Leah: The last episode you heard was, well, I think it’s going to be the last episode you heard, was about the modern mom struggle and where we’ve come, how far we’ve come as women, but also how hard it honestly is trying to do it all, all the time. And at the beginning of that episode, I shared that I was going to take the summer off.

Well, this is day one. This is, it’s literally Monday, June 3rd. This is day [00:01:00] one of my summer sabbatical and I just finished my workout. And as I was doing my workout, of course, My thoughts are all over the place throughout my workouts. I can’t tell you how often I have to pause during my normal workouts because I get some idea typically for a podcast episode and need to like write it down.

Well, I did not let myself stop even though I think I had three different episodes that I was thinking about throughout this workout, but I literally just finished and I stepped into what is actually my new office. decided that I wanted to record my progress throughout taking this sabbatical. So my idea is this is day one.

I want to share what went into my thought about doing it, what felt so hard, what thoughts I’ve already been having since finally committing to it, and also I’m going to share throughout the process, so I’m [00:02:00] figuring like maybe every three, four weeks, I’ll record where I’m at, how I’m feeling up until I’m back.

Okay, so first of all, I should explain that this isn’t a full sabbatical, but it is a really huge one. I mean, I would say 80 percent of what I do normally, I’m not doing for summer. It’s At least I’m trying not to. We’ll see. It’s really, really hard for me to step away and I think that’s the first thing that I want to talk about and admit is just how hard it is to even convince myself to do this.

Um, I am normally way ahead on the podcast. I think you guys know that. If you’ve been around for a long time, you’ve heard me talk about batching. And, uh, there were times where I was like six months ahead. I remember sitting down to have a conversation with someone I was interested in possibly, um, hiring to coach me [00:03:00] for, podcasting.

And he was like, Whoa, wow, that’s a really ahead. I think I had six months worth of episodes already recorded and like ready to go almost six months. And so then I kind of got in my head like, Oh, was that wrong? And kind of went backwards, but was still trying to keep, you know, pretty good. And then over the last several months, I’ve gotten further and further behind to where I’ve honestly been like, The episode that I need for that week isn’t recorded, which is very unlike me.

And it really does take the joy out of the work, at least for me. And I think that that’s its own really important lesson just in and of itself is I lose the joy of what I’m doing when I am behind. And I even lose the creativity because I feel pressed against time, which sometimes that works for us, but sometimes it just doesn’t.

And so it’s felt [00:04:00] much more like a chore than a joy for the last, I don’t know how long, six, eight weeks. And. I had in my mind like this idea of what if you just take a break for summer and it was so hard to convince myself that that was okay. And there were all these fears that were popping up, right?

That my ranking would drop, which it probably is going to, uh, that people will forget about the podcast, that I would never start it back up again, that I would lose all of my momentum. So those were a lot of the fears around. Taking a break from the podcast and then I would have to rationalize them, right?

I’d have thoughts like, wait, lots of people do seasons where they have a season and then they go away for a while and they seem to be okay. And just realizing I’m not giving my best work pressed up against the wall, trying to force it when [00:05:00] I’m just, you know, kind of behind on everything. So I decided to send my, my podcast editor the email like, okay, I’m just going to do it.

I’m going to rip off the bandaid. I’m going to send her the email and say, I’m taking a break and even that email like it got redrafted a couple of times before I finally hit send like at first it was all question marks like I was like, I’m thinking maybe all that was the first draft and then I was like, It by the end it was like this is what I’m doing.

This is when I’ll come back Here’s my plan over the summer because I am going to get caught up over the summer So one of the things that I am going to be doing is i’m going to be recording several episodes over the summer So that when I come back We have lots of episodes in the funnel ready to go.

So I, I sent the email and it was like, I could still change my mind. I could still be like, just kidding, never mind. But what was fascinating is after I sent it, I actually felt really good. Like I felt, [00:06:00] I felt lighter. And so I was like, okay, all right, I’m going to do this. But even in making that decision, I said it was for 12 weeks and I’m already like, Oh, maybe it should be eight.

I mean, some of the ideas I have for the podcast would be much better coming earlier rather than later. You know, just thinking about timing for when it would be best for you to hear different topics. And so I’m already struggling with like, Oh, is it really going to be 12 or will it be eight? We’ll see. I don’t know.

