Plan Simple with Mia Moran

If follow-through feels harder than it should, the problem might not be your plan. It might be that you’re skipping the most important step.

In this episode, Mia shares why getting centered is essential to productivity and how a simple pause can shift everything. Learn how centering helps you stop repeating the past, connect to your future self, and actually follow through on what matters.

Plus, discover quick, practical ways to reset your energy—even in just a few minutes.

“Make sure that you're not just posting and running away.”

–Nina Froriep

How do we start to use LinkedIn in a really smart way? I’ll admit I have mixed feelings, but I’m trying to embrace it. There’s no one better to help do that than Nina Froriep, a content + engagement strategist and a LinkedIn personal brand builder.

My first aha from Nina — LinkedIn likes and rewards consistency and engagement. It’s not enough to just put stuff out there. You really want to engage with people who comment on your posts and go like or comment on others. You want to keep the conversation going.

You need to be there. You need a professional presence that tells who you are and what you do. Nina and I dig into how much and how to make the most of that time.

We talk about:

1. Engagement can go along way even without posting (and why you should still post)
2. What the algorithm rewards now
3. How often to post and how to get more engagement
4. Creating an editorial calendar to balance thought leadership and events
5. Easy ways to add content that engages
6. Reusing what you have

ABOUT NINA

Nina is a LinkedIn™ featured LinkedIn Brand Builder and a Content and Engagement Strategist for Creators, Coaches + Consultants.

She works with service-based entrepreneurs and visual artists to create strategies and digital content so they can grow their companies organically and elevate the conversations they're having in their areas of expertise.

Nina is a “recovering” film producer and documentary filmmaker. She’s seen it all, from the early days on independent features to big national TVcommercials, corporate mega-shows, and Emmy award-winning documentaries, including one she produced and directed called Abraham's Children.

Nina is a visual artist, and loves spending time outdoors, especially in her native Switzerland, with her owner Tigger, an 11-pound Dachshund mix who has her well trained.

LINKS

1. https://clockwiseproductions.com
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-froriep/

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:

1. BE CONSISTENT. Pick two days a week to post and do it every week. Put it in your calendar. Block off the time to write it. Get it out there.
2. ENGAGE. Keep the conversation going. Go comment (18 words or more!) on posts by people you know. Respond to comments on your posts. Respond to another commenter. Build real engagement. Struggle to post consistently? Show up and engage consistently first.
3. ASK A QUESTION. Ask smart questions. Ask people which of three covers they like and why. You can use a question as a post or at the end of a post. You can reply to a comment with a question. Give people something to respond to.

“When you are multi-passionate, you are invited to exercise your muscle of presence and priorities and capacity.”

–Tess Masters

What if being multipassionate was your greatest gift — not a flaw?

Tess Masters embraces her multipassionate life. She runs an amazing nutrition platform, which helps women over 40, be healthy again and lose weight and have energy and sleep and not have hot flashes. But she doesn’t stop there. She’s an actress, speaker, podcaster, chef, and author too. As an Enneagram 7, she doesn’t want limits, and she is so expansive.

We talk about how she thrives in her multipassionate life and about her food/wellness program (because food affects everything we do!)

We talk about:

1. Knowing your boundaries and making choices — and how boundaries can be fluid and change at different seasons times in your life.
2. Modeling self-care and compassion as a coach — and how people often respond better than you expect
3. What we can learn about our relationship with food and how we choose to nourish ourselves
4. The power of coaches and communities to help us see what’s hard to see from the inside
5. Learning to lean into the pause and a slower pace, to luxuriate and evolve
6. Making food joyful, not drudgery or a list of restrictions

ABOUT TESS

Tess Masters is a wellness coach, speaker, podcaster, chef, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend published by Penguin Random House. You can find hundreds of easy recipes at theblendergirl.com.

Tess and her team of dietitians have helped over 30,000 people get healthy using science-based food and lifestyle strategies. The “Good, Better, or Best, Not Perfect” philosophy of the programs encourages participants to empower themselves in all parts of their lives to find a balance of self-care and fun!

Tess and her health tips and recipes have been featured in the L.A Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Real Simple, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Clean Eating, Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times, Yahoo Living, the Today show, Fox, Home & Family, and many other media outlets.

As a spokesperson, presenter, and recipe developer, Tess has collaborated with many brands, including KitchenAid, Vitamix, Williams-Sonoma, Four Seasons, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Silk, So Delicious, and many others.

