Mothering Ourselves Mindfully

Sarah Lowell 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. 6d ago

    100. The 100th Episode... It all started with this.

    Here we are … at 100 episodes of Mothering Ourselves Mindfully! In this milestone episode, I'm sharing the real story of how I got here: one podcast at a time, no batching, no big master plan, just showing up week after week. I dig into why we convince ourselves something's too daunting to start, why perfectionism keeps so many of us stuck, and what actually got me from zero to 100. Plus, I'm sharing why I ditched the "everyone else's podcast" formula, what's changing with our upcoming program, and why community — not willpower — is the real key to consistency. Key Points Why reaching 100 episodes never felt possible when I thought about it as "100" — I only ever had to do oneThe trap of needing to do things to the Nth degree or not at all, and how that perfectionism keeps us from startingLetting go of doing things "the way everyone else does them" — ditching the polished interview format for real, unedited walks in the woodsTwo reasons fear kept me from starting a podcast in the first place: not wanting to add to mom overwhelm, and not wanting to sound like everyone elseWhy community and accountability — not motivation alone — are what actually sustain change (the "plank club" story)An invitation to start with just one: one minute, one day a week, made fun and brought into communityA heads-up that our upcoming program has evolved since it was first announced — details coming soon Quotes "I never got to 100 without just doing one.""Set the bar so low you can trip over it. Just one.""It's not just me. It's not about me, it's about us." Resources Mentioned Send me a voice note: Send Sarah your voice note right HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmomGet on our WAITLIST to hear what's changed with our upcoming program: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistSelf-awareness Trap: https://theschoolofmom.com/trap What's Coming Next As we head into the new school year, I'll be recording a series of episodes on exactly what we're opening the doors to here in the Home of Mothering Ourselves Mindfully — so stay tuned. 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

  2. Sep 3

    99. The maternal assertiveness we all need

    I recorded this episode in real time, mid-struggle with a whole lot of pain following a tooth extraction that turned into a bigger deal than expected. What went down with my aunt around my pain led to this unscripted look at what happens when someone else steps in with "maternal assertiveness" - and how it’s so important for all women/daughters, no matter how old we are. In This Episode The backstory: a routine tooth extraction, a family trip, and pain that got worse instead of betterWhat happened when Sarah's aunt and uncle stepped in — and why it hit so differently than she expectedFierce compassion: the "mama bear" side of compassion, and why it matters as much as the tender sideThe mother bucket — the container only your mom was ever supposed to fill, and what happens when she can'tHow we unconsciously try to fill that hole (numbing, scrolling, overworking, other people) — and the one person who can actually fill itWhy receiving maternal assertiveness from unexpected sources — an aunt, a friend, even a stranger on a plane — is allowed, and healingA full-circle moment with her daughter, who needed to be truly heard in her own painAn invitation: if you carry this gaping hole, you are not alone — and there are ways to start filling it Quotable Moments "There's two sides of compassion. There's tender and there's fierce. Tender is the loving, nurturing type of compassion. Fierce is that more mama bear, like, 'Uh-uh. Nope. Like, this is not okay. You need to get help.'" "That just because we may not have a mother who is capable, able, available to offer that for us doesn't mean that we still, A, don't need it, and B, can't get it." "The next best person to provide that, to fill that mothering bucket, is you. It is you." Mentioned in This Episode Aunt Melissa — the "fierce compassion" presence at the center of this episodeJamie and Emily from NAPS / Nurture by NAPS — the prenatal and postpartum support team Sarah credits for teaching her assertiveness years ago: https://www.nurturebynaps.com/ Connect With Sarah Self-awareness Trap: https://theschoolofmom.com/trapJoin the WAITLIST: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistSend Sarah a voice note: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom 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. Aug 27

    98. Before You Can Become the Mother You Need

    In this episode, I'm sharing highlights from a recent interview I did on the Can We Say That Out Loud podcast with Kara and Greer — a conversation that went deep into estrangement, grief, and the mother-daughter relationship. If you have a strained or nonexistent relationship with your mom, or you're stuck waiting for her to become someone she may never be, this one is for you. I unpack why grieving a mother who's still alive is one of the most necessary and overlooked steps in mothering yourself, and I share a deeply personal hypnotherapy story I've never fully told before. Key Points Why an unrealistic "hope cycle" — waiting for your mom to change — keeps you stuck in resentment, frustration, and unmet needsThe difference between accepting the mother you have and grieving the mother you don't, even while she's still livingHow releasing that hope creates space to awaken your own inner "flourished mother"Why every mother was a daughter first, and remains a "forever daughter" no matter her ageUnlearning the belief that worthiness has to be earnedA personal story from a pivotal hypnotherapy session on releasing my own mom from a role she couldn't fulfillThe three layers of why this grief work matters: escaping the hope cycle, becoming your own mother, and modeling this for your daughterAn update on the upcoming program (formerly Mothering Ourselves Mindfully) launching this fall, and our transition from The School of Mom to The Home of Mom Quotes "Grieving a mother who is still alive is so powerful and potent and necessary for so many of us." "Before she was a mom, she was a daughter, and she's a forever daughter." "We are actively rewiring the blueprint." Resources Mentioned Listen to the full interview on the Can We Say That Out Loud podcast with Kara and GreerJoin the waitlist: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistThe Self-Awareness Trap — free audio resource: https://theschoolofmom.com/trapSend Sarah your voice note right HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next More on the new program taking shape this fall — join the waitlist to be the first to hear as details unfold. 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

  4. Aug 20

    97. An 11-mile hike + the power of believing

    Recorded mid-vacation on the last leg of our family road trip — Maine to New Hampshire to Lake George — this episode is a fresh-off-the-trail reflection on the two-day, 11-mile hike up Mount Washington my family and I just completed, totally green and totally underprepared on the research front. What I really want to talk about isn't the hike itself, but what made it work: my husband and I believing, from the start, that our kids could do it. That belief becomes the thread connecting this hike to two other places I've had to practice it — sleep training my first daughter and the early, rocky years of my marriage — and the invitation is the same across all three: where in your life are you one foot (or two feet) out the door on an outcome you actually want? Key Points The backstory: an 11-mile, two-day hike up Mount Washington, booked with minimal research, based on "if their kids could do it, ours can too"What was actually foundational to the day's success wasn't fitness or weather — it was beliefHow belief changes your nervous system state, which changes your feelings, your tone, your posture, and how the people around you co-regulate to youThe sleep training parallel: believing your child is capable changes your own posturing, even when it's still hardThe marriage parallel: how couples therapy and the Gottman work reframed the idea that you have to be "all in" for it to workThe moment on the trail Sarah almost gave in to doubt — and what pulled her backApplying this to manifestation: believing an outcome is possible vs. believing you're worthy of itThe engagement ring story — what happened when Sarah almost talked herself out of wanting something because she didn't feel worthy of itAn older woman's blunt wisdom on a plane: "There is no such thing as too much bling"The invitation: practice believing an outcome is inevitable, in parenting, in relationships, and in what you desire for yourself Quotes "Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're right.""It changes your nervous system state, which changes the feelings, which changes the thoughts, which changes how you show up.""We have to turn up the dial on the voice, the belief, that actually it will work out, and it is possible.""Girl, there is no such thing as too much bling. You wear that ring and you wear it proud." Resources Mentioned The Self-Awareness Trap — free audio resource: https://theschoolofmom.com/trapCommunity waitlist — mentioned as the place I "roll up my sleeves" with this work daily: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistDiscover Your Dominant Inner Voice Quiz: https://theschoolofmom.com/quizSend Sarah your voice note right HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next Sarah returns to her regular routine next week and leaves listeners with a question to sit with: where are you not fully believing in an outcome you want — for your kids, your relationship, or yourself — and what would it look like to turn the dial up on that belief? 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

  5. Aug 13

    96. Self-care is NOT selfish, but it IS this...

    Recorded on a walk in Maine (same outfit, five days running, this episode takes on one of the beliefs that I get the most fired up about: the (couldn’t be more far from the truth) belief that self-care is selfish. I break down why that line is a lie, why attuned presence - not constant self-sacrifice - is what our loved ones actually need from us, and introduce a new framework born out of Mothering Ourselves Mindfully: self-care isn't selfish; it's selves-ish - selves in steady harmony. Key Points Why "self-care is selfish" is programming, not truthWhat our loved ones (and our kids especially) actually need from us: attuned presence, not self-sacrificeHow self-care builds the nervous system capacity to show up the way we want toThe reframe: it's not taking care of yourself that's actually selfishWhy Sarah changes "self" to "selves" throughout Mothering Ourselves Mindfully — we are not just one selfNaming our internal parts (anger, shame, anxiety) as a tool for selves careSelves care in action: the primal scream for anger vs. rest and softness for sadness or overwhelmThe new framework: selves-ish = selves in steady harmonyIntegration and wholeness — all parts of us are welcome Quotes "Self-care is selves-ish, and selves-ish is selves in steady harmony.""It is not taking care of yourself that is selfish.""The biggest present you can give is presence.""All parts of you are welcome here." Resources Mentioned Mothering Ourselves Mindfully waitlist - opens September 2026, program starts October 2026: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistThe Self-Awareness Trap — free audio resource: https://theschoolofmom.com/trapDiscover Your Dominant Inner Voice Quiz: https://theschoolofmom.com/quizSend Sarah your voice note right HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next Sarah invites listeners to carry this new belief forward — self-care is selves-ish — and to start noticing when the old "this is so selfish of me" story pops up, replacing it with the truer one: this is my selves learning to be in steady harmony. 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

  6. Aug 6

    95. This Is Me: My Story, and How I Can Support You

    Recorded on a walk before heading off on vacation, this episode is Sarah's continuation of last week's big reveal — The School of Mom is becoming The Home of Mothering Ourselves Mindfully, and Sarah is stepping fully into her own name, Sarah Lowell Harmon. Equal parts backstory and welcome mat, this episode traces the winding road that built her body of work — from a Psychology 101 class in Ohio to event management in New Zealand, from 3,300 supervised clinical hours to the 3am download that became The School of Mom — and lays out exactly how to step into the work now, whether you're brand new here or six years deep with her. Key Points The quick-and-honest version of Sarah's story: Denison University, a few lost years in San Diego, a working holiday visa in New Zealand that turned into running a women's duathlon series with Ironman NZ, yoga teacher training in NYC, and a graduate certificate in clinical mental health counselingWhy she's sharing her clinical hours and credentials — and her honest take on the difference between lived experience and formal training in a coaching-saturated industryThe 3am lightning-bolt download that led to opening The School of Mom in May 2020, and the eventual closing of both her private practice and Parent Wellness GroupThe pivotal conversation with her business strategist — "what got you here won't get you there" — that set the rebrand in motionWhy stepping out from "The School of Mom" is really about stepping out from behind the safety of a role (therapist, teacher) and into being fully, simply herselfA full breakdown of the offer path: Mothering Ourselves Mindfully (the year-long foundational program, opening for enrollment September 2026, starting October), Radical Flourishing (eight-month intimate small-group program, October–May), one-on-one work, and Untethered (returning soon, for women — "the apples" — with a hard or nonexistent relationship with their mother)Why Mothering Ourselves Mindfully is intentionally a year-long container — spaciousness for real mom-life, and honesty about the fact that nervous system and lineage healing doesn't happen in four weeksThe garden metaphor for this work: tending your own soil, roots, and weeds at a realistic, spare-time pace — weeds and allSarah's own lived experience as an adult child of divorce and daughter of a mother with significant mental illness — including estrangement — as the root of why this work exists Quotes "I am just me. I am me. Yes, I am a teacher, and I am a therapist, and I am a wife, and I am a mother — but I am me." "The home of Mothering Ourselves Mindfully is your body. It's our bodies, it's every body." "It's actually a question of how could I not?" "I bring the clinical background, the mindfulness and yoga background... and obviously the lived experience, which personally I think is equally if not more important." Resources Mentioned Episode 94: Coming Out From Behind the Curtain: Reclaiming Sarah Lowell Harmon: SPOTIFY (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jQIkIzYogjiUaRirVy5fu?si=5lvqSKUXRsab9WqulqyTbA) or APPLE (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/94-coming-out-from-behind-the-curtain-reclaiming/id1771757923?i=1000778974511)Mothering Ourselves Mindfully waitlist - opens September 2026, program starts October 2026: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistThe Self-Awareness Trap — free audio resource: https://theschoolofmom.com/trapWebsite: The Home of Mom: https://theschoolofmom.com/Send Sarah your voice note right HERE!: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom 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

  7. Jul 29

    94. Coming Out From Behind the Curtain: Reclaiming Sarah Lowell Harmon

    Some announcements can't be planned — they just have to come out. In this episode, recorded on a walk (dogs, snakes, and all), I share a big reveal I’ve been sitting on: stepping out from behind the curtain of The School of MOM and claiming my name, Sarah Lowell Harmon, and the brand itself is transitioning from The School of MOM to The Home of MOM. This episode is part backstory, part permission slip — for trusting your own timeline, reclaiming your name (literally and figuratively), and understanding why the body is the only home we've ever really had. Key Points Why Sarah decided to stop waiting for the "right" timing to make this announcement — and the dating-life pattern that helped her recognize she was doing it againThe identity evolution happening behind the scenes: moving from hiding behind "The School of MOM" to fully claiming authorship of the Mothering Ourselves Mindfully frameworkChanging her Instagram name after six years, and why reclaiming her maiden name, Lowell, matters as much as the brand shiftThe backstory connecting her parents' 2013–2014 divorce, her own marriage that same year, and losing her name right as her family foundation "bottomed out"Why closing Parent Wellness Group and stepping away from the therapist identity was the first visible thread of this bigger shiftThe meditation that delivered "The Home of MOM" — and the realization that home isn't a website, it's the bodyHow this connects to inner child work, lineage healing, and the "unflourished daughter" pattern many women are unconsciously passing downWhy Sarah is claiming her lane more specifically: supporting women in becoming the mother for their daughters they always needed — by becoming the mother for themselves firstAn invitation to notice your own self-imposed (or externally imposed) timelines — and permission to trust your body over "doing it right" Quotes "When my whole body knows something, I can't pretend that it's not here or true." "You do what your body and what your heart wants to do... at this stage in life, my friends, there are no grades." "Home is where the heart is. Home is our body. It is the only home you have ever had and will always have." "We do that through becoming the mother for ourselves first." Resources Mentioned The Self-Awareness Trap (free audio): https://theschoolofmom.com/trapMothering Ourselves Mindfully waitlist (revamped program opening soon): https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlistSend Sarah your voice note right here: https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom What's Coming Next Sarah will be sharing more on this transition — from The School of MOM to The Home of MOM — as it rolls out across the brand, along with details on the revamped Mothering Ourselves Mindfully program as the waitlist opens up. 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

  8. 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

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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 Lowell Harmon
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 null All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    Mothering Ourselves Mindfully

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