We have to get into what it means to have an authentic, caring, respectful, responsive relationship with our body – instead of managing her all the time. – Nina Manolson

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk again with Nina Manolson, health and wellness coach who works with women around body image and their relationship with their bodies. She has so much to say about what we eat and why and how we feel about ourselves.

We talk about rules about eating and how they end up backfiring because we react to the restriction. Nina says we need to start with naming our body dissatisfaction. And then we need to name the body management things we do (paleo, keto, raw food, Weight Watchers, …). This isn’t self-care.  

So what do we need to do? “We really have to bring to the table more of deep listening. What does my body want and need? And sometimes to get to that deep listening, it takes some healing, it takes some work because many women, somewhere along the line, got divorced from their body.” Are you divorced from you body? Do you need to reconnect and build that relationship? That’s what we get deeper into.

We talk about:

• The many things that make us feel separated from our own bodies—birth, nursing, medical crisis, trauma

BIO

Nina Manolson is a certified holistic health coach, a board certified health & wellness coach, a certified Psychology of Eating Coach and Teacher, and an author. She is passionate about helping women end their food and body struggles and begin healthy, vibrant living that becomes a habit and easily fits into their busy lives.

LINKS

• http://ninamanolson.com/body-peace


Doable Changes from this episode:

• NAME BODY MANAGEMENT. Just getting aware of the body management thoughts and things you do is an amazing start. Just start noticing and calling out things like “I’ll start on Monday” or talking about your latest diet or “I’m cutting out carbs” or whatever it is. Say, “I see you body management.”

The more real we are with each other, the more freedom we have.  

– Rachel Martin

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Rachel Martin, author of The Brave Art of Motherhood, creator of Finding Joy, and mom to seven kids. This is a must listen, so make sure to hit play above, or where ever you listen to podcasts! With 23 years of motherhood under her belt, she is still in still in the thick of it with her youngest being 7.

We started out talking about her book. Why brave? Rachel said she loves the word and, without realizing it, had been writing on her website about being a brave mother. The art part relates to sip and paint classes where everyone is aiming for the same image. In the end, everybody’s painting looks different but, nobody’s is perfect. Motherhood is like that. “We’re all trying our best being brave and we’re all living this motherhood story.”

Rachel points out that when we focus on the internal dialogue of, “Why am I not doing it as well as they are?,” we miss the real beauty of what we do. At the same time we are looking at others, we want to hide. When we do let people know what is really going on behind the scenes out of shame, we deny ourselves friendship, responsibility, and doing different things. So, part of my quest as a writer and as a friend to moms is to be like the realer we are with each other, the more freedom we have.

We talk about:

• The difference between pulling it together to do what you need to do and hiding your real experience from everyone including your friends. It helps all of us when we can say, “I’m struggling.” What happens when we finally show what’s really going on (Rachel’s experience was an offer of help, instead of the shaming she feared)
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• How our experience and attitudes affect our kids, including their relationship to money
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• That it’s good to interact and play with our kids but, it’s not a necessity all day long.
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• How easy it is to lose yourself without even realizing it and the benefits of letting your kids see you cultivating yourself
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• That it’s okay to not know what you want to do and just try things (they way we encourage our kids to do)
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• Setting dates for accountability, having an accountability person, and celebrating microgoals
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• Recognize the power and bravery that take to stand up and do it again and again.
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About Rachel

Rachel believes in the power of the human spirit to overcome, to thrive and to find deep joy and because of that she pours out her heart via these platforms: she is the writer behind the site FindingJoy.net and author of The Brave Art of Motherhood. Her articles have been translated into over 25 languages, her site reaches millions of visitors per month and she has a robust, engaged Facebook community.

Her content has been featured in The Huffington Post, iVillage, The Today Show, Star Tribune, PopSugar, Motherly, Parents, What to Expect, NBC Parents, Dr. Greene, and many more. She speaks worldwide encouraging moms and entrepreneurs to live each day with purpose and drive. Beyond that, she’s a single mom to seven, and calls Nashville, Tennessee, her home.

LINKS

• The Brave Art of Motherhood
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• Rachel’s website

The more real we are with each other, the more freedom we have.  

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Rachel Martin, author of The Brave Art of Motherhood, creator of Finding Joy, and mom to seven kids. This is a must listen, so make sure to hit play above, or where ever you listen to podcasts! With 23 years of motherhood under her belt, she is still in still in the thick of it with her youngest being 7.

We started out talking about her book. Why brave? Rachel said she loves the word and, without realizing it, had been writing on her website about being a brave mother. The art part relates to sip and paint classes where everyone is aiming for the same image. In the end, everybody’s painting looks different but, nobody’s is perfect. Motherhood is like that. “We’re all trying our best being brave and we’re all living this motherhood story.”

