what a time: getting you across campus (and beyond) one pep talk at a time

Stack stress is a term I’ve made up to describe what happens when you have a lot going on at once, put caring yourself allll the way at the bottom of your list, then one tiiiiny thing tips everything over. Sound familiar? I bet it does for many! If you’ve ever cried over feeling overwhelmed this is the episode for you. In today’s pep talk, I share 3 things you can do when you feel the pressure of...

Are you waiting to hear back from a college? Hoping to get off a waitlist? Is the unknown stressing you out? College decisions can come with a lot of feelings! Check out this bonus episode for a pep talk on a college acceptance anxiety!   mentor links:  www.maggiedipasquale.com  1:1 mentoring

“I can’t get motivated.” “I’m not being productive.” Have you felt that lately? There are so many reasons for burnout right now, but one hypothesis I have for a lack of drive is how we view our value. We’re used to measuring success based on productivity, but in a virtual school/work world it looks a lot different and it’s thrown us off.  In this pep talk, I chat productivity, the effect of assign...

Each day feel the same to you? Everything starting to blur into one? This pandemic problem has come up a lot with my students (and something I feel as well). In today’s pep talk, I share a clip from a chat I gave at the College Women’s Club of Westfield. The blursday blues are real. We are on our devices and Zoom more with less human interaction. What a time! Check out this episode to learn a spec...

Today's pep talk is a clip from my ‘ask me anything’ episode chatting about friendship breakups. It can be really confusing and upsetting when a friendship  ends which is why I want to share some comforting mentor insights. It's advice I have found to be true when going through friendships changes. Sending anyone going through a friendship breakup lots of love!  more mentoring:  a pep talk to norm...

Today's pep talk is a clip from my ‘ask me anything’ episode! Someone submitted: if you could only give one piece of advice to college students what would it be? What I share is something I remind my students of often and even feel it’s most important for upperclassmen to keep in mind! It can be easy to forget the bigger picture when you’re going through your day-to-day and that’s why this little...

Ever have someone ask you how you’re doing and respond, “I’m good. How are you?” without giving it an ounce of thought? When we share what’s really going on with our friends and give space for them to share as well, it creates a deeper connection, which many of us old souls really look for. Today I’m sharing three questions to ask instead of, “how are you?” I love these because they’re clear to th...

A side effect of the pandemic I didn't expect was how hard it is to not have designated transition times. We used to have built in commutes, walks to class, in-person after school activities and meetings. It takes extra work now to signify the end of one thing and the start of another making a lot of life a blur right now.  During the Q&A portion of a talk I gave recently, a student asked: "How ca...

Do you do something every day to honor your inner self? I, for sure, did not in high school and college, but now I rely heavily on them for my overall wellness. After having a hard time sleeping over the summer, I recommitted even more by  ritualizing my routine. According to business coach, Erica Keswin:  rituals take an everyday habit and turn it magical by giving it meaning. Let me tell you, it...

What’s the easier question to answer: “What are you good at?” or “What are you bad at?” My guess is the latter. Knowing what you’re good at feels like it should be obvious, but it’s really not! In today’s pep talk, I share why it can be hard to see your good stuff, why it’s important to know your strengths, and a mentor trick for identifying what your gifts are!  mentioned links: strength identifi...

I've seen a confidence theme lately and it always starts with the same two words: I can't.   I can't apply to that college. I can't ask that person to hang out. I can’t apply to that job. I can’t try out for that group.   Telling ourselves we can’t do something feels protective. No need to take a chance or get rejected, but it's really just holding you back. In today's pep talk, I share a confiden...

Do you get the winter blues? Have an epic long winter break? Dreading a Covid Winter? I hear you! In today’s pep talk, I share 3 tips to help you navigate liminal space: the time between what was and what’s next . If there’s one thing I know as a mentor, it’s that in-between times can be confusing, uncomfortable, even boring. These tips will help you find comfort and confidence in the unknown.  me...

Feel mentally scattered, disorganized or overwhelmed? My mind felt cluttered until I started doing a monthly goal setting ritual and the secret here is that it also doubles as a productivity hack. When we acknowledge endings and have practices around them, we’re able to move forward with clarity and efficiency. Plus, I’ve done half of the work for you by creating a downloadable worksheet that you...

Have you ever felt pressure on a holiday like New Year’s Eve or 4th of July to have fun plans? It’s so easy to look at social media, see what people are up to, and compare it to what you’ve got going on. In today’s pep talk, I’m sharing what totally changed my perspective on Holiday FOMO. This is always one of my most popular pep talks because it is so universally felt!   connect with Maggie 

Want to plan out 2021, but don’t dig resolutions and still feel like you're processing 2020? Same, same, so I’m sharing an exercise to help you work backwards. Imagine you’re looking back on your life from December 31, 2021. What do you see for yourself? Today's pep talk is part creative visualization and part clarity exercise. In order to call in the things we want into our lives, we have to get...

Today's pep talk is my first ever "ask me anything" episode! I collected questions from my students, instagram, and FAQ to answer live. We chat all different topics from mentoring, anxiety, friendships, parents, and more. This was one of my most favorite episodes to record!  0:36 - what made you get into this kind of work  intro episode  1:43 - do you talk to mentors?  mentor minute with megan mcd...

Over the summer, I started having sleep issues. I'd fall asleep fine, but wake up in the middle of the night worried. Forget about being able to go back to bed. I knew I needed to do some waking hours work to process feelings and that's how I found Dr. Sedeghi's technique.  Even though there's a break for the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, it's still stress season with finals and end of the year...

Any overthinkers out there? This is the pep-talk for you. When there's a lot going on in your mind and the world, grounding is an exercise that centers you for peace and calm. Ever walk into a room to grab something and can't remember what you went in for? Do you lose your keys? Shampoo your hair twice? These are signs of being ungrounded. Sometimes it’s also a response to anxiety. I gave a big ta...

Has covid made us socially awkward? The answer is yes. In today’s pep talk, I chat about what social atrophy is, if you can be out of practice hanging out with people, and what you can do about it. When I hear something a few times from my students and friends, I know there’s a theme brewing and that’s exactly what inspired this topic.  more mentoring:  how to cure an emotional hangover fitting in...

Sometimes anxiety can feel like a mystery and the more I study it, the more I see that it's often a perfect storm of many factors.  As a sensitive person, I've found myself in anxiety until I started addressing it through a mind, body perspective. It's also how I work in 1:1 sessions with success as well. In today's pep talk, I share 10 things you can do when you feel anxiety starting to creep in....

Ever been called an old soul?  For me, an old soul is someone who is wise and deep. They’re people who are self-reflective, introspective, and thoughtful about themselves and the world. I find that a lot of old souls can be very empathetic or pick up on the feelings of others, but I'm just going to come out and say it: I think old souls can sometimes have a harder time fitting in. Check out this e...

Have you ever come home from hanging out with someone or going out on a date and immediately jumped right into your own head?   “Do they like me?”  “Are they going to ask me out for a second date?”  “What do they think of me?”  “Am I going to ever hear from them again?”  "Did I say too much?"  This is one of my favorite topics to mentor on because I’ve had such a profound shift by re-framing datin...

Any of these sound familiar? Stop being so hard on yourself. Let it go. Try to stop thinking about it. You're such a perfectionist. I know that this is a very relatable topic because I hold space for lots of young women who put a lot of pressure on themselves (which I do to myself too!). Today I'm sharing two tips you can do when you're beating yourself up to help you get out of the loop and feel...

If you want to feel happier, shift your confidence, have better friendships, attract a romantic partner, and improve your body, I have one life tweak you can make that can lead to big shifts. It's all about the small steps on the pep talk podcast today!  Every Sunday I get a little ding on my phone that tells me how much screen time I've had that week and every time I see it I'm pretty horrified.....

"What should I do?" I hear this question all the time as a mentor. Confusion can be uncomfortable (not to mention lonely). It's sometimes hard to make sense of life's changes and challenges! In my pep talk today, I share my magic tricks. They're simple ways to use tarot cards, animals, and even spotify as an oracle for life guidance. When you connect to your inner-self, you're able to trust in the...