Plan Simple with Mia Moran

What if having it all didn’t mean doing everything, being perfect, or squeezing more into an already-full life?

In the first episode of this three-part series, I’m sharing the first step in creating what you want across your business, health, family, and life: start with calm.

I’ll show you why the emotions you bring to planning shape the choices you make, how planning can become an act of care for your future self, and how to use my CALM framework.

Meaningful momentum doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from making your next decision from an emotional place that can actually support you as you take your next step.

Learn more about FLOW365 or book a call with me at https://plansimple.com/flow365.

“The more I've worked with the dead, the more my life has blossomed.”

–Perdita Finn

Our ancestors didn’t have money and grocery stores and medicines … they had their ancestors. We do too. I’m so excited to talk with Perdita Finn, the author of Mothers of Magic, about tapping into all the mothers on the other side.

Perdita wrote about what it meant to be a mother before patriarchy, what has happened to our idea of being a mother within civilization — and what it might look like to imagine the mother beyond it.

Mothering and how you’ve been mothered takes up more space than many of us even realize in its different iterations, so this conversation feels powerful.

We talk about:

• Human history as wanderers and what changed when we began settling
• The erasure of the grandmother and the war on young women
• Why one mother is not enough (you’re not supposed to be)
• The deep roots of why women’s friendships feel fraught
• Feeling held by love on both sides of the veil
• Fretting and handing over your worries

ABOUT PERDITA

Perdita Finn — writer, woodwife, witch — is the author of Mothers of Magic.

LINKS

• https://takebackthemagic.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/perditafinn/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/perdita-finn-12764224/
• Pause Magazine, Issue 5

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action.

Sometimes action gets a bad rap. You can be kind to yourself. You can practice being AND doing, but for change to happen you have to take steps. The way we take care of ourselves is making the steps doable and focusing on one thing at a time. We take time to integrate the change and then move on to the next one. Pick a Doable Change that resonates with you the most to start from.

Here are three Doable changes that we chose from this conversation.

• CREATE A FRETTING PRACTICE. It’s okay to feel your worries and not silence them. Try naming your worries and handing each over to an ancestor. How does it feel when you do this every morning for a week?
• CALL ON GRANDMOTHER ANCESTORS. We were not meant to mother alone. We hear that sometimes but do you believe it? One mother is not enough. What happens when you call upon your mother, grandmothers, generations before to help you in your own mothering or in your need to be mothered?
• SEEK WISDOM FROM LIVING GRANDMOTHERS. Who do you know who embodies grandmother energy. Take them to tea. Ask them lots of questions. Bring what you are sitting with and get an elder’s perspective.

“Real conversations lead to opportunities and opportunities lead to sales.”

–Sue B. Zimmerman

You can’t outsource conversations. Sue B. Zimmerman, specialist in intentional online marketing and simplifying social media strategy believes Instagram conversations are great for business.

It’s about building trust and engaging in conversations, but that doesn’t have to take hours. Sue shows us how social media can feel less like a thing you should do and more like a thing you enjoy that leads to opportunities which lead to sales.

We talk about:

• How each feature on Instagram is an opportunity to show up in a unique way
• The benefits of a live instead of a video and how to build trust with video
• A time breakdown for creating social content and fitting it into pockets in your day
• How to use strategic commenting to engage with people
• Tagging leads in DMs and responding to everything
• Sharing things that are entertaining while making sure there’s a clear connection to your business

ABOUT SUE

Sue B. Zimmerman is a lifelong entrepreneur, relationship-driven sales mentor, and sought-after online marketing educator with more than 30 years of business experience. Known for her no-BS teaching style and ability to simplify social media strategy, Sue has privately coached hundreds of entrepreneurs to grow their visibility, confidence, and revenue through authentic connection and intentional online marketing.

LINKS

• suebzimmerman.com
• https://learnwithsbz.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/suebzimmerman/?hl=en
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/suebzimmerman/
• https://www.facebook.com/SuebZimmermanEnterprise/
• Pause Magazine, Issue 5

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action.

Doable changes are things that you can add into your life, one at a time to make micro shifts and really create a ripple effect that will create a big change over time. Choose one that really piques your interest and roll with it.

Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• 15 MINUTE CHALLENGE. Spending too much time creating social? Set a timer for 15 minutes. Use that time to create your post. A tip from the magazine: Your life is the content. Ask yourself: What in my life today connects to what my audience needs?
• TIME GAP COMMENTING. You can schedule 15 minutes to go in and comment strategically, but you can also try using those little gaps of time — while waiting in line or between calls. Comment strategically on complimentary accounts. Get involved in the conversation.
• TRY GOING LIVE. Going live has a different energy than you talking to your phone for a video. Even if you aren’t that used to being in front of the camera, you can learn to be more comfortable. And video builds trust.

