This morning, I almost lost it. I was standing in the kitchen, unshowered, still in yesterday’s clothes, trying to make breakfast with a crying toddler strapped to my body and I nearly dropped a burp cloth. That tiny moment cracked something open in me. I felt the grief, the rage, the pressure of everything I’ve been holding in. And I didn’t even cry... not because I didn’t need to, but because I was too tired to.

If you’ve ever been one spoon away from losing it, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I talk about the quiet breaking points in early motherhood, how even the smallest moments can trigger our deepest emotions, and what it means to walk away, not to avoid, but to survive. Keywords include emotional labor, postpartum rage, motherhood identity, and mental load.

🌟 Timestamped Highlights

🥄 (00:27) The almost spilled burp cloth that broke me inside

🍼 (01:00) A message to the mom hiding in the bathroom or nursing cold coffee

🌊 (02:45) Returning from vacation and being crushed by the undone things

🤕 (03:20) Separation anxiety, sensory overload, and one armed cooking

🧠 (04:50) The tension headache that wasn’t thirst. It was stress

🚪 (06:15) How walking outside became my way of walking away from rage

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

What emotion are you trying to leave in one room while showing up in another? And what would happen if you just let a little of it come out of you? You don’t have to be perfect or present, and you don’t have to feel better to keep going.

You’re not alone in the mess or the meltdown. We don’t get clean breaks in motherhood, but we do get to name the hard.

Come listen. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

Links Mentioned

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge

📱 Follow on TikTok: @hadiyacoppedge

This week, I recorded a podcast episode, and it felt like me again. After six weeks offline, after travel, burnout, nap refusals, and spilled matcha, I sat down and created something. And it didn’t drain me. It brought me back to myself.

If you’ve ever celebrated something so small it almost didn’t feel worth naming, but you named it anyway, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I talk about the power of tiny wins in motherhood. These overlooked moments help us reconnect with self-worth, fight burnout, and find peace during postpartum chaos. Because even brushing your teeth solo or finishing a lukewarm coffee counts.

💫 Timestamped Highlights

☕ (00:01) The win that brought me back to life: recording after six offline weeks

🧺 (01:22) When putting laundry away felt like a triumph

👶🏽 (02:50) Why I chose peace over frustration during Estelle’s no-nap marathon

🧠 (04:10) A soft reminder: if you clicked play, you’re already doing enough

📝 (05:20) How I reflect at night to find joy in the smallest things

🌿 (07:30) Let’s name three small wins from today and how they felt in our body

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

List three small wins from today. How did each one make you feel? Not how they looked to others, but how they actually felt inside your body. Peaceful, proud, steady, seen? Whisper them to yourself. Let them land.

You're not behind. You're just becoming. And that flicker of pride you feel? That’s your magic.

Come listen. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat

DOWNLOADS

📥 Download the Teeny Wins Tracker

Last week I was curled up on the couch, Estelle asleep on my chest, her little head tucked right under my chin. And as the house quieted, those familiar voices crept in again..."she’s too attached, you’re spoiling her, she needs to learn to sleep alone." But something in my body softened as I held her close. I knew it then: I’m not doing it wrong, I’m doing what’s right for us.

If you’ve ever second guessed your instincts because of what someone else said about how you should parent, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I talk about postpartum identity, attachment parenting, and how embracing imperfection has helped me reconnect with myself and trust my gut as a mom. If you’re navigating the mental load and mom guilt that comes with doing things differently, you are not alone.

💫 Timestamped Highlights

🛋️ (00:01) Holding Estelle on my chest and letting the noise of other people’s opinions fade

📺 (02:45) The moment from The Handmaid’s Tale that still gives me chills

🧠 (04:48) Why our babies shouldn’t know how to be alone at 3 months

💡 (06:45) The night I learned my newborn just needed to be held

🏥 (08:59) A nurse’s knowing smile and how it gave me permission

🤍 (12:40) The reminder every mom needs: If it feels good, you’re doing it right

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

Reflect on a recent imperfect moment in motherhood. What did it teach you? Not what you should’ve done differently, but what truth or tenderness surfaced underneath the chaos.

Every time you choose connection over perfection, you’re showing up and that’s enough.

Come listen. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat
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DOWNLOADS

📥 Download the Tiny Wins Tracker

I almost didn’t go. I was newly pregnant, still adjusting to my new city, and honestly, a little lonely. But something in me said yes to group prenatal care and that yes changed my entire motherhood journey. I found a circle, a friend, and the beginnings of a village I didn’t even know I needed.

If you’ve ever craved connection in a season that felt isolating, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I share how joining a group prenatal care program helped me find my village in motherhood and reminded me I didn’t have to do this alone. We talk about friendship shifts, asking for help, and learning to receive support as a mom.

