Armed to the Heart - Military Women, Work-life Balance, Female Veterans, Christian Moms, Pregnancy and Postpartum

93. Free Up More Time for What’s Most Important to You: How to Avoid these 3 Things that are Likely Wasting Way more Time than you Realize!

Grab your notebook & pen, and get ready for 3 things that are wasting your time and practical tips on what you can do about it to immediately start gaining back time that's being lost.
Do you feel like there's never enough time for everything you need to do?
Do you wish you had more time for your family?
Does your mile long to-do list weigh on you often & prevent you from feeling like you can be TRULY present?
Do you feel like - between all the directions you're pulled in - there's ZERO time left for yourself? Or your husband?
Are you just too dang busy...
To deeply connect with God in prayer?
To pour into your family & marriage in the ways you want to?
To do the things that truly bring you joy?
To even have a moment to rest?
To exercise in the ways you'd like to?
To take care of your physical & mental health?
To nurture your friendships?
I see you friend. Let's help you find more time for the people and things that matter most to you.
*REGISTER HERE for my Free Time Management Workshop Thurs JUN 8 at 8pm EST! (Recording will be made available for those who register)
You'll learn:
1.  The 3 KEYS to Effective Time Management
2.  The Secret to What Time Management is ACTUALLY all about (realizing & embracing this will make ALL the difference in the world in your ability to be more productive & present)
3.  The SINGLE most powerful exercise you can do in just 10 minutes to free up HOURS of your time & energy
4.  2 quick, easy techniques you can use to relieve stress whenever you're feeling anxious about all the things that need to be done
Want to schedule a Discovery Call to explore if it'd be a good fit to work together? Send me an email at megan@armedtotheheart.com and we'll set up a 30 min time.
Ready to Jump into a 1:1 Coaching Session? 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
 
 
 

92. How to Make an Impact, but WITHOUT Running Yourself Into the Ground: Preventing Burnout as High-Achievers with Big Hearts to Serve (Coaching Call Part 2 with Carlie)

If you're driven to make a difference & have high standards for yourself and others, if you have a strong work ethic and are a high-performer who gives so much of yourself to your work to make the organization, team, and the world better, but struggle with exhausted, feeling burnt out or frustrated in it, this is for you.
This - like the last episode - is part of a recent coaching call with Carlie, one of my clients who is a college professor.
Maybe your heart to make a difference causes you to overcommit or overextend yourself too. You tend to take on more than you're asked. You have high expectations of yourself to always give 100%. You tend toward perfectionism. You want to help lead change, and may be super passionate about what you do, and willing to sacrifice for it, but it's easy to run yourself into the ground continuously in the process.
I experienced this a lot in my first few years in the military, in the advocacy work I've done for mothers who serve, entrepreneurship, and ministry, until God started showing me that I don't have to stay stuck in these cycles.
I see burnout often in the women that I coach.
But I want to encourage you that you don't have to sacrifice what's most important -- your family, your marriage, your faith, or your sanity to make the impact you're called to make in the world.
So let's go behind the scenes today and hear how Carlie and I worked through some of these challenges that come with fighting these battles -- internally & externally.
Want to schedule a Discovery Call to explore if it'd be a good fit to work together? Send me an email at megan@armedtotheheart.com and we'll set up a 30 min time.
Ready to Jump into a 1:1 Coaching Session? 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Postpartum Fitness Program (4 month Training Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)
 
 

91. Giving your All to Everything you Do but Can’t Find Time for Yourself? Coaching Call with Carlie on Work-Life Balance & Finding Time to Exercise (Part 1)

Bringing a special episode to you today -- a coaching call with one of my clients!
In this call we help Carlie work through some guilt around taking time to exercise when there's still so much work and things that need to be done.
Carlie and I have been working together for a little over a year to help her heal from burnout and build a more sustainable work-life balance, with Jesus at the center, and I felt so compelled to ask her if she would be open to me sharing the recording of this coaching call on the Podcast.
Because as high-achieving Christian women with huge hearts to make a difference, who want to give our family and everyone around us our best, it can be so hard to find time to take care of ourselves too.
She was so happy to share this call, to help other women feel less alone.
So if you too have a demanding job and mile-long to-do list but have a hard time (or feel guilty for!) finding the time to take care of yourself too amidst everything on your plate, grab a notebook and let's do this together.
I pray this blesses you big!
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program doors will be opening soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Want to schedule a Discovery Call to explore if it'd be a good fit to work together? You don't have to stay stuck! Send me an email at megan@armedtotheheart.com and we'll set up a 30 min time.
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session : 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
Postpartum Fitness Program (4 month Training Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)
 
