Mothering Ourselves Mindfully

Sarah Harmon
  • 5.0 (22)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Mothering Ourselves Mindfully with me, Sarah Harmon. I am the founder, head teacher, and forever student at The School of MOM. I invite you to take a walk with me to hear insights, inspiration, and practical tools to help you navigate the everyday challenges of raising kids while nurturing your own well-being. Whether you’re deep in the trenches of parenting or looking for a moment of calm amidst the chaos, this podcast is your space for reflection, affirmation, and growth. Let's create new intergenerational patterns for ourselves AND our kids together.

  1. May 26

    93. Radical pauses: an update and invitation

    Sometimes the most aligned thing you can do is stop. In this episode, Sarah records something unplanned — a voice note from the woods — to share a message she couldn't wait to package properly: she's pausing the podcast. Not because things aren't working, but because they are running on automation — and she's not here for mindless loops. This episode is a real-time invitation to notice where you might be due for your own hard stop, and why pulling off the highway is sometimes the only way to actually choose your next destination. Key Points Why Sarah is pausing The School of MOM podcast — and why "it's working" isn't always a reason to keep goingThe difference between a routine that supports you and one that has you on cruise control without your consentThe concept of the "hard stop" — and the places Sarah has applied it in her life (social media, alcohol, and now content creation)Why we can't change direction while we're already in motion — and what Einstein has to do with itThe powerful internal shift happening for Sarah: her people-pleasing, perfectionism, and anxiety-driven parts are moving to the back seat — and her flourished mother parts are finally staying at the wheelWhat behavioral congruence means, and why it requires actually pausing, not just thinking about changingThe "full charge + system update" metaphor — and what the one-on-one retreat women coming to Sarah's home this week understand about deep resetsRadical Flourishing closing retreat coming end of May — and why there's never been a better time to get inA gentle prompt: Where in your life are you stuck in a mundane loop? What would your hard stop look like? Quotes "I'm not here to be part of mindless loops. So pauses are important. Resets are important." "We can't solve a problem with the energy that created the problem — we have to pull off, regroup, and ask: where are we actually going?" "My people-pleasing, anxiety, perfectionism — those parts used to be first ones to the wheel. Those parts are taking back seats." "My hope is that when I come back after this pause, you're going to feel, sense, and hear the upgrade in me." Resources Mentioned The School of MOM Quiz — take Sarah's quiz to identify the dominant parts in your nervous system: https://theschoolofmom.com/quizRadical Flourishing — Sarah's most intimate 8-month container (small group + one-on-one + in-person retreats). Closing retreat happening end of May. DM Sarah or visit The School of MOM to learn more.: https://theschoolofmom.com/radicalOne-on-one in-person retreat days at Sarah's home — message Sarah directly if you feel the pull: hello@theschoolofmom.com What's Coming Next The podcast is pausing — and that's the point. When Sarah returns, expect something upgraded, more aligned, and more her than ever. In the meantime, explore the back catalog, take the quiz, and ask yourself: what's your hard stop? Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    23 min

