You know that thing where you're about to go through a big change and suddenly you're up at 2am planning for every possible scenario?

I made THREE different Google Docs for my son's school transition. Three. Each one mapped out a different morning routine depending on what time he woke up. I was literally scheduling my coffee time down to the minute.

Looking back? That wasn't planning. That was me trying to control something I couldn't control because I was scared.

You'll journal through:

• What's actually keeping you up at night about this transition (hint: it's probably not what you think)
• The sneaky ways you're trying to make change feel "safer"
• What you're most afraid would happen if you just... let it unfold
• Your personal pattern when things feel uncertain

Plus: The reframe that changed everything - what if your discomfort isn't a problem to fix but information about what you actually need right now?

Journaling Prompts from this episode:

1. What specific part of this transition is making you feel the most anxious or unsettled right now? (Go deeper than "change is hard")
2. What have you been doing to try to make this transition feel easier or less overwhelming?
3. What are you most afraid would happen if you stopped trying to control how this transition goes?
4. When was the last time you went through a major change in your life? How did you handle it? What patterns are showing up again now?

Resources Mentioned:

Calm Mind Blueprint - my framework for processing emotions and making decisions with clarity: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

• Book a free Clarity Call → https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call
• Private 1:1 Coaching (2 spots open, start with a 4 month container instead of 6 in October only) → https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect: Instagram | Facebook

A month ago I recorded an episode where I was completely spiraling about my son starting Montessori & my business hours changing. I walked you through my anxiety, my fears about losing work hours, all of it.

Today? I'm giving you the raw update. Week one was a disaster. Week two, I sat in my car for 4 hours taking coaching calls with the engine running. Week four, my anxiety is completely gone

...even though I'm recording this while Griffin interrupts me every 3 minutes asking for a bandaid because he cut himself on a cardboard knife. (Fact lol I may have edited that one out bc #momfail, but you'll hear his tiny voice!)

You'll hear:

• Why my anxiety disappeared once I stopped comparing schedules
• How losing work hours made me fitter (counterintuitive but true)
• What actually worked vs. my three planned Google Doc schedules
• My almost 5 year old's transformation in 4 weeks

Once those 7-hour daycare days weren't an option anymore, it stopped being "how will I ever make this work" and became "this IS working."

I'm not saying it's smooth. Last week I carried Griffin out without shoes. The library internet keeps dropping calls. But I can breathe now.

If you're in your own messy middle trying to make something work that feels impossible—you figure it out by doing it. Even from your car in a parking lot.

Mentioned in this episode:

Cindy from @mama_vision: mom coach who helped me through this transition (and many other parenting ones!)

Work with me:

• Book a free Clarity Call → https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call
• Private 1:1 Coaching (2 spots open, start with a 4 month container instead of 6 in October only) → https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect: Instagram | Facebook

You've got the career, the title, maybe the income you worked for. So why does success feel like you're constantly running on empty?

If you're burned out behind closed doors while everyone else sees you "having it all," this quick journaling session is for you. I'm walking you through 4 prompts that help you see the gap between how your life looks and how it actually feels—so you can finally figure out what needs to change.

Grab your journal and work through:

• The real disconnect between your external success and internal reality
• What you're actually afraid people will think if you admit you're struggling
• Your automatic response when overwhelm hits (and where else it's sabotaging you)
• What the aligned, peaceful version of you would do differently starting today

This episode is for you if:

• You're successful on paper but constantly exhausted
• You snap at your kids even though you don't want to
• You keep thinking "this isn't what I worked so hard for"
• You're barely present at home or at work
• You want to stop just surviving your success

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Free Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 2 spot opens. Learn More here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

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

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

I opened Google Docs at 9am and just started typing. Bullet points, random thoughts, full-on word vomit. My brain was spiraling about something I actually WANTED for my son—sending him to Montessori.

I'd been dreaming about this since he was a baby. But as the start date got closer? How will I work with only 2 hours to myself? What if I can't handle being in mom mode all morning? What if I become that overstimulated, impatient version of myself I hate?

In this episode, I walk you through my actual brain dump from February—the fears, the scheduling panic, the limiting beliefs, and exactly how I used strategic journaling to process it all instead of just white-knuckling through.

You'll hear:

• Why wanting something can still feel terrifying (and what that means)
• The two things I did OUTSIDE of journaling that regulated my nervous system before the change even happened
• How to untangle "I'm excited" from "I'm overwhelmed" when they're happening at the same time

If you're staring down a major schedule change—less childcare, a new job, homeschooling, or just life throwing you a curveball—this will help you move from "I can't do this" to "okay, I can figure this out."

Next Tuesday, Part 2 drops with the real update after a month of living this new reality. Did I spiral? Thrive? Find my flow? You'll find out.

• Book a free Clarity Call → https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call
• Reserve 1:1 coaching (2 spots open) → https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect: Instagram | Facebook

September energy hits different, doesn't it? While everyone's making January resolutions, you're over here actually ready to change things. New routines, boundaries you've been avoiding, that business idea collecting dust - all because you keep telling yourself "when things calm down."

