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Episode Show Notes
When you think of the Enneagram, you probably think of phrases like, âIâm such a 7,â or âThatâs so Enneagram 8 of me.â
But what if the Enneagram was less about labeling yourself and more about learning how to notice your patterns with a little more honesty, kindness, and compassion?
In this episode of Get Mom Ready, Holly, Meredith, and Anna sit down with Meredithâs longtime friend Nicole Shephard to talk about the Enneagram, but not in a âput yourself in a number box and stay there foreverâ kind of way.
Nicole is certified in the Enneagram for Conscious Living, and she helps us think about the Enneagram as a tool for noticing our patterns, understanding ourselves with more kindness, and maybe yelling at our kids slightly less when bedtime goes off the rails (Or at least understanding why we yelled)âŠbaby steps.
Why Moms Will Love This Conversation
Because motherhood has a special way of revealing exactly what is going on inside of us.
* The bedtime routine gets disrupted and suddenly youâre not just annoyed, youâre deeply annoyed.
* Your kid has a meltdown and somehow it activates every unhealed thing inside your body.
* Your spouse says one normal sentence and youâre like, âWow, interesting tone.â
* You finally get a quiet moment and instead of relaxing, you start mentally reorganizing the pantry, planning summer logistics, and wondering if your childâs entire emotional future depends on how you handled bath time.
So yeah, we need tools to help us navigate the many emotions of motherhood.
And in this conversation, Nicole helps us see the Enneagram as one of those tools. Not to overanalyze everyone in your house. Not to type your toddler. Please do not walk around saying, âSheâs giving unhealthy 4 energyâ about your preschooler. But to ask better questions about ourselves:
* Whatâs actually underneath my reaction?
* Is this fear, shame, or anger?
* What pattern do I keep falling into?
* What does my kid need from me right now?
* What do I need right now?
* And Nicoleâs favorite: how do I bring a little more compassion into the whole situation?
The Enneagram Is Not Just a Personality Test
Nicole explains that the Enneagram is wayyy more layered than the quick internet version most of us have heard.
Instead of saying, âI am a type,â she uses the phrase âcenter of gravity,â which feels so much less dramatic and permanent. Your type is not your prison sentence. Itâs simply a pattern you tend to return to.
The goal is not to say, âWell, Iâm an 8, so good luck everyone.â The goal is to notice the patterns, understand what they were trying to protect, and decide whether they are still helping you now.
Please Donât Type Your Toddler
One of our favorite parts of this conversation is when Nicole talks about using the Enneagram as a mom.
She is not trying to figure out her kidsâ Enneagram numbers while they are still little. Instead, she uses the framework to pay attention to what might be driving their behavior by asking:
âIs this coming from fear, anger, shame?â
A much more useful approach than trying to diagnose every tantrum.
Because sometimes our kids are not âbeing difficult.â Sometimes they are scared, embarrassed, mad, tired, overstimulated, or all of the above (plus they were given the wrong color cup, which, as we know, is a full family crisis).
Nicole talks about meeting our kids in that place instead of immediately trying to fix or correct the behavior. And that led us into a really tender conversation about our kidsâ essence: who they are before the world tells them who they should be.
Yes, we cried a little. đ„č
Marriage, Routines, and the Plans We Keep Not Making
Nicole also talks about instincts (self-preservation, social, and attraction/sexual) and how they show up in real life.
And this is where Holly realizes that she and her husband, Elliott may both lean hard toward structure and routine, which would explain why they can talk about rock climbing for 13 years and never actually go rock climbing.
They have also discussed going to a concert multiple times but still havenât bought the tickets, because apparently wanting to do something and actually disrupting your routine to do it are two very different activities.
If you have ever said, âWe should totally do that,â and then immediately returned to your couch, your calendar, and your regularly scheduled life, this section is for you.
Your Spouse Is Not Supposed to Be You
One of Nicoleâs most helpful reminders is that every type, center, and instinct has value.
The point is not to make your spouse, friend, child, or co-worker see the world exactly the way you do. The point is to get curious about what they see that you might be missing.
Nicole talks about how she shares what she is learning with her partner, owns the ways her own patterns affect their family, and tries to see his way of moving through the world as something she can learn from, not just something to correct.
When Other People Wonât âDo the Workâ
We also get into the thing many of us feel but maybe do not always say out loud:
It is really frustrating when you are trying to grow, heal, become more self-aware, go to therapy, read the books, listen to the podcasts, take the walks, journal the feelings, and someone else is just⊠not.
Nicole offers a gentle but very inconvenient reminder: the work always starts with us.
Not because other peopleâs choices do not matter, not because you should tolerate unhealthy behavior, and not because boundaries are optional.
But because the only person you can actually change is you.
Nicoleâs Life in the Cotswolds
Nicole also shares her story of moving to the UK, raising two British-born daughters in the Cotswolds, and what it has looked like to follow a vision for her life that started long before motherhood.
It is dreamy and brave and very âwait, should we all move to the English countryside?â
Listen IfâŠ
Listen to this episode if youâve ever:
* Used the Enneagram to explain yourself and then wondered if that was allowed
* Wanted to understand your reactions instead of just feeling bad about them
* Felt triggered by your childâs totally normal child behavior
* Wanted better language for marriage and conflict
* Had a toddler meltdown turn into a personal growth opportunity you did not ask for
* Said, âWe should do that sometime,â and then never did it
* Needed a reminder that self-awareness should make you kinder, not meaner to yourself
Get Mom Ready is a podcast for moms navigating the tension of work, life, and everything else we carry. Subscribe for free to get our weekly episodes in your inbox.
Resources Mentioned to go Deeper Into The Enneagram
Nicole recommended Russ Hudson as her favorite Enneagram teacher and suggested starting with his work if you want to go deeper.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ HudsonA foundational overview of all nine types.
Understanding the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ HudsonA deeper, more technical resource on the triads and structure of the Enneagram.
The Enneagram: Nine Gateways to Presence by Russ HudsonAn audiobook Nicole described as more meditative and embodied, especially helpful for people with a mindfulness practice.
The Enneagram Institute Type Descriptions and AssessmentNicole said an assessment can be a helpful place to start, as long as you treat it as a direction to explore rather than a final answer.
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We thought this conversation would be about navigating life as a medical mom.
And it is, but like every honest conversation on this podcast, it turned into an encouragement to every mom who feels like theyâre carrying the weight of the world.
It became a conversation about what happens when the life you planned stops being the life youâre living. About releasing expectations you didnât even realize you were carrying. About redefining what âsuccessâ looks like when youâre split in twelve directions and none of them come with a manual.
Amber is a mom of four, a full-time professional, a medical mom to her son Santi who has congenital heart disease and is currently awaiting a heart transplant at Texas Childrenâs Hospital, and she is somehow still the most positive, grounded person in the room.
As she shared in the episode:
âYou can be optimistic about things, but you canât be attached to them.â
That one line might be the most useful thing any of us hear this week.
What This Episode Is Really About
Yes, we talk about Santiâs medical journey, hospital stays, and the day-to-day reality of caring for a child on a transplant list. But underneath all of that, this episode is about:
* The moment you realize motherhood isnât going to look like you imagined
* What it means to keep showing up when youâve had to let go of the plan
* How to redefine success when your old version of âenoughâ doesnât fit anymore
* Why accepting help is one of the hardest and most important things a mom can do
* And how community and small moments of joy carry you through seasons that donât make sense yet
Themes We Keep Coming Back To From This Conversation
You can plan everything and still get blindsided, and thatâs not failure, thatâs life.
Letting go of expectations isnât giving up. Itâs how you survive and find joy.
âStrongâ doesnât always feel strong on the inside.
Sometimes the most important thing you do today is cuddle your kids and let the rest wait.
Asking for help doesnât come naturally to most moms, so if you see one struggling, just show up. Donât wait for her to ask.
If Youâre In This Season Right NowâŠ
This episode is for you if:
* Youâre managing more than feels manageable and wondering how other moms do it
* Youâve had to grieve a version of motherhood or a version of yourself that you expected
* Youâre redefining what success looks like at work, at home, or both
* You feel guilty for the way youâre parenting even though you know youâre doing your best
* Youâre a medical mom, a heart mom, or a mom who just needs to hear: youâre not behind. Youâre in it.
Or you just need someone to remind you to listen to your body and when in doubt, rest.
Resources + Links
Connect with Amber and ask to be a part of Santiâs group. She will send you the link to follow his medical journey:
Related Episodes/Resources:
* Parenting in the Middle of Medical Chaos: Annaâs Story as a Medical Mom
* Chronic Decision Fatigue: Why Youâre Exhausted & How to Overcome It
* The Week I Couldnât Even Look at My Daughter
Want More Support?
If this episode stirred something in you, if youâre holding more than you thought youâd be holding right now, or youâre trying to figure out what âenoughâ even looks like in this season, Get Mom Ready Coaching is here for you.
We donât give you more to do. We help you become a version of yourself that can actually hold your life.
You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.
You donât get to choose most of what life hands you. You donât get to choose the diagnosis, the hospital stay, the season that turns everything sideways.
But you do get to choose how you carry it. And sometimes carrying it well looks like letting go of the way you thought it was supposed to look and finding something real and good in whatâs actually here.
Listen to your body. Accept the help. And when in doubt? Rest.
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On last weekâs Sunday Reset, Hannah shared whatâs in her pool bag this summer.
