Get Mom Ready Podcast

Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.Show Notes: What we Talked About + Coaching Link There are some parts of motherhood that aren’t necessarily hard because they’re huge.They’re hard because they happen every single day.Dinner. Bedtime. School pickup. Getting out the door. Managing expectations for a “fun” weekend. Thinking about the thing you have to do later… five hours before you actually have to do it.And the very real thing that happened to Holly 2 minutes into our recording…getting the dreaded call from school that your kid has a fever and needs to come home. Cue rescheduling the afternoon meetings, cancelling your productive afternoon, and embracing the call of motherhood.In this week’s episode, we ended up talking about all of it: meal planning, bedtime checklists, school pickup resets, Disney World expectations, and the mental pressure moms carry before anything has even happened yet.And honestly? That’s kind of the point.Because so often, the issue isn’t that we’re doing motherhood “wrong.”It’s that there’s too much friction built into the way we’re trying to do it.Sometimes the most helpful question isn’t:“How do I become better at this?”Sometimes it’s:“Why does this feel so hard in the first place?”This episode is full of the kinds of practical, real-life shifts that come from asking that question.A few of the things we talked through:* taking the pressure off the belief that you have to do something because “that mom” does it* creating a “bank” of meals instead of having to make the decision from scratch each week* noticing where the friction is in your routine and adjusting from there* stopping work 10–15 minutes before pickup to reset your brain before mom mode* preparing kids for what’s coming instead of assuming they’ll just roll with it* holding expectations loosely so one hard moment doesn’t define the whole experienceOne of our favorite takeaways from this conversation was this:“The goal isn’t perfection. It’s reducing friction.”That tiny mindset shift feels small, but it changes a lot.Because once you stop forcing yourself into a system that doesn’t work for your brain, you can actually build one that does.Maybe that looks like taking the pressure off of perfect routine.Maybe it looks like doing more with other moms to make the “daily grind” more fun.Maybe it looks like buying pre-chopped onions and calling it a win.Maybe it looks like realizing your kids don’t need the most elaborate plan to have fun, they just need a mom who isn’t completely maxed out.That’s really what this episode is about: getting curious about the pressure points instead of just powering through them.And maybe, just maybe, giving yourself permission to make things easier.Because you’re allowed to do that.You’re allowed to choose the version of motherhood that works for your actual capacity.You’re allowed to prepare more (or less).You’re allowed to expect less perfection.You’re allowed to care about your experience too.And if you’ve been feeling like every routine in your life has just a little too much drag in it right now, this episode will probably feel very familiar.And if this conversation hits a little too close to home, coaching might be the next right step. We offer coaching calls for moms who want practical support, fresh perspective, and help untangling the mental load. You can book a call here.Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comWhat if the thing making motherhood feel so hard… isn’t just the workload?What if part of the exhaustion is coming from spending your energy on things you don’t actually value, but feel like you’re supposed to?Anna came in with a simple question:“How do I figure out my values in motherhood?”Not in a fluffy way.In a “my days feel chaotic and I’m barely keeping up” kind of way.What unfolded is a conversation every mom needs about misalignment, mental load, and the things we’re doing just because we think we should.The real problem (that no one tells you)You might not be overwhelmed because you’re doing too much.You might be overwhelmed because: you’re doing things that aren’t actually important to you, but you feel like they should be.And that gap? That’s where burnout lives.The example we couldn’t stop coming back to: DINNERMeal planning. Grocery shopping. Cooking. Cleaning. Repeating.Anna said what we’re all thinking:“I have a system for meal planning and prep… and I still hate doing it.”And that’s the tension:* The system works* But it’s built around something she doesn’t actually valueSo instead of asking:“How do I get better at this?”We asked:“Do you even want to keep doing this?”What we uncovered (aka the actually helpful part)1. Start with what you don’t valueAnna realized:* Home-cooked meals every night? Not it for her* Eating together / eating nutritious meals / quality time? YesThat shift matters.Because when you stop forcing what isn’t yours,you finally have space for what is.2. Systems don’t fix misalignmentYou can optimize your routine all day long, but if it’s built around obligation, you will still feel exhausted.Alignment first. Systems second.3. You’re not just low on time, you’re low on energySome things don’t just take time…They take so much mental and emotional energy:* decision fatigue* guilt* resentmentAnd when your day is full of those things?Of course you feel maxed out.Try this instead of spiraling: get curiousInstead of:“Why can’t I just do this like everyone else?”Try:“Hmm… where did I learn that this matters? Who’s voice am I listening to? How can I find what matters to me and focus more on doing that well?”That one question can unravel a LOT.4. You might be discovering yourself for the first timeSome moms feel like they just want to get back to “their old selves,” you know, pre-kids. And some of us feel like we never even figured out who we were in the first place.* what we like* what we value* what we wantAnd honestly? That’s allowed to take time.5. The simplest test: do you clench or exhale?When you imagine not doing “the thing”…* Do you feel tight, stressed, resistant? → 🚩* Or do you feel relief, space, ease? → 👀That exhale? That’s data. Recognize it and start figuring out what does bring you joy if you want to start prioritizing your life around your values.Of course, there are some jobs in life we just have to do, but for the most part, we get to decide what we pursue, what we spend energy on, and how we do those things to maximize joy in the process.Okay but what do I DO with this?We didn’t just stay theoretical. Here’s where this lands practically:If dinner is draining you:* Try meal delivery for a season* Use pre-made grocery options* Repeat meals you already know work* Lower the bar (a lot)* Or outsource where you canAnd most importantly, take the time to learn what does put food on the table in a life-giving way for YOU.Because maybe your value isn’t cooking from scratch.Maybe it’s having energy left at the end of the day or enjoying time with your family.Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.If this episode felt a little too relatable…If you’re:* constantly overwhelmed by decisions* doing things out of guilt* unsure what actually matters to you anymoreYou don’t need another hack.You need:* space to think* someone to process with* permission to do things differentlyThat’s what coaching is for.You can book a call with Hannah or Meredith here.Links & things we mentioned* The blow dryer/shark-airwrap situation… if you know, you know. We were influenced in real time 😂* If you want to go deeper on the time vs. energy conversation, revisit the Jennifer Sise episode. It pairs perfectly with this one and will reframe how you think about capacity.* If this episode stirred up identity questions like “what do I even like anymore?”, the Priscila Smith episode is a must-listen. It’s one of our best conversations on rediscovering yourself and your style.* When Meredith referenced looking at finances before outsourcing meals, that came from the Becca Gonzalez episode - super practical if you’re trying to make changes without blowing your budget.* The book True to You came up as a next step if you want to go deeper on identity, boundaries, and understanding your own patterns in relationships.* For our Houston moms, Tr

Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.Show Notes: What we Talked About + ProductsThis week on Get Mom Ready, we started with a travel horror story.Airport chaos.A toddler meltdown on a plane.And a mom crying under a blanket mid-flight.You know… the usual.But somewhere in the middle of swapping travel stories, the conversation turned into something bigger:How do we actually set ourselves up for success as moms?Not just when traveling.But anytime we’re trying to juggle work, motherhood, logistics, identity, and our own sanity.This episode is one of those conversations where we start talking about travel……and end up talking about support systems, guilt, experimentation, and what it takes to feel present in our own lives.Also, purely by accident, all three of us showed up wearing denim.Completely unplanned.Completely on brand for moms everywhere.So if you want to witness the accidental Denim Day, you can watch the episode at GetMomReady.com.In this episode we talk about…What it actually looks like to navigate travel as a mom.The logistics.The emotions.The unexpected curveballs.We get into:• traveling with kids vs. without them• preparing caregivers before you leave• the difference between real guilt and fear of what other people might think• the tiny logistical decisions that dramatically reduce mental load• how to ask for help without apologizing for it• why a spirit of experimentation might be one of the healthiest mindsets in motherhoodAnd yes, we also talk about what happens when your kid gets the flu on a work trip and you find yourself in an ER at 2 AM in Tampa.Motherhood keeps things humble.The mindset we keep coming back toOne of the biggest themes that came up in this conversation was something we all want to hold onto more:The spirit of experimentation.Instead of asking:“Am I doing this the right way?”What if we asked:“What happens if I try this?”Motherhood changes constantly.What works when your baby is 6 months oldmight not work when they’re 2.What worked last yearmight not work this year.Experimentation gives you permission to:• try something• learn from it• adjust• change your mindAnd honestly? That might be one of the most freeing parenting tools there is.A few things that actually helpedA lot of what made travel feel doable weren’t huge life changes.They were small, practical decisions.A caregiver “playbook”Before leaving, we talked about how helpful it can be to create a shared note with things like:• routines• preferences• school logistics• important contacts• pet instructions• random household things you don’t want someone guessing aboutNot because everything has to be perfect.But because preparation helps everyone breathe easier.Identifying your triggersEvery parent has a couple of things that spike their anxiety more than others.For some it’s choking.For others it’s driving.For others it’s sleep.Instead of pretending those concerns don’t exist, sometimes it helps to just name them.Sometimes readiness looks like saying:“Hey, this is one of my things. Will you humor me?”It’s not about control.It’s about giving your nervous system a little more peace.Making travel lighter (literally)One travel tip that came up in the episode was a portable car seat option that made traveling so much easier.The RideSafer Travel Vest works like a wearable car seat and folds into a small bag.If you’ve ever tried to manage a toddler, a suitcase, a backpack, and a giant car seat through an airport… you know why this matters.When the plan falls apartOf course, motherhood loves to test our plans.In this case, everything was going perfectly…until a toddler woke up throwing up at 1 AM.Cue the ER visit.Cue the Uber ride in the middle of the night.Cue the moment where you think:“Why did I think traveling with a toddler was a good idea?”But the interesting thing?Even in the chaos, the takeaway wasn’t “never do this again.”It was actually the opposite.Sometimes the things we’re most nervous about are the things that remind us:We can handle more than we think.A reminder about support systemsAnother theme that kept surfacing in this conversation:People often want to help more than we realize.Grandparents who love extra time with grandkids.Friends who are willing to be “on call.”Partners who hold down the fort.We’re not meant to do motherhood alone.And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply let people show up for us.If this episode resonatedWe’d love to hear from you.Tell us:• what season of motherhood you’re in• what you’re experimenting with right now• what topics you want us to cover nextYou can reach us at: [email protected] if you’re in a season where work, motherhood, identity, and life logistics all feel like they’re colliding…we offer Get Mom Ready coaching.You can book a discovery call and choose the coach who feels like the best fit for your season here.If this conversation resonated…You’re exactly who Get Mom Ready is for.Every week we share honest conversations about