Get Mom Ready Podcast

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comSomehow, it’s been almost a full year of Get Mom Ready.Forty-five episodes. More than 2,500 downloads. A lot of conversations about motherhood, identity, work, friendship, ambition, limits, and the strange things contractors say while standing in your kitchen.We started this because we wanted a place where moms could feel a little less alone. What we didn’t expect was how much we would need that space too.In this episode, we’re looking back at what this year has taught us, sharing our roses and thorns, and talking honestly about why we’re pressing pause on our weekly rhythm for a while.Community Can Show Up Where You Least Expect ItOne of the greatest gifts of Get Mom Ready has been the weekly community it created for the four of us.Entrepreneurship, private practice, remote work, and motherhood can all be isolating in their own ways. Having a place to show up every week, talk through what was happening, laugh, process, and occasionally admit that our children were annoying us became an anchor.It also reminded us that support doesn’t always have to look like someone giving you an answer.Sometimes it looks like being able to say the true thing without being fixed.Sometimes it’s hearing another mom’s story and quietly taking one sentence with you into the rest of your week.Sometimes it’s having people in your life who remind you that you’re allowed to be fully human.Take this with you:You may not need more advice right now. You may just need a place where you don’t have to perform, explain yourself, or have everything figured out.Pay attention to the relationships where you feel more like yourself after you leave. Those spaces matter.You’re Allowed to Try Something Before You Know Exactly What It IsWe’ve spent a lot of time behind the scenes asking what Get Mom Ready really is.Is it a podcast? A community? A newsletter? A place for practical tools? A conversation about identity? A way to help moms build lives that reflect what they actually value?The answer may be all of those things, but figuring out how to communicate that clearly has been harder than we expected.And maybe that’s part of the lesson.You don’t always need a perfect strategy before beginning something meaningful. Sometimes you start because you believe there’s a need, then learn by paying attention.You try the course. You try the membership. You make it free. You change the format. You listen. You adjust. You admit what isn’t working.Trying something new doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it the same way forever.Take this with you:You’re allowed to experiment.You’re allowed to change your mind.You’re allowed to discover that the original plan isn’t the right plan.That doesn’t mean the effort was wasted. It means you learned something you couldn’t have learned from standing still.Changing Your Mind Is a Sign of GrowthOne of the most meaningful things about recording these conversations has been the ability to look back and hear how much we’ve changed.The podcast became a kind of video diary. It captured what we believed, what we were wrestling with, and how we were learning to build our lives around what matters to us.We often think strength means being certain, staying consistent, and never backing down.But real growth requires enough humility to say, “I see this differently now.”The goal was never to give moms one correct way to work, parent, rest, build a business, use technology, or structure their lives.The goal was to become more grounded in who we are, more honest about what we value, and more confident living from that place.Take this with you:You’re not failing because you’ve changed.You’re growing.The version of you who made a decision last year was working with what she knew then. You’re allowed to make a different decision with what you know now.Permission to Be HumanA recurring rose from this year was the freedom to be a real person in a space that was still professional.We backtracked. We used too many filler words. Kids woke up in the middle of recordings. We changed our minds in real time. We said things imperfectly and clarified what we meant.And the world kept spinning.There is so much pressure to be polished before we’re visible, especially online. But being thoughtful and being human are not opposites.You can be credible and still be learning.You can be professional and still laugh too loudly.You can be good at your work and still have limits.You can care deeply about something and still need to pause.The Tension Between What Matters and What’s PossibleThis is the hard part.We still believe in Get Mom Ready. We still feel like there’s something here. We still believe moms need spaces that aren’t prescriptive, overly polished, or built around telling them how to do more.But there are also seasons when you have to be honest about your capacity.For Holly, the word for this year has been simplify. That has meant making difficult decisions about where her time, energy, and resources need to go right now.So we’re pausing the expectation of publishing a new podcast episode and article every week.This isn’t a dramatic goodbye. You may still hear from us when we have something we really want to say. But for now, we’re releasing ourselves from the pressure of maintaining the weekly cadence while we discern what the next version of Get Mom Ready could become.Take this with you:Pausing isn’t the same as quitting.Simplifying isn’t the same as giving up.Sometimes the most honest way to care for something is to stop forcing it to grow in a season when you don’t have the margin to tend it well.Help Us Shape What Comes NextIf you’ve listened to Get Mom Ready, we would genuinely love to hear from you.* Who are you?* Why did you listen?* What conversations stayed with you?* What felt helpful?* What did you wish we did differently?* What would you want more of if Get Mom Ready returns in a new form?* Your voice matters more than you may realize, and your feedback will help us understand what this community could become next.Let’s Keep in TouchSubscribe to Get Mom ReadyVisit GetMomReady.com to subscribe, read past show notes, leave a comment, and join the conversation.Follow us on InstagramFind us at @getmomready and send us a DM. Tell us who you are, why you listen, and what you want more of.Comment on the episodeLeave a comment wherever you’re listening, including Spotify or Substack. We read them.Email usSend your thoughts, feedback, questions, or future episode ideas to [email protected] up on past episodesListen to the full Get Mom Ready archive wherever you get your podcasts, or find every episode at GetMomReady.com.To every mom who listened, shared an episode, sent a message, left a comment, or quietly carried something from one of these conversations into her week, thank you.We’re deeply grateful you’re on this journey with us!Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comThe Life You Were Dreaming AboutThis week, we got to talk with writer, consultant, and working mom Hilary Sutton, and the whole conversation kept coming back to one question:What did you really want before life got so loud?The dream list from 14 years agoHilary recently found a list of dreams she had written 14 years ago, before marriage, before kids, before so many of the responsibilities that now fill her days.And the beautiful thing was that the list wasn’t full of job titles or income goals or some hyper-specific version of success.It was about building a life.A home. A safe place for her kids. A family that felt loved. Creative work. Meaningful work. Vacations. Church. Living near people she loves.You can read Hilary’s full piece here (warning, you’ll want to start journaling your own reflections and dreams after readying it!) : I found a list of dreams I made 14 years ago.Maybe you’re not behindFor the moms who are wired to keep moving, keep building, keep improving, keep asking what’s next, it can be hard to stop long enough to notice what’s already here.Hilary described herself as someone who is always thinking ahead.There is always another thing to do, another version of ourselves we’re trying to become, another goal that feels like it should already be further along.But sometimes looking back gives us a better reality check than looking forward.Maybe the life you’re living right now has pieces of the life you used to dream about. Maybe the ordinary things that feel so heavy in this season are also evidence of prayers answered, work invested, and dreams slowly taking shape.Not perfectly and not without chaos, but still very much happening.The middle years are loudOne thing said in the conversation really stuck with us: in these middle years, it’s easy to forget what we really want because there are so many tiny responsibilities that actually do matter.The mortgage matters. The camp schedule matters. The food on the table matters. The work deadlines matter. The kids’ hearts matter.It ALL matters.But when everything matters, it can be hard to remember what matters most.That’s why this conversation was an important invitation to pause for a second and ask:* What am I actually building here?* What do I want this season to feel like?* What am I trying to protect, not just produce?Imagination is not just for our kidsWe also talked about imagination, and not in a Pinterest-perfect playroom kind of way.Hilary shared that when kids feel safe, they are free to dream, play, create, and imagine. And that felt like one of those parenting truths that also applies to us.When we feel safe, we can dream too.When we’re not constantly bracing, proving, managing, and over-functioning, we can remember that the future is not just a list of responsibilities. It can still hold possibility.And sometimes, the most grounded thing we can do as moms is make space to imagine again.Listen to the full conversationIn this episode, we talk with Hilary Sutton about working motherhood, planning without trying to control everything, choosing what deserves your yes, raising imaginative kids, and remembering that this season is not a reflection of your worth as a mom.You can follow Hilary’s writing on The Motherload, where she writes about work, motherhood, creativity, and the honest middle of it all.For the mom asking, “What do I actually want?”If this episode stirred something in you, especially around what you really want in this season of motherhood, we’d love to support you.Get Mom Ready coaching is for the mom who is carrying a lot and needs space to sort through what’s working, what’s not, and what she actually needs next.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comYou know that feeling when your work brain is carrying layoffs, strategy shifts, inbox fires, team decisions, and approximately 47 tabs of pressure…and then you’re supposed to close your laptop and immediately become the calm, joyful bedtime mom?Same.In this episode, Holly sits down with Lindsey Swedick, a startup executive, brand marketer, and mom of two, for a conversation about work, motherhood, burnout, identity, marriage, and the strange emotional whiplash of leading at work and leading at home.Lindsey’s career has taken her from an anti-trafficking NGO in India to brands like FEED, LOLA, Coterie, Calibrate, and now Perelel Health. But this conversation isn’t just about an impressive resume. It’s about what happens when your work has always been tied to purpose, and then motherhood changes the way you understand ambition, capacity, and what actually matters.When the Work That Once Lit You Up Starts Burning You OutLindsey shared about the season that finally pushed her to step away from corporate life and start consulting.It wasn’t because she stopped loving work. It was because the pace, pressure, constant pivots, and emotional weight of leadership became too much.She was leading brand and communications during a volatile season, navigating layoffs, shifting market demands, and internal messaging while also raising two little kids. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, the spark that had always driven her work started to fade.That part felt so relatable.Because sometimes burnout doesn’t look like quitting on your ambition. Sometimes it looks like realizing you can’t keep giving every part of yourself to a job and still have anything left for your actual life.You Can Try Something New Without It Being ForeverOne of the most refreshing parts of Lindsey’s story was how she talked about career pivots.Earlier in her career, every move felt massive. Like each decision was somehow deciding the entire rest of her life.But with time, motherhood, and a few hard seasons behind her, she started to see it differently.You can try something.You can change your mind.You can do something for six months and reassess.You can make a move because it’s what you need for this season, not because it has to define every season after it.Honestly, that feels like a word for so many moms who are trying to figure out what work is supposed to look like now.This Is Just a Hard SeasonWhen Holly asked Lindsey what she does differently now as a working mom, Lindsey didn’t offer a perfect six-step system or a magical productivity hack.She said it’s more of a mental reframe.This is a hard season.Not forever. Not her whole identity. Not proof that she’s failing.Just a hard season.And whew. That’ll preach.Because some days you feel like you’re failing as a mom, a leader, a wife, a friend, and a human person who would maybe enjoy drinking water at some point. And then the next day, you feel like maybe you’re doing okay.Both can be true.The season can be hard, and you can still be doing a really good job.Your Job Is Not Your Whole IdentityLindsey also named something that so many high-achieving moms know deep down but still have to relearn over and over again:It’s just a job.That doesn’t mean the work doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean you don’t care. It doesn’t mean you don’t give your best.But it does mean your company is not your identity.Your performance review is not your worth.Your title is not your whole story.The thing keeping you up tonight probably won’t be the thing you remember in ten years.Motherhood has a way of forcing that reordering. Not because work stops mattering, but because suddenly your life is bigger than what happens in a meeting.The Sunday Meeting That Might Save Your WeekOne of the most practical takeaways from this episode was Lindsey and her husband Nick’s Sunday night meeting.After the kids go to bed, they sit down with calendars, laptops, mail, invites, schedules, and anything else they need to sort through. They talk through the week ahead, the month ahead, and even the next six months.They also use that time to talk about their kids, family rhythms, childcare, school, work travel, and anything that could otherwise become resentment by Thursday.Is this wildly glamorous? No.Could snacks improve it? Absolutely.But the point is this: they have a rhythm that helps them enter Monday with less chaos and fewer assumptions.And for moms, fewer assumptions can be a love language.Maybe It’s Not Mom GuiltThis was one of the biggest moments in the conversation.Lindsey shared a reframe she heard from Dr. Becky: guilt is when your actions don’t align with your values.So when we call everything “mom guilt,” it’s worth pausing to ask: is this actually guilt?Because for Lindsey, working hard, leading well, and modeling ambition for her kids does align with her values. She wants her kids to see a mom who can do hard things, lead in business, and lead in her family.So maybe the feeling isn’t guilt.Maybe it’s stress.Maybe it’s exhaustion.Maybe it’s anxiety.Maybe it’s sadness.Maybe it’s taking on emotions that were never yours to carry.That distinction matters.Because if something aligns with your values, you may not need to shame yourself for it. You may just need to name what you’re actually feeling and give yourself a little compassion.You’re Not the Only One Holding Two WorldsThere’s a loneliness that can come with being a mom in leadership.You can make big decisions all day, carry the emotional weight of your team, disagree with a decision and still have to execute it, write the layoff messaging, lead with confidence, and then somehow be expected to walk into bath time like your nervous system is totally fine.It’s a lot.And sometimes, it feels like no one fully understands the pressure of both worlds.But that’s part of why this conversation matters.Because if you’ve ever closed your laptop and thought, “No one will ever know how hard this day was,” this episode is your reminder:You’re not doing it wrong.You’re not the only one.And you really are doing something impressive.One day at a time.Links from This EpisodeConnect with Lindsey Swedick on LinkedIn.Learn more about Perelel Health or follow along on Instagram.Check out Perelel’s Summer Glo hydration powder and protein powder, both mentioned in this episode.Subscribe to Get Mom Ready at GetMomReady.com so you never miss an episode or our Sunday Reset, our newsletter helping you avoid the Sunday Scaries and start the week fresh instead.If You’re in a Season of BurnoutIf this conversation hit close to home and you’re in a season of burnout, overwhelm, or “I cannot keep doing it like this,” you don’t have to sort through it alone.Get Mom Ready coaching is here to help you take a breath, name what’s actually going on, and figure out what support, boundaries, or next steps might help you move forward with more clarity.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comFor the mom who was told she could have it allYou know that feeling when you technically have a great life, a good job, a flexible setup, a supportive partner, healthy kids, and you’re still staring at the ceiling thinking, “Wait… why does this still feel so impossible?”This week, Holly and Anna sat down with Sam Storz, a corporate working mom, content creator, Bravo girlie, and the kind of person who makes you feel like you’re texting a friend from the school pickup line.Sam shared so honestly about her path to motherhood, including an unexpected pregnancy, a missed miscarriage, the anxiety of pregnancy after loss, and the way motherhood changed what she thought she wanted from her career, her time, and her life.And whew. This one is for the moms who were raised to hustle, achieve, earn, build, prove, provide, and then became moms and thought…“Okay, but what if I don’t want to give my whole life to work anymore?”When work still matters, but it’s not first anymoreSam said something that felt so familiar: she is still a high performer. She still cares about doing excellent work. She still wants to show up well.But motherhood shifted the order.Now, she wants to do the best job she can as a mom first, and work comes behind that.That doesn’t mean work is meaningless. It doesn’t mean ambition disappeared. It just means the old “grind at all costs” version of success does not fit the same way anymore.And for a lot of moms, especially moms who have built careers and carry real financial responsibility for their families, that shift can feel complicated. Because it’s not always as simple as “just quit your job.” Sometimes you love parts of your work. Sometimes your family needs your income. Sometimes both things are true at the same time.The math does not mathOne of the biggest themes of this conversation was the impossible equation so many working moms are trying to solve.Morning shift with the kids.Work shift during the day.Evening shift with dinner, baths, bedtime, tantrums, lunches, laundry, and the 37 tiny tasks nobody sees.And then maybe, if the stars align, one hour at night to sit with your husband, text a friend back, or watch something on Bravo that requires absolutely zero brain cells.Sam put words to what so many moms are feeling: We were told we could have it all, but nobody really explained that we might not be able to have it all at the exact same time, at the exact same intensity, without burning out.Yeah, the math does not math.The village is not optionalSam talked about how much she depends on mom friends in the same season and moms a season or two ahead.Because sometimes you need someone to say, “This won’t last forever.”And sometimes you need someone to say, “No, you’re right. This phase is actually insane.”Motherhood can feel weirdly isolating even when you have friends, because everyone is also drowning in their own daycare drop-offs, potty training attempts, work calls, bedtime battles, and snack negotiations. That’s why community matters so much. Not because it magically fixes everything, but because it reminds you that you are not failing. You are human. You are carrying a lot. And you were never meant to do this alone.Work flexibility is not a perk, it’s survivalThe recruiter in Sam came out in the best way when she reminded moms that