  2. May 19

    92. Overcoming overwhelm with Katie Grimes

    Sarah met life coach, business coach, and podcast host Katie Grimes through Women's Business League, and after spending an hour walking before even hitting record, they had to cut themselves off just to start the podcast. This conversation covers it all — nervous system regulation, the link between our relationship with our moms and our relationships with everyone else, why "regulated" might be the wrong word, the power of play (and pleasure) for mothers, and why conscious parenting happens mostly outside the moments you're actually with your kids. Key Points How our earliest relationships — especially with our mothers — create the programming that shows up in our parenting, our partnerships, and our businessesThe four rungs of the nervous system ladder: joy/contentment → fight or flight → freeze/fawn → trauma response — and how to recognize which rung you're onKatie's five-step process for regulating emotions in the moment: naming the feeling, identifying the driving thought, using movement, deciding how you want to feel, and shifting the storyWhy Sarah has officially retired the word "regulated" — and what the "flourished mother" offers as a more honest, embodied alternativeThe biology of play: why play is a nervous system state, and why accessing it outside of your kids is actually what makes you more playful with themThe powerful link between pleasure, fun, and co-regulation — and why resistance to play is the exact place to get curiousWhy conscious parenting is 95% of the work happening outside the moment you're in with your child — and why the scripts don't work if your nervous system isn't there firstThe Carl Jung quote that anchors it all: "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate"Why women tend to take care of everyone else first — and how that pattern gets directly inherited from our caregiversA gentle, realistic approach to movement and self-care: set the bar so low you can trip over it Quotes "Kids don't need a regulated mom — they need a flourished mom. She's fully expressed. She owns and celebrates the full spectrum of her human experience." — Sarah "We don't need to feel better. We need to get better at feeling." — Gabor Maté (shared by Katie) "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung (shared by Katie) "It's not what's wrong with you — it's what happened to you." — referenced by Katie "You can't solve a problem in the energy that created it." — Einstein (shared by Katie) "The trigger is the gift." "Set the bar so low you can trip over it." Resources Mentioned Katie Grimes' podcast: Anything for Love — available on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DHP2FUvbp0IYYouSZ8oLM?si=51b071dcbc3c4e9d and Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anything-for-love-katie-grimes/id1490607022feelingswheel.com — a tool for naming emotions (referenced by Katie): https://feelingswheel.com/The Body Keeps the Score — referenced in conversation: https://a.co/d/0ct3m4AQInside Out (Pixar) — used as an analogy for the nervous system ladder: https://www.pixar.com/inside-outThe Flourished Mother Map: https://theschoolofmom.com/mapSend Sarah a voice note right here!: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Up The Scream is happening again — and ABC is covering it! If you want to join Sarah for a primal scream event at her home, watch for details. And if Radical Flourishing has been on your radar, doors are opening soon. This is the premium container for women who are ready to stop circling insight and start living it.

    58 min

  3. May 12

    91. What do you WANT Mother’s Day to be?

    Mother's Day has come and gone - so how did it actually feel? In this final episode of our impromptu three-part Mother's Day series, Sarah reflects on her own evolving relationship with the holiday, shares the surprising and somewhat heartbreaking origin story of Mother's Day, and invites you into a post-holiday inquiry that matters far more than any bouquet or brunch. Because if there was any charge, resentment, or pressure wrapped up in this week for you - that's not something to push past. That's the gift. Key Points Why Mother's Day has become "just another day" for Sarah — and what that shift actually signals about her inner workThe surprising origin of Mother's Day: created by Anna Jarvis for personal reflection and intimate family connection, then commercialized so aggressively that Jarvis spent her life savings trying to abolish the holiday she createdThe $25 billion commercial juggernaut Mother's Day has become — and why that matters for how we relate to the dayWhy being triggered by Mother's Day is often a direct reflection of needs that aren't being met on a regular basis (not just one day a year)The powerful insight from a mom in The School of MOM community: "I'm only triggered by Mother's Day when I feel burned out or I'm not making time for myself"How resentment is an expectations-in-waiting — and what your Mother's Day feelings are actually pointing towardAn invitation to design your family celebrations on your own terms, not Hallmark'sA post-Mother's Day reflection framework: How did it feel? How do you want to feel next year? What needs to shift between now and then?Celebrating six years of The School of MOM — launched on Mother's Day 2020 Quotes "The trigger is the gift. If you're coming into Mother's Day and there's a lot of pressure on it, that means those needs are not getting filled outside of this one day a year." "I don't need a day to be appreciated. I don't need a day to advocate for time for myself anymore — because that is just part of my being now." "Expectations are resentments in the works." "I'm not waiting around for someone else to give me permission to go for a walk or get a massage. It's just part of what I do now." Resources Mentioned Episode 89: The Grief for a Mother Who's Still Alive SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4kP528ObM87oS9uZhHQ9bH?si=pkUYRBr5QoiL8QOiYZ1OBA or APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/89-the-grief-for-a-mother-whos-still-alive/id1771757923?i=1000763998127Episode 90: When Mother’s Day Is a Trigger (and Why That’s Not a Bad Thing) SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3MRgYiDvClmZlE16NVjpVH?si=KliK-l2VQHeqtxfHLgEZJw or APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/90-when-mothers-day-is-a-trigger-and-why-thats-not-a-bad-thing/id1771757923?i=1000766202575 Flourished Mother Map: https://theschoolofmom.com/mapRadical Flourishing — doors opening end of May: https://theschoolofmom.com/radical What's Coming Next If this episode stirred something in you, sit with it. The post-Mother's Day reflection is where the real work begins. And if you're ready for support in tending to what came up — Radical Flourishing doors are opening at the end of May. This is the container where the shift Sarah described actually happens. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    18 min

