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** Download the Self-Indulgent Season Inspiration List FREE: https://www.motherplusser.com/Self-Indulgent-Season **

In this episode, we cover:
•Holiday magic fades fast as mothers, despite our big daydreams that it will be extra magical when we make our favorite childhood holiday moments happen for our own kids.
•When holiday disasters befall us, everything feels much worse than regular crises, and it's generally the parents—aka holiday project managers—who suffer the most while the kids are generally oblivious.
•While you're making your Wish List, write your Bitch List too and vent all your frustrations—cleanse your palate and get them out before the season gets too crazy!
•The antidote to holiday stress and disappointment is YOU—focus on yourself by indulging your senses and making magic for yourself instead of your kids.
•Need some inspiration? Revisit the most delicious memories of the holiday season fro when you were a kid.
•Give yourself holiday pleasure vines to swing from and remember: You cannot control other people's happiness around the holidays. But you can control your own.

In our third annual holiday episode, Stace and Steph talk about one of our favorite subjects: how much we both love the holidays and how disappointing they can be for us as mothers. As we so often do, we encourage mother plussers to GET REAL about their feelings of dread and disappointment, and we're giving you permission to vent with a holiday Bitch List. We revisit the expectation—>disappointment loop and remind you to indulge yourself this year. And we have a question—How do you want to feel this holiday season?

Forgot how to put yourself first this holiday season? We've got 14 ideas to get your wheels turning here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/Self-Indulgent-Season 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

1. Are you a Main Character Mommy? Don't be embarrassed—so are we. 
2. Can we ditch the narrative that quirky, charismatic moms have something wrong with them? 
3. Even in this age of feminism and female empowerment, we are resistant to the idea that a mom can and should be the main character. 
4. The one line in the Barbie movie that Stace and Steph can't stand—because we won't stand still. 
5. Letting our own lights shine does not mean extinguishing our children's lights—we are all allowed to be the main characters of our own story. 

In this solo episode, Steph reads her piece "Main Character Mommy," originally published in Motherwell Magazine. Having main character energy is a hallmark of being a mother-plusser, and we want you to embrace yours unapologetically, as we are learning to do. Also, catch Part II of our Emerging Writer's Essay Workshop Thursday, November 30th—you can enroll here and catch the recording of Part I, or watch both recordings and write at your own pace whenever you want! Now is the time to find your voice, tell your story, and consider getting it out there in the world just in time for LTYM Audition season. Enroll here: https://www.motherplusser.com/writing-workshop

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

**To sign up for the Emerging Writer's Workshop, click here!**

1. Deb shares her opinion on the biggest obstacle in mother-daughter relationships right now, and it's probably not what you think. 
2. Grief is a huge part of our journey with our daughters—letting go is hard, and even when you have a secure relationship with your daughter, your influence in their lives changes, which can be difficult to accept. 
3. Tough conversations: raising daughters in a sexualized culture where we have made a lot of positive strides but yet still deal with constant objectification. 
4. Sexuality vs being sexualized—Stephanie shares the comment she hears from men that makes her blood boil. 
5. "This isn't an emergency." Deb teaches us how to get back in touch with our connection with our kids, to rely on insight vs instincts to avoid panic. 
6. What do you LOVE about raising girls? Deb helps us look on the bright side and tap into our favorite things about our relationships with our daughters. 
7. Deb emphasizes the power and importance of "conscious repair"—make this your new go-to parenting practice—as well as quieting your mind to trust you intuition about what is right for you and for your child. 
8. "Caretaking is not a mother's job—it's a human's job." Deb reminds us that the biggest gift we can give our kids is to model fulfillment so they can see us as whole beings. 

In part II of our conversation with Deb Rubin we do a deep dive into the reality of raising girls right now. We cover sexuality, technology, the positive and beautiful aspects of having daughters, and the evolution of our connection with them, including the painful separation that occurs. Deb gives us tips on how to tap into the quietness of our intuition and remember how to prioritize our own fulfillment in motherhood and shed the outdated "mother guilt story."

Find Deb at here and here!

