In this episode recorded during a snowy winter walk, I'm sharing the huge announcement I've been building toward - and it starts with a powerful truth: awareness isn't enough. You can't think your way into change. I'm opening up about why support is the missing piece in our transformation, sharing a "weird woo" meditation experience that reminded me why community is non-negotiable, and officially announcing that Mothering Ourselves Mindfully is opening for enrollment! This is where The School of Mom began in 2020, and it's coming back more refined, more embodied, and more essential than ever.

1. Why awareness alone isn't enough - you can't think your way into lasting change
2. The reality that our conscious mind is only 5-10% of our experience - the rest is driven by our nervous system
3. The flip side of unsubscribing: What do you want to subscribe to instead?
4. Why unsubscribing from the belief that you can do this alone is the most important unsubscription
5. How my body speaks in full movies and visions during somatic meditation
6. The powerful meditation vision: flying alone through the storm vs. sitting in circle with other women, stoking our inner light
7. Why the only way to fly through life's weather is to first sit in circle and become the light
8. The truth that we don't have many models of emotionally attuned, grounded adults in our lives
9. You get to be the unicorn - and actually, you have to be, because no one else is stepping up
10. Why you can only give to others what you can give to yourself (backed by my entire grad school thesis!)
11. How every time we teach or hear something, we're different people - that's why repetition isn't redundant, it's essential
12. The urgency and timeliness of this work for your lineage - we don't have time to put it off

"Awareness isn't enough. Awareness of why we do the things we do and what we're supposed to do to change it is not enough."

"The missing piece in all of this is support."

"If you are listening and you get to be [a unicorn], I want you to actually feel pride in the responsibility that you actually have to be, because we need grounded, attuned, steady adults in our world right now."

"You can only be as compassionate to someone else, you can only love someone else, as much as you are compassionate and love yourself."

"I am walking this walk with you. I am not gonna sit in a circle with you and try to support you in releasing your shame if I haven't been able to do that myself."

"We don't have time to say, I don't have time for that. We don't have time to put it off. And now is the time."

"Why not be the mom that triggers people when you're like, 'You know what? I just don't feel busy. I sleep really well.' You're not saying it to make someone feel bad, but you're being the unicorn."

1. Mothering Ourselves Mindfully - NOW OPEN for enrollment! Learn more at theschoolofmom.com/mom
2. Unsubscribe Integration Call & Replay - Not too late to join! Visit theschoolofmom.com/unsubscribe
3. Alumni & Current Flourish Members - Check your email for your 50% off returning rate
4. Program kicks off the week of February 23rd - 8 weeks of foundational work for thriving as a human

Send Sarah your voice note right here!

SpeakPipe - Send a voice message to theschoolofmom: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

Mothering Ourselves Mindfully enrollment is OPEN NOW! This is a very well-established program refined over 6 years with hundreds of women. If you desire to be a mindful human, break cycles in your family, slow down, relinquish control, or drop the resentment - you need support. Come walk with us and be the unicorn your lineage needs.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

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In this short episode recorded right before my kids get off the bus, I'm sharing two different pathways into the Unsubscribe inquiry - because sometimes the most accessible question isn't "what do I want to release?" but rather "what do I desire?" Discover which question resonates in your body, why that matters for your nervous system capacity, and how both sides of the coin work together. Plus, I'm sharing final details about our live Unsubscribe event happening January 28th at 7:15 PM EST!

Key Points

1. The two sides of the coin: what you're unsubscribing from and what you're subscribing to
2. Why "saying no to something means saying yes to something else" is a powerful grounding question for boundary-setting
3. How different questions are more accessible depending on your nervous system capacity
4. The Marie Kondo lesson: sometimes "what will I be sad to lose?" is more accessible than "what brings me joy?"
5. Why your ability to access the "what do I desire?" question is actually a reflection of your nervous system's capacity to feel good feelings
6. How many mothers have lost access to feelings of rest, joy, alignment, and groundedness
7. The importance of meeting yourself where you are - whether that's through releasing what you don't want or claiming what you do want
8. How the body speaks in visions, sensations, colors, songs, memories, and images - not just words
9. Practical moments to ask yourself these questions: in bed, in the car, in the shower, drinking your morning coffee

Quotes

"When we are saying no to something, we are saying yes to something else."

"I invite in this question with the very strong disclaimer that you don't always need something. We don't always need to fill the space."

"That's a really cool reflection of where they are because it speaks to the nervous system capacity they have to be in the thing that they want more of."