Rachel points out that when we focus on the internal dialogue of, “Why am I not doing it as well as they are?,” we miss the real beauty of what we do. At the same time we are looking at others, we want to hide. When we do let people know what is really going on behind the scenes out of shame, we deny ourselves friendship, responsibility, and doing different things. So, part of my quest as a writer and as a friend to moms is to be like the realer we are with each other, the more freedom we have.

We talk about:

• The difference between pulling it together to do what you need to do and hiding your real experience from everyone including your friends. It helps all of us when we can say, “I’m struggling.” What happens when we finally show what’s really going on (Rachel’s experience was an offer of help, instead of the shaming she feared)

About Rachel

Rachel believes in the power of the human spirit to overcome, to thrive and to find deep joy and because of that she pours out her heart via these platforms: she is the writer behind the site FindingJoy.net and author of The Brave Art of Motherhood. Her articles have been translated into over 25 languages, her site reaches millions of visitors per month and she has a robust, engaged Facebook community.

Her content has been featured in The Huffington Post, iVillage, The Today Show, Star Tribune, PopSugar, Motherly, Parents, What to Expect, NBC Parents, Dr. Greene, and many more. She speaks worldwide encouraging moms and entrepreneurs to live each day with purpose and drive. Beyond that, she’s a single mom to seven, and calls Nashville, Tennessee, her home.

LINKS

• The Brave Art of Motherhood

Doable Changes from this episode:

• CELEBRATE MICROGOALS. Set goals with dates and get an accountability partner to help you stay the course. But instead of just focusing on the big goal, take time to celebrate microgoals … little things that you do each day or steps toward your larger goal. Too often we focus on where we have not gotten, instead of all the amazing little things we have done.

Planning becomes a kind of self-care.

– Brandi Bonica

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Brandi Bonica about her experience with the FLOW Planner and FLOW 365. A lot of the people in FLOW 365 are entrepreneurs of one sort or another, but Brandi is a nurse, saving people throughout the day. I love seeing how the FLOW process resonated with her and had all kinds of ripples in her life.

Brandi’s FLOW Situation

I have two little girls. One is just turning six and and four and a half. My main job, other than mothering, is being a critical care nurse. I work part time at a hospital, which is wonderful because I can save my career but also be home to raise my children. But, finding balance in that is hard as well so that’s why I leaned towards Mia’s FLOW 365.

Key Tool: Putting Your Planning Together

While Brandi has always been a planner, she had ideas in lots of places, and it was hard for her to see the big picture. FLOW 365 helped her because it looks at the whole day, the whole month, the whole 90 days in one book. It allowed her to refocus her goals, thoughts, and tasks. She says, “I was a little skeptical about leaving my old planner behind but now I look back and now this is my new bible.”

And it wasn’t just the plan, it was the journaling in the same space too, “It forced me to ask those questions or to refocus my attention on things that are important to me, but I’ve never been one to journal in the past so that was really great to have that all in one place.”

Key Tool: Finding Your Rhythm

“I was really able to look at my home-life balance and really make it predictable, make it automatic, so I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel every week…. I could spend my energy doing other things instead of constantly thinking about meal planning or shopping or planning for the kids.”

FLOW Changes

Food: I participated in a couple of weeks of making some freezer meals and putting them away so I would have a lighter load during dinner times or meal times. It started during the holidays, but I continue to use that little tool throughout the rest of the months, just based upon what my life was going to look like. If I know I have a really crazy couple of weeks coming up where I’m traveling or my husband is traveling or just late nights, I can pull one of those out at anytime. So I have made it kind of part of my weekly process is to look at a new recipe or reinvent an old one but to put one freezer meal away a week.

Lifestyle: Instead of trying to do all the things during the holidays, Brandi chose to be purposefully present, purposefully planning things that are important to us and just letting go of things that aren’t.

OM: Planning becomes a kind of self-care.

Work: Shifting to focusing more on work and tasks and how to time-block those things so they aren’t interfering with my home and personal life.

We also talk about:

• Having more mental space for goals
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• The power of working with a group of women from different places and walks of life, all looking for more flow
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• Choosing a word for a 90-day cycle to set an intention or guide you
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• How tools that get you through a busy period like the holidays can benefit you throughout the year
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• How saying no, also allows you to say yes
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• Freezer meals and moving meals forward throughout the...

Planning becomes a kind of self-care.

