Plan Simple with Mia Moran

One prom-night emergency.

A week in the hospital with my daughter.

A college move-out.

A college graduation.

A forgotten passport.

A magazine launch.

And somehow, through it all, I stayed present.

In this episode, I'm sharing what the past month taught me about time, planning, capacity, and what it really means to "have it all."

The biggest lesson wasn't about getting more done. It was about learning how to hold more without losing myself in the process.

I'll take you behind the scenes of a month that felt like a year and share why I believe momentum and calm aren't opposites. In fact, we need both.

If you've ever felt like one unexpected event could derail everything, this episode is for you. You'll also hear why these experiences inspired my new workshop, You Can Have It All: Create Momentum and Calm in Business, Health, and Life, and why I believe there's still plenty of time to make 2026 your year.

“You spend less than you earn every month . . . This is the basis of all personal finance.”

–Lori Atwood

Feeling behind with money? Money stuff = anxiety for too many of us. There’s shame and guilt involved, and a sense we don’t know what we should know.

At 50, I have a gazillion questions and it’s time to stop fretting and start learning. Lori Atwood, founder of Fearless Finance, is here to answer questions, no judgement.

First step, stop comparing yourself to others. Start here: spend less than you earn every month. This is the cornerstone to personal finance and Lori talks about how to make sure you are there. Lori tells us about the other four basic building blocks of personal finance.

We talk about:

• How to deal with income fluctuations we often see as entrepreneurs
• Dealing with flux moments, like being between jobs
• Separating personal and business money
• Paying off credit card debt starting with the lowest amount
• Why to merge finances in a family
• Getting past guilt and shame

ABOUT LORI

Lori Atwood is the founder and CEO of Fearless Finance and a CFP® professional. Lori created Fearless Finance to make expert, fiduciary, hourly financial planning accessible to everyone with no sales, no minimums, and no judgement. Lori’s been in finance for over 25 years starting in investment banking, asset management and private equity before starting Fearless Finance in 2016.

LINKS

• fearlessfinance.com
• https://www.instagram.com/fearlessfinance/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/fearless-finance/
• https://www.facebook.com/fearlessfinance
• https://www.tiktok.com/@fearlessfinance

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:

• SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN. Add up all your household income. Add up all expenses. Check your checkbook and credit card statements for things you might have missed. Subtract expenses from income. If you get a negative number, you’re spending too much. Look at where you could cut back to bring spending under earnings.
• CHECK YOUR 5 PILLARS. Spending less than you earn is the most important piece, but there are 4 other pillars to check. Do you pay yourself consistently? Do you have an emergency fund — and is there enough in it? Do you have a rainy day fund? Do you know the difference between the two? Are you saving (enough) for retirement? Do you have debt? If so, do you have a plan to pay it down?
• PAY OFF A DEBT. It’s hard to get in front of debt. Stop using a card with a rotating balance. Try paying off the credit card that has the lowest balance. This gives you a little win that can help you keep going to get debt down. Can’t pay it all off now? Decide how much you will start paying monthly until it is paid off.

“When your business model is really optimized, the money's good. You have the kind of lifestyle you want. You have the kind of income you want. You're working towards your legacy and it meets your why.”

–Carolyn Herfurth

Is a fuzzy business model slowing you down?

Carolyn Herfurth is a strategist and business model geek, and we’re diving into something a lot of us don’t have clear when we start our business or experience growth.

In the simplest language, the business model is all the offers, products and services that you make in order to make money. But you can have low, medium, or high touch offers. It’s not one size fits all—but finding the right fit for you at every stage of your business makes such a difference.

We talk about:

• Variety in filling your funnel
• Having the confidence to charge the right rates and changing rates to allow for the support you need to fill a program
• Getting clear on what we are offering and why and what the price is
• Decluttering your business model
• Why a thought partner is so important
• Quarterly check ins on the five pillars of your business.

ABOUT CAROLYN

Carolyn Herfurth is the strategist expertise-driven founders hire when they’ve built something that works and are ready for what’s next.