I said it was going to be 12. I’m going to just wait. Just wait and see how I’m feeling. I don’t have to make any of those decisions on day one. And that is its own lesson. I often, when I’m talking with my clients and there’s too many things on their plate, but they don’t want to fully get rid of something, I’m like, okay, let’s just pin it for a minute.

And I love saying that. Let’s pin it for a minute. Like we can come back to it. You can even put it onto your calendar. To review it over again, decide what you want to do in a week or a month or whatever that looks like. And I’m definitely [00:07:00] coming back to the podcast, but this idea of like, I’m just going to pin it for a minute, just the decision on, is it eight weeks or 12 weeks?

So today I was jotting down a to do list of things I want to get done today. And I’m like writing out, Oh, I want to do this and this. And they’re all like, like, Laundry, and, uh, do some food prep stuff, and I put read, and it just stopped me, because I put read on my to do list, like, as in just read my fiction book that I’m really into.

That is not something I have put on a to do list. in 15 years. Like, sure, I love reading and I try to fit it in, but it’s always squeezing it in where I can make it work. And honestly, the majority of those 15 years, it’s been all business books, personal development, ones where I feel very productive about it.

And then I would bring in [00:08:00] novels every once in a while to make my writing better and for a little funsy. And this time it was like, Oh, just cause I want to. And just seeing that and looking at that on my to do list that just said read. And I literally meant like, Go for a walk or sit down, walk, because I’m going to be listening, you know, to it in my, in my AirPods, or, you know, sit down and just read.

Cause I was like, wow, that feels really fun. So my thoughts around day one is number one, I definitely am surprised at how like light I feel like kind of energetic and excited. Like, like I’m doing something naughty. That’s honestly what it feels like. Like, I’m doing something naughty, even though it’s all my own stuff.

I’m the business owner. I’m the podcast owner. Like, these are all mine, and yet I’m like, Oh my gosh, I hope I don’t get caught. And then the second thing that has come through my head is [00:09:00] wondering if my ADHD is part of all of this, and why I always need to be doing more. I can’t sit still. And I feel like I don’t always demonstrate all the ADHD, ADD typical things that you would expect, but I also think that’s because of how I’ve learned to cope with it, right?

So the way I’ve learned to cope with it is to be, to try to be pretty organized, to try to use reminders and notes and. Text messages to myself and a million other things because I know that I can squirrel so quickly that I’m so quick at getting distracted that I basically put in all these safeguards to protect me against me and That’s what I’ve been doing for years and years and years.

But the other side that I started [00:10:00] thinking about today was Just looking back and realizing how much I constantly need to be doing things and the thought that came into my mind, this is so far back, was that when Taylor and I first got married, I was in between jobs for, I don’t, I can’t remember how long it was, a couple of weeks, maybe a month at the most, where I was, I had finished one and I was getting ready to start another one, probably only a couple of weeks.

And. I didn’t take that time and be like, Oh, I’m in a lounge. I remember I was like alphabetizing the spices and organizing and cleaning the whole kitchen. And I didn’t even know how to cook. I didn’t even know how to do anything in the kitchen yet. Um, but just this need to feel productive, to be moving.

And as I look over all the years, I just always needed to add so much more [00:11:00] than everybody else. I mean, I’m, I’m looking at like my friends and these women that I just adore and love and the amount of times I’ve heard the comments of like, how on earth do you do all this stuff? And I’m just used to it.

It’s just, it just is what, what I do and, and who I am. And it’s very much part of my personality. And I, I, um, enjoy everything that I do. So it doesn’t feel like work, but this intentional, Decision to take this semi summer sabbatical, which I even had to look up sabbatical. I’m like, what is the definition of sabbatical?

It’s so contrary to who I normally am. So it’s a rest or a break from work or an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I am trying to force myself to experience more stillness. more rest. I don’t know if that’s the [00:12:00] right word.

I don’t know if I could do that if my life depended on it, but more, um, just different, more different and be comfortable in it, which is, is going to take some work because I feel very uncomfortable when I’m not feeling productive. Like that’s just me and my personality. And, um, this quest of learning balance all of these years.