interviews go both ways.Yes, you are being interviewed by a company. But you are also interviewing them.If you are in a season where kids get sick, daycare closes, appointments pop up, and life refuses to operate on a clean calendar, flexibility is not some cute little bonus. It is survival.Sam’s encouragement to working moms: know your worth. Moms are already project managing entire households while showing up at work. That kind of capacity, adaptability, and problem-solving matters.And if a workplace cannot understand that, it is fair to ask whether that workplace can actually support the life you are living right now.We can love our kids and still need a minuteThis conversation also got into the very real, very unfiltered parts of motherhood: potty training, crib climbing, big boy beds, bedtime chaos, daycare drop-offs, and the kind of mental load that makes you want to scream when someone says, “Just tell me what you need me to do.”Because yes, we love our people.And also, sometimes we do not want to be the household project manager, bedtime negotiator, snack coordinator, emotional thermostat, laundry tracker, and keeper of all invisible things.Sam and her husband don’t have a perfect chart or monthly family meeting system. They communicate as they go, try to pick up the slack for each other, and keep naming what’s hard before resentment has time to build a second home in the living room.Which feels refreshingly realistic.A few things we loved from SamSam reminded us that this season is not forever, even when it feels never-ending.She reminded us that asking for help is not failure.She reminded us that you can be a great mom and a great employee and still not be able to give 100% to everything at the same time.She reminded us that some seasons are for grinding, and some seasons are for being present, simplifying, protecting your capacity, and letting “good enough” be a legitimate strategy.And she reminded us that sometimes the most helpful thing we can say out loud is simply: this is not working.Feeling this tension right now?If this conversation hit a little too close to home, we’d love to walk with you. Get Mom Ready coaching is for the mom who is trying to figure out who she is in the middle of work, motherhood, marriage, identity, overwhelm, and all the in-between. You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Links from this episode & Sam’s skincare routineFollow Sam on Instagram: @itssamstorzMorning:* Dampen a clean skincare club towel with filtered water & wipe over my face - no facewash Clean Towels | Premium Face Towels for Clean, Clear Skin – Clean Skin Club *working to get a discount code for your listeners** A few spritzes of peptide spray on my face (and I rub in a bit with my hands) BLUE PEPTIDE SPRAY – Young Goose* a pump and a 1/2 of this advanced retinal serum Osmosis Renew MD Advanced – Advanced Retinal Serum (this is my fave product, if you could only get one of these products, I’d choose this!)* a pump and a 1/2 of stemfactor growth serum (this is VERY expensive so I only order twice a year and so I dont use it every day) Osmosis StemFactor - Growth Factor Serum* a pump and a half of moisturizer Young Goose Youth Daily – Moisturizing Cream* SPF - elta MD https://amzn.to/4aDPSavNight:* Once a week - Osmosis Polish MD Advanced – Cranberry Enzyme Mask holy grail product for me!* Cleanser: ADAPTOGENIC CLEANSER – Young Goose* Take a pump or two of cleanser and rub vigorously into my skin, dry, no water* dampen my hands with water and take fingers and rub into my face, creating a bit of foam* take my cleansing cloth and wipe my face* then my same routine as morning - peptide spray, serums and end with moisturizer C.A.R.E. | NEW FORMULA – Young Goose* and if you are looking for an extra - EYEC.A.R.E. – Young GooseThese products are expensive unfortunately and if someone could only afford to start with 1 or 2, I would recommend the Advanced Retinal serum (I felt like I saw that biggest difference right away with that and the Cranberry enzyme mask - you will notice an immediate difference and glow with your skin).. third would be the youth daily moisturizing cream. I wish I had a discount code for people but if you sign up for a subscription you can get it cheaper and then you can always cancel anytime- little hack there!MAKEUP:Toups & co is a woman founded, family run, small non-toxic makeup brand based in Alabama! I am OBSESSED with them! Their makeup is soooo good and I feel great knowing that I am putting products on my skin that won’t cause me harmDiscount code: SAMSTORZ fo… Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comYou know that moment when everyone needs something from you at the exact same time and your entire family is looking at you like you were born with eight arms?Emily Busby knows that feeling well.One Memorial Day, she was in the kitchen trying to get food ready while her kids were barking orders from every direction. Her husband walked in from grilling and said, “Mommy has two hands. Give her a second. She’s not an octopus.”And then they realized…wait. That’s a book.Mommy’s Not an OctopusEmily is the author of Mommy’s Not an Octopus, a children’s book that started as a joke but became something much deeper.It’s funny for kids, but it’s also a love letter to moms.Because somewhere along the way, a lot of us absorbed the idea that good moms just figure it out. We keep going. We carry the mental load. We anticipate everyone’s needs. We become the snack coordinator, schedule keeper, emotional support animal, laundry manager, and household search engine.And then we wonder why we’re exhausted.Emily, a former college athlete, talked about how much of her identity was built around pushing harder, doing more, and figuring it out. But motherhood did not respond to that strategy the way sports did.In motherhood, pushing harder can quickly turn into burnout.Glass Balls and Plastic BallsOne of our favorite parts of this conversation was Emily sharing something her therapist-led coach taught her: everything you’re carrying is either a glass ball or a plastic ball.Some things will break if you drop them.Some things will bounce.For Emily, laundry used to feel like a glass ball. It had to be washed, folded, and put away right away. Then baby number two came along, and she realized some things could wait.We all have glass and plastic balls in life. The question becomes, which balls can drop without breaking in this season.The Octopus MomentEmily’s book has also given her family shared language.Instead of snapping, “Can’t you see my hands are full?” she can say, “I’m having an octopus moment.”SO. GOOD!It gives kids a way to understand: Mom is overwhelmed. Mom needs patience. Mom needs help. Mom cannot do eight things at once.Side bonus: it teaches our kids a way to understand and explain their own overwhelm in a way that fully makes sense to them.Support Is Not the Same as DelegationWe also talked about the difference between support and delegation.Because “just ask for help” sounds great until asking for help becomes another job.If you have to explain what needs to be done, manage the timing, answer twelve questions, and make everyone feel appreciated afterward, that is not always support. Every mom can feel this.Real support might look like someone folding the laundry, washing bottles, dropping off breakfast, holding the baby, chopping the fruit, or taking meal planning completely off your plate without asking you 47 follow-up questions.The hard part, of course, is that every mom needs something different.Some of us want the baby held, some of us want the dishes done, some of us want company, some of us want everyone to leave lovingly and immediately.And half the battle is figuring out what would actually help, then finding the words to say it.We Also Talked About...