With 23+ years in business design, she uncovers the unmined gold in their experience, assets, and ideas, so they can create their next big thing.

LINKS

• Carolyn in Pause Magazine
• https://cherfurth.substack.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynherfurth/
• https://instagram.com/carolynherfurth

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:

• TRY THE SIMPLIFIER. Try Carolyn’s Simplifier to help you develop your business plan. Ask yourself: What's the thing you're selling? What's the problem it's solving? What's the promise you're making? And what is the purpose of that thing? Why does it exist? And then what's the price?
• DECLUTTER YOUR BUSINESS MODEL. What are you still offering that no longer works for you? It might be something you no longer doing or an opt-in that leads nowhere. Even if people love it, if it doesn’t work for you and the rest of your business, you can move it out.
• DO A QUARTERLY CHECK IN. Check in on each of the five pillars: What is your relationship with your business now? Is your business model clear? How are you regarded as a thought leader? How easy and effective is your marketing? How are sales (is it easy to close)? Rate each of these on a scale of 1–10. Then explain in a sentence why you rated yourself that way. What does it show you about what needs to change.

“I know in advance what my body and soul need in order for me to call it a summer that feels just how I want summer to feel.” – Mia Moran

We think summer will take care of itself. It’s a go with the flow time, a less structured time, a different time — and it really needs a plan. Your summer plan needs to honor the vibe of the season and keep you connected to the things you want in this season.

I’m going to talk to you about Anchoring, but we’re not going to jump into it right away. So often when I see people feeling overwhelmed or struggling with planning, it’s because they’re skipping the first steps in the process: Centering, Visioning, Deciding.

Anchoring is when we make space for the things that really matter. It’s the part when we actually put things on our calendar.

One way to anchor for summer is to start with some key dates. Some things I’m starting with:

• Vacation time (don’t forget to add things you need to do to prepare or re-enter)
• Business events or launches
• Start and end of summer dates (these might be different for different people in your family)
• Key family events — graduations, celebrations, appointments
• Flexible space for things you want to happen

And then there is the restorative summery part … the reading more, the gardening, the moving your body differently, the relaxing. We plan for that too. Join me to plan a summer that turns out just how you want it to feel: https://plansimple.com/summer

LINKS

• A Smarter Way to Plan Your Summer
• https://plansimple.com/summer

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.

• KNOW HOW YOU WANT SUMMER TO FEEL. Decide how you want this summer to feel. You need to know that before you put anything on the calendar.
• HONOR YOUR BUSINESS. What commitments have you already made for your business this summer? What have you been doing that you don’t want to lose momentum on and have to restart this fall? Make a list. You’ll want to make sure these things are part of your summer plan.
• ANCHOR KEY POINTS. Pull out your calendar and make sure key dates are on there: start and end of summer (this might be determined by when kids are home or when you are at a summer place for example), vacations, business events or standing appointments, family celebrations or other events. You’ll add other things — like the morning swim you want to take daily or the weekly family dinner — but having some of the big rocks as anchors gets you started.

One more doable thing you can do!

SIGN UP TO PLAN SUMMER WITH ME

We’ll look at summer through all the lenses — energy and health, work, family, summer vibes — and come up with a way to hold both spaciousness and momentum this summer. 90 minutes to design a summer that actually feels good... across your work, life, and well-being. Join me:

https://plansimple.com/summer

“Summer needs a slightly different plan layered on top of your 90-day plan.”

–Mia

Do you ever lose sight of your goals over the summer — or get resentful because other things are happening?

Routines and schedules change. You’re traveling or having visitors. There’s often a desire for spontaneity that’s different from the rest of the year. And it’s hot, our energy may dip, even as longer days feel like more time to do things.

Things get wobbly in the summer. That’s why I love to have a specific summer plan. A plan helps you recognize and navigate wobbles.

In FLOW 365 we just set our 90-day goals, but I’m going to weave that together with my summer plan. (And you can do it with me.)

