Let me say it louder for the ones still stuck in hustle mode—burnout is not a badge of honor. You will not get extra credit for running yourself into the ground. In this episode, I’m sharing a much-needed reminder: you’re allowed to rest without earning it, proving anything, or checking one more box.

If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, this one’s your cue to stop performing and start breathing. Especially with Mother’s Day around the corner—whether you’re celebrating, grieving, or holding it all together—you deserve to pause. Without guilt. Without shame. Without folding that damn laundry.

• Why I stopped treating exhaustion like a weird flex
• My unfiltered take on hustle culture and why it needs to go
• A permission slip to rest—yes, even if the to-do list is still long
• What I wish someone had told me before I hit rock bottom
• A little preview of what’s coming in Part 2 of my mental health journey

00:00 — Uh yeah, you. Let’s talk about that endless to-do list

00:33 — Welcome to Simplifying Life’s Beautiful Bitchiness

01:20 — The cult of burnout and why I’m not here for it

02:05 — What rest actually means to me now

03:25 — A Mother's Day message for every type of mom (and every type of tired)

04:18 — A sneak peek at next week’s story: caregiving and the pandemic shift

05:30 — Final reminder: Inhale the calm. Exhale the fire.

• 💻 Blog Post: “My Mental Health Journey | Part 1: Toxic Job Burnout”
• ⚡ Grab the Power-Up Planner – My go-to reset when I feel myself spiraling
• 🧺 The Bare Minimum System – For when you just need the essentials handled

• 🎧 Subscribe to the pod – New episodes drop every Tuesday + Friday
• 💌 Join my email circle – I send cozy pep talks, real-life tips, and zero fluff

In this episode, I’m sharing my deeply personal story of how the highest-paying job of my corporate career became my breaking point. From unrealistic expectations to a toxic work environment and being pushed into survival mode, I share the emotional and mental toll of staying too long. I open up about my darkest moments, what finally pushed me to leave, and why walking away saved my mental health. (PS — Part 2 of this story is coming soon!)

Quick heads up — this episode shares parts of my mental health journey, including depression and thoughts of ending my life. If that feels too heavy for you right now, please take care of yourself and skip this one or come back when it feels right. Your well-being comes first. 🧡

• The "dream job" that wasn’t so dreamy after all
• Why survival mode became my new normal (without realizing it)
• Quiet quitting before it was trendy → and why it happened
• The mental health spiral that forced me to face the truth
• How caregiving and the pandemic gave me the push I needed
• Why leaving wasn’t giving up — it was survival

00:00 — Introduction: The Job That Broke Me

00:35 — Welcome to Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness

01:22 — The Reality of the Job: Overwhelming Territory and Roles

03:48 — Frustrations with Customer Service

04:59 — Quiet Quitting: Doing the Bare Minimum

07:23 — The Darkest Night: Battling Depression

09:04 — The Pandemic and My Father's Illness

10:17 — Resignation and Moving Forward

10:52 — Conclusion: Rebuilding Life on My Own Terms

→ My Mental Health Journey - Part 1: Toxic Job Burnout

→ Picture of my sales territory here

→ Power-Up Planner

→ Your Bare Minimum System

→ Subscribe to the podcast

→ Join my email community

The story doesn’t end here.

Next week, I’ll share Part 2: How caregiving, chronic illness, and a global pandemic forced me to rebuild life on my own terms.

Stay tuned — you don’t want to miss this one.

In this episode of Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness, I'm giving a pep talk for anyone feeling like they're falling behind. I emphasize that rebuilding is not linear and encourages you to celebrate healing over hustling. I share practical strategies for protecting energy, including my Power Up planner and Bare Minimum system, and reminds everyone that slow progress is still progress.

00:00 Introduction: Embrace the Rebuild

01:04 Pep Talk: You're Not Failing

01:50 Restoration Over Hustle

02:43 Tools for Healing

04:01 Final Thoughts: Take Care of Your Energy

04:19 Conclusion: Subscribe and Stay Tuned

Links Mentioned:

• Power-Up Planner
• Bare Minimum System

Resources:

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Join my email community

In this episode of Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness, I'm challenging the myth of "bouncing back" after tough times and advocates for a more sustainable approach: restoration.

I'm sharing personal experiences and practical strategies to build systems that support healing and reduce burnout, encouraging you to prioritize your well-being over societal pressures.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness

01:20 The Myth of Bouncing Back

02:30 Embracing Restoration Over Hustle

04:22 Practical Tools for Restoration

05:09 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Links Mentioned:

• Power-Up Planner
• Bare Minimum System

Resources:

• Subscribe to the podcast → https://simplifying-lifes-beau.captivate.fm/
• Join my email community → www.mmvirtualresources.com/join-my-email-family

Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if life systems are even worth trying? In this episode, Michelle keeps it all the way real—answering your biggest questions about routines, motivation, unpredictability, and the myth of needing everything perfectly organized. If you’ve ever thought, “Where do I even start?” or “What if I’m just too damn tired?”—this one’s for you.

