The Connected Mom Life

I FINALLY committed to my word of the year after a month or so of wavering. So in this episode, I'm sharing what it is, plus some reflections on last year's word and how it ended up serving me, the word that I kept trying to make work before I couldn't deny that my heart was pulling me in another direction, and my hopes for how it will serve me in the coming year. Plus some thoughts on ways to sur...

I love using the beginning of a new year as a time to look ahead and set some intentions and goals for the coming year! In this episode, I'm sharing how my process for setting goals has changed over the years (and what it looks like today), the four reflection questions I use to help me surface new goals and priorities for the coming year, some of my biggest takeaways from 2021, and why I ditched...

We're wrapping up the managing stress series with one of my most favorite strategies of all time: Batching! I truly believe batching is the key to me not going crazy as I juggle my 9-5, two kids, a house, and this podcast! In this episode, I'll share all the different ways you can batch different areas of your life, plus some easy ways to start incorporating batching into your daily and weekly rhy...

I've always hated the expression "early is on time, on time is late." Why can't I just be on-time-ish? But recently, someone casually mentioned how she'd stopped being slightly late to things and it had removed a ton of low-grade stress. And that was enough for me to give it a try. So in this episode, I'm sharing the behind-the-scenes of what life looked like before I started being truly on time t...

My #1 stress trigger in life is unmet expectations. Which, as you can imagine, makes parenting REAL fun. In this episode, I'm sharing my different strategies for adjusting my expectations in an attempt to be better prepared for the certainty of uncertainty! (Spoiler alert: It's waaay easier said than done…but I try nonetheless!) SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/60   Interested in som...

When I wake up most mornings, my head is racing thinking about all the things that have to get done. After a decades-long quest to figure out the perfect morning routine to help calm my brain, I've landed on the post-it method. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how I use a post-it note each morning to calm my anxieties (and minimize my stress levels throughout the day). Plus, some questions and...

Between the holidays, kids, careers, LIFE - this can be a stressful time of year! So I wanted to spend a few episodes sharing some of my go-to strategies for minimizing stress not just during the holidays, but all-year round. In this kick-off episode, I'm sharing the first strategy I lean on when life starts to feel hectic, and how I use it as a guide on a daily, weekly, and seasonal basis to help...

Does a lack of Friendsgiving invites or other holiday gatherings get you down this time of year? I've been there. And this episode is what I wish someone would have shared with me when I was in the thick of it. I hope it lifts your spirits and gives you some hope that these feelings don't have to be your normal. SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/57   Squad from Scratch is OPEN! Join t...

As busy moms, the idea of investing a bunch of time to find your next best friend, only to have things not pan out can be a bit defeating. Plus, who wants to go through the uncomfortableness of figuring out how to walk away without things being weird? In this episode, we're going to talk about this fear, what's really behind it, and discuss some perspective shifts that may make this one easier to...

We often talk about how hard friendship feels in the midst of busy mom life. But the reality is that a lot of things have actually gotten easier in my friendships since becoming a mom. So in this week's episode, we're going to talk about what is actually better about friendship in motherhood - like the ways kids can help us make more friends (and ease the awkward at the same time!), and how a lack...

The mind games are REAL when it comes to making friends as a busy mom.  And the fear of being annoying (or a burden) comes up a lot! In this episode, we're going to talk about what we're actually afraid of when we worry we'll be perceived as annoying, the number of outreaches it really takes to feel-out a new connection without being "too much", and when to listen to your gut and when to question...

Bookclubs can be a great way to make and deepen friendships, but meeting monthly can be a bit tricky to pull off as a busy mom. So last January, I decided to give a Voxer book club a try. And it was a hit! In this episode, I'm sharing how I sweet-talked my friends into doing it, what it actually looked like each week to discuss the book in this format, and why our book choice made all the differen...

Making friends in motherhood is hard enough, but making friends as a couple takes things to a whole new level! It isn't just ONE relationship that has to have a spark - there are multiple! And different personalities have different preferences for how often they have the energy (or desire) to pursue friendship - making the whole thing just a bit tricky. So in this episode, I'm joined by my husband...

Pumpkin patches, Friendsgiving, decorating gingerbread houses, shopping for Christmas presents - the holiday season is certainly not lacking in things to do! But sometimes... all of these fun things can lead to a stress-filled season! In this episode, I'm breaking down the 3 things I do each year to keep our holidays as joy-filled and as stress-free as possible. SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnected...

Are MLMs a path to friendship? Or the end of it? Or perhaps something in-between? In this episode, we're going to talk about how MLMs impact our connections. Both in how they can help create them and hinder them - and, in ways we maybe don't always realize! SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/50 MENTIONS: Book a FREE 1:1 Friendship Support Session   LET'S CONNECT! Instagram @theconnecte...

Do you ever walk into your closet and feel like you have nothing to wear despite the fact that it's packed full of clothes? This was me almost every day. So last spring, I decided to invest (both in head space and in a personal stylist) to help me figure out a way to make getting dressed in the morning feel easier. In this episode, I'll share the lessons learned along the way that have created spa...

Daycare can be one of THE BEST places to make mom friends. Between the fact that the kids already know each other, and it's almost a guarantee you're in a similar life-season and live nearby each other - the factors are ripe for friendship! The problem is, it often doesn't just happen by passing each other during pick-ups and drop-offs. In this episode, I'll share my number one strategy for gettin...

It seems counterintuitive, but detaching has probably been one of the most sanity-saving strategies I have used (and continue to use) in my friend-making journey. In this episode, I'm sharing how detaching has helped me make faster + deeper connections, avoid awkward and desperate interactions, and confidently pursue friendship without feeling so crazy along the way.  Plus, how you too can detach...

Survival mode happens. But we don't want to set up camp there. There's a better way to do motherhood. A lighter way. In this episode, I'm joined by author + speaker Allie Casazza who is on a mission to put a stop to hot-mess mom culture and give moms their joy back. Listen in because this is literally the pep talk you didn't know you needed! SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/46   MENT...

We've been told a lot of stories about what a best friend should and should not be since we were little girls. And unfortunately, some of these stories are now leaving us feeling very disappointed about the state of our friendships in motherhood. In this episode, we're going to have an honest discussion about best friends and our expectations for them. SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.co...

Do you have a boatload of acquaintances but few real friends? For some of us, it's not small talk that's hard. It's moving from small talk to REAL talk that can feel really confusing. But there is a path! In this episode, I'm sharing the simple strategy of using  "bridge events" to nudge a connection from acquaintance to friend (with minimal awkwardness!) SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife...

Ready-or-not...summer is ending! Whether you tackled your summer bucket list or not, this episode is all about how to feel good about the season you're leaving and the one coming up - even if your brain is freaking out about the change! SHOWNOTES: https://www.theconnectedmomlife.com/43   MENTIONS: Get 1:1 Mentorship Support from Emily Book a Free Friendship Clarity Call    LET'S CONNECT! Instagram...

I recently found myself needing to cut a lot of things out of my life in order to thrive in a particularly busy season. But knowing what to take a break from and for how long, isn't always the easiest thing to figure out as a busy mom. In this episode, I'm sharing 3 questions to help you determine when you might need a break from something in your life, and my best tip for how to give yourself per...

One of the tough things about not living near family is that vacation time is often spent visiting "home." Trying to balance time with family, rest, and experiences we want to have with our kids can be a bit of a jigsaw to put together. So in this episode, I walk through how we approach planning these trips without pulling our hair out managing all of the logistics, while also feeling really good...

There's something that shifts in our identities when we become moms, right? All of a sudden things that we enjoyed or cared about pre-kids sometimes slightly shifts - or even seismically shifts. And often, that shift has an impact on everything in our life, but especially our friendships. In this episode, we talk through how to survive (and even thrive) when one or both of us change, so we know ho...