Operation Optimism

Hi friends!

I cannot fathom the fact that we are approaching one year of everything being shut down from COVID-19. There has been so much growth but still a lot of suffering that has happened. I speak with Julie Brown, co-founder of My Mental Health Rocks in the UK all about how we can support our children when they are struggling in uncertain times and creating a connection.

You can find more information on My Mental Health Rocks by visiting their links below:

https://www.facebook.com/mymentalhealthrocks

https://www.mymentalhealthrocks.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mymentalhealthrocks/

To get the E-book that I referenced in the interview, I’ll link it below:

https://app.sellwire.net/p/2hS

If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take a screenshot and share it in you IG stories and tag me so I can do a little happy dance!

Hey, friend!

I’ve been seeing the term “toxic positivity” floating around my feeds and initially, I felt a pang in my gut because I’m ALL about positivity. However, in doing further research, I find a few key differences between toxic positivity and optimism. I dive in on this episode to help you know the difference and to feel more hopeful in feeling your feelings!

Head over to Instagram to follow all the details of the new membership community coming in March 2021!

www.instagram.com/yourfriendkatrina

Today, my lovely friend Jacqueline joins me in talking about nurturing your mental health after a hard chapter, diving deep into your spiritual journey and how community could change the world.

If you’d like to follow Jacqueline on her platforms, click below!

www.instagram.com/officialjaysnest

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTyxgPYRnk9pRw-z3Ug3E3w

To keep tabs on my upcoming membership community, The Bright Side, make sure you’re following me on my Instagram!

www.instagram.com/yourfriendkatrina

Thanks for listening, friend!

Your friend,

Katrina

Hi friend!

Episode 10 for the Operation Optimism podcast is with Missy Yandow from Slumber and Bloom!

She’s a potty training and pediatric sleep expert who is here with a fantastic conversation about how to avoid mom burnout AND tips for stay at home moms and work from home moms!

You can find her content on Instagram and YouTube!

www.instagram.com/slumberandbloom

www.youtube.com/slumberandbloom

If you’d like to stay up to speed on my content, come over and soak up my Instagram feed and get a dose of optimism!

www.instagram.com/yourfriendkatrina

Today, we have a beautiful interview with the one and only Shaylee Meurer!

We chat about body positivity, raising children with positive body talk and women empowerment!

To follow Shaylee and her movement, head over to her Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/shayleemeurer

If you loved this episode, send me a DM on Instagram and let me know what you loved about it!

https://www.instagram.com/yourfriendkatrina

Hey everyone!

Today, I interview a friend and fellow Wisconsin mom Allie Zusan!

She had a super challenging year in 2020 (even before COVID-19 hit!).

She and I dive into what transpired, how she overcame the anxiety and triggers and ended up quitting her career and starting a business (TOTALLY not part of the plan!)

Life is hard for everyone, but it’s where you go from there that matters.

It’s okay to shift gears and try something new. It may even lead to a new passion!

You can check out Allie’s company and their adorable (bonus: SUPER cozy) clothing at the link below!

www.quotesandcotton.com

www.instagram.com/quoteandcotton

To get a dose of optimism and uplifting content on the daily, be sure to follow me on Instagram where I’m SUPER active and really focus on helping you have your best day!

www.instagram.com/yourfriendkatrina

To see the VIDEO of this interview and to soak up our energy, there is a YouTube upload as an alternate option.

Episode 07 is all about listening to the little whisper in your soul and being proud in following that!

Judgement and criticism are inevitable, but this episode will pump you up to get those twenty seconds of courage to DO IT!

Links from this episode:

Ditch the Mom Guilt and Thrive in 2021 Webinar

Saturday, December 19th at 3PM CST

Register here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cCgWE7PqRhmCb775YrGJAQ

Join the Facebook community here https://www.facebook.com/groups/operationoptimismwithyourfriendkatrina

Hi everyone, welcome to the operation optimism podcast. I’m your host, Katrina Chavez. I am a work-from-home Mom. I’m a recovering emotional spender. I’m a book Enthusiast. I’m on a mission to declutter and overall, I’m a glass-half-full kind of gal or at least most days.Life as a woman in today’s society can feel very isolating, especially as a mom and it can be hard to find someone who gets it without judging you or like talking behind your back, you know, you ALL know those people! I’m here to hopefully help you feel like you’re chatting with a friend who embraces you for who you truly are not who society expects you to be. I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s jump into today’s episode.

Hi everyone, welcome back to operation optimism podcast. I am so happy you’re here. I feel like it’s been ages.What a decade October was… am I right, anybody else?So I’m here today because I saw this meme floating around and if you saw this post about it on Instagram, I mean, you kind of know where I’m coming from.

