51 days.

That’s how long the too-small sweater sat in my trunk before I finally made the return.

In this episode, I’m talking about the mundane tasks we avoid — the returns, the laundry, the mail, the subscriptions we never cancel — and why they take up way more space in our bodies and nervous systems than we realize.

For years, I told myself these tasks were beneath me. That I had more important things to focus on. That I would do them tomorrow. But what I’ve come to understand in this phase of life is that it was never about time or discipline — it was about capacity.

Unfinished tasks aren’t just clutter or procrastination. They’re unfinished business. They hum in the background. They quietly drain our energy. And over time, they contribute to anxiety, overwhelm, and that constant feeling that we’re behind in our own lives.

In this episode, I explore:

• Why “easy” tasks can feel harder than big goals
• How unfinished business affects your energy and nervous system
• The difference between forcing productivity and building real capacity
• Why completing small, mundane tasks can actually free up space for the life you want

This isn’t about fixing yourself or turning into someone you’re not (like June Cleaver). It’s about listening to what your system actually needs — and discovering that the answers might be smaller, quieter, and closer than you think.

✨ I’m also writing more about this idea over on Substack — including an essay about how much I hate making returns.
You can read it here: I Hate Making Returns

If this episode resonated — if you felt it in your bones — I’d be so grateful if you left a review. I read every single one, and they truly mean more than you know.

Thanks for being here. I’ll see you in the next phase.

January has a way of turning us into projects.

Fix your habits.
Fix your body.
Fix your mindset.
Fix your life.

In this episode, Stacey reflects on the familiar New Year self-help spiral—and why, after decades of goal-setting, optimizing, and trying to become “better,” she’s choosing something different.

Through a deeply personal New Year ritual, a surprising realization, and one tiny experiment that changed how she experiences time, Stacey explores what it actually means to create more space in your life—without forcing change, quitting your phone, or becoming someone new.

This is a conversation about presence, nervous system safety, and learning how to enjoy the life you’ve already worked so hard to build.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why January can feel so aggressive for self-help-prone women
• The difference between fixing yourself and listening to yourself
• How constant phone consumption quietly steals our sense of time and space
• A simple, ordinary practice that brought Stacey back to herself
• Why small, embodied rituals can be more powerful than big New Year resolutions

✨ Mentioned in this episode:

• Stacey’s Substack, where she shares a deeper reflection on the tooth-brushing practice and explores creating more space and joy through everyday rituals
• Episode #3: Why You Should Listen to Fewer Podcasts—Including This One
• Want to drop a note to Stacey? Email her at stacey@stacey-hutson.com

If you’re tired of feeling like a before-version of yourself—and ready to experience your life instead of constantly trying to improve it—this episode is for you.

Have you ever been set off by something that looks small to everyone else — but suddenly your chest is tight, your throat feels blocked, and you can’t fully exhale?

Your body feels like it’s under attack… even though nothing “that bad” just happened.

That’s spiraling — and if you’re a millennial mom in perimenopause, it may be happening more often than ever.

In today’s episode of The Next Phase Podcast, I’m teaching you one of the most powerful nervous system regulation tools I know — one you can use anytime, anywhere, completely on your own.

We’re talking about EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) — also known as tapping.

I’ll walk you through:

• What spiraling actually is (and why it’s not a personal failure)
• Why anxiety feels more intense during perimenopause
• What EFT is and why it works (yes, there’s real science behind it)
• How tapping helps calm your nervous system without numbing you
• A simple EFT formula you can use anytime you feel overwhelmed
• And finally, a guided EFT session you can come back to whenever you need it

This episode is especially for you if:

• Your anxiety feels physical (tight chest, racing thoughts, shallow breath)
• You’re tired of trying to “positive think” your way out of stress
• You want to calm your body without gummies, wine, or scrolling
• You need a tool that works in the moment — not later

✨ Guided EFT Session

EFT tapping begins at: 25:32
(Bookmark this section so you can return to it anytime you’re spiraling.)

🖐 EFT Meridian Points Used in This Episode

Use this list to follow along during the tapping session:

1. Karate Chop Point – Side of the hand, below the pinky
2. Eyebrow – Inner edge of the eyebrow
3. Side of the Eye – Outer corner of the eye
4. Under the Eye – On the cheekbone, directly below the eye
5. Under the Nose – Between the nose and upper lip
6. Chin – Crease between the lower lip and chin
7. Collarbone – About 1 inch from the center of the collarbone
8. Under the Arm – About 3–4 fingers below the armpit, along the side of the body
9. Top of the Head – The crown of the head

(No need to memorize these — perfection is not the goal. Presence is.)

💛 Want More Support?

If EFT resonated with you and you want help using it to finally tackle the things you’ve been avoiding, I’d love to invite you to my January Reset Body Doubling Session.

We’ll start with a guided EFT to calm your nervous system — then actually do the thing together, from a grounded, supported place.

You don’t need more willpower in January.
You need nervous system support — and community.

👉 Sign up here:
stacey-hutson.com/body-doubling

If this episode helped you, feel free to come back to the tapping anytime. There’s no rush, nothing to fix, and nothing you need to figure out right now.

Just one breath at a time.

Peace 🤍

After watching K-Pop Demon Hunters, my daughters asked me if they “should want abs”… and that moment changed the entire direction of this episode.

Today we’re talking about meno belly — why your belly is changing in perimenopause, what’s actually happening biologically, and the stories we’ve carried since growing up as millennial girls raised on Friends, Ally McBeal, The O.C., and the Victoria’s Secret angels.

This episode isn’t about flattening your stomach.
It’s about healing your relationship with it — so we don’t pass our body shame down to our daughters.

Inside, we cover:

• What “meno belly” really is
• How hormones, stress, sleep, and muscle loss affect your midsection
• The moment I caught myself judging my own body on the mat
• A cultural reframe inspired by Pulp Fiction and Sarah Landry (@thebirdspapaya)

Next week, we’ll talk about how to support your metabolism in your 40s — without restriction or punishment.

👉 Download my Cycle Syncing Food Guide + Cycle Syncing Map here.

You know that low-key identity crisis that hits somewhere around 38–42? The mood swings, the random rage, the 3 AM wakeups, the nostalgia for your 90s life and the feeling that you’re somehow running out of time?

It might not just be burnout. It might be perimenopause.

In this episode, I’m talking with Lauren Tetenbaum — therapist, former lawyer, certified menopause practitioner, and author of Millennial Menopause — the bright pink book I found in Barnes & Noble that basically helped birth this podcast.

We get into:

• Why so many millennial moms feel “off” but can’t put their finger on why
• What perimenopause actually is (and why the label matters less than your symptoms)
• The sandwich-generation pressure cooker: little kids, aging parents, and a changing body
• Millennial rage, overstimulation, and feeling like a “different person” overnight
• How to ask for what you need at home and with your doctor without feeling stupid or dramatic
• Why surrounding yourself with women in their 50s can make turning 40 feel less terrifying
• How perimenopause can become a permission slip to rest, reset, and re-write this next phase

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this perimenopause or am I just losing it?” this conversation is your sign you’re not alone — and you’re not powerless.

Between kids, work, and mom-life chaos, no one has the bandwidth to reinvent a grocery list every week based on their hormones.

Today I’m teaching you how to make cycle syncing automatic with four reusable grocery lists—one for each phase. Instacart or in-store, it works either way.

Just tap → add to cart → done.
By the end, cycle syncing won’t be something you try—it’ll be something you actually do.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✨ Why cycle syncing works for energy, PMS, mood, metabolism & digestion
✨ The four phases (menstrual → follicular → ovulatory → luteal) & what foods support each
✨ How to build automatic grocery lists for each phase using Instacart
✨ How to do the same thing using checklist apps (for in-store shoppers)
✨ Why warm vs. cold foods matter, and how metabolism changes each week
✨ Why PMS is largely fixable through nutrition alone
✨ How systems thinking (à la Chelsi Jo) makes wellness way easier
✨ How to join my first Perimenopause Party & upcoming body-doubling sessions

Referenced Episodes & Links

Cycle Syncing Resources

• Episode 2: Explain Cycle Syncing To Me
• Episode 4: How to Eat With Your Cycle
• Download the Cycle Syncing PDF Chart:
  Food lists for every phase → https://stacey-noelle-llc.kit.com/6426d3a1fb

Apps & Tools Mentioned

• Instacart App → https://www.instacart.com
  
  (Features used: Saved Lists under Profile → Collections → Saved Lists)
• Microsoft To Do (Checklist App) → https://todo.microsoft.com
  
  
• Other list apps you can use:
  • Todoist
  • AnyList
  • TickTick
  • Clear
  • Google Keep

Podcast Mentioned

• Systemize Your Life with Chelsi Jo
  https://chelsijo.co/system

Events

✨ The Perimenopause Party — December 10 at 8:30 PM MT (FREE!)
Warm drink. Soft pants. A cozy night getting your tedious tasks done… together.
Sign up here: https://stacey-hudson.com/periparty

✨ Body Doubling Sessions Starting January 2025
Join other millennial moms as we knock out the “I’ll do it later” tasks in real time.
(Details shared first inside the Perimenopause Party!)

A Quick Food Phase Refresher (from the episode)

MENSTRUAL (Days 1–5) — Your Winter

Warm, grounding, mineral-rich foods:
Beets, mushrooms, lentils, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, warm soups/stews.

FOLLICULAR (Days 6–13) — Spring

Fresh, light, energizing foods:
Smoothies, leafy greens, chicken + eggs, berries, fermented foods, artichokes, flaxseed.