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Brandi Bonica about her experience with the FLOW Planner and FLOW 365. A lot of the people in FLOW 365 are entrepreneurs of one sort or another, but Brandi is a nurse, saving people throughout the day. I love seeing how the FLOW process resonated with her and had all kinds of ripples in her life.

Brandi’s FLOW Situation

I have two little girls. One is just turning six and and four and a half. My main job, other than mothering, is being a critical care nurse. I work part time at a hospital, which is wonderful because I can save my career but also be home to raise my children. But, finding balance in that is hard as well so that’s why I leaned towards Mia’s FLOW 365.

Key Tool: Putting Your Planning Together

While Brandi has always been a planner, she had ideas in lots of places, and it was hard for her to see the big picture. FLOW 365 helped her because it looks at the whole day, the whole month, the whole 90 days in one book. It allowed her to refocus her goals, thoughts, and tasks. She says, “I was a little skeptical about leaving my old planner behind but now I look back and now this is my new bible.”

And it wasn’t just the plan, it was the journaling in the same space too, “It forced me to ask those questions or to refocus my attention on things that are important to me, but I’ve never been one to journal in the past so that was really great to have that all in one place.”

Key Tool: Finding Your Rhythm

“I was really able to look at my home-life balance and really make it predictable, make it automatic, so I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel every week…. I could spend my energy doing other things instead of constantly thinking about meal planning or shopping or planning for the kids.”

FLOW Changes

Food: I participated in a couple of weeks of making some freezer meals and putting them away so I would have a lighter load during dinner times or meal times. It started during the holidays, but I continue to use that little tool throughout the rest of the months, just based upon what my life was going to look like. If I know I have a really crazy couple of weeks coming up where I’m traveling or my husband is traveling or just late nights, I can pull one of those out at anytime. So I have made it kind of part of my weekly process is to look at a new recipe or reinvent an old one but to put one freezer meal away a week.

Lifestyle: Instead of trying to do all the things during the holidays, Brandi chose to be purposefully present, purposefully planning things that are important to us and just letting go of things that aren’t.

OM: Planning becomes a kind of self-care.

Work: Shifting to focusing more on work and tasks and how to time-block those things so they aren’t interfering with my home and personal life.

We also talk about:

• Having more mental space for goals

BIO

Brandi Bonica is a critical care nurse and the mom of two young children. She found a community and a new process to bring great ease to her life through the FLOW planner and FLOW 365.

LINKS

• Planning for the Holidays with Angela Litzinger

Doable Changes from this episode:

• CHOOSE A 90-DAY WORD. Some people choose a word of the year, but here, we like to think in 90-day seasons. Choose a word (or phrase like Brandi’s purposefully present) to guide you throughout the next 90 days. As you are planning or trying to make decisions about what to do or not do, lean into your word as a guide.

You have a relationship with your own self just like you do with other people. ... nourish the relationship with yourself.  – Lee Lee McKnight

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Lee Lee McKnight about parenting and mindfulness and how they can go together. Lee is the publisher of Perpetual You and mom to a 11-year-old and a 6-year-old.

Lee Lee talks about not finding parenting fulfilling. She said, “I just decided that I wanted to enjoy motherhood in my own way and throw the rules of all the parenting manuals out the window and just see if there’s a way that I could reclaim it for myself.”

We talk about being as present as you can with each kid at the age they’re at, and about being mindful about when you are being a mom and about when you’re working (especially if you work at home). Lee Lee reminds herself, “I’m only one person,” which means you can’t do it all for everyone at one time. She says it helps to really tune in to where your kids are right now — and to recognize that they need different support at different times.

We talk about:

• letting your kid be who they are and getting to know them as a person instead of placing your own expectations on them
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• Being in tune with what your own needs and your kids needs helps you avoid mommy guilt by giving kids what they need and doing your own thing
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• Making space to be present with your kids when you know they will or even might need a lot from you (like right after school)
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• The power of mantras and some of the ones she uses as a parent: This is right now and it’s not forever and I am the right mom for my kids
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• Slowing down and noticing what’s going on
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• Knowing and sharing your values
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• Intentional living and not taking what other people do or say personally.
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BIO

Lee Lee McKnight is #ladyboss behind The Perpetual You--a lifestyle brand curated for women living intentionally--and the mom of Henri (11) & Wayne (6).  In 2018, Lee Lee began co-hosting the podcast, Mama Now Conversations, and in 2019, she began a YouTube series on Intentional Living. She is also at work on a book about the intersection of privilege and intentional living practices. You can find Lee Lee on Instagram @wordsbyleelee or in Hamden, CT—where she’s most likely hanging out on the front porch of her family’s 1920s bungalow.