"The language of the body is very nuanced and sometimes elusive. We need to spend some time with our bodies to really actually tune into that language and understand it."

"You start where you are, you meet yourself where you are at."

Resources Mentioned

1. Unsubscribe Live Event: January 28th, 2026 at 7:15 PM EST - Register at theschoolofmom.com/unsubscribe
2. Send Sarah your voice note right here! SpeakPipe - Send a voice message to https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

What's Coming Next

Don't miss our Unsubscribe live event on January 28th! If you're listening after the event, stay tuned for an exciting announcement about what's coming next - we're revealing something special at the closing of the Unsubscribe event.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In this episode, I get specific about the question we've been exploring in my community this week: What am I ready to unsubscribe from? I share what mothers are bravely naming - from hypervigilance and overexplaining to busyness and shame around asking for help - and invite you to explore your own readiness for change. Using the stages of change model, we dig into what "ready enough" actually means, why thinking can't unwind what lives in the body, and how to discern between what we want to unsubscribe from versus the healthy cadence we actually need. This is essential prep work for our upcoming UNSUBSCRIBE live event on January 28th.

Key Points

1. Understanding "ready enough" - why you're never 100% ready for change and that's okay
2. The stages of change model: denial, pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance/relapse
3. How to move along the readiness spectrum by examining the cost of staying the same versus the cost of changing
4. What mothers are ready to unsubscribe from: hypervigilance, overexplaining, multitasking, self-doubt, shame around asking for help, guilt around saying no, being the emotional load bearer, pressure to hurry, control, managing everything perfectly while ignoring needs, Instagram, social media, group chats, and other people's moods
5. Why you can't just "untick a box" - these patterns are embodied, not just intellectual
6. The importance of cadence and frequency - we don't want to eliminate anxiety completely, we need it at healthy intervals
7. Why we can't be in two nervous system states at once (like shutdown and play simultaneously)
8. What mothers want to subscribe to: rest, sleep, time in flow, trusting intuition, moving slowly, joyfulness with kids, travel, feeling like themselves, soup, puzzles, and the simple things
9. Why releasing the conflicting pattern is required to create space for what we desire

Quotes

"There's very few things in life that we are a hundred percent ready for."

"If you're in the awareness stage and there's some significant discomfort...the discomfort of staying the same is getting more pronounced for you. That is a good indicator that it's time to move, that you are ready, getting more ready to change."

"All of these that we wanna unsubscribe from are programs patterns that were never designed for flourishing or for thriving. These are patterns rooted in stress states and survival states in our bodies and in our nervous systems."

"Thinking can't unwind what lives in the body. Insight is not enough."

"When you're in shutdown, you can't also be in our safety state...That's where play lives, so we can't be in those two places at once."

"We cannot teach something. We cannot model something for someone else if we have not attuned to it and healed it in ourselves."

Resources Mentioned

1. UNSUBSCRIBE Live Event: January 28th in the evening - a 90-minute embodiment experience to unsubscribe from patterns at the physiological, somatic level. Register at https://theschoolofmom.com/unsubscribe
2. Stages of Change Model: Google this helpful framework from the addiction space for understanding readiness to change: https://www.elev8centers.com/blog/stages-of-change-model

Send Sarah your voice note right here!: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2026, I'm literally walking on water—or rather, on the frozen pond in front of our house—as I invite you into an important post-holiday reflection. Before we rush into the new year, let's pause and mine the gold from what just happened. This episode is all about what was happening behind the magic-making of the holidays—the mental load, the emotional labor, the inherited programming that keeps us caught in patterns we never consciously chose. I'm sharing personal reflections from my own season and introducing a question that will guide us into the new year: What am I ready to unsubscribe from?

Key Points

1. Why we need to pause and reflect before rushing into the new year
2. Reflection questions to uncover what felt light vs. heavy during the holidays
3. The difference between traditions that nourish vs. those that deplete
4. Understanding the mental and emotional load of "magic-making"
5. How the holidays reveal patterns of over-functioning in mothers
6. The cost of being the default calendar keeper, peacemaker, and emotional load bearer
7. Why reflection without embodied integration keeps you stuck in the same patterns
8. The connection between overwhelm and memory loss in mothers
9. How awareness is just the doorway—the real work happens in the body
10. Why we're releasing the Gregorian calendar's pressure and honoring the Chinese New Year instead

Reflection Questions

1. What felt really light, nourishing, and genuinely joyful?
2. What felt heavy, draining, or performative?
3. When did I feel most alive and lit up like myself?
4. What did I do out of expectation or "shoulds" rather than true desire?
5. What boundaries did I hold or wish I had held?
6. What am I clear I do NOT want to carry into next year's holiday?
7. What felt meaningful enough that I want to repeat or deepen into it?