Tess has a passion for sharing stories that inspire people to go after what they want. On her podcast, It Has To Be Me, she interviews trailblazers about how they conquer fear to take action on the things they’re dreaming about.

LINKS

1. skinny60.com
2. https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
3. https://www.pinterest.com.au/theblendergirl/
4. https://twitter.com/theblendergirl
5. https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl

TESS ON PLANSIMPLE

1. It Has To Be You with Tess Masters
2. Empowered Food Choices with Tess Masters
3. Eat to Thrive with Tess Masters
4. The Skinny with Tess Masters
5. Blend It with Tess Masters

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:

1. CHOOSE SELF-CARE. Self-care and compassion make such a difference, but sometimes we back off from them because we don’t want to disappoint others. Think about the last time somebody modeled self-care and how you reacted. Try an act of self-care yourself.
2. WHO ARE YOU NOW? Where are you getting stuck in old stories? Who are you now? I was once really dogmatic about food. It served me well at the time, but now, not so much. Are the decisions you would have made a decade ago that feel different now? Slow down and look at the boundaries and decisions in your life now. Are you working from an old story?
3. CHECK OUT SKINNY60. I’ve done this program several times and I keep learning more and adjusting to my now body. Take a few minutes to explore this program to see if it might help you reclaim your health and navigate this stage of life in your body (which, of course affects everything else).

Concentrating during chaos can feel impossible — especially when life is unpredictable, confusing, and messy (hello, snowstorms… and everything else happening in the world). In this episode, I’m sharing a simple metaphor I couldn’t stop thinking about: the trees outside my window.

It really struck me that nature isn’t fighting chaotic weather — it’s prepared for it.

We’ll talk about why your brain interprets chaos as a threat (and why your nervous system will always prioritize survival over productivity), how decision fatigue and fragmented attention make it harder to focus, and what to do instead.

Using a tree framework — roots, trunk, branches, and seasons — you’ll explore how to get more rooted in what doesn’t change, simplify what you’re trying to do right now, stay committed without rigidity, and let this season be the season it is.

If you’ve been overwhelmed, second-guessing everything, researching instead of choosing, or feeling like everything needs a reevaluation… this one is for you.

“Boring isn’t about making life smaller — it’s about finally doing what I said I wanted to do.” —Mia

My highly passionate, creative, maybe ADHD, manifesting generator — or simply feeling scattered — sisters, I hope you find one piece in here that helps you.

I’ve chosen “boring” as my word of the year.

The need for boring energy has shown up through the health challenges of the past two years — a diagnosis that led to brain surgery, a series of illnesses, and recently falling and breaking my arm and sacrum.

And surprisingly, saying boring has helped me finally follow through — actually doing the things I know will create the life and goals I want.

As I lean into this word, I’m learning a lot. Here are some of the biggest lessons so far:

1. Avoid Shiny Objects

Have you ever gone to post something on social media and resurfaced 90 minutes later unsure what happened — and the post isn’t even a thought anymore?

Me. All the time.

But I’m changing that. Boring means going in with intention, doing the thing I came to do, and leaving before the distractions take over.

2. Notice the Negative Behaviors That Pretend to Help

I’m really good at rushing and multitasking — but I miss things, slip and fall, and lose focus.

Sometimes what feels connecting or exciting is actually avoidance. Watching a show can feel cozy, but sometimes it replaces harder conversations or needed rest.

Choosing boring brings me back to what I actually said I wanted.

3. Follow My Own Needs (Not Outside Expectations)

If you feel like you have to post constantly or send daily emails because “that’s how business works,” you might be following someone else’s priorities.

Same with life. Sending kids to school sick because they’re supposed to go? That’s another outside rule that I choose to break. Working sick. I go inward before I decide what I’m going to do.

Boring asks: what rhythm actually works for me?

Choose alignment over expectation.

4. Do One Thing Really Well

As a highly creative, multi-passionate person, this is hard — and it comes up constantly in coaching.

But constraints are powerful. When you focus on one thing at a time and do it well, it’s deeply satisfying — and often moves you forward faster.

5. Simplify to Reduce Decision Fatigue

When you simplify your calendar and choose to do less, you remove constant decision-making.

And when decisions decrease, energy increases — especially for the uncomfortable but meaningful work.

6. Simplicity Is Hard — But Transformational

We resist simplifying, even when we know it helps.

But slowing down, simplifying, and focusing allow us to actually move forward instead of spinning in possibility.