LINKS

• Mama Now podcast
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• The Perpetual You magazine (upcoming digital issue, Create Wealth by Embracing Dimensions)
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• Perpetual You on Instagram
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• Perpetual You on Facebook
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You have a relationship with your own self just like you do with other people. ... nourish the relationship with yourself.  – Lee Lee McKnight

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Lee Lee McKnight about parenting and mindfulness and how they can go together. Lee is the publisher of Perpetual You and mom to a 11-year-old and a 6-year-old.

Lee Lee talks about not finding parenting fulfilling. She said, “I just decided that I wanted to enjoy motherhood in my own way and throw the rules of all the parenting manuals out the window and just see if there’s a way that I could reclaim it for myself.”

We talk about being as present as you can with each kid at the age they’re at, and about being mindful about when you are being a mom and about when you’re working (especially if you work at home). Lee Lee reminds herself, “I’m only one person,” which means you can’t do it all for everyone at one time. She says it helps to really tune in to where your kids are right now — and to recognize that they need different support at different times.

We talk about:

• letting your kid be who they are and getting to know them as a person instead of placing your own expectations on them

BIO

Lee Lee McKnight is #ladyboss behind The Perpetual You--a lifestyle brand curated for women living intentionally--and the mom of Henri (11) & Wayne (6).  In 2018, Lee Lee began co-hosting the podcast, Mama Now Conversations, and in 2019, she began a YouTube series on Intentional Living. She is also at work on a book about the intersection of privilege and intentional living practices. You can find Lee Lee on Instagram @wordsbyleelee or in Hamden, CT—where she’s most likely hanging out on the front porch of her family’s 1920s bungalow.

LINKS

• Mama Now podcast

Doable Changes from this episode:

• USE A MANTRA. Lee Lee shares some of the mantras she uses (and has more on her YouTube channel). Find one—or create one—that works for you. Two keys as you create yours—make it positive and make it believable. Repeat it to yourself throughout the day. Write it down and post it around your house.

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Hélène Defrance, a olympic athlete turned nutritionist, and a member of FLOW 365. While I focus a lot of my work on moms and the demands of matching work and food and self-care with parenting, Hélène reached out to me and said, “You know, I’m not a mom but I think I’m supposed to do this program.” And she did and it’s been fabulous!

Hélène spent 10 years sailing and working toward the Olympics. She qualified for Rio, where she got the bronze, and got a world champion in 2016.

For the past two years, she has changed her focus and is now working as a nutritionist. She’s passionate about nutrition and how our food habits and digestive system can affect our health. She educates and advises people about nutrition.  

Hélène’s FLOW Situation

I felt stuck…. I was stressed everyday and I didn’t feel accomplished at any time. I had some vision ... but, for some reason I never was able to stop and think how I could get to there. Six months ago, that felt too wrong. I needed to get some help.

While Hélène was feeling this way, she was seeing private clients and serving as the nutritionist for a a big deal football team. She was doing so much and not taking it in. I love watching the women in FLOW 365 begin to see what they are doing and accomplishing.

Why Planning Matters

Hélène started out asking “Where is the time for all the other things in the planner?” As she started seeing where she was spending her time—lots of time exercising and shopping and working late but not doing the hard things—she was able to start making changes.

Key Tool: Group Meetings

I love when we all meet up online and share where we are and next steps for us.

These meetings are a chance to share and get advice from Mia and the rest of the group. And having a group of people who understand what you are doing is really special. When somebody can really hear that while you’re making the little changes that bring joy, it helps you with the momentum.

Key Tool: Daily Debrief

I’ve got my routine every night. I spend probably 15 minutes with my planner and I write things down. I look at what I’ve been doing…. I do my little debrief with myself and I really love it.

There things we don’t do because they feel hard or take longer than we think they’ll take or we busy or for whatever reason don’t start them. Debriefing gives you a chance to go back without judgement. It gives you a chance to see why things didn’t work or to move things up in your planner.

Key Tool: Word of the Cycle

At the beginning of every 90-day cycle (the FLOW planner includes a page for this), choose a word that you want to embody for this 90-day season. It’s a really simple but meaningful practice and helps you decide what you focus on or don’t focus on.

Hélène’s word was serenity and it helped her be more present, build trust and confidence, and feel more relaxed. She started a meditation practice and spent more time in nature.

FLOW Changes

Food: Being precise about nutrients, not just calories; choosing quality food from carefully chosen farms; having boundaries around food when traveling or busy

Lifestyle: Better flow between different parts of her life

Om: Meditating more. Adding in exercise but not using it to squeeze out other activities.

Work: Having more reasonable end times to the day.

Big and Little Shifts from Flow 365

Hélène describes her biggest...

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Hélène Defrance, a olympic athlete turned nutritionist, and a member of FLOW 365. While I focus a lot of my work on moms and the demands of matching work and food and self-care with parenting, Hélène reached out to me and said, “You know, I’m not a mom but I think I’m supposed to do this program.” And she did and it’s been fabulous!

Hélène spent 10 years sailing and working toward the Olympics. She qualified for Rio, where she got the bronze, and got a world champion in 2016.

For the past two years, she has changed her focus and is now working as a nutritionist. She’s passionate about nutrition and how our food habits and digestive system can affect our health. She educates and advises people about nutrition.  

Hélène’s FLOW Situation

I felt stuck…. I was stressed everyday and I didn’t feel accomplished at any time. I had some vision ... but, for some reason I never was able to stop and think how I could get to there. Six months ago, that felt too wrong. I needed to get some help.

While Hélène was feeling this way, she was seeing private clients and serving as the nutritionist for a a big deal football team. She was doing so much and not taking it in. I love watching the women in FLOW 365 begin to see what they are doing and accomplishing.

Why Planning Matters

Hélène started out asking “Where is the time for all the other things in the planner?” As she started seeing where she was spending her time—lots of time exercising and shopping and working late but not doing the hard things—she was able to start making changes.

Key Tool: Group Meetings

I love when we all meet up online and share where we are and next steps for us.

These meetings are a chance to share and get advice from Mia and the rest of the group. And having a group of people who understand what you are doing is really special. When somebody can really hear that while you’re making the little changes that bring joy, it helps you with the momentum.

Key Tool: Daily Debrief

I’ve got my routine every night. I spend probably 15 minutes with my planner and I write things down. I look at what I’ve been doing…. I do my little debrief with myself and I really love it.

There things we don’t do because they feel hard or take longer than we think they’ll take or we busy or for whatever reason don’t start them. Debriefing gives you a chance to go back without judgement. It gives you a chance to see why things didn’t work or to move things up in your planner.

Key Tool: Word of the Cycle

At the beginning of every 90-day cycle (the FLOW planner includes a page for this), choose a word that you want to embody for this 90-day season. It’s a really simple but meaningful practice and helps you decide what you focus on or don’t focus on.

Hélène’s word was serenity and it helped her be more present, build trust and confidence, and feel more relaxed. She started a meditation practice and spent more time in nature.

FLOW Changes

Food: Being precise about nutrients, not just calories; choosing quality food from carefully chosen farms; having boundaries around food when traveling or busy

Lifestyle: Better flow between different parts of her life

Om: Meditating more. Adding in exercise but not using it to squeeze out other activities.

Work: Having more reasonable end times to the day.

Big and Little Shifts from Flow 365

Hélène describes her biggest shifts in the first two cycles of FLOW 365: I feel so much joy and I’m so positive. Everything feels like it’s fun.

BIO

Hélène Defrance is an athelete and nutritionist. Hélène spent 10 years sailing and working toward the Olympics. She qualified for Rio, where she got the bronze, and got a world champion in 2016. She now works as a nutritionist with private clients and as the nutritionist for a football team to help people improve their well being and athletic performance.

LINKS

Podcast with Jade Venables

Doable Change from this episode:

Pause before you act. Just take a minute, even 10–15 seconds to see how you feel before you eat or drink (or work or work out … or anything else). Sometimes we create rules in planning like, “I’m not going have coffee.” but every once in a while, after the pause, we realize it’s okay. It could be coffee or anything. It could be staying up late to watch a movie. Maybe you set a “rule” about going to bed, and often that rule serves you, but maybe one night you need to connect with your partner and that pause gives you the space to make a choice.

In FLOW 365, we get really intentional about how we want to feel and where we want to focus attention for the next 90 days. Pairing the pause with our intentions helps us make choices that bring more joy to life instead of just offering rules to follw. Our group provides a place to comment without judgement on our actions. And later you might debrief from you day and share that too. We plan, pause, and debrief around four key areas of our lives—food, lifestyle, OM (spirituality and self-care) and work. FLOW 365 is a high-end, yearlong program that helps entrepreneurial moms make time and space for clean food, joyful home lives and meaningful practices — alongside work, of course! It is designed to help you increase productivity without decreasing joy.

While there isn’t a space for pausing in the FLOW Planner, there is a place to set intentions and there is place to debrief. Taking time to sent intentions and then review your day without judgment help you live the life you truly want. The FLOW planner helps you fit food and the other things that “matter most” into your day.