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Shaping Thoughts, Inspiring Change

Join us on a journey through impactful stories, innovative ideas, and forward-thinking perspectives

Meet Wendy

Hi! I’m Wendy, mother of four, writer, and founder of Be Better Media. I am passionate about deep health, sustainable high performance, and human connection. As a lifelong learner, I believe that our own self-awareness is the greatest gift we can give to the next generation. This is my inspiration not to be perfect but to Be Better for myself and for them, every day. I know that it takes courage to reflect and when we are ready, share our stories so that real human connection is possible. This is what I set out to create with my blog, ‘The Optimists Journal’; my podcast, ‘What I Meant to Say’, and the interviews, videos, and other content created and presented by Be Better Media. In my downtime, you’ll find me hanging out with my kids and cats, going to yoga, and playing volleyball on the beach.

The Optimists Journal

The Wisdom of Interdependence
“Everyone needs a hug.” - David Smith - Olympic Gold Medalist, Cancer Survivor and  paraplegic Today I don’t think any words could be more true.  Did you know that a twenty second hug with your weight […]
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May 15, 2021
A Case Study in Optimism
When the last ball dropped I didn’t cry.  Sitting in the BYU Fieldhouse, I felt the emotions and understood the tears and the angst of the athletes on the deepest level, but something in me […]
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May 23, 2021
Happy Memorial Day!
Have you ever just relaxed and let life happen? Think about it.  We set goals, make lists, check our calendar and work so hard to make life happen while our shoulders get tighter, expectations rise, […]
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May 30, 2021
Beach Volleyball...Mind, Body & Spirit
Connection. It’s a word that lights up my whole being and guides the way I shape my days.  It helps me capture such beautiful stories and teaches me everyday that we all have one, and […]
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June 6, 2021
Trust Your Greatness
Sometimes i wish i could push record on my nearly weekly therapy sessions because the lightbulbs that go off when I process my thoughts are so clearing. I’m proud that we have normalized the conversation […]
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June 20, 2021
Communities & Connection
Most of my mornings start with movement.  Over the years it’s become a ritual, like coffee or brushing my teeth. And while my routine has contributed to my overall health and happiness, the communities and […]
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June 27, 2021
The Heat of Summer
I grew up in Fresno so I’m used to the heat. Whether it’s hot yoga or a toasty day on the beach, I play and feel better when I’m warm.  I love the warmth I […]
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July 11, 2021
People & Places > Things
About 10 days ago, I woke up thinking I should cancel this trip.  I’m a creature of habit, I like my daily routine, and usually get a little anxiety about leaving my kids, especially for […]
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July 25, 2021
The Real Story
The Olympics have me deeper into TV and news than usual.  As always, there is so much to cheer for, be proud of, and inspire us for whatever our game of life looks like, and […]
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August 1, 2021
What Pain Insists...
A picture popped up on my phone from Facebook this morning, one of those “five years ago today” memories.  It was the year I skipped 6 man and drove up the coast with the kids.  […]
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August 8, 2021
Time Flies but Some Things Never Change
Well, It’s been a few weeks…I’ve had to figure out what to do with this pain.  I found out I have a 5mm herniated disc on my L4/L5 vertabrae, it’s the most physical pain I […]
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August 29, 2021
To Rebuild With Intention
There is nothing like travel to remind you that there is always more than one way to do things.  I spent the last week enjoying Spain with Luke, his teammate and his mom.  Traveling with […]
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September 12, 2021
Back to Basics
The world is back in full swing.  Morning routines, schedules, pressure to perform according to the clock, the calendar, the grades, and the score, are mounting again. As unsettling as this pandemic down time has […]
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September 18, 2021
Life Cycles
Once a month I open my eyes in the middle of the night and the moon is streaming in, bright as daylight. The full moon always feels ungrounded and chaotic, illuminating even brighter all the […]
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September 26, 2021
Unfiltered
Of all my favorite things in life, a great conversation is at the top of the list. Meeting new people and hearing their stories has become one of my favorite things, and when I’m out, […]
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October 3, 2021
'Unpostable'
The best antidote for perfectionism is a commitment to be better one step at a time. No advancement is too small, no step insignificant. But those aren’t the moments we see as we scroll our […]
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October 10, 2021
Gruden & the Double Standard
Every day that I dig into the news, my synapses fire like crazy, and I analyze and want to know more about so many stories.  Often I don’t have time to go all the way […]
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October 17, 2021
An Unlikely Intersection - What Mindfulness Could do for Politics in America
I went to the opening night Laker game this week and as much as I appreciate my alone time, I love being in spaces with energy, athleticism, and the star spangled banner.  There is a […]
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October 23, 2021
Cocooning
Whether it’s an ending or a beginning is all a matter of perspective.  Ironically, the first time I had this realization wasn’t after my divorce, it was as Lauren was graduating from high school.  There […]
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October 31, 2021
American Together
As we inched our way into the gym last weekend, past vaccination checks and metal detectors, to watch Stanford Men’s Volleyball in their second preseason tournament since the program was reinstated last May, it was […]
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November 14, 2021
Shattering the Myth of 'Downtime'
The first time I visited a spa I was 24. It was for my sister’s 21st birthday and I marveled at the calm that I felt after three days there. Looking back, that was my […]
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November 21, 2021
Spontaneous Grace
It took a little work and a few conversations, but I had my mind settled comfortably around spending Thanksgiving on my own. Thankfully, being thankful is not something I save for one day of the […]
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November 28, 2021
Freedom, Liberty & the American Media
I had to close the newspaper this week. Actually, I wish it was a real newspaper, because I still prefer that to the blue light from my iPad or phone, but when I moved to […]
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December 4, 2021
Exposure
I’m a storyteller, not a scientist. But I love when science backs up what my intuition tells me is true. Mindfulness became a thing in my life slowly. Podcasts I listened to were talking about […]
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December 18, 2021
What Matters to Me
The events of the week have done their best to knock me for a loop and I’m grateful for faith and meditation to help me keep my feet on the ground.  When I read the […]
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January 9, 2022
Foundations for Peace
Over the past five years, I have learned so much from my body.  I didn’t realize I had left it, in many ways I had disconnected from it long ago to protect myself from all […]
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February 27, 2022
Just Be | In Honor of Katie Meyer
Writers seek throughlines. Coaches seek potential. Athletes (& humans really) often seek perfection.  I am all of these things.  But since July 28, 2000, my deepest sense of connection is being a parent.  I’ve never […]
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March 6, 2022
What I Meant To Say - The Podcast
One of the reasons I love being a writer is because I get to work from my strength.  My personality has always been more reserved and, like many of us,  I tend to be hard […]
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March 13, 2022
The Trust Bar
The BE BETTER story isn’t about me. It’s a story of relationships that helps remind us that we are strong on our own, and better together. It’s about the people who trust me, ask me […]
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March 27, 2022
Epiphanies
Epiphanies have always come to me in the water.  As a swimmer, I used to wish that there was a device that would record my thoughts as I stared down at that black line.  People […]
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April 2, 2022
Beginner's Mind
When I learned to play volleyball, there were nine players standing on a blacktop volleyball court on the playground of my elementary school.  I was in 6th grade and the coach was a teacher, standing […]
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April 8, 2022
New Beginnings
People care, or they are curious, or both:) When people ask me what happened to my ankle, I tell them I had ankle surgery. “Wendy, you need to start saying I had an ankle reconstruction.” […]
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April 16, 2022
What Makes A Great Athlete?
Every athlete I know, including myself, has always wanted to BE BETTER.  My mission and this concept can sound a little brash to some but it’s not meant to be harsh, or make anyone feel […]
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April 23, 2022
Circa 1994
I had the chance to revisit my 19 year old mind this week with a reconnection that happened because of this crazy social media world. I have journals, but the chance  to look back on […]
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April 30, 2022
Everyone Needs a Song
Hi.  I’m Wendy.  Even though I’ve written over 200 blogs, you don’t really know me.  I show you glimpses of me in my writing, if you have seen it.  But even though I write openly […]
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May 7, 2022
Alchemy Over Strategy
I usually don’t have the title of  a blog when I sit down to write, generally speaking it comes last.  But I have leaned into something new that has given me so much peace in […]
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May 21, 2022
Wendy Jones Volleyball
My America
Our country is hurting. As much as I am an optimist who looks for the good and the growth in all things, you can’t have a week like this one and not feel like you […]
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May 28, 2022
Is Competing Actually Keeping You from Success?
As a writer, I am thankful that I have a good memory of my early life.  So many of my thoughts take me back to places and days from long ago.  When I am able […]
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June 4, 2022
The Top 10 Things I Want my 17 Year old to Know.
Kate turned 17 on Thursday. For anyone who hasn't followed her story, she's the one who stopped playing volleyball to be a theatre kid. And man does she blow my mind on that stage. It's […]
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June 11, 2022
How To Inspire BETTER
I saw Top Gun this week. It’s so weird to see the actors of my youth get older. Like so many of us, it took me back to 1986,  getting dropped off at the movie […]
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June 19, 2022
The Real Sisterhood
"What if the world was already good? What if what you seek, you find? What if everything wasn’t an emergency? What if we cared more about stories and less about labels? What if we stopped […]
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June 25, 2022
One Generation Away
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” - Ronald Reagan As a kid, 4th of July was my favorite holiday next to Christmas.   Staying in my bathing suit all day, feet […]
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July 2, 2022
What Is Generational Healing?
March 4, 2023 I don’t remember the exact date, but it was a sunny Friday afternoon in 2014.  Clear blue skies on the beach, volleyball practice had been canceled for some reason, and there were […]
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January 9, 2025
Is It Co-Parenting or Control?
Some days it seems there isn’t enough hot tea in the world for my life because learning to honor the slowdown and keep pace with adulting is so hard. My kettle is getting tired, but […]
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April 28, 2024
What Is Generational Healing?
March 19, 2023 I don’t remember the exact date, but it was a Friday afternoon in 2014.  Clear blue skies, volleyball practice had been canceled for some reason I can’t remember, and our family was […]
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March 19, 2023
So He Left…Now What? Six Ways to Embrace Healing and Avoid Burnout Post Divorce
I wouldn’t have been able to write this eight years ago when he left. So much goes into rebuilding a life and it’s not linear. There have been many missteps and a lack of understanding […]
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April 15, 2024
The Healing House
There are a million reasons why people find it difficult to be themselves. Between codependency, people pleasing, FOMO, FOPO, traumatic experiences and relationships, getting to the essence of our being and feeling free enough to […]
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June 29, 2024
Lean In to the Curve
I’ve fallen asleep for the last five nights swimming in a sea of gratitude for this place, it’s absolutely alive with the most magnificent energy I’ve ever experienced.  I’ve never been “glamping” but I would […]
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July 23, 2022
Course at Be Better with Wendy jones
Your Path to High Performance
What I enjoy so much about this new ‘What I Meant to Say’ podcast journey is the wisdom that flows from people of all ages and walks of life This helps me connect the dots […]
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July 16, 2022
A True Statesman
I grew up a political junkie in a time before 24 hour news cycles and where Crossfire was the only news program where bipartisan debate took place.  I remember being taught the words public servant, […]
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May 10, 2018
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