Mothering Ourselves Mindfully

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, I'm joined by Leslie Forde — researcher, founder, and author of Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs. Leslie's work began after a brutal return from maternity leave landed her in burnout, and what emerged from the wreckage was a research obsession that has since become a roadmap for mothers everywhere. We talk about the invisible forces quietly draining our energy, why moms have been left out of the health span movement, and why - backed by real data - your self-care is quite literally the most important thing you can do for your children.

Key Points

1. The Three Ghosts — the hidden forces sapping your time, energy, and wellbeing: mental load, decision fatigue, and time scarcity. Leslie breaks down what each one is, how they compound one another, and what you can actually do about them.
2. The suitcase metaphor — why trying to fit your needs into an already overpacked life is like traveling with a tiny suitcase and giving all the space to everyone else. (And why it's time to get your own suitcase.)
3. The biological limit on decisions — you have a decision budget each day. Once it's spent, it's spent. Understanding this changes how you structure your mornings, your work, and where you spend your mental energy.
4. Time scarcity and the brain — research shows that whether the scarcity is food, money, or time, the neurological impact is the same. Mothers are disproportionately drowning in time scarcity, and it's not a personal failing — it's math.
5. The health data that should stop us in our tracks — women live nine fewer healthy years than men, 80% of autoimmune disease sufferers are women, and postpartum suicide is a leading cause of maternal death. This is not a wellness trend. This is a health crisis.
6. The number one predictor of a child's health and happiness — spoiler: it's their mother's health and happiness. The research is clear. Your nervous system regulation is your most important parenting tool.
7. Why moms are being left out of the healthspan movement — men are biohacking their way to longevity while mothers are cleaning counters and filling out camp forms. Leslie is here to change that.
8. Practical strategies — from batching decisions to protecting your mornings to asking your manager what they actually need, there are real, tangible ways to reclaim cognitive space and build a life that works for you.

Quotes

"We feel like it's our fault — but the reality is, we are trying to cram a week's worth of stuff into a two-day suitcase."

"If you're not in good mental and physical health, it actually hurts your children. And nobody wins if you go down in flames."

"Health for moms is my ministry."

"You may have to fiercely defend your dignity and your human right to claim the space that you need. It's difficult, but it's necessary."

Resources Mentioned

1. 📖 Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs by Leslie Forde: https://a.co/d/0iHy0x8v
2. 🌐 Leslie's website + wellness app + research study: momshierarchyofneeds.com
3. 💼 Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/momshierarchyofneeds/
4. 📖 Estrogen Matters — referenced by Leslie on menopause, health span, and longevity for women: https://a.co/d/08miRehA

Connect with Sarah

🎙️ Send Sarah your voice note right here! SpeakPipe — Send a voice message to The School of Mom: 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

I’m braving the frigid New England temps to share this 5,000-foot view on why mothering ourselves mindfully has never been more timely or necessary. From the Epstein files to racist tweets from the White House, the world is asking us to wake up—and we cannot afford to stay stuck in rage or shutdown. This is your call to get on a “boat” you care about, own your experience, and stop waiting for someone else to save you, your kids, or the causes you care about. If you've been thinking "maybe later" or "I don't have time," this episode is the cold glass of water in the face you need.

Key Points

1. Why staying stuck in anger or hopelessness serves no one—not you, your family, or the causes you care about
2. How mothering ourselves mindfully is an act of resistance against systems that benefit from our overwhelm
3. The privilege and responsibility white women have to use our voices for good
4. Why you cannot expect your children to be more emotionally grounded than you are—they learn from what we model
5. The importance of "owning your experience" rather than staying in victim mode
6. How no one is coming to save you—but community and support can help you save yourself
7. The boat metaphor: pick a boat, get on a boat, but don't stay on a sinking boat
8. Why transformation begins the moment you commit, even before the work starts
9. The question to ask yourself: Are you proud of how you're showing up right now?

Quotes

"We cannot, we can no longer put off the responsibility that we have to be conscious, compassionate, committed humans to our loved ones, to our communities, to our planet."

"We can't expect our children to be more emotionally grounded and intelligent than we are. They have to learn it from us."

"There is no time to waste because change takes a long time."

"No one else is gonna step up. We need you. Your kids need you. You need you."

"Are you proud of how you're showing up for yourself right now? How you're showing up for your kids and how you're showing up for the causes that you care about?"

"The transformation is in the transaction."

Resources Mentioned

1. Mothering Ourselves Mindfully: Registration ends February 19th at midnight EST. Program starts February 23rd with weekly live calls for 8 weeks on Mondays at noon. Includes one-on-one call with Sarah, Spotify playlist for replays, and intentional buffer time. Learn more at https://theschoolofmom.com/mom
2. Flourish Community: Integration space for ongoing practice and community support

Send Sarah your voice note right here! SpeakPipe: 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 this episode, I'm diving into one of the biggest barriers I hear from women about joining The School of Mom: "I don't have time." Here's the truth that might sting a little: the very thing that will change your relationship with time IS this program. And the belief that you don't have time is exactly what's preventing you from the transformation you're seeking. I'm breaking down the neuroscience of "story follows state," sharing my own time scarcity moments, and explaining why our beliefs about time are actually rooted in our nervous system programming—not reality.

