Hey Friends!

Welcome to February, the month after the month when many of us embark on a new years resolution, and start getting after our goals.

Unfortunately for many of us, February can feel depressing or downright discouraging because we’ve, “fallen off the wagon” or given up on our goals that only a month ago were creating excitement and anticipation for us.

In this episode Abby and I will talk about how you can stick to your goals or resolutions without white knuckling it. All you need is a few tools and the willingness to get to know yourself a little better and try something new!

We even discuss how to make sure you don’t sacrifice yourself on the alter of your goals which for some personalities, they don’t know any other way to accomplish their goals which is why they accomplish their goals but feel absolutely exhausted at the end.

Key Takeaways

* What we take in matters for our goals.

* You don’t need to try harder; change your approach.

* Accountability is beneficial for everyone, not just obligers.

* Most goal-setting advice is tailored for upholders.

* Pay attention to your thoughts; they influence your success.

* You can achieve goals while taking care of yourself.

* Identify what you truly want beyond just outcomes.

* Thoughts can lead to quitting; be mindful of them.

* Celebrate small wins to maintain motivation.

* Create systems that align with your tendencies.

We mention Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Four Tendencies. You can learn more about her and her work here → https://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-four-tendencies/

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

I was hanging out with an old friend recently and telling him about Abby and my annual reflection practice. My friend said, “you do that with your wife?” and he sounded surprised.

It was at this moment I realized what I thought was normal, was perhaps not normal for many people. A lot of people reflect on the year or make goals for the new year but they often do this exercise for work or for personal but alone

Every year in December or January Abby and I go for a hike, date and reflect on the last year.

We ask very specific questions so we can celebrate the meaningful stuff, grieve and feel the hard stuff, and learn about ourselves, about our work, about each other, and about our kids so we can show up more aligned with our values in the next year.My friend asked me for the questions we ask each other and the framework for how we reflect on the year and plan for the next one so we decided to put it into a podcast and share it with all of our friends here.

If you want to make it super easy, you can listen to this podcast and let us be your guide as you and your spouse go through it together! Just pause the episode after each question so you and your spouse can answer it.

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

I know only a handful of people who aren’t intimidated or outright scared of having a hard conversation with someone.

In fact this is a skill Abby and I are practicing this year. It’s something we’re much better at than we used to be but we’re still intimidated and scared about having a hard conversation.

The good news is, anyone can have a hard conversation and not get completely taken out by it. All you need are a few tools in your tool belt and to develop the skills to do it.

In this episode Abby and I share a personal story about having hard conversations this year in our own lives and the tools we used and the skills we developed along the way that have made us feel confident and at peace instead of anxious and scared when it comes to having tough conversations.

Would you like to feel at peace and confident as you prepare to have your next hard conversation? Then press play and get ready to take some notes!

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

This episode first went live last year in December of 2024 and we’re publishing it again this year because people found it so inspiring to consider new experiences vs traditions!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

We love Thanksgiving and Christmas around here and we have some cherished family traditions that we look forward to every year.

For some of you though, I know that the holidays can be a difficult time for you and this is where trying new experiences can be helpful. Too many of us sit around thinking about painful traditions and holiday memories or maybe the loss of someone who’s no longer around to celebrate.

Trying something new with some of the same people or completely new people is a great way to break out of that painful pattern and make a new memory.

We also like to try new experiences with our kids to see what sticks and what becomes a funny memory that we may or may not do again.

Tune in to this episode to spark you’re own imagination for your family traditions and maybe you’ll even consider trying a new experience with your family this holiday season too!

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

This episode first went live last year in November of 2024 and we’re publishing it again this year because people found it so helpful for navigating the holidays with family!

If you are dreading the upcoming holidays because time with extended family often feels draining and awkward we recorded this episode just for you!

Your hosts Coleman and Abby will share funny and painful stories from their extended family holidays with you and the tools they use now to keep themselves safe and sane when gathering with extended family over the holidays.

What if you could enjoy the holidays this year regardless of how everyone else behaves?

You can! In this episode, we’ll tell you how we do it and how you can do it too.

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

We (Abby and I) recently hit one of those parenting walls where our strategies and tools that had worked well up to this point were not working anymore.

We believe in the power of contribution in our home and in our family. Society and humans are better when we’re connected and contributing, not just to ourselves but to each other.

But lately, the house has been a mess more often than not. Chores were not getting done and all the ways that Abby and I were trying to encourage, motivate, and get our kids to do what we wanted them to do were not working anymore. Our highest energy compliant child was still doing their chores and frankly picking up some of the slack that the other two kids were leaving behind.

The compliant child, like me and Abby was starting to feel resentment about it. We had to find a better way to encourage and motivate contribution in our home.

So, I went on the hunt to better understand motivation and how we as humans orient to expectations and I found Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Four Tendencies.

In the book she describes how each of the 4 tendencies orient to expectations and how we as their parents can align with our kids motivations and help them build a habit of contribution.

We’ve been putting the ideas in the book to the test by practicing new strategies with our kids over the past 2-3 months with excellent results and we wanted to share with you how we’re doing it and what’s working for us so you can do the same in your home with your kids!

Four Tendencies Cheat Sheet For Parents → https://gretchenrubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Four-Tendencies-One-Sheet-Children.pdf

Four Tendencies Quiz → https://gretchenrubin.com/four-tendencies/

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!

You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Want to book a free coaching call?

Find a time here → https://calendar.app.google/CnogbPVEiXvThLeCA

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

You can make regulating your nervous system easier by taking better care of your physical body.

If you know how to drop into your body and process your emotions, bringing your nervous system back to regulation but you’re not sleeping at night, you’re going to have to work a lot harder to regulate your emotions.

If you can take 10 minutes and do a thought download to observe your thoughts and get to know yourself better but you’re not regularly and consistently moving your physical body, regulating your emotions will be much harder to do.

The way in which you care for (or don’t) your physical body matters and will either make it easier or harder for you to regulate your emotions.

Everything we talk about in this podcast episode costs you nothing but your time and the willingness to build new habits or slightly adjust your routine each day.

The reward is a physical body that can handle dysregulation in yourself and in other people because its well taken care of.

Ready to build a physical foundation so regulating your emotions feels easier?

Listen now!

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!

You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Want to book a free coaching call?

Find a time here → https://calendar.app.google/CnogbPVEiXvThLeCA

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

Have you ever found yourself keeping track of your spouse’s shortcomings?

Or waiting for them to change so you can finally relax, feel loved, or be okay?

If you’ve ever thought:

They make me feel anxious

or

If they’d just listen better, I wouldn’t get so upset.

It’s likely that you too are plagued by this very common mindset in relationships.

I know we (me and Abby) have been plagued by this mindset, especially in the first decade of our marriage and it’s pretty corrosive to the health of our relationship with each other.

Curious to learn more? Listen now!

We quote Dan Allender, Sue Johnson, and Esther Perel in this episode:

Sue Johnson

Dan Allender

Esther Perel

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!

You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Want to book a free coaching call?

Find a time here → https://calendar.app.google/CnogbPVEiXvThLeCA

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

What if emotions aren’t as messy and unpredictable as we think they are?

What if the way your emotions work could be rationally and logically explained?

And what if you could completely change your life by learning how to interpret and regulate your emotions?

This is exactly what my coaching client, Sam did!

Listen now to hear his story.

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!

You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Want to book a free coaching call?

Find a time here → https://calendar.app.google/CnogbPVEiXvThLeCA

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching

Abby and I argued for years over one, surprising thing: to avoid having an impact on the other person that wasn’t purely positive.

Wait, what?! Why would we fight about this?

Because we were both trying to be selfless. We really wanted to serve the other person and take care of them and in the process we stopped taking care of ourselves (because wasn’t that the other person’s job now that we are married?)

So we stopped asking for things we wanted, like time alone or time with other friends (without our spouse), and even time together.

We tried to become selfless and this only resulted in more arguments and less connection.

In this episode we refer to Dr. Becky Kennedy as one of our parenting heroes, you can find her here: https://www.goodinside.com/about/

Have a question or comment to share?We would love to hear from you!

You can send us an email at:[email protected]

Want to book a free coaching call?

Find a time here → https://calendar.app.google/CnogbPVEiXvThLeCA

Here’s where you can find us online:

Websites:

https://www.colemanhousefield.com/

https://www.thenaturelabschool.com/

Substack:colemanhousefield.substack.com

Instagram:abbyhousefieldcoleman.housefield.coaching