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Don't Just List It. Feel It. | The Power of Gratitude Have you ever noticed how easy it is to turn gratitude into another item on your to-do list? As we head into this season of Thanksgiving, I'm exploring the difference between simply listing what we're grateful for and actually experiencing gratitude. In this episode of Lifting the Lifters, we'll look at the research behind gratitude and a concept called savoring. To intentionally slow down to notice, appreciate, and feel the good in our lives. We'll explore how practicing gratitude can influence our emotions, shift how we're feeling in the moment, and help us find more joy in everyday experiences. Because maybe we don't need more things to be grateful for. Maybe we just need to make more room to experience the gratitude we already have.

Have you ever noticed how the weather affects your mood, energy, or motivation? There's actually some fascinating science behind how sunlight, temperature, and changing seasons influence us physically, mentally, and emotionally. In this episode of Lifting the Lifters, we're exploring how our environment can affect the way we feel and why it's important to get curious before jumping to conclusions about ourselves. Sometimes we're quick to label ourselves as lazy, unmotivated, or irritable without considering what might be contributing to those feelings. We'll talk about the benefits of morning sunlight, the importance of supporting our bodies through seasonal changes, and simple ways to better understand what we need. The takeaway? Before you judge yourself, get curious. When we understand what influences us, we can respond with greater compassion, intention, and support.

Have you ever made a mistake, disappointed someone, or fallen short of your own expectations and immediately started beating yourself up? So many of us are good women doing good things, trying our best to care for our families, serve others, and manage the demands of everyday life. Yet somehow, we still find ourselves feeling like we're not enough. That's where shame can creep in. In this episode of Lifting the Lifters, we're talking about shame, why we experience it, how it can turn a simple mistake into a judgment about our worth, and why it can be so difficult to break free from the shame spiral. You'll learn the difference between guilt and shame, how our desire for approval and belonging can fuel feelings of inadequacy, and four practical steps to recognize, cold therapy, question, and respond to shame more healthfully. Because you can make mistakes, disappoint people, and have room to grow without believing you're not enough. You can take responsibility for your actions without tearing yourself down in the process.

If you have a smartphone, you need this podcast.  More importantly, if you are trying to navigate smartphones with your family, you need this podcast. This week, I have a special guest, Andrea Davis of Better Screen Time, with us.  I am so excited she was so gracious to come on and share her wisdom and knowledge with us. In the interview, we talk about how Andrea got started with Better Screen Time, and she gives us some very practical tips on how to set up a family tech plan, know when our kids are ready for phones, how to navigate family life with phones, and the main reason I reached out: the importance of having some space and some downtime from our screens. We all want to lead happy, healthy lives, and that comes with intention, connection, and healthy habits. This podcast addresses all of this and more! Enjoy! Andrea Davis and Better Screen Time Instagram Profile Better Screen Time Website Better Screen Time Recommended Resources Better Screen Time Free Downloads

Making a decision is one thing. Following through is another! Have you ever decided to do something, only to talk yourself out of it when the time comes to actually do it? That's resistance! In this episode of Lifting the Lifters, we're talking about the pushback we feel when it's time to follow through on our decisions and how we can use resistance and rewards to our advantage. You'll learn what that resistance is for, what it is telling you, how to make the habits you want easier, create resistance around the behaviors you want to change, and set yourself up for success. Following through doesn't always require more motivation or willpower. Sometimes it's about making the things you want to do easier and the things you don't want to do harder!

Have you ever felt completely worn out from making decisions or found yourself going back and forth long after you already made one?! In this episode, we're talking about three kinds of decision fatigue: making too many decisions, avoiding a decision, and second-guessing a decision you've already made. We'll also look at the fear and perfectionism that can keep us stuck searching for the "right" choice, and why discomfort after a decision doesn't necessarily mean it was the wrong one. You'll learn a few simple ways to create less stress around decisions, trust yourself more, and move forward without constantly reopening the choice you already made. We talk about systemizing, scheduling, and settling when it comes to our decisions to eliminate stress, overwhelm, fatigue, and provide hope, clarity, and calm for our busy lives.

Why do you sometimes snap over the smallest things? In this episode, you'll learn what stress is doing inside your body, why little things can suddenly feel huge, and how to recognize when you're getting close to your limit. We'll also talk about simple ways to calm your body down so you can react less and respond more intentionally.

What happens when we wait until we're tired, overwhelmed, emotional, or dysregulated to make important decisions? In this episode, I share a vulnerable piece of my own journey with food, emotional eating, and my longtime goal to "make peace with food." Using the story of Odysseus and the Sirens, we'll talk about why it can be so powerful to make a plan while your thinking brain is online, before your emotional brain takes over. This isn't about control or perfection. It's about intention, order, and creating more peace in your life. Whether your struggle is food, exercise, shopping, scrolling, procrastination, or something else, the principle is the same: plan ahead of time for the moments when you might "lose your head." Sometimes the plan you make ahead of time can become one of your greatest weapons of peace.

What do you want? For years, my answer to that question was usually, "Nothing." I didn't want to be high maintenance. I didn't want to ask for too much. And honestly, there were seasons when I had spent so much time taking care of everyone else that I didn't even know what I wanted anymore. In this episode, I'm talking about why we can lose touch with our desires—through stress, self-sacrifice, fear of disappointment, and the habit of constantly putting our own preferences aside. Having desires doesn't make us selfish, ungrateful, or demanding. A desire is simply something we notice, value, hope for, or want to move toward. We'll talk about how to start listening to yourself again, why small preferences matter, and how creating a little more space can help you reconnect with what brings you joy and who you are becoming. Because a desire is not a demand, and learning to want again may be an important part of learning who you are and who God is helping you become!

What if you could stand back and pick a theme for the life you've lived thus far.  What would it be? Exhuasted Busy Overwhelmed Anxious Have these just happened? Or have we chosen this? If I were to guess, most of us have a theme for our lives that has just kind of chosen us! But what if from this point forward, you decided that JOY is the theme for your life? What would that look like? It wouldn't necessarily change your circumstances. You'd still have the same life you live, but it would change how you lived it!? This week, we are discussing choosing the theme of JOY for the rest of your life. And what we can do to build our capacity to experience more of it! Because JOY doesn't have to be something you chase. It is something we are all learning how to return to, invite,  build the capacity for, and experience over and over and over!

What's the Theme? A good theme can make everything more fun! And it can also give us direction! After spending some time coming up with themes for golf prizes, I realized how much easier it was to create, plan, and make decisions once I knew the theme. What if we did the same thing in our everyday lives? Whether it's a new school year, a busy week, a difficult season, or just an ordinary Tuesday, we're often living by a theme without even realizing it: hurry, stress, perfection, survival, or "just get it all done." In this episode, we're talking about intentionally choosing our theme. It can be connection, joy, courage, presence, flexibility, faith, or even FUN. We may not get to choose everything that happens in our lives, but we can choose what we want to practice while we're living it. Listen to this week's podcast as we discuss the theme for your day, your week, or your life. Then ask yourself one simple question: What's the theme? And CHOOSE what you want it to be!

Back-to-school season can bring excitement, fresh starts…and a whole lot of anxiety. One phrase I've heard over and over from my kids and clients is, "I don't know anyone in my class." When we feel uncertain or like we don't belong, our natural response is often to close in.  That looks like looking down, staying quiet, pulling away, and waiting for someone else to make the first move. But sometimes the very things we do to protect ourselves from feeling isolated actually create more isolation. In this episode, I'm giving you a simple Back-to-School Assignment: notice when you're closing in, practice opening up just a little, and look for someone else who may need help feeling like they belong. In this episode, I share an experience my mom shared after working in the school system for 30 years. None of us has to walk into a room feeling confident. We don't have to make a best friend on the first day. Sometimes belonging begins with something as small as looking up, smiling, sitting by someone new, or being the first person to say hello. And in that process, we could be the reason others want to show up at school or work tomorrow.

What if the thing you keep fighting against is actually something you could learn to work with? In this episode, we're talking about what it means to own what is and work with it. From hats left on the dresser, to unexpected changes in plans, to the Nephites becoming "exceedingly expert" at working with cement when timber wasn't available, sometimes the answer isn't wishing our circumstances were different. It's learning how to build with what we have. Owning it doesn't mean we have to like it, settle for it, or never make a change. It means we stop using all of our energy fighting reality and start asking, "This is what I'm working with, now what can I do with it?" Maybe it's your body, your brain, your child, your finances, a relationship, or a season of life you didn't expect. What if the very thing you wish were different could become the thing you eventually become "exceedingly expert" at navigating? Own it. Work with it. And build something with the cement you've been given.

Have you ever dreaded going somewhere, only to get there and think it wasn't nearly as bad as you thought? Maybe you even ended up having a great time. In this episode, we're talking about anticipatory anxiety:  the worry, resistance, and sometimes full-blown dread that can show up before we do something. Inspired by my boys' recent experience going on trek (which they definitely did NOT want to do!), we'll look at why our brains can make the "before" feel so much harder than the actual experience. We'll talk about what's happening in the brain and nervous system when we anticipate something uncomfortable or unknown, why avoidance feels so tempting, and how continually avoiding discomfort can actually make anxiety stronger. Most importantly, I'll share some simple tools to help you and the people you love move through that resistance and get to the other side. Because sometimes you don't need to know that you'll love it. You don't need to feel excited or even ready. Sometimes you just need to get there.

Do you ever feel like life is one big test and you're worried you're not getting the answers right? Or worse, you might "fail?" This week we are exploring a perspective that has the power to change the way we experience our daily lives. Inspired by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk Your Great Adventure, we'll discuss what it means to see life not simply as a test to pass, but as an adventure designed to help us grow. Adventures aren't meant to be easy. They include unexpected detours, setbacks, mistakes, and moments of uncertainty. But those experiences don't mean we're failing! They're often the very things that shape us into who God knows we can become. We'll talk about the difference between living with a "test mindset" versus an "adventure mindset," why failure is often a stepping stone to growth, and how trusting the Savior allows us to embrace the journey with greater faith, courage, and peace. If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough or worried you've made too many mistakes, this episode is a reminder that God isn't just interested in the destination; He's walking beside you every step of the way, helping you become who you were created to be. Join me as we discover how seeing life as an adventure can replace fear with curiosity, perfectionism with progress, and anxiety with hope.