Simple Saturdays

Planning your day, week, month, even year is a great way to stay organized and on top of life, but it can become overwhelming and cluttered very quickly if you are not careful. When we plan without intention, and without knowing what the important things are, then we will be stuck in a lot of distractions and autopilot priorities. Join me in the first of a two part series about planning your day as a mom.  In this episode I discuss:  My first blog and how it changed my outlook The post that started the original blog My C-Section & The Feelings I Was Ashamed to Admit Advice for working-from-home moms A strategy I used to plan my day with kids at home How To Plan Your Day As a Mom (3 Simple Steps) Simplifying mom life 11 Things That Make My MomLife Simpler Some tips for how you can look at your available time  Honouring your season, validating the season you are in What Moms of Toddlers Need to Hear Doing the hard thing to make life easier Simplifying your life, consider the resou

How has Instagram shaped our culture and expectations around motherhood? As moms, we often turn to our phones for a sense of community. Being online can be a great way to keep in touch with old friends, make new connections, or get inspiration for your life. But not every online experience can be positive, and sometimes we find ourselves scrolling through our phones, feeling overwhelmed about our own motherhood. In my experience as a counsellor, working with moms, I see first-hand that the online culture we create has a strong impact on how we FEEL about our own motherhood.    In this episode: The role of social platforms in creating a community for moms The difference between in-person friendships and online friendships How we relate differently to real-life moms vs moms online   The ways our culture shapes us The impact our culture has on our roles as mom, wife, woman The responsibility we have to choose a culture that uplifts us   All the fun links you might enjoy  Moms30for30 wardrobe c

Coach, counsellor and mom shares on emotional awareness, the myth of happy, and how we can change our lives by learning to get better at feeling - instead of always chasing 'feeling better'   Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  Can we use happiness as a measurement of success in life, marriage and parenting? The pursuit of 'feeling better' Feelings as a parent Are you stuck in the hustle for happiness? When I realized I wasn’t a lazy mom, I was just overwhelmed Are you aware of your emotions? How are we coping with our feelings (dealing rather than feeling) All feelings are welcome Three things to know about feeling negative emotions Feeling in the moment All the fun links you might enjoy  Coaching Sessions Emotions on Purpose Workshops Sept 15th call BDAY bonus discount    Sign up for the the Simple Saturdays email (a fun email,

This spring I reflected on our finances and felt a sense of defeat over where I was vs where I wanted to be. I had to acknowledge aspects like lifestyle creep, inflation and inattention to contribute to this.  This prompted me to ask the Simple Squad (Facebook group) to join in a challenge to do life with less this summer.      In this episode Acknowledging the privilege of doing a challenge like this, by choice Reflecting on the cultural expectations for what we need ‘have/do’ as relevant, acceptable adults in society The lifestyle creep, the new baseline cost of maintaining our life The impact of inflation on our daily lives, in Canada  Joining the challenge in the Facebook group  The different intentions participants have in how they aim to live with less  My weekly goal of living less (the little things matter) Tracking spending   Join the facebook group Check out the spotify playlists to find episodes by topics Sign up for Simple Saturdays email Follow me on Instagram    Related to s

How are we told we SHOULD feel in motherhood, versus how do we truly feel in motherhood? We spend a lot of time and energy living in default emotions, while hustling to shift away from uncomfortable emotions and into more comfortable emotions. I want to open up your options for empowering emotions that you can feel in motherhood, emotions that generate capacity instead of exhaustion. And I want to have the conversation about HOW we are meeting our emotional needs in effective or ineffective ways.  Covered in this episode: Our emotional experience matters What memories are you making in motherhood (and how it can change your motherhood experience) day after day of feeling overwhelmed in our bodies Is Self-Care the Answer When Motherhood Sucks? Our emotions need to be addressed when we address how we feel and what we do with those feelings, we gain power and opportunities Do we have basic emotional needs?  What we are TOLD we will feel in motherhood (what we go into motherhood expectin

I have gone from be an avid gym-avoider, unathletic, didn't even own a pair of running shoes, complacent with my health in many ways to someone who PRIORITIZES movement as a way to improve and maintain my sense of wellbeing.  I want to share how I got here, what makes exercise tough and simple ways to get started with moving more.    Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. Topics covered in this episode What I learned about exercise as a kid. 1:54 The ideal body has shifted over generations. The modern human moves around 30% less than the 1960s. Learning from the culture around us. 3:50 Learning from culture and home culture. Limiting identities and how they shape us. What Is physical literacy? 6:12 Lack of physical literacy, lack of motivation, knowledge and understanding. The importance of movement. The wake-up call I had Getting started with yoga It’s not about t