• Why you don’t need to “fix everything” to get started
• How to build flexible systems that actually fit your life
• What to do when motivation vanishes
• The L.I.F.E. Framework for creating systems that stick
• A simple mindset shift (hint: the “easy button”) that changes everything

00:00 – Welcome to Simplifying Life’s Beautiful Bitchiness

00:18 – Real-life Qs: Where do I start? What if I’m too tired?

01:44 – Systems that meet you where you are

03:48 – The power of one small change

05:35 – Ditching rigid routines and embracing flexibility

07:57 – Systems when life is unpredictable AF

10:15 – How to keep going when you’ve got zero motivation

13:30 – Bonus mindset tip + your next step

1️⃣ Grab your free Your First Life System Guide

2️⃣ Explore my starter offers on the Choose Your Own Adventure page

3️⃣ Come hang out on Instagram – I’m always down to chat

What’s one part of your life that feels harder than it needs to be?

DM me or reply to my latest post—I’d love to help you simplify it.

This one’s personal. I’m sharing the real story behind how Life Systems came to be—not from a Pinterest board, but from rock-bottom moments of burnout, grief, and a WTF-do-I-do-now season. From learning how to ask for help to teaching my daughter the magic of shared chores (yes, even bathroom duty), I walk you through how I created something that finally made life feel doable again.

Spoiler: It all started with one simple system.

00:00 – Intro: The Idea That Changed Everything

That “what if” moment in February 2022 when I realized I could flip standard operating procedures into something personal.

00:35 – Welcome to Simplifying Life’s Beautiful Bitchiness

The vibe check: real talk, a few F-bombs, and plenty of “omg same” moments.

01:22 – From Defeat to a New Beginning

Grieving my dad, navigating chronic illness, and sitting in silence with one big question: What now?

03:03 – From SOPs to Life Systems

Why “personal standard operating procedures” didn’t click—and how a name change made everything finally land.

03:31 – The Household Harmony System

The first system I built: learning to ask for help at home and letting go of being the do-it-all mom.

04:38 – Teaching My Daughter (and Myself) Responsibility

Bathroom or dishes? The chore delegation saga begins—and how it shifted our whole dynamic.

07:10 – It’s All a Journey

No perfect system, no overnight fix—just progress, real-life learning, and tiny wins that add up.

08:16 – Outro: Your Life System Starts Here

If one system can change your life, imagine what a few more could do. You in?

• How grief and illness sparked a whole new way of living
• The first system that helped me reclaim my sanity
• Why asking for help isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom
• How Life Systems can be a stepping stone to feeling more in control

📌 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Captivate.fm

1️⃣ Grab my free starter guide → Download Here

2️⃣ Join my email family for weekly real-life strategies → Sign Up Here

3️⃣ Let’s connect! DM me on Instagram

What’s one system you wish you had right now? Hit reply or DM me—I’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

You ever look around and think, “Why is everything so fcking hard?”* Yeah. Same.

In this raw and real episode, I’m opening up about how Life Systems weren’t some cute biz idea—they were my lifeline. I was drowning in burnout, dealing with chronic illness, post-caregiving trauma, and trying to keep my house (and brain) from falling apart.

We’re talking about why rigid routines don’t work, what actually does, and how you can build systems that support your version of a balanced life—especially on the days when you’re running on 12%.

Whether you’re a tired mom, a spoonie, or just f*cking overwhelmed, this one’s for you.

• Why traditional routines often fail when you're low on energy
• The difference between discipline vs. systems—and why systems win
• How to create flexible, no-pressure Life Systems that meet you where you're at
• A new way to think about balance (hint: it's not Pinterest-perfect)
• How to get started with my Choose Your Own Adventure tool

00:00 – Introduction: The Struggle is Real

00:26 – Meet Michelle: From Burnout to Breakthrough

01:18 – Welcome to Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness

02:04 – The Truth About Routines

03:13 – Building Life Systems That Work

05:09 – The Power of Flexible Systems

07:19 – Creating Your Own Adventure

09:25 – Conclusion: Finding Your Balance

📌 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Captivate.fm

Explore the Choose Your Own Adventure page → https://www.mmvirtualresources.com/choose-your-own-adventure

What’s one thing in your life that could use a better system?

DM me on Instagram or send me an email [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!

What happens when life throws you the ultimate plot twist—back to back to back? In this raw and powerful episode, Michelle shares the emotional and eye-opening journey that led her to create Life Systems. From caregiving for her father with stage four cancer, juggling her 9-5, and distance learning with her daughter, to navigating her own multiple sclerosis diagnosis—this is the story behind the systems that saved her sanity.  

If you’ve ever felt like you’re barely holding it together, this one’s for you. Michelle gets real about burnout, grief, and how she turned chaos into calm with practical systems that meet *you* where you are.

👩🏽‍🏫 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Life Systems were born out of necessity, not productivity hype  
• How caregiving, chronic illness, and chaos shaped Michelle’s approach to balance  
• What it *really* means to create routines that work for your life—not someone else’s  
• How simple systems can turn survival mode into something that actually feels good  
• Why “you don’t need to do more—you just need to do different”

⏱ Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Introduction: A Caregiver's Journey Begins  

00:34 – Welcome to *Simplifying Life’s Beautiful Bitchiness*  

01:19 – The Turning Point: Resigning to Care for Dad  

02:44  – A New Challenge: Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis  

04:53 – Discovering Life Systems  

06:44 – Creating Effective Life Systems  

08:26 – Household Harmony and Self-Care  

10:01 – Final Thoughts and Takeaways

🎧 Listen Now:

Apple | Spotify | Captivate.fm

🙌🏽 Ready for More?

1️⃣ Grab my free guide: Your First Life System  

2️⃣ Join my email fam for exclusive updates: Subscribe Here

3️⃣ DM me on Instagram: @lifesystems_michelle – I love hearing your stories!

💬 Let’s Keep the Convo Going!

What’s one part of your life that could use a little less chaos and a little more calm?  DM me or reply to my latest email—I’d love to hear from you.

Making Joy a Daily Essential: Practical Tips for Stress-Free Living

In this episode of Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness, Michelle emphasizes the importance of prioritizing joy as a daily essential rather than an optional indulgence. She shares her personal journey and strategies—like scheduling “joy pockets” into your day—to combat burnout and support your well-being. From the societal BS that tells us joy is selfish, to the little everyday shifts that make it non-negotiable, Michelle offers practical tips and real talk to help you build a life that feels balanced and joyful.

00:00 – Introduction: The Importance of Joy

00:37 – Welcome to Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness

01:27 – The Historical Burden on Women

02:18 – Reclaiming Joy in Daily Life

04:19 – Implementing Joy Pockets

07:31 – Personal Reflections and Advice

10:21 – Conclusion and Next Steps

• Why joy isn’t optional (and never was)
• How society conditioned us to put joy last
• What “joy pockets” are and how to make your own
• Simple shifts to reclaim energy, peace, and sanity

📌 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Captivate.fm

• “Joy pockets” → 10-minute mini joy breaks you treat like appointments
• Cultural lies that glorify burnout and keep us exhausted
• Everyday joy rituals (like dancing in your kitchen or doodling badly on purpose)
• How Michelle found more joy after her chronic illness diagnosis

1️⃣ Grab my free [Power-Up Planner] → https://www.mmvirtualresources.com/product-page/the-power-up-planner

2️⃣ Want help designing a Life System that includes joy? Book a Game Plan Check-In → https://wix.to/iGr7DXS

3️⃣ Let’s connect! DM me on Instagram 

What’s one thing that brings YOU joy in 10 minutes or less? Message me or tag me on IG—I’d love to hear it!

Ever catch yourself saying, “I’ll play later”…and then never do? Yeah, same. In this episode, I’m sharing why I stopped treating joy like a reward and started scheduling it like a non-negotiable. From doodling and dancing to that "ahhh" moment on the porch with a drink, this one’s all about carving out space for what lights you up—even when life’s lifin’.

00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Joy

00:57 Welcome to Simplifying Life's Beautiful Bitchiness

01:44 Rediscovering Simple Joys

03:46 Integrating Joy into Daily Life

05:40 Creating Joy Pockets

08:42 Conclusion: Spread the Happiness

• Why joy isn’t optional (and what happens when we treat it like it is)
• The mindset shift that helped me stop postponing play
• What a Joy Pocket is—and how to create your own
• 4 simple steps to add more happiness to your day (without overcomplicating it)
• How building joy into your system actually makes you more productive

📌 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Captivate.fm

• My personal Joy Pockets: crocheting, doodling, dancing like nobody’s watching (or like you are—hey, I’m a former Zumba instructor 😆)
• The 10-minute rule I live by
• Why joy belongs on your to-do list
• How life systems aren't just about organization—they’re about joy, too

1️⃣ Book a Game Plan Check-In → Let’s map out your version of a joy-filled day: https://wix.to/dv3MtND

2️⃣ Grab the free Power-Up Planner → https://www.mmvirtualresources.com/product-page/the-power-up-planner

3️⃣ Join the email fam for wellness tips & random goofy stories → https://www.mmvirtualresources.com/join-my-email-family 

What’s one tiny Joy Pocket you’re adding to your day this week?

DM me on Instagram or hit reply to my latest email—I wanna hear what lights you up. 🧁🌈🍭