“The Oracle cards are simply a method for spirit, God source, or your spirit team or a loved one to speak to you.”

–Patty Lennon

From corporate to business coach to spiritual guide — Patty Lennon takes us on a wild ride and shows what happens when you really listen to your intuition and guides.

Patty Lennon is the resident oracle expert for Pause Magazine. She does a card pull for each issue and helps teach readers how to use Oracle cards in their lives.

Patty explains how she got here, what Spirit means to her, how Oracle cards are like a telephone. Then we dive deep into using the cards

We talk about:

• Following what you are good at and what people need — and how sometimes that isn’t your way
• Why Oracle cards are tool that helps get your brain involved
• The patterns that can emerge when you pull cards day after day
• The kinds of questions to bring to the cards
• How to deal with a message you don’t like and how to use an explainer card
• Getting ready to pull a card

ABOUT PATTY

Patty Lennon, a former type-A corporate banker who discovered there was more to life than making money, is the best-selling author, keynote speaker, certified coach, and founder of The Receiving School®. She’s the resident oracle expert of Pause Magazine.

LINKS

• Make Space for Magic Book
• https://www.pattylennon.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/pattylennon/
• https://www.youtube.com/@PattyLennon
• Pause Magazine: Issue 5
• https://plansimple.com/let-go-and-receive-with-patty-lennon/
• https://plansimple.com/trust-your-calendar-with-patty-lennon/

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Action is where change happens.

Even though we want big change, it’s really little things done over and over that make the difference. So pick a doable thing. Put it in your calendar. Weave it through your days for a week and then move on to the next one. It will have a snowball effect.

Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• ENGAGE WITH A CARD. Let the image speak to you first. Notice what draws your attention, what emotions arise, what feels familiar or surprising. After receiving that, then turn to the guidebook message connected to the card.
• PULL A CARD FOR 14 DAYS. What happens when you pull a card for 2 weeks straight? (Or longer?) Pull a card every day and see what emerges over time.
• FOLLOW UP TO A CARD YOU DON’T LIKE. Ask for help understanding the card that upsets you. You can put the card aside and come back to it the next day. Or you can pull an explainer card from a different deck and see what that opens up for you.

“It's always an option for you to want to do incredible things.”

–S.E. Martin

Not sure what’s next? I’m talking with writer S.E. Martin who has continued to evolve with the support of FLOW365.

Shauna’h went from career and mom with little kids to side hustles and travels in Spain to published author. It’s been amazing watching her evolve. We featured her books in our Romance Collection in Pause Magazine’s summer issue.

Shauna’h loves the structure and the container of FLOW, the rituals and routines that work for her even when life gets busy. She’s been with us since 2019 and finds the support and community continue to help her do incredible things.

We talk about:

• How support can help you not lose yourself in the now and look ahead to what you want
• The importance of learning to take care of yourself
• Why you can keep getting things out of FLOW as you evolve
• Making choices — what you can cut out to keep the things that really matter
• How FLOW’s Get It Done days help move projects forward and balance the things you need to do
• Getting overwhelmed trying to figure it all out yourself and how amazing the FLOW community is

ABOUT SHAUNA’H

Shauna’h writes under the pen name S.E. Martin. She is an enrolled member of the Mohawk Nation at Six Nations of the Grand River in Ohsweken, Ontario. She grew up in Niagara Falls, New York, and now lives in New England with her husband and children. She is the author of the Medicine Game series — contemporary sports romance rooted in Haudenosaunee culture and community.

LINKS

• https://mybook.to/MedicineGameSeries
• https://www.instagram.com/semartin_writer
• Get S.E. Martin’s hockey romance delivered to your inbox
• Pause Magazine, Issue 5
• FLOW365

“We're all creative. We just lose track of that at times, but you don't need to do much to get started. We all have an artist inside of us.”

–Holly Becker

“What haven't I done yet that maybe I could do that would make other people happy?” That’s the guiding question to Holly Becker’s business world. Holly is an artist and multi-passionate entrepreneur who writes books, teaches, classes, does interior design … all under a creative umbrella.

What could you do that would make other people (or yourself) happy? Maybe give art journaling a try. The beauty of it? No rules. It’s easy to start. And you can dive into any topic or emotion in your journal. It can be healing or fluffy and fun.

Holly talks about journaling in this conversation and also in the summer issue of Pause Magazine.