* How Emily’s postpartum anxiety and depression showed up differently than she expected, especially as someone used to pushing through hard things.* Why high-achieving moms can confuse “I can handle this” with “I should handle this alone.”* The way motherhood forces us to loosen our grip on the version of balance we thought we were supposed to have.* How support can change depending on the season. Sometimes it’s a break. Sometimes it’s someone taking one entire category off your plate.* Why it can feel so awkward to tell people what would actually help, even when they genuinely want to help.* And, of course, why a postpartum fridge magnet that says “here are things you can do without asking me 900 questions” may need to become official Get Mom Ready merch immediately.Why This Episode MattersThis conversation is about the mental load of motherhood, the pressure to do it all, and the tiny ways we can start telling the truth about our limits.If you have been trying to be everything for everyone, this episode is your reminder:Mommy is not an octopus.Mommy is a human, and humans are allowed to need help.If This Episode Hit Close to HomeIf you’re in a season where everyone needs something from you all the time, you are not crazy and you are not failing. You may just be having an octopus moment (or year).Our coaches would love to help you figure out what’s glass, what’s plastic, and what kind of support would actually support you in this season.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Find EmilyEmily Busby is the author of Mommy’s Not an Octopus.You can find her on Instagram at @mommysnotanoctopus.Hardcover copies and all of her printable resources are available at mommysnotanoctopus.com. Paperback and ebook versions are available on Amazon.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comIn this episode, we started with the usual chaos: shirt compliments, color analysis, Top Chef, leftover tortellini bake, and the realization that our group chat probably really should be a podcast.But the real conversation was about something so many moms feel, even if we don’t always say it out loud:Why do we feel like we need permission?Permission to leave the house. Permission to rest. Permission to ask for help. Permission to go out with friends. Permission to say, “I’m going to do this,” instead of, “Would it be okay if I…?”We talked about the difference between asking for consideration and asking for permission, why moms often feel guilty when someone else has to step into the role we usually carry, and how hard it can be to rest when your kids are still in the house and still looking for you every three seconds.We also talked about the sneaky resentment that can build when we keep telling ourselves, “I can do it,” instead of asking, “At what cost?”Because yes, we can push through. We can keep carrying it. We can be strong enough.But that doesn’t mean we should have to.Permission vs. considerationThere’s a difference between giving your spouse a heads up and asking if you’re allowed to have a life.A shared calendar? Helpful.Saying, “Hey, I’m meeting the girls Tuesday night, let me know if there’s an issue”? Great.Feeling like you have to justify why you need one hour to eat a burger, go on a walk, read a book, or sit in silence? That’s where we may need to pause.What’s your version of golf balls?We talked about how some people seem to naturally know how to decompress. Golf balls. Video games. A quiet drive. A workout.And then there are moms who are standing in the kitchen thinking, “Wait, what is that for me?”Not what is productive. Not what helps the house. Not what checks something off the list.What actually restores you?Resting at home is its own kind of hardSometimes we don’t want to leave. Sometimes we want to be home, near our kids, but not the person answering every single request.We want to read the book. Take the bath. Eat the breakfast. Finish the thought.And part of motherhood is slowly teaching our kids, and ourselves, that Mom’s needs matter too.“I can do it” is not the same as “I should”This one hit.So many of us have built our lives around being capable. We can handle it. We can figure it out. We can keep going.But if the cost is resentment, exhaustion, anger, or feeling like you’ve disappeared under everyone else’s needs, it may be time to ask a different question.Not “Can I carry this?”But “What is this costing me?”This episode is for the mom who keeps waiting for permission, and maybe needs the reminder that needing rest, friendship, space, help, or a minute to eat her own breakfast does not make her selfish.It makes her human.For the practical momIf you found yourself nodding along, start here. These are the questions we’re taking with us:* Where in my life am I asking for permission when I really just need to communicate with consideration?* Am I inviting people into my decisions because I value their input, or because I need reassurance?* What is my version of hitting golf balls, playing video games, or a quiet walk?* Where am I saying, “I can do it,” when the better question might be, “At what cost?”* What belief about myself is keeping me from asking for what I need?* What is one small way I can teach my family that Mom’s needs matter too?And maybe the gentlest one of all:* What would it look like this week to stop waiting for permission and start practicing partnership?Want help practicing this in real life?If this stirred something up and you’re realizing you may need support untangling the guilt, the resentment, or the “I can just do it” pattern, that’s exactly the kind of thing we work through in coaching.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Get Mom Ready is the community for driven moms living full lives and figuring out how all the pieces work together. Subscribe to get every episode and article delivered to your inbox.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