Things that often get wobbly in the summer

• Marketing or work on business growth
• Healthy eating
• Sleep, regular workout, or other health practices
• Personal space and time

Questions to ask before you look at your calendar:

• How do I want to feel this summer?
• What would make this summer really feel like a win?
• What do I not want to drop this summer?
• What will make my future self proud and happy?

A plan helps you find a baseline for the things you want to keep momentum going on while enjoying the season.

LINKS

• May Momentum https://plansimple.com/may
• Where I’m sharing about my plan and what I do
• https://www.instagram.com/plansimple.co/
• https://substack.com/@themiamoran

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:

• SET YOUR FEEL FOR SUMMER. Before you look at your calendar or start to think about goals, decide how you want this summer to feel. Then ask: What would make this summer feel like a win? This doesn’t mean you won’t do other things, but the feel and the win will guide other decisions.
• ANTICIPATE YOUR WOBBLES. Summer gets especially wobbly. Maybe it’s because our schedule and routine often shift dramatically, and we want some spontaneity in the summer. Knowing what’s likely to get wobbly or fall through the cracks can help you navigate. For example, you might find you aren’t as active being visible in your business or you miss yoga more weeks than you show up or you’ve been eating clean and feeling great, but too many BBQs and ice cream shops throw you off. What’s likely to get in the way of doing and feeling the way you want this summer? What’s likely to get wobbly?
• CONNECT WITH YOUR FUTURE SELF. Think to the end of summer. Imagine yourself there, moving into the next season. What is your future self proud of? What happened this summer that you are celebrating?

“Once I put the plan in place, I have to let go of it, meaning that there needs to be space in my life to listen to my intuition.”

–Dr. Mary Sanders

You are highly intuitive. Are you listening and trusting the golden nuggets you are receiving? I’m talking with Dr. Mary Sanders, a chiropractor, a medical intuitive, and a positive psychologist about intuition, energy, and grounding.

Mary’s story, like most, isn’t linear. She takes us around the globe and through many years of learning and opening up to her gifts.

We agree that planning allows you to be more in the present — even when things don’t turn out as you planned. The plan allows you to keep moving and the movement opens up new channels.

We talk about:

• Mary developing different ways of perception due to her hearing deficit
• How travel can be disorienting (and what else can disorient us)
• What can ground you anywhere in the world
• Long spiral routes to what you are meant to do
• Centering our energetic body in the present, not the past or future
• How planning and intuition can work together.

ABOUT MARY

Dr. Mary Sanders is a Doctor of Chiropractic with an emphasis in Functional Nutrition and Positive Psychology. She also obtained a Master’s Degree in Intuition Medicine from the Academy of Intuition Medicine.

Her life’s purpose is to guide you in aligning with your true self, embracing your inner wholeness, and transforming your physical, emotional, and energetic well-being. Her unique expertise lies in an integrative healing approach that combines the intuitive power of energy medicine with the proven tools of positive psychology.

LINKS

• https://www.drmarysanders.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaryesanders/
• https://www.youtube.com/@dr.maryesanders
• https://www.facebook.com/dr.maryesanders
• https://www.instagram.com/dr.maryesanders

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.

• CHECK YOUR RESOURCES. At one point Mary refers to chocolate and red wine as resources — right before burnout. Sometimes we do rely on resources that aren’t really serving or helping us. What are you using for “resources” right now? Are they helping?
• WHAT GIFT HAVE YOU IGNORED? What is something you are good at or meant to do that you haven’t studied or tried because it wasn’t practical? How could you explore this gift — either a giant leap or a tiny step? Journal things you could do.
• PRACTICE PLANNING AND PIVOTING. Do you avoid planning because too much seems up in the air? Or create a plan and hold onto it rigidly? What if you made a plan and acted on it, with room to adjust and change? Check in before your next step. Is your intuition on board? Go for it.

“What would happen if I spent a whole day on my body, mind and soul?”

–Mia

What would you do if you focused on YOU for a month?