Hannah has such an eye for fashion and looking put together, and I am oftenâŠthe opposite of that.
Which is one of the reasons I love GetMomReady so much. We are all so different, but we are unified by the same values: telling the truth, supporting each other, and making space for the whole mom.
So this is my version of âwhatâs in my bag.â
Most days, my âbagâ is:
* my phone
* a wallet stuck to the back of it
* and one car key
Thatâs it.
I donât really carry a purse because digging through a bag is my personal nightmare. I like pockets. I like being hands-free.
Do I need a cute bag for networking events? Yes.
Especially after the time I showed up to a very fancy fundraising brunch at River Oaks Country Club in an outfit I felt amazing in (read more about that outfit in my Motherâs Day saga here)⊠only to realize my ancient clutch was literally shedding white pieces behind me as I walked to my seat.
Very humbling and very classic Holly Tate.
But that little âwhatâs in my bagâ moment got me thinking about something bigger for this Sunday Reset.
My word for this year is simplify (see vision board pic in the video above or the pic below!).
And as we get close to the halfway point of the year, Iâm checking back in with that word.
Because simplifying is not just about carrying less or carrying âthe rightâ stuff.
For me, itâs about simplifying my commitments, having fewer unfinished decisions, cancelling subscriptions that arenât serving me, and reflecting on the things living rent-free in my brain.
For years in my corporate jobs, Sunday meant the Sunday scaries for me: that pit in my stomach when I looked at the week ahead and thought about everything I owed, everything I was behind on, and everything waiting for me on Monday.
I donât live in that same rhythm anymore, and Iâm really grateful for that.
But I still need a reset.
Because Iâm not usually the person who needs motivation to do more.
Iâm the person who needs to be reminded that less is often more.
So this week, Iâm asking myself:
* What am I carrying that I do not actually need to carry? (physically and mentally!!)
* What decision have I already made in my gut but havenât acted on yet?
* What commitment, subscription, or expense is no longer serving me in this season?
* Where am I over-activating instead of simplifying?
* What is the smallest next step I can take to make this week feel lighter?
Thatâs my Sunday Reset.
Just one honest check-in with what I said mattered to me this year.
What are you resetting this week?
Hereâs to small steps that lead to simplifying our weeks before Monday.
Thanks for reading Get Mom Ready! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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Jess Freeman spent years being pretty sure she wasnât going to have kids.
Not in a dramatic, announcement-to-the-world way. More like a quiet, steady conclusion she carried after losing her mom in a car accident at 24, two months into running her business full time, two weeks before Christmas.
Her brain did what a lot of our brains would do. No mom. Canât be a mom. Not happening.
And for a long time, that felt like the answer.
The Workbook That Changed Everything
Years later, after a fostering experience that was equal parts meaningful and traumatic, after watching close friends have babies, after sitting in the tension of âI genuinely donât know if Iâm supposed to do this,â Jess did what any type-A woman would do.
She found a workbook on Amazon.
Somewhere around chapter eight, there was a prompt: Write a letter to the child youâre choosing not to have. (yes, we all got chills.)
And she couldnât do it.
That was the answer.
âYou Could Just Have Oneâ
Jess brought this realization to a mentor, a friend about ten years older who knew sheâd been wrestling with this. Jess told her she thought she was supposed to have kids, and that it was terrifying.
Her friend said two things. First: I know you can do this. Second: You could just have one.
And Jess said something on the podcast that stuck with us. She said she knew she didnât need permission. But in that moment, the permission opened a door she didnât know was available.
She got pregnant a month later.
âShe Has the Best Advocate in Her Back Pocketâ
Jess is a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed at three. One of her biggest fears about having a baby was passing it on. Thereâs no guarantee either way, and the not-knowing is its own kind of weight.
But when we asked how she navigated that surrender, she said something that wrecked us:
âWell, she has the best advocate in her back pocket if it happens.â
That confidence didnât come from nowhere. It came from watching her own mom advocate fiercely for her. Standing in the hallway at school going to bat for her. Making sure her daughter was seen and cared for, even when the systems around her didnât get it.
Jess is carrying that forward now.
Designing a Life, Not Just Running a Business
Jess has been running Jess Creatives for 15 years. She also founded The Ordinary Business, a podcast and community for business owners who want to do good work and work with cool people without chasing a million-dollar goal.
What stood out to us in this conversation wasnât just her business success. It was how intentionally sheâs built her life around it.
She doesnât work Fridays. She has a clear revenue ceiling sheâs comfortable with. She turns down projects when sheâs full, even when the money is tempting. Sheâd rather be present at bedtime than answering one more email.
And she said something we think every mom building something needs to hear: sheâs not willing to say yes to work just for money if it means missing bedtime, staying up until midnight, or skipping the park. âYou can wait until my next availability, or you can go find someone else.â
Thatâs not luck. Thatâs 15 years of designing a life on purpose.
The Thing About Motherâs Intuition
At the very end of our conversation (the part that wasnât even supposed to be recorded), Jess said something that we couldnât not share.
She expected motherâs intuition to be loud. Like a clear signal. A flashing sign. And for months after her daughter was born, she thought she didnât have it.
Then she realized: for her, itâs quiet. Itâs the small thought that crosses her mind, like âmaybe I should take her to the doctor.â Not a dramatic knowing. Just a nudge.
She followed one of those nudges once. Double ear infection.
That was her intuition. She just didnât recognize it because she was waiting for it to shout.
Why This Episode Matters
This is a conversation about grief and motherhood and entrepreneurship and identity and what happens when you stop waiting for life to feel certain and start designing it anyway.
If youâve ever felt like you needed permission to want something, or like your instincts were too quiet to trust, or like you had to have it all figured out before you could take the next step, this oneâs for you.
If This Episode Hit Close to Home
Sometimes you hear a story and realize youâve been carrying something similar. If youâre in a season where youâre navigating big decisions, identity shifts, or just trying to figure out what you actually want, our coaches get it and would love to help you build a life that fits the season youâre in.
You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.
Find Jess
* Jess Creatives Website
* The Ordinary Business Website
* Jessâ Instagram
* Jessâ Threads
Get Mom Ready is the community for driven moms living full lives and figuring out how all the pieces work together. Subscribe to get every episode and article delivered to your inbox.
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OkayâŠwe thought this episode was going to be practical, like: â10 easy self-care tips for moms.â
Maybe a conversation about bubble baths. Maybe a Target run. Maybe one of us would say âdrink more waterâ and weâd all nod in agreementâŠinstead, we somehow ended up questioning the entire concept of self-care (because, of course we did). đ«Ł
Hereâs why: somewhere along the way, self-care started feeling like another thing moms were supposed to optimize.
Another thing to buy, another thing to earn, another thing to perform, and a lot of the time, it still leaves us exhausted.
The MRI That Accidentally Became Self-Care
This episode starts with Anna getting an MRI on Motherâs Day weekend.
Which sounds stressful⊠except she somehow found it relaxing.
No phone, no interruptions, a warm blanket, and permission to lay still for 45 minutesâŠbasically a spa day.
And while most people would describe an MRI as claustrophobic, Annaâs immediate thought was:
âWow. Nobody can reach me.â
Which honestly says a lot about modern motherhood. That story became the jumping-off point for a bigger conversation:
What if self-care isnât always about escaping your life, but about finding ways to feel more grounded inside your life?
Maybe Real Self-Care Is More Proactive Than Reactive
One of the biggest themes from this conversation was this idea that self-care isnât always the thing you do after you hit your breaking point. Sometimes itâs the tiny systems that help prevent the breaking point in the first place.
Like:
* organizing the makeup drawer that irritates you every morning
* finally dealing with the chaotic shoe basket by the front door
* prepping the coffee the night before
* creating rhythms that reduce mental friction (something we also talked about on an episode with Productivity Coach Jennifer Sise and her idea of ânaming your timeâ - seriously, drop everything and go listen now.)
* cleaning the kitchen before bed so tomorrow-you feels calmer
Not because these things magically fix motherhood, but because little moments of frustration add up. And when every part of your day feels slightly harder than it needs to be, eventually your nervous system notices.
The Difference Between Dopamine and Restoration
We also talked about how easy it is to confuse:
* fun
* distraction
* treats
* shopping
* scrolling
* âI deserve thisâ energyâŠ
with actual restoration.
To be clear: we are not anti-fun.
Nobody here is trying to take away your Target run or your TJ Maxx stroll or your iced coffee.
But we are asking a deeper question:
What actually helps me show up better for myself and for the people I love?
Because those arenât always the same thing. Sometimes self-care is a massage. Sometimes itâs texting your girlfriends and putting dinner on the calendar before another month slips by. Sometimes itâs finally fixing the thing in your house thatâs quietly stressing you out every single day.
The Word We Kept Coming Back To: Reset
At one point in the episode, we realized maybe what weâre all actually looking for isnât âself-care.â
Itâs a reset.
A reset for:
* your nervous system
* your environment
* your expectations
* your mental load
* your attitude
* your capacity
Not necessarily escape. Just enough space to feel like yourself again.
A Few Practical Self-Care Tips We Shared
Yes, we did finally get into the practical. Here are some of the little things that genuinely help us feel more grounded lately:
* waking up before the kids for quiet coffee + reading time
* doing as much life as possible with other moms instead of alone
* keeping the kitchen reset at night
* creating tiny organization systems that reduce decision fatigue
* scheduling âmeâ tasks and kid tasks throughout the day to make sure everyone is happy instead of trying to do it all at once
* reading instead of endless scrolling
* making plans with girlfriends before burnout hits
None of these are revolutionary. But honestly? Thatâs kind of the point. We donât need one more thing to do or buy, we just need to find stillness and joy in the day-to-day.