For the mom trying to give her kids a magical summer without losing herselfSubscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comYou know those conversations that start with Slip ’N Slides, splash pads, Costco pools, and “’90s summer”…and somehow end up at the deep emotional truth that maybe your kids are not the only ones who need screen time boundaries?That was today’s episode.We started with summer. The kind where the kids are home, the hose is out, the $20 backyard pool is doing the heavy lifting, and everyone is trying to make “low-lift fun” feel like enough. Honestly? We support this math.But then Mary Scott (our guest this week & one of Meredith’s best friends who quickly become one of ours) said something that reset the conversation: I wonder if my inability to hold personal boundaries is gonna pour over into my inability to keep boundaries with my kids.And there it was.The conversation turned into: what happens when motherhood gets loud, overstimulating, repetitive, and relentless, and we find ourselves reaching for whatever gives us a little escape. A phone, p podcast, audiobook, Instagram. Anything that makes the backyard, the whining, the snack requests, the 5:30 a.m. wakeups, and the 14th “Mommy?” feel a little less consuming.Because we love our kids…and we’re only human.The hard part of summer is not just the kids being homeSummer with little kids can sound so simple from the outside. Let them play outside, give them popsicles, fill up the kiddie pool, go to the library, let them be bored. Bring back the ’90s summer!!Great. Love that. Fully on board.But the actual experience can feel very different.Because you are still managing sunscreen, snacks, sibling fights, hydration, towels, “watch this,” “watch this again,” and someone crying because the hose water is too cold.And if you are a mom with young kids, you may not be getting the clean, quiet morning routine people on the internet are always trying to sell you.If you’re like Mary Scott, you may be trying to read at 5:08 a.m. while one kid crawls into your bed, another kid wakes up at 5:38 asking for cheese balls, and you are whisper-yelling because one wrong floorboard creak could wake the whole house.So when we talk about boundaries, we are not talking about cute, aesthetic boundaries. We are talking about the kind you need when you are already overstimulated before 6:00 a.m.What we walked away withThis episode was not a neat and tidy “five ways to survive summer with kids” conversation, but there were a lot of takeaways that felt immediately useful:* Set yourself up before the day starts bossing you around.Sometimes the most regulating thing you can do is put the water cups out the night before. Or set breakfast bowls where the kids can reach them. Or put a basket of quiet toys, books, or the Toniebox by the couch where you actually sit in the morning. Not because you are trying to become a perfect systems mom, but because 5:30 a.m. you would love those small acts of prep.* Notice what you are reaching for.This conversation was never really just about phones. It was about the constant input. Instagram, podcasts, audiobooks, music, noise, anything that keeps us from sitting in the discomfort of the moment. Sometimes the question is not, “Why am I on my phone again?” Sometimes it is, “What am I trying not to feel right now?”* What down what you love.Literally, make a list and put it on the fridge like Hannah did. That way, when you do have pockets of downtime, you don’t have to reach for more noise, you have a reminder of hobbies that refuel you without having to do the mental gymnastics of remembering what you even like with the 15 minutes you have.* Let jealousy give you information.Mary Scott talked about looking back on the school year and feeling frustrated that she had childcare hours but still did not do some of the things she wanted to do. Write. Create. Start the Substack. Have something that felt like fruit. Hannah’s response was so helpful: what if the things you feel jealous of are not there to shame you, but to show you what you really want?* Reset the day when it starts sideways.If the morning starts in full reactive mode, you are allowed to call a redo. You can literally say, “You know what? We’re starting over.” Go back into your room, walk out again, make it silly and fun, and let your kids see that a bad moment does not have to become a bad day.* Repeat after me, “I am the mom”One of the biggest themes in this conversation was how easy it is to parent from a reactive place. Staying calm is sometimes as easy as remembering that you are the one in charge. You get to decide your family’s rhythms, routines, and habits. And that’s a gift, not a burden.This episode is for the mom who wants to be present but also wants to be a personThere are so many competing messages in motherhood.Be present, but let them be bored. Enjoy every second, but have your own hobbies. Don’t make your kids the center of the universe, but remember this is their only childhood. Take care of yourself, but also be emotionally available, regulated, patient, playful, structured, flexible, and somehow not annoyed when someone asks for a snack 11 minutes after breakfast.No wonder we are tired.This conversation does not tie all of that up in a neat bow, because real motherhood rarely works that way. But it does give language to something a lot of moms are living right now.You can love your kids deeply and still want to escape sometimes. You can set boundaries with your kids and realize you need some with yourself too. You can create a magical summer without making yourself the cruise director. You can be present without being constantly available. You can be the mom and still be a person.And maybe this summer doesn’t have to be about doing more. Maybe it can be about noticing what is not working, releasing some shame, making a few tiny changes, and remembering that you are allowed to lead your home with calm, confidence, and a little more mercy for yourself.If this episode hit close to homeIf you’re anything like Mary Scott, maybe you noticed a gap between the mom you are in real life and the mom you want to be in your head because motherhood has a way of exposing the places where our own boundaries, rhythms, expectations, and coping mechanisms are not quite working anymore.And sometimes, you just need someone to help you name what’s happening, get curious about what’s underneath it, and find a few practical next steps that actually fit the season you’re in.If you loved the way Hannah and Meredith helped Mary Scott walk through what she was feeling, our coaches would love to do the same for you.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith, or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.Get Mom Ready is the community for driven moms living full lives and figuring out how all the pieces work together. Subscribe to get every episode and article delivered to your inbox.