Came because ultimately I didn’t know how to rest. I didn’t know how to stop and That ultimately sent me into an ambulance. In fact, that’s one of the ideas Um, of one of the podcasts I’m gonna record over this summer is like my entrepreneurial journey and sharing with you like where it started, when the burnout really I think started, what was happening, uh, the big mistakes I made that took me to the ambulance and working my way out of all of that.

But ultimately [00:13:00] there’s still these inherent traits that make me who I am, which is that I like feeling productive. I love being efficient. I feel like it’s maybe one of my love languages right next to food. And I am trying to make some mindset shifts where all of this balance is happening. Giving myself permission to not balance so many plates.

I feel like I have become the queen of balancing 15 plates all at once. And I know how to do it. And I do it pretty dang good, actually. But what I’m trying to teach myself is to give myself permission to just fully let go of. A few of those plates and be completely okay with it and okay with myself in those decisions.

So that’s where I’m at. So this is day one. [00:14:00] These are my thoughts on day one. We’ll see how I’m feeling on day 30 or 60 and, uh, I’ll, I’ll share the process, but that’s, that’s day one. So I’m going to go switch the laundry, finish cleaning the kitchen. That’s the thing, there it is, look, there it is right there, so I’m taking a break from my regular routine, but I’m filling it because I just can’t help myself with all of these other things, but I’m excited about that, like I’m actually excited about it, so I’m not going to apologize.

I’m super excited that I already have both dishwashers loaded and running, that I’ve I’ve already got to talk to my cute missionary girl for an hour this morning. My workout’s done. I’ve already got the load of laundry in. I’ve sorted, um, you know, our, our clothes, like, and look at this. And I’ve already recorded part one of this podcast episode.

And now I’m going to go keep finishing cleaning that kitchen, switching the laundry, getting ready. You know, maybe I’m going to sneak [00:15:00] in reading in there. It’s on the list. We’ll see how I do. So wish me luck. I hope that this just helps. I hope it helps just sharing my process, uh, someone, you, I hope that’s my goal.

So I’ll be back.

Here is my second installment of this episode, but the honest truth is that it is 106 days later, so I made that first. Recording on June 3rd, and I had these intentions that I said, Oh, I’m going to update every 30 days. I even had it in my calendar. It was in my calendar every 30 days on, you know, around the first of each month, both in July and in August.

It was there and I am recording this on September 17th, and it has been 106 days. Okay, so let’s get into it. Let’s talk about this summer sabbatical and what I thought it was going to look like [00:16:00] versus what it actually became and what I’ve learned from it.

So the first thing is I said I was going to update all throughout. I said, Oh, I’m, I’m going to do this. And I didn’t. It did not happen. And I want to talk about that because I actually have zero guilt over it, zero.

And so I want to share why I think that is and. Why I actually think this has been so healthy. So the first thing that’s so interesting is we often have to talk ourselves into doing something that’s good for us because it’s going to be uncomfortable because we’re nervous about it, all the reasons. So I shared how I really did have to work at.

Talking myself into taking that break from the podcast, all the fears that I had around it, and trying to get myself to just say yes. I said yes, I sent out that email, but in getting myself to say yes, I gave myself a lot of, it’s going to be okay because. And some of those were, I’m going to get massively caught up on the podcast.

It’s going to [00:17:00] give me a chance to work on other projects in my business. I’m going to be able to take a little bit of a break, but I’m also going to be making forward motion, making this progress. Here’s the reality of what happened. Once I gave myself permission to take a break. Oh, I took that break. I mean, I really took the break.

I have been on my phone on sabbatical for not just 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. I’m already past 100. And you know what? It has been wonderful. And one of my very first lessons is the hardest thing is always just starting. That’s the hardest step. That is the hardest step.

It’s making the decision and taking the first step. And once I did that, once I made the decision and I took the first step, it got easier and easier to, I don’t know, shirk all responsibility? No, not really. But it [00:18:00] got easier to give myself permission to truly take This break. And when I say that, I’m saying before where it was like, it’s going to be a break, but with these stipulations.

Oh, no, I leaned in fully and I took the break. So, um, no, I didn’t really record. I did record three interviews, but I think they were all pre scheduled. They were. Every single one of them was pre scheduled before I made the decision. So those got recorded, which was great. It gave me three interviews to get into the funnel, right?