Key Points

1. Understanding "story follows state" - how your nervous system state creates your beliefs about time
2. Common time traps we fall into: "there's never enough time," "time is a thief," "you'll miss this one day"
3. How stress states drive our scarcity beliefs around time versus ventral vagal (grounded) state beliefs
4. Why saying "I don't have time" is really "I'm not making time" - and that's okay to acknowledge
5. The distinction between seasons where something truly doesn't fit versus when it's a priority issue
6. How writing a book taught me I can never say "I don't have time" again
7. Why multitasking won't work for nervous system healing - you actually need to pay attention
8. What will you wish you had made time for on your deathbed?
9. Integration practices designed specifically for moms (not morning routines that don't work when you're sleep-deprived)
10. When it's NOT a good time to join: deep postpartum, acute life transitions, major moves or illness
11. Why I'm no longer spending time convincing women they have time - meeting you where you are

Quotes

"Story follows state. The state that we are in our nervous system, in our body dictates the lens through which we see the world."

"When I slow down, time slows down."

"I can never ever say again that I don't have time because I writing a book, hours and hours and hours of writing."

"I do have time. I make time for what matters to me."

"This is not another thing that you have to add on. It's changing how you move through what you're already doing."

"People on their deathbed say they wish they were more present, they wish they had more time to play, they wish they were in that nervous system state that is that connected grounded state."

"I am entering a new era where I no longer have time to try to convince you that you can make the time."

Resources Mentioned

1. Mothering Ourselves Mindfully signature program - starting February 23rd: http://www.theschoolofmom.com/mom
2. "It Is Round Time" - bonus training included with MOM program enrollment about rewiring your relationship with time
3. Book a call with Sarah to discuss if the program is right for you: https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/149935
4. Send Sarah your voice note right here!

What's Coming Next

Registration is open NOW for Mothering Ourselves Mindfully! This 8-week program includes four small group integration calls (Mondays at 12pm Eastern or Thursdays at 1pm Eastern) and four live teaching calls. Plus everyone who joins receives the complete "It Is Round Time" series as a bonus.

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 short episode walking in a very snowy woods, I share an important shift I'm making with the MOM Program—and it's all about unscaling. While the business world tells us to scale, grow bigger, and involve ourselves less, I'm doing the opposite. I'm choosing intimacy, connection, and the kind of small group work I know transforms mothers' lives. If you've been contemplating joining but feeling stuck on time, logistics, or that familiar "will I actually follow through?" pattern, this episode is for you.

Key Points

1. Why I'm "unscaling" the Mom Program from multiple groups to one intimate cohort of 15 women
2. The common thread in conversations with mothers: overwhelm, time scarcity, and the gap between what we know is good for us and what we're actually doing
3. How I'm simplifying the structure: 8 weeks, Mondays at 12pm Eastern, 8 live calls—that's it
4. The real question underneath "Can I make the time work?"—it's usually programming, not logistics
5. Why money struggles are directly connected to your relationship with your mother (the "Money Matrix" = "Mother Matrix")
6. The bonus I'm adding for early enrollees: a 30-minute one-on-one call to work through whatever's getting in your way
7. Why most time obstacles aren't actually about moving mountains—they're about asking and worthiness work
8. How this program is designed so you can't hide—accountability baked into the small group structure
9. Why now is always the best time (and why I may not run another cohort in 2026 as I focus on writing my book)

Quotes

"It's just not my jam to strip down what I know is so powerful and important for women and mothers, and that is intimacy and connection."

"I don't wanna sign up for something that I know I'm not gonna follow through with. Like I don't wanna sign up for more shame on myself."

"When we actually look at it, it's not really moving mountains, it's usually just asking, right?"

"We move mountains for our kids and we need to move mountains for ourselves."

"Money struggles are directly correlated to your relationship with your mom. We could simultaneously call the money matrix the Mother Matrix."

Resources Mentioned

1. Mothering Ourselves Mindfully - 8-week signature program, enrollment open now for February start: http://www.theschoolofmom.com/mom
2. Book a call to talk through any stickiness you're bumping up against with joining the program: https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/149935
3. Send Sarah your voice note right here! SpeakPipe - Send a voice message to theschoolofmom

What's Coming Next

Stay tuned for a full episode on money and the Mother Matrix—exploring why our relationship with investing in ourselves is intimately connected to our relationship with our mothers.

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 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

Book a breakthrough Call

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