You might notice overlap in these lessons — and that’s the point.

Simplify.

Slow down.

Focus.

Do the things that really matter.

How could that serve you this year?

7. What’s Your Word?

And if boring is not what you are here to play with. What are the big lessons you need to learn from your word of the year?

If any of this resonated, here are three ways to experiment with your own version of “boring” this week:

SIMPLIFY YOUR CALENDAR

What’s one thing you could remove next week? Where are the bottlenecks or overwhelm points? What could you decide in advance?

PICK ONE THING

Instead of trying seven or eight things — even if you’re great at multitasking — what happens if you choose ONE and do it really well?

DOES THIS SERVE ME?

Pause and ask: does this actually support what I want? Does watching a show create connection — or avoid conversation? Are you staying up past bedtime to do it? What might you be saying no to without realizing it?

“Curiosity is a foundation for connection.”

–Nathalie Pincham

Doing everything you’re supposed to do and just running on fumes? Knowing you’re good at what you do (but starting to wonder) because business is floundering? You’re not alone! And there are things you can do. I’m diving into that with coach Nathalie Pincham.

Nathalie works with people on both strategy and success mindset. That includes figuring out what’s holding you back, and it could be what made you successful to this point.

She’s created a series of 10 archetypes that can help you understand yourself and your business and believes in the power of curiosity.

We talk about:

1. Reconnecting with your purpose — and getting help figuring out what’s blocking you
2. Profit vs. revenue — figuring out your numbers
3. Why you shouldn’t be doing everything in your business just because you can
4. Better questions to ask than “what do you do?”
5. What opens up when we stay curious
6. Bringing more intentionality and connecting to purpose to all things

ABOUT NATHALIE

Nathalie Pincham of Your Success Tonic offers strategic coaching for visionary leaders and founders and believes one curious question can change the whole trajectory of your week (or your business!).

LINKS

1. https://www.yoursuccesstonic.com/
2. https://www.yoursuccesstonic.com/quiz
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliepincham/

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:

1. ANCHOR IN YOUR WHY. If you’re feeling like things aren’t working, take some time to remember your why. Why are you doing this? What really matters? Remind yourself that you are doing something valuable and have something important to share. This allows you to start building your business from a place of strength.
2. ASK DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. Instead of asking “What do you do?”, ask people: What do you need? What drives you? What inspires you? Be curious about them. See what opens up when you ask questions that let people show you more of themselves.
3. COACH FROM CURIOSITY. In conversations with clients, stay curious. Leave your assumptions aside. Ask questions about what’s coming up for your client, how they are feeling based on their face and their words. Pause if you find yourself too tied up in strategy to be curious. Check in with your curiosity.

“When we’re planning our year, we’re at eagle view. When we’re living our day, we’re at mouse view—and we don’t want to mix those up.” - Mia

If you’ve ever felt behind because you didn’t start your “year plan” on January 1st, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Plan Simple Podcast, I’m sharing why I love a 12-month plan you can start anytime—and the simple framework I use to create a calming, big-picture map for the next year of your life and business.

There’s a reframe I come back to often, and I share it in this episode: we often overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year. This episode is an invitation to stop waiting for the “right” time and start creating a 12-month plan that meets you where you are and supports who you’re becoming.

I also share a personal story about what it’s looked like for me to receive very real invitations to slow down—and why having a 12-month plan helps me stay grounded, focused, and flexible when life changes in an instant.

1. Why January 1st is often the hardest time to force a full-year plan
2. How a 12-month plan can start whenever you’re ready (February, your birthday, September—any time)
3. The difference between planning from eagle view (big picture) and mouse view (day-to-day), and why mixing them creates overwhelm
4. How I review the past year without judgment and mine it for clarity
5. The framework I use to create a one-page “year map” I can actually live with
6. Why seeing your year on the wall is surprisingly calming
7. How to plan for real life—health, family, work, and uncertainty—without losing momentum

In this episode, I walk you through the planning process I use inside FLOW365—a process designed to help you see the year clearly without turning it into a massive to-do list.

I start by choosing a word for the year. This word becomes a lens for decisions, boundaries, and how I meet challenges as they come up. It helps me ask, What would this look like if I honored this word?

From there, I create four vision statements, one for each area of life I want to hold in balance: food & wellness, lifestyle, OM (my inner life and nervous system), and work. These are written in the present tense, so they act more like anchors or mantras than distant goals.