To get myself ahead. Um, but I’m going to be honest. This is my first time recording an episode since I recorded on June 3rd. So that idea that I had that, Oh, I’m going to get so ahead. Well, I’m a little ahead, but I’m not a lot ahead and I’m okay with that. I’m okay with that because ultimately what it comes down to when we are talking about balance is that we’re putting the [00:19:00] right things in the right places at the right time.

And the honest truth is I have zero regrets for how I spent my summer. So how did I spend my summer? Well, lots of vacations, lots of naps, lots of reading. I mean, I have read Over a dozen books over the summer, and it was so much fun. Um, I spent so much time with my family. I got our middle daughter off to college and obviously got her all prepared.

Uh, went to tons of parades because, uh, she was our apple blossom queen for our community for 2024. And that means she was in parades all over the state of Washington. And we had one in Canada even. And we were at all of them and we were chaperoning and we were a part of all of it. And there was no concerns about making everything work because I had given myself that break.

Our son does competitive wakesurfing and we were on the boat all the time, as many days [00:20:00] as we could. And I could do that as well. And then I spent a ton of time cleaning. And that sounds funny, but I typically have to be so effective in how I clean. I mean, I have a course on how to do less but better at home.

Like, how to actually keep a clean house when you have no time. This was the complete opposite. I had tons of time and I would literally like putter around cleaning things over and over again just because I could. I’ve never been so on top of laundry. So that’s how I spent my time and I have zero regrets.

It felt amazing. I loved it. I leaned into it and it was wonderful.

Now, one of my fears had been I’m not going to come back and I had forgotten about that. That was very, very interesting to me when I re listened to the first half to hear myself say that and hear this, this genuine fear of, you know, uh, ranking dropping and things like that, but that I wouldn’t come back.

And what was fascinating is that [00:21:00] I kept waiting to get excited to want to come back. And at the 30 day mark, when the alarm went off on my phone, that it was time to record the update. And I meant to, but I never got around to it and never got around to it. And eventually just dismissed it completely. And then 30 days after that, the next one, and I never got around to it.

And the same pattern hit and I started to fear, am I, am I going to not want to come back? And the truth is. I am here. I do want to be back, but I want it to be even more different than how it was before. And I felt like I had pretty great balance before, and yet I still want to make additional adjustments.

Giving ourselves permission to pull back allows us to get up on the hill. So, so often we are down in the trenches. We’re in the weeds, so to speak. And it’s really, really hard to see everything because we’re in the thick of it. But [00:22:00] when you can get up onto the hill and you look down and you see it all, it makes more sense.

There’s so much clarity. And that’s, that’s what it’s about. That’s what happens when we pull back for a time. That clarity is able to show up because we’re up on the hill. And that’s what I felt like happened. At the end of that first episode, I said I was off to change laundry and I was laughing because I was realizing this need for productivity and here I am running off to change laundry.

And those things did still happen, but I really leaned into days where there really wasn’t productivity. It was just doing what I want, meandering, relaxing, going from thing to thing that I just felt like doing. And that was very new for me and very fun. And so, as I think about all of this and what I learned, what I learned is it really is important that we each pull away from time to time from [00:23:00] whatever that is.

I’ve been in business 16 years and that’s the first time I’ve ever taken a sabbatical. I’ve ever taken a summer off. I want to do that every single summer now. I loved it and of course I couldn’t always do it depending on where we were financially or what things were going on but I could have done a version of it for sure.

So learning the power of pulling back. And how that can give you clarity of what you really want to be doing, what really matters, what’s really important, being able to put first things first, and being able to recognize and see what is good, what is better, and what is best. So, I do, want to keep doing the podcast.

I do have ideas and visions of things that I want to create that I believe could really, really help. And the last thing I want to talk about is how this sabbatical turned into something much, much bigger than I thought it would be. So [00:24:00] I thought I was just taking a break from the podcast. That was the plan.

I was gonna, I was going to actually still work on the podcast, but get caught up. And I was going to work on projects. I did not do any of it. In fact, I didn’t even get on social media. I have not posted, I, I don’t know, I haven’t opened it in quite a while, but let’s see. I have not posted on Instagram, I am assuming, since June, let’s, let’s look.

Last time I posted was, oh, May 15th. Okay. I have not posted since May 15th. It is September 17th. So four months ago, four months ago is when I last posted on social media. And there are things that I have missed. I miss my podcast. I miss working on projects where I’m like building and creating something that I know is going to help women.

I do not miss social media, not even a little bit. And that sparked the biggest idea that [00:25:00] came through taking this break, which was, What if we didn’t have to do it? So many of us have said, Oh, it’s, you know, like it’s the beast. Like it’s the, you know, you, you don’t want to, but you have to. What if we didn’t have to, what if there were other ways to get the word out to create our reach and our visibility that had nothing to do with having to make more reels, having to get b roll, having to post with the right copy and the right hashtag and the right hook and the right cta and the right links that are all going to be connected and then wondering why it didn’t really work and then trying again and then trying to figure out why that one did work and then trying again and you can’t replicate it because you don’t know why it worked and on and on and on on this hamster wheel what if we could just get off of it what if we could build Six figure income streams without social media whatsoever.

Now, would this be for everyone? No. Because there are some people who truly love it. They love being on social, and that’s fine. Like, if [00:26:00] you love it, then great. Stay there. But if it’s a source of frustration, too much of the time, as it was for me, because I’m constantly thinking, Oh, I should be getting more b roll.

Oh, I should be making sure I’m wearing things that are within a brand alignment. Oh, I should be posting stories right now. Oh, I should be making another reel. Oh, why did that reel not work? Why did my phone just decide to break and I just lost everything that I’ve been working on? Why Dang it, what hashtag should I be using?

How many, do I have the right copy? Is that CTA good? I guess not because it didn’t really perform. Like all of that drains me. I don’t enjoy it. I’ve never enjoyed social media and the biggest thing that happened through this break is

And so that’s the biggest thing I’m excited about is working on this project of being [00:27:00] able to work women like me through a step by step process of building a six figure income stream without using social media. And here’s the thing. I’ve done it. I’ve done it multiple times. I mean, when I started my business, there was no social media and I’m still doing it I’ve done it even since all the social media game and yet I didn’t realize that.

I didn’t put together, wait, I’ve had income streams that have zero social media presence and are still bringing in revenue and income. I still have new clients finding me and I’m so excited to start teaching those processes. So that’s the big thing. The number one aha light bulb takeaway I’m going to change.

That happened through this, through stepping back, was realizing that I unintentionally stepped away from social media because I just didn’t want to be there. I just didn’t want to put [00:28:00] in the energy and the time, and it felt so good and it was so empowering that it shifted everything and it started this question of what if we can create six figure income streams without any social media and could I teach others how to do it?

And I have been brainstorming this and writing it out and designing it and tweaking it and playing with it and putting it in place and I’m so, so excited for that. And so there you go. That was my sabbatical. And what became of it and how it was something totally different than what I thought it was going to be but also incredible.

Okay, if you are interested in learning more about the process of six figures without social media. I’m going to give the details right at the end of this episode. Thank you so much for being part of Balancing Busy and coming back after me being gone for so long. I am so excited to continue this journey with you and bring you [00:29:00] more ideas, strategies, and just everything that can help you have more balance, more joy, and more peace as we balance the busy. 

 Thank you so much for being part of this episode and coming back when it’s been a hot minute for sure. If you are interested and you want to know more about all of my plans, how I’m doing this while taking the pressure of social media off, not to say that people can’t still post, right? Like I am not anti social media, even though I’m calling it the anti social approach.

Leah: I am anti doing something because we’re being told we have to, even though it’s not working, it’s not producing results and feeling this weight and this pressure that this is the whole marketing strategy. There are other ways to bring in [00:30:00] clients that Create massive powerhouse results and don’t have to be at the whim of an algorithm.

So if you love the idea of that and you’re like, yes, I want to know more about this. It’s going to be coming in October, probably mid October. And if you go to So 115, that’s this episode number, 115. balancingbusy. com, I’ll make sure I have the link for you to be able to get on the list so that you can watch my journey, learn all the details, maybe even join me.

I’m going to have a select few at first and then we’ll open it up to more later and go through the process of building your wildly successful marketing funnel without the internet. Relying on social media. Okay. If that all sounds amazing, go to 115. balancingbusy. com. And thank you so much for being here, sharing this time with me, allowing me in your ear, and I hope that [00:31:00] there’s just a little something that you’ve taken from my sabbatical that helps you to find a little more presence, a little more purpose, and a little more peace as we try to navigate balancing the busy. ​

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