If you’ve ever watched someone else’s slow morning and felt a moment of “why not me,” this season finale will feel like a hand on your shoulder and a breath you’ve been holding.

We close a stretching year with gratitude, a reality check from a good friend, and a grounded plan for how we move with more intention in 2026.

We start with how a moment of comparison crept in from a quiet reel, a busy house, and tears that told the truth. From there, we unpack how to honor the season you’re in without shrinking your dreams. We asked better questions; where can softness live in your actual day, and how can presence become a practice when mornings are messy? The answers? Tiny pockets of calm, container gardens instead of perfect plots, and rituals that fit real life. We talk about grace, faith, and the steady work of noticing what is already good.

We talk through a shift that fueled my big vision for Seasoned Conversations, an intimate dinner series launching January 16, 2026 at Creators Kitchen. Every dish will tell a story. Every prompt will invite reflection. The goal of this dinner is simple, leave the table with a full belly, a lighter heart, and a clear sense of renewal for the year ahead.

The throughline is community: we don’t do 2026 alone. We set the table, take off the mask, and let comparison melt in the warmth of being seen.

If you're local to Atlanta, come sit with us on January 16th at Creators Kitchen. Get your tickets here:

https://SeasonedConversations.eventbrite.com

And if you're not local, don't worry I will be creating more moments throughout 2026 for us to connect in-person and virtually. But remember, you always have a seat at the Thrive Like a Mother table.

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

Your voice changes the room when you dare to use it.

We sat down with powerhouse women from the She Is Made For More community to unpack what “made for more” really mean and why it doesn’t require perfection, hustle mode, or doing everything alone. From posting a shaky application video to stepping onto a stage, their stories show how courage grows inside the right circle and how collaboration turns fear into fuel.

We dive into the mindset and mechanics of community-led growth:

• how to enter rooms with curiosity instead of a pitch
• why coffee-and-connect calls spark real opportunities
• how accountability from friends who get it keeps you moving when self-doubt is loud.

You’ll hear practical ways to partner by sharing strengths, asking for help and how collaboration marketing and relationship-building can lift both your business and your wellbeing.

We also get honest about balance. These women are building brands, raising kids, loving their people, and tending to their own nervous systems. Expect simple, repeatable practices you can use now: meditation streaks that quiet racing thoughts, breathwork for stress relief, journaling for clarity, and somatic cues that help you trust your gut. The throughline is compassion. Baby steps count, your timing is valid, and your story matters more than you think.

If you’ve felt the nudge to do more but freeze at the door, this conversation is your permission slip. Walk in, be fully yourself, and let community meet you halfway.

Connect with these powerful women:

• Erin @behind_emc
• Sarah @sarah_arvizu
• Wendy @_wendyfit & @_stronher
• Traci @onesmallstepswalks

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

What if your thirties are less about having it all figured out and more about finally choosing what fits?

We sit down with Grecia Ruiz; author, speaker and founder of Italy Brides. We trace the real path from living on autopilot to building a life and business shaped by values, purpose, and time freedom. No hustle theater. No perfect timing. Just a series of honest check-ins, small brave steps, and a bubble bath that changed everything.

Grecia shares how a simple values exercise became her North Star to steer big decisions.

• listing single words in silence
• grouping themes
• using one daily question; does this take me closer to what I value?

That clarity revealed what wasn’t working in a stable project management role and why previous baking ventures drained more energy than they returned. Grecia's breakthrough was designing work for alignment first. Italy Brides was born from that clarity and she now helps modern brides plan destination weddings in Italy with a grounded plan and calm execution.

We also dig into the power of community and coaching to turn fear into motion. Grecia and I met in a room full of women building purpose-led businesses. Her single decision led to mentorship, momentum, and a new definition of what’s possible. Grecia’s recent chapter in This Time It’s Personal shows the vulnerable side of change and why self-worth must come before strategy. Her book recommendation, Worthy by Jamie Kern Lima, frames the difference between external confidence and internal worth—and how believing you’re worthy now unlocks action you can sustain.

If you’re craving impact, time freedom, and a life that matches your values, this conversation offers a practical map and real encouragement. Listen, take one small step today, and tell us the value you’re choosing to live by this week.

Connect with Grecia on Instagram @itsgreciaruiz and @italybrides

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

What if the bravest thing you do today is tell the truth about how you’re really doing?

This conversation with Tahis Blue traces a powerful arc from survival mode to self-trust, guided by breathwork, community, and the unglamorous courage to keep going when life feels stacked against you. We sit with processing ambiguous grief after COVID, the shock of becoming a parent under lockdown, and the lingering loops of fear that won’t let go. Then we map steady ways forward that actually hold up in real life.

Tai shares her midlife reclamation with radical clarity: the tools that helped her reintegrate into the world, the moments her children became mirrors for unfinished wounds, and the practices that rewired her nervous system to feel safe again.

Breathwork for Tai has become more than a technique; it’s become a homecoming for the body and a daily reset for an overstimulated mind. We talk about learning to ask for help when family support shifts, and how fitness serves as a low-friction training ground for resilience. Some days you lift heavy, some days you sit on the bench and breathe, and both count.

This is a story about rebuilding without an audience. It’s honest conversations with people who “get it,” choosing safe listeners who don’t shrink your truth, and letting community remind you that you belong here as you are. It’s parenting with open eyes, modeling repair over perfection, and trusting that the answers you seek are already in your heart.

If you’re tired, if you’re tender, if you’ve come too far to quit now, this episode offers tools you can use today and a voice that says keep going.