I am a decades-long nightowl, but it doesn't always serve me well in motherhood. Some years ago I made 'sleep' my health goal (not becoming a morning person, but simply heading to bed earlier). I want to share the benefits of sleep and strategies that can help you give up that nightowl life.    Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. In this episode I talk about: How sleep was handled in our upbringing How technology impacts our experience of motherhood The cultural expectations for sleep and self-care as it pertains to moms How moms are trying to get self-care, in ways that it impacts their sleep The benefits of sleep Being a nightowl, the benefits and the costs Strategies to set a sleep goal Addressing the things that keep us up Strategies to make sleep easier Building up self-trust with yourself The need for rest Having more rest in your day and week   All the related link

If you feel stressed out and overwhelmed, consider how you meet your basic needs - especially how you feed yourself well and often. In this episode, I share my journey to ensure I am nourishing myself, as a busy mom. Including 11 different strategies that I find help to make sure I am meeting this basic need.      Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode The culture we grow up in shapes how we feed ourselves The modern cultural expectations for moms and food  Hyperfixation on health Going gluten and dairy free, the whole30, heartburn How staying nourished helps us maintain our window of tolerance  11 strategies that have helped me ensure I feed myself well and often    All the fun links you might enjoy  The baby who always cried (our story with esophagitis) Mindful eating for moms (Interview with Jessica Penner) Teaching our kids a healthy relationship with food

From becoming aware, to validation, to giving ourselves permission to disrupt the system - we have some steps that can help us in our process of Becoming Someone Who Takes Care of Themselves. I want to share with you how decluttering led me to assess how I was taking care of myself, and how I worked from my basic needs, in small steps to more personal needs.  Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and take action I may be compensated at no additional cost to you. In this episode I talk more about: Our basic needs The wheel of self care Self-care of ourselves vs caring for others The cultural rules of self-care for moms Owning our own narrative of motherhood  The process of becoming someone who takes care of themselves: awareness, validation, permission, approach All or nothing thinking   Links you might like  174. Christmas hygge ideas + understanding how the window of tolerance impacts your stress in motherhood First episode in the series 17

Sometimes we can find ourselves reaching for a bowl of chocolate, scrolling through social media, or checking out for the night, and call that self-care. But that is really self-comfort and only serves to numb the discomfort instead of fixing it. Self-care is tuning into ourselves and finding out what we need to do to care for ourselves. Listen in as I discuss self-care and self-love, and how that has changed over the years since our mothers were young.     Main topics: The difference between self-care and self-comfort Meeting our needs and our capacity (window of tolerance) Accepting cheap substitutes to meet our needs What we think it means when our needs are going unmet The culture of moms meeting their needs, is it intuitive?  What we learn from our mothers about self-care and self-love Why the term self-love feels challenging.    Related links: Self-care assessment  Is self care the answer when motherhood sucks? (blog post) Understanding how the window of tolerance impacts your s

What are needs? At a basic level, they are simple things like food, water, shelter, sleep. They can also be more complicated, like friendship, personal accomplishment, and sense of purpose. Sometimes it can be difficult to meet these needs, or to even know what they are. Join me today while I discuss needs and how to meet them in all aspects of your life.   In this episode I discuss:  What are your needs and how to figure that out  Understanding your relationship to 'your needs' and 'the needs of others'  Communal vs Individual cultures What we learn about needs from our culture, our family, and how gender bias impacts our view on meeting our needs Addressing needs in a relationship, expressing needs Meeting the needs of others, how do we show up for this   All the fun links you might enjoy  Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs (wikipedia) Podcast playlist Think the best of me: Hard and awesome Capable or controlling My husband put the groceries away wrong, he doesn’t love me Instagram 

Giving your child extra attention might seem like a great idea, but if it’s the wrong type of attention it could do more harm than good. Let’s learn what it means to parent intentionally and make proactive connections with your family.    Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  Why we get stuck in the negative Our negativity bias as parents Your experience of motherhood The Nurtured Heart approach How to use this approach on 'difficult' kids   All the fun links you might enjoy:  Is momlife unfun? How to be a more fun mom, to stop withholding fun from yourself  More on the negativity bias When I stopped enjoying my kids Change your motherhood experience by changing how you make memories Why you aren’t thriving in motherhood (stress and surviving) Conscious parenting through the struggles, and letting go of perfectionism in motherhood Trans

Motivation. It is something we all want more of. However, every day we take little actions and make little choices that are coming from motivation. A motivation to avoid something or a motivation to move towards something. And why does it matter what is motivating us?     In this episode: Motivation vs lack of motivation How to know when you are operating from AWAY motviation Spotting the victim mindset or scarcity mindset How to know when you are operating from TOWARDS motivation Motivation and abundance mindset         Mentioned in this episode: The group coaching call, Feb 2 2023 The Making Change Challenge, sign up here for the four lessons and worksheets Send me a message on Instagram Share your thoughts with the Facebook group  The Enneagram and Motherhood series Making motherhood harder than it needs to be (Mom Martyr) The not-enough mindset (scarcity and abundance)     Full Transcript (unedited) 0:00 Hey friends, welcome back is Shawna, your nerdy girlfriend and counsel

