December 30, 2021 / Mom &… Podcast Episode 51 / Featuring Susanne & Missy
Show Summary
Part two of a two-part series featuring hosts, Susanne Kerns and Missy Stevens, talking about self-love, self-compassion, and incorporating those concepts into planning for 2022. This week the focus is deciding on a Word of the Year and using Vision Boards to reach your goals.
Some concepts that come up in this episode are intentionality, setting a timer for short bursts of productivity, and the idea of rehearsals for the hard things.
We also talk about birds a lot, and we promise there’s a connection. It’s a loose connection, but it’s there.
Topics From This Episode (Complete transcript is available below… scroll to the bottom!)
- Zannie’s Black-Eyed Pea Dip from The Pioneer Woman*
- Cara Harvey, Episode 37
- Jenny Remington
- Megan Logan, Self-Love Workbook for Women
- Enslaved by Ducks by Bob Tarte (and there’s going to be a movie!)
- Second Hand Parrot on Instagram (Abby Matthews)
- The Great Outdoors in Austin where they have parrots that SOMETIMES talk
- Upcoming guests, Coach Linda, Jill Smokler and Jen Mann
- Zibby Owens
- KJ Dell’Antonia – new book coming!
- Jenny Nash Book Coach
- Edit Your Life Show and Midlife Mixtape – changes and endings to those podcasts
*Re: that dip: At Missy’s house they make the standard version and a dairy-free version. To make it dairy free, they replaced the sour cream with a plant-based cream cheese (like Kite Hill Chive). You can also use a plant-based sour cream, but they were out last year and discovered that the cream cheese does magical things to the vegan version of this dip. They used plant-based cheese (although sparingly, since most plant-based cheese melts… weirdly). These Sheese brand “sheeses” are a current favorite.
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Musical Notes
Our delightfully happy intro and outro theme music, “We Will Get Through This” is performed by Young Presidents, and used under license from Shutterstock.
Watch this Episode on Our YouTube Channel
Transcript* From This Episode
*Please note that this transcript is automatically generated through our editing software. Expect odd errors and misunderstood words. In fact, if you find a really funny one, send it to us, and we may feature it – and you – on our socials!
[00:00:00]
Missy: Welcome to the mom and dot.dot podcast. I’m Missy Steven’s mom and dot.dot writer foster care advocate. And today I’m a black eyed pea dip maker for our upcoming new years-black- eyed-pea-eating. Do you eat your black eyed peas on new
Susanne: have never had black eyed peas before.
Missy: Okay, so this is the, this is the problem. This is the problem though. You’ve got each your black eye peas. I think that everything is going to be solved if Susanne just eats her black eyed peas, but I will put in the show notes, the greatest recipe. It’s not my recipe. I got it from The Pioneer Woman. And I think she got it from her sister or sister-in-law or something, but it’s we make a dip out of it.
So a lot of people make them like with ham hocks and collard greens. And we just, I don’t dislike that, but it’s not my favorite way to eat it. This dipp though, I eat a lot of black eyed peas like it’s so tasty and we make a regular version and we make a dairy free version. And last year everyone liked the dairy for even more.
So I’ll post them in the show notes.
Susanne: Okay. We’ll do that. Is it [00:01:00] vegetarian for my daughter?
Missy: Yeah. It’s vegetarian. And um, actually the I’m trying to think, is it fully vegan? The one that I make without dairy, it might be fully vegan. of course then I eat them with tortilla chips. You know, the fried and all animal fat, so that’s not vegan, but you can find your vegan version.
Um,
Susanne: mentioned that my poor vegetarian daughter who discovered that marshmallows are super not vegetarian. She’s like, wait a minute. Yeah. that’s okay. She tried to get me to buy some vegan marshmallows the other day. I was like, no, like if you’re having a marshmallow, you just like all health concerns are out the window.
but anyway, um,
oh,
Missy: rails. Who are you?
Susanne: I’m forgot my introduction. I’m Susanne Kerns. I’m a mom and dot.dot writer, LGBTQ and sex ed advocate. And today, uh, new Orleans road tripper. Uh, that’s going to be a fun nine hour drive. I think that also getting ready for the new year. No [00:02:00] black eyed peas. Well maybe now there are black eyed peas.
Um, but just, oh, we actually don’t have any plans yet. We’re trying to, we’re playing things by ear, you know,
Missy: I have a feeling it’s going to be a real low-key new year.
Susanne: No just sitting around eating our pea dip. But so if, for anyone who did not listen to last week’s episode, I feel like maybe you need to pause and pop over back there because
Missy: It’s short, like one of our shortest episodes ever.
Susanne: it is which that’s amazing.
but we are doing our self-love values. Get ready for the new year, knowing who you are, loving, who you are. And we had kind of a step one and step two last week, if you’re feeling crazy, you can do them out of order. I think it’ll still be, you’ll still be safe,
but
Missy: It’ll still work.
Susanne: but , we’re gonna finish up with, , the number three and four this week
and
Missy: what’s your, a word of the [00:03:00] year and, um, that kind of aligns with your values and the number four is vision setting, creating your vision, maybe vision boarding, or just visioning how it works for you.
Susanne: We’re getting a little woo with a couple of our things. I’m so proud of us,
Missy: I love a little woo. I love it.
Susanne: I’m usually very non woo-hoo, but this I can get, we, we, when it comes to self love and, uh, getting a little more structure around our, our lives. But have you actually come up with your word of the year yet? Are you still
Missy: Yeah. I think I have, I had a little list and I’ve really the one that pops back in my head over and over again is delight.
Susanne: oh,
Missy: I felt like that was a little woo and weird, and I kept fighting it and I’m like, no, really. And I talked about this last week that my go-to. Is sort of a negative. I mean, that’s just how I was wired and I’ve been working for years to undo that, but, I don’t want to miss out on the joy and I want to delight in the [00:04:00] things, even the hard things, whether it’s knowing that when the hard thing is done, there will be something wonderful or just in knowing that I get to do whatever this thing is, even if it’s hard.
Um, so I just want to focus on, delight and that really does tie to my values of, you know, I don’t have my whole list in front of me, but when I went back and looked at the things that I value, you could kind of incorporate delight with all of them. So that’s me. What about you?
Susanne: that. Well, this year, you? know, it’s been a long time since I have done a word of the year. I think my last one God was probably like five years ago. I did the word Edith, you.
have to re there’s a whole post around the explanation for it, but now there was this woman, Edith Macefield. She had a house not far from us in our old neighborhood, in Ballard, in Seattle.
And she, her house was the point of the movie up.
Missy: Oh,
Susanne: Um, she had this little bungalow in the middle of this area of Ballard that was being [00:05:00] renovated and she refused to sell. I mean, they were offering her millions of dollars and I just loved it. She was just like, you know, That doesn’t work for me. I don’t want to move.
I’m old.
This is my house. This is where I want to die. And even though it was super inconvenient to a lot of developers, I mean, they had to make a trader Joe’s. That was like kind of U shaped. There was a gym and like this trader Joe’s, I had to like boop, boop around. Um, but it’s still, I don’t think it’s still there.