Next, I narrow each vision into three points of focus per area. These are the few things I’m committed to paying attention to over the next 12 months—simple, clear, and realistic. This keeps the year intentional without becoming overwhelming.

I also choose a card for the year—an intuitive pull that reinforces the themes I’m working with and offers guidance when I need perspective or reassurance.

Finally, I identify what feels like the biggest obstacle to living this year well and pair it with a quote that helps me meet that challenge with steadiness and compassion.

Together, these elements create a one-page “map” for the year—something I can return to again and again as life unfolds.

I have one doable change from this episode: schedule when you will do your yearly plan.

Whether you do it on your own or with support, put the time on your calendar. Choose a date, clear the space, and give yourself the gift of planning the next 12 months with intention.

If you want to do this with me, I’m hosting a free live 3-hour planning session on February 13, where we’ll create your 12-month plan together, step by step. You can sign up at plansimple.com/workshop.

“Our success, our happiness, our life depends on the people we know and the relationships we have.”

–Dana Hilmer

Do you have an Abundance spreadsheet? I have one that includes clients, past clients, partners, people I want to connect with. Sometimes it guides my connection … and sometimes I just start reaching out and serving people. Because more connection is amazing.

I’m so excited about Dana Hilmer, the Unretirement Transition Coach, about her own transitions and the upswing many of us find ourselves on in our 50s. Dana thrives on connection in her business and life and we talk a lot about what that looks like.

Dana shared a tip in issue 3 of Pause Magazine that I loved. We started our conversation with her 3x3 Connect practice. Basically, each day you connect with three new people, follow up with three people, and serve three people.

We also talk about:

1. Actually connecting and getting to know people instead of playing a numbers game
2. Letting curiosity lead the way and sharing with excitement rather than it being transactional
3. How to organize your contacts and when to let it be organic
4. Connecting first and sprinkling serving throughout the day
5. Getting out of our heads and feeling awkward about reaching out
6. Extending your gratitude practice

ABOUT DANA

Dana Hilmer is an UnRetirement transition coach. She’s the founder of Wiser and Free, where her mission is to help people navigate their (un)retirement journey to create a life of more freedom, purpose and possibility.

With over a decade of experience as a personal leadership and midlife reinvention expert, she’s helped hundreds of people realize their potential and navigate big life transitions to create their next act with confidence, excitement and peace of mind.

When not working she is spending time with family and friends, trying new experiences (last year it was pottery and improv!) and doing anything that gets her into the great outdoors. She lives in Madison, CT with her husband and is the proud mom of three young adult sons.

LINKS

1. https://www.wiserandfree.com
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danahilmer/
3. https://www.instagram.com/dana.hilmer/
4. Pause Magazine

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:

1. 3x3 CONNECT CHALLENGE. See what happens if you try this practice for a week. Each day, connect with three new people, follow up with three people, and serve three people every day. Serving people might look like commenting on or sharing something they’ve posted, but the gesture is one of service.
2. BLOCK TIME FOR YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT. It’s easy to get caught up in our clients' needs and the little tasks. Block 1–2 hours every day (or 1 day a week) for your most important project. What happens when you actually hold that time for the thing that moves things forward?
3. EXTEND YOUR GRATITUDE PRACTICE. Every day, write down something that happened that day that you’re grateful for, something good that happened. Then answer this questions: What did I do that allowed for that?

“Take what resonates, add your own magic and swipe left on the rest.”

–Heather Dressel

Winter calls us inward, but the world can be noisy. What if you could get quiet enough to hear your inner guides? I’m so excited to have Heather Dressel — I call her the intuition whisperer — back on the show.

We tend to love spring and summer, the energy of creation and productivity. Winter can look so still and lifeless, but so much is percolating under the snow — and within. Tending to our winter energy can lead to greater growth.

That said, there is a lot to distract us from that this time of year. Add to that the programming deeply ingrained in most of us to keep pushing and striving all the time. Learning to get quiet and go inward can be challenging — even if it is appealing to you.

We talk about:

1. How going inward can feel amazing for introverts and the need to balance that with emerging
2. Being gentle with yourself as you learn to get quiet — it’s okay if it’s uncomfortable
3. Forgetting about all or nothing and remembering our ability to begin again and again
4. Getting curious to shift practices that aren’t working in a particular season
5. Tuning into your inner guiding voice, not your inner mean girl squad and learning to trust
6. Tools — like music and oracle decks — to help you tap in

ABOUT HEATHER

Heather Dressel is the founder of Divinely Sensitive and the Hear Her podcast. Heather is a highly sensitive empath herself, and launched her business to lead a community of women who identify as highly sensitive or empaths or both. Divinely Sensitive provide resources and support as they learn to honor their unique sensitivities and unleash their superpowers.

