SPA HIVE

:Overthinking your social media posts, sitting through endless meetings, or spending longer choosing a show than watching it? Julie Pankey and MaryAnn Sessine unpack how perfectionism and decision fatigue make business and everyday life harder than necessary. From small business marketing to the nightly dinner debate, this SpaHive Podcast episode asks: What would the easiest version look like?

Plus, download the free SCORE Goal Planner in the show notes and build your own game plan for the rest of 2026.

You have three months left in the year. So what are you actually going to do with them?

Last week, Julie and MaryAnn looked back at the goals they made in January. This week, they’re taking the ones that still matter and figuring out how to actually make them happen before December 31.

Enter: the Q4 Hail Mary.

Julie brings one of the goals she’s been talking about for years: finally doing something with her Anti Hero Leader book idea. MaryAnn puts her on the spot and walks her through the SpaHive SCORE method, a football inspired spin on SMART goal setting:

S: Specific

Together, they turn “I want to work on my book” into a real, measurable plan: record 25 leadership stories by December 31 and use them to determine what this book could actually become.

They also get into the bigger problem with goal setting: sometimes the things we call goals are really just wishes. Wanting to lose weight, get organized, grow your business, feel calmer, or finally start that project isn't a plan until you decide what you're actually going to DO.

If you have something you've been saying you'll do all year, this episode is your Q4 reset.

Plus, download the free SCORE Goal Planner in the show notes and build your own game plan for the rest of 2026.

What happened to all those goals you were SO sure about back in January?

September has a funny way of making you look at the person you thought you were going to be this year versus the person you actually became.

This week on SpaHive Podcast: Business + Life Unfiltered, Julie and MaryAnn are checking back in on their 2026 goals. The ones they accomplished, the ones they’re still chasing, the ones they completely forgot existed, and the ones that just don’t fit anymore.

Julie revisits her word of the year, “alignment,” and rediscovers a book idea she apparently forgot she had. MaryAnn talks about how pregnancy completely changed some of the goals she had for herself this year. They also check in on their podcast growth and monetization goals, reading challenges, fitness expectations and why arbitrary deadlines can make a perfectly good goal feel like a failure.

And, naturally, the conversation somehow turns into an investigation into discreet book covers for spicy novels.

But underneath all of it is one question worth asking before Q4:

If December 31st came and you hadn’t done this, would you actually be disappointed?

If yes, maybe it’s time to get moving.

If no, maybe it’s time to let it go.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and come back next week when we take the goals that ARE still worth chasing and give them one final Q4 Hail Mary.

September has that back to business energy. New routines, new planners, new goals, new motivation…but what about the things we need to STOP doing?

This week on SpaHive, Julie and MaryAnn are talking about the work habits they’re leaving behind this fall: multitasking, rescuing everyone, reminding grown adults about their deadlines, letting one email or text hijack the entire day, and taking ownership of problems that were never actually theirs to solve.

They get into workplace boundaries, delegation, time management, productivity, leadership, and the surprisingly hard lesson of knowing about something without automatically owning it.

Because maybe the answer to feeling overwhelmed at work isn’t always doing more, organizing better, or finding the perfect planner.

Maybe it’s realizing that just because something lands in front of you doesn’t mean it belongs to you.

If you’re a business owner, leader, manager, entrepreneur, or anyone trying to head into fall with a little less chaos, this episode is your reminder: you don’t have to take everything with you.

Is September actually a better time to reset your life and goals than January?

This week on the SpaHive Podcast, Julie and MaryAnn are officially entering September… although they definitely do not agree on whether summer is actually over.

They’re giving summer a report card, sharing their best decisions and most ridiculous moments, debating early sunsets, talking planners, Tai Chi walking, cottage cheese cookies and somehow eventually making their way to the psychology behind the “Fresh Start Effect.”

With four months left in the year, this episode isn’t about cramming in every goal you made in January. It’s about deciding what still matters, letting go of what doesn’t, and choosing one manageable thing you’d genuinely feel good about accomplishing before December 31.

Because maybe September—not January—is the fresh start we actually need.

Listen for a funny, honest conversation about goal setting, productivity, seasonal resets, work, life and figuring out what deserves your energy in the final months of the year.

What are you ready to stop feeling guilty about?

In this episode of the SpaHive Podcast, Julie Pankey and MaryAnn get honest about guilt, work life balance, leadership, boundaries, self care and the pressure to do everything the “right” way.

Recording separately and answering the same three questions, they share the things they officially refuse to feel guilty about anymore, from paying for convenience and celebrating fall early to asking questions at work, setting high expectations, being late and learning to choose yourself.

They also dig into people pleasing, perfectionism, burnout and the difference between being needed and being loved. Julie shares why having high standards doesn't mean expecting perfection, while MaryAnn talks about letting go of the pressure to always have the answer.

If you've ever felt guilty for saying no, setting boundaries, asking for help, making life easier, changing your mind or putting yourself first, this conversation is for you.

Because maybe the goal isn't to do everything better. Maybe it's to finally stop apologizing for the things that never required an apology in the first place.

Would you rather have twice the revenue or work half the hours?

In this episode of the SpaHive Podcast, we explore decision making in business, entrepreneurship, and everyday life through a fast-paced game of Would You Rather. From spa ownership and team building to time management, revenue growth, and work-life balance, we challenge each other to choose between the trade-offs that every business owner faces.

The rule is simple: no “it depends.” Just clear decisions, real opinions, and honest insight into how we think about scaling a business, building a team, and designing a life you actually want.

Why can we make some of life's biggest decisions in minutes...but spend 45 minutes deciding where to eat?

This week on the SpaHive Podcast, Julie and MaryAnn are talking decision making: the things they decide instantly, the ridiculously small choices they overthink, gut instinct vs. research, decision fatigue, and why having MORE options may actually make it harder to choose.

Plus, Julie and MaryAnn put their own decision-making styles to the test and unpack the famous "jam study" on choice overload — and what it can teach us about business, spa menus, parenting and everyday life.

Are you a fast decision maker, an overthinker...or somehow both?

Check out Julie Pankey’s Leadership must read list! https://a.co/d/06O7OCfq

Wellness trends are everywhere...but are they actually making life better?

Julie and MaryAnn continue their conversation from last week's episode by diving into some of today's biggest viral trends, including Social Wellness, 90s Summer, Sardine Girl Summer and BookTok. Together they explore which trends deserve the hype, which ones they're skeptical of, and why sometimes the best ideas aren't new at all.

Check out Julie Pankey’s Leadership must read list! https://a.co/d/06O7OCfq

Every week there's another beauty, wellness, or lifestyle trend taking over social media... but are any of them actually worth trying?

In this fun episode of SpaHive, Julie Pankey and MaryAnn rate today's biggest viral trends using one simple system: Buy It, Borrow It, or Leave It.

From Glass Skin facials and Fisherman Aesthetic fashion to Bed Rotting, eco friendly salon hair recycling, and some very questionable "nervous system wellness" products, nothing is off limits.

You'll laugh, probably disagree with us a few times, and maybe even discover a trend worth trying yourself.

Whether you're a spa professional, business owner, or just someone who enjoys keeping up with internet culture, this episode is packed with opinions, laughs, and plenty of "wait... that's actually a thing?" moments.

Check out Julie Pankey’s Leadership must read list! https://a.co/d/06O7OCfq