It’s this tiny little bungalow, just it’s comically next to like, you know, these four story buildings or whatever. Um, but I, I thought like, Edith, wow. What about ass that she was just like, Yeah, I’m super sorry that you’ve got to. Do your entire plan for your trader Joe’s,
Missy: so it
Susanne: I’m not moving.
Missy: me. Doesn’t work for
Susanne: I’m moving. I’m keeping my house. It’s your fault that you chose this area that, you know, wasn’t ready. So that was the last time I did a worthier. I [00:06:00] was like, I just want to be more like Edith. but this year I think I’m going to do intentional because that is just something that comes back. I feel like every single episode that we’ve done, whether it’s getting intentional about decision-making or even.
I, I hate to tie anything around food because I think That’s so triggering. And it’s not an idea of like, I, you know, I want to lose such and such weight, or I want to do this, or even not even that I want to be like super healthy about eating. It’s just, I want to be intentional. I can be pulled into the gravity of a box of lucky charms that just happens to be sitting on the counter.
Missy: Oh yeah.
Susanne: And I will eat six bowls without, without even thinking twice about it, which, you know, what, if that was intentional, if I was like, you know what, today I’m feeling [00:07:00] super lucky charms. And I just want to go to
town on it like that. I think I could really enjoy like doing that versus just this. I wasn’t even hungry, but it was there and I ate it.
Um, so just trying to get more intentional about enjoying the things that I’m doing. And I, it kind of brings me back to Cara Harvey’s thing about getting intentional about your time. And, if you have dish washing time set aside And you don’t have to feel guilty about walking by the dishes, all day long while you’re doing other things.
Cause you’re like Nope dishes or, you know, the three o’clock thing. And I got five hours till then to not even look at them and.
Missy: And I’ll just do it then.
Susanne: So I’m thinking and same kind of intention around, you know, this is this time, whether it’s for a nap. I mean, there’s a difference between looking forward to a luxurious nap where you can just lay down and enjoy it versus feeling like you’re passing out on the couch because you’re so
overwhelmed
Missy: normally what happens to me is I, [00:08:00] I always say I accidentally sat down. it will be, for some reason I sat down and then I stopped moving. And if you stop moving, then it’s like the kiss of death. And so.
Susanne: so.
I think very much of it is going to come down to just being more intense, kind of like we’ve talked about. And we talked about it last week, too. Our Enneagram nines are super go with the flow and
Missy: Mm.
Susanne: easy for me to be like, yeah, you’re right. I should be doing that. today. Or, oh yeah. Like this other thing came up. I should do that. so trying to just be a little more structured and intentional with the way I’m spending my time and the way that I’m making my decisions. So that is what I’m doing. And, and even intentional about my what’s your word again, not joy. Um,
Missy: Delighted.
Susanne: the light I’m going to be intentional. Hopefully just being more intentional, uh, naturally brings some more delight into my
Missy: It’s just that presence. That was, I think [00:09:00] my last word of the day that I’d spent a word of the day word of the year. Um, sometimes for
Susanne: a word of the day
Missy: day. Sometimes it is day by day. Word of the year. The last time I did, it was a long time ago, too. I want to say four or five years ago. And what I kept thinking and I had to boil it down to one word was just show up because I am a little bit of an introvert and also have this inner self mean girl.
And in Enneagram nine, who goes with the flow, like I would just find myself all over the place and then I would forget to just be present. And so it ended up being present because I just wasn’t, I wasn’t there half the time. My mind was at the last thing that I didn’t finish because I thought why should go here or what, you know, I just was bouncing.
I felt like a ping pong ball.
Susanne: Well, that’s
Missy: was my last one. And I still liked that one. I still try to think about it all the time. Like we’re just going to be present right here
Susanne: Well, maybe that will be my mantra. We had, we had some mantras last week and somebody, I, yeah, I need some, [00:10:00] maybe it’s not a bad idea to have a couple of words of the day to maybe we’ll have a couple of, uh, runner up words that we just keep for as we need them. And that can just be something that we bring in for the day if we need
Missy: Well, and I think like, as you go through this, as you determine your values, we talked about that last week and you really focus on loving who you are and finding that self-love, you will start to learn the places where you have a negative self-talk or where you struggle to be present or whatever it is.
And you do probably develop some words and some mantras that are like, you’re falling into this trap you fall into. So
Susanne: Um,
Missy: just be right here right now or whatever it is you need, or
Susanne: so have you done the bonus exercise of taking a look at your word of the year and looking at it against your value list?
Missy: a sort of did. I didn’t like sit and write it, but I did the go look at my values and just see, like, does this make sense? Am I way off track here? And I [00:11:00] need to like sit down and apply it to each bucket, but just at a glance, it does. If it’s, if it’s, what about you? Did you do it?
Susanne: doing it?
right now in lifetime, so I’m going through my list of values. Um, so it would be being intentional about authenticity.
Missy: Yeah, I would say, or intentionally, I feel like, well, I’m thinking in podcast terms like intentionally seeking authenticity, like you know, we’re looking for authentic guests and coaches and you’re looking for
Susanne: that’s true. Cause I was having a hard time. It was like, if you’re authentic, you don’t have to be intentional about it. It’s just authentic. But We’ve talked about how we’ve had to, not include a couple of guests that we had been considering because they do not align with our shows, values and our values.
So I do think that is being intentional and putting a process around something that is authentic to us. Okay. That one checks out authentic, uh, or no, what’s my word. Not authentic.
Intentional
intentional, [00:12:00] intentional about connection.
Missy: That totally
Susanne: That one until if it’s intentional about kindness,
Missy: Hmm.
Susanne: that’s hat fits
Missy: I feel like you kind of have that mastered.
Susanne: security was one of my.
Missy: Ooh,
Susanne: about security.
Missy: that might be something you work on this year, like to figure out what that really means for you.
Susanne: I think that means I need to get a J O B.
Um, Yeah. Is that when we mentioned that we have a Patrion link that you go give us some money yet. Um, and then intentional about fun and intentional about personal fulfillment.
Missy: I think your word is perfect. I don’t have my
Susanne: up.
Missy: list in front of me. I don’t know where this fits in the self-love slash vision or like, I didn’t bring my values in here to record. I don’t know, but we’re just going to delight in the fact that I am delightfully disorganized this week. It’s [00:13:00] currently as we’re recording before Christmas and we’re both crazy.
Susanne: yeah. We are both afraid to write down, but No.
I think first of all, I think that actually drives home. The importance of actually doing the values exercise, because everybody, I think my natural belief and I think a lot of people probably lean to like, well, if you value it so much, then it’s just like right there, like you should be able to just rattle off this list and you can’t.
I have mine written down right here. This is how I’m remembering it. Um, and how I’m staying focused with it. And I do think, I mean, it’s probably something you could just bring in your wallet and just be like, okay, check, check, check. Does, does this decision I’m about to make, you know, is this job that I’m about to accept?
Does this person who just invited me out to coffee? Like, do they match these values? Um, and I do think, I mean, if it’s in the other room, it’s hard to remember it. That’s why. Yeah.
I, so I do think I’m a firm firm firm believer if doing a year of interviews with coaches has taught me nothing else is that this values [00:14:00] exercise, like everything hinges on it. everything just.
Missy: hinges on it.
Susanne: And so do it, do it, go back to the episode before this, if you need to, if you need to figure out what and how to do that. but I think it makes a lot of sense. And then if you do this word of the year, or you just saw how it was able to tie in with mine and, uh, be able to just give it a little extra. So I
Missy: Yeah. And it starts to, the more you revisit it and the more you practice applying it to things, the more natural it becomes to put everything through that filter.
Susanne: Yeah.
I love that. I love it. Okay. And so that brings us to this idea of the vision board, which I gotta tell you again, we’ve already. Determined that I am not a super woo person and that I had always kind of been like, that seems a little woo, woo. But I’m starting.
Missy: it for
Susanne: Yeah. I’m leaning into it more now just because we have had several people who we really respect [00:15:00] bring it up as far as things that they do.
and in particular, Uh,
this is kind of not hard to talk about. It’s confusing to talk about. Cause Cara Harvey, we I’ve already recorded an episode with her that does not run until. And did January. So, but we are going to talk about some of the things. That’s a little preview, some of the things we’re going
to talk about with
Missy: your vision.
Susanne: about doing this vision board, um, to get more in depth information about that, be sure to come back.
I think It’s the third week of January. She’s got a new book coming out the 15 minutes. What is it? 15 minutes solution. 15 minutes. Sometimes 15 minutes.
Missy: minutes, something 15. Darn. When we’ll look it up. sorry.
Susanne: We’ll look it up. We’ll edit it back in there. It’ll be 15
minutes. Formual Got it.
Missy: like that, that lady on the phone
Susanne: Actually here,
Missy: she reads it.
Susanne: Okay, sorry, Cara.
Missy: Well, we’ll have a whole episode about that.
Susanne: [00:16:00] yeah, We’ll just edit all this out. So vision
board
Missy: it. And, uh, Jenny Remington, who’s from, like, if you go back in the way back machine in our early episodes, Jenny’s been on a couple of times. Um, she has workshops. I want to say more than once a year, she does a vision boarding workshop.
so we’ll link to her website, but she does a whole, like, I, I w maybe lying, I’m sorry if I am, but I believe that there are some virtual options now. It used to be only in person, but I think she may have some virtual options now. And, um, I mean, walks you through the whole process. And I used to always think like, oh, I don’t want to sit with a magazine and cut out pictures.
Like, what am I a child? What am I making a poster? You know, it’s so much more than that.
Susanne: And oh, also Megan, Logan, who I’m going to hold up the book here again. Uh, the self-love workbook for women, we went through, uh, quite a bit of this in the previous episode. So [00:17:00] definitely check that out. , but she had also brought up the idea how she starts every year with the vision board.
And I was like, she seems like the opposite of woo-hoo to me. And so that was one of the
first
Missy: Grounded. Very focused.
Susanne: Not that Cara, as we would not have our guesses, but I mean, it just made it, it legitimized it in my brain for some reason to see her after talking about all these, you know, super clinical things was like, and I do a vision board.
That’s like what you do. Um, so I,
Missy: this vision board and then. You use it as your sort of barometer as you go through the rest of your year. Like, how does this tie back to my vision? And so there’s a real purpose to making it. It’s not like a afternoon craft activity. Like it’s really has a purpose and you don’t have to do it.
Like you don’t have to cut things out of a magazine. It can
Susanne: It can just be. words.
Missy: Yeah,
Susanne: yeah.
And that, I think that was another thing too, whereas like, I don’t have the [00:18:00] space to put up a giant board where, and that was another thing I was like, I mean, , what am I gonna do with this giant poster board? And like you were saying, , I am I just going to cut out cute pairs of boots, maybe like that might be something that you do.
But I have seen examples of a lot of people who do their vision board, inside their daily planner is just the first couple of pages as you open it up. It’s just, you know, sometimes it’s pictures, you can draw something or it could be something you cut out of a magazine, or it could just be some key words that you wrote around visions.
But I think some of the things that Cara Harvey brought up that again, it’s going to be in more detail in that, mid January episode where I thought that. One of the things she talked about that was really cool was just starting with, what do I want and really stressing the point that a lot of moms never just sit down and think, what do I want?
And it also ties back to the values exercise, obviously. So that’s why we’re doing all these things, you know, step-by-step [00:19:00] together. Um, it could also tie in with that word of the year and weaving that together, but I really liked how, , Kara recommends putting things into categories.
Missy: yeah.
Susanne: So it could be any, any way that you categorize your life.
So it could be like
Missy: What I
Susanne: as a mom, as a wife or as an advocate or as a writer or as a podcaster, like these are the, in the different areas of me or the different areas of my life. However you want to break that down and categorize it. It just makes it a little less overwhelming. I think it gives it a little bit more structure.
Um, and then I like that her other recommendation is setting a 15 minute timer.
Missy: Yeah.
Susanne: She recommends that for a lot of things, even if it’s just like, I need to clean my pantry or I need to organize the house or whatever set a 15 minute timer. Um, and I think that is a great recommendation for so many things.
It feels so overwhelming and you don’t quite know where to start [00:20:00] and you ever afraid that it will never end if you do start. So,
Missy: I did a dumb story about this, but I know I’ve talked about cleaning my makeup brushes before, um,
Susanne: yeah. and I’ve talked about how mine are still have my wedding goo on them.
Missy: yeah. Time to clean those, um, I had, I dumb story. But basically my younger son uses my hairbrush to brush his hair before school, every day.
and so I noticed one day, and then sometimes he needs a little help with like the sticky ups in the back. And so I noticed like my brush was kinda grimy and like a really need to clean this, but I know myself and I know that for me, like cleaning that brush is going to lead to cleaning all the brushes is going to lead to cleaning out the drawer is going to lead to disinfecting the entire bathroom.
I mean, it give your mouse, if you give a mouse, a cookie kind of thing.
Susanne: Yes.
Missy: So he’s getting a new brush for Christmas. He’s getting his own same kind, but he’s getting one because enough is enough. He’s big boy. I’m a grown up. We’re not sharing anymore. So he’s getting a brush in his stocking, [00:21:00]
Susanne: It’s like my daughter and I sharing a blow dryer for two months. I’m like,
Missy: right.
Yeah. You’re like, why aren’t we doing this?
Susanne: we deserve to blow dryers.
Missy: Yeah, look, he can have his own brush so silly and he’ll probably still bring it to my bathroom for help, but whatever, it’ll be his. So the other day I was like, I had Cara in my head and like, this brush does need to be cleaned. I had just read an article about you are supposed to clean your hair brushes.
I pull the hair out, but I don’t really clean them, clean them. And so I didn’t set the timer physically, but I looked at my phone and I said, you have 10 minutes. These 10 minutes will not take away from the rest of your day. Clean the brush, just this brush, not all the brushes, not everything in the drawer, clean this brush.
And that’s what I did. And I got to tell you, when I brushed my hair the next day, I felt so happy. So clean. I just felt so good, but I got that done. And in the weirdest way, it had been one of those things nagging at me. It made me feel like slob that it was dirty. I mean, it was just, again, his inner, like self-talk, [00:22:00] that’s all dangerous and whatever.
But just doing it was this moment of, oh yeah. We can, you know, set the timer 15 minutes, 10 minutes, whatever it is you have, and do at least part of that thing.
Susanne: Yes.
Missy: I don’t know if that story makes any sense,
Susanne: know it makes total sense, And it’s making me think about like, it’s so funny. Cause like my husband, you know, helps out a ton around the house. I mean, he lives here. He, he does his share.
Missy: right. He’s not helping he’s contributing because
Susanne: yes, he lives here. So he does things. Um, but it’s always so amazing to me. Like, well, our son usually unloads the dishwasher, but my husband will get to the point where he was like, okay, really our sink.
So he’ll just unload it for him. But it’s, I mean, like I, if I unload the dishwasher and this is part of the reason I have to have my son do it, I will clean up the drain. I will clean the sides of it. I will get underneath the nooks and crannies. And so I just like sometimes unloading the dishwashers, just unloading the dishwasher.
[00:23:00] It’s not like sanitizing all of the filters and all of this stuff. And so I do. I
Missy: I am in the kitchen. So funny, like I will be scrubbing the sink and sanitizing, everything and cleaning the vent hood and wiping out the oven. And the refrigerator handles that are always freaking sticky. Like what is wrong with the people who live in my house, but
Susanne: There’s a sticky.
Missy: they’re always taking like, what is on your hands and why aren’t you wiping it off before you touch the refrigerator?
That’s another podcast completely, but anyway, but I will suddenly have spent half an hour deep cleaning. I didn’t have half an hour at that point, but if you’re intentional about your time, uh, you can then go do that one thing and then feel delighted about that. One thing you did.
Susanne: Yes. Okay. I need to set, I need to set a timer. You know what I’d made myself and it was supposed to be for writing. I didn’t make it. I bought it, so that I would sit down and write for an hour. It’s like in so beautiful. It says SA what do they call it? Like the hours
Missy: what an hourglass.
Susanne: like an hourglass. Thank you.
I’m thinking days of our [00:24:00] lives.
Missy: Yeah. Like what sands or an hourglass. These are the days of our lives.
Susanne: and I’ve used it like three times because I realized like I need something to ding because if I flip over my hour glass and I’m cleaning the refrigerator, I mean, I’ll be,
Missy: you won’t hear it.
Susanne: vacuuming the inside of the crispers and then, Yeah,
I won’t hear the hourglass, but, um, so yes, I think, uh, a nice loud timer.
I love the one on my watch now, so,
Missy: yeah. Yeah. I just set my phone. I’m always using my phone timer for
Susanne: yes. And speaking, if you give a mama cookie, um, we were talking about vision boards.
Missy: Yeah, yeah,
Susanne: yeah.
we can set a 15 minute timer for when we start talking about something to see if we’re still on that conversation when we get there. But So yeah, setting the 15 minute timer, if you feel like doing a vision board is too overwhelming or whatever, to set the timer, start with 15 minutes. Maybe, maybe that first 15 minutes is just [00:25:00] deciding what your categories are
Missy: Right.
Susanne: and, and, you know, figuring out what your values are.
But then the next step that she recommends is just this big old brain dump. , and one of the important things that she brings up is that we usually think of this vision board of like for the year new year’s resolutions or for a year or whatever, but like, we don’t know what’s going to be happening 12 months from now.
So I really liked the idea of looking at it.
Missy: 12 days from now
Susanne: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. And so we talk about the care talks about it, and we’ve talked about it with other guests, too, these idea of seasons. And I just think That is a really lovely way of looking at the year ahead. Like I know that my daughter is going to be starting applying for college next fall.
So that’s going to be a season. That’s going to be his own
Missy: a season.
Susanne: that. and then we are, you know, The first part of the year, you know, what season is that it’s going to be probably a lot of planning around getting guests for the podcast [00:26:00] is going to be, I’m finally rolling on my proposal for my book.
So it’s probably going to be, it’s probably going to be book season that book and podcast season that first quarter. and so just really thinking about, okay, maybe I am planning for the year, but I’m not going to be like, okay, in December we will be doing this. It’s like, no, let’s clump it together around some, either big activity that’s going to be happening or a big event, and really thinking about, okay, so how do I get intentional?
How do I, Think about that. So your brain dump and your vision board may just be for January through March. It might just be for January, if you have a big thing going on in January. So it really just make it work for you. It doesn’t have to be the way that Pinterest says to do it, or the way that it is, you know, you’ve done it before the think about what is going to make it be useful for you.
and yeah. I think really using that word of the year care brought up that [00:27:00] idea too. And you know
Missy: And a playlist,
Susanne: minute formula. I have
Missy: there you
Susanne: right.
Missy: You
Susanne: It’s sadly, it has been written in front of me this whole time when I was a 15 minute. What, 15 minute Formual um, so that’s the book that we’re gonna be talking about later in January, we’re turning this into a real Cara Harvey episode, which I have no problem with because, she’s fantastic.
And she’s helped us get really organized past episodes that she’s been on Um, and then let’s see here. What
Missy: I was gonna talk about, um, To take it back to this workbook, the self-love workbook for women. Um, that’s, I mean, it’s helped me a ton thinking through my next year already, and I’m not even finished with it, but, um, one of my favorite things that I think really could help with developing your vision is to understand what you like.
And I think I’ve talked about this before, too on the podcast, but for people who haven’t listened faithfully to every [00:28:00] episode, I mean, that’s crazy. Who’s not doing that people with a life. I don’t know. Um, but years ago a therapist said, tell me what you like, tell me who you are. And I could not, which now seems crazy to me because from that moment on, I would stop and think, do I like this?
Like, is this a thing that I liked? And I mean, just today, , I was on a silly text thread with some friends and birds came up and everyone was like, oh, Hey, birds, birds are so gross. Well, the thing is, I love birds and there was a time in my life that I wouldn’t have said I loved birds.
And, , I piped up in a joking way. Um, I’m like, dude, I love birds. And if I had a place to put one, I would totally have a bird that talks. I’ve always wanted a bird. The talks always since I read, um, was it super fudge? They had the mynabird. I mean, I love birds and I’ll put in the show notes.
One of my favorite books ever is called enslaved by ducks. It is [00:29:00] the best and it’s a memoir of these people who buy a farm and they start with a couple animals and soon they have like birds and ducks and it’s chaos. And I loved it. And after reading that, I was like, I’m getting a bird and I’ve researched rescue birds.
But no one else in my family would like a bird and I don’t really have a place to put like a giant bird cage and they live forever. So it’s a big commitment. Um, but I love it. And there was a time in my life that I wouldn’t have necessarily known that I loved it. I wouldn’t have given it any thought.
And when that text string popped up, I probably, I mean, it wouldn’t have been like agonizing to me or anything, but I would have been like, oh yeah, Birds are gross and gone on with it. But the thing is, I like birds.
Susanne: I like
Missy: I delight in birds. I think they’re cool. And,
Susanne: Okay. Not to turn this into the bird episode, but if anybody else delights in birds and was the talking bird, my friend, Abby, Mathews.
Missy: that’s right. It’s one of my favorite Instagram
Susanne: [00:30:00] Yes, Who does the mom writes podcast? She does not do it anymore. Um, but that’s how we learned about Jenny Remington and author accelerator and the great mom, coach or mom coaching writing coaching program.
And that’s the author accelerator is also the program that KJ Dell’Antonia used for her Reese Witherspoon, , award-winning book, uh, chicken sisters, but having who’s who I adore. She’s just one of those people. Like I seriously will relisten to that podcast, even though it’s been off the air just to hear her, I just love her, but she, adopts every pet in the world.
And one of my favorite pets that she has adopted, I made her start an Instagram account for which is not super active, but I still highly recommend following it. It’s called secondhand parrot. Isn’t that? What it’s called secondhand parrot. I think.
Missy: This bird is the best.
Susanne: It’s bald. It is,
Missy: I had a little
Susanne: it is had a tragic life. Uh, it has the feathers on its head, but It has [00:31:00] plucked all of the feathers out of itself.
So that part is tragic and sad and not delightful, um,
Missy: of trauma, which
Susanne: because of trauma, because it
lived, it lived with a couple that was going through a divorce and did not have a happy, delightful marriage. And so, but this parent did learn how to say things. And so like for the first few months that they had it, it would just be like, shut up, Barbara. It’s
Missy: I’m sorry, I’m laughing. Cause it’s really sad to the bird and those people went through it, but this bird is so great.
Susanne: sad, but I’m finding delight in the sadness and the fact that this poor bald bird, I mean, I guess the feathers don’t grow back. Poor thing, you know, it was
Missy: They can eventually, but I think it takes, I mean, I think it’s a major effort then, and maybe some birds. It just doesn’t.
Susanne: pretty bald, but yeah, secondhand parent highly recommend following that on Instagram, because this [00:32:00] is for, and they’ll do recordings of it. I don’t think, I think it’s finally over its phase. I mean, it used to just say I forgot all the things that used to
Missy: I can’t remember either. I have to go back there Instagram. Cause it’s funny, funny, like
Susanne: I mean, but if it would like yell at itself, like it would just yell at things because that is what I had learned to say shut up Barbara. That it was my favorite. Oh, my God. And it would curse, it would curse the cursing parrot, but anyway.
Okay. So yes.
Missy: if you also are a weird bird person, Austin locals, there’s a nursery called the great outdoors. Um, and in the shop they have a talking bird. Um, who’s a little bit shy. He will usually speak to you when you first come in. But once he notices you’re interested in him, he’s going down then when we’re done with this conversation.
Susanne: Yeah.
Missy: our friend, Kate, Susanne, and I have a mutual friend, Kate Strzinek who’s been on the show. Um, she, and I love to go plant shopping and stuff. We all, we’re both planners, but sometimes she’ll say, do you want to go to the great outdoors? And I’m like, yeah, I need to go see my friend. [00:33:00] And she’s like, do you even want to go look for plants?
And I’m like that too, but I need to go see my bird.
Susanne: Oh, I love it. Okay. See, I like birds too. I take
delight in
Missy: great. They’re so smart. So smart.
Susanne: Yes. Okay. So where did we start with this one? Missy.
Missy: we’re talking about things that make us smile, things we liked. And Megan has a great exercise for that, where she just prompts you to kind of fill in the blanks and think about it. And
Susanne: so for people who do not have the book yet again, , we’re going to reiterate that we do not get any money for you getting this book, even poor. Megan who wrote the book does not get
money for
Missy: gets no
Susanne: um, because of the
Missy: Rockridge publishing.
Susanne: Yes. So this is not a sales pitch.
It is a truly, this is just a gift for you. That was something that we have found that’s been really useful and helpful.
So, um,
Missy: of helps you narrow it down, like, or how to even think about it. Because I think when that therapist asked me years ago, what do you like? I was like, uh,
Susanne: yeah.
Missy: start small, like go through your day. What do you like about your day? Is [00:34:00] it your cup of coffee? Do you like the way the sun shines through your blinds in the morning?
Do you like whatever it is, like, start to just think about that and give yourself the freedom to make a big list and then go back to your values, go back to your word of the year, go back to the things you also like about yourself and just start seeing where there’s a common thread. And I think that helps you then create your vision for the year.
Like these are things I like, and this is what I value.
Susanne: And that can be part of your gratitude practice too, which is another thing that has come up a million at times is how critical and valuable having a gratitude practice can be. And it’s literally just writing down one of those things every day or not. You’re not even writing it down. You can just say it to yourself.
Like, I really love the way that that tree filtered the light into my room. I do. You brought that up and I was like, I do love
my
tree. Um,
Missy: Yeah, she, well, she has , it’s just almost a blank page, but it’s hearts, but she had you think through like, [00:35:00] parts of your day, go through each of those things and think about what is it you like about that, , and then break down your job or your volunteer work or whatever, and think about what do I really like?
What is it I like about that? And for me, I haven’t, didn’t do it in the book. Again, we talked about not writing in our books. It’s very
Susanne: we are
Missy: for me, when I started to make a list, there are common threads of I find great joy. I delight in things that are nature. Uh, the parts of my volunteer work that allow me to be out and about in the world.
there’s something pleasing about that. Like I realized like my, my volunteer role as a Casa is a lot of paperwork. I don’t love that part of it. I’m never sitting doing a court report thinking I love this. I do love getting in my car, going to do a visit.
Seeing the people, usually we’re [00:36:00] seeing them outside. So you’re sitting in the sun or whatever, because of COVID we typically are visiting outside is what I mean by that. But, um, there’s just something about that relational piece, you know? And then I’m like, what do I love about my day? I love talking with the people in my family, like having an actual conversation, it’s relational.
I love when I, whatever I’m rambling, but you start to see these through lines that it’s similar things that you love.
Susanne: Yes.
Missy: And I mean, she recommends getting pretty specific, which
Susanne: and I
do love that exercise. I’m trying to find what page. Oh, that’s page one.
Missy: That’s 130.
Susanne: That’s page 130. , I was mixing it up with an exercise on page 45, which is a list of, these are a few of my favorite things, um, which is kind of a fun thing to actually think about.
Cause sometimes you’re like, oh, I love this. And you’re like, Ooh, but what else do I really love? So, I mean, it was just like favorite sweet treat. Favorite drink, favorite sport, favorite place to be favorite person. Favorite hobby. Favorite time of day. Favorite book, [00:37:00] favorite movie, those types of things where like, you
Missy: It’s the kind of things that you always get the teachers to fill out when you’re the homeroom mom or,
Susanne: yeah, exactly.