Plot twist: They never do. 😂

Perfect for working moms who are: Tired of waiting for permission, ready to disappoint a few people to save themselves, done putting their dreams on layaway.

Your 4 Strategic Journaling Prompts:

1. What have you been telling yourself you'll get to once things calm down?
2. Pick the biggest one - if you actually did this, the worst thing that could happen is...
3. What's the real fear underneath it all?
4. I give myself permission to _____ even if it means _____

Take action: Save this episode, grab a coffee, and work through these prompts. Then watch how different September feels when you stop waiting for perfect timing.

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Free Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call

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

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

When you're used to being the person who gets things done, letting go of control feels impossible. Your kid refuses to put shoes on. Your employee questions your timeline. Your partner loads the dishwasher completely wrong. Sound familiar? What if everything actually falls apart?

Two things you'll walk away with:

1. 🎯 The Two-Part Framework that stops you from losing your mind when things don't go according to plan (works for toddler tantrums AND work meetings)
2. 💡 Why Your Default "Must Do It My Way" Response is keeping you stressed, overwhelmed, and secretly resentful that nobody appreciates how much you handle

After listening, you'll actually feel relief instead of that tight chest feeling when plans change. You'll stop redoing everyone else's "help" and start trusting that things can get done differently (and still turn out fine).

No more carrying the mental load of making sure everything happens exactly right. No more feeling like the only responsible adult in the room. This is your reminder that flexibility isn't giving up - it's giving yourself permission to breathe.

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Free Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call

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

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

You know that feeling when someone offers to help and instead of relief, you feel... guilty? Like you should be able to handle it all yourself?

If you've been telling yourself "I should be grateful they offered but I just can't accept it," this journaling session is for you.

In this 5-minute episode, we're diving into what's really behind that guilt - and spoiler alert, it's not about being ungrateful. It's about the stories you've been telling yourself about what it means to need help.

What We're Journaling Through:

• Your perfect "receiving day" and why it feels impossible
• The guilty voice that shows up every time help is offered
• What you're really afraid people will think if you actually say yes
• A tiny practice to start receiving without earning it first

The 3 Strategic Prompts:

1. When I think about my perfect receiving day, what am I afraid would happen if I took a whole day to receive?
2. What is the voice in your head that stops you from accepting help? What does she sound like?
3. If you gave yourself permission to receive help without earning it, what are you most afraid people would think?

This builds on Tuesday's episode about receiving and your nervous system - definitely go listen to that one after this if you haven't already.

• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women hosted at Meraki Beauty in Batavia, NY. In this 90-min strategic journaling workshop, you'll go from daily overwhelm & doing everything for everyone else to peacefully pursuing your true desires (guilt & people-pleasing officially evicted) — without adding more to your already full plate. Guided meditation + strategic journaling + real-time breakthroughs + mimosas!🥂 12 spots only Register here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

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

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

Hot Take: What if your purpose right now isn't to do more, achieve more, or figure out your next big career move? What if your actual purpose is learning how to receive?

My business coach asked me what I'd do on a random Tuesday if I could do anything. My answer floored me: drink matcha, watch reality TV at noon, cook a real recipe with multiple steps, take a long shower, go to bed early. As I rattled these off, I panicked - where's my ambition? What happened to my drive?

Then it hit me during a journal session. My nervous system wasn't broken - it was trying to show me my purpose right now. After months of giving, creating, strategizing, and pouring into everyone else, my soul was telling me: your job is to learn how to receive.

In this episode:

• Why your purpose might be receiving instead of achieving right now
• The four ways to receive: physical (rest, nourishment, movement), mental (entertainment, learning for fun, silence), emotional (support, celebrating wins), and creative (making something with your hands, playing without purpose)
• How constantly saying "I've got it" blocks you from your actual purpose
• Why receiving isn't evidence you're failing - it's evidence you're human
• The receiving day challenge that will reconnect you with what your soul actually needs

The purpose shift: We think purpose has to be this big, productive thing. But what if your purpose right now is modeling for your kids that adults deserve care too? What if it's showing the women around you that receiving support isn't weakness?

Your end-of-day scrolling? That's your spirit trying to receive something - anything - that doesn't require you to prove you deserve it first.

Maybe your purpose isn't another goal to crush. Maybe it's learning that you're worthy of receiving the same energy you pour into everyone else.

Ready to explore what receiving could look like in YOUR life? Book a free Clarity Call with me: https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call

• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women hosted at Meraki Beauty in Batavia, NY. In this 90-min strategic journaling workshop, you'll go from daily overwhelm & doing everything for everyone else to peacefully pursuing your true desires (guilt & people-pleasing officially evicted) — without adding more to your already full plate. Guided meditation + strategic journaling + real-time breakthroughs + mimosas!🥂 12 spots only Register here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Weekly Strategic Journal Prompts: www.samanthapenkoff.com/prompts
• Subscribe so you can hear Thursday's episode & journal with me: 5-minute journal session on working through your receiving blocks!
• Book a free 30-min Clarity Call with me: https://calendly.com/samanthasays/clarity-call

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: