Rhian Budd
READ
READ

Personal Essays

Authentic Living

Conscious Motherhood

Self-discovery & Growth

All Journal

MEET
SUBSCRIBE
Search

Personal Essays

When Self-Expression Becomes a Mask

Personal Essays

20 April 2026

When Self-Expression Becomes a Mask

When getting dressed became a point of friction. A journey through postpartum identity, perfectionism and the quiet shift from performing “having it together” to choosing authenticity.

Why We Don’t Need a Clear Vision to Change Our Lives

Personal Essays

25 March 2026

Why We Don’t Need a Clear Vision to Change Our Lives

Feeling stuck waiting for clarity? Learn why clarity comes after action and how to begin even when feeling unsure.

It Started with an Omelette

Personal Essays

23 March 2026

It Started with an Omelette

Sometimes the beginning isn’t a breakthrough or a grand decision. Sometimes it's a small act of care that reconnects you with yourself.

The Quiet Call to Live Differently

Personal Essays

16 March 2026

The Quiet Call to Live Differently

For a long time, I thought the desire to retreat meant something in my life wasn’t working. That I needed to change everything or leave it all behind. But what if this feeling isn’t asking us to escape — only to listen more closely to what our bodies already know?

What It Means to Keep Tending Your Life

Personal Essays

19 January 2026

What It Means to Keep Tending Your Life

When the calendar turns but your body hasn’t caught up, what does it mean to tend your life?

What My Garden Taught Me About Alignment

Personal Essays

12 January 2026

What My Garden Taught Me About Alignment

Sometimes the smallest missing piece is the one that quietly determines whether something grows or not.

A Slower Way to Close the Year

Personal Essays

3 December 2025

A Slower Way to Close the Year

At a time when the world speeds up, I’ve felt a quiet pull in the opposite direction — toward slowing down, softening and closing this year with more presence, more pleasure and a gentler rhythm.

The Magic of the Messy Middle

Personal Essays

26 November 2025

The Magic of the Messy Middle

Learning to be seen in the in-between, before it’s polished, perfect, or fully formed—and why these moments hold the real transformation.

In The Space Between Who I Was and Who I’m Becoming

Personal Essays

24 November 2025

In The Space Between Who I Was and Who I’m Becoming

Reflecting on the in-between season and how past experiences become the foundation for what comes next.

When Love Becomes a Silent Blessing

Personal Essays

13 November 2025

When Love Becomes a Silent Blessing

When life moves on and the rituals of love begin to change, we’re invited to honour what once was in new ways.

The Beauty of Not Knowing What Comes Next

Personal Essays

17 September 2025

The Beauty of Not Knowing What Comes Next

An update from the in-between

I’m trying something different (and a little braver)

Personal Essays

23 July 2025

I’m trying something different (and a little braver)

Laying down perfection, opening my voice and sharing more of the raw process — starting here.

A Quiet Celebration of Capacity

Personal Essays

22 July 2025

A Quiet Celebration of Capacity

A personal reflection on how far I’ve come, the shifts I’ve made in parenting and what happens when we learn to honour both our needs and theirs.

Emptying Out as a Sacred Practice

Personal Essays

21 May 2025

Emptying Out as a Sacred Practice

When life feels too loud, I return to the quiet. A reflection on what it means to empty out, unplug and reconnect to the self beneath it all.

The Strength We Borrow Until It Becomes Our Own

Personal Essays

20 May 2025

The Strength We Borrow Until It Becomes Our Own

A reflection on embodied presence, maternal anchors, and the quiet transfer of strength

The Questions I Carried Before Things Began to Shift

Personal Essays

19 May 2025

The Questions I Carried Before Things Began to Shift

In the early days of motherhood, something in me began to shift. Not all at once, but slowly, through a few simple questions I couldn’t quite let go of. Looking back, they didn’t give me answers so much as they changed the way I was listening.

Rhian Budd

A journal for women navigating motherhood, identity and self-discovery.

Essays and reflections on untangling and rebuilding life beyond outdated narratives. Written by Rhian Budd, in the Waikato, New Zealand.

NAVIGATE

CONTACT

[email protected]

© 2026 Rhian Budd | rhianbudd.com.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv