I used to think something was wrong with me when I couldn't keep up with other moms who seemed to be thriving while I was barely making it to bedtime. Looking back, nothing was wrong—I was just in an emotional winter while they were in summer. This week I'm sharing the four emotional seasons we all cycle through and why your capacity to live your values changes depending on which season you're in. If you've been exhausted, depleted, or wondering why you can't do it all anymore, this episode will give you permission to stop forcing summer capacity in a winter season.

In this episode:

• The four emotional seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer) and how to identify which one you're in
• Why we've been conditioned to operate at "summer capacity" year-round—and why that's impossible
• How my postpartum depression and grief taught me that survival is sometimes the only value that matters
• What each season requires from you and which values you can realistically tend to
• Permission to let go, to survive, to move slowly, and to thrive without guilt

Quote of the week: "Be aware of what season you're in and give yourself the grace to be there." —Kristen Dalton