The Plan Podcast Hosted by Dani Bruflodt of Thyme is Honey

As women, motherhood can become the top consumer of our time and energy. It can feel like you signed up for an 18-year long marathon and time is flying by.
But as children grow and develop, parents also transition through distinct phases with varying demands on their time, energy, and mental bandwidth.
Being able to prepare for each of these stages is key for flourishing instead of floundering. This month’s guest, Jennifer Chaney, is a Midlife Mentor to Moms, and has a great framework that can help you navigate motherhood:
THE THREE PHASES OF MOTHERHOOD
👶🏻Full-time Mom: Your kids are age 12 or below, are dependent on you, and are highly demanding of your time and mental bandwidth. You have limited control over your time.
🧑🏻Part-time Mom: Your kids are age 12-18, are becoming more independent, and are sporadically demanding of your time and mental bandwidth. You are starting to regain control over chunks of your time.
🤝🏻On-call Mom: Your kids are 18+, they are mostly independent, and their needs vary. Your time is starting to feel like “yours” again.
In the episode we’ll discuss:
* What these three phases can look and feel like
* Exercises you can do to prepare for the next stage before you find yourself in the trenches of it
* How friendships change and evolve throughout motherhood
* Perimenopause and menopause and how that is another area women need to start planning for in order to flourish in midlife
Connect with Jennifer:
Jennifer runs a group program called The Path & Purpose Plan that helps moms begin to prepare for an empty nest (and the on-call mom stage!). Her next session will begin in the fall. Join the waitlist here.
Website: JenniferChaney.comInstagram: @JenniferChaney
Additional Resources:
In the episode, Jennifer describes this exercise to help prioritize yourself through the three phases of motherhood.
1️⃣ Step one: Before you become a mom or when you are in the “Full-Time Mom Stage (or as soon as you read this!) create a list of 25 things that interest you. These could be physical activities, topics you want to learn about, skills you want to develop, etc. Try to stick to things your feel deeply connected to and interested in, versus trendy hobbies.
When you’re in the trenches of early motherhood, refer to this list in those small pockets of time that you have for yourself. What small thing can you do today to connect you with those interests (Ex. If you have a sincere interest in classical music, can you listen to a podcast about it while doing other tasks?).
2️⃣ Step two: When your kid(s) start to reach an age where those pockets of time for yourself are getting bigger, identify two values or beliefs that are important to you. These should be things you feel really fired up and passionate about (aka “hills you would die on”).
When you get those bigger pockets of time, focus on how some of those interests you were squeezing in can now connect and intersect with your values (Ex. If you’re passionate about volunteering in your local community, could you fundraise for music programs?).
3️⃣ Step three: As your kid(s) reach maturity and you are getting most of your time back, start exploring those areas where your interests and values overlap the most.
Use those overlapping areas to find fulfillment outside of motherhood as you enter midlife, instead of just filling time.
Jennifer’s suggestions:
📚 READ: For some entertaining and relaxing reading, Jennifer enjoys books from Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny. You can browse her titles here.
📺 WATCH: Jennifer recently fell for the Apple TV series, Slow Horses. A quick-witted drama about a dysfunctional team of M15 agents.
🎧 LISTEN: Helping other women understand and navigate menopause is another passion of Jennifer’s. She loves content from Dr. Stacy Sims and recommends her book Next Level.
🧡 ENJOY: Here’s something I had never heard of before: Rucking! Modeled after military

