Feeling overwhelmed by all the “shoulds”? In this 3-minute Monday reset, Anya asks one simple but powerful question:

Are you climbing the right mountain?

If homeschool feels heavy, chaotic, or never “enough,” this episode helps you pause, breathe, and realign your path with what truly matters—to you and your child.

Key Takeaways:

1. You might be climbing the wrong “mountain” if your homeschool goals come from social media, not your heart.
2. More drills, programs, and Pinterest-perfect plans don’t equal better learning.
3. Success looks different for every family—especially yours.
4. The first step toward peace is awareness, not guilt.

Ask yourself this week: Is this the direction I actually want?

Ever walked into your living room only to find your kids have transformed it into a giant coloring book—with permanent markers?

In this episode, I share one of those real-life mama moments where school stress turned into wall art chaos… and how we used it as an invitation to pause instead of panic.

🔗 Full Episode Details Here»

You'll learn about MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor, a simple “Mommy & Me Tea Time” reset ritual that helps turn meltdowns into mindful moments. You’ll learn how a small, consistent anchor can shift the energy in your home from overwhelm to calm, even on the most chaotic back-to-school days.

Whether you’re dealing with wall scribbles, after-school meltdowns, or just the everyday noise of motherhood, this episode is here to remind you: the mess isn’t the end—it can be the beginning of connection.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The real story of how a “permanent marker disaster” became a breakthrough.
• What MIA™ reset is and how to make it part of your day.
• 3 simple ways to use tea time (or any ritual) to bring calm after chaos.
• Why small, mindful pauses matter more than perfection in parenting.

0:00 – Imagine coming home to a wall full of doodles [ on your wall] …

0:48 – Pin-poking frustration turns into chaos at home

1:32 – Permanent markers meet living room walls

2:05 – The Mommy & Me Tea Time reset: our first MIA™ moment

2:42 – From “oh no” to a calm ritual with tea

3:15 – Welcome to The Anya Garcia Show + why I left law for motherhood

4:00 – Parenting doesn’t come with a manual (and that’s okay)

4:45 – The truth: you don’t need more, you need alignment

5:25 – Introducing MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor

6:00 – Meet Mia™, the playful character who makes mindfulness fun

6:30 – Running the MIA™ ritual through BMAT, “I Don’t,” and QRS™ techniques

7:05 – Final reminder: small resets create big calm + Compass Circle invite

5 Key Takeaways from This Episode:

1️⃣ Even chaos has a message. What looks like wall scribbles or meltdowns is often just stress or emotion needing release.

2️⃣ MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor—turns “oh no” into calm. A simple pause, like tea time, can reset the energy for the whole family.

3️⃣ Presence matters more than perfection. Kids don’t need flawless days; they need parents who show up with intention.

4️⃣ Simple rituals > complicated fixes. A warm drink, a shared snack, or a mindful breath can soothe more than grand plans.

5️⃣ Your alignment is your child’s anchor. When you model calm, curiosity, and compassion, your child learns to do the same.

🧭 Join Mamas' Compass Circle™ where you will find support, monthly content, and practical tools for moms craving calm, clarity and confidence. No pressure. Just presence.

🔗 Full Episode Details Here»

⚓️ Navigate with MKAPtains Kids Activities Club – Get a done-for-you Monthly Activity Plan that makes learning hands-on and fun—so you can spend less time planning and more time playing!

🎓

A fast, science-backed reset for distracted, overwhelmed moms: Question • Reason • Story.

Feeling triggered before 9 a.m.? This quick, science-backed reset—my QRS Technique™—helps moms shift from autopilot reactions to calm, connected parenting in seconds. Perfect for back-to-school chaos.

Your brain can learn a new response. In this story-driven episode, I share a real Montessori-mom moment, then walk you through QRS: Question, Reason, Story—a micro-habit that interrupts the spiral and rewires your nervous system for steadier days.

Full Details

What you’ll learn

Why busy moms default to autopilot reactions (amygdala alarm vs. prefrontal calm)

How to run the QRS Technique™ in real life: Question → Reason → Story

Pattern interruption 101: breaking the trigger → reaction → regret loop

Using QRS during back-to-school transitions, sibling squabbles, spills, and time crunches

A mom-tested script to validate worry, invite curiosity, and model regulation

Why micro-habits create macro-change (hello, neuroplasticity)

In this episode

A messy, very real Montessori high-chair moment (and what it taught me)

The exact thought that flipped my response from snap → steady

QRS Technique™ you can use anywhere: dentist dash, car chaos, kitchen glitter storm

A dinner-table story: two kids, one season, very different emotions—and how QRS met both

Back-to-school reframes you can borrow: curiosity over catastrophizing

Try it this week (homework): Catch one spicy moment. Pause. Run Q → R → S:

• Question: What’s really going on here?
• Reason: Why do I want to stay calm?
• Story: How can I reframe this as a teachable moment?
• Notice the energy shift—for you and your child.

Resources & Next Steps

Join the Compass Circle™ for simple tools, coaching, and community: [link]

Next episode: The MIA Routine—a simple daily rhythm to anchor your day.

• Garcia, A. (2025). The QRS Technique™: Pause & Power-Up Parenting Tool. Developed and introduced inside Compass Circle by Anya Garcia.→ Original framework for parents to pause before reacting: Question, Reason, Story.
• Wood, W. (2019). Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.
• Davidson, R. J., & Begley, S. (2012). The Emotional Life of Your Brain. Penguin Books.
• Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). The Whole-Brain Child. Delacorte Press.
• McGonigal, K. (2015). The Upside of Stress. Avery.
• Research on neuroplasticity: Pascual-Leone, A., Amedi, A., Fregni, F., & Merabet, L. B. (2005). The Plastic Human Brain Cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 28, 377–401

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Comment/DM “QRS” or “🦁 FOCUS” to tell me your win—so we can cheer you on.