Tune in for our final episode of 2025 as Jesse and I talk about the top books we read, some major shifts in how I want to show up in life, and why I'm not setting any goals for 2026. I share my top four reads from the year - books that challenged me, inspired change, and gave me perspectives that I didn’t even know that I needed.

From Is Your Daughter Ready? by Kari Kampakis, which offers guidance on raising daughters through modern challenges, to The Fight for Us by Rebekah and Gabe Lyons, which made me face the reality of a lopsided marriage and rethink how my priorities shape our relationship, each book left a lasting mark. Habits of the Household opened my eyes to the rhythms and habits already present in our family life, helping me reframe intentionality in small, practical ways, and The Many Lives of Mama Love gave me a raw, compassionate look at addiction, incarceration, and motherhood, pushing me to expand my understanding of struggles that so many face unseen.

Alongside these book reads, I am also unpacking a major personal shift: I am not setting any goals for 2026. For someone who has been goal-oriented since childhood, this feels like an especially huge step for me, but after reflecting on a lopsided marriage, watching Jesse take such brave steps with his own coaching and health journey, and seeing how chronic stress has been silently wearing me down for decades, I realized that constant planning and pushing has been a default, not a necessity. My blood work and coaching experiences showed me how disconnected I had truly become from my own body, always running on adrenaline, cortisol, and extreme stress while mistaking calm endurance for health.

I have ultimately decided that 2026 is about creating real breathing room - intentionally cutting back on commitments, slowing down, and filling my life with creative and meaningful practices rather than arbitrary deadlines. I am really learning to treat rest as a spiritual discipline, to stop using work as a crutch, and to allow space for real healing, connection, and reflection. I hope that you will listen to this episode as I share the books that shaped my year and the mindset shift that’s shaping the next!

In This Episode

[0:35] - I am sharing my top 2025 reads, and I explain skipping goals for 2026!

[3:35] - Here about how I chose books that impacted me deeply; I highlight Is Your Daughter Ready? and The Fight for Us.

[6:32] - I discuss the impact that the book The Fight for Us had on me.

[10:13] - Habits of the Household encouraged intentional family rhythms and shaped her upcoming 2026 book.

[11:54] - I discuss how The Many Lives of Mama Love revealed addiction, incarceration, and motherhood with raw human insight.

[14:14] - Jesse focused on historical fiction and military novels this year, gaining detailed Vietnam War knowledge from Jack Carr.

[16:44] - I talk about how The Women explored Vietnam War nurses’ experiences, PTSD, and women’s challenges during the war.

[19:55] - Hear how Jesse’s coaching and functional medicine journey sparked major life changes and health improvements.

[22:50] - Overworking and chronic stress left my body constantly in fight mode, risking future collapse.

[23:27] - Early-life coping patterns influenced decades of stress, now being reversed via conscious effort.

[26:42] - Extreme stress had been normalized, hiding true health despite outward calm and endurance.

[28:37] - I reflect on how chronic stress pushed me into survival mode, disconnecting me from bodily signals and rest.

[31:40] - I realized that I had been so disconnected that I entirely missed the changing seasons.

[32:37] - Life on autopilot made me overlook reality, leaving me feeling rushed, exhausted, and ungrounded.

[35:32] - I share how overplanning caused stress.

[37:37] - Choosing no goals allows focus on creative work while reducing hours and pressure.

[40:59] - Living intentionally now highlights mindfulness and purpose but with far less stress than before.

[41:24] - Practicing rest as a spiritual discipline frees me from overwork and supports deep healing.

Links & Resources

Crystal Paine

The Crystal Paine Show - 307. How to Fight Less and Thrive More in Marriage (with Gabe and Rebekah Lyons)

The Crystal Paine Show - 323. Raising Daughters That Are Ready for Adulthood with Kari Kampakis

Books

Is Your Daughter Ready?: 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges by Kari Kampakis

The Fight for Us: Overcome What Divides to Build a Marriage That Thrives by Rebekah Lyons & Gabe Lyons

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley

The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin

Cry Havoc: A Tom Reece Thriller by Jack Carr

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Social Media

Crystal Paine on Instagram (@moneysavingmom)

Crystal Paine on Twitter

Crystal Paine on Goodreads

Money Saving Mom

Money Saving Mom on Facebook

Money Saving Mom Deal Seekers Facebook group

[email protected]

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