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The One Strong Mother Podcast
Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee (or reheat it for the third time—we get it), and join me for candid conversations about the messy, meaningful intersection of motherhood and personal growth.
This isn’t just a podcast about planners and productivity—though we love a good system around here. It’s about what it really looks like to pursue your goals while raising a family, managing chaos, and trying to stay grounded in the process.
Each week, I’ll share stories from my own life, behind-the-scenes lessons from building the One Strong Mother brand, and practical tools to help you stay organized, get intentional, and move forward—even when it feels like you're doing it all with a baby on your hip and laundry on the couch.
Whether you're in the thick of diapers or driving teens to practice, there's space for you here. Let’s figure it out together, one strong mother at a time.
The One Strong Mother Podcast
The Business of Motherhood: Implementing Systems for Efficiency and Productivity in Day-to-Day tasks
Ever had one of those days where you're running from pillar to post, buried under a mountain of tasks? See, my 15-year-old son did too, and a simple conversation with him about laundry got me thinking. It's all about creating systems that optimize our day-to-day lives, making them less about chaos and more about efficiency. We'll journey together through the idea of treating motherhood as a business, and how this unique perspective aids in managing tasks and time.
In the day-to-day realities of managing a household, it's easy to get drowned in larger tasks. But guess what? Breaking them down into smaller, achievable goals makes all the difference. Let's talk about journaling our successes and failures, and how this leads to the creation of a non-negotiable list that keeps us accountable. Prepping the night before, like packing lunches, can be a lifesaver too! We'll explore all these and more and learn how to make our lives a tad bit more manageable.
To round things off, we'll share some exciting news about the launch of One Strong Mother's Pelvic Floor Rehab and Nutrition program. But before that, let's talk about systems and organization, and how these can transform the way we approach motherhood. Remember, creating and maintaining systems isn't just about making life easier, it's about making it more efficient. So, buckle up, share, subscribe and join us on this exciting journey to efficient motherhood! Get ready to revolutionize the way you manage your day-to-day tasks and come out winning.
Thank's for listening and hanging out with your favorite hosts
Ashley Mussyal: Pelvic floor rehab physiologist and sports performance nutritionist
Charlie Sheamansmith: PT, DPT, Advanced pelvic floor certified
P.S...
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the email list to be entered in to our monthly $115 1St Phorm giveaway.
Hey, welcome to the One Strong Mother podcast, the show dedicated to empowering and inspiring moms just like you to embrace strength, balance and well-being in the beautiful chaos of motherhood. We're your hosts, charlie and Ashley, fellow moms, on this incredible journey together. Each week, we'll dive into candid conversations, expert insights and real life stories that explore the many facets of modern motherhood From pelvic floor rehab to nutrition, from stress management to self-care. We're here to provide you with the tools, wisdom and encouragement you need to thrive as an individual while nurturing your family. So, whether you're listening, well, on a quick coffee break or during those precious moments of solitude, know that you're part of a vibrant community of One Strong Mothers. Together, we'll navigate the challenges, celebrate victories and empower each other to become the strong, resilient women we were all born to be. Thank you for joining us today and, without further ado, let's dive into today's episode. Welcome back, ladies, for another episode of One Strong Mother with your host, ashley. It is another Lone Ranger episode with me, but you know what? Again we're gonna make it work and, honestly, today is kind of crazy for me as it is. I am home with a sick kiddo, so I figured why not take advantage of my extra time at home and knock out a couple of episodes with you guys. So again, welcome to the next episode of One Strong Mother, your favorite podcast, your favorite coffee time, drive time. You know those sacred times and I thank you for sharing your time with us here at One Strong Mother, and I will not. My promise is to not waste your time Today.
Speaker 1:I wanted to talk about something that took me what feels like entirely way too long to figure out, and maybe some of you guys already have this figured out in your journey of motherhood, self growth, whatever path you're on. Maybe you have figured it out, but this is something. I've reflected on this a lot, because I've had conversations with my oldest. He's 15 and he actually asked. He asked me a question the other day and this is kind of what got me thinking about this particular episode and why I felt like, hey, maybe I should actually record a whole episode on that topic in general, and that is the topic of creating systems, systems that work within your house, within your life, that create an easier reality I guess is a good way to put it a reality for yourself the question that he had asked me.
Speaker 1:I was upstairs folding clothes and I was pretty annoyed about it. I look like laundry is the bane of my existence. When you have a house of seven people, let me tell you there's a lot of freaking laundry, and my kids even. Sometimes they will wash their own clothes, but 99% of the time actually 100% of the time they are responsible for folding and putting away their clothes. So sometimes I will wash them and separate and then other times they do that for themselves. But either way, they are always responsible for folding and putting away. Because I literally just do not have enough time on my hands to put away everyone's clothes and constantly keep it organized. I take care of mine, my husband's and my two youngest, because they're only four and six at this time. So eventually they will take over their own clothes as well and it will just be mine and my husband's and towels and sheets and stuff that I'm responsible for. No big deal, but anyways, fast forward to the other day.
Speaker 1:He asked me a question that really had me reflecting on why it actually is so important to me. Again, I was super annoyed, very overwhelmed. There was a lot of other things that I needed to get done and he said mom, why don't you just leave this and come back to it tomorrow when you have less things to do, and sometimes I'm okay with that. There are times that I mean, let's be real, I am a mom and I'm not perfect at getting all of my things done that I've set out to do. I do have times that I fail at that task. But here's why I wasn't willing to negotiate on getting this task done on this particular day.
Speaker 1:What I find is when I don't get my laundry done, when I do kind of let myself slide from that non-negotiable that carries over into the next day for me In the simplest form of one, I feel like my room is a mess because I have to. I'm going to put those clothes on the floor for the night so I can go to bed, and then I'm going to make my bed in the morning and I'm going to put all those clothes back up on the bed. So that's problem number one. I do not like starting my day in defense mode with a mess, so that really bothers me. But really, here is where the turning point was for me and the realization of like oh, here's the root cause of why I actually wasn't willing to negotiate was then I followed up with telling him I actually like I don't have time to not do the laundry and I don't have time tomorrow. And let me explain that. Because if I don't do the laundry now, I don't organize my clothes now and put them away. I don't want to do that, but really what I'm costing myself tomorrow in the morning is more time, oddly enough, like I've never really thought about it until this moment. But in the time is in the sense of when I have to get dressed to go to work.
Speaker 1:Guess what? My clothes aren't organized. I can't just walk into my closet. Well, I mean, I probably could. I could probably find stuff, but lo and behold, the thing that I'm actually gonna want to wear is probably in the laundry. And so guess who has to take the time to thumb through all the clothes that are unorganized because I didn't take the time to fold them and put them away and organize them. I do, so that's more time that's wasted the next day. I can't afford that. I'm in a phase of life where time is quite literally money and I cannot afford to waste my time on looking for an outfit. I need to have that planned the night before when I go to bed. But if I don't get the laundry done, then I mean I could thumb through the laundry the night before, but I'm not going to, because there was already obviously a reason I chose not to get the laundry done in the first place. It's probably gonna be because I am behind on other things, or I'm just downright exhausted and just overwhelmed, overstimulated and I just didn't get it done. So the odds of me getting my outfit picked out the night before are probably slim to none. So time is money. Right now it's a currency for me and it's not worth wasting the time the next morning thumbing through laundry that didn't get folded and organized. So that's kind of how I laid it out to him and he instantly resonated with that. He understood exactly, because he does understand how precious time is right now.
Speaker 1:My husband is deployed. I am a single mom getting a business up and running with Charlie. That takes a lot of time. We both still work full time. We're both still moms. I have kids in sports. Her kids are older, but I have kids in sports. I do like every second of my day is scheduled out and I do schedule in downtime. But guess what? That downtime does not fall in the morning. So I need. I have to be as efficient, efficient as I possibly can, and that means getting the laundry done the night before so I can be efficient the next morning.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that it just it sparked a thought process in my head of like holy cow I've never actually sat down to think about it, but how true that is and why systems are so important and why I really believe that moms need to find systems. I went through a course, I went through a project management course, and I really realized I was interested in it from a business aspect and how I can apply it to myself in the business world, how I can advance myself, how I can advance a business, how I can find systems. But the more I got into it, the more I realized, oh dang, project management. Moms are actually amazing project managers, which is so unfortunate, because if I were to write that on a resume, you know somebody's gonna read that and be like whatever, like throw this resume off to the side. But really a good, efficient mom is probably one of the most powerful project managers that exist, because they have had to create systems in the chaos of what is motherhood and having multiple kids.
Speaker 1:So I wanna caveat that. What systems work for me are not gonna be systems that necessarily work for you. My brain works very differently than my boss's brain. Then we operate very differently, and that's okay. That's a beautiful thing, because we both bring different strengths to the table. Even that's a good point to point out is, if you are a spouse, so you're married, and you have a partner to do this crazy thing of being parents together, then you have an opportunity to create systems both individually and together, and you both are gonna bring different strengths to the table, and that is amazing, because then you create this beautiful cohesive system that exists together but both individually, so you can both be productive in your own worlds on your own things, but then create a system that allows you guys to work together.
Speaker 1:So a good example of this is I have my systems during the day, and so does my husband, and when he's here and in the same country as us, under the same roof, he gets off work earlier than I do. Well, no, we get off at the same time, but he gets home before I do, because he works on base and we live on base, and so he will typically come in and start dinner before I get home and I am out picking up kids from practice and from daycare, and that works. That's a system. That's a system that we've created to work smarter, not harder, and eating earlier, versus eating at 7.30 at night, whenever we're both home and can both cook at the same time right, and so he's already got the cooking started and when I get home I kind of pick up and I file in where I'm needed. I will get plates out, I will get whatever is needed wherever, like hey, do you need help making this? Or I will typically start grabbing things and start cleaning up the kitchen as he's still cooking, and so that way, when the whole production is complete and everybody's eaten, we don't have a huge mess on our hands. And so, again, that's a system that we've created amongst the two of us that we both bring different strengths.
Speaker 1:He loves to cook. I don't enjoy cooking as much as he does, so that's his thing. He's pulling a strength to the table. I don't do not mind whatsoever to clean up after him, because I have a specific way that I want my kitchen and my house clean and I'm gonna do it the way I want. That is my strength, my organizing, my cleanliness. Not that my husband isn't clean not that my husband doesn't know how to clean, but he's pulling a different strength than I'm pulling mine and it comes together as a cohesive system and we get those stuff done by working smarter together and not harder against each other. So that's kind of how we create this ecosystem within our house of systems.
Speaker 1:But I wanted to share some more like individualized systems that I use in my life and take of it what you will. If it applies, if you find value in these systems, please try to incorporate them. But I really wanna emphasize that we all have our systems and a unique way of operating. Do not put the pressure on like what I'm about to share. This has taken me years to transform into something that works specifically for my brain.
Speaker 1:I am a very scatterbrained person. I'm pretty sure I've got some like ADHD lying in there somewhere. Maybe we all do, I don't know, but I'm very, very, very scatterbrained and I have a hard time. If there's too much involved in this system, then I'm not gonna be successful at it. So I have found ways to like super, super, super, simplify my systems in the best way that works for me. So one of those is I create a non-negotiable list for myself this has been.
Speaker 1:This message has been delivered in different ways. I know, like on Andy Frisella's podcast, he calls it the power list. On the order of man podcast, he calls it his daily non-negotiables. Call it what you will, but it is a list of tasks that you are holding yourself accountable for, and I typically create this list the night before. So when I'm going to bed, that is actually part of my journaling practice is creating my non-negotiable list.