Quotes

"Every year we might say, 'Oh, I'm never gonna do this again' or 'Next year's gonna be better.' And then 365 days later... here we are again."

"There is some inherited ways of the behind the scenes of the holidays that we never actually signed up for. That we are literally caught up in the rapids of."

"Reflection without integration and embodied release is just you setting yourself up for being in the same patterns next year and just being more aware of them."

"The sooner we can do this, the more present we are in our lives, the more memories we actually have of these great moments with our kids."

"Your nervous system will choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven every time."

Resources Mentioned

1. UNSUBSCRIBE Live Class - January 28th, 7:15-8:45pm EST: www.theschoolofmom.com/unsubscribe
2. Send Sarah your voice note right here! https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

What's Coming Next

Join me on January 28th for UNSUBSCRIBE—a powerful 90-minute embodiment experience where we'll go deeper than awareness and into the body where the patterns actually live. This isn't about managing your overwhelm; it's about releasing it at the root. We're collectively unsubscribing from inherited programming around guilt, resentment, rushing, and over-functioning. This is not a class to do with kids in the room—hire a babysitter, lock the door, maybe gather with a friend. It's free, but it requires your sacred presence and commitment. Let's start the year (the real one, which begins in February with the Chinese New Year) by releasing what's no longer in alignment with who we're becoming.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2026, I'm sharing an incredibly important distinction: the difference between insight and MOMsight. If you've ever felt stuck knowing what you need to change but can't actually make the shift, this episode is for you. Walking a brand new path through the woods (literally!), I break down why awareness alone isn't enough for transformation, and what it actually takes to embody lasting change as a mother. Plus, I'm announcing our powerful kickoff gathering for the year: UNSUBSCRIBE.

Key Points

1. The distinction between insight (mental understanding) and MOMsight (embodied integration)
2. Why 90-95% of your experience is driven by unconscious programming
3. Understanding that 80% of communication flows from body to brain (not the other way around)
4. The difference between top-down (cognitive) and bottom-up (somatic) approaches to change
5. Why insight can become a way to avoid doing the actual work
6. How nervous system work creates change "underneath the hood" that you'll notice over time
7. The importance of choosing unfamiliar paths even when it feels uncomfortable
8. Why your patterns don't want you to change (familiar feels safe to your nervous system)

Quotes

"Insight is understanding what's happening, but how am I changing this without changing the circumstances that are contributing to my reactivity?"

"Why would I go for the 20% or that five to 10% of consciousness when I can work on the 80% or the 90 to 95% and just change the way I am at baseline?"

"The women in the School of Mom are the women who have the books and they've read them, but when it comes to the reflection questions at the end of the chapter... they don't do it."

"When a mother can see and feel the full dance of the human experience happening in her body, she's no longer a victim to it."

"Your nervous system will choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven every time."

"We are not gonna pass along another generation of shame. It's not, we can't, ladies, we can't. It's actually not an option."

Resources Mentioned

1. Flourished Mother Starter Kit (5 free nervous system practices): https://theschoolofmom.com/starter
2. UNSUBSCRIBE Live Class - January 28th, 7:15-8:45pm EST: www.theschoolofmom.com/unsubscribe
3. Send Sarah your voice note right here! https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

What's Coming Next

Join me on January 28th for UNSUBSCRIBE - a powerful 90-minute gathering where we'll collectively honor the threshold from the year of the snake (releasing/shedding) to the year of the horse. This is not a class to do with kids in the room - hire a babysitter, lock the door, maybe gather with a friend. We'll be releasing the parts of ourselves that are no longer in alignment with who we're becoming. It's free, but it requires your sacred presence and commitment.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In this powerful final episode of 2025, I share the biggest announcement to date on the podcast: I'm closing my group therapy practice, Parent Wellness Group. This isn't a story about failure - it's about releasing an identity that no longer aligns with who I'm becoming. Join me as I walk through the woods and reflect on the profound timing of this decision, the year of the snake's invitation to shed old skins, and what it means to truly embody the next version of yourself as you step into 2026.

