You love your kids, but somehow you keep finding reasons to avoid actually playing with them. The dishes need doing. Emails need answering. That toy bin needs organizing. Sound familiar?

What if the real issue ISN'T that you're too busy or too responsible? What if you're actually using those tasks to avoid something much deeper?

In this 5-minute strategic journaling session, we're digging into why you feel internal resistance when your child asks you to play - even when you desperately want to be that present, patient mom who enjoys these moments.

Strategic Journal Prompts:

1. Identify what you convince yourself is more important than playtime
2. Explore your specific fears about engaging fully with your kids
3. Discover if you're using productivity to avoid deeper feelings

Perfect for working moms who feel guilty about always being half-present during family time but can't seem to break the pattern.

Permission Slips for Ambitious Women hosted at Meraki Beauty in Batavia, NY. In this 90-min strategic journaling workshop, you'll go from daily overwhelm & doing everything for everyone else to peacefully pursuing your true desires (guilt & people-pleasing officially evicted) — without adding more to your already full plate.

You'll experience a guided meditation, strategic journaling prompts, real-time breakthroughs & mimosas!🥂

📌 Sunday, Sept. 21st @ 10am EST, 12 spots only

Register here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop
• Clarity Reset inside Glow Up Gyrl: https://www.glowupgyrl.com/glow-up-live-events

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

DM Sam on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachSamanthaHawley/

Picture this: You're on the living room floor, making robot sound effects while your kid transforms Bumblebee for the 47th time today. But instead of being present, your brain is screaming about the dishes, that work email you forgot to send, and whether you remembered to put the chicken in the crockpot.

If this hits a little too close to home, you're going to love this episode. I'm sharing the exact moment everything clicked for me - when I stopped seeing playtime as another obligation and started actually enjoying those moments with my son.

What You'll Learn:

• The real reason mom guilt creeps in during playtime (hint: it's not because you're selfish)
• Why your brain won't shut off during kid activities - and how to quiet that mental chatter
• The 3-month Transformer saga that taught me everything about being present vs. productive
• How present parenting actually boosts your productivity instead of killing it
• What to do when your kid ignores you after work (this behavior means something specific)
• One simple question that creates instant connection with moody kids

The Truth About Mom Guilt During Playtime: It's not a character flaw - it's your subconscious sabotage patterns (hyperachiever, overthinker, restless energy) hijacking your focus. Once you learn to spot these patterns and disrupt them in real-time, everything changes. The laundry still gets folded, emails still get answered, but now you also get those sweet connection moments that actually energize you.

1. The Clarity Reset with Glow Up, Gyrl community! Feeling stuck? Overthinking everything? Join us to learn my simple, strategic 5-step framework that takes you from mental overload to clear, confident action. Register here: https://www.glowupgyrl.com/glow-up-live-events
2. Permission Slips for Ambitious Women hosted at Meraki Beauty in Batavia, NY. In this 90-min strategic journaling workshop, you'll go from daily overwhelm & doing everything for everyone else to peacefully pursuing your true desires (guilt & people-pleasing officially evicted) — without adding more to your already full plate. Guided meditation + strategic journaling + real-time breakthroughs + mimosas!🥂 12 spots only Register here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop
• Clarity Reset inside Glow Up Gyrl: https://www.glowupgyrl.com/glow-up-live-events

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect with Sam on IG:

If you've been thinking "I'm doing everything right, so why are my kids so "difficult?" Like the harder you try to be the perfect mom, the more your kids seem to fall apart? I see you!

You're absolutely crushing it at work - managing teams, solving problems, keeping everyone happy. Then you come home with every intention of being present, patient, and fun... only to watch your kids have complete meltdowns over the tiniest things.

In this 5-minute journal session, we'll uncover:

• The hidden reason "good mom" energy actually triggers more meltdowns
• What your kids are really picking up on when you're trying your hardest
• Why perfectionist parenting creates the exact chaos you're trying to prevent
• How to shift from performing motherhood to simply being enough

Today's Journal Prompts:

1. Think about your most stressful parenting moment recently - what were you trying to control or fix?
2. When your kids don't respond how you hoped after you've been trying so hard, what fear comes up?
3. Where else in your life does "trying harder to be good enough" make things fall apart?
4. What if your kids are responding to the pressure they feel from you trying to be perfect?

Your kids don't need a "good mom" - they need a mom who believes she's already enough, so they can feel safe being themselves too.

1. The Clarity Reset with Glow Up, Gyrl community! Feeling stuck? Overthinking everything? Join us to learn my simple, strategic 5-step framework that takes you from mental overload to clear, confident action. Register here: https://www.glowupgyrl.com/glow-up-live-events
2. Permission Slips for Ambitious Women hosted at Meraki Beauty in Batavia, NY. In this 90-min strategic journaling workshop, you'll go from daily overwhelm & doing everything for everyone else to peacefully pursuing your true desires (guilt & people-pleasing officially evicted) — without adding more to your already full plate. Guided meditation + strategic journaling + real-time breakthroughs + mimosas!🥂 12 spots only Register here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop

• Calm Mind Blueprint: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod
• Permission Slips for Ambitious Women: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/permissionslipsworkshop
• Clarity Reset inside Glow Up Gyrl: https://www.glowupgyrl.com/glow-up-live-events

1:1 coaching: Now accepting applications, 1 spot open. Learn More here: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/privatecoaching

Connect with Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.s.says

DM Sam on Facebook: