Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Have you ever noticed that the harder you pull on something, the harder it seems to pull back?
In this July Heart Lessons video, I’m sharing one of the earliest lessons I wrote about after my heart failure journey began: the lesson I learned from water skiing.
When you’re a beginner water skier and you fall, the worst thing you can do is keep gripping the rope while the boat drags you through the wake.
But that’s exactly what many of us do in life.
We hold on tighter to the old plan.
The old identity.
The old argument.
The old dream that may need to change shape.
Surrender is not quitting.
Sometimes surrender is the moment you finally stop letting the thing drag you under.
In this conversation, I talk about heart failure, surrender, awareness, journaling, Licensed2BBadass, and how letting go eventually helped lead me back to writing, fiction, RV life, and The Courtyard at the Radio and Records Café.
Download Heart Lessons FREE:
https://mailchi.mp/kellyorchard/heart-lessons-free-pdf-signup
Join me in The Courtyard on Substack:
kellyorchard.substack.com
Visit my website:
kellyorchard.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Pulling Back Principle
00:18 Free Book and Anniversary
00:48 Dreams and Heart Shift
02:03 Water Skiing Setup
03:07 Let Go of the Rope
05:10 Surrender Is Not Quitting
06:45 Awareness and Blind Spots
07:44 Journaling for Clarity
08:38 Following Dreams to The Courtyard
10:19 Editing and Letting Go
10:53 Closing Invitation and Next Steps
#HeartLessons #LetGoOfTheRope #SurrenderIsNotQuitting #Licensed2BBadass #KellyOrchard
Have you ever noticed that the harder you pull on something, the harder it seems to pull back?
In this July Heart Lessons video, I’m sharing one of the earliest lessons I wrote about after my heart failure journey began: the lesson I learned from water skiing.
When you’re a beginner water skier and you fall, the worst thing you can do is keep gripping the rope while the boat drags you through the wake.
But that’s exactly what many of us do in life.
We hold on tighter to the old plan.
The old identity.
The old argument.
The old dream that may need to change shape.
Surrender is not quitting.
Sometimes surrender is the moment you finally stop letting the thing drag you under.
In this conversation, I talk about heart failure, surrender, awareness, journaling, Licensed2BBadass, and how letting go eventually helped lead me back to writing, fiction, RV life, and The Courtyard at the Radio and Records Café.
Download Heart Lessons FREE:
https://mailchi.mp/kellyorchard/heart-lessons-free-pdf-signup
Join me in The Courtyard on Substack:
kellyorchard.substack.com
Visit my website:
kellyorchard.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Pulling Back Principle
00:18 Free Book and Anniversary
00:48 Dreams and Heart Shift
02:03 Water Skiing Setup
03:07 Let Go of the Rope
05:10 Surrender Is Not Quitting
06:45 Awareness and Blind Spots
07:44 Journaling for Clarity
08:38 Following Dreams to The Courtyard
10:19 Editing and Letting Go
10:53 Closing Invitation and Next Steps
#HeartLessons #LetGoOfTheRope #SurrenderIsNotQuitting #Licensed2BBadass #KellyOrchard