Get Mom Ready Coaching
A lot of what we talked about in this episode comes back to something we believe deeply at Get Mom Ready:
Most moms donât necessarily need more information. They need support creating lives that actually feel sustainable. Sometimes that looks like:
* processing identity shifts.
* reducing mental load.
* learning how to stop living in constant overstimulation, resentment, or survival mode.
* or having someone help you figure out what actually helps you feel more like yourself again.
Thatâs a huge part of what we do in coaching.
If youâve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or like youâre constantly running on fumes, weâd love to talk with you.
You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.
Maybe real self-care isnât about constantly trying to escape motherhood. Maybe itâs about creating small rhythms, systems, and relationships that help motherhood feel a little softer to live inside of.
If this episode resonates with you, send it to a mom friend whoâs tired of being told self-care is just buying another candle.
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We thought this conversation would be about breastfeeding.
But like so many conversations in motherhood⊠it became about so much more.
It became a conversation about identity, expectations, how nothing quite prepares you for the reality of feeding your baby no matter how much you think it will, and ultimately⊠it became a conversation about this:
Motherhood is both grief and joy, all at once.
As Shelby Nelson, known as Supportive Breast Friend, an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) candidate who so much of her time supporting and educating moms through their feeding journeys, shared in the episode:
âMotherhood is grief. These changes are gonna bring grief. And I think also accepting that and keeping that in the back of our minds as we move through motherhood⊠it really takes off some of the stress and burden of the changes of seasons.â
On a day like Motherâs Day, where we celebrate, reflect, and maybe feel a little bit of everything, this felt especially true.
What This Episode Is Really About
Yes, we talk about breastfeeding, pumping, weaning, and feeding decisions; but underneath all of that, this episode is about:
* The unexpected emotional weight of feeding your baby
* The identity shifts that come with motherhood
* The pressure we put on ourselves to âget it rightâ
* The reality that every momâs journey looks different
* And how to hold grief and joy at the same time
Because feeding your baby isnât just physical. Itâs relational, emotional, and deeply personal. All of our experiences are unique, and no one experience is the ârightâ one.
A Few Baby Feeding Truths We Keep Coming Back To
* No one expects it to be this hard
* You can prepare⊠and still feel unprepared
* You might feel empowered and exhausted at the same time
* You might want to stop⊠and never want it to end
* Youâre allowed to change your mind (daily, hourly, mid-feed)
And maybe most importantly:
Healthy mom + healthy baby > everything else
If Youâre In This Season Right NowâŠ
This episode is for you if:
* Youâre navigating breastfeeding, pumping, or weaning
* Youâre questioning your decisions (constantly)
* You feel pressure to do it a certain way
* Youâre grieving a version of motherhood you expected
* Or you just need someone to say, âthis is normalâ
Resources + Links
Connect with Shelby:
* Instagram
* Follow her to stay tuned for her website + upcoming support group
* Podcast: Supportive Breast Friend
* Apple
* Spotify
Each of our stories on becoming moms + our breastfeeding/pumping stories
* Becoming a Mom: Hollyâs Story of Miscarriage, Pumping, and Finding Herself
* Parenting in the Middle of Medical Chaos: Annaâs Story as a Medical Mom
* Trusting Your Gut (and Laughing Through the Tears): Meredithâs Story
* Intentional Living & Growing Your Capacity: Hannahâs Story
Hollyâs Story on Shelbyâs Podcast:
* Supportive Breast Friend episode featuring Holly
Starting Solids + Nutrition:
* Katie Ferraro podcast
The Book that Broke Meredithâs Heart:
* They Bloom Because of You: Poems on the Infinite Love, Growth, and Magic of Motherhood
Want More Support?
If this episode stirred something in you, if youâre holding a lot right now, or if youâre trying to figure out how to navigate motherhood on your terms, Get Mom Ready Coaching is here for you.
We donât give you more to do. We help you become a version of yourself that can actually hold your life.
Motherhood is a series of âlast times.â The last feed, the last middle-of-the-night wake-up, the last version of who you were before everything changed, and maybe thatâs what Motherâs Day holds too: a moment just to notice it all.
You donât have to rush past it, and you donât have to hold onto it forever. You just get to be in it: the grief, the joy, and all of it at the same time.
Happy Motherâs Day!
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Thereâs a tension a lot of moms donât say out loud. You finally have the option to step back, go hybrid, or stay home, and instead of just feeling grateful, you feel weird.
* Guilty.
* Privileged.
* Unsure if youâve âearnedâ it.
* Questioning if itâs âokayâ not to work a 9-5.
This week on Get Mom Ready, all four of us sat down and went there because this isnât just about work.
* Itâs about identity.
* Itâs about money.
* Itâs about relationships.
* Itâs about how the rules for women have changed faster than weâve emotionally caught up with.
And itâs complicated!
The Conversation Weâre All Quietly Having
We started with a simple question: What does it look like to move from full-time work to something more flexible⊠without guilt?
And quickly realized thereâs no clean answer. Because:
* You can feel grateful and still feel uncomfortable
* You can choose this life and still question it
* You can love your days and still wonder if youâre doing enough
That tension isnât failure, itâs being a modern mom.
Why This Feels So Hard (Even When Itâs Good)
Hereâs something we donât talk about enough: Women have only had the ability to build independent financial lives for a few generations, so of course this feels new.
We are:
* The first (or second) generation to fully navigate career + motherhood
* The first to have real flexibility and autonomy
* The first to ask: what do I actually want my life to look like?
No one handed us a clear blueprint for this, so weâre building it in real time.
The Identity Piece No One Warns You About
Even when motherhood becomes the priority, thereâs still a part of you that wants to exist outside of it. Not because you donât love your kids. But because youâre still⊠you.
In this episode, we talked about:
* Wanting work that feels meaningful, not just necessary
* The pull toward part-time or hybrid work you actually enjoy
* The fear of losing yourself entirely in one role
And the truth is: You donât have to pick one identity, youâre allowed to hold multiple things at once.
The Money Conversation (That Shapes Everything)
Letâs be honest, this decision is never just emotional. Itâs deeply financial. We talked about:
* Lowering expenses to create freedom
* Taking a pay cut for flexibility
* The real stress of month-to-month tradeoffs
And also: The quiet calculation every mom is making:
âIs this worth it?â
Time. Energy. Childcare. Work. Presence. Itâs all connected.
The Part No One Likes to Admit: Guilt + âEarning Itâ
One of the most honest moments of the episode came from this:
âI feel like I havenât done enough to earn this life.â
That feeling? It shows up in different ways:
* âI should be more productive if I have this flexibilityâ
* âOther people donât get this optionâ
* âI didnât sacrifice enough to deserve thisâ
And underneath it is a belief many of us carry: If youâre not suffering, you must not be doing it right.
Letâs Challenge That for a Second
What if thatâs not true?
What if:
* You donât have to grind to prove your worth
* You donât have to justify enjoying your life
* You donât have to earn rest, presence, or joy
What if the goal isnât to be exhausted, but to actually build a life that fits you?
The Permission Weâre Giving Ourselves (and You)
Hereâs where we landed:
* You can love your kids and want something for yourself
* You can enjoy your life without apologizing for it
* You can change your mind in different seasons
* You can build your life on your terms
And maybe most importantly, you donât have to do it the same way forever.
One Line Weâre Taking With Us
âYou can do all the things. You just canât do all of them at the same time.â
This is a season, and all seasons change.
If This Episode Hit HomeâŠ
Youâre not alone in this. This is exactly the kind of conversation weâre having every week, honest, nuanced, and rooted in the real lives weâre actually living.
Subscribe at getmomready.com to get:
* New episode drops
* Articles you wonât see anywhere else
* Resources to help you navigate this season
Want support actually applying this to your life?
Knowing what you need and actually building a life around it are two very different things. Thatâs where coaching comes in.
Get Mom Ready coaching is designed to help you:
* Get clear on what you actually want in this season
* Work through the guilt, pressure, and âshouldsâ
* Build rhythms that support both your life and your identity
Not a one-size-fits-all plan, not more â you shouldâŠ,â just thoughtful, personalized support to help you move forward.
And Weâd Love to Hear From You
Where are you right now in your relationship with motherhood and work? And whatâs the tension you feel most?
Reply, DM us, or share this with a friend whoâs in it too.
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Thereâs a conversation happening right now that we donât want moms sitting out of.
Recently, Reese Witherspoon posted on Instagram about learning AI and why women need to be part of shaping it. Not later. Not once itâs figured out. Now.
And this weekâs episode felt like the perfect continuation of that conversation.
Because if weâre honest, most moms are somewhere between this feels overwhelming, I donât trust it, and I know I should probably learn thisâŠ
Thatâs exactly why we invited Shreya Gulati, founder of Moms Build AI, to help us think through it, not as tech experts, but as moms.
đ§ What This Episode Is Really About
This isnât a âhereâs how to master AIâ episode.
Itâs a conversation about how we donât get left behind, how we protect what matters most, and how we use something like this without losing ourselves or our kids in it.
Subscribe to Get Mom Ready resources for free.
Meet Shreya
Shreya spent her career in tech, advising AI startups and investors. But after becoming a mom, everything shifted.
She deeply resonated with the quote from our episode with Ericka Graham:
âYou have to renegotiate your past life with your future.â
Instead of going back to corporate, she started asking a bigger question: what happens if moms arenât part of shaping AI?
Because historically⊠we havenât been in the room early enough. Not with social media. Not with screens. And weâve seen how thatâs played out.
The Core Tension With AI
This is the tension we kept coming back to:
AI can save time, reduce mental load, and make things easier. But it can also replace human connection, increase pressure, and make everything feel more optimized.
So what do we do with that?
Shreya said it simply:âDonât go to it for judgment. Go to it for information.â
Get Mom Ready is completely free.Subscribe to get our resources in your inbox weekly.
Where This Actually Helps
When you bring AI into real life, it starts to feel less intimidating.
It can take things like meal planning, grocery lists, and weekend decisions and just⊠make them easier. Not to help you do more, but to help you carry less.
Itâs also incredibly helpful for getting unstuck: drafting a hard email, organizing your thoughts, or just getting started on something youâve been putting off.
And one of the most practical things she shared was using voice dictation during the in-between moments. Walking, driving, pushing a strollerâturning thoughts into something usable later. For moms, thatâs often the only time we have.
But the key is this: it supports your thinking. It doesnât replace it.
You can use it to compare schools or organize options, but you still visit, decide, and trust your gut.
The AI Conversation We Have to Have About Kids
This is where it gets more complicated.
Because thereâs no clear guidance yet. No long-term data. No proven âright wayâ to handle AI with kids.
Which means we donât get to outsource this decision.
AI is already everywhere, even if we donât realize it. And our kids will encounter it earlier than we expect. Avoiding it completely may not actually protect them, it might just leave us unprepared.
What stood out most is thinking about this like an ongoing conversation, not a one-time talk. Staying informed enough to guide instead of react. Applying the same boundaries we already think about with screens.
And recognizing that if weâre not learning it ourselves, itâs going to be really hard to help shape how our kids use it.
The Question That Stuck With Us
At one point we asked, does AI give us more time, or just more to do?
And the answer is⊠both.
Which brings it back to us.
What do we actually want our days to feel like? Whatâs worth optimizing, and whatâs worth slowing down and enjoying?
AI doesnât answer that for us. It just amplifies whatever we choose.
Where to Start With AI
Shreya kept this part refreshingly simple.
Pick one tool, ChatGPT or Claude. Start with something you already hate doing. Donât try to learn everything. And follow one or two trusted resources instead of overwhelming yourself.
Thatâs it.
Free AI Resources for You
Shreya has built an incredible library of free resources for moms who want to start learning. You can find them here.
And follow her Instagram for daily tips on staying informed about AI.
She shares things like a âfirst 30 minutes with AIâ guide, step-by-step prompts, privacy tips, and practical ways to actually use this in your day-to-day life.
Final Thought
This isnât about becoming a âtech mom.â
Itâs about being the same kind of mom you already are, thoughtful, protective, curious, and willing to learn for the sake of your family.
Because whether we like it or not, AI is shaping the future.
The question is, will moms help shape it too?
If this episode felt helpful, send it to a friend whoâs been saying,âI know I should learn this⊠I just donât know where to start.â
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This episode is your permission slip to escape perfectionism.
Because the truth is, the shame spirals donât work.
Meet Ericka
This week, we sat down with Ericka Graham:
* A mom of two boys
* A preacher at Ecclesia in Houston
* A former NFL wife
* Co-founder of Project 88 (a nonprofit that raised $1.9M)
* Host of the podcast Curiously with Ericka Graham
And sheâll be the first to tell you sheâs also a âmessy mom.â Not in a chaotic way. In an honest, human, deeply freeing way.
Her best quotes from the episode are highlighted below, and believe us⊠you donât want to miss them.
Donât miss an episode.
Motherhood Will Change You (And Thatâs the Point)
âWhen you become a mom, you have to renegotiate your past life with your future.â
Motherhood isnât just an addition. Itâs a reorganization. A sifting of what stays and what falls away in this new season.
And hereâs the part we donât talk about enough:
Every decision comes with loss.
âI get stuck thinking thereâs a perfect decision that wonât come with loss.â
But that version doesnât exist.
The Trap: Trying to Do It All âRightâ
We feel it when:
* Weâre not performing like we used to
* We forget something important
* We donât feel like the âput togetherâ version of ourselves
And our default response? Shame.
âThe shame spirals donât work.â
They donât make you better. They just keep you stuck.
Why Perfection Is Actually the Problem
âA perfect mom would not be a good mom⊠because theyâre perfect.â
Your imperfections arenât the issue. Theyâre the gift.
Theyâre what make you human, relatable and a safe for your kids to be imperfect too.
A Better Way to Live (and Mom)
Ericka said yes to getting help organizing her pantry. No spiral. No overthinking. No meaning-making. Just⊠âcome on over.â
That kind of freedom comes from letting go of this idea that you have to be everything (because you donât).
You donât have to be:
* the most organized
* the most productive
* the best at everything
You just have to be present enough to notice what matters.
Thanks for reading Get Mom Ready! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Curiosity > Certainty
âThe opposite of faith isnât doubt. Itâs certainty.â
And motherhood will strip you of certainty fast. But in its place comes curiosity.
* What does this season require?
* What can I let go of?
* What actually matters right now?
Thatâs where peace in motherhood is found.
If This Episode Felt Like YouâŠ
Send it to the friend whoâs been saying, âI feel off, but I donât know why.â
Or the one whoâs:
* trying to figure out who she is now
* comparing herself to her old life
* quietly wondering if sheâs doing this wrong
Sheâs not⊠and neither are you.
Listen + Connect with Ericka
* Podcast: Curiously with Ericka Graham
* Instagram
* Substack
* Sermons: Ecclesia Houston on YouTube
* Facebook
You donât have to be perfect to be a good mom. In fact, perfection is the enemy of a present motherhood.
If youâre in a season of renegotiating who you are, what you carry, and what you let go of, coaching can help you do that with intention.
Our Get Mom Ready coaches are here to walk with you through it.
You can book an exploratory call here to get started or email us at [email protected].
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Shownotes + Links
Youâre tired.But not just âmom tired.â
You feel off.More anxious than usual.More reactive than you want to be.
And you canât quite explain why.
If any of that resonates, this episode is for you.
This week, we sat down with Dawn Marraccino, coach for women in midlife (or really any transition), READY-certified coach, mom of four, grandma of three, and someone who has lived just about every version of motherhood you can imagine.
Single mom at 20.Blended family.Working mom.Stay-at-home mom.Empty nester.And now⊠living on a sailboat in San Diego (casual).
But what makes this conversation so powerful isnât just her story.
Itâs the moments where you go:
âWait⊠thatâs happening to me too.ââOh⊠I thought that was just me.ââNo one told me THIS part.â
Seriously, all of us teared up at one point or another.
Some of our favorite âthis is meâ moments
* âI didnât know everyone didnât talk to themselves the way I do.â
* âI thought I was having a nervous breakdown⊠it was my hormones.â
* âYou can do anything. But you canât do everything.â
* âDonât become the villain in your own story.â
* âItâs all hard. Just choose your hard.â
What we talk about in this episode
Motherhood in every season
* Becoming a mom at 20 vs. later in life
* Blended family dynamics (and the real, messy parts)
* What changes when your kids become adults
Work, identity, and all the hats
* Why âworking momâ can look a hundred different ways
* Letting your career evolve with your season
* The tension of wanting to work and be present
The conversation every woman in her 30s needs to hear
* Perimenopause (yes⊠it might already be happening)
* Symptoms no one connects to hormones: anxiety, rage, brain fog, vertigo
* Why so many women feel like theyâre âlosing itâ
The deeper work
* Parenting your kids⊠while learning to parent yourself
* Community vs. doing it alone
* Letting go of the âperfect lifeâ narrative
If this sounds like the mental load youâre working through, we offer coaching for high-achieving moms wanting to master your many roles in life. Book a call to see if coaching is right for you.
The line we canât stop thinking about:
âYou are enough exactly how you are. You donât have to do one more thing.â
Resources + Links
* Dawnâs recommended book on perimenopause: The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again.
* Dawnâs website.
* Dawnâs Substack (Grit & Grace).
* Follow Dawn on Instagram.
* The Ready Framework that Dawn said changed the way she coaches forever.
If this episode felt like youâŠ
Send it to a friend whoâs been saying, âI feel off but I donât know why.â
Or the one whoâs:
* trying to discover whatâs next
* questioning everything
* or just trying to feel like herself again
Because transitions donât mean youâre falling apart.
They might be the moment you finally come back to yourself.
Dawn is the kind of coach you want in your corner.
Sheâs deeply passionate about helping women navigate the in-between, with grit, grace, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from living it.
Book a coaching call on Dawnâs website.
Donât miss an episode!
Subscribe below to GetMomReady.com for a weekly article and podcast episode straight to your inbox.
You can also listen on:
Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com
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Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Show Notes: What we Talked About + Coaching Link
There are some parts of motherhood that arenât necessarily hard because theyâre huge.
Theyâre hard because they happen every single day.
Dinner. Bedtime. School pickup. Getting out the door. Managing expectations for a âfunâ weekend. Thinking about the thing you have to do later⊠five hours before you actually have to do it.
And the very real thing that happened to Holly 2 minutes into our recordingâŠgetting the dreaded call from school that your kid has a fever and needs to come home. Cue rescheduling the afternoon meetings, cancelling your productive afternoon, and embracing the call of motherhood.
In this weekâs episode, we ended up talking about all of it: meal planning, bedtime checklists, school pickup resets, Disney World expectations, and the mental pressure moms carry before anything has even happened yet.
And honestly? Thatâs kind of the point.
Because so often, the issue isnât that weâre doing motherhood âwrong.âItâs that thereâs too much friction built into the way weâre trying to do it.
Sometimes the most helpful question isnât:
âHow do I become better at this?â
Sometimes itâs:
âWhy does this feel so hard in the first place?â
This episode is full of the kinds of practical, real-life shifts that come from asking that question.
A few of the things we talked through:
* taking the pressure off the belief that you have to do something because âthat momâ does it
* creating a âbankâ of meals instead of having to make the decision from scratch each week
* noticing where the friction is in your routine and adjusting from there
* stopping work 10â15 minutes before pickup to reset your brain before mom mode
* preparing kids for whatâs coming instead of assuming theyâll just roll with it
* holding expectations loosely so one hard moment doesnât define the whole experience
One of our favorite takeaways from this conversation was this:
âThe goal isnât perfection. Itâs reducing friction.â
That tiny mindset shift feels small, but it changes a lot.
Because once you stop forcing yourself into a system that doesnât work for your brain, you can actually build one that does.
Maybe that looks like taking the pressure off of perfect routine.Maybe it looks like doing more with other moms to make the âdaily grindâ more fun.Maybe it looks like buying pre-chopped onions and calling it a win.Maybe it looks like realizing your kids donât need the most elaborate plan to have fun, they just need a mom who isnât completely maxed out.
Thatâs really what this episode is about: getting curious about the pressure points instead of just powering through them.
And maybe, just maybe, giving yourself permission to make things easier.
Because youâre allowed to do that.
Youâre allowed to choose the version of motherhood that works for your actual capacity.Youâre allowed to prepare more (or less).Youâre allowed to expect less perfection.Youâre allowed to care about your experience too.
And if youâve been feeling like every routine in your life has just a little too much drag in it right now, this episode will probably feel very familiar.
And if this conversation hits a little too close to home, coaching might be the next right step. We offer coaching calls for moms who want practical support, fresh perspective, and help untangling the mental load. You can book a call here.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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What if the thing making motherhood feel so hard⊠isnât just the workload?
What if part of the exhaustion is coming from spending your energy on things you donât actually value, but feel like youâre supposed to?
Anna came in with a simple question:âHow do I figure out my values in motherhood?â
Not in a fluffy way.In a âmy days feel chaotic and Iâm barely keeping upâ kind of way.
What unfolded is a conversation every mom needs about misalignment, mental load, and the things weâre doing just because we think we should.
The real problem (that no one tells you)
You might not be overwhelmed because youâre doing too much.
You might be overwhelmed because: youâre doing things that arenât actually important to you, but you feel like they should be.
And that gap? Thatâs where burnout lives.
The example we couldnât stop coming back to: DINNER
Meal planning. Grocery shopping. Cooking. Cleaning. Repeating.
Anna said what weâre all thinking:
âI have a system for meal planning and prep⊠and I still hate doing it.â
And thatâs the tension:
* The system works
* But itâs built around something she doesnât actually value
So instead of asking:âHow do I get better at this?â
We asked:âDo you even want to keep doing this?â
What we uncovered (aka the actually helpful part)
1. Start with what you donât value
Anna realized:
* Home-cooked meals every night? Not it for her
* Eating together / eating nutritious meals / quality time? Yes
That shift matters.
Because when you stop forcing what isnât yours,you finally have space for what is.
2. Systems donât fix misalignment
You can optimize your routine all day long, but if itâs built around obligation, you will still feel exhausted.
Alignment first. Systems second.
3. Youâre not just low on time, youâre low on energy
Some things donât just take timeâŠ
They take so much mental and emotional energy:
* decision fatigue
* guilt
* resentment
And when your day is full of those things?Of course you feel maxed out.
Try this instead of spiraling: get curious
Instead of:
âWhy canât I just do this like everyone else?â
Try:
âHmm⊠where did I learn that this matters? Whoâs voice am I listening to? How can I find what matters to me and focus more on doing that well?â
That one question can unravel a LOT.
4. You might be discovering yourself for the first time
Some moms feel like they just want to get back to âtheir old selves,â you know, pre-kids. And some of us feel like we never even figured out who we were in the first place.
* what we like
* what we value
* what we want
And honestly? Thatâs allowed to take time.
5. The simplest test: do you clench or exhale?
When you imagine not doing âthe thingââŠ
* Do you feel tight, stressed, resistant? â đ©
* Or do you feel relief, space, ease? â đ
That exhale? Thatâs data. Recognize it and start figuring out what does bring you joy if you want to start prioritizing your life around your values.
Of course, there are some jobs in life we just have to do, but for the most part, we get to decide what we pursue, what we spend energy on, and how we do those things to maximize joy in the process.
Okay but what do I DO with this?
We didnât just stay theoretical. Hereâs where this lands practically:
If dinner is draining you:
* Try meal delivery for a season
* Use pre-made grocery options
* Repeat meals you already know work
* Lower the bar (a lot)
* Or outsource where you can
And most importantly, take the time to learn what does put food on the table in a life-giving way for YOU.
Because maybe your value isnât cooking from scratch.
Maybe itâs having energy left at the end of the day or enjoying time with your family.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
If this episode felt a little too relatableâŠ
If youâre:
* constantly overwhelmed by decisions
* doing things out of guilt
* unsure what actually matters to you anymore
You donât need another hack.
You need:
* space to think
* someone to process with
* permission to do things differently
Thatâs what coaching is for.
You can book a call with Hannah or Meredith here.
Links & things we mentioned
* The blow dryer/shark-airwrap situation⊠if you know, you know. We were influenced in real time đ
* If you want to go deeper on the time vs. energy conversation, revisit the Jennifer Sise episode. It pairs perfectly with this one and will reframe how you think about capacity.
* If this episode stirred up identity questions like âwhat do I even like anymore?â, the Priscila Smith episode is a must-listen. Itâs one of our best conversations on rediscovering yourself and your style.
* When Meredith referenced looking at finances before outsourcing meals, that came from the Becca Gonzalez episode - super practical if youâre trying to make changes without blowing your budget.
* The book True to You came up as a next step if you want to go deeper on identity, boundaries, and understanding your own patterns in relationships.
* For our Houston moms, Tres Market is one of those âthis could save dinner this weekâ places! Great prepared meals you can grab and be done.
* Julie Barnesâ meal planning system is a practical solution if you like structure but hate the decision-making. Think: pre-built grocery lists + less Pinterest spiraling.
* And of course, everything we create (podcasts, weekly resources, coaching) lives at Getmomready.com
And yesâŠHelloFresh, if youâre reading thisâŠwe are ready for a partnership.đ€
Donât miss an episode!
Subscribe below to GetMomReady.com for a weekly article and podcast episode straight to your inbox.
You can also listen on:
Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Show Notes: What we Talked About + Products
This week on Get Mom Ready, we started with a travel horror story.
Airport chaos.A toddler meltdown on a plane.And a mom crying under a blanket mid-flight.
You know⊠the usual.
But somewhere in the middle of swapping travel stories, the conversation turned into something bigger:
How do we actually set ourselves up for success as moms?
Not just when traveling.
But anytime weâre trying to juggle work, motherhood, logistics, identity, and our own sanity.
This episode is one of those conversations where we start talking about travelâŠ
âŠand end up talking about support systems, guilt, experimentation, and what it takes to feel present in our own lives.
Also, purely by accident, all three of us showed up wearing denim.
Completely unplanned.Completely on brand for moms everywhere.
So if you want to witness the accidental Denim Day, you can watch the episode at GetMomReady.com.
In this episode we talk aboutâŠ
What it actually looks like to navigate travel as a mom.
The logistics.The emotions.The unexpected curveballs.
We get into:
âą traveling with kids vs. without themâą preparing caregivers before you leaveâą the difference between real guilt and fear of what other people might thinkâą the tiny logistical decisions that dramatically reduce mental loadâą how to ask for help without apologizing for itâą why a spirit of experimentation might be one of the healthiest mindsets in motherhood
And yes, we also talk about what happens when your kid gets the flu on a work trip and you find yourself in an ER at 2 AM in Tampa.
Motherhood keeps things humble.
The mindset we keep coming back to
One of the biggest themes that came up in this conversation was something we all want to hold onto more:
The spirit of experimentation.
Instead of asking:
âAm I doing this the right way?â
What if we asked:
âWhat happens if I try this?â
Motherhood changes constantly.
What works when your baby is 6 months oldmight not work when theyâre 2.
What worked last yearmight not work this year.
Experimentation gives you permission to:
âą try somethingâą learn from itâą adjustâą change your mind
And honestly? That might be one of the most freeing parenting tools there is.
A few things that actually helped
A lot of what made travel feel doable werenât huge life changes.
They were small, practical decisions.
A caregiver âplaybookâ
Before leaving, we talked about how helpful it can be to create a shared note with things like:
âą routinesâą preferencesâą school logisticsâą important contactsâą pet instructionsâą random household things you donât want someone guessing about
Not because everything has to be perfect.
But because preparation helps everyone breathe easier.
Identifying your triggers
Every parent has a couple of things that spike their anxiety more than others.
For some itâs choking.
For others itâs driving.
For others itâs sleep.
Instead of pretending those concerns donât exist, sometimes it helps to just name them.
Sometimes readiness looks like saying:
âHey, this is one of my things. Will you humor me?â
Itâs not about control.
Itâs about giving your nervous system a little more peace.
Making travel lighter (literally)
One travel tip that came up in the episode was a portable car seat option that made traveling so much easier.
The RideSafer Travel Vest works like a wearable car seat and folds into a small bag.
If youâve ever tried to manage a toddler, a suitcase, a backpack, and a giant car seat through an airport⊠you know why this matters.
When the plan falls apart
Of course, motherhood loves to test our plans.
In this case, everything was going perfectlyâŠuntil a toddler woke up throwing up at 1 AM.
Cue the ER visit.
Cue the Uber ride in the middle of the night.
Cue the moment where you think:
âWhy did I think traveling with a toddler was a good idea?â
But the interesting thing?
Even in the chaos, the takeaway wasnât ânever do this again.â
It was actually the opposite.
Sometimes the things weâre most nervous about are the things that remind us:
We can handle more than we think.
A reminder about support systems
Another theme that kept surfacing in this conversation:
People often want to help more than we realize.
Grandparents who love extra time with grandkids.Friends who are willing to be âon call.âPartners who hold down the fort.
Weâre not meant to do motherhood alone.
And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply let people show up for us.
If this episode resonated
Weâd love to hear from you.
Tell us:
âą what season of motherhood youâre inâą what youâre experimenting with right nowâą what topics you want us to cover next
You can reach us at: [email protected]
And if youâre in a season where work, motherhood, identity, and life logistics all feel like theyâre collidingâŠwe offer Get Mom Ready coaching.
You can book a discovery call and choose the coach who feels like the best fit for your season here.
If this conversation resonatedâŠ
Youâre exactly who Get Mom Ready is for.
Every week we share honest conversations about motherhood â the identity shifts, the mental load, the work-life tension, the things nobody really prepares you for.
If you want these conversations delivered straight to your inbox, make sure youâre subscribed.
Because motherhood is a lot easier when you realize: youâre not the only one figuring it out.
Subscribe below and weâll see you next week.
One last thought
This episode may start with travel.
But the deeper question we kept coming back to was this:
What helps us feel ready for the life weâre living?
Ready to leave.Ready to ask for help.Ready to try something new.Ready to change our minds.
Ready to grow.
And sometimesâŠ
ready to handle a midnight ER visit in Tampa.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, and Getmomready.com on your way to the grocery store or in the drop off line today.
Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe -
Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Show Notes: What we Talked About + Products
Hey friends! welcome back to Get Mom Ready.
Itâs the trio holding it down today: Meredith, Hannah, and Anna (Holly will be back!). And yesâtodayâs audio is a little different: Meredith is traveling and packing light, so her volume is a bit quieter than usual. Turn it up when sheâs talking because she drops some of the best mental shifts in the episode.
Last week we talked about something counterintuitive: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is⊠nothing. Step back. Put the phone away. Regulate. Stop letting constant input run your day.
This week weâre holding the âboth/andâ:
You can give yourself permission to slow down⊠and still want to feel more productive.
Not âhustle harderâ productive âMore like: less pulled, less cluttered, less irritated, more present.
Because honestly? Thatâs what most of us want.
The theme of this episode: Stop living like everything is urgent.
We kept coming back to this word: pulled.
Pulled by:
* texts
* notifications
* rabbit trails
* âIâll just do this one quick thingâŠâ
* the never-ending mental tabs open in your brain
And when weâre pulled in ten directions, we end up doing life slightly irritated⊠even when nothing is actually wrong.
So today we talk about whatâs actually helping right now â the tiny shifts that reduce mental load and decision fatigue.
1) The âleave your phone somewhere elseâ experiment
We all shared some version of this: physically separating from your phone.
Examples from the episode:
* leaving your phone in another room during the morning routine
* leaving it inside while you play outside after school
* charging it in an office (not your bedroom)
* treating it like a âlandlineâ â you have to go to it to use it
And the surprising benefit?
Less irritation.Because your kids arenât interrupting your phone/podcast/text spiral⊠youâre just with them.
No tug-of-war.
2) Turn off notifications (and take your power back)
Weâre not saying âbe unreachable.â Weâre saying: you get to decide when the world gets access to your attention.
One line we loved:
âI want to happen to life. I donât want life to happen to me.â
Start small:
* turn off Instagram + Substack notifications
* mute the noisiest group chats
* keep only calls/texts on (or set emergency contacts)
This is one of the fastest ways to reduce âeverything feels urgentâ energy.
3) Think one step ahead (not ten)
This was Meredithâs core practical shift, and itâs so good:
If planning overwhelms you⊠donât plan the week.Just think one step ahead.
Examples:
* prep breakfast the night before
* decide lunch while youâre eating breakfast
* close curtains + turn on the sound machine before nap time chaos hits
* boil extra eggs while youâre already boiling one
* chop fruit/veg at night while youâre already cleaning the kitchen
Itâs not about becoming a âplanner.âItâs about reducing friction so youâre not living in constant scramble mode.
4) Time-block your phone the way you time-block your life
This might be the most helpful mindset shift for anyone who keeps their inbox at âzeroâ (hi, Anna đââïž):
Instead of responding to everything all day longâŠcreate a few phone windows.
Like:
* 11:30â12:00 = texts + DMs
* 3:00â3:15 = quick check-in
* 8:30â9:00 = respond + catch up
Because being âcaught upâ isnât the goal.
Being present is.
Side note: If you havenât listened yet, go back to our episode with Jennifer Sise. It ties in perfectly to this chat. We talked about what it looks like to stop living in reactive mode, create intentional rhythms, and make decisions from a grounded place instead of a frantic one.
5) A gentle reminder: the goal isnât perfect systems
We even said it out loud: we didnât give â30 hot productivity tipsâ today.
But we did name whatâs underneath all of this:
* reducing sensory input
* creating boundaries around attention
* choosing tiny systems that calm your nervous system
* making the next right step easier
And thatâs the real productivity hack.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.
Try this today (one tiny action)
Pick just one:
* Put your phone in another room for 60 minutes
* Turn off notifications for one app
* Write down the Amazon/to-do rabbit trail instead of doing it immediately
* Prep one thing tonight that future-you will thank you for
If you try something from this episode, tell us what you notice. We really do want to learn alongside you.
Listen + keep in touch
You can listen to the full episode wherever you get podcasts, or on our site: getmomready.com (youâll also find our articles + resources there).
If this episode made you exhale even a little⊠send it to a mom friend whoâs living with 47 tabs open.
And if you want to take this weekâs advice to a more practical level, book a coaching call with Hannah, Meredith, Holly, or Anna to talk through the mental load youâre carrying and create simple systems that make your days feel lighter.
Weâll see you next week.
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Before we go any further, letâs say this out loud:
You are not âtoo sensitive.âYou are overstimulated.
Your phone is buzzing.The news is loud.The group chat is on fire.Your calendar is full.Your kids need snacks.Dinner isnât made.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it⊠you snap.
Not because youâre a bad mom.Not because you donât care.But because your nervous system was never designed for this much input.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
We Were Built for Acute Stress, Not Constant Stress
Thousands of years ago, stress came in short bursts.
A threat.A reaction.A recovery.
Adrenaline up.Adrenaline down.
Now?
The stress never fully resolves.
The notifications donât stop.The news cycle doesnât slow down.The scroll never ends.
Your body is staying in a low-grade state of fight-or-flightâŠand then your child spills milk and you feel like you might explode.
Itâs not about the milk.
Itâs about the cumulative load.
The Part We Donât Talk About
Thereâs guilt, too.
Guilt for turning the news off.Guilt for not being âin the know.âGuilt for having calm when others donât.
But guilt doesnât regulate your nervous system.And it doesnât help the world.
You can care deeply about whatâs happening and still protect your peace.
Those are not opposites.
If Youâre Snapping More Than You Want To, Start Here
Not with shame.Not with a new productivity system.Not with a 45-minute meditation you donât have time for.
Start with evaluation.
Ask yourself:
* What am I allowing into my day?
* Is this input helping me live according to my values?
* Do I need this much information to be a good mom? A good citizen? A good human?
Most of us arenât overwhelmed because we care.Weâre overwhelmed because we have unlimited access to everything, all the time.
And no one else is setting limits for us.
PS. Donât stop here. If you want super practical tools for evaluating your life and reducing decision fatigue, donât miss our conversation with our favorite Productivity Coach Jennifer Sise. It pairs perfectly with this one.
Small Ways to Regulate (Even in the Chaos)
You donât need a silent house.
You need reps.
* Leave your phone plugged in and walk into the next room without it.
* Mute the group chat for an hour.
* Decide when you will consume news instead of letting it consume you.
* Go outside without your phone.
* Do something with your hands (puzzles, folding laundry slowly, cooking, painting, organizing a drawer).
It will feel uncomfortable at first.
Thatâs not failure.Thatâs your nervous system detoxing from constant stimulation.
The Truth
You cannot carry the entire world and the mental load of your household at the same time.
You are allowed to:
* Be informed without being flooded.
* Care without being consumed.
* Protect your nervous system so you can show up regulated for your kids.
This isnât about ignoring reality.
Itâs about remembering that your children deserve a regulated mother more than they need a mother who knows every headline.
And you deserve peace in your own home.
If this landed somewhere tender for you, weâd love to hear it.
Have you noticed yourself snapping more because of the overwhelm on your phone?Whatâs helped you regulate lately?
Reply here or send us a message on instagram.
P.S. A big thank you to Pediped for sponsoring this episode. If youâre looking for developmentally healthy, truly kid-friendly shoes (that your nervous system doesnât have to fight over), you can get 20% off your first purchase with code MOMREADY at pediped.com.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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If youâve ever found yourself doing the âinvisible workâ of your home while also trying to keep everyone alive, fed, and emotionally okay⊠this episode is for you.
This week, Meredith, Hannah, and Anna talk about whatâs underneath âIâm fine, Iâve got it,â and why asking for help often feels harder than just doing the thing (even when weâre drowning).
Holly is traveling this week, but weâll be circling back soon to unpack what this season of travel has been like for her, with and without Iris.
What weâre really talking about: asking for help in real life
This episode isnât a âmake a better chore chartâ conversation. Itâs about the lived experience of motherhood where:
* your brain is carrying 47 tabs open
* your body is overstimulated by the end of the day
* resentment starts to feel like a pressure in your chest
* and you canât even find the words to say what you need⊠until youâre already past capacity
We talk about how to notice whatâs happening sooner, how to ask more directly, and how to do it in a way that invites partnership instead of defensiveness.
Here are the big themes we address.
1. âTake responsibility for the help you need.â
That sentence hit because itâs not about blaming anyoneâitâs about recognizing: my system is overloaded, and I need to say so out loud.
Not passive aggression. Not storming around. Not silently keeping score.
Just the brave, honest moment of:
âI feel like Iâm carrying a lot. Can we talk about where we can shift things?â
Anna referenced a really helpful Big Little Feelings Substack post that captures the âdefault parentâ tension so well. Hereâs the link.
2. The âbehind the sinkâ resentment
Meredith named something so many of us feel but donât always know how to explain:
Sometimes our partner is âhelpingâ⊠but weâre still the CEO of the kitchen (or the parenting, laundry, decisions, etc.).And when youâre always the person behind the sink, it can start to feel like your home runs on your constant, unending effort.
The need wasnât âhelp more.â It was more specific:
âI want you to step in and take the main task. Iâll be the support role for a minute.â
That clarity changes everything.
3. A reframe that actually helps: âItâs too much for both of us.â
We said it plainly: parenting is a lot, even with two engaged adults.
When you start from âweâre both carrying a lot,â the conversation becomes:
* less accusatory
* more collaborative
* more honest about reality
And it opens the door to solutions that feel sustainable instead of combative.
A few scripts you can steal
* Name it early (neutral + direct):âIâm starting to feel overloaded. Can we look at whatâs on my plate today?â
* Share impact (without blame):âWhen Iâm doing dishes after bedtime every night, Iâm exhausted and we lose our time together.â
* Ask for one specific shift (not a full life overhaul):âCan you take nighttime dishes this week? I canât do the kitchen one more time today.â
* Make the work an expectation, not a favor:âThis is what our family needs to run. Everyone has a role.â
Have a friend who could use these scripts? Share the post.
Use tools that remove guesswork
Fair Play cards (mentioned in the episode) can help you see whatâs being carriedâand decide who owns what based on capacity and what each person doesnât mind doing (or even enjoys).
Itâs not about âperfectly equal.â Itâs about âclear and agreed.â
Consider outsourcing without shame
Sometimes the most loving solution is: stop trying to do it all with zero support.
Meal help. Laundry help. A babysitter for two hours. A cleaner once a month. Even one recurring outsourced task can change the temperature of your whole home.
BTS: We also discuss inviting your kids to help you.
A gentle reminder we all needed
Some seasons are temporary.Some tasks are forever.
And both are easier when you stop trying to be the only functioning adult in the building.
If youâre feeling resentful, overstimulated, or chronically behind, it might not mean youâre failing.
It might mean you need help. (And youâre allowed to ask for it.)
We want to hear from you
If you have:
* a script that works in your house
* a way you split responsibilities that actually stuck
* a system that lowered your mental load
* or a future topic you want us to cover
Send it to us. We really do build episodes and resources from what you tell us.
And if something in this episode hit close to home and you want support, you can book a coaching session with any of us.
Todayâs episode is sponsored by Pedipedâshoes designed to support growing feet, and theyâve been awarded the Seal of Acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association.
If youâre looking for kid shoes with more room for toes to move (and a better fit for real-life kid feet), check them out. Use code MOMREADY for 20% off your first order.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber!
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Money is one of those topics that can feel instantly overwhelming, especially in motherhood, when youâre juggling a million decisions and your brain is already full.
In this episode, we brought on Becca Gonzalez (The Money Girls) to make money feel simple, doable, and even kind of fun.
Becca shares how she went from bringing $90,000 of debt into her marriage (and becoming a full-blown âevery dollar has a jobâ enforcer) to building a money system that helped her marriage feel like a team again, and helped her clients stop avoiding their accounts and start making confident decisions.
This is not a boring finance episode.
This is a âyour shoulders drop and you think, oh⊠I can do thisâ episode.
We cover a lotâŠ
1. The money shift that changes everything: understanding whatâs happening
Beccaâs core message is simple:
When you understand what your money is doing, you stop being afraid of it.
So many of us are living in:
* âI think weâre fine?â
* âI donât want to look.â
* âItâs probably bad.â
Becca calls this moving from drama to data.
When you look at the numbers, itâs almost never as catastrophic as your brain has convinced you it is. And once you know whatâs happening? You can actually move forward.
Becca shared that in six years of coaching, only a couple of clients were in as bad of a situation as they feared.
Most women are spiraling emotionally⊠while the numbers are manageable.
And even if they arenât? Once you know, you can build a plan.
Clarity is power.
Becca Tip: If youâre wondering where your money is going, she says historically itâs usually:
* Groceries
* Eating out
* Convenience (hello, Amazon)
The good news?
Those are controllable.
You donât have to eliminate joy, just decide consciously.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
2. Investing in yourself: Is there a âgolden ratioâ?
One of you asked:
How much is too much to gamble on starting a business? Is there a golden ratio?
Beccaâs answer? There isnât a magic percentage â but there are grounding questions:
* Does money already feel tight?
* Do you have any savings buffer?
* Are you investing in retirement (or moving in that direction)?
* Is this decision coming from fear/scarcity⊠or clarity and alignment?
If you invest while panicked, youâll likely pressure yourself to earn it back immediately, and that pressure can sabotage your growth.
But if you invest from stability and intention? Thatâs a very different story.
She also reframed ROI:
Sometimes the return isnât just financial.Sometimes itâs clarity. Confidence. Direction.And knowing what you donât want to replicate.
3. Getting on the Same Page With Your Partner
This is where it got really good.
Becca sees two common scenarios:
* You share life, but not finances
* You share life and finances, but youâre not aligned
Her biggest lesson from her own marriage?
You canât drag someone into money peace.
You can go first.You can model consistency.But you canât control.
Try This: The âValues Listâ
Each partner separately writes 1â5 things they genuinely want to spend money on.
Then come together and explain the why behind each one.
It turns:âThatâs dumb.âInto:âOh⊠I didnât realize that mattered to you.â
It shifts the conversation from numbers to meaning.
Holly shared that the Fair Play system has been helpful for dividing responsibilities (including money ownership) with less resentment and more clarity.
If youâve never seen it, itâs a card deck and system designed to help couples divide household labor intentionally. You can find it here.
4. The Money Rhythms That Actually Works
A. If âweekly money meetingâ makes you want to cry, Becca suggests:
* Set a timer for 15 minutes
* Have a tiny agenda
* Make one decision
* Stop
Thatâs it.
You can build from there. But start small.
B. Envelope System vs. Counting Up
Becca gave a mindset shift that blew our minds.
When you use envelopes, youâre often counting down:âI only have $25 left.â
When you budget intentionally, you count up:âI get to spend up to $X.â
Same math.Very different psychology.
C. Kids + Money: Skills Over Safety Nets
We also talked about saving for kids.
529? Trusts? Custodial accounts?
Beccaâs perspective was powerful:
Before opening up any kind of account, determine your family values.
She goes much deeper into this on the pod.
Beccaâs also gave us one game-changing tip for teaching kids wise spending⊠and stopping the constant âCan I have that?â battle at checkout. Donât miss this in the episode.
A Perspective Shift Weâre Still Thinking About
Holly shared a fact that stopped us:
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed in 1974, meaning women couldnât independently access credit without a male co-signer until then.
Thatâs not ancient history.
If money feels intimidating⊠we are still culturally very new to full financial autonomy.
Grace. For all of us.
Connect With Becca
If you NEED a Becca in your life or want to check out her offerings, Becca lives mostly on Instagram and is new to TikTok.
Learn about her membership + free challenge to help you figure out where your money is going in about 15 minutes + offers: https://stan.store/mindherbusinessgirls
Money Girls Membership ($67/month as mentioned in the episode) is linked through her Stan Store.
Email Becca for 1:1 coaching inquiries:[email protected]
Want to Suggest a Future Topic?
We LOVE hearing from you.
Email us at [email protected].
Want Coaching?
You can book a coaching call with any of the Get Mom Ready crew here.
Question For You
When you think about money right now, what feels hardest:
Clarity?Communication with your partner?Or consistency?
Tell us in the comments.
And if this episode helped you take even one brave step toward looking at your numbers, thatâs getting mom ready.
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Hollyâs onsite with a client today, so itâs just Anna + Hannah + Meredith on the mic, talking about something that quietly shapes your whole motherhood experience:
Friendship.Not âhow to make more mom friends.âBut how to know whoâs safe⊠and how to be safe when someone hands you something tender.
Because motherhood has a way of turning friendship into both:
* lifeline
* and landmine
And a lot of us are carrying a low-grade question in the background of our lives:
Who can I really bring my real life to?
The word weâre side-eyeing: âloyaltyâ
We started with a spicy-ish take from Anna:
âLoyaltyâ feels like a weird expectation to place on friendship.
Not because commitment isnât beautiful, but because friendship isnât a contract.
When people say âI value loyalty,â sometimes what they mean is:
* âI need you to prove youâre on my side.â
* âI need you to show up the same way forever.â
* âI need you to be available when Iâm not.â
* âDonât change. Donât drift. Donât evolve.â
And motherhood will absolutely test that.
We talked about the difference between:
* desire (âI miss you. I wish we had more time.â)
* expectation (âIf you cared, you would.â)
That line matters.
Thanks for reading Get Mom Ready! This post is public so feel free to share it.
A safe friend doesnât demand your nervous system
One of the most freeing ideas in the episode:
A safe friend understands that availability canât be âdrop everything, always.â
Instead of âprove youâre loyal,â a safe friendship sounds like:
* âDo you have it to give right now?â
* âCan I put something here?â
* âDo you want validation or feedback?â
* âNo pressure to respond fast, I just needed to say it.â
Thatâs not distance. Thatâs respect.
The most practical tool we shared
Hannah brought in something we wish every adult friendship had language for:
Before someone shares something hard, ask:
What do you want right now?
* Validation?
* Support?
* Feedback?
* Suggestions?
* A solution?
* Just a place to vent?
Because a lot of friendship tension isnât âbad friend energy.â
Itâs misaligned expectations:
* One person is venting.
* The other is fixing.
* Someone leaves feeling unseen.
* Someone leaves feeling rejected.
This one question fixes so much.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
How do you know someone is safe?
We didnât give a cute listicle answer⊠because honestly, you learn over time.
But some clear âtellsâ came up:
Safe friends tend to:
* treat other peopleâs stories with care (no âshe wouldnât mind me telling youâŠâ)
* disagree respectfully (no contempt, no reduction)
* handle your hard moments without pearl-clutching
* let you be human without making it about them
* disappoint you sometimes⊠and let you disappoint them sometimes (without punishment)
Safety isnât perfection.
Safety is trust + emotional maturity + respect.
Next week: money talk (anonymous + no questions off the table)
We have a finance guru joining us next week and no questions are off the table and everything stays anonymous.
Send anything you want us to ask to [email protected] and weâll get answers on next weekâs episode.
Question for you (comment and tell us)
When you think about a âsafe friend,â whatâs the #1 trait that makes you feel like you can exhale and be fully yourself?
Sponsor: Pediped makes developmentally appropriate kids shoes. Use code MOMREADY for 20% off at pediped.com.
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Somehow we all wear clothes every dayâŠAnd yet most of us are still getting dressed on autopilot. In the dark. Half-awake. Wondering how we became the person who owns that many black leggings.
In this episode of Get Mom Ready, Holly, Hannah, and Meredith sit down with Priscila Smith (author, Substack writer (Follow her page, Put Together), and actual style whisperer) to talk about why personal style is never just clothes. Itâs identity. Itâs presence. Itâs self-respect. And yes, itâs also a very real way to feel more grounded in your dayâŠeven if youâre sweating at the playground chasing a toddler who refuses shoes.
And listenâŠif youâre already thinking, âThis episode is not for me,â because the idea of getting ready makes you want to want to crawl in a holeâŠthis episode is especially for you.
Priscila is not here to turn you into a fashion influencer or convince you to suddenly care about trends. Sheâs here for the moms who are tired, overwhelmed, living in default, and just want one small, doable way to feel like themselves again, without adding a 45-minute routine to their morning.
Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
What we unpack in this episode
1) Why what you wear actually changes how you thinkPriscila introduces enclothed cognitionâthe research-backed idea that what you put on your body sends signals to your brain about who you are and how you show up. Translation: this is not vanity; itâs neuroscience.
2) Comfort vs. default (these are not the same thing)Leggings are not the enemy. Autopilot is. We talk about how many moms arenât choosing comfort, theyâre choosing whatever is closest to the laundry pile.
3) The most honest closet question youâll ever be askedPriscilaâs rule:đ âWould you let a friend borrow this?âIf the answer is no because itâs faded, stretched, or secretly your emotional support shirt from 2012âŠthatâs data.
4) The âthree style wordsâ that simplify everythingInstead of chasing trends, pick three words that anchor your style in this season of life (one can absolutely be a feeling word like âcomfortableâ or âpracticalâ). Bonus: your words are allowed to change, because, you guessed it, youâre allowed to change.
5) How to look put together in real-life mom clothesWe get very practical here:âą fabric qualityâą fit (not tight, not sloppy)âą monochrome outfitsâą clean sneakersâą layers, jewelry, hair, makeupBecause âtop + bottomâ is not an outfit. Itâs just clothes.
6) Why this actually matters more than we thinkCaring about how you show up isnât selfish, itâs grounding. When you feel more like yourself, everyone around you benefits too.
If you want a starting point (no overhaul required)
* Wear one outfit you love on purpose this week
* Notice how you feel at the end of the day
* Look at your laundry basket. What do you keep reaching for, and why?
* Add a âthird pieceâ to your go-to casual look
* If youâre wearing black leggingsâŠplease bless the community with a lint roller đ
Youâre welcome.
Links & resources mentioned
* Priscila Smithâs book: Put Together: Itâs Never Just Clothes
* Priscilaâs Substack: Put Together
* Instagram: @priscila_c_smith (one âL,â very important detail)
* Sponsor: pediped â use code MOMREADY for 20% off your first order
Priscila also shared that sheâs not currently taking 1:1 clients, but if that changes, youâll hear it first through her Substack.
If you loved this episode, send it to a mom friend whoâs doing the âoversized tee + chaos bun + survival modeâ thing on repeatâŠand doesnât realize she deserves better than her 2014 faded leggings.
Thanks for reading Get Mom Ready! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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Sometimes the most âemotionally healthyâ thing you can do as a mom is admit the truth: youâre overwhelmed, youâre over-functioning, and social media is not helping.
In this episode, Holly, Hannah, and Meredith sit down with Alli Worthington (author, speaker, business coach (Hollyâs actual business coach!), and mom of five) to talk about what it looks like to become an emotionally healthy mom⊠so we can raise emotionally healthy kids.
What we unpack in this conversation
1) Why moms feel so much guilt (and why itâs getting worse)
Alli doesnât mince words: social media can be toxic for moms. Because your brain starts believing âeverybody is doing everything,â when youâre really watching a highlight reel + a business model.
Instead, find your trusted people, and go to them when things feel merky.
2) Confidence doesnât come first⊠reps come first
We talk about how confidence is built through action, mistakes, and evidence over time, especially in motherhood. Stop believing the lie that one mistake can mess everything up and instead put effort into becoming the mom you want to be...over and over again.
3) What âregulationâ actually means in real life
Not in a fluffy way. In a âhow do I calm myself down before I snapâ way.Tools that came up:
* Counting down (and saying out loud what youâre doing)
* Taking a pause before disciplining
* Naming whatâs happening in your body (hot, sweaty, escalated)
* Preparing for your predictable âactivation momentsâ (car line, dinner rush, bedtime)
4) Overwhelm makes reactivity inevitable
We talk about how chronic overload pushes you into emotion-brain (amygdala) and takes your thinking-brain offline, which is why you say things you donât even agree with laterâŠand how to stop this hamster wheel.
5) âOver-functioningâ (aka: doing too darn much)
One of the biggest mic-drop themes: over-functioning doesnât just exhaust you, it quietly trains everyone around you to do less.Alliâs practical gut-check:If someone can do it 75% as well as you, let them.
6) The long game: donât make your kids your identity
This part matters: if your worth comes from being needed, youâll accidentally rescue too much, and your kids wonât build competence or confidence.
Get Mom Ready isnât here to tell you how to parent. Weâre here to help you stay connected to who you are while youâre doing it, so both you and your kids can thank you later.
A question to sit with this week
Where am I over-functioning right now⊠and whatâs one â75% solutionâ I can accept without fixing it?
Mentioned + linked in this episode (Alliâs stuff)
* Alliâs book: Remaining You While Raising Them: The Secret Art of Confident Motherhood
* Finding Your Secret Superpower Quiz
* Alliâs Instagram: @alliworthington
* Alliâs website: alliworthington.com
* The Alli Worthington Show (podcast)
If youâve been doing everything and calling it âbeing a good mom,â consider this your permission slip (actually, your order) to stop over-functioning.
And if you know a mom whoâs drowning in decision fatigue and trying to do it all perfectlyâŠsend her this episode as a little love note.
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