how a vision board (and a glue stick) helped me reconnect with what matters

There was a moment not long ago when I felt a little… fuzzy.

You know that weird limbo where you’re doing all the things—working, exercising, eating “well,” being a functional adult—but something feels off? That was me. I wasn’t unhappy, but I wasn’t exactly lit up either. More like stuck on autopilot with a side of “meh.”

Then one random night, my husband walked through the front door with two poster boards, a pile of magazines, and the kind of grin that usually means “I saw something at work and now we’re doing it too.”

Apparently, some of his coworkers had made vision boards and loved it. He figured it might help us both reset, dream a little, and get out of our mental ruts. And honestly? I was all in—scissors, glue, and a mess of glossy magazine pages flying across the dining table.

your vision board is not a manifestation ritual—it’s a permission slip

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to believe in “manifesting” or channel your inner Oprah to make a vision board. You just need to give yourself permission to want something.

Want a dream kitchen with big windows and space to bake gluten-free muffins you actually enjoy?

Great!

Want to run a 10K without it turning into a calorie-burn session? Hell yes!

Want more connection, more rest, or just more peanut butter in your life? Put it on the board.

Creating a vision board is about honoring what lights you up—without overthinking whether it’s “realistic” or “deserving” or “too much.” It’s the opposite of restriction. It’s letting your mind stretch, imagine, and say, “what if?” without self-editing.

let it be messy, imperfect, and a little weird (just like healing work)

The first 20 minutes of our vision board night? I froze.

What if I picked the “wrong” quote? What if the dreamy Paris flat I cut out didn’t actually align with my goals? (Classic recovering perfectionist move.)

But once I let go of trying to “get it right,” I started choosing whatever felt good. A colorful kitchen. A woman meditating. A piece of avocado toast that looked suspiciously overpriced. The words nourish your soul. And slowly, the collage came together—totally imperfect and totally me.

This is the same energy I bring into Intuitive Eating. You don’t heal perfectly. You don’t always know what you want at first. But once you loosen the rules and trust your gut? You get somewhere real.

use your board to anchor your goals—not micromanage your life

Vision boards aren’t magical portals to your dream life (sorry).

They are great tools for helping you tune into what matters right now—especially if your brain is spinning with decisions, distractions, or doubt.

When I look at mine, I don’t think, “I must achieve this.” I think, “Oh yeah, this is what I care about.”
Things like:

• Feeling strong without obsessing about what I ate

• Exploring more, stressing less

• Baking for joy, not because I “earned” it

• Creating space—for fun, for movement, for real rest

That visual reminder helps me recalibrate when I feel pulled back into food noise, perfectionism, or the pressure to do life “right.”

how to make one without turning it into a Pinterest project

Don’t overthink this. There are no rules—just vibes. Here’s how to make a vision board that actually feels good:

• Think about 1–2 areas of your life you want to focus on (like food freedom, health, relationships, work, or just feeling more like yourself)

• Gather old magazines, a poster board, scissors, and a glue stick. Or make a digital one—Pinterest counts. Canva works. Your Notes app in chaos-mode? Also valid.

• Cut out or save anything that makes you feel something—images, words, quotes, colors, textures.

• Let it be intuitive. Don’t analyze or “optimize” your board. This isn’t a strategy doc.

• Hang it somewhere you’ll see it regularly (mine lives in my office, right next to my screen—hi, friend).

And if your board changes in a few months? Great. That means you’re changing too.

Creating a vision board reminded me that dreaming isn’t self-indulgent. It’s necessary. Especially if you’ve been deep in healing work, unlearning food rules, or just trying to feel normal in your body again.

You deserve to want more.
You’re allowed to have goals that are soft, emotional, even wildly impractical.
And sometimes, clarity starts with a glue stick and a pile of magazines.