Dopamine Diaries

I did a 30 minute boredom experiment… no phone, no book, nothing in my hands, nothing to listen to… just me in a chair on my back deck and i thought it would be easy.It was not easy.  The first 10 minutes my brain did everything in its power to avoid being still… planning, brainstorming, anything but the chair. and then somewhere around minute 10 something shifted and i started noticing things i hadn’t noticed in years… the birds, the wind, the smell of the flowers, my favorite tree. and i got kind of emotional because i realized how much of my life with my daughter i’m not actually present for. not because i’m a bad mom… because my brain doesn’t know how to turn off.This episode is about what happened in those 30 minutes, why presence is so uncomfortable we avoid it without even realizing it, and why one of the brain games inside wired is literally just a 3 minute version of this. if you can’t sit with nothing for 3 minutes, you’re probably not as present as you think you are with the people you love. 

this one's got a little bit of everything... money blocks, marriage secrets, a solo trip glow-up, and my favorite new phrase, "you're glitching again."Kayla sat down with me post-Wired and just started unloading the good stuff. First the money thing, she didn't think she was worth spending on herself, even though she'd casually drop the same amount on a family trip without a second thought. We dug into that for a minute (round of applause for her honesty).Then she tells me about a trip she took with her childhood friends... no kids, no husband, and for the first time ever, no anxiety either. No shutting down, no leaving early, no upset stomach. Just an actual good time.oh and she didn't tell her husband she signed up for Wired. at all. until he started noticing the difference himself.in this one:the "world's on fire" urgency and what it actually quieted intothe belief that she wasn't worth spending money on herselfa solo trip with zero anxiety, no upset stomach, no early flight homethe random brain stuff remembering numbers, finishing her sentenceswhat she'd tell a mom sitting in that "I don't deserve this" feelingher line that's been stuck in my head: "I'm still safe with going slower."https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wired

Dr. Katie Brockert shares how she found herself reaching for her phone during every quiet moment, at home, in social situations, and most painfully, while her young son played beside her. After installing app blockers that she'd immediately override, she knew something deeper was going on.Through the Wired program, Katie had a breakthrough realization: she wasn't just scrolling mindlessly, she was using her phone to suppress emotions, a pattern she'd carried since childhood. That moment of awareness, she says, felt like "water being splashed on my face."In this episode, we talk about:How postpartum life amplified her relationship with her phoneUsing scrolling as emotional avoidance, and the moment she connected the dotsThe shift she noticed in the 4–8 PM witching hour with her sonHow her son's behavior changed as she became more presentWhy she believes everyone thinks they don't have a phone problem, and why they're wrongFinding the "happy medium" with technology instead of going all-or-nothingFavorite quote: "I don't know anybody who's like, 'I feel amazing after they've doom scrolled for two hours.'"If you've ever wondered whether your phone use is quietly pulling you away from the life you actually want, this one's for you.WIRED Starts June 22nd, 2026https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wiredConnect with Dr. Katie, a postpartum focused physical therapist that works with moms through her program, StrongHER Core.

Okay you guys, this one is so good and I think it's going to hit for a lot of you.This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my clients, and honestly? The awareness she showed blew me away. We've been working together on identifying the emotions that are actually driving her actions throughout the day, and what she shared with me was just chef's kiss in terms of how much she's grown.We're talking about the two to three day benders. You know what I mean. The doom scrolling, the eating like garbage, the canceling plans, the not wanting to do anything. And I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell everyone, your phone is not the problem. The apps are not the problem. The problem is the emotion underneath all of it that nobody is actually helping you identify or deal with.Blocking apps, locking your phone in a drawer, deleting Instagram for a month none of that is fixing what's actually going on. And I think deep down, most of you already know that.We're getting into:Why your scrolling habit is really just an unmet need in disguiseWhat my client's story taught me about the power of self-awarenessWhy willpower-based fixes will always make the urge worseWhat it actually looks like to have a neutral relationship with your phoneThere is nothing wrong with you. There is just an emotion that nobody has helped you figure out yet. Let's change that.Want to join the 243 people on the WIRED waitlist?  https://mnmfitnessco.kartra.com/page/wired-waitlist

Okay… this is gonna be a little unhinged, because I had this realization like… oh.I didn’t not do the work…I just did a shit ton of work that didn’t actually change anything.Like I could explain all my patterns, I could connect every single dot imaginable AND tell you why I was spiraling.....while....actively still spiraling.  LOL So this episode is me basically calling that out.I talk about: how I spent years being “self-aware” but still stuck in the same cycles  why healing actually feels like shit (and the second it does, we go find a new thing to try)  the difference between understanding yourself… and actually not letting your emotions hijack you  and how my brain STILL sometimes freaks out when I’m resting like “hi yes something is definitely wrong???” Also I said something in here that I can’t stop thinking about:it used to feel like my emotions would grab me by the ponytail and just drag me around all day, & now… they show up…but they don’t have hands anymore.Which sounds nice…until you realize you now have to SIT THERE AND FEEL IT.Anyway.If you’ve been on a “healing journey” for years and you’re like “why do I still feel like this???”Hit play & spend 15 minutes with me today.

This one cracked me open a little.I’m in a season I’ve never been in before… where I’m not chasing more in the way I always have, and honestly, I don’t fully recognize myself here yet.In this episode, I share: what it’s been like to feel my inner critic get quieter… and how unsettling that actually is  how I used to chase achievement to feel enough, and why that doesn’t drive me the same way anymore  the weird, uncomfortable feeling of contentment  and the daily tension between the version of me that wants to push… and the version of me that just wants to be I cried in this one. I laughed in this one. I’m still figuring it out in real time.But this is what it looks like for me right now.

WIRED: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wiredThis one’s a bit of a rant… but it needed to be said.After hearing multiple people say they’re afraid of failing, I’m breaking down what’s actually going on underneath that fear, and why it’s keeping you stuck.Inside this episode: why you don’t need fear to go away before making a decision  how your brain is wired to fixate on worst-case scenarios  the real reason change feels so hard (even when your current patterns suck)  and what it actually looks like to move forward with fear still in the passenger seat If you’ve been sitting on a decision because you’re scared it won’t work… this is your nudge.

WIRED: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wiredThis episode started with me painting my nails… and turned into one of the biggest realizations about burnout I’ve had.I share a season where I felt completely disconnected, from my husband, my energy, and honestly myself, and the unexpected moment that snapped me out of it.Inside this episode: why burnout doesn’t make your brain shut down… it actually speeds it up  the real reason “rest” doesn’t work when you’re exhausted  what your brain actually needs to get out of survival mode  and how one small shift completely changed my ability to connect again If you’re tired, overstimulated, and wondering why nothing is helping… this will click. 

WIRED:  https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wiredThis episode is a full-on passion crash out, I hit record because I couldn’t not say this, and I mean every word of it.I’m talking about the thing so many of you are doing, asking for help, but not actually letting yourself receive it.Inside this one: why it feels so uncomfortable to be supported (even when you need it)  how hyper-independence keeps you stuck, exhausted, and overwhelmed  the real reason your brain resists help (hint: it’s not about timing)  and what it actually takes to start letting people show up for you This is blunt, a little aggressive, and coming straight from lived experience.If you know you need support but keep finding reasons not to take it…well, you know what to do.

WIRED: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wiredI almost lost my business… and nothing was actually wrong.In this episode, I’m talking about how nervous system dysregulation can quietly lead to self-sabotage, especially if you’re a high-performing woman, business owner, or in a high-pressure career.We get into: how overthinking, comparison, and consuming too much content can pull you out of alignment  why feeling “not enough” can start running your decisions without you realizing it  the difference between business problems and nervous system problems  and how this pattern can make you want to walk away from work you actually love If your work suddenly feels heavier than it should… this will explain why.