🌟 Timestamped Highlights

🥶 (00:02) The day I almost skipped group care and why I’m so glad I didn’t

🫁 (03:10) When Nicole looked at me and said, “Want to be my partner?”

🚶🏾‍♀️ (07:30) How one small act of kindness became a turning point

🌈 (11:15) What motherhood taught me about receiving support without guilt

🙏 (14:45) The difference between being seen and having to ask

🤞 (18:10) Letting people help, even strangers, even when it's hard

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

Who in your life truly sees you, even when you don’t ask for help? How can you let yourself receive more of that care? What would it feel like to stop bracing and start receiving.

You're not supposed to do this alone. Let yourself be held, even if it feels unfamiliar. Come listen. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

Links Mentioned:

📅 Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge

📅 Download the Embracing Imperfection Worksheet

I used to think ambition meant spreadsheets, hustle, and crossing off goals. But this week, ambition looked like whispering a dream to myself while Estelle clung to me. I never planned to quit my job. I thought I was just taking a year to bond and breathe, but here I am...still home, still mothering, still building something from scratch. And in the middle of that mess, I found something I didn’t know I was searching for.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your pause was permanent, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I open up about the bittersweet decision to leave my dream job after maternity leave, the emotional labor of letting go, and what it means to rediscover your identity as a mom. We talk postpartum truth, ambition, identity, and the messy middle of becoming.

💫 Timestamped Highlights

📊 (00:01) Why my ambition used to look like spreadsheets and now sounds like a whisper

🍼 (02:17) The daycare visits, goodbye routines, and the truth no one prepares you for

🙅🏽‍♀️ (05:40) “It’s not the baby, it’s the mom.” Ands what I was told and why it’s not true

🏡 (07:47) The sacredness of being home base and what I’ll never say to another mom again

🌫️ (09:22) The blurry space between quitting and beginning, and how this podcast was born

🫁 (11:17) What breath you might need to take to remember who you are

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

What personal goal have you postponed. Not because you stopped caring, but because motherhood made you forget you were allowed to care? Write it down, whisper it, or feel it in your body. That desire still counts, even if no one sees it yet.

You’re not behind. You’re just beginning to want again, and that is brave.

Come listen. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat

DOWNLOADS

📝 Download the Balancing Ambition Worksheet

I made this episode in the quiet glow of a humidifier, sitting on the edge of a spare bed in Virginia while Estelle slept beside me. It was day eight of solo parenting, and everything felt raw. No sisters. No backup. Just me, my baby, and a t-shirt I hadn’t changed in three days. But somehow, in that exhaustion, something lit up inside me and I followed it.

If you’ve ever felt like your dreams are collecting dust while you carry everything else, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I talk about the messy, beautiful tension between motherhood and ambition. We explore postpartum identity, emotional labor, and the tiny choices that keep us from disappearing.

💫 Timestamped Highlights

👚 (00:58) A crusty t-shirt, a humming sound machine, and the spark that started this episode

💔 (02:35) No sister village, no support just me and a baby who didn’t know my mom anymore

📓 (04:30) The moment I wrote, not for money or content, but just for me

🤹🏽‍♀️ (06:10) Why balance isn’t symmetrical and how I try not to drop the baby or the dream

🍳 (07:48) Choosing between making coffee or making meaning in five stolen minutes

🥹 (10:05) What I’ve quietly shelved and how I’m reclaiming it, one breath at a time

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt

What’s one ambition you’ve quietly shelved since becoming a mom? What small, gentle step can you take toward it this week—even if it’s imperfect, even if it’s just five minutes?

Links Mentioned:

📝 Download the Balancing Ambition Worksheet

🎥 YouTube + TikTok: @hadiyacoppedge

I recorded this one from the edge of a spare bed at my mom’s house in Virginia, in a t shirt I hadn’t changed in three days, while Estelle napped beside me with her tiny hand curled around my shirt. It was day eight of solo parenting, and I was holding so much. Not just my daughter, but the ache of what I’d quietly put down since becoming a mom. I didn’t plan to write that day, but something sparked and I followed it.

If you’ve ever felt like your dreams are gathering dust while you pour yourself into everyone else, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I share the quiet moment that reminded me I’m allowed to want more. We talk motherhood, ambition, identity, and how to make space for your dreams during nap time.

💫 In This Episode:

🍼 (01:22) The scene that sparked this episode in Virginia, a sick baby, and no village

👕 (02:45) Wearing the same shirt for three days and still showing up to create

💔 (03:50) When sister time turned into solo survival mode

📝 (04:58) Why I wrote this episode just for me and what poured out

⚖️ (06:34) Real talk on what balance really looks like in motherhood

📺 (08:15) How Netflix, housework, and nap time taught me to choose with intention

🍽️ (09:40) What we give up to be good moms and how to gently take some of it back

🌱 Dream Seed Journal Prompt:

What’s one ambition you’ve quietly shelved since becoming a mom? What gentle, real life step can you take toward it this week even if it’s small, even if it’s messy?

