January 4, 2026 • 15 mins
Have you been stuck in “almost there” relationships—close, connected, full of chemistry… but never clear, consistent, or committed? In Episode 1 of Rooted & Rising, I talk about the pattern behind situationships and the deeper truth most people avoid: sometimes it’s not fear of being alone… it’s fear of being fully chosen.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- What “almost there” actually looks like (and why it’s not neutral)
- The difference between connection and commitment
- How ambiguity becomes an “escape hatch” for the nervous system
- Why you can “upgrade the packaging”… and still repeat the same cycle
- A clean boundary for 2026: no more calling “almost” progress
✨ Want the step-by-step shift beyond the episode? The Rooted & Rising eGuide is available now:
Grab it in the show notes.
Next episode: why rooted love can feel unfamiliar (and how to tell the difference between peace and “no chemistry”).
If you love the show, become a supporter!
Looking for confirmation, guidance, or support in an area of life where you feel stuck, stagnant, or simply unclear of what to do next? Let's connect: book a complimentary Discovery Session with me, today!
Book a 30-min Discovery Session Here
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome back to 2026, everybody.
Happy New Year.
In this episode, we are talkingabout relationships.
Now, the focus will be romanticrelationships.
However, this information thatwe're going to talk about can
really lay across the boundariesor the groundwork of any and all
relationships.
(00:21):
And have you ever realizedyou're not actually afraid of
being alone?
You might actually be afraid ofbeing chosen, like fully chosen.
And why do we keep calling itbad luck?
When actually it's a pattern andit could be one that you're
choosing.
And what if the reason you keepending up in almost their type
(00:44):
of love or almost their kind ofrelationships is because your
nervous system still mistakesanxiety for chemistry.
Join me on this episode, here wego.
Welcome to Rooted in Rising.
I'm your host, Tara Michelle,intuitive guide, storyteller,
and fellow traveler on this wildpath of becoming.
(01:04):
This is a space for the soulled, for the ones unraveling old
stories tending to their healingand rising, not perfectly, but
powerfully into who they arehere to be.
Here we explore what it means tolive with intention, to love
with depth, and to trust thateven the hard things are shaping
us.
I'll share pieces of my ownjourney, the cracks, the beauty,
(01:28):
the breakthroughs, and invitevoices who are walking this path
too.
Because I believe life isn'thappening to us, it's happening
for us.
So come as you are, root in andrise up.
And thank you.
Truly thank you for being here.
Welcome back to Rooted inRising, everybody.
So excited to be with you thisnew year.
(01:49):
I hope all of you had an amazingholiday season.
I hope you wrapped up that lastyear, 2025, which was a huge
doozy.
Hopefully, you made it to theother side.
I know I did.
But I really want to wish all ofyou just a wonderful new year.
And in this episode, we're gonnaexplore some really raw truths
(02:11):
for myself.
Um, I looked at last year,closed out a lot of things.
As some of you may or may notknow, 2025 was the year of the
snake.
It was the year of endings, itwas a year to shed everything
that could no longer come intowhat 2026 is, which is the year
of beginnings.
So 2025 equals nine.
(02:34):
Two plus two plus five is nine.
That's a year of endings.
2026 is a year of beginnings.
Two plus two plus six is tenequals one.
It's one.
It's a new beginnings kind ofyear.
So we're gonna do some things alittle different this year.
I really want to dive into sometruthful topics, and one
(02:57):
specifically that I went to workon a lot over the last couple
years is romantic relationships.
And uh, for those of you thatare new listeners, uh, my name
is Tara Michelle.
I'm the host of Rooted inRising.
Welcome to the show.
I'm just gonna jump in and we'regonna get started.
I want to admit something Ididn't want to admit.
(03:18):
Something I didn't even realizeI was caring until I finally saw
it.
I have felt a lot of shame andembarrassment around my romantic
life.
And what's wild is I wasn't evenaware that I was ashamed.
It was just living under thesurface, like quietly driving
the show.
Now, over this last year, 2025,I've done a lot of work around
(03:42):
romantic relationships, a lot ofreflection, a lot of honesty, a
lot of, let me stop pretending Idon't see what I see.
And those that know me that havewatched me walk this, they have
watched me really put myselfthrough the fire to get to what
I'm about to talk to today, talkabout today.
And in the last few months ofthis year, or I should say the
(04:04):
last few months of 2025,something hit me with such
clarity that I couldn't unseeit.