Missy: or like we, our swim coaches fill it out in the summer for coach appreciation and way back. When, when, before I had started to think through this, I would always be amazed that they would know what to write for their favorite drink
Susanne: Yes. and.
that was actually kind of how we started the podcast. It was like, cause we could not fill in this list a year ago. We could not fill on this list. Um, and so Yeah. I think we have made great strides.
Missy: Great strides. And one of my great takeaways from talking to all these coaches about how this is a living breathing process is my favorite drink in this season. May not be my favorite drink in the next season.
Susanne: Ah, ah,
Missy: want to drink in the summer is very different than what I want to drink.
You know, I may be all about a hot chai right now, but in the
Susanne: Or [00:38:00] even your seasons of the day. What I want to drink at
7:00 PM.
Missy: right. Like if you’re going to bring me a surprise little drink, well, I’m going to want black coffee in the morning. But if you’re bringing me something later in the day, maybe I want iced tea. And if it’s even later in the day, maybe I would like to add bourbon, but
Susanne: I love it, but yeah.
So I think that that’s, I love the idea of seasons, how You can tie that to so many different things. So yes, I love,
Missy: a changing being and that’s okay.
Susanne: and I love the idea of just what are the things that make you smile
Missy: Yeah,
Susanne: that, and again, that might change through the seasons too, and that might change every day. And so that is an excellent way to do a gratitude practice. And maybe it’s not gratitude, maybe it’s what are the things that make me smile?
I mean, it’s pretty much as the same intention. You’re looking for the positive side of something. Um,
Missy: in Texas, in August, the weather doesn’t make me smile, but sometimes in Texas and November, the weather really makes me smile.
Susanne: it’s going to be [00:39:00] 80 degrees on Christmas, So, that’s fun. Um, so yeah, I love, love, love, love, love that. So another thing that we would love for people to take the time and intention to pay attention to when planning for the year ahead again, in this self love workbook for women and Megan, Logan is on page 1 39 is the comfort zone. I don’t think I’m going to be infringing in any copyright trademarks, because it’s basically just a bullseye.
If you’re, if you’re imagining this while you’re driving in your car, it’s a bullseye. Um, but doing this exercise of all the different possibilities in your life and all the different possibilities for the next year or your next season or whatever the case may be. And so, uh, in the smaller inside circle, you’re supposed to identify situations and people who you feel really comfortable and safe with.
Like, that’s your little like. Cozy inner your inner core of people. And the next circle would be some, either limiting beliefs or insecurities. yeah.
Things that are [00:40:00] keeping you from making either a pivot or to even consider trying something new. And then the third outer circle, you’re supposed to list all the possibilities for your growth and dreams.
And so this is kind of a fun exercise that we talk a lot about. I really think maybe I’ve accomplished one thing this year, which was trying to stand up paddle boarding, because It’s the only example I keep coming back to of me trying something new. I blamed COVID a little bit, but I also blame my self a little bit, um, because it is hard for me.
to try new things.
We talked about how long it took me to get over the fact that I thought I was going to park.
in the parking lot wrong. Um, and even just, that was one of my limiting beliefs that, that second circle would have been like I am not going to know how to get on the board. I’m not going to know where to park.
I’m not going to know where you walk to, to go rent the, the paddle board. Like I not going to know what to wear. That ended up actually being an issue. So, um, so those are, I [00:41:00] think some of the new things that you want to try in the year ahead is a nice way of looking at like, what are some of those limiting beliefs, but then taking it to the next step and being like, okay, what’s the baby step I can do. And again, back to the paddle board example, anybody who’s been a listener, you’ve already heard this, but it literally was just me one day. Like, while I was kind of around that area, like, let me go park there, let me just go park. Like, this is, this is how a paddle boarder would park. So I went to the area where you parked for it.
And I was like, okay. So here’s where someone parks where it okay. That’s good. And then, you know, the next week, probably the next step. So, um,
Missy: I love the idea of rehearsal. We can rehearse, we never rehearsed for this. Some people might think we should, but we can rehearse for things that make a wrong. And like, it’s like, role-playing practice it, figure out what you might say or rehearse for. Where do you park? Like I remember when I first learned to drive and I was, I wasn’t necessarily a terrible driver, but it wasn’t a great one.
And I had a [00:42:00] terrible sense of direction, the worst. And this is of course long before a Google map. Okay. And so we would practice. We were to hearse. My parents would put me behind the wheel and then go drive to school without us telling you how to get there, the place you’ve gone every day for years, drive there, you know, drive, what if you need gas?
Where do you go? Where do you, you know? And I, there’s a classic family story of me going to the wrong gas station. I won’t tell it now, but we didn’t practice. Um, but you have to rehearse. You can what you don’t have to, but that’s a great way to get through to the next step. And I, I think it’s a gift to give yourself and just say it’s okay.
It’s okay. I don’t know how to do this. Here are the things I can do to learn how to do it.
Susanne: Yes, but I, I like tying in your exercise. You talked about like, what makes me happy? What makes me smile? what are some things that are along those lines that might. Be a stretch or might be, you know, [00:43:00] maybe Missy’s going to go to bird training lessons or
Missy: Oh, dear Lord.
Susanne: how can we take your bird thing to the next step?
But now whatever the case may be, Missy finishing her book this next year, me finishing my book proposal, which I guess eventually would also be a book, trying the there’s a couple of trails in the area, which I still have not gone to. Cause I was like, I think I will, I have a thing with parking apparently.
Like I always feel like I’m going to park wrong or that I won’t
know where
Missy: thing in our house.
Susanne: Oh, it’s So bizarre. I mean, where does that even come from? Why what happened in my childhood? Did I get lost in a parking lot? I
Missy: once I left in the parking lot, I mean, my husband hates to go anywhere that he does not know the whole situation,
Susanne: Yes. so no.
Missy: definitely go, like, if we’re going, if we can and we’re going somewhere new, I’ll be like, let’s just go drive past it so we know how to get there.
Susanne: There’s that Barton Creek trail where everybody parks kind of off the side of the freeway there by the mall. And I always see the cars there. So literally I know where you’re supposed to park. I don’t even know exactly how to get there, but then I have [00:44:00] no idea. I’m like, okay, once you park there, Where do you
Missy: do you go?
Susanne: Like, I don’t even, I guess I could just stand there long enough to see like, just follow someone.
Missy: Alison friendly looking people don’t follow the wrong people.
Susanne: That is my goal for the season of January. Cause the weather’s still going to be nice there shouldn’t it shouldn’t be too crowded because it’s cold. And I think people go there for the swimming holes.
Missy: Yeah, they do. Yeah.
Susanne: So I’m going to, I’m going to do it. I’m going to go there. And then my other thing that I’m trying to get better about this year is taking bear or big dog bear. I get kind of embarrassed about his bad behavior of barking at everything whenever we go out in public. But I think I may have mentioned this before.
Um, when we were fostering a dog a couple years ago, like I took that dog into a pet store. It was not well behaved either. It was just a little puppy being all crazy, but because it wasn’t my. did not feel responsible for its bad behavior. And so I feel like I need to just start going to places [00:45:00] feeling like bear is not mine.
Like, like, like I’m real. I am, I am the good person here taking this bad dog for a walk. Like it’s close enough to the Austin pets alive that maybe they’ll think I’m a behavioral trainer, like doing exposure therapy for my dog who has never been on a trail with other dogs. Oh, I just don’t even know what to do.
Um, but so that’s another one. That’s, that’s one of my rings outside of my comfort zone ring of just keeping my dog in our yard and going for walks in places where he not as likely to encounter other dogs. So, but Yeah.
I think that’s a really good way of,
Missy: just picturing you with this dog being like, when we find your forever home,
Susanne: yeah.
Missy: we’re going to learn to walk nicely for your family. That is mine to talk
Susanne: Yes, can some, I want to just buy him one of those best, like it’s like rescue, dog best, or like be patient with me. I’m learning. Get them a little
Missy: Maybe you should get him a little vest and then people will be like, oh, he’s just [00:46:00] learning because he is just
Susanne: a vest? Do they make well, he’s like five, it’s
Missy: I know when we adopted Marie that he had a leash to says, like I’m adoptable or something.
Susanne: Someone tries to take my dog.
Missy: you have to, you have to be like, I’m learning it. Couldn’t be adoptable.
She’d be like, you’d have to lie all the time, which could be bad for your mental health. You’re like, oh, we already have a family really interested.
Susanne: Yeah, that does not go with my authenticity value and my trust and truth values D
Missy: No, but he is kind of still learning. Cause if you haven’t taken him a lot of places and done that,
Susanne: yes.
Missy: then he’s learning how to do that. I mean, I, yeah, like my dog has no idea how to go be in public. He doesn’t like public. And so we just don’t do it.
Susanne: I know. I know. And yeah, that’s another part of me is just being like, well, maybe I wish I could ask him, like, what, what are your
values bear? Like, do you even care that you’re not out on the trail? Are you okay just being at your yard barking at people in squirrels? So I don’t know. I don’t know. Well, I’ll, maybe I’ll try once and see how it goes, but yes.
So I do? [00:47:00] think that there are things, you know, what makes me smile, bear what’s, what’s something on that outer ring that would kind of make me smile. If it went well, going for a walk on lady, bird, lake, not on the lake, but around the lake. Um, what are my limiting beliefs that my dog has the ability to not do go ape shit when he sees all the other dogs.
So, you know, and then the next step is figuring out some ways to work around that. So I think that that can be a fun. Exercise, not walking my dog, but going through and kind of combining this circle, the bulls-eye exercise with the, uh, what makes me smile.
Exercise.
Missy: belief thing. I know we’re trying, like we have not done a good job of keeping it short. We got to wrap it up, but I would love to in the new year, find someone who would like to come on and coach us through. through your limiting beliefs, because all of this only works. If you can identify that, I feel like, um, and we’re [00:48:00] all carrying around a lot.
Like my husband’s deal with parking. Like he has a limiting belief that he can, not that he can not figure it out if he doesn’t already know the answer ahead of time, which is crazy. Of course he can figure it out. He’s very smart, man.
Susanne: I feel for him though. No, I seriously like, I just, every tingle sends to me, he was like you’ve of course, of course. That’s completely logical.
Missy: It’s totally terrifying. Parking the car.
Susanne: And I can never go on a road trip together.
Missy: He is so tough to road trip with. I got to tell you, cause he wants everything planned out
Susanne: Yes.
Missy: Yeah. I’m not even going to go there. I’m not going to embarrass him. But we had some adventures this summer and I was thankful for his anxiety around this because when we got to whatever town we needed to stop in, we already knew where the hell we were.
Susanne: Yeah.
Missy: Like there was no question. And we knew where the nearest bathroom was and we knew there would be plenty of parking.
Susanne: Yeah.
Missy: It’s
Susanne: And that’s okay.
Because that probably, that [00:49:00] probably does align with one of his values as far as like, I don’t know, like the
Missy: Preparation.
Susanne: Preparation. and now planning And, that type of thing,
Missy: and he feels very responsible, but I don’t, I’m not finding the right word. Like he is a, he’s a caregiver. He really is. And like, so he’s caring for us by making sure that everything’s okay. , yeah, but it can drive you crazy in the process.
Susanne: well, no, and I love that and you know what? That does tie it all back. Cause we do, since we had promised to make this as a short episode and it probably
Missy: We got to go.
Susanne: No, but I think that ties back to your values and respecting and understanding other people’s values. So in addition to you doing your values exercise, it’s useful for your kids, your spouse, to do theirs and understand, and kind of communicate about that because it helps you understand that like, okay, planning, preparation, security, that’s really important for him.
I’m making [00:50:00] assumptions. I have no idea what his real
Missy: you’re right. Yeah. You know him better than I do. That’s exactly.
Susanne: he did bring me lunch once you were there. Um, but no. So I think knowing that, and maybe your values are like adventure, spontaneity, whatever. It doesn’t mean that either person’s values are wrong, but just knowing that about each other can really help make decisions together, work through some of those processes together.
And Yeah,
Just knowing that you don’t have to change it. I think so much of our natural inclination is to be like, Oh well, no, don’t be stressed about that. Let be spontaneous. Like me take, take on my value of, you know, this. Whereas like, no, here’s okay for him to value that. And you know, he has processes to work around it.
Maybe, you know, work on some things to build a little more comfort into it. But if that’s a core value. It’s probably going to stay part of him for ever. [00:51:00] And me and you got to kind of just deal with that. Um, but I just do think that it helps with that relationship and it just helps with us knowing, oh, what were we talking about this with another guest, especially as it’s this time of year, you’ve probably already had your holiday dinners, but maybe even going into some new year parties or things that you’re going to be doing. If you know that you’re going to be encountering someone who pushes your buttons or pushes your value buttons, because they have the opposite side of the spectrum value of whatever yours is just knowing that about them and not feeling like you have to go change them or that you have to change to be around them, but just be like, okay, Missy’s going to Missy.
Like we had said that about some people Susanne’s going to Susanne, we’re not going to change it. She’s not going to change it. We set the boundaries that we need to, to protect ourselves, to make sure that it’s not encroaching on or stomping on any of our values. [00:52:00] So there’s still boundaries there.
And as long as it is not putting you in a true, bad mental space, you know, if it’s just annoying and if it is, you know, stomping on your values and doing something that is not mentally safe for you, that is very much different. But if it’s just something that you’re like, oh no, here it goes.
You know this thing again, or whatever, just kind of smile. Just, just know that they’re doing their thing, let them do their routine and, and move on. And, and it may be that boss at a party, it may be that coworker. It may be that whatever,
Missy: Yeah.
Susanne: again, knowing what your values are, is going to help that a ton, knowing how to enforce your boundaries is going to help that a ton.
