Powerful Stuff

Powerful Stuff

By Meredith BakerComedy
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Powerful Stuff episodes

  • Why other moms' choices trigger us | Mom guilt, sleep-training & co-sleeping and more

    Why do other parents’ choices get under our skin, even when nobody said a word??! In this episode of Powerful Stuff, I get honest about the moments I’ve caught myself comparing and second-guessing, from birth plans to non-toxic parenting to the sleep training vs co-sleeping debate… and what those moments were really about.

    I walk through a five-step coaching process for turning comparison and mom guilt into self-trust, why every family’s choices come down to values and risk tolerance, and how caring for your inner child makes it easier to respect parents who do it differently. Not a parent? The same pattern shows up with careers, wellness routines, and any choice that feels tied to who you are.

    We close with a guided meditation using a special practice to release judgment of others and of yourself.

    00:00 Co-sleeping, sleep training, and other ways to start fights
     05:01 When comparison turns inward
     08:24 Five steps from triggered to grounded
     11:28 Getting curious about other families’ choices
     14:57 Permission to change your mind
     18:24 Guided meditation
     24:19 Self-amusement over self-awareness

    Send this to a parent who needs to hear they’re doing great, and subscribe for new episodes every week.

    #momguilt #sleeptraining #cosleeping #innerchildhealing #parenting #motherhood

    29 min
  • How I stopped caring what people think (stop people-pleasing!)

    If you’ve been trying to figure out how to stop caring what people think, this one is for you! I spent my entire twenties wanting everyone to like me. Therapy and big breakthroughs helped, but what finally set me free...

    ...was learning to laugh with myself.

    In this episode of Powerful Stuff, I share why people-pleasing and the need for approval feel so safe, how they quietly keep us stuck in “not enough,” and what to do instead. Along the way, I tell the story of a Harvard club that turned one of my songs into an initiation prank, why I shut down my beverage company, and how owning the “failed startup founder” story brought me my first coaching clients.

    We close with a guided meditation to release the weight of other people’s opinions and reconnect with what you actually want.

    Chapters
    0:00 Why we care what people think
    2:30 Trying to be popular in middle school
    4:05 Black Mirror and the social ranking trap
    6:30 Why we seek approval (and why it backfires)
    8:15 What people-pleasing tells your inner child
    10:05 The Harvard club that sang my song to mock me
    12:00 Letting go of my beverage company
    16:00 “Who is she to coach?” and my first clients
    17:45 How to stop caring what people think
    20:10 Finding your people
    23:00 Embrace the cringe
    25:05 Guided meditation
    33:30 Closing

    #stopcaringwhatpeoplethink #peoplepleasing #selfworth #guidedmeditation #powerfulstuff

    36 min
  • Shadow Work: How to stop self-sabotage & turn your Dark Side into POWER

    What if the parts of yourself you're most ashamed of are actually the keys to your greatest transformation??!

    Just in time for Halloween and SPOOKY SEASON, we doin' a little witchy episode of Powerful Stuff, where we're diving into shadow work, self-sabotage,  and how to transform your darkest patterns into your greatest superpowers~

    You know that part of yourself that keeps repeating the same toxic relationship patterns, doom scrolling, comparing yourself to others, or sabotaging success right when things are getting good?

    That's your shadow at work. 

    But instead of shaming it, suppressing it, or trying to get rid of it, what if you could actually learn to LOVE it?

    In this episode, we're exploring:

    • What is shadow work, and why does our shadow self exist?
    • How unconscious patterns, childhood experiences, and fear of change fuel self-sabotage
    • Why shame keeps us stuck and how self-compassion helps us break old cycles
    • How to practice shadow integration through playful exercises like shadow dates and hilarious Love Island-style shadow bios
    • How to transform your inner saboteur into a powerful alter ego that actually supports your growth

    PLUS, we'll finish with a guided shadow work meditation to help you connect with your shadow, release old patterns, and integrate your dark and light sides into a more confident, whole, and powerful YOU.

    Because shadow work doesn't have to be dark and serious. Sometimes all it takes is a little loving levity, a dash of humor, and some good old-fashioned witchcraft.

    If this episode resonates, subscribe to Powerful Stuff and share it with a friend who's ready to stop fighting themselves and start harnessing their full power.

    More treats, fewer tricks. And isn't that Powerful Stuff??


    29 min
  • How to stop getting triggered: Why your BIGGEST triggers mean you're about to break through

    Do you ever wonder why EVERYTHING is triggering you all at once when you’ve already done so much work on yourself??!

    In this episode of Powerful Stuff, I’m breaking down how to stop getting triggered by the same situations over and over and over again, why emotional triggers can sometimes intensify when you’re on the edge of real personal growth, and how to use those moments to create a completely different response.

    We’ll talk about the patterns underneath emotional triggers, self-sabotage, inner-child reactions and that frustrating feeling of knowing exactly WHY you behave a certain way while still finding yourself doing it (hello, awareness hell!)

    Most importantly, I’ll walk you through what to actually do the next time you get triggered.

    Instead of immediately reacting, try creating a little space and asking yourself:

    What would I normally do here, and what would the version of me who already trusts themselves do instead?

    That small shift can give you a new experience of yourself, which is how you begin changing an old pattern rather than endlessly analyzing it.

    I also guide you through a visualization  help you identify the old pattern, connect with what the younger part of you actually needs, and envision how your highest self would handle the same trigger differently.

    We get into:
    • Why you might suddenly feel triggered by everything
    • How emotional triggers and self-sabotage are connected
    • Why awareness alone doesn’t always create change
    • How to pause before falling into your usual reaction
    • The question to ask yourself when you’re emotionally activated
    • How to build self-trust through new choices
    • Why jealousy and comparison can sometimes point toward what you want
    • How to stay playful while doing serious personal growth
    • A guided exercise for turning a current trigger into a different response

    If you want to change your life without taking yourself quite so seriously, subscribe to the channel. 

