3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms

Spring is a season I genuinely love, but it also has a way of sneaking up on me. One minute I'm enjoying the slower pace of winter, and the next I'm looking at my calendar wondering when it got so full. If you're coming off of Spring Break trying to find your footing again, or you can already see Maycember on the horizon and feel your shoulders creeping up toward your ears, this episode is for you.

A few years ago, during one of those stretched-thin, running-on-fumes seasons, I shared three things that were genuinely helping me stay sane. I went back and listened recently and thought, these are still so good, and I wanted to share them again, because I think we could all use some practical tools to reach for when life piles up.

In this episode, you'll learn:

🌸 The simple two-column list that cuts through mental overwhelm and tells you exactly what actually has to get done (and what can wait)

🌸 Why choosing just three non-negotiable soul care essentials — even tiny ones — can be the thing that holds you together during your busiest weeks

🌸 The mindset shift that keeps the spiral at bay, and why what you say to yourself during hard seasons matters more than almost anything else

And one more thing worth mentioning — this episode is less than 15 minutes long. So if you're already feeling the busyness piling up and the idea of a full episode feels like one more thing on your list, this one was made for exactly that moment. Short, sweet, and full of things you can actually use.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Related Episodes:

353: How to Declutter Your Busy Schedule // Miranda Anderson

333: How Can a Busy Mother Get Back to the Essentials?

463: What If Your Only New Year Goal Was to Let Go of the Shoulds?

 

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Last week, I found out that one of my kids' teachers unexpectedly lost her husband in a car accident. She's in her early 30s with a toddler, and when I was telling Ryan, I just started to cry. I don't often cry, so it surprised both of us a little. The truth is, I was crying for her — and for all of the heaviness that has been building in my heart for months. The political division, the international conflicts, the injustice — it has felt like a lot lately.

My teenage son sometimes says to me when we talk about hard things, "Mom, why does life have to be so hard?" And I tell him, "I don't know, Buddy. But you're right — and I also know that it is beautiful too."This week's guest is Shannan Martin, bestselling author of the brand new book Counterweights, and she has a practice for holding both of those things at once.

In this episode, you'll learn:

💜 Why Shannan writes down both the weights AND the counterweights every night — and what happens when you hold them together on the same page

💜 Why Shannan (a self-described introvert) pushes herself to gather people in her home regularly — and the surprisingly low bar she sets to make it actually happen

💜 The tiny silver fork that has become one of her most treasured daily rituals (you'll understand when you hear it)

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Announcements: March 30th is 3 in 30 Day — and this year I'm celebrating by highlighting YOU! Share your favorite episode and its impact at 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th, and your message may be woven into a very special episode.

Related Episodes:

424: When LIFE Doesn't Turn Out as Planned // Jessica N. Turner

401: How Radical Gratitude Can Change Your Life // Dr. Tanmeet Sethi

390: Living with Grief without Losing Yourself // Shelby Quinlan

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I didn't learn until I was 40 years old that my body moves through four distinct phases every single month — and that each one of those phases affects my mood, my energy, my patience, and my ability to connect with the people I love. Which means that the version of me who felt so present and empathetic last Tuesday wasn't just "having a good day." And the version of me who snapped at everyone before dinner on Friday wasn't failing. Both of those women were showing up exactly on schedule — I just didn't have the language for it yet.

This episode is about what becomes possible when we finally have that language, and how empowering it is to understand our bodies well enough to show up the way we actually want to — and to have real grace for ourselves when that's harder.

This week's guest is Shara Jackson Harper, a licensed mental health therapist, hormone and cycle guide, and mother of five who helps women understand how their internal rhythms shape the way they show up for the people they love most.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✨ The golden conversation Shara had with her 15-year-old son — and the specific reason she believes the timing made all the difference

✨ Why most women are often carrying a "basket of shame" about their hard days, and what Shara says we can do with it instead

✨ The simple three-part formula Shara uses to talk to her own family about where she is in her cycle — and why her kids actually know what "lower bandwidth week" means

So here's to understanding ourselves a little better, giving ourselves a little more grace, and showing up for our people in the ways we actually want to.

 

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Announcements:

Hormone Cycle Guide: Shara has created a free handout with an overview of all four phases of the menstrual cycle plus a printable tracker to help you start noticing your own patterns. Grab it at 3in30podcast.com/cycleconnection.