Connect with Tai on Instagram @buildwithtai for resources and to be the first to hear when her breathwork community, Breath Lab, opens.

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

What if your strongest years are still ahead because you stopped training for the mirror and started training for your life? We sit down with trainer and entrepreneur Miles Richards of Rich Work to unpack how a brutal Achilles tear, constant overwork, and a faith-led reset transformed his approach from aesthetics to stewardship.

Miles takes us through his commitment to the grind that led to injury and the moment he realized he wasn’t practicing what he preached. From there, we get the blueprint for sustainable fitness:

• treat rest like training
• build stress relief into your week
• honor the unsexy habits that make results possible

For moms carrying a heavy mental load, Miles offers a refreshing start line: choose what you like first, then build momentum with 10‑minute wins, playful movement with your kids, and the “read and react” method to stay consistent when schedules shift.

We tackle comparison head-on, especially around postpartum “bounce backs,” and reframe the narrative toward self-love and purpose. Miles shares simple strength markers plus realistic nutrition, recovery, and mindset cues you can actually follow.

Faith threads it all together as he frames fitness as stewardship. Caring for the body that lets you protect, provide, and be present for the people you love.

If you’re ready to stop chasing shortcuts and start building strength that lasts, this conversation gives you practical steps and a grounded mindset to keep working with compassion.

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

Some days begin and end in tears; sometimes theirs, sometimes ours. When the storm hits, the most powerful thing we can offer our kids isn’t a perfect script or a quick fix; it’s a steady presence that says, you are safe here. I’m sharing how choosing calm over urgency transforms meltdowns into moments of trust, and why witnessing can do more than convincing ever will.

We unpack the shift from fixing feelings to holding space for them. I talk through real-life moments with my three kids, what changed when I stopped matching their energy, and how co-regulation teaches emotional safety without lectures. You’ll hear two simple tools you can use today: name what’s true—“You’re tired; I’m tired too”—to help both nervous systems downshift, and reflect after the dust settles to build self-awareness and repair. Along the way, we explore boundaries and limits, why stepping away for five minutes can save the moment, and how open body language, gentle tone, and small choices restore a child’s sense of control.

This conversation is for anyone living through toddler tantrums or kid-sized hurricanes and wondering how to stay grounded. You’ll leave with practical steps that fit real life: breathing before reacting, giving options, using an emotions poster or bedtime debriefs, and remembering that presence matters more than perfection.

Your kids don’t need you to be a robot; they need you to be human and consistent, a safe place they can trust when feelings overflow.

If this episode meets you where you are, share it with a friend who needs a reminder that calm is contagious.

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

What if buying a home wasn't just a financial decision but a turning point in your story?

In this episode, we sit down with Scott Harris; top New York City agent and author of The Pursuit of Home. We unpack why the path to your front door is your hero journey and how a clear vision transforms stress into momentum. Scott’s childhood of moving between parents taught him how place shapes identity, and that insight powers his people-first approach to real estate and life.

Scott and I reframe home as a launch pad for the life you’re building. Scott shares how to slow down, build a vision before you tour, and interview agents with better questions so you feel seen and supported. We dig into his signature Magnetic Method—Activate, Align, Amplify, Attract—a simple framework that helps buyers and builders clarify what matters, rally the right partners, and stay the course when the market feels noisy. From negotiating in a high-pressure city to guiding anxious clients through big transitions, Scott shows how empathy and structure reduce overwhelm and lead to better outcomes.

You’ll get grounded habits you can use today: protect a quiet hour in the morning, limit doomscrolling about rates and politics, and communicate your vision with people who lift you. We talk about couples with different styles, the surprising stat that most buyers hire the first agent they meet, and why intention beats urgency.

Most of all, we return to a powerful truth: a well-chosen home can host community, launch a business, and anchor healing. If you’re navigating change—new parenthood, divorce, or a fresh start—this conversation offers a roadmap and the reminder that you don’t have to do it alone.

Connect with Scott:

Instagram: @scottieharris

LinkedIn: Scott Harris

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!

The 5 p.m. dinner question doesn’t have to send your nervous system into a spiral.

In this episode, we dig into why that moment feels so charged and offer a grounded path to replace panic with peace—starting with one simple anchor meal each week that fits your real energy, your calendar, and your family’s rhythms. Instead of chasing perfect recipes, we build a plan that actually works on a Tuesday.

I share what I learned from a nutrition certification about eustress vs. distress and how those states show up in the kitchen. We map the alarm–resistance–exhaustion loop many parents know too well—opening the fridge, scrolling delivery, burning out—and then flip it with practical tools that cut decision fatigue. From theme nights like Taco Tuesday or Breakfast-for-Dinner to tiny preps that take minutes, you’ll learn how to design dinners that support you, not drain you.

I'll also walk you through a short guided visualization to feel the difference between scramble and steady, plus journal prompts to pinpoint your personal stress trigger and choose one anchor meal that meets your true capacity. We talk realistic time windows, kid preferences, backup 15-minute meals that still feel nourishing, and how to gently teach better habits without ditching the joy of eating out. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to avoid the 5 p.m. spiral and move through evenings with more ease.

If you’re ready to trade burnout for better rhythms, press play and pick your anchor meal for the week.

Grab my FREE meal plan and prep workbook and join the Cook Like a Mother Circle to plan with us every week.

Thank you so much for listening in! If this episode spoke to you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review or shared it with a friend. And don’t forget to tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me spread the word.

Follow and chat with me on Instagram:

Podcast account - @thrivelikeamother.podcast

Personal account - @thrive.empowered

Sending you light and love always!