Speaker 1:I do not use journaling as a typical person where I sit down and write all about my day and how I'm feeling and I do practice gratitude within my journaling, but a big part of my journaling is creating that non-negotiable list for the next day. That's typically like it kind of gives me this space of when I lay my head down. There are some nights where my head just wanders and like, oh shoot, I didn't get this done. Oh crap, I need to add this to my list. Well, that's when I take that time to reflect and I will write them down. So it almost is like a way of like quieting my mind before I go to sleep as well. So it's kind of a two birds with one stone kind of thing for me where I get better sleep because I can just shut my brain off after I write this list down and also I have it written down, so when I wake up I I'm scatterbrained. Let's, let's remember that part. I'm not always. I forget things super quick and super easy, so I'm not always gonna remember what I thought about the night before, but because it's written down, I can look at it and be like, oh yeah, and get right back on track for myself for that day.
Speaker 1:This list never goes above five things. Typically it's anywhere from three to five, depending on the day, depending on what phase of life I'm in, depending on what I need to get done within business, within work, within home life, and those tasks are as simple as sometimes it is literally getting the laundry done. Like these are nothing complicated, nothing that's going to take. It shouldn't be goal oriented in the sense of like, learn how to code a website. That's not a non-negotiable, because that's for, at least for me. I don't know about you guys. Some of you may already know how to do that so you can get a chunk of a website done in a day. That is something that took me a very, very, very long time to figure out, so I couldn't exactly use that as a non-negotiable how. I would tweak that, though, for myself if that and I that has been part of my non-negotiables website stuff. So instead of saying, learn how to code a website, nope, you need to be super, super, super specific here and say, learn how to create the landing page for my website. So what's that first thing that they're gonna see? That is what I need to get accomplished today.
Speaker 1:That's where it felt realistic and achievable for me was breaking it down into extremely hyper focused, specific tasks for myself that I can like get in the zone of focus on this one thing without like if I just leave it open-ended of code a website, I would find myself staring at my computer for hours, and that is analysis or paralysis by analysis for me. I don't know how to do this. I don't know where to start. Do I start with a landing page? Do I start with like? Do I? What do I sign up for? Like, what had I get? This is my brain, like the scatterbrained version of me gets so overwhelmed. So I have to be incredibly specific. Creating a landing page is part of the bigger goal and it is definitely moving the needle forward, but I can stay super laser focused that day on. Okay, what all goes into a landing page? I need to get x, y and z. I need this headline, I need this title, I need this copy and contact us. Good, check it off the list, we're done. That was so much more achievable for me than it was learn how to design a website. No, thank you. Okay, so that is my non-negotiable. That kind of ties into the journaling. I made a list for myself, so I'm looking at the list right now and then I had written up oh, my God, I can't talk. I get so excited about this stuff.
Speaker 1:Journaling is definitely like it goes hand in hand, and I kind of touched on it when I was talking about the non-negotiable. So let's talk journaling. Journaling is gonna be different for everybody and I do look at journaling as part of my systems because that is where I create my non-negotiable list. But also I do practice gratitude In the sense of gratitude. I will even like a subtitle of my gratitude where I ask myself what did I accomplish, what did I achieve today and what also did I not achieve, like, what did I fail at? And that may sound super harsh and a lot of us do not like to look at the things that we failed at, but this is where, like, the biggest development happens is when you're willing to look at something that you failed at and then write it down, like physically write it down, because you have to take ownership over what you failed at and that's the only opportunity that you have to look at it. And how can I grow from this? Where can I go from here? Why did I fail at that? Did I fail miserably? Is it not right for me? Or can I tweak just this one thing and maybe tomorrow I won't fail at that? So that's part of my journaling and that is part of my systems on how to create a more successful day tomorrow is understanding where was I successful? Where did I struggle? How can I adjust? So, again, journaling, aspect of that this is something that I started recently, and when I mean recently, I mean like as soon as my husband deployed, life had changed because he was such a vital part of my system.