Key Points

1. Announcing the closing of Parent Wellness Group, a profitable and successful clinical therapy practice
2. Understanding the limitations of talk therapy and why insight alone doesn't create lasting change
3. The profound timing of closing a nine-year cycle that began in 2016 when I started my clinical practice
4. How 2025 (the year of the snake) has been about shedding and releasing old identities
5. Reflecting on the parallel experience of releasing yoga teaching to make space for The School of Mom
6. Why holding onto the therapist identity was keeping me from fully stepping into my purpose
7. The difference between being liked and being effective as a guide for mothers
8. Moving from therapist to embodiment guide - helping women move insight into their bodies
9. Why familiar patterns keep us stuck even when they're no longer serving us
10. What it means to embody your values rather than just understand them intellectually

Quotes

"I cannot authentically be in a group where I am guiding and supporting women to do the scary thing, to step into their next version of how good can it get, if I haven't done this for myself."

"I am no longer interested in listening to women stay stuck in the same patterns that aren't actually serving them. I am no longer available for that."

"We'll choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven every day."

"I'm no longer responsible for your feelings and I'm not sorry about it. I'm responsible for being a guide to help you be responsible for your feelings."

"You are never gonna get there if you simply think and talk about it."

"To fully embrace and embody the identity that you're becoming, you can't have these competing identities."

Reflection Questions

1. What was happening for you in 2016-2017, and is there something resonating with the completion of this nine-year cycle?
2. What has 2025 asked you to shed or release this year of the snake?
3. What identities, patterns, or ways of living have been keeping you safe but are no longer aligned with who you are becoming?
4. What part of you is familiar and safe but actually in conflict with your next level of flourishing?

What's Coming Next

The podcast will return in January 2026 with a deep dive into the difference between insight (from therapy and meditation) and Mom-Site (embodied nervous system healing work).

Mark Your Calendar

Live Free Gathering: Wednesday, January 28th at 7:45 PM EST - A ritual and ceremonial offering to celebrate and honor our unique thresholds from the year of the snake to the year of the horse. Link coming in the new year.

Send Sarah your voice note right here!: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In the final episode of our three-part HappIER Holiday series, we dive into the science of happiness - because while feeling all your emotions and getting clear on what happiness means to you are foundational, understanding what actually makes us happier is where transformation happens. Recording outside on a 20-degree December day, I share the research-backed truth that might surprise you: only 10% of your happiness comes from circumstances, while a full 40% is within your control through daily habits and practices.

• Why 50% of your happiness is genetic (your set point), but epigenetics means you can influence gene expression through environment and practices
• The happiness trap of "I'll be happy when..." and why only 10% of happiness is circumstantial
• Understanding affective forecasting: why humans are terrible at predicting future feelings
• Hedonic adaptation and why we return to our baseline happiness after getting the new shiny thing (or new life circumstance)
• The surprising research on money and happiness: there's a threshold where basic needs are met, after which spending matters more than earning
• Why having kids doesn't boost overall happiness (even though it brings moments of joy)
• The 40% solution: science-backed strategies proven to increase happiness that are entirely within your control
• The gap between knowing what's good for you and actually doing it - and why fierce self-compassion is the bridge

1. Mindfulness - The foundation woven into all other strategies
2. Gratitude - Expressing gratitude and having a gratitude practice
3. Nurturing relationships - Being intentional about who you spend time with
4. Savoring life's joys - Slowing down to really savor moments
5. Finding meaning - Looking for opportunities for growth and learning in every experience
6. Developing healthier coping strategies - Moving beyond scrolling and stress-eating to more nourishing practices
7. Avoiding overthinking and social comparison - Getting curious about these parts rather than fighting them
8. Practicing compassion and self-compassion - The road all mindfulness leads to
9. Leaning on signature strengths - Identifying and utilizing your top strengths
10. Forgiveness - Releasing resentment for your own wellbeing
11. Doing activities that engage you (Flow) - Finding what makes you lose track of time
12. Taking care of your body - In ways that honor your current season and stage
13. Optimism - Looking on the bright side (or "holloing" it, as my dad would say!)
14. Committing to your goals - Getting clear on what you want and working toward it
15. Faith and spirituality - Connecting to something bigger than yourself

"We don't need to feel better. We need to get better at feeling." - Gabor Maté

"Happiness is really an inside job."

"There is a gap between what you know is good for you, what brings you happiness, and what you're actually doing."

"Forgiveness is the gift you give yourself."

"Life is happening for us, not to us."

"You're the product of the people you spend the most time with."

"We cannot practice mindfulness authentically without practicing kindness and compassion. All roads lead to self-compassion."

