Tending to Self

Tranquility du Jour

In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with returning guest Mindy Tsonas Choi on:

• Embracing Midlife Slowdown: Mindy highlights the natural shift in midlife towards slowing down and aligning with her true energy. Instead of constant hustling, she focuses on being present, finding joy in familiar themes, and fostering deeper connections with loved ones.

• Cultivating Resilience and Softness: Midlife and health challenges, like her hip replacement, have taught Mindy the importance of resilience and tending to all aspects of well-being—physical, emotional, spiritual, and social. She emphasizes that resilience is about staying aligned with personal truths while being compassionate with oneself.

• Creative Practices as a Connector: Mindy believes in creativity as a tool for connection and community building. Her work facilitates self-expression and mutual understanding, bridging divides and encouraging people to see the shared humanity in others.

• Honoring Personal Rhythm: Mindy underscores the value of knowing and respecting her personal rhythm, including honoring her morning energy, seasonal shifts, and physical needs. This self-awareness helps her maintain a sense of grounding, adapt to her evolving needs, and be present in her daily life.

Hit subscribe on your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon. Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcastfor more and Substack for shownotes.

Grab your journal, a cuppa tea, and settle in

Our Guest: Mindy Tsonas Choi

Mindy is a somatic artist and cultural organizer who facilitates circles of creativity, collective belonging and care. She believes that art-making is a medium for radical healing, connection, community care and social change, and has worked with organizations such as the Smithsonian Institute, the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up NY and Loreal US.

As a transracial and transnational adopted person from the South Korean diaspora, this deeply informs her embodied perspective on how we all belong. Her work is to cultivate practices, movements and rituals that heal disconnection and tend the deeper roots of our interconnected lives.

She has contributed to several books about art and activism, including the most recent, Let's Move the Needle: An Activism Guide for Artists, Crafters, Creatives and Makers by Shannon Downey.

Connect with Mindy by subscribing to her Of Soil + Stars Zine and newsletter, support her community-centered work on Patreon where you can download her free 2025 Radicle Ritual Planner for personal and community organizing, and join her free online community, Tend Studio on Mighty Networks for practice through being and belonging.

Find Our Guest

• Website: mindytsonaschoi.com

• Collective Belonging: collectivebelonging.org

• Instagram: @mindytsonaschoi + @collectivebelonging

Mentioned in the Show

• 10-Piece Paris Capsule: available for a limited time

• Coterie waitlist: yearlong immersion to support women in finding more beauty and balance in midlife

• Join the Substack Private Collection for five monthly tranquility tools, my month in review with resources, and occasional extras for only $1.90/week ($99/year)

• All Tranquility du Jour offerings: work 1:1, salons, digital courses, and more

• MEET THE NEW La Vie Parisienne Digital Course: designed to transport you to the heart of Paris

Podcast Host: Kimberly

Kimberly Wilson is a psychotherapist, author of seven lifestyle books, and host of the Tranquility du Jour podcast. She also designs an eco-fashion capsule collection and serves as president of the Pigs & Pugs Project.

With over 25 years of experience, Kimberly is dedicated to helping midlife women find balance and beauty in their lives. She holds master’s degrees in Women’s Studies and Social Work and has been featured in publications such as Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Cosmopolitan.

Living in Washington, DC with her rescue pugs and longtime partner, Kimberly shares her passion for tranquility, ballet, loving her 50s, and more at kimberlywilson.com.