Have you ever considered that your confidence impacts more than just how you feel when you look in the mirror?
It can impact every way we show up in the world — including how we approach our work or how we stand up for ourselves or the things we believe in.
I didn’t think much about confidence the first 35ish years of my life. People might even say I had more confidence than I deserved 😂
But at the end of 2022 I found myself feeling really disconnected from myself. I think this was a common experience for many of us as we emerged from the height of the pandemic, and mine was combined with a career pivot that left me wondering where I fit in. Perhaps you’ve felt similar after big life changes such as becoming a mother, relocating, body changes, a severe illness, or ending a relationship?
Although therapy is great in all of these circumstances, I found it really helpful to also enlist the support of a confidence coach, to help get to the root of the issue and rebuild.
In today’s episode I’m sitting down with my confidence coach, Erika Eileen. We’ll talk about her confidence journey, which is rooted in her experience with Type 1 Diabetes, and we’ll introduce you to a simple exercise you can do RIGHT NOW to start reconnecting with yourself and building your confidence.
Click play above to listen to the episode, or find The Plan Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.
Additional Resources:
Erika calls this a Sensuality Guide. I call it a Happiness Guide. YOU can call it whatever you want! Below are the directions along with a PDF you can download to create your own.
How to do it: find a cozy spot and 5-10 minutes. On a piece of paper, write out the five senses: TOUCH 👆🏻 SMELL 👃🏻 TASTE 👅 HEAR 👂🏻 SEE 👁. Then think of items or experiences within each category that bring you joy and pleasure. For example, ginger tea for “taste”, open windows for “smell”, or a favorite song for “hear”.
I recommend trying to have items within each category at different price points and time commitments. That way you can always find a little snippet of joy even when you only have 5-minutes or $3.
This might be challenging and emotional to create. Take your time and be patient with yourself. I initially drew total blanks, but over the course of a week or so things sort of jumped out at me sporadically through the day.
Reference your guide when you’re feeling stressed or disconnected from yourself. I’ve been shocked how often I’ve pulled mine up over the past year!
Download: Grab this free PDF for help creating your Happiness Guide. Note: If you’re using my Habit Tracker, you can create this on the tab labeled “Happiness”.

Connect with Erika:
🧾The eBook: I bought this the second it was published and I love it! Erika offers insightful tips for not only taking better photos (iPhone tips galore!) and the best apps for making your photos POP (we’re embracing our cellulite, not erasing it!) but also posing and, most importantly, taking photos with confidence. Truly such a great resource!
For the next 7-days you can snag Erika’s eBook, Hot Pics 4 Hot Girls for $17 (reg. $27) using this link!
📱Connect with Erika on Instagram
Erika’s suggestions:
At the end of every podcast episode I’m asking guests to share something to Read, Watch, Listen to and Enjoy (a la The Weekly Page!). Here’s what Erika rounded up for you:
📚 READ: Erika admits that she’s currently getting most of her laughs from TikTok comment sections. While I don’t personally use TikTok, I do get plenty of laughs from online comments. Fun fact: circa 2010 my partner and I started an entire website called Scromment that was dedicated to the curation of hilarious-ass comments found online. And that was before most of these social media apps even existed — can you imagine the goldmine of content we’d have now?! So anyways — I agree, comment sections are rich for laughs. 😂
📺

Something we don’t talk about enough is the way diet culture steals our productivity.
Especially as women.
Not only does dieting impact our energy level and ability to focus — but the amount of time women are expected to divert to their physical appearance and weight-management is astounding.
Join me for a chat with registered dietitian and the author of the book Gentle Nutrition, Rachael Hartley. Rachael’s book transformed the way I approach nutrition and I love how the book simplifies and organizes information — making it easy to take action.
If you’re tired of the constant cycle of dieting and fixating on your size, I hope this conversation presents an attractive alternative. One that will help you feel your best by focusing on how to fuel yourself, instead of how to shrink yourself.
Show Notes:
In today’s episode we focus on two core components of Rachael’s work. First, The Nutrition Hierarchy of Needs. Modeled after Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it presents a layered approach to transforming how you feed yourself:
1️⃣ LEVEL ONE: ADEQUACY - Ensuring you have access to enough food, and are eating enough to meet your body’s energy needs is the first step in feeling your best.
2️⃣ LEVEL TWO: BALANCE - Next, you can make sure most of your meals contain vital macronutrients like carbs, protein, and fat.
3️⃣ LEVEL THREE: VARIETY - Then, prioritize consuming a colorful array of foods to ensure you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals.
4️⃣ LEVEL FOUR: INDIVIDUAL FOODS - And last, adjust your intake to meet specific goals if needed (ex. building muscle, lowering cholesterol)
For more about The Nutrition Hierarchy of Needs check out page 72 of Gentle Nutrition.
The second concept we discuss is one of my favorites and is called “The Gang’s All Here”. A concept originally introduced by dietician Kylie Mitchell, it provides a simple, fast way to understand the type of fuel our body regularly needs and build meals that meet those needs — without logging food, tracking calories, or obsessing. The gang has five members, which are:
⚡CARBOHYDRATES: These are our body’s preferred source of energy.💪🏻 PROTEIN: Helps us repair and build tissue, such as muscle, and helps us feel full.🧠 FAT: Helps us feel satisfied and is important for brain health and focus.🌿 FIBER: Satisfies our stomach’s stretch receptors and provides a variety of vitamins and minerals. (note: this category is sometimes referred to as “volume” or “produce” as well. They all work!).🙂 PLEASURE: Important for emotional satisfaction. Could mean favorite foods OR how you eat it, who you eat it with, or culture and emotional connections to the food.
Each of these nutrients serve a specific role in how we feel and perform, and we know our body generally responds best to meals that contain all 5 of these elements. Therefore, when you put together a meal or snack and you can identify the presence of all 5 of these you simply declare “The Gang’s All here!”
For more about The Gang’s All Here, check out page 114 of Gentle Nutrition. See the additional resources below to download a PDF workbook with these graphics along with a “Gang’s All Here” shopping list.
Connect With Rachael:
📚 Order her book, Gentle Nutrition💻 Rachael’s Website📱 Rachael on Instagram
Additional Resources:
Download: Grab this 5-page workbook for helpful worksheets related to the episode along with a sample shopping list that aligns with The Gangs All Here + a blank one for making your own! the workbook + shopping list by downloading the PDF below:
Listen to Rachael on 10% Happier - If you want to hear more from Rachael, check out this interview by Ed Harris. I thought this was a great conversation, and tried to use my time with her to build onto the topics they discussed here. Episode #615: Nutrition Advice for People Who Don’t Want to Go On a Diet
Rachael’s suggestions:
At the end of every pod

You may or may not know this — but I previously had a podcast that went on an accidental 4-year hiatus during the pandemic. After much contemplation, I’m excited to bring The Plan Podcast back with an incredible lineup of guests throughout 2024.
While those interview episodes will go live at the beginning of each month, I’ll also publish one solo episode, like this, each month. In this initial solo episode I’m giving a little update on what I’ve been up to since I was last in your ears — some highlights and lowlights — and giving you a little taste of what you can expect from the show with a short conversation about Keystone Habits.
Once you understand what a Keystone is, the way they function as habits makes total sense. A “Keystone” is a central stone in the summit of an arch on which all the pressure of the arch settles. If the keystone is removed, the arch will crumble.
A Keystone Habit is a habit that leads to a cascade or series of other habits — good ones or bad ones! Press play on the episode to learn how Keystone Habits can help change and improve your habits and how to identify what yours are.
I think this is a great topic to start off a new year, and I’m looking forward to creating more episodes for you throughout the year. If you have a topic or guest suggestion, leave it in the comments below (hit 💬 if you’re in email).
My first interview will be live the first week of February and will feature registered dietician and author of the book Gentle Nutrition, Rachael Hartley. I am so excited to talk with Rachael and discuss how nutrition helps support our focus and productivity.
📁Resources from this Episode:
* Learn more about my self-paced online course, The Daily Method.
* Find upcoming events, such as Monthly Review Days, on the events page.


Get full access to Thyme is Honey at thymeishoney.substack.com/subscribe