 

90. What would a Beautiful, Perfect Mother’s Day Look & Feel Like for You? Let’s Explore your Hopes, Expectations, & Needs Before Mother’s Day so you can Feel Less Disappointment & More Joy

Take just a few minutes with me to pause and explore what your hopes, dreams, expectations, and needs are for Mother's Day.
It can be really common to have high hopes for holidays like Mother's Day then feel disappointed, under-appreciated, and hurt if it didn't live up to our ideals, and expectations.
So let's walk through a process that'll help you have a more beautiful, meaningful Mother's Day, and feel deeply seen, known, loved, and valued this weekend, and always.
In this episode I help you bring to awareness what's beneath the surface, and give you some tips for communicating more easily and openly with your husband to avoid getting stuck in unmet, unspoken expectations, comparison, disappointment, resentment, and emotional disconnect.
I share the #1 most important thing you can do to feel like your cup is full, and overflowing, even if your relationship is struggling, motherhood is feeling really dang hard and discouraging, and you're not receiving as much love and affirmation as you would have liked to.
Let's dive in and have a heart to heart.

89. Tired of feeling like Work is Taking Over your Life? How to Have a Meaningful Career AND a Life, and Build a Better Work-Life Balance

Do you feel like work is taking over your life?
Are you burnt out & tired of giving all you've got in your work, but feeling like it leaves just the leftovers for your family and marriage, and barely any time for the rest of your life?
With a demanding job, and all it takes to care for your little ones & keep the home running, you're really struggling to find time to maintain your own mental & physical health because there's never enough time leftover for yourself (and when you do try to take a moment, you feel guilty because there's still more on that to-do-list or you get interrupted because someone needs you again!)
Do you wish you actually had time to rest and decompress or do more of what brings you true joy, but the workweeks feel like there's no time to breathe as you're trying to keep up, then the weekends are nonstop too, between getting as much quality time together as you can with your family, but also catching up on all the housework and prepping everything for the next week?
If you're anything like me, you dream of waking up every day full of energy and passion because you know you're living out God's call for you, fully present to & serving your family in the ways that are most important, and making a real impact through your work.
But in reality?
You're caught somewhere between always feeling guilty, torn, stressed, overworked, like you're failing somewhere, or like no matter how much you give, it's never enough.
You're tired of giving so much of yourself to your family & work and caring so much, yet feeling so depleted, frustrated, and isolated in the struggles.
You may even wonder deep down, 
"Is this really even worth it?"
"Something's gotta give."
"Is this what God is asking of me?"
"What am I doing wrong? Why can't I get it together?"
Sister, I just want to pause and wrap my arms around you for a moment.
 I see you. You are not alone. I was you.
I trust that God has brought you here for a reason.
I'm here to give you some hope that you don't have to stay stuck. He has an amazing plan for you.
Your family needs what you alone can give them. And the world needs what you have to offer.
So let's help you to heal from this burnout and find more balance, so you can do the work the Lord has made you for, but WITHOUT sacrificing what matters most.
Grab a notebook & pen or get ready to write these into the notes of your phone! I'm guiding you through 10 Key Reflection Questions that'll bring you immense clarity, and show you the next steps toward the balance your heart is longing for.
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program for High-Achieving Christian women in the military & other male-dominated environments coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
-----
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session : 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
Strong + Resilient Postpartum Fitness Program (18 week+ Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)

88. Too Busy to Pray? Can’t Get a Moment to Yourself as a Mom? 7 Simple Ways to Find More Time to Consistently Connect with God EVEN IN your Busy Schedule

Do you feel like you're too busy to pray?
Are you longing for more consistent, intentional time with the Lord?
Does prayer sometimes feel like just another thing to keep up with, or another thing on the to-do-list that you feel guilty if you don't get to?
Or do you feel a sense of guilt when you DO take time to slow down & pray, because you're not being more "productive" with that time given how much there is to do?
Maybe you have a pretty good prayer life, but know you could be more intentional and disciplined with it.
I see you sister.
We're gonna chat today about how to fit prayer into the busyness of life and motherhood.
If you struggle to find time for prayer, you're not alone.
Maybe you constantly feel like with all the directions you're pulled in, you're trying to keep up with everything, but prayer is one of those things that tends to fall to the wayside.
Maybe you want to be more intentional with your prayer routine and faith life but don't quite know where to start and how to fit it into your busy schedule when you barely have a moment to breathe and are already so dang short on time.
Maybe you wish you could sit down with your Bible or prayer journal for some quiet time with a cup of coffee or tea and a nice candle, but you're constantly getting interrupted by your little ones and it feels impossible to find the time to deeply, meaningfully connect with God.
Today we're covering 7 simple ways to find more time for prayer in our busy lives. I hope this blesses you today, and gives you the encouragement you need to live out your faith in everyday life.
-----
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program for high-achieving Christian women in the military & beyond coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session : 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
Strong + Resilient Postpartum Fitness Program (18 week+ Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)

87. Painful Sex is Not Normal: 6 Simple Strategies to Reduce Pelvic Pain during Intimacy Postpartum

Hey mama. Have you experienced pain or discomfort with intimacy postpartum? I know I have, and many of the women I coach have too.
It's common, but doesn't have to be your normal.
No matter how long ago you had your baby, or if you're pregnant & preparing for postpartum, or newly postpartum but haven't yet resumed intimacy, this episode will de-stigmatize this and give you practical tips to navigate & improve any pain you feel. It's something so many of us go through, yet we feel so alone in, because it's not really talked about.
Painful or uncomfortable sex after baby (both early postpartum, but also for extended periods of time) is one of those things that's common, but it doesn't have to be normal.
I suffered through this for nearly 2 years silently before I learned the factors that were contributing to it, and that it didn't have to be that way. I thought it was just part of the sacrifices that come with motherhood, & something I was gonna have to live & deal with for the rest of my life. I felt so much shame around it, and thought there was something wrong with me.
I don't want any other mama to feel like you just have to push through, or feel so alone like I did.
So today we're gonna go there -- we're talking through 6 Simple Strategies to Reduce Pelvic Pain with Sex after Baby. I pray this gives you hope, encouragement, and a way forward if you've been struggling with this too.
All my love sweet friend. Praying for you in this.
-----
***I'm holding a Mother's Day SALE for the next 2 weeks!
Grab 25% off either a 1:1 session or my Postpartum Program with the Discount Code: MOTHERSDAY23
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session : 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Health & Fitness, for military women & beyond
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)
**Balance Blueprint Course coming soon!! Stay tuned. :)
Strong + Resilient Postpartum Fitness Program (18 week+ Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)

86. Feeling Pressure to be a Perfect Mom? Guilty you’re Not Giving your Family Enough? How to Break Free from the Unrealistic Expectation of Motherhood

What makes a good mom? What makes a great mom?
When you think of a perfect mom, what do you think of?
What makes you feel like you’re doing it all right, or makes you feel put together?
What makes you feel like enough? What makes you feel like you’re doing enough?
 
There is so much pressure to be a perfect mom.
Many of us feel like no matter how hard we try, it’s never enough.
The guilt of not spending more time with our kids.
The thought “my child deserves better” on repeat in our minds.
Trying to hold it all together, keeping a smile on our face on the outside, but just feeling like a hot mess.
Feeling ashamed if we’re having a hard time keeping up with everything.
If our home isn’t as spotless as everyone else’s seems to be.
Beating ourselves up about anytime we lose our cool and aren’t as calm & patient as we want to be with our kids.
Wondering how other moms are managing it all so much better than us.
Stretched thin in the juggling act, but feeling like you’re failing in all of it.
In survival mode trying to keep everyone alive.
Feeling so guilty, because we’re not as present & loving as we want to be for our kids.
Worried we’re not giving them enough, wishing we could do more for them.
Today we’re walking through 5 steps to help you identify and release the unrealistic standards of perfection that are keeping you stuck in vicious cycles of guilt, shame, overwhelm, & discouragement as a mom, and clarify EXACTLY where God is calling you to focus in this season, to be the mom you want to be.
Let's help you let go of the burdens you're not meant to carry.
-----
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session : 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
Strong + Resilient Postpartum Fitness Program (18 week+ Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Free Guide: Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)