OVULATORY (Days 14–15) — Summer

Cool, hydrating, antioxidant-rich foods:
Cucumbers, leafy salads, citrus, tomatoes, peppers, salmon, sardines, oysters, cooling herbs.

LUTEAL (Days 16–28) — Fall

Comforting, stabilizing foods that support blood sugar:
Root veggies, squash, oats, quinoa, turkey, almonds, pumpkin seeds, apples, lentils, chickpeas.

(Your full PDF guide with all the details is linked above.)

You know that low-grade shame storm that hits every time you look at the piles, the laundry baskets, the boxes you never unpacked?

In this episode, I sit down with certified professional organizer and “clutter whisperer” Star Hansen to completely flip the script on what your mess actually means. Instead of treating clutter as proof you’re lazy, scattered, or “bad at adulting,” Star shows us how it can be evidence of your genius, your sensitivity, and your nervous system trying to keep you safe.

We talk about how clutter impacts women in the “next phase” of life—especially ADHD and neurodivergent moms who are already living in a constant state of overstimulation—and why the answer is not shaming yourself into a color-coded pantry.

Instead, Star walks us through how to see your home as a mirror of who you’re becoming, how to create systems that actually work for your brain, and why sometimes the first step in getting organized is… taking a nap, eating an apple, or turning vacuuming into a disco dance party.

If you’ve been feeling the pull to “grow up” your home in your 40s without losing your personality or your fun, this one’s for you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• 🧠 What your clutter is doing for you
  How piles, overpacked closets, and paper stacks can actually be meeting deep needs like safety, security, identity, and connection.
• 🌶️ ADHD, neurodivergence & organizing “rules”
  Why 70% of organizing advice was not written for your brain—and how to stop making yourself wrong when traditional systems don’t work.
• 🌬️ Clutter, nervous systems & energy
  How your stuff can both overstimulate you and help your body feel safe—and why your nervous system has to feel secure before real decluttering can stick.
• 🧺 Real-life examples: the bedroom, laundry piles & that empty wall above your bed
  Star coaches me through turning my “catchall” bedroom into a haven—and how something as simple as hanging art can shift your energy.
• 🍽️ The kitchen as the heart of the home
  Why having less in your kitchen can feel like a breath of fresh air, and how to decide what actually deserves to live there.
• 🎨 Kids’ artwork, memorabilia & letting things go without guilt
  How to handle the endless stream of art, what to keep for them vs. for you, and how to include your kids in the process so it feels empowering, not violating.
• 🎉 Embodiment over decluttering
  Why Star says she’s “not in the business of decluttering, but in the business of embodiment”—and how to let your home reflect the version of you you’re growing into in this next phase.

Connect with Star

• 📖 Grab Star’s free book Why the F Am I Still Not Organized? and explore her organizing community: starhansen.com/podcast
• 📸 Find her on social @star.hansen for more clutter + energy wisdom.

🎉 Join the Perimenopause Party (It’s Free!)

Got clutter? Unpaid bills? Stuff that's been sitting on your to-do list for YEARS?
Come to my free Perimenopause Party — the monthly “get-your-life-together” hangout for millennial women entering their next phase.

👉 Get the Zoom link + all the details: stacey-hutson.com/periparty

✨ Free Guide for Your Next Phase

Download my Cycle-Syncing Food, Fitness & Energy Guide to support your hormones and energy all month long.

What if you hit 40 and realized you still hadn’t really grown up?

In this week’s episode, Stacey gets brutally honest about the behind-the-scenes chaos of adulthood — from forgotten bills and overflowing inboxes to that constant hum of anxiety that comes from not having systems in place.

This isn’t a how-to or a list of tips. It’s a confession.

If you’ve ever:

• Let a medical bill go to collections because you forgot to pay it
• Missed important emails buried in your 10,000+ unread inbox
• Signed up for free trials you never canceled
• Or waited for the “adulting fairy” to come sprinkle some magical get-it-together dust on you...

Then lean in — you’re about to feel really seen.

Stacey opens up about the $499 wake-up call that pushed her to finally start growing up — not in the Pinterest-perfect way, but in the real, uncomfortable, messy middle of figuring it out.

✨ In this episode:

• The “rock bottom” adulting moment that changed everything
• Why anxiety fills the space where systems should be
• How ADHD and avoidance show up in our day-to-day responsibilities
• What it actually means to grow up — at 40

💌 Join The Next Phase List

If this episode hits home — if you’re ready to slow down, reset, and actually feel like the CEO of your own life — join my email list and grab my free Cycle Syncing Food & Energy Guide.

It’s your roadmap to understanding how your hormones affect your focus, energy, and emotions — so you can finally stop fighting your body and start flowing with it.

👉 Get the free guide here.

You’ll also get exclusive weekly letters, podcast updates, and first access to new workshops and resources for millennial moms in their perimenopause era.

Listen now, and if this episode made you feel seen, take 30 seconds to share it with a friend who’s also “still waiting for the adulting fairy.”