You know that moment when you've asked your kid to get off the couch for the fifth time, and suddenly you're yelling way louder than you meant to? Then you spend the rest of the day feeling like the worst mom in the world?

Yeah, me too. And apparently, so does literally every mom I talk to.

Here's what you'll learn in this episode:

🎯 The real reason you keep losing it (hint: it's not because you're a bad mom - there's actually something deeper happening that nobody talks about)

🎯 How to bounce back after you've already yelled - including the exact words to say that actually rebuild connection instead of making everyone feel worse

🎯 The one thing you MUST do before trying to help your kids with their emotions (this was a total lightbulb moment for me)

My guest Talia Anderson literally wrote the book on emotions (she's a self-published author), and she breaks down why understanding comes before expressing - for both you AND your kids.

At the end of this episode, you'll finally:

• Stop beating yourself up every time you have a "mom moment"
• Know exactly what to do in those 30 seconds before you're about to lose it
• Have actual words to use when you need to repair with your kids
• Feel way less alone in this whole parenting thing

Talia's Book: The Tools Within

Connect with Talia: Instagram @talia_anderson__

Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

What if pursuing your goals felt free, aligned, and way easier than you've been making it? You start with all this motivation, then suddenly your dreams feel more like burdens than possibilities.

I was talking with someone inside Emotionally Empowered recently who's working full-time AND starting her master's program. She described her brain as "a ball of yarn" and said she felt like the clock was ticking on her dreams. After we journaled through it together, that tangled mess became clear direction and relief.

This happens way more than you think. Our goals become sources of chaos instead of clarity because we've been taught that worthwhile dreams require struggle.

What we're journaling through today:

• Why your goals might feel scarier to achieve than you realize
• The sneaky beliefs that make success feel impossible
• How overwhelm actually protects you from getting what you want
• A completely different way to think about pursuing your dreams

Prompt 1: Write down a goal you're currently working toward. Describe how you want to feel when you achieve it, then write how you actually feel right now while pursuing it.

Prompt 2: Get brutally honest—what are you afraid would happen if you achieved this goal easily, without all the struggle? What if it didn't require sacrificing everything else you care about?

Prompt 3: Complete this sentence: "I make my goals overwhelming because if I don't struggle enough, then..." (Whatever comes up first is usually the most honest answer.)

Most of us unconsciously use overwhelm to prove we deserve our dreams. But what if Oprah was right when she said you'd never have a dream if you didn't already have everything needed to pursue it?

Resources Mentioned:

• Calm Mind Blueprint: www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: www.samanthapenkoff.com/working-together

Get on the Waitlist: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/assessments/2148353310

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

Have you been told to write down your goals? That doing so would help you stay focused or actually achieve them? There's a BIG difference between regular journaling & strategically journaling towards your goals.

Maybe you've been there - writing down the same goals week after week, checking all the productivity boxes everyone talks about, but still feeling like you're running in circles. Or maybe you're that person who sets a goal, works yourself into the ground trying to achieve it, then barely has energy to celebrate before jumping to the next thing.

🎯 Three Game-Changing Takeaways:

• Stop ignoring your body's warning signals – Those headaches and that pit in your stomach during certain projects? That's not stress you need to push through. It's your intuition telling you something needs to shift.
• Catch your sabotage patterns in real-time – Working past 10 PM "just this once" and refusing to delegate because "it's faster if I do it" aren't signs of dedication. They're self-sabotage patterns keeping you stuck in overwhelm.
• Master the art of post-goal reflection – Most women celebrate for five minutes then jump to the next goal. Strategic journalers dig deeper to spot patterns like stress-eating during projects so they don't repeat the same cycles.

How Strategic Journaling Changes Everything:

Instead of muscling through goals that drain you, you'll start setting goals that actually excite you. Your goals will stop feeling like burdens and start feeling like adventures. You'll complete projects faster because you're not overthinking every decision. Most importantly, you'll wake up excited about your day instead of already feeling behind before your feet hit the floor.

When you learn to journal strategically, you become free to do things your way – and trust that your way is the right way for you. You'll make quicker decisions because you're actually connected to yourself instead of operating on autopilot.

Your 5-Minute Challenge:

Write down your current goals, then ask yourself one question: "Do I actually want this, or am I just doing what I think I should do?" The answer might surprise you.

Resources Mentioned:

Calm Mind Blueprint: www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: www.samanthapenkoff.com/working-together

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

DM Sam on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CoachSamanthaHawley/

Save this episode for when you have 5-mins to strategically break free from holding it all together! (Prompts below)

I made this episode for the woman who feels like you're the only one who sees how much you're actually handling. Like everyone around you just assumes you've got it all under control, while you're secretly drowning in the weight of keeping everyone else's world spinning.

If you're nodding along thinking "finally, someone gets it," grab your journal & pen or open Google Docs!

In today's 5-minute journaling session, we're diving into why you might be addicted to being indispensable - and how that pattern is actually keeping you trapped in cycles that drain you instead of fulfill you.

• The real reason you can't stop "carrying it all" (spoiler: it's NOT about being helpful)
• Why asking for help feels so terrifying (and what you're really afraid of)
• How proving your worth through productivity shows up across ALL areas of your life
• The breakthrough question that will shift you from surviving to thriving

1. Write about a time when you felt completely unseen for everything you were handling
2. What are you afraid would happen if you stopped being the person who handles everything?
3. Where else do you prove your worth through how much you can carry?
4. What would change if you believed you were worthy of support and recognition just as you are?