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comEpisode Show NotesWhen you think of the Enneagram, you probably think of phrases like, “I’m such a 7,” or “That’s so Enneagram 8 of me.”But what if the Enneagram was less about labeling yourself and more about learning how to notice your patterns with a little more honesty, kindness, and compassion?In this episode of Get Mom Ready, Holly, Meredith, and Anna sit down with Meredith’s longtime friend Nicole Shephard to talk about the Enneagram, but not in a “put yourself in a number box and stay there forever” kind of way.Nicole is certified in the Enneagram for Conscious Living, and she helps us think about the Enneagram as a tool for noticing our patterns, understanding ourselves with more kindness, and maybe yelling at our kids slightly less when bedtime goes off the rails (Or at least understanding why we yelled)…baby steps.Why Moms Will Love This ConversationBecause motherhood has a special way of revealing exactly what is going on inside of us.* The bedtime routine gets disrupted and suddenly you’re not just annoyed, you’re deeply annoyed.* Your kid has a meltdown and somehow it activates every unhealed thing inside your body.* Your spouse says one normal sentence and you’re like, “Wow, interesting tone.”* You finally get a quiet moment and instead of relaxing, you start mentally reorganizing the pantry, planning summer logistics, and wondering if your child’s entire emotional future depends on how you handled bath time.So yeah, we need tools to help us navigate the many emotions of motherhood.And in this conversation, Nicole helps us see the Enneagram as one of those tools. Not to overanalyze everyone in your house. Not to type your toddler. Please do not walk around saying, “She’s giving unhealthy 4 energy” about your preschooler. But to ask better questions about ourselves:* What’s actually underneath my reaction?* Is this fear, shame, or anger?* What pattern do I keep falling into?* What does my kid need from me right now?* What do I need right now?* And Nicole’s favorite: how do I bring a little more compassion into the whole situation?The Enneagram Is Not Just a Personality TestNicole explains that the Enneagram is wayyy more layered than the quick internet version most of us have heard.Instead of saying, “I am a type,” she uses the phrase “center of gravity,” which feels so much less dramatic and permanent. Your type is not your prison sentence. It’s simply a pattern you tend to return to.The goal is not to say, “Well, I’m an 8, so good luck everyone.” The goal is to notice the patterns, understand what they were trying to protect, and decide whether they are still helping you now.Please Don’t Type Your ToddlerOne of our favorite parts of this conversation is when Nicole talks about using the Enneagram as a mom.She is not trying to figure out her kids’ Enneagram numbers while they are still little. Instead, she uses the framework to pay attention to what might be driving their behavior by asking:“Is this coming from fear, anger, shame?”A much more useful approach than trying to diagnose every tantrum.Because sometimes our kids are not “being difficult.” Sometimes they are scared, embarrassed, mad, tired, overstimulated, or all of the above (plus they were given the wrong color cup, which, as we know, is a full family crisis).Nicole talks about meeting our kids in that place instead of immediately trying to fix or correct the behavior. And that led us into a really tender conversation about our kids’ essence: who they are before the world tells them who they should be.Yes, we cried a little. 🥹Marriage, Routines, and the Plans We Keep Not MakingNicole also talks about instincts (self-preservation, social, and attraction/sexual) and how they show up in real life.And this is where Holly realizes that she and her husband, Elliott may both lean hard toward structure and routine, which would explain why they can talk about rock climbing for 13 years and never actually go rock climbing.They have also discussed going to a concert multiple times but still haven’t bought the tickets, because apparently wanting to do something and actually disrupting your routine to do it are two very different activities.If you have ever said, “We should totally do that,” and then immediately returned to your couch, your calendar, and your regularly scheduled life, this section is for you.Your Spouse Is Not Supposed to Be YouOne of Nicole’s most helpful reminders is that every type, center, and instinct has value.The point is not to make your spouse, friend, child, or co-worker see the world exactly the way you do. The point is to get curious about what they see that you might be missing.Nicole talks about how she shares what she is learning with her partner, owns the ways her own patterns affect their family, and tries to see his way of moving through the world as something she can learn from, not just something to correct.When Other People Won’t “Do the Work”We also get into the thing many of us feel but maybe do not always say out loud:It is really frustrating when you are trying to grow, heal, become more self-aware, go to therapy, read the books, listen to the podcasts, take the walks, journal the feelings, and someone else is just… not.Nicole offers a gentle but very inconvenient reminder: the work always starts with us.Not because other people’s choices do not matter, not because you should tolerate unhealthy behavior, and not because boundaries are optional.But because the only person you can actually change is you.Nicole’s Life in the CotswoldsNicole also shares her story of moving to the UK, raising two British-born daughters in the Cotswolds, and what it has looked like to follow a vision for her life that started long before motherhood.It is dreamy and brave and very “wait, should we all move to the English countryside?”Listen If…Listen to this episode if you’ve ever:* Used the Enneagram to explain yourself and then wondered if that was allowed* Wanted to understand your reactions instead of just feeling bad about them* Felt triggered by your child’s totally normal child behavior* Wanted better language for marriage and conflict* Had a toddler meltdown turn into a personal growth opportunity you did not ask for* Said, “We should do that sometime,” and then never did it* Needed a reminder that self-awareness should make you kinder, not meaner to yourselfGet Mom Ready is a podcast for moms navigating the tension of work, life, and everything else we carry. Subscribe for free to get our weekly episodes in your inbox.Resources Mentioned to go Deeper Into The EnneagramNicole recommended Russ Hudson as her favorite Enneagram teacher and suggested starting with his work if you want to go deeper.The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ HudsonA foundational overview of all nine types.Understanding the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ HudsonA deeper, more technical resource on the triads and structure of the Enneagram.The Enneagram: Nine Gateways to Presence by Russ HudsonAn audiobook Nicole described as more meditative and embodied, especially helpful for people with a mindfulness practice.The Enneagram Institute Type Descriptions and AssessmentNicole said an assessment can be a helpful place to start, as long as you treat it as a direction to explore rather than a final answer.