 

March 30th is 3 in 30 Day! This year I wanted to celebrate by highlighting YOU. I'm collecting voice messages from listeners sharing your favorite episode and what about it made an impact or stayed with you, and my podcast editor is going to weave them all together into one really special episode. Prefer to write it out instead? You can do that too. Just head to 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th. It only takes a minute, and I really cannot wait to hear from you.

Related Episodes:

410: Align Your Goal-Setting with Your Menstrual Cycle // April Davis of Haus of Vagina

314: How to Feel Like Yourself in Motherhood // Aleisha McKean

205: How to Coach Yourself Through Big Emotions // Georgia Anderson

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A year ago this month, the travel and motherhood world lost Elise Caffee — blogger, adventurer, mother of three, and the woman behind the hashtag "take the trip." Elise believed, down to her bones, that making memories with your kids was always worth it — the chaos, the cost, the exhaustion, all of it. This episode is for her.

 

This week's guest is Tiffany Rosenhan, Elise's dear friend, co-author, and co-founder of Jumelle Press. Together, they wrote Pippa and Poppy Adventure — a beautiful children's book about two identical twins exploring Europe — and Tiffany is here today to carry Elise's message forward. With spring break just around the corner, her three takeaways feel especially timely — whether you're heading somewhere far or just loading up the car for a day trip an hour from home.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🧳 The story of why Tiffany's family pulled their kids out of school and traveled abroad for five months — and why she says she'd do it again without hesitation

🧳 What Elise's daughters did three weeks after she passed away, and what it reveals about the culture she built in her family

🧳 The surprising science behind why travel builds stronger memories in kids' brains than almost anything else you can do together

So here's to loading up the car, booking the day trip, or simply putting the phone down and being present with your people this spring. The memories don't require a passport — they just require you.

 

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements:

March 30th is 3 in 30 Day — and this year I'm celebrating by highlighting YOU! Share your favorite episode and its impact at 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th, and your message may be woven into a very special episode.

Related Episodes:

453: How to Travel for FREE with Your Family (Really!) // Amber Paul

418: Staying Home for Spring Break? 3 Ways to Make it Memorable (and Manageable!) // 3 in 30 Team

431: 3 Road Trip Hacks for Traveling with Kids // Brittney Hanks

Episode Sponsors:

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A few years ago, I read a book that made me think it was reading my mind. In the introduction, the author asks: Do you ever feel like you're running faster but not moving any closer to your goals? Do you want to make a higher contribution but you lack the energy? Are you teetering right on the edge of burnout?

I wrote, "Yes, yes, yes!" next to each question in the margin of my copy.

The book is Effortless by Greg McKeown, and it's the follow-up to his first book Essentialism, which I talked about in last week's episode. In today's episode, Greg talks about how we can lighten the load of motherhood without burning out.

Greg acknowledges that life is genuinely hard—raising children is hard, paying the bills is hard, strained relationships are hard—and he's not promising to eliminate those hardships. But he does offer tools that can help lighten the load, and that's exactly what we talk about in this episode.

In this episode, you'll learn:

💜 Why striving for 100% effort actually makes you less effective—and the optimal pace that will help you go further without burning out

💜 The question Greg asks when everything feels overwhelming (hint: it's not "what can I cut?" but something far more freeing)

💜 What radical gratitude actually means—and why it's the only thing powerful enough to counter the suffering we all experience in motherhood

If you've been running on empty, if the mental and emotional load feels crushing, or if you're wondering how to keep showing up when everything feels so hard, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements:

My Declutter Your Motherhood audio course walks you through the exact process I use to release the "shoulds" that don't fit me anymore and make room for what actually brings me joy.

Related Episodes:

468: Stop the Runaway Train: How to Get Back to What Actually Matters

412: How to Overcome Overwhelm

401: How Radical Gratitude Can Change Your Life // Dr. Tanmeet Sethi

Episode Sponsors:

Boll & Branch: Get 15% off your first set of sheets plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/3IN30.

Laundry Sauce: For a limited time only, our listeners get 20% off your entire order when you use code 3in30 at LaundrySauce.com.

Skylight: Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to MySkylight.com/TAKEAWAYS.

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