Grief, Burnout, and the Myth of the Perfect Time

Pastry chef Katie Svoboda-Rini shares how loss, survival, and a wildfire helped her finally start living.

Author

Matt Gilhooly
August 12, 2025

Katie Svoboda-Rini stopped waiting for the perfect time.

After years of caregiving, personal loss, and a wildfire that didn’t burn her house but still took almost everything, Katie finally chose to begin again. She now helps home bakers embrace joy and imperfection through her business, Sweet Skills Workshops.

Katie’s story is full of quiet pivots and hard-earned lessons. She didn’t get one big turning point. She got many. Her mom’s death when she was a teen. A lifetime of shame around food and body image. A wildfire that forced her to throw away what the flames didn’t touch. Throughout it all, Katie kept waiting for life to feel settled. But eventually, she realized that softening is also a form of strength, and there’s no perfect time to start. So she did anyway.

THREE things to think about

  • The perfect moment might never come, and that’s not a reason to wait

  • Grief doesn’t always announce itself loudly

  • Creating something with your hands can help rebuild what was lost inside

TWO things to ask yourself

  • What am I putting off because I think I need to be more healed?

  • Where in my life can I trade pressure for presence?

ONE thing to try this week

Pick one small creative act and do it without pressure. A batch of cookies. A playlist. A walk with your phone left behind.

Katie’s episode reminded me that survival mode can trick us into thinking we’re okay. But real healing starts when we give ourselves the safety we needed all along. If something in her story hits close to home, I hope you’ll give it a listen. And if you’re in a season of softening, I’d love to hear about it.

Matt

PS: During a long weekend trip in May, I created a short-form podcast, “It’s Okay If…” Each episode is under three minutes long and provides a permission slip to simply be human. I’d be honored if you subscribed to the show. New episodes are released every Wednesday at noon ET.