Two moments of motherhood I’m not proud of… but I’m sharing them anyway.In this episode, I talk about how easy it is to lose trust in yourself as a mom,  especially when you’re overstimulated, burnt out, and just looking for a break.We get into: how scrolling can quietly mess with your confidence as a parent  why “taking a break” on your phone doesn’t actually feel like a break  what’s really happening in your nervous system when everything feels like too much  and the honest truth about resentment, ambition, and early motherhood I probably overshared, but I have this feeling I'm not the only one.WIRED: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/wired

This episode is the version of motherhood nobody posts about online.I was 6 weeks postpartum, not okay, and willing to pay anything for someone to help me figure out what the hell was happening to me.So I brought on Dr. Nicole, the person who saw me in that state and didn’t look away.We talk about:being deeply in love with your baby… and also feeling like you’re drowningthe anxiety that makes everything feel dangerousthe depression that shows up way later and makes you question everythingthe identity loss no one prepares high-achieving women forand how the system checks on your baby… then sends you home like “good luck”Also:how social media quietly made it worsewhy you feel crazy but aren’tand what actual support should have looked like the whole timeIf you’ve ever thought “I should be happier than this”or “Why does this feel so much harder than everyone said”,this episode is yours.Want support beyond this episode? here’s where to find Nicole + her work:The Whole Mom Circle — virtual group with trusted providers + resources ($24/month) PP Growth Tracker — track your progress alongside your baby ($9) Birthing Her — on-demand course on the “birth of the mom” ($39) 4th Trimester Program — 3-month group coaching (sleep, identity, recovery, intimacy, newborn challenges, full postpartum care plan)Connect with her on IG

If you're a regular podcast listener, you're probably like, hey, where have you been? Y'all, I've been here, but I've been fighting for my life.In this rapid fire update episode, I'm getting you up to speed before the podcast gets back to regular episodes in 2026. I talk about the season of high stress that tanked my hormones, why I'm on hormone replacement therapy at 36, what happened when I more than doubled my audience in three months, and what it's like to experience your life muted or in black and white overnight.If you're in a season where gratitude feels out of reach and someone telling you to just be grateful is shit advice.If you want to know what nervous system work actually looks like when life is kicking your literal ass.If you're a working mom who hasn't found peace in that yet.Sometimes the goal isn't to find positivity in the suck. It's to find something else entirely.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Let’s get real, folks. I say this all the damn time, but you won’t know the freedom of letting your truth out until you just do it.In this episode, I’m laying it all on the line about the messy, chaotic world of motherhood and the shitstorm I faced for being honest about it. I’m talking about the isolation that comes from feeling like you have to wear a mask and the judgment from other moms that makes you want to scream.I’ll spill the tea on what happened when I finally stopped pretending everything was fine and started to own my struggles. Spoiler alert: it’s fucking liberating. Motherhood doesn’t have to be this martyrdom game where you’re constantly feeling like a failure. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I should be tougher,” or shoved your feelings down because you’re scared of what others will say, this episode is for you. Let’s face it: you deserve to express yourself without being called a victim. Lean into your truth and watch how it transforms you. Your kids deserve a mom who isn’t just surviving but thriving. I wish I had learned this sooner.So, are you ready to shake things up? Tune in and let’s start dismantling the stigma together!Ready for HBA?  20% off: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

There’s a point where being capable stops feeling empowering and starts feeling heavy.Today I’m talking with Rebecca, a law firm partner, a mom, and a woman who walked through one of the hardest years of her life while holding everything else together.Rebecca didn’t shop, drink, overwork, or “self-regulate” because her life was chaotic, she did it because she believed she had no right to struggle after choosing success, motherhood, and partnership.This episode unpacks how guilt and self-censorship quietly drive coping behaviors long before burnout shows up.We’re unpacking why women with full lives often feel the least at peace, how motherhood changes the nervous system, and what it looks like to move from coping to actually feeling safe inside your life.Check out Rebecca's Substack: https://rebecca262.substack.com/Ready for HBA?  20% off: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba1-1 High Touch Coaching:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAV0ZeJ0d7M-aLuPMGwwxmJqTXtiL3m3ybMDtNV0G-BgSI_w/viewform?usp=header