• Project 40 happiness initiative at Wentworth Institute of Technology: https://sites.wit.edu/witdeans/archives/311 
• Sonja Lyubomirsky - happiness researcher: https://thehowofhappiness.com/ 
• Martin Seligman - UPenn positive psychology researcher: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman 
• Kristin Neff - self-compassion.org: https://self-compassion.org/ 
• VIA Character Strengths Assessment (free): https://www.viacharacter.org/ 
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow research: https://mlpp.pressbooks.pub/mavlearn/chapter/flow-theory/ 
• Take the Inner Voice Quiz - Discover your dominant inner voice: http://theschoolofmom.com/quiz 
• Join The School of MOM: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlist 
• Send Sarah your voice note right here!: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

Episode 1: Feeling It All - We don't need to feel better, we need to get better at feeling. To feel happiness deeply, we must also feel sadness, grief, and all 87 emotions (not just the 3 most people can name).

Episode 2: Getting Clear on What You Want - Before you can create happiness, you need to know what it actually looks, feels, and smells like for you. Specificity matters.

Episode 3: The Science of Happiness - Understanding the research behind what actually makes us happier and implementing science-backed strategies that fit your life.

Thank you for joining us for this three-part Happier Holidays series. Which happiness strategy resonates most with you? Send me a voice note and let me know!

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In this episode of the Happier Holidays miniseries, I'm exploring a foundational question that we often skip right over: What does "happier" actually mean to you? Before we can create the holiday season we truly want, we need to get specific about what we're working toward—and that requires some intentional dreaming.

I'll guide you through a visualization exercise to imagine your ideal holiday season, help you identify the internal parts (like "Cynical Sally") that might try to shut down your dreaming, and challenge you to get specific about what happiness actually looks, feels, and sounds like for you during this season.

• Moving beyond the generic goal of "being happy" to get specific about what a happier holiday season actually means for you
• The importance of having a clear vision—if you don't know what you want, how can you work toward it?
• Using your imagination to dream into your ideal holiday scenario: floating through the season in your mind and noticing what makes it feel good
• Recognizing the protective parts of yourself (like "Cynical Sally" or "Inner Beth") that try to squash your dreams with "realistic" objections
• Learning to acknowledge these cynical parts while asking them to step aside: "Can we just dream a little bit?"
• Understanding that these protective parts keep us in what's familiar because familiar feels safe—even when it keeps us stuck
• Getting specific about your vision using all five senses: What does your happier holiday look, taste, sound, feel, and smell like?
• Recognizing that happiness is a spectrum—from quiet contentment to euphoric joy—not just the big moments
• The contentment side of the happiness spectrum is often happening around us but we're missing it, and it's much easier to create than euphoric moments
• Asking yourself: "Who do I need to become to have this happier holiday?"
• Becoming the person for whom a happy holiday is non-negotiable—someone who knows they deserve and are worthy of the holiday they dream of

"What do you want? No, but what do you really want?"

"Half the time we want, or we think we want to be happier and to have a happier holiday. But like what do you really want? Like what does that mean?"

"If I don't have this awareness with her and give her an option, these parts of ourselves—they're so rooted in their protection of us—they wanna keep us in what's familiar because what's familiar is safe."

"If you can imagine it, it is possible. If the dream is in you, it is for you."

"You want to be the person where a happy holiday is non-negotiable for you. That's just what you do."

"When I do this exercise and I think about happier holidays, it really doesn't have anything to do with the big, monumental, euphoric experiences. It has everything to do with the quiet moments."

• Take the Inner Voice Quiz: theschoolofmom.com/quiz - Discover your dominant inner voice that gets in the way of thriving: http://theschoolofmom.com/quiz 
• Join The School of MOM: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlist
• Send Sarah your voice note right here! https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom 

Next week, I'll be diving into the science of happiness—exploring what happiness actually is from a research perspective, and how understanding the specifics can help us create our happier holidays. I'll be sharing insights from my early work as a therapist when I developed Project 40 at Wentworth, a happiness initiative that won a college association award.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In this episode, I'm starting our HappIER Holidays series in an unexpected place: grief. I share why allowing ourselves to feel the waves of sadness, loss, and uncomfortable emotions during the holiday season is actually the gateway to experiencing genuine joy and happiness. Drawing from my own experience with the loss of a healthy mother and the traditions that surface grief each year, I offer practical tools for riding the waves of difficult emotions so we can be more present for the moments that matter.