I get really intentional about planning my birthday month, and I’m going to show you how to do that so you can plan for your birthday month too. If your birthday is far away, go put a reminder in your calendar two weeks before your birthday with the link to this episode. Or decide you’re going to embrace planning a month for you now.

May is a really busy time, and I think part of the push to do this is that it’s powerful to put yourself first when you are being pulled in other directions. I know that when I have a plan and I’m intentional, I can make things happen even in busy times. I have a business focus and as part of my uplevel, I’m inviting entrepreneurs to join me for daily business practices inside of FLOW365 for a month. I’m calling May Momentum.

Why a month? It takes the pressure off one day. It means I can flex with the weather, with big events and weekend plans. I can weave in the things I want even with important dates for my business. Once I have the ideas, I make space on the calendar for them.

Some things I’m excited to include:

• May Momentum
• Artist Dates
• Clearing out stuff
• Ceremony with Sarah Jenks
• Time with friends
• A whole day focused on my body, mind and soul

Questions I ask:

• What needs completion?
• What needs or wants attention?
• What would it look like to celebrate me?

LINKS

May Momentum https://plansimple.com/may

Where I’m sharing about my plan and what I do

• https://www.instagram.com/plansimple.co/
• https://substack.com/@themiamoran

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:

• ASK THE QUESTIONS. Ask yourself three questions a couple of weeks before your birthday month: What needs completion? What needs or wants attention? What would it look like to celebrate me? Braindump, journal, just put all the ideas down. Decide what things are important to you. If your birthday month is a ways away, your doable change now is to put a reminder in your calendar for two weeks before your birthday month with these questions and the link to this episode.
• IS THIS ME NOW? Sometimes we have ideas that fit on the surface, but they may feel a little flat or like a past you. Pause and question whether the idea really fits you now. Maybe it does with some changes, or maybe it’s not the right thing for now.
• COMPLETE ONE TASK. Sometimes we start tasks but don’t quite finish them. I sorted through a bunch of stuff and decided to get rid of things, but still have the bins of things. Completion looks like getting those out of my house by a tag sale of donation to Goodwill. Maybe you have something written but not published or gathered but not returned. What could you complete today.

“If it ain't joyful, I ain't doing that shit.”

–M. Shannon Hernandez

I’m talking to M. Shannon Hernandez, author of Practical Joy: Simple Tools to Cultivate More Joy Every Day and founder of Joyful Business Revolution. She opens with her mantra: If it ain’t joyful, I ain’t doing that shit,” and we dive in from there.

Shannon explains the difference between joy and happiness this way: Joy is an inside job, while happiness comes from things on the outside. Joy is living in alignment with our core values. And you can plan for joy.

Shannon shows us how to weave joy into our marketing — and the shift that happens when you stop thinking about marketing and start thinking about messaging.

We talk about:

• Planning your day based around your 3-4 top values and how your future self drives joy
• Cultivating joy every day, no matter what’s going on — with examples — and working through the non-joyful parts to get to joy
• The difference between marketing and messaging, and bringing joy to the messaging of your business
• Finding your messaging pillars
• Why making time to connect with people is essential
• Using AI — how to show up as you, how to use AI to streamline not make things busier

ABOUT SHANNON

When consultants, strategists, speakers, and trainers know their work has outgrown their message, and they need messaging that reflects its depth and converts without compromise, they call M. Shannon Hernandez. Shannon is the strategist behind the Profit-Driven Messaging Ecosystem™ and a fierce advocate for protecting voice and authority in an AI-driven world.

LINKS

• https://joyfulbusinessrevolution.com/profitmessaging/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshannonhernandez/
• https://www.facebook.com/maryshannon.hernandez

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:

• PLAN FROM YOUR VALUES. Identify your top 3–4 values. Each morning for a week, identify what you will do each day to live each value. Notice how it changes the way you approach your day. What things easily fit in? What things feel challenging? What things fit if you shift the way you think?
• IDENTIFY YOUR MESSAGING PILLARS. What are the three things you talk about in your messaging? Start by looking at what you are already talking about. Think about what your future self wants to be doing — what are three things important to that work? What things already bring joy or spark real connection with people? Work with these pillars or anchors to streamline your messaging on your website, in emails, in podcasts or blogs, in talks and workshops.
• REACH OUT TO OTHERS. Connecting with others is essential to your business success. Do it as a joyful thing. Do it as a real human looking to connect with someone else. If you are bringing networking energy or a checklist of numbers energy to it, try leading with a different gesture, with connection, with real curiosity or interest.