This isn't a meal prep episode. It's for everyone who's been eating chips for dinner and throwing away rotting groceries every single weekend.In this very honest conversation, I'm breaking down how we went from spending $1,200+ per month on groceries that literally got thrown away to now spending under $1,000 with a fridge that's actually full, seven meals on rotation, and dinner that takes 30 minutes start to finish on autopilot.I share the breaking point that finally changed everything (spoiler: it was impacting my relationship, my motherhood, my business, my ability to exercise, and my confidence as a coach), why I had to let go of trying to source the "best quality" foods, and the exact MFK Method I use now: microdecisions, making it fun as fuck, and setting up the kitchen for future me.If you're spending hundreds on groceries but still piecing together snacks after bedtime... If you're tired of making dinner decisions at 5pm after a full day of chaos with a toddler on your hip... If you refuse to keep carrying the full mental load of this and you're ready for something that actually works for your season of life...Stop trying to go all out. Stop acting like you need an apron on churning your own butter. This is plug and play, it's Lego stacking your meals, and it no longer feels like a fucking chore.MFK: It motherfucking works.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

I don't know if I'm gonna post this episode. It's gonna be messy. But holy fuck, I gotta get this out.In this very raw, very honest conversation, I'm talking about why HBA is actually a hard sell. Because when you actually unlearn survival patterns to the point where you can't go back, it's not glamorous. And right now I'm grappling with wanting to go back to the disconnected, cutthroat version of me from a year ago, and my whole body is rejecting it.I share why my career is a trauma response, what it's like after 16 months of unraveling to realize I literally cannot force myself backwards even though I'm trying, and the truth about healing that nobody in the nervous system space is talking about.If you've been exhausting yourself doing surface level work and talking about your coping patterns but never actually getting out of them. If you keep rage quitting programs because you can't seem to change. If you want to understand what it actually takes to get past the point of any return.This is the honest version. This is what unlearning survival patterns actually looks like. And it's a lot harder than anyone will tell you.Some of you are gonna think I'm fucking crazy. Go for it.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Urgency isn’t my word for 2026, and if you’re feeling that too, this episode is for you.In this very honest, slightly uncomfortable conversation, I’m talking about why 2026 is shaping up to be a maintenance year for me: refining instead of grinding, listening instead of forcing, and honoring the very signals I teach women to notice.I share what it looks like to build something you love (hello, HBA), hit momentum, and then feel your body quietly tap you on the shoulder asking you to slow down, plus why that isn’t failure, backsliding, or “losing your edge.” It’s actually proof the work is working.If you’re coming off a year that took everything you had…If setting big shiny goals feels more exhausting than exciting…If you’re high-functioning, self-aware, and still weirdly disconnected from what your body needs…Consider this your permission slip for a maintenance year, and a reminder that sustainable success lives in the bridge between your brain and your body, not in blowing past both.Happy 2026. Take a breath.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Let yourself be supported. I say it all the time, but holy fuck, you cannot possibly understand what that feels like until you just do it.In this conversation, I'm sharing what happened when I finally hired support for my business after being a one-man show for five years. I talk about why it was so hard to do, the moment I was filling out a form that asked what's weighing on my mind and I literally couldn't find a problem, and why motherhood chaos feels completely different now.I share what changed when I stopped believing I could do it better myself, why the discomfort of doing something for yourself as a mother is so short-lived, and what happens when you finally have the energetic bandwidth you've been missing.If you know deep down there's something you want or need but it feels really bad to say out loud because you think it's taking away from your family. If you've been listening to this podcast for a year and still haven't done HBA (yes, I'm talking to you). If you believe that energy, money, time, and resources belong to your kids first and asking for support makes you less of a mother.Be selfish. Your kids get a different parent when you're supported. And I'm kicking myself that I didn't give this version of me to my daughter sooner.Take the first step.Grab HBA at 20% off: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Okay, what the heck is the round table? I'll be honest, I almost talked myself out of recording this because I'm like, no, you're gonna be too passionate. You're gonna scare people away. But fuck, man, I'm so tired of these invisible business rules.In this conversation, I'm breaking down the four pillars of the round table. I talk about why I'm creating the room I've always wanted to be in instead of trying to find it, how you can give HBA to your clients as part of your offer at no extra cost, and why supporting the human behind the business matters more than any system or strategy.I share the story of spending more than half of my coaching career kind of hating the gig, dreading client conversations and Instagram and fucking everything because I wasn't supported, and what changed when I finally figured out the right combination.If you've done a lot of programs and all it's ever been is more information that you feel disconnected from. If you're burning yourself out just to keep things where they're at. If you don't give a fuck what systems or strategies you think you need in 2026 because deep down you know that if you, the business owner, are not being supported, your strategy will fall flat within the first couple months like it has year after year.I'm creating the room I wanted to find all of these years. And I really, really hope you join it.Dm me on IG (Kate.liz.h) for details.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Today’s episode is one of my favorites, because you’re about to hear from Christine, a VP of Operations who leads a team of 300 people across the United States… and still found herself stuck in the same survival patterns so many high-achieving women do:running on autopilot, feeling on 24/7, & drowning in self awareness but unable to change.Inside this episode, Christine shares:What it’s really like managing hundreds of employees while trying to regulate your own nervous system Spoiler: she thought she was “high strung”, turns out she was just stuck in survival mode.The moment she realized she’d been living on autopilot Checking boxes, multitasking, hitting metrics… yet feeling disconnected from herself, her partner, and her team.How tiny daily lifelines inside HBA shifted her out of spirals in seconds She describes one of the tools as “brain floss” (and I will never get over that).Why self-awareness alone wasn’t helping her So many women can explain their patterns, but HBA finally gave her the tools to interrupt them.How HBA made her a more grounded leader She now walks the floor with intentional presence, takes real lunch breaks (!!!!!), and holds space without feeling drained.Why she did HBA twice… and why the second round hit even deeper Different season, different growth. Same nervous system magic.What she'd tell any woman on the fence about joining Her words, not mine: “Do not deny yourself the opportunity to feel your best. This is the one thing that actually tipped the scale.”Ready for HBA?  20% off below.https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

I'm feeling it right now. We're gonna quickly throw it on the podcast because I want women to know that it's possible.In this conversation, I'm sharing what one of my one-on-one clients said to me after six months of working together. I talk about the trap every working mom falls into, why we're trying to take a top-down approach to a bottom-up problem, and the secret to actually having energy for your career instead of operating at negative 3% battery charge.I share why routines are rigid and require perfection we ain't got to give, what happens when you learn the act of presence in tiny manageable rhythmic chunks, and what it looks like when you catch the zero to a hundred snap moments and respond with what you need instead of impulsively reacting on your kids.If you're extremely self-aware and when you're spiraling you know exactly what's going on but you can't seem to snap out of it. If you've been talking yourself out of support every which way you fucking can. If you struggle to justify doing things for yourself because it's always more justified giving that to your kids.Think about what would change for them and how it would impact their experience of you when you are supported.Want a full list of mental buffers I call The Transitions Toolkit?  Grab them for FREE in Healthy B*tches AnonymousHealthy B*tches Anonymous 20% OFF Below:https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hbaDm me on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/kate.liz.h/

I've had this conversation no less than six times this week already. And because of that, I was like, okay, this is also something I used to struggle with, and sometimes I still struggle with it. So I think it's worth bringing it on the podcast.In this conversation, I'm talking about when we find ourselves eating more than what we actually need and using food to cope. I share the bodyguard analogy that changed everything for me (think Taylor Swift and her long-term bodyguard), why yelling at your nervous system for doing its job keeps you stuck in the exact pattern you're trying to break, and the mistake people make when they try to change coping habits.I talk about what actually needs to happen when the stress eating is going on, why your bodyguard decides what is safe and what is threatening off of sensations alone, and what shifted for me when I stopped beating myself up for it.If you're aware of it happening but you can't stop yourself from doing it. If you're trying to willpower or discipline yourself into not snacking but it's making it worse. If you know so much but can't implement any of it (yeah, I'm talking to you intellectualizers).Maybe the place you need to start is to stop beating yourself and your nervous system up for simply doing its job. And maybe you need to learn how to send a different signal.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

If you follow me on Instagram, you may or may not have seen this. But I shared yesterday that I was going to record a podcast about a specific topic.And that topic is the conundrum that happens when something is not going the way you want it to in your business or career, and how it compounds into the beliefs you have about who you are as a parent, as a wife, as a friend.In this conversation, I'm talking about your inability to feel safe in the dips and why the ebbs and flows of work leak into what you think your value is at home.I share my story of dismantling my entire business when I got pregnant, the cycle of being aware of what's happening but not being able to do anything to come out of it, and what somatic safety actually is.If you get stuck in these cycles and don't know how to meet yourself within them. If people keep telling you to be a more present parent but nobody is actually saying how. If you logically know what you need to do but you can't get yourself physically to do it.It's not a mindset problem. It's a body problem.And if you have all this self-awareness without somatic safety, it's kind of like having a PhD in drowning. You can name what's happening very well, but you still can't breathe.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

This is a special episode. A very special episode because one year ago, today, I started day one of the very first round of HBA.In this conversation, I'm talking about what it has been like for me to 100% commit to something for a year. I share why I've never maintained this level of energy with anything else, what I learned from launching HBA every single day for 365 days straight, and why the reasons you think you're sabotaging something are not actually the reasons.I talk about building tolerance to stay in discomfort when you're not getting the dopamine you want, the all or nothing pattern that was stronger than I knew, and what it's like to close my laptop and feel satisfied even when things aren't going the way I want them to.If you're stuck in the disconnect between what you say you want and what you actually do. If you've always been either all in or all out. If you've spent a lot of your days being brutally mean to yourself.Life is so much different when you're not spending most of the 24 hours you have each day fighting off a fire alarm in your head for reasons that aren't even obvious.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Want a full list of mental buffers I call The Transitions Toolkit?  Grab them for FREE in Healthy B*tches AnonymousHealthy B*tches Anonymous 20% OFF Below:https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hbaDm me on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/kate.liz.h/

So… I’ve been sitting on this one.Because I wanted to say it perfectly, which, spoiler alert, is exactly the shit this episode is about.I talk about the silent battle so many high-achieving women are fighting, chasing the promotion, the client, the income thinking it’ll finally be enough… and still feeling hollow AF after.I share things about my career as an entrepreneur I have never said out loud. If you’ve ever had a “win” that made you want to cry instead of celebrate?Yeah. You need to hear this one.

Want a full list of mental buffers I call The Transitions Toolkit?  Grab them for FREE in Healthy B*tches AnonymousHealthy B*tches Anonymous 20% OFF Below:https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hbaDm me on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/kate.liz.h/

HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hbahttps://healthybitchesanonymous.com/welcome

Judge me for this, resisting the Xanax urge today 

I welcomed a guest today, long time friend & fellow business owner Sammie Rodriguez.   She just celebrated two years in her business & I can vouch for how INCREDIBLE her product is!  We talked about the early grind of building a business & the time sacrifice involved, lessons learned along the way, & the difficult balance of scaling a business & still mothering at home.  You can connect with her below:Instagram - @mentalbakedownllc Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/1CAA7PbJR1/?mibextid=wwXIfr(Mental Bake Down LLC)Website: https://www.mycustombakes.com/mentalbakedownllc

Working mom of a multi-six figure business that is doing it all.  Hear how Brittany Kovac's experience in HBA has changed everything.HBA: https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hba

Want a full list of mental buffers I call The Transitions Toolkit?  Grab them for FREE in Healthy B*tches AnonymousHealthy B*tches Anonymous 20% OFF Below:https://www.mnmfitnessco.com/hbaDm me on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/kate.liz.h/