We talk about:

• Trying the things that are interesting to you and finding the umbrella that holds them together
• The power of accountability when doing the things that make a difference
• Showing up even when it feels like you are talking to an empty room
• Tricks for getting past being uncomfortable talking on camera
• Why to art journal
• How to get started with art journaling

ABOUT HOLLY

Holly Becker is an interior designer, author, journalist, teacher and founder of the blog decor8.

LINKS

• https://www.decor8blog.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/decor8
• https://substack.com/@decor8
• Pause Magazine, Issue 5
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
• Palette Perfect by Lauren Wager

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Action is where change happens.

But here's the thing: when we have a goal, a wish, a desire bubbling up in us, it can feel really huge. Sometimes we stop ourselves in our tracks based on how huge our desire feels. Change needs action, but it doesn't need huge action. When we focus on the next step, the next Doable Change that we can integrate into our lives, we don’t get stuck and we create momentum.

Choose one Doable Change that resonates with you today and really play with it. Fit it into your life, your days, make it work for you — then move on to your next Doable Change.

Here are Three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• ASK A QUESTION. Ask yourself Holly’s guiding question: What haven't I done yet that maybe I could do that would make other people happy? Don’t censor or make excuses why you can’t do it. Just list ideas.
• COLLECT ART SUPPLIES. Gather some materials you could use for art journaling or collage. Keep it simple: old magazines, washi tape, pens you love, photographs, paint swatches, old kids artwork, ticket stubs … Add a blank book, scissors, and a glue stick and you are ready to get you started.
• CREATE ONE JOURNAL PAGE. Don’t worry about making it pretty or conveying a deep idea. Just start putting things on the page and see what wants to emerge. Remember, you don’t have to share this with anybody, so be messy, play. Don’t love it? Turn the page and try again.

“I was in the shower recently and thought, 'Man, if I can make this happen every year for myself to be in FLOW365, it changes the game. Period.'" —Heather

If you've ever felt like you're juggling your business, your family, your health, and your dreams, and wondering why it all feels so overwhelming, this conversation is for you.

Heather is a shamanically trained intuitive healer, Reiki practitioner, sound healer, podcast host, and founder of the Hear Her Sisterhood. She's also a mom of teenagers, a wife, a gardener, a dog lover, and someone navigating all the beautiful and messy realities of midlife.

In this episode, we talk about what happened when she stopped trying to figure everything out on her own and stepped into community and accountability. Instead of adding more to her plate, she found clarity, momentum, and permission to build her business in a way that honored her sensitivity and her real life.

We explore why slowing down can actually create more growth, how showing up imperfectly builds consistency, and the unexpected magic that happens when you make a plan and allow it to evolve.

• Why highly sensitive entrepreneurs need a different approach to planning and productivity
• The loneliness that so many solo business owners experience
• How community and accountability create momentum
• The difference between doing everything perfectly and simply showing up
• Creating a business that supports your life instead of competing with it
• Why Friday planning and Monday accountability became Heather's anchors
• Learning to give yourself permission instead of beating yourself up
• How honoring your energy can lead to more clients and greater ease
• The role of intuition, intention, and planning in sustainable business growth
• What it looks like to slow down and actually move forward faster

• Website: DivinelySensitive.com
• Instagram: @DivinelySensitive
• Podcast: Hear Her Podcast

Learn more about FLOW365 and create momentum in your business, health, and life at https://PlanSimple.com/flow365.

Sign up for the free workshop on July 15: https://PlanSimple.com/workshop.

Read the latest issue of Pause Magazine.

“Now we're showing up in full Technicolor and saying, ‘This is who I am.’”

–Sheila Darcey

When you turn 50, two things happen: you don't give a hoot about what other people think … and you start to really understand and embrace your power. I’m really excited to talk with Sheila Darcey, a visionary artist and the author of Sketch by Sketch, about how she claimed herself as an artist and developed a tool that you don’t have to be an artist to use.

The SketchPoetic method is an embodied, somatic practice. Sheila says “The moment you're attached to the outcome or the audience, it becomes art.” And that’s not what this is about. It’s less about what things look like and how they feel. Sheila explains the process in issue 5 of Pause.

Check out the conversation and give SketchPoetic a try. Sheila suggests 7 days is for healing or releasing something. If you want to make a habit, try 21 days, and if you want transformative growth, try consistently for 40 days.

We talk about:

• The invitation of unfinished and “messed up” sketchbooks
• How Sheila developed SketchPoetic
• Discovering emotions under emotions and rewiring emotional neuropathways
• Doing a body scan before you start sketching
• Plateauing with a practice and how to loosen your grasp
• The energy of our marks and how our intuition shows when we are in flow and take the time to pause and look after

ABOUT SHEILA

Sheila Darcey is a visionary artist and author of Sketch by Sketch, guiding others back to themselves through the healing language of intuitive art.

