body and a handle that fits my hand like it was made just for me.

The tag that came with it reads: "From the twisted-wire-cut bottom, to the pulled handle, to the spiraling finger marks of the slightly flared body, the mug you are holding is the current summation of everything Art has learned from decades of work and thousands of repetitions."

I bought three of them. Just in case I broke a couple. (If you know, you know.)

But here's what gets me every single morning: Arthur Tobias has never met me. He doesn't know my name or my story. And yet his commitment to his craft—decades of practice, thousands of repetitions—touches my life every single day.

That kind of dedication. That kind of showing up. That's what I think about when things get hard.

The Day I Bought This Mug

I bought this mug in a pottery shop in Idyllwild, California—a tiny mountain town with winding roads that climb so steeply your ears pop.

The day before, I had broken my ankle.

And I still drove up that mountain.

My son had been preparing for months to attend a music camp over President's Day weekend. The trip was planned. The bags were packed. He was counting on me. And I'm a supportive music mom who apparently makes questionable medical decisions.

So instead of getting an X-ray, I bought a walking boot on my own and hoped for the best. (It was my non-driving ankle, okay? I'm stubborn, not reckless.)

Would I coach anyone else to do this? Absolutely not.

But I did it anyway (because I'm stubborn that way!). And I got through that weekend. Met kind strangers who helped when I needed it. Showed myself I could do impossibly hard things when it mattered.

This mug is my daily reminder of that.

What Nobody Tells You About the Hard Things That Sneak Up on You

Here's what hit me this morning as I held this mug:

This coffee mug has been with me through some of my worst brain fog days.

Days when I'd walk into a room and completely forget why I was there.

Days when words would just... vanish mid-sentence, leaving me grasping at air.

Days when I'd stand in my own kitchen—my kitchen!—and have no idea what I came there for.

And you know what's wild? I was treating those days like they were just... normal aging. Something to laugh off. Something everyone goes through.

But here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud: that's not just aging. That's your brain literally starving for what it needs during this massive hormonal transition.

The Hard Thing We're All Avoiding

We'll drive up mountains with broken ankles for our kids.

We'll work through pain, exhaustion, and impossible schedules for our careers.

We'll show up for aging parents, struggling friends, and everyone who needs us.

But when it comes to our own brain health? When we start forgetting things or losing our sharpness or feeling like our mind is betraying us?

We put it on the back burner. Because it's uncomfortable. Because it's scary. Because acknowledging it feels like admitting something we're not ready to face. I get it. I really do.

Looking at your own cognitive decline—even the early signs—feels like staring into a future you don't want. It's easier to laugh it off as "pregnancy brain" (when you haven't been pregnant in 20 years) or "mommy brain" (when your kids are grown) or just "getting older."

But here's what I learned the hard way: ignoring your brain health doesn't make it go away. It just makes you lose more years to the fog before you finally do something about it.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

I lost my mental clarity for years before I found it again.

Not through some miracle supplement or trendy biohack.

Not through "just pushing through" or "staying positive."

But through actually understanding what my changing brain needed during this hormonal earthquake called menopause.

The specific nutrients my brain was depleted of. The nervous system support my body was crying out for. The inflammation control that was the difference between brain fog and clarity. The movement that actually supports brain health (not just burns calories).

All of it working together.

That's what eventually became my BrainGrace™ Method—everything I desperately wish someone had told me when I was drowning in confusion, thinking I was losing myself piece by piece.

The Thing About Hard Things

When I hold this mug every morning, I remember that I've survived 54 years of hard things.

Hard things I faced head-on. Hard things I thought would break me but didn't. Hard things that are now behind me.

Breaking my ankle and driving up a mountain? That was hard, but it was concrete. Visible. Something I could see and solve.

But brain fog? Cognitive decline? That's the kind of hard thing that's invisible. That you can't boot or bandage. That makes you question yourself in ways a broken bone never will.

And that's exactly why it needs to be faced, not avoided.

Because here's what I know now: your brain isn't just "aging badly." Your brain is going through one of the most dramatic hormonal transitions of your entire life, and it needs support. Specific, science-backed support.

The same estrogen that protected your brain for decades? It's declining. And your brain is scrambling to adapt. The inflammation that you could bounce back from in your 30s? It's now attacking the very structures that keep you sharp.

The neural connections that used to fire effortlessly? They need different fuel now. This isn't something to laugh off at book club. This is your brain—your memory, your personality, your essence, asking for help.

What Facing This Actually Looks Like

Facing your brain health doesn't mean catastrophizing or assuming the worst.

It means getting honest about what you're experiencing. The moments when you feel "off." The times you struggle with something that used to be easy. The fog that rolls in when you need to be sharp.

It means understanding that there's actual science behind why this is happening—and actual strategies that work.

It means deciding that you're worth the same dedication you'd give to literally anything else in your life.

Arthur Tobias spent decades and thousands of repetitions perfecting his craft. That's how he made something that lasts, that matters, that touches people's lives.

Your brain deserves that same level of commitment.

Here's Your Permission Slip

You don't have to wait until it gets worse.

You don't have to "earn" the right to prioritize your cognitive health by being "bad enough" first.

You don't have to prove to anyone that your brain fog is "real" or "serious" before you do something about it.

You can start now. Today. This morning.

Not because you're broken or failing or declining faster than you should be. But because you're smart enough to see what's happening and brave enough to do something about it—even when it's uncomfortable.

Even when it means facing something you'd rather ignore.

Even when it means admitting you need support.

The Craft of Your Life

Every morning, I hold this mug and feel the spiral fingerprints of a craftsman I've never met.

His decades of work. His thousands of repetitions. His commitment to making something that lasts.

And I think: that's what we're doing too.

Not making pottery. But making a life that holds up. A brain that stays sharp. A future where we're not just surviving but actually thriving.

The hard things don't go away because we avoid them. They just get harder.

But when we face them? When we give them the attention and support they deserve?

That's when we get to look back and see what we've overcome. What we've built. What we've protected.

Your brain health isn't something to put off until you have "more time" or until it gets "really bad."

It's the foundation of everything else you're trying to do. Every hard thing you're facing. Every person you're showing up for.

And it needs you to show up for it—now.

What hard things are you facing right now? What are you avoiding because it's uncomfortable to think about? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

If you are ready to explore your most vital health possible, let's chat about how I can support you: 1:1 Coaching

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