Finding the Moments in Between
Written by Marissa Cherepanov, CEO/Visionary
Marissa is widely recognized for her contributions to female leadership and women's empowerment. She is the CEO visionary of No Girl Left Behind, a leading organization fostering female empowerment. She is also a sought-after motivational speaker, career coach, and active advisor at Linfield University's Women in Leadership Program.
There’s a version of life no one really talks about enough. Not the major breakthrough. Not rock bottom. Not the promotion, the heartbreak, the big launch, or the life-altering moment. Just, the in between.
The quiet seasons where things are finally okay. Where you’re healing. Where you’re becoming. Where the pressure to constantly prove yourself starts to fade, and you realise peace may have been the goal all along.
For so many people, especially high-achieving women, life becomes a cycle of chasing the next thing. The next level. The next validation. The next milestone that finally makes us feel “enough.” But somewhere along the way, we forget to experience our actual lives while we’re living them.
We rush through ordinary moments waiting for extraordinary ones, without realising the ordinary moments are where life is quietly happening. The coffee in the morning before the world wakes up. The drive home with your favourite song on. Laughing harder than expected with people who feel safe. A random calm day where nothing went wrong. The feeling of finally exhaling after years of survival mode. Those moments matter.
There is so much beauty in learning to appreciate the in between instead of constantly trying to escape it. Because peace does not always arrive as fireworks. Sometimes, it arrives as stability. As clarity. As emotional maturity. As no longer needing to react to everything that once disturbed your spirit.
And truthfully, one of the most freeing things you can learn is that not everything deserves your energy. Not every opinion. Not every misunderstanding. Not every invitation. Not every battle.
The more grounded you become within yourself, the less you feel the need to force, convince, chase, or control. You begin protecting your energy differently. You stop overexplaining yourself to people committed to misunderstanding you. You stop shrinking to fit spaces you’ve outgrown. You stop measuring your worth by how loudly the world applauds you.
Ironically, when you stop gripping so tightly onto everything, life starts flowing better. Your relationships feel lighter. Your mind feels clearer. Your confidence becomes quieter but stronger. The right opportunities begin finding you because your energy is no longer scattered in every direction.
Alignment is not about perfection. It’s about peace. It’s about waking up and realising you no longer need chaos to feel alive.
The universe responds differently when you stop operating from fear, comparison, and desperation. When you start trusting yourself, honouring your boundaries, and protecting your peace, things begin aligning naturally. Not because life suddenly becomes perfect, but because you do. You stop abandoning yourself trying to keep up with everyone else.
So savour the in between. The slow mornings. The rebuilding seasons. The healing conversations. The moments no one claps for. The chapters where you quietly become the person you once prayed to be. One day, you’ll realise those were never “filler” moments. They were your life.
Read more from Marissa Cherepanov
Marissa Cherepanov, CEO/Visionary
Marissa is a dedicated leader committed to empowering women. She shares her life story and unique insights on personal growth, dedicating her life to inspiring others and driving the female empowerment movement. Marissa serves on the Board of Advisors for Linfield University's Women in Leadership program and is the CEO of No Girl Left Behind.