I want to talk to you about listening more deeply to yourself and asking, "what do I want?". For some of us, we are out of touch with our dreams or our life vision. We might feel overwhelmed, or like it is impractical, or like we have failed too much in the past. This episode is to help you see some of the ways you might be stuck with listening to your own dreams and ideas, and some tips on moving through that.    “A ship is safe in the harbour but that is not what ships are for” - source unknown, probably John A Shedd  "You have to show up before inspiration will." - James Clear   Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  Listening to yourself on a deep level and on a surface level Six reasons why it might be hard to know your dreams and goals Giving yourself permission to have dreams and ideas and goals Being a mom who struggles to dream and feels selfish t

With 2023 finally here, it is time to start looking forward to the future and improve our health, relationships, and life. But sometimes it might be a good idea to look inwards as well and see if we intend to succeed in those goals passively, or actively. Kickstart the year by turning off the autopilot and living life intentionally.   Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  Taking charge of your own future  Advice to live life intentionally How our past affects our future, and how to use that in the present The compound effect of our habits  Three things you can do to help shape your future   All the fun links you might enjoy  Throw Throw Burrito (on Amazon) Change your experience by how you make memories in motherhood (episode link) Think the best of me, or not (embracing our hard and awesome) Making motherhood harder than it needs to be (mom mar

With all the planning, gift wrapping, baking, and decorating, this time of year can get crazy, and life seems to just stop until the 25th is well behind us. Today I wanted to talk about the concept of Hygge and how to make Christmas feel a little simpler, a little more manageable, and a little more enjoyable. And put this all against the backdrop of the stress response we can find ourselves in as mothers. Understanding the concept of the Window of Tolerance can give you more awareness over times when you feel little capacity for daily life and seem to run on overwhelm and stress.    In this episode I discuss:  The three components of Hygge Holiday activities and how to get the family involved Decluttering Christmas Our Window of Tolerance    All the fun links you might enjoy  All posts and episodes about Simple Christmas Posts and episodes on hygge 30 days of hygge free calendar Enneagram + Motherhood series Enneagram 101 post and episode  CBC Gem  Why you aren’t thriving in mother

Everyone has doubts and fears, but sometimes these doubts can manifest into something stronger and more potent, Imposter Syndrome. Today I go through a list of questions to help you inquire about the Imposter Syndrome within you, and how to act on what you find.    Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    Questions on how to inquire into the Imposter Syndrome within. Use these questions for self-inquiry, journalling is a great option.  How does imposter syndrome impact me?  When I doubt, what changes? How do I act?  When I have fear, what changes? How do I act from this place of fear? Where in my life does imposter syndrome show up? How long have I felt imposter syndrome? Is it long-standing? What seems to bring it on? How do I try to manage the part of me that feels imposter syndrome? How do I respond to that part of me? How does the ‘part of me that doubts’ think it is helpin

As much as we might want it to exist, there just isn’t a magical list or routine we can implement to make it an easy transition to have a second or third kid. And once they are here, it can quickly become overwhelming and seem impossible. Today I share some tips and advice to help make parenting more than one kid a little easier    In this episode I discuss:  Prepping your first-born for a new introduction in the family Some of my own tips and ideas, as a mother of three Managing sibling dynamics and conflict Lessons from the Playroom: Sibling Rivalry My commentary on some crowd-sourced advice   All the fun links you might enjoy  Emotional Intelligence (and improving relationships with your kids through emotion coaching) What moms of toddlers need to hear How to deal with the emotional struggles of being a mom of babies and toddlers Real-life advice on having two kids under two years old (blog post) Planning the day (reactive vs proactive) Four steps to manage overwhelm in moth

Whether your vision is to be the hangout spot on the block, or a place your kids still come to visit after moving out, small changes can be made to create a cozy, comfortable, and welcoming home for the quickly growing and ever-changing family.   Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  Having a vision for the kind of home you want to have Creating a peaceful house is not just simplifying and decluttering  Ep 69. Will a Simpler Home Bring Me Peace? Creating spaces in your home to foster certain activities and atmospheres for your family and friends  What makes kids think that a house is a good place to hang out at  Getting your kids to still hang out with you as they grow up and creating spaces that foster that connection Hygge and how to add this to your home  Three ways to bring hygge into your daily life 30 ways to hygge when it is cold outside

Planning the day can be an overwhelming chore that you are constantly behind in. Sticking to that plan can be frustrating and seem impossible. I want to share a few ways that I keep myself on track and having a proactive day, rather than a reactive day.    Products recommended here may include referral links to Amazon. If you click through and buy something I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.    In this episode I discuss:  The crafty form of planning, bullet journaling  How to get started bullet journalling  The three planners that I found worked the best  Moleskin Weekly Planner Passion Planner Ban.Do Planner  The crown jewel of planning apps, Google Calendar, and how I use it to plan effectively  How to organize and use your To-Do list to check things off How I prioritize my To-Do list, shiting from a should-do to a could-do mindset  Planning a proactive day rather than having a reactive day, especially with chores Cognitive distortions and how to get out of that All