But today I’m just going to break it all down – and with a little bit of feedback from a very loyal viewer, this is going to be longer than my normal podcast have been. I’m shooting for like 20 to 30 minutes and with a longer podcast comes more prep. And the first time I’ve actually sat down and wrote notes on everything. I want to say- so bear with me if you hear pages flapping… that was me. Okay jumping right in… so this meme, or like graphic, I guess you could say and, I’m not knocking the person that made it or posted it. If you shared this before like I have no judgment, but I feel like it’s very hard to see the positive and things like this and you just kind of self-sabotage and nit pick yourself like especially as a new mom or seasoned mom for that matter, but I really wanted to get into how we can rewire your thinking to do a little switch in your mind. So the picture the graphic says “the invisible load of motherhood: stay at home Mom Edition” and there’s 12 things here that I guess you could call pain points or things that we “struggle with” as moms. I just want to help you out.

So the first one is isolation. It’s interesting how we can feel lonely and is if we are the only ones feeling this way but millions are in the same boat as we are. You’re definitely not alone. Your struggle might be unique, but the feelings are ones that so many others are having right now. There might be like this little Invisible String connecting you to so many others and it may help you to remind yourself of this. That this too shall pass what you can do to find a flip to this feeling is if you have friends Marco Polo or video chat, reach out about what’s going on because I guarantee that she will be there for you to lean on and lift you back up. I feel like we all rise together, we can’t do it alone. And if you don’t have any friends… become your own best friend! I say this because as uncomfortable as it might be to be alone, the way that you treat yourself and how you show up for yourself matters. So be kind to yourself and lift yourself up.

Number two is feeling undervalued. First of all, you’re not a housekeeper. You aren’t the lunch lady. You aren’t the personal assistant to an entitled to your old demanding her 10 snack of the day. You are a wavemaker who is constantly evolving as a human. What you’re doing matters. It is the most impactful job that feels very mundane until you shift your mindset.

And note that if you are feeling under appreciated, it may be a huge help to bring this up to your spouse. I believe that housework should be a two-person job or more. I mean if you have children who are fully capable...

Hi everyone, welcome to the operation optimism podcast. I’m your host, Katrina Chavez. I am a work-from-home Mom. I’m a recovering emotional spender. I’m a book enthusiast. I’m on a mission to declutter and overall. I’m a glass-half-full kind of gal, or at least most days.Life as a woman in today’s society can feel very isolating especially as a Mom and it can be hard to find someone who gets it without judging you or talking behind your back, you know… you all know those people! I’m here to hopefully help you feel like you’re chatting with a friend who embraces you for who you truly are not who society expects you to be. I’m so glad you’re here let’s jump into today’s episode.

00:00:49

Hi everyone, welcome back to operation optimism podcast with your friend Katrina. I apologize because it might sound a little different today. I’m not at my computer with my normal microphone setup. I’m actually in the car driving and a thought came to my mind that I wanted to bring up with you. So I’m driving my promise that I’m hands-free and I’m safe. So let’s get on with it. Today, I wanted to talk about…

How do you set the intention for the day every day?As you know, women tend to set the mood or the tone for the day and if we start our day off in a really foul mood, chances are it’s probably not going to be a very good day.

00:01:55

It’s like we’re putting into the universe that is already going to be awful and there’s nothing you can do about it, but coming from my experience… I have shared my bed, well, my husband and I have shared our bed for five years , five and a half years with at least one child and for a long time, it was two children and they are all very light sleepers for the most part. So it’s hard for me to wake up before them and be like a morning routine person because we’re just not really good at routines. We’re really not we’re really awful my family really awful with routine. So I mean if it’s great for you then I’m so happy for you.

00:02:44

But lately, now that my children are a little bit older… they’re 5 and 1/2 + 3 and 1/2.

00:02:53

I feel like I’m able to be a little bit more. I don’t know. I guess you could say I feel a little bit more ballsy in the morning. Does that make sense? I don’t know if it resonates with anybody but in the mornings, I have slowly started to make myself a priority which I know can sound very selfish as a mom.

00:03:30

But it’s really an investment for your kids like to be able to put yourself first even for just like 5 minutes of the day.

00:03:42

It can really make a huge difference in like a shift in the day. So. I want to share a few things that you can do if you end up getting out of the bed or getting out of your own bed before your children wake up or even if they are awake just making time for this because if we say ” I never have time” or “I’ll find the time to do it.” You’ll never find the time because there’s always something else that will be at a higher priority for you. As women we put ourselves last – which we need to stop doing!

00:04:19

So I wake up early, I mean probably once a week honestly, maybe twice a week if I’m really lucky but it’s becoming a little bit more regular… I wake up a little bit before I know my children will wake up and I sneak out of the bed and I’m sandwiched between my husband who is a horrible sleeper and my son who is a very clingy child and notices when I’m gone most often.

00:04:51

but I’m able to sneak out from them and even just the simple act of making a cup of coffee before everyone is awake and being able to sit down and drink your coff...

I’m all for treating yourself from time to time, but when it becomes a constant thing you do in order to “make you happier” then it’s time to take a step back.

I talk about my history with retail therapy and how I became an emotional spender. When did it start? What drove me to spend? What was really going on?

I also tackle the whole “Carrie Bradshaw” culture and why it’s so toxic for women to see and aspire to be.

Did you know I created a Facebook group specifically for my podcast listeners??

https://www.facebook.com/groups/operationoptimismwithyourfriendkatrina