When Survival Mode Ends, What Comes Next?

We talk a lot about resilience. About pushing through. About staying strong when life throws you into chaos. But we don’t always talk about what happens after the storm calms down. When the world goes quiet and you finally have space to feel it all.

In a recent conversation, Katie Svoboda-Rini reminded me just how complex that moment can be. Her story is a masterclass in surviving, yes, but also in learning how to soften when the crisis finally passes.

Waiting for the “Perfect Time”

For years, Katie thought she had to wait for the right time to start. The right time to launch her custom cake business. The right time to slow down. The right time to finally feel her grief.

But life doesn’t usually offer up the perfect time. Instead, Katie’s life unfolded in fits and starts. It was filled with caregiving as a teen, personal loss, chronic burnout, and a wildfire that almost stole everything. Every time she got close to stability, something else pulled the rug out.

And still, she kept moving.

The Fire That Didn’t Burn the House

There was one moment in her story that really stuck with me. On December 30, 2021, Katie and her family were forced to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado. For a brief moment, they believed their house had burned to the ground. But when the flames cleared, the home was still standing.

What most people didn’t see was that the smoke had made everything inside toxic. Toys. Clothes. Family heirlooms. They had to throw away nearly every possession, not because it was gone, but because keeping it would have made them sick.

That grief was complicated. Survivors’ guilt kicked in. People around her minimized the damage because the house was technically still there. But Katie knew better. Sometimes the deepest losses are the ones people can’t see.

Rebuilding From the Inside Out

After the fire, Katie stepped away from work. She poured her energy into healing. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. Therapy became a lifeline. So did baking.

One of the first things she did was bake a birthday cake for a child who had also lost everything. It became a tradition. Over the next year, she made dozens of cakes for families affected by the fire. It gave her purpose. It gave her space to reconnect with the part of herself that still wanted to create.

Eventually, Katie launched Sweet Skills Workshops, a space where home bakers could let go of perfectionism and just play. Her workshops focus on creativity, joy, and community. No pressure. No rules. Just butter, flour, and curiosity.

You Are Allowed to Soften

Katie’s story isn’t about one big moment. It’s about dozens of moments that layered over time. Grief. Recovery. Resilience. And finally, self-compassion. What stood out to me most was the way she described learning to be her own safe space. Not waiting for the world to get easier. Not hoping someone else would fix it. Just learning to pause, breathe, and say, “I’m doing the best I can with what I have.”

And honestly, that line might live in my head forever.

There’s a part of me that wishes someone had said that to eight-year-old me, sitting on the edge of the bed after losing my mom. And there’s a part of me that knows I needed to hear Katie say it now. A reminder that even when we think we’ve healed, there’s still more tenderness we can offer ourselves.

You don’t have to wait for the perfect time. You don’t have to be fully healed. You don’t have to earn softness.

You just get to choose it.

To hear Katie’s full story and how she finally gave herself permission to stop surviving and start living, check out our full conversation at The Life Shift Podcast.