LINKS

1. https://www.divinelysensitive.com/
2. https://www.instagram.com/divinelysensitive/
3. https://www.facebook.com/divinelysensitive/
4. Hear Her: Sitting in Your Shit
5. Hear Your Intuition with Heather Dressel
6. Divinely Sensitive with Heather Dressel

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:

1. INNER INQUIRY. Close your eyes and ask a simple question to your heart's beat: How is my heart today? What do I need today? You don’t have to be sitting in meditation to do this. You can do it throughout your day, so it doesn’t become another thing on your to do list.
2. SIT FOR 3 MINUTES. Set a timer for three minutes, close your eyes and sit quietly. It’s okay if it feel uncomfortable or if you find yourself checking your timer or shifting your body. Try to sit through that. This practice changes as you get used to it. Be kind to yourself as you start.
3. MUSIC MEDITATION. Ask for a potent message. Hit shuffle play on playlist. Listen. See what happens. You might move. You might hear words in the lyrics you need. You might cry. Let yourself be in the music for the duration of the song.

“Journaling is one of the quickest, most readily available tools to tap into your soul.”

–Kim Marie

Too much hustle and feel like there should be more in this season? December is a potent time to figure out what's next. I’m talking with Kim Marie, creator of the Sacred Nights of Winter journal, about the sacred pause of this season.

Winter lends itself to slowing down and going inward, which makes it a powerful time for journaling. What should you write down? For the Sacred Nights: record your dreams, reflect on the year past, envision the year to come, spend time reviewing your day, and consider the cosmic virtues. Each day maps to part of the year.

I’ve done this practice many times and love the insights I get when I revisit my journal throughout the year.

We talk about: 

• Committing to journaling for the Sacred Nights of Winter 
• Revisiting the journal — the cards, the insights, the dreams — in the appropriate month 
• Noticing your own seasonal rhythms
• Setting intentions for the year instead of resolutions and aligning with the seasons and moon
• Why you might want to dialogue journal and how to do it
• How journaling gets us out of our heads and helps us act from our soul

ABOUT KIM MARIE

Kim Marie is a Holistic Women's Empowerment and Spiritual Coach supporting women in the second half of life to awaken their inner wisdom, heal their Soul-sickness, and live a Soul-fulfilled life.

Through her powerful mentoring, publications, programs, courses, and retreats, as well as her group coaching program, Solace, Kim brings a unique, and magical, blend of ancient wisdom, archetypes, Soul-led leadership, and practical spirituality to support visionary women longing to step into the fullness of their authentic expression.

Kim is the author of the Sacred Nights of Winter Journal, the Sacred Seasons Journals, and the Soul Planner. Her products and programs support women to remember who they are, reconnect to what matters most, and rebirth themselves into the life of freedom and joy they envision.

LINKS

• Sacred Nights of Winter Journal
• https://YouTube.com/KimMarieCoaching 
• https://Pinterest.com/KimMarieCoaching 
• https://LinkedIn.com/in/KimMarieCoaching 
• X.com/KimMarieCoach 
• https://Instagram.com/KimMarieCoaching 
• https://Facebook.com/kim.marie.3192 

PAST EPISODE OF PLANSIMPLE 

• Journaling to Heal with Kim Marie
• Small Move 7: Stepping on the Path to Holistic Empowerment through Journaling
• Going Within with Kim Marie
• Navigate Your Year with Kim Marie

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: 

• COMMIT TO JOURNALING FOR A WEEK. Journaling every day can feel like a lot. Remember we are talking about doable changes. Commit to one week. Make it part of your morning routine. See how it feels. At the end of the week, ask: How did this work for me? Do I want to commit to this for another week? Do I want to adjust what journaling looks like for me?
• JOURNAL THE SACRED NIGHTS OF WINTER. Each morning, record your dreams, reflect on the year past, envision the year to come, spend time reviewing your day, and consider the cosmic virtues. Each focus on one month of the year. For more guidance, try Kim’s Sacred Nights of Winter journal.
• PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SEASON. Start with this season. What’s going on? How do you feel? How is your energy? What are you drawn to do? When we work with our own rhythms and energy, we do so much more with ease. It starts with really tuning into your energy. Journaling can help you see patterns.