Why does follow-through sometimes feel impossible—even when you know what you want?

In this episode, I’m diving into one of the most overlooked (and powerful) parts of the FLOW planning process: vision. This step is something you can access in minutes, even seconds, to help you move forward when you feel stuck.

If you’ve been feeling frozen, overwhelmed, or like you “just can’t move,” this isn’t about discipline or doing more. It’s about reconnecting to where you’re going, and letting that pull you forward. This is the role of vision.

In this episode, I walk you through:

• The 5-step FLOW planning method (and where vision fits in)
• How to use vision at different scales—from 3 years to the next 90 minutes
• Simple ways to practice vision so it becomes natural (not another to-do)
• How to shift from past-based thinking to future-based action

You’ll leave with a practical way to reconnect to your vision, so you can take your next step with more clarity, ease, and momentum.

Because you already know what you want. Sometimes you just need to remember.

“That's why the natal chart is so cool and human design and gene keys are these beautiful tools that give us permission to be ourselves.”

–Danielle Hendrickson

I’m a Gemini. For a long time, that’s all I knew about astrology. But it fascinated me. Turns out, all I knew was my Sun sigh, and I’m really interested in Moons, because the moon maps to the feminine cycle.

I’m excited to share this conversation with Venusian astrologer Danielle Hendrickson, who writes the Astrology Report for Pause magazine every month.

I asked Danielle for Astrology 101, and she used this analogy. You’re in a car, and you are the driver. The car is being fueled by your sun. Your sun is the gas in the tank, and it’s making you move towards your ascending sign, which is who you are here to become. To find out who else is in the car, and why they matter, take a listen.

We talk about:

• The shift in our creative center when we reach menopause
• Venus returns happening every eight years and how you can see your feminine rising over time
• Understanding your signs to understand your path and be more yourself
• How your relationship with the moon may change in perimenopause, menopause, and beyond
• Mapping the moon, your cycle, and your Venus week
• The 19-month Venus cycle

ABOUT DANIELLE

Danielle Hendrickson is a women’s spiritual guide, Venusian astrologer and priestess devoted to helping women remember and embody their Sacred Feminine blueprint. Through her Venus Readings, she reveals each woman’s unique codes, illuminating the goddess she is here to embody and the gifts ready to come alive through her. She is the Foundress of Circle of Roses, a sisterhood rooted in the Rose lineage, where women are nourished in community, live in rhythm with the Moon + Venus and are committed to walking the Way of Love.

LINKS

• https://www.daniellehendrickson.net/masterclass
• Danielle on Substack

MENTIONED LINKS

• Pause Magazine
• PlanSimple Moon Tracker
• How to Utilize the Full Moon to Make Better Plans
• How to Discover Your Rhythm by Observing the Moon
• Get to Know the Moon with Dr. Aumatma
• Lunar Abundance with Ezzie Spencer

Moon Board that Danielle mentioned

• Venus Tracker

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.

• FIND YOUR MOON. You probably know your Sun sign — that’s the horoscope you usually look up. What about your moon? Use an online moon sign calculator to find your moon and learn more about it.
• MAP THE MOON CYCLE. Use our moon tracker, the moon board Danielle mentioned, or any other way to track where the moon is in its cycle, where you are in yours (if you are cycling) and what you notice about yourself in different parts of the cycle.
• GET A BASIC CHART. I highly recommend you get a reading from a real astrologer, especially if you are interested in the sacred feminine. If you’re ready, your doable change is to book an appointment. Not ready, try asking AI about your chart to get a starting point. What resonates?