And I think that, Yeah.
if you haven’t listened to some of those episodes in the year past, go sort through them, we’ve done a lot of work around boundaries values. I think that it can
help
Missy: Justins
Susanne: A lot more in the year [00:53:00] ahead.
Missy: Yeah. So I know we need to wrap it up, but if we want to spend like a minute, like literally a minute talk really fast about some of our exciting guests that are coming.
Susanne: oh gosh. Yeah.
Just even in January. Obviously we know that we’ve got, um, Cara we’ve talked about Cara Harvey and the 15 minute formula a lot. So she’s going to be coming on. I would love to have Megan back on to actually vision board, do a little more specifics around the vision board. We have not invited her.
So we’ll see If that happens. But ones that we know are coming on, Jill Smokler who I’m so excited for people who know about scary mommy, , the website, , Jill Smokler. She is the scary mommy. She started that,
Missy: G scary mommy.
Susanne: oh gee, she started that. And then a few years ago she sold it. Um, and then she kind of went off the radar for a while, , and has just started kind of popping back up.
And a lot of us know her for back, you know, when we’ve done writing on [00:54:00] the scary mommy website and just because she is like the nicest person who you’ll try to introduce yourself to her at a conference. Suzanne, of course, I know you like, even before you can say what your name is and I’m just like, how do you know who I am?
You have baby. Like, she’s just a really cool person that way as well, but she’s kind of coming. She’s coming out of her privacy or her area where things have been, um, I don’t know. I don’t know where she’s been. I can’t even make any
assumptions.
Missy: to come talk to us a little bit about where she’s been and what she’s doing next.
Susanne: Yeah. And then Jen Mann, who, where do I have her book
Missy: been here before
Susanne: was our first guest guest.
Missy: she was our first
Susanne: she was our first guest.
guest. And Now she’s got a new book coming out. I’ve got the advanced reader copy of midlife bites. It’s coming out January 4th. So actually when you’re listening to this, you can go still go, pre-order it.
Um, it’s midlife bites. Anyone else falling apart. Or is it just me? So we’re [00:55:00] I know.
And
Missy: all of us.
Susanne: so, so excited for her because just, uh, like a month or so ago, she was on Zibby Owens. Must read this, that she did for Katie Couric media. Um, so she was the, one of the must reads that you must read for January. Um, they also had KJ Dell’Antonia’s uh, in her boots, which is Coming out. later in the year.
So we’ll have to have KJ back on for that too.
Um,
Missy: to read in her boots. I
Susanne: I know, I know, I know. And this book is really great too. I mean, anybody who’s familiar with Jen, Mann, she just
Missy: funny, funny.
Susanne: I mean, yeah. Talk about authenticity and, and also connection and kindness. She’s, she’s all my, she’s all my values in one. Um, but
Missy: your people.
Susanne: yes, she’s just a, she’s a nice lady and she, for all of us going through midlife, she approaches it with authenticity and with honesty and just in a place that you’re just, you feel that sense of community and like I’m not alone in [00:56:00] this and whatever.
Um, and so yeah, I really excited about having her on in January too.
So yeah, that, I mean, gosh, that pretty much is that all January? No,
Missy: Um, there’s more, Linda
Susanne: have coach Linda um, that was going to kick off January of coach Linda. Interestingly enough, we had a lot of technical difficulties with recording that episode a few weeks ago.
Missy: one. It was in the week of technical gremlins. It was when like Amazon went down and all kinds of stuff. Like there’s, something was wrong in the world. And.
Susanne: But the sections of it that were clear were all about taking maternity leave, which I don’t know that there’s a whole lot of people who are necessarily thinking around maternity leave, but I also think it applies to anyone who’s thinking about a break or any type of pivot or switch and things that you should be thinking about. And.
there are some things specific to maternity leaves, but I do want to give a little, you know, end of your, uh, shout out to some of our favorite people who are [00:57:00] making those big kind of mid-life pivots right now. So Nancy Davis Kho who we had on for the thank you project, , she was also a podcaster on the midlife mixed tape and a huge inspiration to us that a lot of the mom to conferences, and you know, she shared her learnings and information about doing podcasts.
She just had her final episode, which was, I mean, it was special and nice and wonderful, and I’m excited for all the things that she’s going to be doing, but that was kind of an end of an era for the midlife mixed tape. I now is so good. And you know what, even though she’s not doing anymore, Over a hundred episodes that y’all can go back and listen to really inspiring people doing exciting things in mid-life, um, super inspirational.
And then another big change was, um, CRI well not Christine Koh, the edit your life podcast,
with Christina and, um, Asha Dornfest, Asha Dornfest, uh, [00:58:00] Kind of, I feel like we need to have her on, she’s kind of still in that, like I’m making a change. I don’t even know what the change is, but I’m doing something.
Um, but so the edit your life podcast is also amazing. And again, there’s, there’s a zillion episodes, to listen to in the past where Asha is on there, but Christine is going to continue it into the next year. So very excited to see what direction that goes. But the edit your life podcast is not going away.
Just Asha, Dornfest so wishing her all kinds of exciting. Well-wishes on this new adventure And Hey, Yeah.
maybe we should hit her up to come on here. I think
Missy: yeah. I think she’d be great.
Susanne: And I’m sure there’s lots of you making these big decisions and big changes for the year
Missy: Come tell us, like, come, go to the Facebook group and if you’re not already in the Facebook group, ask to join it and we will say, yes,
Susanne: Okay.
Missy: that’s the rigorous standards for getting in and, um, tell us, like, what are you doing in the new year? What’s [00:59:00] changing? Where are you pivoting or what are you thinking about?
Susanne: Yeah. And we will get on guests to come in, specifically answer your questions or just to talk about subjects that maybe we’re giving you a little tingle or A tummy flip this year And yeah. Well, well, gosh, I’m so excited about the year ahead. I cannot believe it has been a year since we have been doing this
Missy: A year ago. Right now we were panicking, like putting out first episode, getting our offices all set up,
Susanne: trying to figure out a logo researching
Missy: Sitting on the floor of my closet, you and Canva me and Canva. Like it’s pretty fun. Pretty
Susanne: We still have a credit for a fiver for some logo. We made our own logo. Anybody who likes our cute little logo back.
Missy: we did
Susanne: That’s Missy and Susanne right there.
Missy: Yeah,
Susanne: Um, but yes, so yeah,
all kinds of good stuff coming into here, ad, but we’d love to hear from you of what you would like to hear more of a Seymour of all the good things and just, just tell us what you’re up [01:00:00] to.
We love hearing from you. So Yeah.
go into the
Missy: Happiest, new year to all of you.
Susanne: Thank you so much for being with us for a whole year.
and for this whole longer than the short episode that it was supposed to be,
Missy: I mean, we tried, it’s never going to happen last week was kind of short. We did it. Ish.
Susanne: Oh, but yes. So thank you so much for being with us and thank you to Missy for being on this adventure together for this past year, it has
Missy: Thank you. Thank you for having.
Susanne: All right. We will see you next week.
Missy: Yeah. See you in 2022!.
