Thanksgiving is done. How’d you survive, my friends? Whether you made the best memories over the long weekend or white knuckled those family moments, you’re not alone. That’s why I’ve created The Grown-Ass Woman’s Guide to Thriving though the Holidays, a four-part series that will help you:
  • Put the Joy Back in the Holidays
  • Navigate Difficult Conversations
  • Feel Powerful and Unstoppable
  • Attract What You Want Through Your Home

Therapist Melody Murray is back with her brilliant take on how we all can find peace, self love and sanity through this holiday season.

So let’s dive into that holiday chaos, shall we? We know we don’t want to go back to it, right? But before we can make a commitment to skip the stress this year, we first need to know why we insist on creating it. “I think it’s the pressure that’s put on us to be all things, to do all things; and then we just run with it, unfortunately,” Melody says.  “A lot of it is self-inflicted, some of it is just competition between women — all of that shit needs to go.”

But she says it only takes one voice to start a chain of change. “Like with all things, I think whenever someone stands up and has a different opinion, and then other people say, ‘I believe that too, I think that way too,’ it gives permission for everyone else to do something differently. So that’s what I really wish would happen more, where people will be really vocal about what they’re doing that’s against the grain.”

What if you and I right now, in this moment, decided not only are we not going to doing the things that just don’t work for us, but we’re going to share that with others? I’m in if you are. But if you’re not quite there, that’s okay. You’re not alone.

In the second episode in our series, author, speaker and communication expert, Alex Perry, shares how language and confidence (and cookies) can make or break your holiday season.

Where does confidence and language come into play when we are about to reconnect with people that maybe we don’t feel so confident being around? Alex says it’s important to start with a game plan. “We plan where we’re going to meet, what we’re going to do, what sorts of activities there will be,” Alex says, “But how much time do you plan ahead for how you’re going to respond to the thing that you know is going to happen?”

How does that practice look?

Alex says it’s all about anticipating what will happen and deciding in advance how you’ll respond in a way that will reflect you and the other person in the best possible light. “It takes effort and you have to practice out loud, but you can absolutely plan for it.”

What if I told you that even though you might know what you want in your life, your style choices could actually be preventing it from happening? For real. Style Coach Erin Mathis shares simple and inexpensive ways to level up your look to attract what you want. The best part? You can start today!

Full disclosure: I am not all that confident when it comes to style. I shop at the same places. I buy the same types of things. As a child of the ’80s, I tried to rock the knock-off version of the latest trends. You can imagine how that went.

But one thing this phase of life, and the last year-and-a-half, has taught me, there’s no better time to shake things up than the present.

Enter Erin. She helps women in midlife who feel stuck in a rut ✋🏻 and want to empower themselves to take charge of their future. 💪🏻 Yes, please. 

As we kick off 2023, millions of people are talking resolutions; making major shifts and changes in their lives. For me, I’m not a big fan of resolutions. We’ve seen it before and all know what happens five days, maybe a week later. Most people just give up. Instead, I am a big believer that what comes with a new year is a fresh opportunity to invigorate our lives, maybe set some goals; and there’s no better place to start than at home. 

Carrie Leskowitz is a certified life coach and award-winning interior designer with over 20 years experience transforming both spaces and lives. In this episode of The Grown-Ass Woman’s Guide, Carrie shares tips to help create a more aligned space —  simply and inexpensively; and she shares what not to do if you want more love, peace and abundance in your life. 

Tell me: What do you need in your life in order to THRIVE through the holidays?