Key Points

• Why grief often surfaces during the holidays, especially when traditions and family gatherings highlight absence or loss
• Understanding that we can't selectively numb emotions—when we shut down grief and sadness, we also lose access to joy and contentment
• The metaphor of grief as a wave: it will pass through if we allow it, but resistance keeps us stuck
• How emotions have a 90-second shelf life when we fully allow ourselves to feel them without resistance
• The difference between healthy emotional release and unhealthy coping mechanisms (alcohol, sugar, shopping) that create false happiness
• Why we need to "get better at feeling" rather than "feel better"—learning to be with all 87 human emotions
• Creating safe spaces to feel big emotions: cars, closets, bathrooms, or with trusted people who can witness without judgment
• How showing appropriate emotion in front of our children teaches them emotional health while maintaining safety
• The power of connection with others who understand grief—you don't need to have experienced the exact same loss
• Setting boundaries around triggering traditions, people, or rituals to protect your tender heart during the season

Quotes

"Grief is kinda like that random hair on my chest—I know it's coming, but I don't necessarily know when."

"We don't need to feel better. We need to get better at feeling." — Gabor Maté

"If we can't be with and feel our waves of unpleasant emotions like grief, it's gonna be really hard to be in the pleasant emotions of joy and contentment and ease."

"You can't pick and choose. If we don't feel sad, if we don't feel angry, we're gonna struggle to feel happy."

"Emotions are energy in motion—these neurochemical processes that when given permission to move will move through you like a train through a tunnel."

"If we ignore, deny, and resist our feelings of anger, sadness, and grief that are inevitable around the holidays, we will not have a happier holiday—or we will numb out with really unhealthy coping skills and have the illusion of a happy holiday."

Resources Mentioned

• Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown—an encyclopedia of the 87 emotions we experience as humans: https://a.co/d/800nADj 
• The School of Mom community—holding space for women to feel emotions without shame: https://theschoolofmom.com/ 

What's Coming Next

More episodes in the HappIER Holidays series exploring how to bring intention and genuine happiness to the season by working with our nervous systems rather than against them.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

www.theschoolofmom.com

Instagram @the.schoolofmom

Book a breakthrough Call

In this episode, I'm joined by Stacy Gooding from Good Order Professional Organizing to explore how we can actually feel ease and joy heading into the holiday season instead of the usual tuck-and-roll survival mode. Stacy shares practical strategies for gift shopping, wrapping, hosting, and most importantly—putting yourself first so you can be present with the people you love.

Key Points

• Understanding that organizing and order in your life is not about perfection—perfection is the highest form of self-abuse
• Getting clear on who you're actually buying gifts for and having honest conversations with family about simplifying gift exchanges
• Starting holiday shopping early by blocking one hour per week beginning in September to order gifts gradually
• The game-changing strategy of wrapping gifts as they arrive rather than waiting for December 24th
• Creating a mobile wrapping station (three-tier cart) with all supplies in one accessible place
• The power of active listening throughout the year to discover meaningful gifts that make people feel seen
• How to avoid the last-minute "I don't have enough" panic by planning stockings alongside regular gift purchases
• Setting up your home for hosting success: preparing guest rooms thoughtfully, creating designated zones (snack station, coffee station), and clearing spaces before guests arrive
• The importance of delegating tasks and letting go of control over things you care less about
• Making your own well-being the non-negotiable priority on holiday mornings
• Focusing on the feeling and experience you want to create rather than perfect execution of every detail
• Treating December as a meditation to notice what works and what doesn't for future planning

Quotes

"Organizing and order in your life is not about perfection because perfection is the highest form of self-abuse."

"We all wanna feel validated and seen. We wanna love and be loved in return. Giving a gift that says, I listen to you, I hear you—that's what matters."

"The thing that we have absolutely no time for is the one thing we very much need, which is the time for ourselves."

"You're always gonna remember how people make you feel. It's the feeling you're going for, not the perfection."

"What would it be like to go into the holidays with your enjoyment and ease factor being the number one priority?"

"It is not possible to do all of this stuff in the four weeks leading up to the holiday. I refuse to do it to myself anymore."

Resources Mentioned

• Good Order Professional Organizing: https://www.goodorderllc.com/ (serving North Shore and Cape Ann areas)
• Three-tier rolling cart for wrapping supplies: https://a.co/d/hOlQvTJ 

What's Coming Next

Continue exploring how to create intentional, nourishing experiences during the holiday season by putting your well-being first and letting go of perfectionism.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

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