**To sign up for the Emerging Writer's Workshop, click here!**

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

**To sign up for the emerging writers workshop, click here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/writing-workshop **

In this episode, we cover:

1. As parents, we can't help but project "our stuff" onto our children: Deb talks about "conscious adulting," in which we show up responsible for who we are and invite our children to learn how to be exactly who they are.
2. Deb gives us a crash course in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which is Steph's favorite kind of therapy and large part of the book she's writing. Deb calls it "the most self-compassionate type of therapy."
3. In The Mother Daughter Journey workshops, Deb works with mothers of 9-17 year-old daughters to navigate the changes that happen to relationships during this time, including the inevitable grief that comes with the transition out of childhood. 
4. Deb talks about how we need to continually fine-tune how we communicate with our daughters so that we are not falling into an "outdated version of connection."
5. We learn about the significance of "the mother line," in which we pass things down generationally that may not belong to us and may need to be set down. 

In this episode, we interview Deb Rubin, a Boulder-based therapist and facilitator of The Mother Daughter Journey workshops. Deb is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked in numerous therapeutic job settings, as well as sexual health education, consciously blending the best of both Eastern and Western theories into her practice. In the first half of our two-part conversation with Deb, we talk about what it means to take a deep look at ourselves as parents, bringing compassion and consciousness to ourselves and our children. 

**To sign up for the emerging writers workshop, click here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/writing-workshop **

To learn more about Deb, visit:
https://motherdaughterjourney.co/

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back to the Cycle Sync with me series. Today, we're going to discuss what comes AFTER your period: The Follicular Phase. Most of us haven't spent a lot of time understanding what is happening during this phase of our cycles. But it's actually a pretty beautiful, uplifting time. It's really your body taking a fresh start. In this episode, we'll cover:

1. What the Follicular Phase looks like when your hormones are balanced.
2. And then we'll dive deeper into the four categories of cycle syncing:
3. What To Eat (Hint: Protein + Fiber, lots of fiber)
4. How To Be Productive (Creative energy is high!)
5. How You'll Feel (Estrogen gives you all the good feels)
6. How You'll Move (A great time to work on your fitness)

In this episode, we mention:
The workshop your day worksheet: https://www.motherplusser.com/workshop-your-day-worksheet
The Emerging Writer's Workshop: https://www.motherplusser.com/writing-workshop
In the works: The Follicular Phase shopping list

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

1. Impostor syndrome for creatives is a real thing—today we approach it through the angle of writing, and our tendency to say, "I'm not a real writer."
2. What pulls you to feel the need to write/create/sing/paint? Many of us do these things because we simply feel like we have to, like there is something inside that needs to get out—it's a catharsis. 
3. We talk about the obstacles that hold us back from claiming our titles—"I am a writer/painter/dancer"—and prevent us from putting our creations out into the world. 
4. The inner critic is a common saboteur for creative moms: "Who am I to share this? This has been done before; this is taking time away from my family/work/housework..."
5. We are excited to introduce you to the Emerging Writers Essay Workshop—a two-part Zoom workshop where we guide you through the process of creating a story and get it out into the world. 
6. Creating in community brings accountability, inspiration, and support—ditch the excuses and join us in November. 
7. Steph reads an essay she wrote last spring, and describes the process of writing and publishing it in Mutha Magazine. 

In this Stace and Steph episode, we discuss writing, impostor syndrome, and our tendency as mothers to diminish our talents, succumb to our inner critic, and find excuses to prevent us from doing the thing we feel pulled to do. We are teaming up with Steph's LTYM co-producer Megan Vos to bring you a two-part virtual essay workshop on November 16th and 30th. The workshops take place from 7-8:30 pm MST but will be recorded for those who can't attend live. Learn about what to expect from The Emerging Writers Workshop and sign up before November 9th to snag early bird pricing. Get details and reserve your spot here. 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

1. We learned that our retreat attendees' goals weren't as specific and project-oriented as we imagined—most of them wanted to reassess their day-to-day routines and priorities to make themselves feel better and happier. 
2. Zooming in to the small details of your day rather than zooming out to the big picture/pie in the sky goals can be intuitive and healthy, especially when you're in the weeds with young kids. 
3. Knowing when something has run its course: during the early months and years of parenting, we often adapt our routines to accommodate our new survival mode, and forget to ever reassess and make a change when we no longer need to structure our time that way anymore. 
4. We want to give you your own mini-retreat opportunity for reflection and ask yourself some questions: Is my day working for me? If not, what can I do differently? 
5. Time management is a struggle for both of us—it can be challenging to look at the blank page of a day (when those rare un-busy ones roll around) and ask yourself, "What do I want to do with this day?" Time blocking could be the answer; we'll let you know when we finally get around to trying it. (Facepalm)
6. We'll also ask you to Zoom OUT and ask yourself some big picture questions—what do you envision long-term with your family, and what have you always dreamed of doing for just yourself? How do you feel about your health, your appearance, your home?

In this Stace and Steph episode, we are going to guide you through a little mini-retreat reflection of your own where we give you the opportunity to workshop your day. We want you to assess every part of your day from morning until bedtime, and think about what's working, what isn't working, and what you can do differently to make your day-to-day life feel better. Then we'll zoom out and ask some big picture questions, too. We were inspired by our retreat attendees whose primary goals weren't solving huge problems, diving into a hobby, or tackling a new project: they simply wanted to figure out what small changes they could make to make their days happier. And we want to give that gift to you today, too. So get comfy, grab a beverage and a journal, and get ready to workshop your day!

Download the "Workshop Your Day" Worksheet:
https://www.motherplusser.com/workshop-your-day-worksheet

Get tickets to the Listen To Your Mother Reunion Show!
https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/421928

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

• In today's solo episode, Steph shares an update on her memoir and reads an excerpt. 
• When you're a nostalgia junkie, saying goodbye to your childhood home can be rough—Steph dragged her young kids on a 25-hour pilgrimage to the midwest nine years ago to see her old house one last time. 
• Being a solo parent is a ripe opportunity to confront one's parenting inferiority complex, and Steph found herself face to face with her biggest fears about herself. 
• When we "go home again," even if we are parents, sometimes our parents and grandparents still feel like the "real grown-ups."
• Losing our cool: Nothing feels quite as awful as falling apart in front our kids. Steph had the mother of all meltdowns on her trip. 

In this solo episode, Steph reads an essay, "The Road Trip," sharing her harrowing tale of driving across the midwest with two little girls on a nostalgic adventure that turned disastrous. She confronts her difficulty with letting go of the past, her fears that she wasn't capable of navigating a solo parenting road trip without losing her cool, her identity as a mom, and her least favorite qualities as a person. You know, no big deal. Go along with her on the trip that sparked the big idea to write a book. . . almost a decade later. 

Follow Steph's column, Midlife Mommy, for Real, on Subtack here.

Tickets to Listen To Your Mother Denver: https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/421928

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

• Stace and Steph share the "secret sauce" we've learned from our experiences working with women during our two September events. 
• We discuss the power of intentional connection with women who want to "go there" with each other and get real—and how the effort leaves you feeling filled up instead of depleted.
• You can't plan for the unique alchemy that happens when women gather and are present in the moment—everyone's gifts and needs naturally rise to the surface. 
• Small talk is SO overrated—we talk about what happens when you go deep with conversation instead of sticking to the surface topics so many of us usually discuss. 
• Our new motto: You can't bank respite. You have to keep making deposits or your balance is going to dry up. 
• Sometimes we don't know how thirsty we are until we've filled our cup. The more depleted we get, the harder it is to feel filled up by just one nourishing activity. 
• When we plant seeds of intention, we can leave ourselves a little trail of breadcrumbs to follow to lead us back to feeling the way we really want to feel. 

In this Stace and Steph episode, we reflect on the experiences we had with women in our two Mother Plus September events—one virtual and a delicious in-person mini-retreat. We share what we learned from the amazing women who joined us, and how we felt ourselves after refilling our cups together. Today we want to encourage you to keep making intentional deposits in your "respite bank." We'll brainstorm ideas to take small steps back to yourself to avoid reaching a dangerous level of depletion. Take notes and prepare to follow through and DO THE THING that brings you back to yourself. And here's your daily reminder: Call your best friend. xoxo

P.S. Love the show? Can you leave us a review? It would mean the WORLD to us and help other thirsty moms find the show.

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

Come cycle synch with Stacey in this four-part series, all about why and how we can cater our lifestyle choices to what time of the month it is. 

In Part 1, she discusses the menstrual phase of cycle synching. She talks about:

• Why we should see our period as a beautiful sign to slow down our bodies and embrace the “lazy”
• What she eats to keep her body nourished during this time
• What type of exercise she does — if any during this time
• How she approaches social situations
• The best types of activities to focus on at work 

Stacey is a mother + writer, entrepreneur, and one part of the two woman team that created the Mother Plus Podcast. She has a background as a health coach, food blogger, and personal wellness chef, and still considers her own health and wellness one of her core values. For her food blog, visit www.healthystacey.com. Follow Stace and Steph on Instagram @mother_plus_podcast

• For the Cycle Syncing Guide mentioned in the episode, please visit: https://www.motherplusser.com/pl/2147657766 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger