The Meredith Patterson Podcast

Let It Fall: Exfoliating What No Longer Serves You

Have you ever wondered why the trees let go of their leaves? It isn't loss. It's how they survive the winter and bloom again in spring.

In this solo episode, Meredith shares the surprising wisdom behind falling leaves and what it can teach us about our own lives. Like a tree in winter, we all hold on to things that once gave us life but now quietly drain our energy, joy and peace: a relationship, a commitment, a habit, a role, or a story we tell ourselves about who we are.

Meredith opens up about what she has had to release in her own career and personal life, why letting go is so hard (fear, loyalty, habit and grief), and how to shed what no longer serves you gently, with gratitude instead of bitterness.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why letting go is an act of wisdom, not failure
• How to take an honest inventory of what fills you up and what drains you
• The "leaf question" that helps you know when a season has ended
• How to keep the lesson while releasing what's done
• Why boundaries are the "seal" that protects the space you've cleared
• How to honor the grief and trust the bare branches

Plus, journal prompts to help you choose the one leaf you're ready to release this week.

Want support along the way? Join the Bliss Is Your Birthright Collective on Patreon, where Evening Bliss is a beautiful way to release the day and let go.

Bliss is your birthright. Choose bliss.

Fall Back Without Falling Down

This Sunday, November 1st, the clocks fall back. On paper it's an extra hour, but for many of us the shorter days bring lower energy, restless sleep, and a heavier heart, just as the holiday season starts asking more of us.

In this Mental Health Monday episode, Meredith explains why the time change and the loss of evening light affect our mood. She shares five simple ways to protect your light through the darker months, from morning sunlight to building a winter rhythm you actually look forward to, and talks gently about when the winter blues may be something more and how to get support.

The days may get shorter, but your light doesn't have to.

For a gentle start to your mornings this season, find Morning Bliss and the Bliss Morning Routine in the Bliss Is Your Birthright Collective on Patreon.

Bliss is your birthright. Choose bliss.

What if the secret to a thriving business isn't being seen everywhere, but building something that's truly yours?

This week I sit down with Jennifer Colter, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at Agnes Scott College and founder of The Colter Media Collective in Decatur, Georgia. Jennifer has spent more than 20 years helping brands and women entrepreneurs tell their stories with honesty and heart, through PR, publishing, and podcasting. Her publishing imprint, House of Ember Books, helps authors bring their personal stories from manuscript to market.

We talk about why authenticity only works when it isn't a performance, and why the future belongs to women who choose ownership over visibility and infrastructure over influence. We get into the exhaustion of being "always on," the shift from mental health to mental fitness, and how women are finally carving out their own lanes in wellness, leadership, and business. Jennifer also shares why small, meaningful communities can matter more than big audiences, and how joy is making a comeback as a real business value.

If you've ever felt pressure to hustle harder, post more, or be someone you're not to grow your work, this episode is your permission to slow down and build from wholeness instead.

Because bliss is your birthright, and that includes the way you build your life's work.

Connect with Jennifer Colter The Colter Media Collective: https://helloskip.com/b/the-colter-media-collective-llc-1 Business profile: https://www.alignable.com/decatur-ga/the-colter-media-collective-llc Email: [email protected]

Connect with Meredith Merie Productions: https://merieproductions.com

If this conversation spoke to you, share it with a woman who's building something beautiful, and leave us a review wherever you listen. It helps so much.

#MeredithPattersonPodcast #BlissIsYourBirthright #ColterMediaCollective #HouseOfEmberBooks #WomenEntrepreneurs #WomenInBusiness #AuthenticBranding #PersonalBranding #BrandStorytelling #OwnershipOverInfluence #MentalFitness

Always On: The Mental Load of Being Seen | Mental Health Monday

Have you ever rewritten a caption four times, not because it was wrong, but because you were worried about how it would land? In this Mental Health Monday episode, Meredith Patterson looks at the hidden weight of visibility: the constant, always-on effort of managing how we come across, and what it does to our minds and bodies.

Whether you run a business, raise a family, or perform for a living, you probably have an invisible second job you never applied for. Meredith explains how "attention residue" leaves us mentally split and tired in a way sleep doesn't fix. She also explains why our ancient stress response can't tell an inbox from a threat, and why the conversation is shifting from mental health to mental fitness. She shares a preview of her upcoming conversation with brand strategist Jennifer Colter, founder of The Colter Media Collective, about a growing shift among women entrepreneurs toward sustainable building, ownership over visibility, and infrastructure over influence.

Drawing on a lifetime on stage, Meredith explains the difference between performing and owning, and why real authenticity is about being rooted, not relatable.

This week's mental fitness practice:

• The physiological sigh, a simple breath to calm your nervous system
• One "unseen" hour a day that belongs only to you
• The ownership question: "Am I performing, or am I owning this?"

You're allowed to be seen without being consumed by it. Bliss is your birthright.

Join us Friday for the full conversation with Jennifer Colter on authentic storytelling, building without burning out, and women claiming their own lanes in business and wellness.

Where in your life do you feel "always on"? Send Meredith a message and tell her which practice you're trying this week.

⚠️ Content note: This episode contains explicit language. Headphones on if the kids are in the car.

Get the book and read along

A few weeks ago, I broke down Chapter 1 of Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, and you all showed up in a big way. So today I'm keeping my promise: we're going through the whole damn book.

All nine chapters, in one honest, funny, foul-mouthed conversation. We'll meet Disappointment Panda, pick our flavor of shit sandwich, and break free from the tyranny of exceptionalism. We'll peel the self-awareness onion, hear the unbelievable story of Hiroo Onoda, and face Manson's Law of Avoidance. Then we'll get unstuck with the Do Something principle, learn why a clean "no" might be the most loving word you say, and look at why remembering you're going to die is the key to actually living.

Along the way, I share my own stories: the shit sandwich I chose as a producer, letting go of needing to be the star, my biggest flops, and the identities I had to let die so I could grow. Every chapter ends with a simple practice you can take into your week.

This isn't about becoming cold or careless. It's about caring so much about the right things that the wrong things don't stand a chance.

Chapters Welcome and Chapter 1 recap Chapter 2: Happiness is a problem Chapter 3: You are not special Chapter 4: The value of suffering Chapter 5: You are always choosing Midpoint break Chapter 6: You're wrong about everything (but so am I) Chapter 7: Failure is the way forward Chapter 8: The importance of saying no Chapter 9: …And then you die Wrap-up

Which chapter hit you hardest? Send me a message. I read every one.

If you're carrying something heavy right now, please reach out to someone you trust or a mental health professional.

Bliss is your birthright, friends and spend your fucks wisely.

Fair warning: I swear a lot in this one. You're welcome.

This week we're kicking off a two-part Mental Health Monday book club on The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, one of the books I keep coming back to (my copy is seriously dog-eared). Today we dig into Chapter 1, "Don't Try," and the big idea most people miss: this book isn't about caring less. It's about caring on purpose.

In ten minutes, we cover:

• Why Charles Bukowski's tombstone says "Don't try," and what that means for the rest of us
• The "feedback loop from hell," or how feeling bad about feeling bad keeps us stuck (and how to break it)
• Alan Watts' backwards law: why chasing happiness makes us less happy
• Manson's three subtleties of not giving a f*ck
• What I cared about in my twenties as an actress, compared with what matters to me now as a mom, producer, and wife

This week's homework: the F*ck Budget. Write down everything you gave a f*ck about this past week, ask whether each one is true, immediate, and important, and circle where you're overspending.

Then grab the book (link below), read Chapter 1, and come back for Part Two, where we go through the whole damn thing together.

Send me a message and tell me one thing you're done giving a f*ck about. Bliss is your birthright, so don't spend it on sht that doesn't matter.

📖 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: https://markmanson.net/books

In this intimate conversation, Meredith Patterson sits down with Vic Reynolds, co-founder of ConnectingLives®, to explore the profound power of meaningful connection in our increasingly digital world.