    And send this episode to the friend who has done ALL the self-development and is still asking, “Okay, but why the f*&*k am I triggered?”

    Have a topic you want me to cover next? Leave it in the comments!

    30 min
  • The myth of the COMEBACK: how to move forward after an identity shift

    What if the reason you feel stuck isn’t that you’ve fallen behind, but that you’re trying to return to a version of yourself that no longer fits??!

    In this episode, I’m talking about the myth of the comeback, what postpartum taught me about identity, ambition, and capacity, and why real growth often starts with an honest look at where you actually are. Whether you’re navigating motherhood, burnout, a career shift, or any major life transition, this is about letting go of the pressure to “get back” and figuring out how to move forward from here with clarity, grace, and real momentum.

    18 min
  • How to Stop Feeling Guilty for Resting on Vacation: Self-Acceptance + Letting Go

    As high achievers, sometimes we can even try to optimize our vacations!!

    I went to Lombok thinking I might come back with some kind of perfect reset or revelation. So much had gone into getting there, the travel, the logistics, leaving my baby, making the trip happen, that somewhere along the way I started feeling like I needed to make it "worth it."

    "I should relax deeply...I should have a breakthrough...I should come home changed," are sneaky thoughts I noticed myself thinking.

    And then I remembered that none of that was actually the point (surprise, surprise!).

    My intention was to connect with my friends, to play games, to lounge around and to do whatever actually wanted to be done, instead of turning even rest into another thing to perform well.

    This video is about how to give ourselves more permission, acceptance, and grace around rest, and noticing how easy it is to bring a high-achiever mindset into the very experiences that are supposed to help us step out of it.

    I didn’t need to come back from Lombok with a massive reset or a new version of myself... in fact, maybe the reset was realizing I didn’t need one.

    At the end, I’ll also guide you through a short meditation and a few questions you can ask yourself to reset your own vacation, let go of the pressure to “make the most of it,” and come back to what you actually want from the experience.

    If you’ve ever felt pressure to relax correctly, have the perfect trip, be productive with your downtime, or turn every meaningful moment into personal growth, this one’s for you.

    15 min
  • POSTPARTY: Postpartum, Motherhood & Marriage- a Live Stand-Up Comedy Special

    When the birth plan ends, the postparty begins!!

    Recorded live in Los Angeles, POSTPARTY is my stand-up comedy special about the hormonal free fall, identity crisis and logistical fever dream of becoming a mother. I get into breastfeeding, baby sleep, marriage after a baby, postpartum identity shift, childcare and the impossible pressure to perform motherhood correctly.

    This is the stuff I normally reserve for the mom group chat, and is for anyone who is completely in love with motherhood while also feeling slightly unhinged. 

    29 min
  • Lions Gate Portal 2026: Step Into Your Power

    Are you ready to harness the magic of Lion's Gate Portal to step into your most powerful self yet? I THOUGHT SO!

    This week, we’re walking through the Lion’s Gate Portal, a powerful energetic alignment that peaks on 8/8 and invites you to shed the old and boldly claim what’s next. Rooted in ancient Egyptian astronomy and Leo season’s heart-led fire, this moment asks: Who are you when you stop hiding your magic?

    In this episode, I break down what the Lion’s Gate Portal is,  and how to harness its energy to amplify your desires, intuition, and self-expression. You’ll also get guided prompts and rituals to help you align with the portal-  not just as a date on 8/8, but as a doorway to a more embodied, magnetic you.

    Let’s do this!

    *This episode was recorded in 2025 but if you'd like to register for the free LIVE 2026 Lion's Gate Portal workshop ion 8/8/26, you can do so here

    34 min
  • 7 Months Postpartum: My First Event Back and Letting Go of Pressure

    Seven months postpartum, I hosted my first event back, and it brought up far more than I expected!

    In this episode, I share what it felt like to return to something I love while navigating the pressure to make it successful, the temptation to focus on who was not there, and the deeper work of appreciating the people who were.

    I talk about releasing expectations, redefining what progress looks like postpartum, and letting go of the idea that returning means immediately operating at your old capacity. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is stop rushing, honor the season you are in, and allow the experience to be enough before you know what it is leading to.

    This episode is for anyone putting pressure on a new beginning, measuring success too quickly, or needing the reminder that showing up matters, even when reality looks different from what you imagined.

    21 min
  • How to Stop Letting Rejection Define You (The Coaching Tool That Changed Everything!!)

    This week, I accidentally became my own client!

    After putting myself out there for an opportunity that felt exciting, I found myself caught in an old shame spiral. Despite years of coaching others through self-worth, confidence, and rejection, I noticed myself obsessing over someone else's response and making it mean something about me. In this episode, I share the surprisingly vulnerable experience that brought up old stories from my twenties, why major identity shifts can make us feel exposed again, and the coaching tools I used to move through it. 

    We explore the difference between growth and rumination, how to stop outsourcing your worth to external validation, and a powerful exercise that helped me release the fear of rejection by writing myself the worst rejection text I could imagine. Whether you're navigating a career transition, motherhood, a creative risk, dating, entrepreneurship, or any season of reinvention, this episode is a reminder that rejection doesn't define you...what matters is the story you choose to tell next!

    29 min

About Powerful Stuff

From the publisher's feed

POWERFUL STUFF is the comedic relief to your self growth journey you didn't know you needed. Meredith muses about how to understand, overcome, and transform life's hurdles through deep insight and a…