Welcome to Take What You Need—a space for grounded personal growth, intentional living, and building a life that feels like it’s truly yours.
Because I know that becoming the person you want to be isn’t always about doing more—it’s about doing what truly matters. It’s about working toward the things that mean the most to you, while still making space for joy, rest, and being present in your life. It’s about finding the balance between ambition and ease, knowing when to lean into the energy of consistency and discipline, versus when to step back, reflect, and recharge.
That’s what the Take What You Need newsletter is here for—to help you explore the practices, mindsets, and systems that can help you navigate that balance in real life.
Here’s a sampling of the topics we’ll cover here:
Helpful vs. Unhelpful Autopilot
We all run on autopilot sometimes, and that’s not inherently a bad thing. In fact, in many ways, our routines and habits are automations that keep our lives running smoothly—allowing us to consistently show up for the things that matter to us. The problem arises when “unhelpful autopilot” takes over, leaving us stuck in patterns that drain us, mindsets that hold us back, or habits that pull us away from what matters. Here, we’ll explore how to tell the difference, and how to harness “helpful autopilot” to make it easier to create a life we love, while releasing the “unhelpful autopilot” that creates monotony, self-sabotage, and stagnation.
Making Self-Growth Sustainable and Specific to You
There is no one-size-fits-all in personal growth (something you’ll hear me repeat ad nauseam), and while we can use empirical research to explore trends in what tends to work best for most people (and we will!), you also need to harness your own self-awareness and an understanding of your own personal patterns to build systems, habits, and supports that fit your life: your schedule, your responsibilities, your personality, and your values. Here, we’ll work on helping you experiment, adapt, and create approaches that are not just inspiring in theory, but applicable within the reality of your everyday life, so you can keep showing up long-term.
Becoming the Version of Yourself You Want to Be
It’s one thing to dream about the life you want; it’s another to build the version of yourself who can actually hold it. Here, we’ll talk about both sides: creating a life that feels true and exciting for you, while also cultivating the mindset, skills, and steadiness within yourself that you’ll need to show up for that life fully.
Balancing the Energies of Ease and Discipline
Personal growth isn’t about constant pushing, nor is it about sitting back and watching life pass you by. In order to truly become the version of yourself you want to be (someone who goes after your goals and dreams without sacrificing your well-being along the way), you have to know when to challenge yourself (holding yourself accountable, showing up consistently, stepping outside your comfort zone) and when to soften (leaning into rest, regulation, and self-trust). Here, we’ll explore how to discern when to pull which of those two levers, and how to use both energies to keep yourself moving forward without burning out.
The Intersections Between Personal Growth and Community
None of us grow in isolation, and personal development absent of an understanding of the context we’re living within (from our family dynamics, to local and federal policies, to climate science and conservation) can quickly become vapid and self-defeating. That’s why we’ll explore how the choices we make impact not only ourselves, but the people around us, and how our own personal growth becomes all the more meaningful when we also use it to make the world a better place and create positive change for others.
In summary—Take What You Need is designed for those who are tired of quick fixes and vague self-help platitudes, and ready for more depth, nuance, and tools that actually work in the real world.
If that sounds like what you need, I hope you’ll stick around!
More About Me
Hi! I’m Amanda Hilton, a personal growth educator with a background in psychology and mind-body well-being, and the founder of The Simply Well and the @thesimplywellofficial Instagram account.
A bit about my background…
→ I hold a Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s Clinical Psychology program, as well as Bachelor’s Degrees in Education and Psychology from Skidmore College.
→ I’m a former licensed teacher, meaning I have years of training in understanding both how to break down complex topics into easily digestible, bite-sized chunks, to make them simple to understand and implement.
→ I’ve explored personal growth, human behavior, and well-being from a number of angles. With my background in clinical psychology, my certification from the Spirituality Mind-Body Institute at Columbia University, and as a former Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-230) and Reiki practitioner, I always work to integrate numerous aspects of the self—physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual.
Fun facts…
→ I’m passionate about sustainability and veganism, a hobbyist at heart (piano, sewing, drawing, language learning), recently married to my wife, and obsessed with my 3 cats.
→ My nightstand hosts a blend of books on self-development, adventure and fantasy fiction, and theoretical physics for laypeople.
→ My “Type” (just for fun!) — INFJ, Enneagram 4, 4/6 Generator, Upholder, Maven.
→ When I’m not writing articles here on Substack or posting over on Instagram, I’m usually engaging with my community in The State of Self Membership—the place where values-driven people get off the start-strong-burn-out-fast motivation roller coaster, and start actually following through on what matters most to them.
To learn more about my background and my business The Simply Well, click here.