I've been choosing almost theirrelationships.
Almost there, close, but not afull body yes.
And let me be clear, this isn'tme saying I believe in instant
(04:27):
relationships.
I I don't.
I don't believe you meetsomebody and it's automatically
a relationship, but I do believeyou can meet somebody and
recognize enough of what you'reboth looking for that you both
say, you know what, let'sexplore this intentionally.
Not a situationship, not as anemotional guessing game, and not
(04:51):
as a what are we conversationevery week.
Not as this limbo that keepsyour heart on hold.
Because what I've recognized isthat pre-2025 and even into 2025
has been a lot ofsituationships.
And I'm seeing nowsituationships are not neutral.
(05:15):
They are almost in disguise.
Almost there is when it's close,but there's no clarity.
Almost there relationships arechemistry, but no commitment,
connection, but inconsistent,intimacy, but not full presence.
(05:45):
I call those almost thererelationships.
And if you're already sittingthere like Tara, this is
literally my life, I wrote aguide for this.
It's called From Almost There toAll the Way: A Bold Guide to
Ending Situationships andChoosing Commitment.
The link is in the show notes ifyou want to go a little deeper.
(06:07):
So check that out.
But when I finally saw all ofthis, I did what I always do
when something becomesundeniable.
I reach out to a dear friend andI share what I'm going through.
And so I reached out to myfriend and said this.
(06:27):
Not for sympathy, not foradvice.
I just need to get it off mychest.
And I typed the words out.
I'm still choosing almost theirmen instead of choosing all the
way men.
And the moment I typed that, Isaw something for myself.
I saw shame, I sawembarrassment, and I was like,
(06:50):
oh my god, this is still here.
This is still running in mysubconscious.
This is still the context I'vebeen operating from.
And I felt exposed in my ownhonesty.
Not because I said it to myfriend, but because I finally
said it out loud to myself.
Like this is what's running theshow.
(07:13):
And then I had to sit with aquestion that I've avoided
asking because it's soconfrontational.
And the question is, why the Fdoes this keep happening, Tara?
Why the F does it keephappening?
At what point does gettingcloser become the thing I say I
want?
(07:34):
Because I keep noticing it likethis.
Oh, this what this was better.
Oh, this experience, this onewas definitely closer.
Oh, this is more emotionallyavailable.
This one was, yes.
Oh, and and this one has waymore potential.
And it's like I keep upgradingthe packaging, but the pattern
(07:56):
stays the same.
Closer and closer, but still noactual relationship.
And that's when it hit me.
This isn't just about who I'vebeen dating.
This is more about who I've beenbeing, it's about what my system
has been ready for and what ithas not been ready for.
(08:16):
And when I say system, I'mreferring to my nervous system.
And here's the truth that feelsembarrassing to say out loud is
that I was afraid.
I have been afraid of the allthe way kind of love.
I had been afraid of the all theway kind of man.
(08:39):
I have been afraid of beingfully met.
Because all the way is not justromance, it's exposure, it's
being seen, it's being chosen,it's being held accountable to
what I say I want.
(09:01):
It's not having the escape hatchof ambiguity.
And the deeper truth, it's noteven about choosing, it's being
ready to receive.
Because I can say I wantcommitment all day long.
I can say I want partnership allday long.
But if my nervous system stillthinks full presence is
(09:24):
dangerous, then I will keepselecting relationships that
come with an expiration datebaked right inside.
And I have to be honest withmyself.
I think I've been getting aheadof rejection by choosing
situations where rejection isalways a possibility.
Because if it's unclear, I canbrace.
(09:46):
If it's inconsistent, I can stayalert.
If it's a situation ship, Idon't have to surrender.
I can keep scanning,interpreting, hoping, trying to
figure it out.
And that frankly is so freakingexhausting.
(10:07):
Truly.
So this is what I know.
That can't go into 2026 with me.
No, I can no longer bringsituationships with me.
I can no longer call almostprogress just because it's
better than what I used totolerate.
(10:28):
Because almost there is still adetour.
It still delays the life I say Iwant.
And I'm not saying this from aplace of perfection.
I am not.
I am saying this from a place oftruth.
I want and will have a strong,committed, connected
partnership.
(10:50):
And if it isn't moving towardsclarity, I'm not staying in it.
Not because I'm harsh, notbecause I'm cold, but because
I'm done abandoning myself inthe name of potential.