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.comWe thought this conversation would be about navigating life as a medical mom.And it is, but like every honest conversation on this podcast, it turned into an encouragement to every mom who feels like they’re carrying the weight of the world.It became a conversation about what happens when the life you planned stops being the life you’re living. About releasing expectations you didn’t even realize you were carrying. About redefining what “success” looks like when you’re split in twelve directions and none of them come with a manual.Amber is a mom of four, a full-time professional, a medical mom to her son Santi who has congenital heart disease and is currently awaiting a heart transplant at Texas Children’s Hospital, and she is somehow still the most positive, grounded person in the room.As she shared in the episode:“You can be optimistic about things, but you can’t be attached to them.”That one line might be the most useful thing any of us hear this week.What This Episode Is Really AboutYes, we talk about Santi’s medical journey, hospital stays, and the day-to-day reality of caring for a child on a transplant list. But underneath all of that, this episode is about:* The moment you realize motherhood isn’t going to look like you imagined* What it means to keep showing up when you’ve had to let go of the plan* How to redefine success when your old version of “enough” doesn’t fit anymore* Why accepting help is one of the hardest and most important things a mom can do* And how community and small moments of joy carry you through seasons that don’t make sense yetThemes We Keep Coming Back To From This ConversationYou can plan everything and still get blindsided, and that’s not failure, that’s life.Letting go of expectations isn’t giving up. It’s how you survive and find joy.“Strong” doesn’t always feel strong on the inside.Sometimes the most important thing you do today is cuddle your kids and let the rest wait.Asking for help doesn’t come naturally to most moms, so if you see one struggling, just show up. Don’t wait for her to ask.If You’re In This Season Right Now…This episode is for you if:* You’re managing more than feels manageable and wondering how other moms do it* You’ve had to grieve a version of motherhood or a version of yourself that you expected* You’re redefining what success looks like at work, at home, or both* You feel guilty for the way you’re parenting even though you know you’re doing your best* You’re a medical mom, a heart mom, or a mom who just needs to hear: you’re not behind. You’re in it.Or you just need someone to remind you to listen to your body and when in doubt, rest.Resources + LinksConnect with Amber and ask to be a part of Santi’s group. She will send you the link to follow his medical journey: Related Episodes/Resources:* Parenting in the Middle of Medical Chaos: Anna’s Story as a Medical Mom* Chronic Decision Fatigue: Why You’re Exhausted & How to Overcome It* The Week I Couldn’t Even Look at My DaughterWant More Support?If this episode stirred something in you, if you’re holding more than you thought you’d be holding right now, or you’re trying to figure out what “enough” even looks like in this season, Get Mom Ready Coaching is here for you.We don’t give you more to do. We help you become a version of yourself that can actually hold your life.You can learn more about coaching by booking a call with Meredith or send us a DM on Instagram @getmomready.You don’t get to choose most of what life hands you. You don’t get to choose the diagnosis, the hospital stay, the season that turns everything sideways.But you do get to choose how you carry it. And sometimes carrying it well looks like letting go of the way you thought it was supposed to look and finding something real and good in what’s actually here.Listen to your body. Accept the help. And when in doubt? Rest.Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode:Apple | Spotify | GetMomReady.com Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe

On last week’s Sunday Reset, Hannah shared what’s in her pool bag this summer.Hannah has such an eye for fashion and looking put together, and I am often…the opposite of that.Which is one of the reasons I love GetMomReady so much. We are all so different, but we are unified by the same values: telling the truth, supporting each other, and making space for the whole mom.So this is my version of “what’s in my bag.”Most days, my “bag” is:* my phone* a wallet stuck to the back of it* and one car keyThat’s it.I don’t really carry a purse because digging through a bag is my personal nightmare. I like pockets. I like being hands-free. Do I need a cute bag for networking events? Yes.Especially after the time I showed up to a very fancy fundraising brunch at River Oaks Country Club in an outfit I felt amazing in (read more about that outfit in my Mother’s Day saga here)… only to realize my ancient clutch was literally shedding white pieces behind me as I walked to my seat.Very humbling and very classic Holly Tate.But that little “what’s in my bag” moment got me thinking about something bigger for this Sunday Reset.My word for this year is simplify (see vision board pic in the video above or the pic below!). And as we get close to the halfway point of the year, I’m checking back in with that word.Because simplifying is not just about carrying less or carrying “the right” stuff.For me, it’s about simplifying my commitments, having fewer unfinished decisions, cancelling subscriptions that aren’t serving me, and reflecting on the things living rent-free in my brain.For years in my corporate jobs, Sunday meant the Sunday scaries for me: that pit in my stomach when I looked at the week ahead and thought about everything I owed, everything I was behind on, and everything waiting for me on Monday.I don’t live in that same rhythm anymore, and I’m really grateful for that.But I still need a reset.Because I’m not usually the person who needs motivation to do more.I’m the person who needs to be reminded that less is often more.So this week, I’m asking myself:* What am I carrying that I do not actually need to carry? (physically and mentally!!)* What decision have I already made in my gut but haven’t acted on yet? * What commitment, subscription, or expense is no longer serving me in this season?* Where am I over-activating instead of simplifying?* What is the smallest next step I can take to make this week feel lighter?That’s my Sunday Reset.Just one honest check-in with what I said mattered to me this year.What are you resetting this week?Here’s to small steps that lead to simplifying our weeks before Monday. Thanks for reading Get Mom Ready! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Get Mom Ready at www.getmomready.com/subscribe