85. Ready to Reduce Tantrums, Meltdowns & Power Struggles to Connect More with Your Kids? ALL the Tips to Make Parenting Easier & More Joyful from Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Kelly Shoup

Who's dying for some RELIEF in parenting? I see you mama. :)
CAN'T WAIT to share this incredible guest interview with you today, where we dive into so many practical parenting tips that have empowered me so much through motherhood & fostered a much more connected, peaceful relationship, without the constant yelling, power struggles, exhaustion & overwhelm.
Kelly Shoup is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist & Parenting Coach who has 20+ years of experience helping parents wrangle little ones, plus parenting her own kids, with a long record of success. She has supported our family in the most difficult seasons of military life to help us not just survive but truly thrive together. I know you will learn so much from her too, and be so blessed by this episode.
We cover:
How to help our kids through transitions & constant changes of military life
How to reduce power struggles & meltdowns & make everyday routines smoother with our kids
Tips for how to stay calm & feel less overwhelmed as parents to help our kids better regulate, and so we don't lose our cool when they're having a tantrum, being violent or not listening, when they're just breaking down in the evenings after everyone has had a long day at work & daycare/school, or we're frustrated and exhausted by their behavior on top of everything else we're juggling
How to understand what our children's behavior is communicating, what is developmentally normal & healthy for them & how to support them through it
How to move from harsher obedience, control & compliance-based parenting to a more gentle, connection-oriented, present and playful approach that dissolves so much of the power struggles before they even happen and allows for such deep connection with our children
How to support your kids in developing their self-confidence & self worth
Leaning on God & His grace through it all, to be the best mamas we can be
...and more
This episode is full of GOLD that will make all the difference in your relationship with your children -- especially if they're strong-willed like mine!
Be sure to share this with a friend who will benefit from all these amazing tips too. We're not meant to do this alone.
**Tired of Meltdowns & Constant Power Struggles? Take Kelly Shoup's free Sensory Profile Quiz and discover what your child's behavior is communicating.
Learn more from Kelly on her Podcast, Making Sense of Parenting
----
**Break Free from Burnout Work-Life Balance Program for high-achieving Christian women / working mamas in the military & beyond coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session with Megan: 1 hr Strategy & Mindset Coaching Call for Work-Life Balance or Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness, for military women & beyond
Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)

84. The #1 Thing that’ll help you Deal with All the Change, Instability, Uncertainty, and Transitions of Military Life and Motherhood

Are you going through some big military life transitions too?
Or maybe in the trenches of all the changes & demands that come with the different seasons of motherhood?
It can feel like we're constantly drowning in the stress & anxiety of it all. It can easily overwhelm us.
Especially in the military, with so much constant change, instability, uncertainty, and how much stress that can bring on top of the heavy loads we're already carrying as busy mamas or busy women, it is a LOT.
So how do we deal with this and get through it, to come out stronger on the other side?
This episode was born of where I am currently -- in the thick of some big transitions & being away from my babies...just having finished 6 months of solo parenting being stationed apart from my husband, and now he moved home to us but I had to leave and I'm the one apart from my family because of a 2 month training course.
So today I'm sharing the #1 thing you need to focus on when you're going through change. And this will make ALL the difference in the world.
-----
Whenever you're ready, here’s a few ways we can work together:
**Balance Blueprint Course coming soon!! JOIN THE WAITLIST to be the first to know and get an exclusive discount and bonus offer when it's released!! :)
Schedule a Coaching session: Book a full 1 hour 1:1 Call
Strong + Resilient Postpartum Fitness Program (18 week+ Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
RESOURCES FOR MORE BALANCE IN FAMILY & WORK-LIFE:
Overcome the Overwhelm (Feel like your to-do-list is never-ending, and pulled in a million directions? Grab my FREE guide to help you balance work + mom life with less guilt + more peace, with God at the center)
**Balance Blueprint Course coming soon!! Stay tuned. :)
PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM FITNESS RESOURCES:
Free Postpartum Fitness Guide: How to Return to Fitness Postpartum for Military Mamas + Beyond
Free Pregnancy Exercise Guide: How to Safely Exercise + Maintain Fitness Through Pregnancy