You don’t have to take a leap today. Just one moment of truth is enough. You matter, even in the messy middle.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
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• Ritual Club: Save My Seat

DOWNLOADS

Download the Balancing Ambition Worksheet: https://bit.ly/3GVT4CH

I am recording this right after dinner, right before bath time, squeezing it in while my partner distracts our daughter for just fifteen minutes. This feels full circle because tonight I am talking about how we redefine success for our children by first rewriting it for ourselves. When I started this podcast, I knew I wanted my daughter to grow up seeing her mama dream out loud, try new things, and fail forward if I needed to. If you have ever wondered how to show your child that trying matters more than perfect, this one is for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I talk about redefining success in motherhood, giving our children permission to try, and how our own dreams shape the way they dream too.

👶🏾 (00:00) Sneaking away for fifteen minutes and why this recording moment means so much

💭 (01:09) Starting this podcast as a living example for my daughter

🌱 (02:22) How all my past “failed” businesses were really lessons forward

💪🏾 (04:48) Giving ourselves permission to dream honestly, even in small steps

✨ (07:42) How redefining success for myself helps me rewrite the story for my kids

📖 (09:24) A favorite book that reminds me we get to rewrite our rules

What does real, honest success look like for you today? Not what others expect or what you have always been told, but what feels true and meaningful for you right now. Write it down or whisper it to yourself. Let it guide how you show your children what trying looks like.

Your dreams, your motherhood, your version of success, they are yours to define. One small step at a time, you are rewriting your story. Come listen, I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat

👉🏽 Join the Naptime Profit Plan Waitlist: A course for moms ready to find freedom in their money and time

I can still feel that gut drop when I sat in front of a campus computer and saw my classes were dropped because my tuition was unpaid. I was fresh off move-in day, full of dreams, and my dad looked at me and quietly said, “We might have to go home.” My heart said no way. In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I am sharing how that stubborn hope carried me through unpaid bills, financial aid lines, tears, and becoming a first-generation college graduate. If you have ever felt like your dream might slip through your fingers, this one is for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I share my story of paying for college without money, how I stayed determined as a first-generation student, and how that same grit shapes my motherhood and money mindset today.

🎓 (00:01) The shock of having my classes dropped on day one and deciding I was not going home

🙏🏽 (01:09) How my aunt, uncle, and dad shaped my college dreams and how I hustled for every dollar

🏫 (02:50) Finding the right office, meeting an angel behind a desk, and the scholarships that saved me

💪🏾 (00:01) Taking the GRE on my own terms and proving my worth outside test scores

🌱 (04:37) Choosing what success means for me now and passing that truth to my daughter

What does true success mean to you, right now, in this season of life? If no one else defined it, what would feel deeply true for you and how would that shape what you want for your kids?

You get to choose your success, mama. Not your past. Not your tests. Not the voices who say you cannot. If you need a reminder, come back here. I saved you a seat.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat

DOWNLOADS

👉🏽 Join the Naptime Profit Plan Waitlist — for moms who want to find the money already in their lives and create more freedom

I still laugh about how hard it felt to name a tiny person I’d never met. I remember sitting at my computer, nine months pregnant, blankly scrolling baby name websites while sipping my morning latte and wondering, who are you in there? In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I’m telling you the truth about how Estelle got her name, why I didn’t find out her gender, and what this name means to my mama heart now. If you’ve ever stared at a baby name list and felt totally clueless, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Ask Me How I’m Really Doing, I share my baby naming story, how culture and intuition guided me, and why naming our babies is so deeply tied to our motherhood identity.

🍼 (00:00) The pressure of naming a baby you’ve never met

🎶 (01:27) How Whitney Houston songs and dance shaped my girl mom intuition

🎉 (04:43) The surprise of labor, birth, and hearing “It’s a girl!” for the first time

🌟 (07:08) Why “Estelle” means star and how her name still feels perfect today

💌 (09:29) My invitation for you to share your baby’s name and story with me

What is the story behind your child’s name? How does saying it out loud make you feel about your motherhood journey and the dreams you hold for them?

Mama, naming a baby is no small thing. It’s a gift, a prayer, and a tiny whisper of who they might become. I’d love to hear your naming story too send me a DM or a voice memo. I’m saving you a seat, always.

Hadiya ☕️ 💖

FOLLOW ME AROUND

• Subscribe on YouTube: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Follow on TikTok: @HadiyaCoppedge
• Ritual Club: Save My Seat