Vic shares the personal inspiration behind ConnectingLives® — a transformative exchange with his own father that revealed how written communication can deepen understanding, spark better conversations, and strengthen relationships in ways that texts and emails simply cannot.

Together with his sister Krista Reynolds Norris, Vic created the 2-Way Card® — a revolutionary approach to greeting cards that bridges the gap between the speed of digital communication and the intimacy of handwritten connection. These innovative cards don't just deliver a message; they invite a response, creating a meaningful dialogue that both sender and recipient can keep and treasure.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How intentional communication can transform relationships
• The science and soul behind why people crave deeper connections
• Why slowing down to write creates space for authentic dialogue
• How one simple exchange with his father changed everything
• Practical ways to cultivate more meaningful connections with the people you love

This is an essential conversation about the art of connection in a world that often feels disconnected — perfect for anyone seeking to deepen their relationships and live their bliss more fully.

Learn more:

• Visit: www.ConnectingLives.com
• Shop 2-Way Cards®: www.ConnectingLives.com/collections/singles
• Read their story: www.ConnectingLives.com/pages/our-story

The Loneliness Epidemic

We're more connected than ever—yet lonelier than we've ever been. In this Mental Health Monday episode, Meredith Patterson explores the paradox of modern isolation: how social media, busy schedules, and the invisible mental load have left us feeling profoundly disconnected.

Discover why loneliness is a public health crisis, how it affects both mental and physical wellbeing, and what genuine connection actually requires. This episode unpacks the difference between being alone and feeling alone, and offers practical ways to build meaningful relationships that truly nourish us.

Because bliss isn't just personal wellness—it's the profound sense of belonging we all deserve.

One month after Dolly Parton's passing, we sit down with Meredith's friend of 26 years, actress, writer, visual artist, and Here You Come Again star Tricia Paoluccio. Meredith and Tricia talk about what it means to embody an icon, create through loss, and remember the people who save us.

Since age five, when Tricia first heard "Here You Come Again" on the radio, Dolly Parton has been more than a singer—she's been a practical guide for living. That childhood devotion became the heart of Here You Come Again, the two-person musical she co-wrote that's played sold-out theaters across the U.S., UK, and Australia. In it, Dolly appears as a "rhinestoned, hourglass-shaped Mary Poppins," helping Kevin—a struggling comedian in lockdown—remember that hope is always one song away.

In this episode, Tricia opens up about playing the Queen of Country, the discipline of embodiment over impersonation, growing up on a farm like Dolly did, and why the show's core message—"everyone has a little Dolly inside, insisting it's all going to be alright"—feels more necessary than ever.

We also talk about her multidisciplinary life as artist, activist, and chaplain; her pressed-flower art worn at the Met Gala; and what it means to create across disciplines without apology.

A conversation about legacy, authenticity, and keeping the people we love close through the art we make. Instagram: @hereyoucomeagainmusical

Websites: 🌸 Personal: triciapaoluccio.com 🌸 Domain of the Flowerings (visual art brand): domainoftheflowerings.com

In this episode of The Meredith Patterson Podcast, we're diving deep into one of the most transformative yet underestimated pillars of mental wellness: kindness. Meredith explores how the simple act of choosing kindness—toward ourselves and others—can fundamentally shift our mindset, reduce stress, and create a ripple effect of positive change in our lives and communities.

What does it really mean to practice kindness in a world that often feels rushed and demanding? How can we extend compassion to ourselves without guilt, and what happens when we make kindness a non-negotiable part of our daily practice? This episode is a gentle but powerful invitation to examine the role kindness plays in your mental health journey and to discover how this one practice can become a cornerstone of your "Bliss Is Your Birthright" mindset.

Whether you're struggling with self-criticism, navigating difficult relationships, or simply seeking greater peace in your daily life, this conversation will leave you with practical, immediately actionable insights about harnessing the healing power of kindness. Join Meredith as she unpacks the science, the soul, and the real-world applications of one of wellness's most essential practices.

A Mental Health Monday moment to anchor your week in compassion.