LINKS

• http://www.sketchpoetic.com
• https://sheiladarcey.substack.com
• https://www.instagram.com/sketchpoetic/

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Action is how change happens.

Often we feel like our actions have to be huge to match the bigness of our desires, but we have seen over and over and over again that the little things add up. By stacking up a series of Doable Changes, you will create that big change that you crave. Choose the one that really resonates with you this week and really make it part of your life.

Here are Three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• PLAY WITH WHAT’S THERE. My foundation opened up into my sketch book. Maybe you spilled coffee or a page got marked by a pen in your bag. Instead of tearing out the page or starting a new book, play with what’s already there.
• DO A BODY SCAN. Before you try the SketchPoetic project or journal or try another creative act, pause for a minute and do a body scan. Acknowledge how you feel throughout your body.
• LOOSEN UP. There is benefit to sustained practices, but sometimes things that serve us begin to feel stale. We don’t get the same thing out of them. What happens if you try holding your practice more loosely for a week? For example, sketch in the sand or the dust instead of a notebook. Skip your morning pages and write a single page … in crayon or list the first 5 words that come into your head. Allow they practice to shift.

“People think once you hit retirement age you're in decline, but we really have the most amazing years ahead of us.”

–Nadja Piatka

You’re not too old to reinvent yourself. Whether it’s getting stronger, launching a new business, or eating healthy, you can start anytime. I’m really excited to talk with Nadja Piatka, a health influencer in her 70s, who is living proof.

Nadja lost everything and hit rock bottom when her husband left. She started a business making muffins locally and, within a year, had products in McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Subway, and more. When she retired, she found herself seeking something else.

Her pilates teacher suggested that she share how to stay fit and healthy on social media. She went from no Instagram account to viral posts and hundreds of thousands of followers at Nadja Eat Move Glow.

We talk about:

• Building consistency with exercise and with food
• Showing up with the joy of what you do to attract people
• The importance of identifying your target market and choosing what products or services to share with your audience
• 80-20 living
• Getting leukemia and choosing how we want to live in later life as motivators
• Leaving or letting go of what’s not working for you to make room for what is really meant for you

ABOUT NADJA

As an unemployable single mother of two, plagued by creditors and no income, Nadja Piatka began baking muffins and brownies at home and testing them on her two teenage children. She was soon selling her baked goods to local coffee shops. With a one hundred dollar investment she grew her business from her kitchen to becoming an international supplier to the food industry and a Best Selling Author. She’s now a health influencer showing that reinvention has no expiry date.

LINKS

• https://www.nadjaeatmoveglow.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/nadja__eat_move_glow
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadjapiatka/
• Pause Magazine, issue 5

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action.

Doable changes are things that you can add into your life, one at a time to make micro shifts and really create a ripple effect that will create a big change over time. Choose one that really piques your interest and roll with it.

Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• BRING THE JOY. If you are creating social or other content feeling like you have to do it, your audience can tell.Try to bring more joy, liveliness, and your genuine excitement or passion to what you create. Think more about what you love and less about how you are supposed to dot it.
• MORE PROTEIN. We need more protein as we age for day to day and long-term health. Start adding protein to breakfast and weave some into meals and snacks all day. Ideally, you get most of your protein from healthy whole foods, but you can also add protein powder to smoothies as a way of adding in more. Think about swapping high sugar snacks for high protein snacks for double benefit.
• PRACTICE 80-20 EATING. Try nourishing your body with high-protein, high-fiber, and low-sugar foods 80% of the time. The rest of the time you enjoy your favorite treats — without guilt. Commit to this shift for two weeks and see how you feel.

What if the thing you're creating today actually began decades ago?

In this solo episode, I'm sharing the story behind the first print edition of Pause Magazine—and how a dream that started more than 25 years ago finally found its way into the world.

From buying domain names in my twenties, to creating an early online magazine while raising three young children, to launching Pause at 50, this episode is about trusting the unfolding of your own timeline.

I also share the inspiration behind the Pause Manifesto and why I believe a woman's most powerful years are not behind her. In fact, they may be just beginning.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The surprising story behind Pause Magazine and the magazine that came before it
• Why some ideas need years—or decades—to mature
• What I learned from interviewing women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s for this issue
• Why so many women are stepping into their most meaningful work later in life
• The full Pause Manifesto and the vision behind the magazine

If you've ever wondered whether you're too late, whether your best work is behind you, or whether an old dream still matters, this episode is for you.

Plus, you'll get a peek inside the new Soulful Summer issue of Pause Magazine and hear what's coming next on the podcast as we dive deeper with many of this issue's contributors.