Speaker 1:In the evening, with five kids, I found myself even more scatterbrained and it's almost like I was like so busy but I wasn't getting anything accomplished and then it would carry over into the next morning where I felt like I was starting my day in like hardcore defense mode and I will be the first to admit, I do not function well when I'm in defense mode. So this is a question that I started asking myself at the end of every night, once I got the dishes put away, the counters were wiped down, the kitchen's clean, I would stand in the kitchen and ask myself what can I do tonight that will make tomorrow easier? I and I want to put this into some context, because I'm not about to start a three hour project right, like I'm not gonna do a three hour task that's gonna make tomorrow easy. No, what I'm saying? These are little things. So now that school's back in session, what can I do tonight that's gonna make tomorrow easier? Well, I can make lunches. I can pack our lunch boxes and I pack for myself and for my two young or no, my three youngest kids, my two older ones. They kind of take care of their own things, which is great, that's their responsibility, but my three younger ones are not quite there yet. So I pack for lunches, and so that's what I'm working on to make my, because that frees up so much time.
Speaker 1:I find myself going getting myself ready for work and then going downstairs and I am like balls to the wall, busy, and I don't have to be, and it's because I took maybe 20 minutes maybe 20 minutes to make my life easier in the morning. So that is controlling stress management for the next day. I am much more calm, I'm much more at ease when I'm not having to like you guys go get dressed while I get this done and like yelling not yelling out of anger, but like hurry, hurry, hurry and so that actually allows me to shift my energy. I'm a much more calm mom and working even Like. I'm much more calm when I show up to work, all because of a simple question that I had asked myself and it was very intentional the night before.
Speaker 1:That is part of my systems in order to create success the next day asking myself, what can I do tonight that will make my day easier tomorrow, and that kind of circles. That comes full circle into what Mason and I were talking about, about the laundry. I do this so I don't have to waste time tomorrow. So that kind of falls into that question organically of what can I do tonight that makes tomorrow easier. Well, that night it meant getting the laundry folded and organized and put away. So tomorrow it's a 30 second decision to pick out what clothes I'm gonna wear, versus thumbing through and maybe wasting five, 15 minutes and then having to come downstairs and make lunch and, like you can picture it, from there, it's chaos. It's freaking chaos getting my kids to school, all of us out the door on time. When you're a scatterbrained person like you, freaking struggle. And so I have had to work so hard to put these systems in place. So those are probably my biggest pieces of my systems. It's nothing overwhelming, like I do not live my every seconds of every day by a system, but it's very simple things that are put into place. The biggest one that keeps me on track is my non-negotiable list, because that does set out my day.
Speaker 1:I do not function well with like a planner, because my days are so routine I don't necessarily need to write down in a planner, hour by hour, what I'm doing. I've tried it so many times and I feel like I would like almost fail myself at being organized. So this is a perfect example of what a system that doesn't work for me but it may work great for somebody else, like if you have a lot of different appointments that you need to be in and out of. There was a time when I was like scheduling all my doctor's appointments, for my surgeries and post-ops and all these things. I did need a planner because I needed a place to keep all of these things organized so I didn't get distracted.
Speaker 1:But it doesn't work for me right now because I'm in a phase where my days are so structured. It's all the same. Every day is the same. I wake up, I usually work out, I get ready for work, I get my kids ready for school, we get out the door, we go to school, we go to work, I get off, pick up kids, pick up my oldest from sports, get home, make dinner Like there's nothing that's deviating. So a planner just does not come into play for me right now, and so that's why the biggest piece of my system is my non-negotiable, because I can slide those into the structure that I already have created.
Speaker 1:I don't need a planner, I don't need to write out everything, because I would just be writing on repeat. So it's only a few details that change, and sometimes those non-negotiables are getting a podcast recorded or the next day, getting the podcast edited, getting the podcast published. Getting an Instagram, like these are nothing that take a significant hours out of my day, but it's because I'm so scatterbrained it's a list that holds me accountable. If I write it on my list as a non-negotiable, I am going to treat it like I would a doctor's appointment. I am not gonna bail on a doctor's appointment because you typically get charged for that. Even with good insurance, you're still gonna be charged out of pocket for that. I am like that is time I will not get back. That is a non-negotiable I will not get back. So that's kind of where the standard of where I hold those non-negotiables. So that's why I kind of shared that piece of it.