And if you are listening to thisand it is hitting you, I want
you to sit with a few questions.
Gently, honestly, ask yourself.
(11:46):
Yeah.
That's a big one.
Because listen, if this is you,you're not broken.
I promise, you're not broken.
You're conditioned, you'veadapted, and your system learned
what to expect.
And the beautiful thing is, isyou can recalibrate.
(12:07):
So I'm acknowledging all of thisbecause acknowledging it changes
it.
Calling it out and calling oneout on yourself is stepping out
of the fog.
It's choosing my own clarity.
That's what I'm doing.
And if you want support beyondthis episode, something you can
(12:29):
actually use, my e-guide iscalled From Almost There to All
the Way (12:34):
A Bold Guide to Ending Situationships and Choosing
Commitment.
It's linked in the show notes.
Click it, grab it, and let itwalk you through the shift
because we're not doing almostanymore.
And in the next episode, we'regoing to talk about something
that most people don'tunderstand until they're living
it.
And that is the fear of theunfamiliar.
(12:56):
Because for many people, theshift into being rooted doesn't
feel instantly comfortablecomforting.
It doesn't.
It can actually feel quiet.
It can feel slower.
It can feel less charged.
And sometimes that's confusing.
If you've spent years navigatingrelationships that were
(13:17):
uncertain, uh, maybe emotionallyintense or inconsistent, your
nervous system may have learnedto associate activation with
connection.
That's what mine had done.
So when rooted energies enter,steady, present, emotionally
available, that can all feelreally unfamiliar at first.
(13:40):
And oftentimes it can feelboring.
And that doesn't mean thatsomething is wrong.
It means your system isrecalibrating.
Rootedness doesn't come withfireworks, it comes with an
exhale.
And that exhale is oftenmistaken for a lack of chemistry
(14:02):
when really it's the absence ofanxiety.
So meet me in episode twobecause we're going to talk
about how to recognize thedifference and how to let your
body catch up to the truth.
I want to say thank you all forsticking around to the end.
I love all of you.
(14:22):
I'm excited about this newjourney.
I'm excited about this nextepisode.
As I mentioned, click that linkbelow, grab your guide, and
catch up with me on that nextepisode.
And I look forward to seeingyou.
Have a beautiful and blessedweek.
We'll see you soon.
Thank you for rooting in andrising with me today.
If something in this episodestirred something in you, take a
(14:43):
breath, take what you need, andlet the rest soften.
Be sure to follow the show soyou don't miss what's next.
And if you feel called, sharethis episode or leave a review.
It helps the space grow andreach others on the path.
Until next time, may you walkwith trust, speak with love, and
rise in your own time.
I'm so grateful you were herewith us, and thanks for being
(15:03):
here.
We'll see you on the nextepisode.
Welcome back to 2026, everybody.
Happy New Year.
In this episode, we are talkingabout relationships.
Now, the focus will be romanticrelationships.
However, this information thatwe're going to talk about can
really lay across the boundariesor the groundwork of any and all
relationships.
(00:21):
And have you ever realizedyou're not actually afraid of
being alone?
You might actually be afraid ofbeing chosen, like fully chosen.
And why do we keep calling itbad luck?
When actually it's a pattern andit could be one that you're
choosing.
And what if the reason you keepending up in almost their type
(00:44):
of love or almost their kind ofrelationships is because your
nervous system still mistakesanxiety for chemistry.
Join me on this episode, here wego.
Welcome to Rooted in Rising.
I'm your host, Tara Michelle,intuitive guide, storyteller,
and fellow traveler on this wildpath of becoming.
(01:04):
This is a space for the soulled, for the ones unraveling old
stories tending to their healingand rising, not perfectly, but
powerfully into who they arehere to be.
Here we explore what it means tolive with intention, to love
with depth, and to trust thateven the hard things are shaping
us.
I'll share pieces of my ownjourney, the cracks, the beauty,
(01:28):
the breakthroughs, and invitevoices who are walking this path
too.
Because I believe life isn'thappening to us, it's happening
for us.
So come as you are, root in andrise up.
And thank you.
Truly thank you for being here.
Welcome back to Rooted inRising, everybody.
So excited to be with you thisnew year.
(01:49):
I hope all of you had an amazingholiday season.
I hope you wrapped up that lastyear, 2025, which was a huge
doozy.
Hopefully, you made it to theother side.
I know I did.
But I really want to wish all ofyou just a wonderful new year.
And in this episode, we're gonnaexplore some really raw truths
(02:11):
for myself.
Um, I looked at last year,closed out a lot of things.
As some of you may or may notknow, 2025 was the year of the
snake.
It was the year of endings, itwas a year to shed everything
that could no longer come intowhat 2026 is, which is the year
of beginnings.
So 2025 equals nine.
(02:34):
Two plus two plus five is nine.
That's a year of endings.
2026 is a year of beginnings.
Two plus two plus six is tenequals one.
It's one.
It's a new beginnings kind ofyear.
So we're gonna do some things alittle different this year.
I really want to dive into sometruthful topics, and one
(02:57):
specifically that I went to workon a lot over the last couple
years is romantic relationships.
And uh, for those of you thatare new listeners, uh, my name
is Tara Michelle.
I'm the host of Rooted inRising.
Welcome to the show.
I'm just gonna jump in and we'regonna get started.
I want to admit something Ididn't want to admit.
(03:18):
Something I didn't even realizeI was caring until I finally saw
it.
I have felt a lot of shame andembarrassment around my romantic
life.
And what's wild is I wasn't evenaware that I was ashamed.
It was just living under thesurface, like quietly driving
the show.
Now, over this last year, 2025,I've done a lot of work around
(03:42):
romantic relationships, a lot ofreflection, a lot of honesty, a
lot of, let me stop pretending Idon't see what I see.
And those that know me that havewatched me walk this, they have
watched me really put myselfthrough the fire to get to what
I'm about to talk to today, talkabout today.
And in the last few months ofthis year, or I should say the
(04:04):
last few months of 2025,something hit me with such
clarity that I couldn't unseeit.
I've been choosing almost theirrelationships.
Almost there, close, but not afull body yes.
And let me be clear, this isn'tme saying I believe in instant
(04:27):
relationships.
I I don't.
I don't believe you meetsomebody and it's automatically
a relationship, but I do believeyou can meet somebody and
recognize enough of what you'reboth looking for that you both
say, you know what, let'sexplore this intentionally.
Not a situationship, not as anemotional guessing game, and not
(04:51):
as a what are we conversationevery week.
Not as this limbo that keepsyour heart on hold.
Because what I've recognized isthat pre-2025 and even into 2025
has been a lot ofsituationships.
And I'm seeing nowsituationships are not neutral.
(05:15):
They are almost in disguise.
Almost there is when it's close,but there's no clarity.
Almost there relationships arechemistry, but no commitment,
connection, but inconsistent,intimacy, but not full presence.
(05:45):
I call those almost thererelationships.
And if you're already sittingthere like Tara, this is
literally my life, I wrote aguide for this.
It's called From Almost There toAll the Way: A Bold Guide to
Ending Situationships andChoosing Commitment.
The link is in the show notes ifyou want to go a little deeper.
(06:07):
So check that out.
But when I finally saw all ofthis, I did what I always do
when something becomesundeniable.
I reach out to a dear friend andI share what I'm going through.
And so I reached out to myfriend and said this.
(06:27):
Not for sympathy, not foradvice.
I just need to get it off mychest.
And I typed the words out.
I'm still choosing almost theirmen instead of choosing all the
way men.
And the moment I typed that, Isaw something for myself.
I saw shame, I sawembarrassment, and I was like,
(06:50):
oh my god, this is still here.
This is still running in mysubconscious.
This is still the context I'vebeen operating from.
And I felt exposed in my ownhonesty.
Not because I said it to myfriend, but because I finally
said it out loud to myself.
Like this is what's running theshow.
(07:13):
And then I had to sit with aquestion that I've avoided
asking because it's soconfrontational.
And the question is, why the Fdoes this keep happening, Tara?
Why the F does it keephappening?
At what point does gettingcloser become the thing I say I
want?
(07:34):
Because I keep noticing it likethis.
Oh, this what this was better.
Oh, this experience, this onewas definitely closer.
Oh, this is more emotionallyavailable.
This one was, yes.
Oh, and and this one has waymore potential.
And it's like I keep upgradingthe packaging, but the pattern
(07:56):
stays the same.
Closer and closer, but still noactual relationship.
And that's when it hit me.
This isn't just about who I'vebeen dating.
This is more about who I've beenbeing, it's about what my system
has been ready for and what ithas not been ready for.
(08:16):
And when I say system, I'mreferring to my nervous system.
And here's the truth that feelsembarrassing to say out loud is
that I was afraid.
I have been afraid of the allthe way kind of love.
I had been afraid of the all theway kind of man.
(08:39):
I have been afraid of beingfully met.
Because all the way is not justromance, it's exposure, it's
being seen, it's being chosen,it's being held accountable to
what I say I want.
(09:01):
It's not having the escape hatchof ambiguity.
And the deeper truth, it's noteven about choosing, it's being
ready to receive.
Because I can say I wantcommitment all day long.
I can say I want partnership allday long.
But if my nervous system stillthinks full presence is
(09:24):
dangerous, then I will keepselecting relationships that
come with an expiration datebaked right inside.
And I have to be honest withmyself.
I think I've been getting aheadof rejection by choosing
situations where rejection isalways a possibility.
Because if it's unclear, I canbrace.
(09:46):
If it's inconsistent, I can stayalert.
If it's a situation ship, Idon't have to surrender.
I can keep scanning,interpreting, hoping, trying to
figure it out.
And that frankly is so freakingexhausting.
(10:07):
Truly.
So this is what I know.
That can't go into 2026 with me.
No, I can no longer bringsituationships with me.
I can no longer call almostprogress just because it's
better than what I used totolerate.
(10:28):
Because almost there is still adetour.
It still delays the life I say Iwant.
And I'm not saying this from aplace of perfection.
I am not.
I am saying this from a place oftruth.
I want and will have a strong,committed, connected
partnership.
(10:50):
And if it isn't moving towardsclarity, I'm not staying in it.
Not because I'm harsh, notbecause I'm cold, but because
I'm done abandoning myself inthe name of potential.
And if you are listening to thisand it is hitting you, I want
you to sit with a few questions.
Gently, honestly, ask yourself.
(11:46):
Yeah.
That's a big one.
Because listen, if this is you,you're not broken.
I promise, you're not broken.
You're conditioned, you'veadapted, and your system learned
what to expect.
And the beautiful thing is, isyou can recalibrate.
(12:07):
So I'm acknowledging all of thisbecause acknowledging it changes
it.
Calling it out and calling oneout on yourself is stepping out
of the fog.
It's choosing my own clarity.
That's what I'm doing.
And if you want support beyondthis episode, something you can
(12:29):
actually use, my e-guide iscalled From Almost There to All
the Way (12:34):
A Bold Guide to Ending Situationships and Choosing
Commitment.
It's linked in the show notes.
Click it, grab it, and let itwalk you through the shift
because we're not doing almostanymore.
And in the next episode, we'regoing to talk about something
that most people don'tunderstand until they're living
it.
And that is the fear of theunfamiliar.
(12:56):
Because for many people, theshift into being rooted doesn't
feel instantly comfortablecomforting.
It doesn't.
It can actually feel quiet.
It can feel slower.
It can feel less charged.
And sometimes that's confusing.
If you've spent years navigatingrelationships that were
(13:17):
uncertain, uh, maybe emotionallyintense or inconsistent, your
nervous system may have learnedto associate activation with
connection.
That's what mine had done.
So when rooted energies enter,steady, present, emotionally
available, that can all feelreally unfamiliar at first.
(13:40):
And oftentimes it can feelboring.
And that doesn't mean thatsomething is wrong.
It means your system isrecalibrating.
Rootedness doesn't come withfireworks, it comes with an
exhale.
And that exhale is oftenmistaken for a lack of chemistry
(14:02):
when really it's the absence ofanxiety.
So meet me in episode twobecause we're going to talk
about how to recognize thedifference and how to let your
body catch up to the truth.
I want to say thank you all forsticking around to the end.
I love all of you.
(14:22):
I'm excited about this newjourney.
I'm excited about this nextepisode.
As I mentioned, click that linkbelow, grab your guide, and
catch up with me on that nextepisode.
And I look forward to seeingyou.
Have a beautiful and blessedweek.
We'll see you soon.
Thank you for rooting in andrising with me today.
If something in this episodestirred something in you, take a
(14:43):
breath, take what you need, andlet the rest soften.
Be sure to follow the show soyou don't miss what's next.
And if you feel called, sharethis episode or leave a review.
It helps the space grow andreach others on the path.
Until next time, may you walkwith trust, speak with love, and
rise in your own time.
I'm so grateful you were herewith us, and thanks for being
(15:03):
here.
We'll see you on the nextepisode.
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