  4. May 5

    90. When Mother’s Day Is a Trigger (and Why That’s Not a Bad Thing)

    Mother's Day stirs up something different in all of us - warmth, grief, indifference, or something in between. In this episode, we get real about what Mother’s Day can bring up, and why we can still celebrate all of it, and why — counterintuitively — having a strained or non-existent relationship with your mom might actually be your greatest gift. This is a Mother's Day episode for every kind of mother, every kind of daughter, and every woman doing the inner work to claim a new level of worthiness. Key Points Why Mother's Day triggers such a wide spectrum of feelings — and why all of them deserve to be honoredA celebration of "the apples" — women in the School of MOM community whose strained or non-existent relationship with their mother is actually their biggest doorway to healingHow the relationship we have with our mothers (for better or for worse) is foundational to our self-worth — and why self-worth is at the nucleus of everything we desireThe connection between your subconscious sense of worthiness and your ability to receive, desire, and expand what you think is possible for your lifeSarah's personal journey with her own mom — and the shift from "I would give all this up for a healthy mom" to genuine gratitude for the doorway her mom becameAn introduction to Radical Flourishing — Sarah's most intimate support container — and why doors are opening at the end of MayThe question that guides the work: How good can it get? Quotes "The trigger is the gift. What is on the other side of that is really claiming what you desire — but more than that, it is claiming new levels of what you desire to unfold." "If you desire something in your life but your subconscious doesn't think you are worthy of it, it is going to be nearly impossible for that thing to come to fruition." "I would never be where I'm at today in terms of my ability to meet and tend to and love and mother all parts of myself mindfully — if it weren't for the mother that I have." "Let's all collectively decide to step into a new level of worthiness and self-worth — no matter what our relationship is with our mom." Resources Mentioned Episode 89 — Grieving a mother who is still alive: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4kP528ObM87oS9uZhHQ9bH?si=pkUYRBr5QoiL8QOiYZ1OBA or APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/89-the-grief-for-a-mother-whos-still-alive/id1771757923?i=1000763998127 Radical Flourishing — Sarah's most intimate support group (small group + one-on-one + in-person retreats). Doors open end of May — limited space. DM Sarah or get on the newsletter to be notified.: https://theschoolofmom.com/radicalFlourished Mother Map: https://theschoolofmom.com/mapNewsletter: https://theschoolofmom.com/newsletter What's Coming Next However Mother's Day lands for you this year — with joy, grief, or something messier — you belong here. The school is a place where all of it is welcome, and where the healing happens in community. Reach out, get on the list, and keep going. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    18 min

  5. Apr 28

    89. The grief for a mother who's still alive

    Mother's Day is coming — and for some of us, it lands with a kind of grief that's almost impossible to explain. This episode was inspired by a deeply moving session with our Untethered alum group: a community of women navigating dysfunctional or estranged relationships with their moms. If you're a mom who has a hard relationship with your mom, this one's for you — and it might be the most important thing you share this season. Key Points What it means to be an "Apple" — and why having a space where you don't have to explain yourself is everythingThe bucket that only your mother can fill (unconditional witnessing, love, and acceptance) — and what to do when she can'tWhy even the most well-meaning partners often make it worse — and what to ask for from the people in your life insteadWhy the School of MOM community exists: to be the circle where you are deeply seen, without explanationThe two ends of the spectrum: numbing/compartmentalizing vs. fully insourcing your own mothering — and what to do when you're somewhere in the middleThe first practice to reach for in a hard moment: the mindfulness of struggle ("This is really hard" + hand on heart)Introducing FMF — Feel My Feelings — and why carving out intentional time to be with your feelings (not alone) is the practiceThe power of non-human resources: trees, rocks, bodies of water, candles, pets — as steady companions in your FMF momentsHow naming the struggle brings your prefrontal cortex online and opens the door to the nervous system's safety and connection stateAn announcement: Sarah is opening a rare one-on-one coaching spot for a mom of daughters who is ready to close the gap between knowing and embodying Quotes "I am honestly ready for my mom to die — and all I want is my mom. And there's not a lot of groups where you can say something like that and people are nodding their heads." "Your relationship with your mom is so foundational, so profoundly foundational to everything in your life — how you mother, how you relate to yourself. It creeps in." "The next best resource, ultimately, is you — to learn how to insource what you are seeking from your mom." "This is really hard. Hand on heart. This is hard. That's the first practice." "What we practice, we get good at." Resources Mentioned Untethered alum community — for women with dysfunctional or estranged mother relationships: https://theschoolofmom.com/untetheredwaitlistSend Sarah a voice noteFlourished Mother MAP: https://theschoolofmom.com/mapOne-on-one coaching inquiry: http://theschoolofmom.com/private-coaching What's Coming Next If this episode spoke to you, don't keep it to yourself — share it with a mom in your life who struggles around Mother's Day. And if you're ready to stop white-knuckling it alone and start doing this work with support, reach out about the one-on-one spot or explore the Flourished Mother Map as your first step. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    18 min

  6. Apr 21

    88. The Non-episode Episode: A Permission Slip

    This week, I'm doing something a little different - recording a non-episode episode as a gentle reminder that we are not meant to be on all the time. I’m away with my kids on school vacation week, and I invite you to consider this your official permission slip to rest, to tap out, to stop producing at the pace you think you should. Because you are a cyclical being, which means you are meant to ebb, flow, and be consistently inconsistent! Quotes "We are not meant to be on all the time — in business, in life, in motherhood, in our relationships, in and with our bodies." "We are cyclical beings and women are part of nature. We are not meant to be on the same 24-hour cycle that men are on because our hormones don't work that way." "Cut yourself some slack, sign out, and get some rest." Resources Mentioned Previous episode on cyclical living (link to relevant episode when available): SPOTIFY or APPLEFlourished Mother Map: https://theschoolofmom.com/map What's Coming Next Sarah will be back next week with a brand new episode. In the meantime, take this week's episode for what it is - permission to rest. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    3 min

  7. Apr 14

    87. There's no such thing as mental load

    You've heard of the mental load — but what if we've been calling it the wrong thing all along? In this episode, I'm making the case that there's no such thing as just a mental load, and why getting the name right is the first step toward actually getting relief. I go deep into the brain-body load, the MOMsight framework, and why real change doesn't happen by shuffling tasks around — it happens in the body. Key Points Why "mental load" is a misnomer — and what the more accurate (and more useful) term actually isHow our thoughts, emotions, and nervous system are inextricably linked — and why treating the load as purely cognitive leaves us without the right toolsThe difference between emotions and feelings — and why understanding this distinction is foundational to being a human who can flourishWhy 90–95% of our experience (including the choices we make under load) is unconscious — and what that means for real changeHow the same event (a child's fever, a doctor's appointment) lands completely differently depending on what's happening in your nervous systemWhy conversations about mental load often spiral into frustration, blame, and resentment — and what to do with that insteadThe MOMsight framework: a map of the play between your nervous system, body, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and lived experienceWhy offloading the brain body load isn't just about task redistribution — it's about shifting what's happening at a root level in your bodyResources and research Sarah loves: Brené Brown's emotion research, Mark Brackett's Permission to Feel, and the Mood Meter/How We Feel appAn invitation: Sarah has a one-on-one coaching spot open (May through year-end) for a mom ready to do this root cause work Quotes "Mental load suggests it's just thoughts in our head — and it's not. So we need to call that out." "Each of these tasks comes with a different emotional load. It lives differently in your body. The real estate that it takes up is different." "So often we are in thoughts and emotions and making choices from an unconscious place — which means we actually don't have control. Our programming is running the show." "It's not so simple as moving tasks around. And the more we see it that way, the less we support ourselves and shift what's happening at a root level in our bodies." Resources Mentioned Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett: https://a.co/d/08Q0oNFqThe Mood Meter / How We Feel app (Marc Brackett): https://marcbrackett.com/how-we-feel-app-3/Fair Play card deck (task mapping for couples): https://fairplaypolicy.org/the-cardsOne-on-one coaching with Sarah (May–December 2026): reach out at http://theschoolofmom.com/private-coaching or DM on Instagram @the.schoolofmom: https://www.instagram.com/the.schoolofmom Send Sarah a voice note here!: https://speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next If this episode stirred something in you, you're ready to go deeper. Take the first step with the Flourished Mother Map at https://theschoolofmom.com/map — and if one-on-one support feels like the right next step, Sarah would love to hear from you. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    21 min

  8. Apr 7

    86. What You Actually Have Control Over

    In today’s episode, I'm calling out one of the most repeated lines in coaching and personal development, and offering you something that's actually true instead. Spoiler: you have more control than you think - it's just not where you've been told to look for it. Key Points Why somatic work moves the needle in ways talk therapy can't — I spent years as a therapist talking through problems with women. Insight is valuable — but it's limited. When I discovered what was possible through body-based work, it changed everything. 90–95% of our experience is driven by unconscious programming living in our nervous system, and you simply can't talk your way out of that.What actually happens in a somatic session — Whether a client is brand new to this work or has been doing it for years, the experience is consistently the same: I can't believe what just came through. The body holds wisdom, intuition, and real-time healing that the mind can't access alone.Calling out the line everyone repeats — "The only thing you can control is your reaction." It's everywhere in coaching culture. And it's not quite true. If your unconscious nervous system is running the show — and for most of us, it is — you don't actually have control over your reactions in the moment. Telling yourself you should is just adding shame to the pile.The truth about control — You have very limited control over your in-the-moment reaction, especially when you're tired, triggered, or dysregulated. But you do have real, meaningful control over something: the support you choose, the practices you commit to, and the nervous system work you do in advance of those moments. That's the real lever.What the Flourished Mother actually looks like — She's not always calm. She's not always grounded. She feels the full spectrum of her humanness — including the anger — but she has the capacity to be with it. With presence, with grace, with compassion. And that capacity is built over time, through practice and support. Quotes "90 to 95% of our experience — the lens through which we see the world — is coming from our unconscious, which lives in our body." "You will be surprised. I am surprised every time — I didn't think anything was gonna come through. And wow, I am so grateful I did that." "You actually don't really have control over your reaction in the moment. But you do have control over the support that you decide to get." "What you do have control over is the reprogramming and the tending and the grounding you did to be in a body that supports you to react in the way that you want to." "Talking around in circles about the thing you wanna do is not going to help you change it in the moment." Resources Mentioned Flourished Mother Map — A personalized session with Sarah to map your patterns and path forward: theschoolofmom.com/mapFlourish Community — Monthly membership for ongoing nervous system support and integration: http://theschoolofmom.com/flourishOne-on-one somatic sessions with Sarah — Reach out directly to book: http://theschoolofmom.com/private-coachingSend Sarah a voice note: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next If this episode stirred something in you, the next step is simple: choose the support. Whether that's a Flourished Mother Map, a one-on-one session, or joining the Flourish community — the work you do before the moment is what changes the moment. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes! www.theschoolofmom.com Instagram @the.schoolofmom Book a breakthrough Call

    13 min
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About

Welcome to Mothering Ourselves Mindfully with me, Sarah Harmon. I am the founder, head teacher, and forever student at The School of MOM. I invite you to take a walk with me to hear insights, inspiration, and practical tools to help you navigate the everyday challenges of raising kids while nurturing your own well-being. Whether you’re deep in the trenches of parenting or looking for a moment of calm amidst the chaos, this podcast is your space for reflection, affirmation, and growth. Let's create new intergenerational patterns for ourselves AND our kids together.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Harmon
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 null All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    Mothering Ourselves Mindfully

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