Speaker 1:I just am not one that can live off of a planner. I'm unorganized when it comes to planners and then I buy the cutest ones, thinking like this one's it, it's gonna work for me, and then it just doesn't. I'll do it for like three days and find myself writing the same things and it just doesn't work. So I just don't fall into the category of the girl that carries around a planner. I do put stuff into my Google calendar so I remember appointments, but that's about as far as it goes for me.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, this was kind of a fast episode. I feel like I was talking really really, really fast, so for that I do apologize. It kind of falls into my scatterbrained mentality. I get really excited about a topic and then I find myself like I do it to my husband all the time. I'll tell him stories or I'll tell him information and I'm just like look what I found out. But this is something that has, like really really really changed the way I operate as a mom and feeling less overwhelmed and overstimulated when I start putting these systems into play and not realizing.
Speaker 1:I think the biggest turning point, like I said in the beginning, was taking that project management course and realizing how much of the business world like. The more I would listen to business podcasts and read all these books and stuff about growth, I would realize, like holy crap, if moms would just treat motherhood like business and that sounds so impersonal, and I don't mean that in treat your children like an employee but if you would treat motherhood, especially stay-at-home moms, like a business and learn how to put systems in place, you would actually free up so much more time so you could truly be more present with your kids instead of feeling like you're in this constant ring of chaos, that like you're failing at everything, because I can tell you, when I deviate from these systems, I will get super emotional and overstimulated and I will literally like just be crying tears of despair, feeling like I am failing at all areas of my life. But the second I get back on track and just take the time to not only put these systems in place but to then follow through with these systems man alive. I realize that I have much more free time in my life to have movie night with my kids, letting them pick out what like it means the world to them, just going for a bike ride because I've already gotten that podcast episode edited. Okay, well, I'm done, like I'm done with my non-negotiable. Now I have all this time on my hands. What a beautiful gift, right? So systems are everything, no matter what you're trying to be successful at. This can apply even to a weight loss journey, a fitness journey, like all the things it applies. There are systems and there are basics for a reason, but they have to be in place and you have to be consistent with them in order for them to maximize the results of success in your life, no matter what area you're trying to achieve a success in. So I'm gonna wrap it up there, because I could ramble about this all day, but I feel like I have gotten the strongest point across on why systems matter, how to apply them and maybe how to like play around with systems. Play around with what works for you.
Speaker 1:You might be the girl that a planner is like just what you were missing in life. It is definitely not what I'm missing in life, but no judgment, girl. Like, whatever works for you is what works for you, and please, please, only take what I have shared as an example. This may not work for you at all, and that is okay. That doesn't mean that there is something wrong with you. That just means that your brain works differently than mine. We are individual, unique, and no journey is the same, no process is the same and no system is the same. So please hold those words true to every growth path that you're on. Okay, what works for me? Use it as an example, try it and if it doesn't work, try something else. Find grace in where grace is needed and keep experimenting, because I promise you'll find what works for you, okay, okay, so I'm gonna close out with please, please, don't forget I will leave the link in the show notes to subscribe to our email list because remember, each month we are going to be giving away a $115 gift card to first form.
Speaker 1:This is where I get my collagen, I get my reds and greens powders for gut health and digestion and I get my daily multivitamin pack from there as well.
Speaker 1:I only buy from first form, one for what their company stands for and two I think that they are the most high quality, like the best supplements by far I've ever consumed, and I only ever stand behind and talk about what I have tried myself and what I believe is the best quality for my own personal body.
Speaker 1:So subscribe to our email list. We will be keeping updates on our course and the launch date. It is approaching and we will be announcing our launch date soon for the One Strong Mother, pelvic Floor Rehab and Nutrition. Of course, I am so, so excited about it. It's gonna be a really big deal. I hope that you guys are excited too and if this episode brought you any value whatsoever, or you know another mom that could gain value from putting systems in her life, if she is just overwhelmed, overstimulated and tired as hell, please share this episode. Help us grow the podcast, because without you we will not grow. So help us grow, share the show and remember to subscribe to the link in the show notes. Okay, thanks for listening to another episode of One Strong Mother and until next time, go out and be One Strong Mother.