The Feel-Good Compass: Trusting Yourself, Your Body & Your Path

Written By Tarin O'Donnell

This episode with Jes Williams, creator of Feel More Gooder, was so grounding and energizing. I found Jes through Title Nine, met her at PitchFest, and after we already had this call scheduled, I had the realization that I don’t think I’d ever had a creator on the podcast. A true one-woman show, building something that doesn’t fit a traditional box.

What unfolded was a conversation about trusting yourself — in your body, your work, and the choices you make when there’s no rulebook telling you what to do next.

🎧 Listen to the episode

Building Without a Timeline

Jess started blogging in 2012, long before content calendars, monetization strategies, or overnight success stories. One of the most grounding parts of this conversation was hearing her talk honestly about how long it took.

“I was blogging part-time for like eight years.”

That sentence alone cuts through so much of the noise we’re fed online. Building something meaningful takes time, patience, and a lot of self-trust, especially when what you’re doing doesn’t look like a “real job” to everyone else.

The Feel-Good Compass

The idea that kept coming up throughout this episode was something Jess calls her feel-good compass — using how something feels as the guiding metric instead of trends, rules, or outside expectations.

“Feeling good is the compass for me.”

We talked about this in the context of food, movement, work, and creativity. Not as a prescription, but as permission to experiment, to notice, and to adjust.

Instead of asking if something is “right” or “allowed,” the question becomes: Does this actually make me feel good?

Everything Is Connected

One of the reasons this idea resonated so deeply with me is because it acknowledges how interconnected everything is. Your food affects your energy. Your movement affects your mood. Your work affects how you show up in relationships and vice versa.

“When we feel good, everything’s better.”

There’s no separating life into neat little boxes. It’s all one system, and when something feels off, it’s usually worth paying attention to.

Final Thoughts

This episode isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about trusting yourself enough to listen.

Letting go of rigid rules.
Making space for curiosity.
And allowing feeling good to be enough of a reason.

If you’ve been questioning your path, your body, or the pace you’re moving at — I hope this conversation feels like a reminder that you’re allowed to find your own way.

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Tarin O'Donnell

I’m Tarin O’Donnell, the voice behind Tarin It Up — a podcast, brand, and community celebrating women who carve their own paths in the outdoors, business, and everyday life. When I’m not behind the mic, you’ll find me creating events, testing gear, or chasing adventures around Truckee and beyond. My goal? To share real stories, spark connection, and encourage others to live a little more boldly.

https://www.tarinitup.com
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