Perfect for the ambitious woman who's tired of being everyone's go-to person but doesn't know how to step back without feeling guilty or incompetent.

• Reply to my newsletter this week and let me know one are that you're feeling unseen! Not receiving my newsletter yet? Click here to subscribe!
• Download the Calm Mind Blueprint - 5 prompts to go from overwhelm to inner peace 2 - 10 mins/day: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

You know that daydream where someone else handles all the big decisions while you sip coffee and plan lunch dates? You're not the only high-achieving mom having this "trophy wife" fantasy.

Two women on recent calls - a CFO and a CEO - both confessed they'd love to give up everything they've built just to have zero responsibilities.

In this episode, you'll learn:

🎯 Why your brain craves the "trophy wife" life - plus the hidden stressors that come with it (financial anxiety, identity loss, boredom)

🎯 What you're actually craving - it's not zero responsibilities, it's choosing responsibilities that feel aligned with who you want to be

🎯 Questions to ask yourself instead of fantasizing about giving it all up

After listening:

You'll stop feeling guilty about wanting to "escape"

• You'll know exactly what support you actually need
• You'll have a framework for choosing stress that aligns with your values
• You'll understand how to create appreciation for what you're already doing

My former stay-at-home client proved even "trophy wives" feel like they have no time. So this isn't about escaping responsibility - it's about choosing responsibilities that fulfill you instead of drain you.

Resources Mentioned:

Calm Mind Blueprint: www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: www.samanthapenkoff.com/working-together

Application: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/assessments/2148353310

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

Connect with Sam on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachSamanthaHawley/

Ready to stop feeling like a jerk every time you protect your time and energy? This one's for all the women who know they need boundaries but feel guilty just thinking about setting them.

I keep hearing this at networking events — successful women who can negotiate million-dollar deals but can't tell their neighbor they're not available to babysit; or 'feel bad' delegating to their employees because they assume they have too much on their plate already.

What we're diving into:

• Why saying no feels like being a bad person
• The crosswalk analogy that'll change how you think about boundaries
• How guilt is actually your protection mechanism (not proof you're considerate)
• 3 journal prompts to break the guilt cycle

The truth bomb: Your boundary struggles aren't about not knowing how to say no. They're about an unconscious belief that your worth depends on managing everyone else's comfort AND that your guilt = being considerate.

But really? Guilt is keeping you from authentic relationships where people actually know the real you and what you need.

Resources mentioned:

• Free Calm Mind Blueprint (includes private podcast with voice guidance): www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Private coaching (1 spot open): www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect with Sam:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says
• Facebook: www.fb.com/coachsamanthahawley
• Email: hello@samantha-says.com

This is for you if you stare at your to-do list and feel your chest tighten! You wrote everything down to feel more in control, but somehow you're drowning in your own handwriting. That master list that was supposed to save you? It's actually making everything worse.

🎯 The Control Trap - Why your 47-item to-do list is creating fake urgency (and what actually matters)

🎯 The Master List Method - My simple Google Doc system that prevents overwhelm while keeping you focused

🎯 Productive vs. Feeling Productive - How to celebrate crossing off ONE thing instead of beating yourself up for not doing ten

You'll stop rewriting the same overwhelming list over and over. Instead of feeling behind even when you're crushing it, you'll wake up knowing exactly what matters today. No more Sunday scaries about everything you "should" be doing.

Picture this: It's 6 PM and instead of stressing about your endless list, you're actually proud of what you accomplished. You can be fully present with your kids because work isn't spinning in your head. Your evenings become yours again.

Your productivity isn't measured by how much you cross off. It's about choosing to feel good about what you DID accomplish. One working mom told me she cleaned the office kitchen between therapy sessions and felt guilty it wasn't "enough." But who decided that wasn't enough?

You get to choose how productive you feel, regardless of what your list looks like.

Calm Mind Blueprint: www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 2 spots open. Learn More here: www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Application to get on the 1:1 waitlist: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/assessments/2148353310

Connect with Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

Ready to journal through WHY you're not taking action on your goals you SAY you want to achieve? This episode is a follow-up to Tuesday's conversation about networking for introverts (one of MY goals!).

I'm sharing the breakthrough moment that changed everything for me—and three journal prompts to help you stop using "responsibility" as an excuse to stay small.

What we're exploring:

• Why I avoided networking for 11 months (even though it was my biggest goal)
• The FOMO revelation that was keeping me stuck at home
• How "being a good mom" was actually my protective pattern
• Three prompts to uncover what's really behind your comfort zone

An A-HA moment I had on the episode: Your comfort zone isn't about being comfortable—it's about avoiding the fear of being selfish or letting others down. Let that sink in & apply it to your life.

Resources mentioned:

• Free Calm Mind Blueprint for taking PEACEFUL, aligned, action towards your goals: www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Private coaching (1 spot left!): www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Next steps: Download the Calm Mind Blueprint if you want to start taking confident action peacefully—because stepping outside your comfort zone doesn't have to mean hustling your way through it (and burning out).