You were never meant
to hold it all
Live life palms up, with Leigh Young
Start with a free download
A counselor, a writer, and a recovering control freak.
I’m a National Certified Counselor, writer, and mom of four who is very much still in the middle of learning to let go. I write and speak about faith and the exhausting habit of trying to hold everything together — the people, the plans, the outcomes, all of it. Motherhood is where I live this out most loudly, but the need to release and trust God? That’s for all of us. If you’re ready to loosen your grip a little, you’re in the right place.
National Certified Counselor · Writer & Speaker · Mom of Four
What we work through here
The mental load
That quiet, compounding sense that if you don’t stay on top of everything, something will fall. You were never meant to carry it alone.
The fear beneath the grip
Control often looks like diligence — but underneath it is fear trying to feel powerful. We name it gently and bring it into the light.
When love turns to pressure
Fierce love can quietly slide into ownership. Here we learn to love with open hands instead of clenched ones.
Identity that’s settled
Your worth isn’t on trial — not based on outcomes, not recalculated after a hard week. Parenting and living from a settled place, not a striving one.
When anxiety won’t quit
Anxiety isn’t a character flaw or a sign of small faith. It’s a weight to be brought, not a problem to think your way out of.
The practice of release
Living open-handed isn’t one dramatic moment of surrender. It’s a thousand small ones — a practice, not a performance.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”1 Peter 5:7
Resources for open hands
Scripture, prayer, and gentle practice for the moments your hands won’t stop gripping. Pick one to start — they’re yours, free.
Open-Handed Motherhood
For the mom who is ready to let go of what she was never meant to hold. Seven days of uncovering where we grip tightly — and learning, one day at a time, to turn our palms upward in trust. Reflection, an open-hands practice, and prayer for each day.
Download the devotionalPraying With Open Hands
For the soul learning to loosen its grip. A daily scripture, a guided prayer, a declaration, and journaling prompts that go deeper — releasing the people, the past, and the future.
Download the guideWhen Anxiety Won’t Quit
For the moments when your mind won’t slow down. What God says, prayers for the hard moments, and truths to hold when anxiety is loud — peace that doesn’t require you to be okay first.
Download the printableMorning Surrender Cards
Cut apart and display where you’ll see them each morning. Eight short prayers to open your hands before the day begins — release, trust, presence, stillness, and enough.
Download the cardsBack-to-School Cards
Pray through the season. Cut-apart cards alternating between prayers for your child and prayers for the mom — for first days, friendship, confidence, hard days, and letting go.
Download the cards
May you go from here lighter than you came.
If the grip is getting tired, there’s another way to love and live — one that doesn’t cost you your peace. Let’s loosen it together.
Grab a free resource