🌿Small feet, size 5 shoe, and a lesson in control

January 21, 2026

We are all born with things we can’t control. For me? It’s my feet. I have very small feet.

I’m barely a size 5. Sometimes I can get away with buying kids’ shoes — as long as they don’t look like the "Mary Janes" you wore in first grade to your great uncle’s funeral!

My entire life, even in adulthood, I’ve been teased about it. Once someone actually said to me, “How do you even stay standing?”

I kid you not.

But here’s the thing, no matter how much I wished it were different, no amount of effort, comparison, or frustration was ever going to change the size of my feet.

As women, we often carry the weight of trying to control everything. The outcomes, other people’s reactions, timing, circumstances, even parts of ourselves that were never meant to be “fixed.”

Some things are simply beyond our control.

What we can control, and where it really shows up, is how we respond, including in our finances and planning for the future.

Here’s something I often see as I help women prioritize their finances:

Having estate documents in place like a will, power of attorney, a healthcare directive, often brings a greater sense of control. Not because nothing can go wrong, but because there’s a plan in place if it does.

Remember, financial wellness isn’t about perfection or controlling everything.

It’s about clarity, confidence, and choosing to focus your energy on what you can control, and letting go of what you can’t.

If estate planning has been sitting on your mental to-do list, I’ve created a simple Estate Planning Checklist to determine whether it’s time to create (or update) your estate plan and your next steps.

👉 Click here to download

And for the record… small feet do stay standing just fine. 😉

Happy Wednesday! 🌿

Lisa White Burns

Founder of Her Path, LLC

Financial Wellness for Women

PS: Trust & Will recently released The Peace of Mind Report, which explores the connection between estate planning and mental health.

Their research found that people who’ve completed documents like a will, trust, or healthcare directive report less anxiety, better sleep, and a stronger sense of control. And I love that! 💛

If you’d like a copy, hit reply and I’m happy to share the link.

🌿. . . I created this "Wednesday Wisdom" blog to provide women-focused content that includes a dose of real talk, relatable stories — including honest moments from my own ups and downs — and practical insights to help you grow in life and in your finances.

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