A real-life hiking story in Oahu that reveals how maternal anxiety shapes our nervous system, and how awareness helps us respond instead of react.

What causes anxiety in motherhood?

Motherhood anxiety is often caused by neurological and hormonal changes that rewire the brain for heightened protection and threat detection, a process known as matrescence. Increased awareness of stress responses helps parents regulate their nervous system and model emotional safety for their children.

This directly answers:

1. “Why am I more anxious as a mom?”
2. “Is anxiety normal after becoming a parent?”
3. “What is the mom brain?”

Motherhood doesn’t make you anxious, it rewires your brain for protection.

In the first episode of Paddle Forward Season 2, host Anacani Walters shares a powerful real-life moment from a hike in Oahu with her 3-year-old and her mom that stopped her in her tracks. As her stress levels rose on the trail, Ana noticed her son begin to repeat her own anxious language, revealing how deeply children mirror a parent’s nervous system.

Drawing from her background in emergency medicine, yoga, and matrescence education, Ana explores why maternal anxiety is not a personal failure but a biological response rooted in survival. She unpacks how awareness becomes the first step toward regulating stress, reshaping communication, and modeling resilience for our children.

This episode sets the tone for Season 2 of Paddle Forward...where motherhood, identity, fear mindset, stress management, and holistic wellness meet real life.

If you’ve ever questioned your reactions as a parent or felt overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility, this episode is for you.

00:00 – Rewiring the Mom Brain

00:43 – Welcome to Paddle Forward

01:30 – Life Update: Okinawa to Oahu

02:13 – Sensory Overload & Re-entry Stress

03:00 – Choosing the Hike

04:27 – Anxiety on the Trail

08:22 – When Kids Mirror Our Stress

09:19 – Understanding Maternal Anxiety & Matrescence

10:41 – Awareness as the First Tool for Change

14:21 – Season 2 Themes & Closing Reflection

If this episode resonated, share it with another parent who needs permission to breathe.

Leave a review to help this message ripple outward and remember: awareness is the first paddle stroke forward.

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What do you do when life sideswipes your plans with a financial curveball and a freak playground accident? You breathe, you cry, and you paddle forward—one thumb at a time.

In this raw, car-recorded episode of Paddle Forward, host Anacani Walters shares how losing a major contract and nearly breaking both hands on a rainy day slide with her toddler became a crash course in presence over perfection. From adrenal fatigue awareness to the metaphor of the “diaper bag mindset,” Anacani unpacks how emotional preparedness, softness, and backup plans can shift how we mother, move, and lead.

This is for every woman navigating uncertainty with grace, grit, and love. Especially if you’ve ever felt like you had to hold it all together—with one working hand and a full heart.

💫 Listen in for:

A permission slip to rest

Oceanic metaphors for resilience

A gentle nudge to “pack your diaper bag anyway”

TIMESTAMPS:

Thanks for joining me today on Paddle Forward: Navigating Life’s Currents. If this episode stirred something in your heart or reminded you of your own strength, don’t paddle alone.

✨ Visit anacaniwalters.com to explore holistic wellness support, yoga flows for motherhood, and free guides like "Top 12 Poses for Motherhood."

🌊 Dive into the ocean-inspired sisterhood at PHAT Mermaids for SUP classes, retreats, and confidence coaching: phatmermaids.com

🧡 Stay in the flow with us:

Instagram: @anacaniwalters | @phatmermaids

Facebook Groups: Thriving Moms Over 30 + PHAT Mermaids Lagoon

Mindful Roots Hub: Stress support, oils, and mindful parenting tools

💌 Want more self-love, stories, and strength? Sign up for my private member area and weekly love notes at anacaniwalters.com.

📣 Ready to bring oceanic empowerment to your next event or retreat? Invite me to speak.

We rise, we fall, we float, we paddle again. I’m so glad you’re here. Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share the episode with another mermaid who needs this wave of support.

#PaddleForward #PHATMermaids #MatrescenceMagic #OceanHealing #MotherhoodUnfiltered

In this soul-soaked episode of Paddle Forward, Anacani Walters explores the deeper layers of heat exhaustion—not just physical, but mental, emotional, and energetic. Sharing a real-life moment from the Okinawa zoo (hello, toddler meltdown in the sun 🌞), she walks you through how to listen to your body like you would your child—before it’s in crisis mode.

Whether you’re a paddleboard beginner or just trying to parent through a sticky summer, this episode will help you create real-time tools for hydration, breath, self-regulation, and radical preparation.

This episode is for:

Mamas running hot, fast, and overwhelmed

Women pushing through burnout (and needing permission to pause)

SUP-curious souls wondering how to start with confidence

[00:00:00] Intro: It doesn’t take a crisis to be exhausted

🧜🏽‍♀️ Free SUP Confidence Booster Guide

🧘🏽‍♀️ Staying Sane as a Busy Parent Guide

📍 Okinawa Friends: Let’s Paddle Together!

📲 Let’s Stay Connected

Welcome back to Paddle Forward! In this heartfelt first episode, Anacani Walters unpacks what she calls the “Diaper Bag Mindset”—a way of preparing for life’s messy moments with compassion, confidence, and clarity. Whether you’re heading to a splash pad with your toddler or your first stand-up paddleboard lesson, this episode invites you to reframe preparation as self-love, not fear.

We cover:

🔥 The real-life splash pad moment that inspired this episode

🧠 Why prepping isn’t about expecting disaster—it’s about protecting joy

🌊 How paddleboarding and parenting both require soft strength

💥 How the Diaper Bag Mindset creates more ease, confidence, and grace

💌 Two free guides to help you feel more prepared in whatever season you’re in

Let this be your reminder that confidence doesn’t come from having it all together. It comes from packing your bag, showing up, and knowing you’ve got this—even when it gets messy.

