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Stephanie Madridejos

@tippi_madz

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followers

1293

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🇺🇲 DNP | FNP 🇵🇭 MD | BSN | RN
Never too late to rebuild.
Laughing through the hard parts so you know you can too.

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Growing up, we didn't have much, but I always felt loved. Even through 15 years apart, my parents never stopped caring for me.

Now I understand more of what it took — the long hours, the sacrifices, and all the years we couldn't be together. Everything I've built carries a part of what they gave up.

These days, it's the simple things — taking them to appointments, buying groceries, going places together. It may seem ordinary, but after so much time apart, being able to show up for them means everything. 🤍

Who's your why? Tell me below. by @tippi_madz

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18 hours ago

I’m speaking these words into existence, manifesting my destiny, praying over my dreams, putting in the work, and trusting God with the outcome. 🤍✨

I will keep growing in my career, get stronger in every way, make more time for who I love, and stay open to whatever's next.

Dear me, in six months… I'm going to make you proud. 🤍✨

Send this to yourself and come back in six months.

Six months from now, my life may look completely different—not because everything changed overnight, but because of the small choices I make today.

Choosing to get up even when I'm tired. Choosing to move my body when staying in bed feels easier. Choosing to keep learning, growing, creating, and showing up even when motivation isn't there.

I've learned that progress doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it's simply doing a little better than yesterday. Some days I'll feel strong, and other days I'll struggle—but consistency matters more than perfection.

So this is a reminder to my future self: keep going. 🤍

Six months from now, I want to look back at this version of me and say, "Thank you for not giving up. Look how far we've come." ✨

#dearfutureme #sixmonthchallenge #manifestation #keepgoing #progressnotperfection by @tippi_madz

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a month ago

Starting over in midlife is brave, even when no one notices. If you're rebuilding right now, this is your applause. 👏💛

Comment 👏 if you're rebuilding too, so you know you're not alone. by @tippi_madz

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3 days ago

Hi, I'm Stephanie.

Yes, I'm a Nurse Practitioner. But I'm also the Life360 checker, the Amazon concierge, the unofficial therapist, the lifelong overthinker.

I filmed this in my car because this is where I actually live — between responsibilities, between shifts, between who I was and who I'm becoming.

This is my Real Me Era. Not starting over, but finally introducing myself honestly.

Comment below — I want to get to know YOU, too. Tell me one role you carry that's not on your résumé. by @tippi_madz

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4 days ago

For a long time, I assumed that if a friendship ended, it meant I had failed.

That belief got heavier after I moved to a new country, because some of the people I was closest to slowly faded into silence.

No big fight.
No clear ending.
Just distance, change, and a lot of self-blame.

What I’ve learned is that not every quiet ending means someone was careless.
Sometimes life shifts.
Sometimes people shift.
And sometimes a friendship still mattered, even if it only belonged to one chapter.

I’m learning to stop calling every ending a failure.

If you’ve moved to a new country, did some of your friendships go quiet too? You’re not alone. by @tippi_madz

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5 days ago

Starting over at 40-something doesn't mean erasing what you've already built. It means noticing where you've been carrying things you don't have to carry anymore.

For a long time, I thought being behind meant I had done something wrong. Now I think it may just mean I've finally been honest with myself about what isn't working.

Looking back, I can see how I handled burnout. I pushed through and called it hustle. A weekend off felt like a small rebellion, and a life I didn't need to escape from felt like a distant idea. Boundaries were harder. I said yes to avoid the guilt, and I'm still learning that no is a complete sentence.

My inner voice was the harshest part. I criticized myself constantly, and affirmations felt fake. What helped was talking to myself the way I'd talk to someone I love.

Starting over was the thing I kept postponing. I waited to feel ready, when the real work was starting messy at 43 and letting the plan grow as I went. And I spent years shrinking to be liked. Quietly growing has been slower than I wanted, but I'm finding that people's gossip means less when I'm no longer making myself small for them.

I'm not late. I'm right on time to choose myself. Today is a gift, and I don't want to wait to feel ready before I use it. by @tippi_madz

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7 days ago

I started this video laughing at myself, but it ended up being the most honest summary of where I am right now.

For a long time I was too concerned with what was and what will be.
What I should have done by now. What will happen if I don't catch up.

Then I remembered this line from Master Oogway that I put in this video:

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

This year taught me that.

Don't quit on yourself when your timeline looks different.
Don't quit on the small joys either - a bowl of ramen, sushi with chopsticks, a concert with thousands of strangers, a quiet bench under a big tree, a night walk by the water.

I wasn't behind. I was learning to be present.

If you're in that in-between season too - not where you were, not yet where you want to be - you're not alone. Today is still a gift. Unwrap it slowly.

🤍

Inspo: Kung Fu Panda

Comment PRESENT if you're choosing to be here, today, even if you don't have it all figured out yet. I want to cheer you on.

What’s one small present you’re grateful for today? A food, a place, a moment? Share it below — I’ll read every one. taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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10 days ago

I used to think being there for everyone made me a good person.

I said yes even when I was tired.
Yes to plans.
Yes to favors.
Yes to responsibilities I didn't have the energy for.

I got so used to being the dependable one, I forgot to ask myself the simplest question:

"What do I need?"

For a long time, I thought choosing myself was selfish.

So I kept showing up for everyone else while quietly running on empty.

And the strange part is — people get used to that version of you.
The one who always answers.
The one who always helps.
The one who always adjusts.
The one who somehow makes it all work.

But I'm learning that being a good person doesn't mean giving unlimited access to my time, energy, and peace.

I can love people and still have boundaries.
I can care without carrying everything.
I can say no without a 10-minute explanation.
And I can choose myself without feeling guilty about it.

At 43, this is what I'm still learning:

You can't spend your whole life pouring into everyone else and wonder why you feel empty.

Sometimes the person who needs your kindness, patience, and attention the most is you. 🤍

I'm not becoming selfish.
I'm just learning that I matter too.

Follow along for more real-life lessons, growth, and gentle reminders to choose yourself too. 🤍

Inspo: @b_yanggg taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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10 days ago

The older I get, the more I understand that peace is not always found.

Sometimes it is protected.
Sometimes it looks like saying no.
Sometimes it looks like resting.
Sometimes it looks like not carrying what was never yours to hold.

Not everyone will understand your boundaries.
That is okay.

Which slide hit you the hardest? Save this for the days you forget to be gentle with yourself.
I’m learning to protect my peace in real time - if you’re in this season too, you’re not alone.

Tell me in the comments - what boundary are you protecting right now? taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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17 days ago

I'm 43 and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that:

1. i have a high-earning job on paper, but i still feel broke. the money comes in and goes right back out to bills, family, and responsibilities. it never feels like enough, and i'm embarrassed to even say that.

2. i kept acting like my future self would fix the mess my present self was making. i kept pushing things off thinking "future me will handle it."

3. i've been burned out for a long time. i just learned to smile and say "i've got it" because that's what we were taught to do. what i really wanted was for someone to notice that i'm tired of always having to have it.

4. there is this huge pressure to have it all figured out by now - the house, the stable career, the perfect life. my family worked so hard to give us a better life, and sometimes i feel like i'm still behind.

5. i've watched someone else get the thing i wanted, smiled because i was genuinely happy for them, then went home and quietly asked myself, "why not me?"

6. there is this pressure to be the strong one for everyone. i stopped reaching out first just to see who would notice. and honestly, i've been disappointed by the answer.

7. there are things i tolerated from people i love that i would have told anyone else not to tolerate. i kept making excuses for it because i love them.

8. i'm embarrassed to admit how much safer i felt when that steady paycheck was coming. i didn't realize how much of my confidence was tied to that certainty until it was gone. leaving what was "safe" to build something of my own has been lonelier and harder than i expected.

9. i tell people i'm betting on myself and building a new life in my 40s, but there's a part of me that's terrified i'll give this everything i have and it still won't work, and i'll have to go back to the life i was trying to leave.

10. i don't have a big circle. i learned to be independent early because i had to figure things out on my own, but sometimes i wonder if i made myself too independent to let people in.

11. i pour into everyone else before i pour into myself. i'd rather help someone fix their problems than sit with my own. and i bottle everything.

Follow along. taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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11 days ago

Life isn’t meant to be one long to-do list.

For so long, I thought being productive meant I was making the most of my time. Always working, planning, achieving, and thinking about what needed to happen next. But somewhere along the way, I realized that a full schedule doesn’t always mean a full life.

Sometimes, making the most of life looks like going somewhere that inspires you, taking pictures just because something made you smile, spending time with people you love, sitting quietly, exploring somewhere new, watching the sunset, or simply doing absolutely nothing for a while.

Not every moment needs to accomplish something.
Not every hobby needs to become a goal.
Not every day needs to be productive to be meaningful.

Some of the best parts of life happen when we stop rushing long enough to actually notice them. ✨

So here’s my little reminder to myself—and maybe to you too:

Slow down. Be present. Make time for joy. Try new things. Love your people. Dream without a deadline. And enjoy the life you’re working so hard to build. 🤍

Because maybe a happier life isn’t about doing more…
maybe it’s about enjoying more.

What’s one thing you want to make more time for? 🌿✨

Follow along @tippi_madz

If you’re interested in more
little reminders to slow down,
enjoy life & make time for yourself. 🤍✨

@jun_yunh
@creatorcollege

#storytellingcontentchallenge #slowdown #maketimeforyourself #enjoythelittlethings #liveinthemoment taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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a month ago

One thing I've learned with time: not everyone will understand your growth - and that's okay.

Sometimes the more you grow, the more opinions you'll hear. People may doubt you, criticize you, or misunderstand what you're trying to do.

But you don't have to prove yourself to everyone.

Keep growing. Keep showing up. Keep becoming the person you're meant to be.

Let your progress speak louder than their opinions. 🤍 taken in Los Angeles, California by @tippi_madz

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13 days ago