[00:00:00] The unseen strength of “quiet confidence”

🎁 Free SUP Confidence Booster Guide

🎁 Staying Sane as a Busy Parent Guide

📲 Follow & Connect

🧜🏽‍♀️ Want to paddle with me before I leave Okinawa?

🎧 Subscribe to Paddle Forward

In this powerful episode of Paddle Forward: Navigating Life’s Currents, Anacani Walters gets real about what’s actually stopping so many women from trying something new — and it’s not the water.

From body image struggles to fear of failure and judgment, Anacani unpacks the hidden fears that hold us back in life and how stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) helped her confront them all. Whether you’re a mom, a midlife queen, or just a woman ready to reconnect with your strength, this episode is your invitation to paddle forward — fear and all.

You'll learn:

Why the fear isn’t about the activity, it’s about self-worth

How SUP and SUP Yoga helped Anacani rewrite her inner narrative

What falling in the water can teach us about standing tall in life

How moms can use confidence on the water to ripple into parenting, self-care, and beyond

🔗 FREE GIFT → Grab your Self-Confidence Booster Guide and start building belief in yourself — one brave breath at a time.

🌊 Want to paddle with me?

00:00 – Welcome to Paddle Forward

✨ Instagram: @phatmermaids

or @anacaniwalters

Feeling touched out, overwhelmed, or just not okay lately? You’re not alone. In this heart-led solo episode, Anacani gets real about what it’s like to navigate motherhood, mental health, and rainy season chaos in Okinawa—all while trying to hold it together.

If your nervous system is fried and your self-talk is spiraling, this episode is the hand on your back reminding you: you’re not broken, you’re just human.

We’re diving into:

💌 Want to feel more supported this season?

👉 Download the free guide here

🎧 Like this episode?

Subscribe so you never miss an episode

Leave a quick review—it helps the podcast grow

Screenshot this episode & tag me @anacaniwalters on IG so I can send you a thank-you gift 💛

DM me “podcast” for support, collabs, or to just say hi!

✨ More from Anacani:

Paddle Forward: Navigating Life’s Currents with Anacani Walters

Welcome back to Paddle Forward! In this heartfelt episode, I dive deep into the realities of balancing business, motherhood, and self-care—without burning out.

I open up about my journey from being a workaholic nurse to a multi-passionate entrepreneur, my struggles with severe heart conditions in my 20s and 30s, and the wake-up call that forced me to rethink how I approach work, family, and well-being.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🚀 Ready to integrate self-care into your busy schedule? Try these resources:

📌 Timestamps:

✨ If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review! Your support helps more women find this podcast and join the conversation.

Stay beautiful, stay you, and keep paddling forward. 🌊💙

Ever feel like everyone else has it figured out while you’re just trying to keep up? You’re not alone. In this episode of Paddle Forward: Navigating Life’s Currents, we’re diving into the illusion of success—how comparison, judgment, and assumptions distort our reality, making us feel inadequate in business, motherhood, and life.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

🌊 Whether you’re navigating entrepreneurship, motherhood, or personal growth, this episode is your reminder that you are not falling behind—you're exactly where you're meant to be.

💙 For fearless confidence & body positivity on the water → PHAT Mermaids

🌊 For wellness, self-discovery, and navigating life’s biggest transitions → Anacani Walters

📲 Join the conversation on Instagram! @anacaniwalters

🎙 Subscribe & Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Until next time—keep moving, keep growing, and most of all, keep paddling forward. 🚀💙

Ever felt paralyzed by fear? That little voice telling you, Who do you think you are? Yeah, me too. But here’s the truth—fear doesn’t mean stop. It means GO. 🚀

In this episode of Paddle Forward Podcast, we’re diving deep into what it really means to do it scared—to take action despite the doubts, the what-ifs, and the fear of failing. I’m sharing my personal journey, from running marathons to overcoming my fear of water (yup, your SUP instructor used to be terrified of open water!), and how I’ve built a life of showing up even when I don’t feel ready.

We’re also talking about the deposits we make into the universe—those everyday moments of kindness, resilience, and courage that come back to us when we need them most. Because success isn’t luck—it’s energy, and we get back what we put in.

🔥 Your Challenge: Pick ONE thing that fear has been holding you back from and take a step toward it this week. No waiting for the perfect time. No overthinking. Just do it.

🌊 If you're in Okinawa, book a SUP lesson with me and let’s get you standing tall on the water—because if you can do that, you can do anything.

🎧 Want to hear the full story of my snorkeling adventure and how I faced my biggest fear? Listen to Episode 13: "Conquer Your Fears – How Paddleboarding Transformed My Life" 👉 Listen Now

💙 EmpowerHER Mama Collective (for moms): Join Here💙 EmpowerHER Biz Collective (for heart-led entrepreneurs): Join Here

📢 Loved this episode? Leave a review and share with a friend who needs to hear this today! 💙✨

Perfectionism isn’t about high standards—it’s fear dressed in fancy clothes. In this episode of Paddle Forward, I get real about how perfectionism sneaks into motherhood, business, and even paddleboarding, keeping us stuck and afraid to take action. From the mom who won’t join a baby & me yoga class to the entrepreneur waiting for the "perfect" launch, we’ve all been there.

I’ll share my own journey as a recovering perfectionist, what I’ve learned from teaching women to paddle past their fears (literally!), and three powerful ways to break free from perfectionism and move forward with confidence.

If you’ve been waiting for permission to show up messy, imperfect, and beautifully YOU—this is it. Grab your paddle, your coffee, and let’s dive in.

Mentioned in this episode:

🎧 Listen now and tell me: What’s one thing you’re going to do imperfectly this week?