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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
90-Project Planner - Set the Plan, See the Progress, Savor the Success
Step into a world where planning and organization become your superpowers as we explore a transformative approach tailored specifically for the woman that feels to overwhelmed to know where to start. Imagine a planner that doesn't confine you to the rigid boundaries of a calendar year but adapts to your life, no matter when you start. Developed with insights from mental health professionals and my supportive husband, this episode unpacks the art of breaking down your ambitions into manageable 90-day segments. From organizing your household chaos to embarking on a fitness journey, I promise you'll uncover techniques that can bring clarity and action to your goals. With QR-coded guides and blank monthly calendars, this planner is your versatile companion on the journey to achieving your dreams.
Join me as I share my personal journey and the creation of this planner, born from my own experiences as a military spouse and stay-at-home mom craving more resources and community support. Discover the significance of setting SMART goals and the power of understanding your 'why' with the seven levels of why exercise. Together, we'll navigate the hurdles of goal setting, from holidays to unexpected challenges, with strategic planning techniques. This episode is a heartfelt invitation to moms everywhere to embrace the power of planning and community, reminding you that you're not alone in your aspirations. Whether juggling family, work, or personal growth, this planner—and our community—has your back.
Get your planner today and kick start your year with a winning plan!!
Hey there, welcome to the One Strong Mother podcast, the space where empowering and inspiring moms unite to embrace strength, balance and well-being amidst the beautiful chaos of motherhood. I'm your host, ashley, a military spouse and mom of five walking this incredible path beside you. In each episode, I'll bring you candid conversations, expert insights and heartfelt stories that touch on every facet of modern motherhood. Whether you're sneaking in a listen during a quick coffee break or savoring those rare moments of quiet, together we'll tackle the hurdles, boost each other up and cement our place as the strong, resilient women we are designed to be. Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode. Shall we designed to be? Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode, shall we? Okay, welcome back to another episode of One Strong Mother. Here we are ladies taking action and doing the darn thing another day. Okay, I majorly celebrated hitting the record button last week. I am going to equally celebrate taking action yet again and hitting that record button, editing and publishing in the same day, so I can keep building momentum, because when we build momentum, we move the needle forward on whatever that goal is. I thought it would be fun. I introduced you to one taking action, but two, the planner, and I didn't really dive too deep into it. So I really wanted to sit down and record an actual episode of just simply breaking down this planner, and not for any reason of being like salesy or like trying to convince you to go buy it, but more so like explaining my process even, and what the planner is about, so you can kind of have an inside sight on not even like just needing the planner, but also understanding what my thought process was as I designed it and the tools that were helping me become more organized in my thoughts and processes. And this has applied over every area of my life, like I have literally used this planner in the areas of fitness and health and wellness. I have, like I've had people use it for that very reason. But also it can literally be applied to any goal that you are working towards, whether that be having a more organized house.
Speaker 1:The planner is perfect for that. It is so neutral to whatever the goal is that it is just a project management tool, breaking it down in 90 days, and you may not complete the goal in 90 days, but I wanted women to be able to start thinking in quarterly goals instead of like I think that it's important to have a year long goal, but also you need to be able to break that down by quarter and operate in that quarterly mindset, which is why it's set at 90 days. 90 days equals out to a quarter in the year. But also it's undated, so you can start it at any point. You don't have to start it at the beginning of any of the quarters or at the beginning of 2025. Like it is undated and that's another thing that I absolutely love about this planner is it's completely you're able to use it at any point. There's been so many times where I've wanted a planner from the store and I end up not buying it because I don't want to spend $60 on a planner that's already like halfway into the year and I'm not even going to get to use the $60 worth of the planner. So that is like something that I was really adamant about was having the ability to order.
Speaker 1:This isn't just a typical like daily planner. You know it is not about what year you're in. It's about the 90 days in front of you and let's break just that down and stay focused on such a micro level that you will accomplish something by the end of the 90 days. It may not be the whole goal, but it is something. So with that I thought it would be fun to dive into each section and explain really what they are. So, for reference, before I even dive into the sections well, I guess this is kind of a section. So when you open the planner, you're going to open up to. The first page is the written description on how to get the most out of your planner. Page is the written description on how to get the most out of your planner.
Speaker 1:Some people absorb more by reading. Some people absorb more by listening. I'm a little bit of both. I like to have both in front of me and have options. So that's exactly what I did. I have a written version of how to use each section and get the most out of it and why it's included and why it's important. But then I went even deeper and I actually recorded audio lessons and they are embedded on the page of this planner. So it's page number two of this planner. So you don't have to worry about keeping files on your computer or on your phone. You don't have to worry about losing them If you have your planner. You have the lessons. They have QR codes. Each lesson has a QR code and each lesson breaks down each section on a much deeper level and I kind of share experiences with you in these lessons and how I kind of came about this section and why it's in there, who I worked with to help me develop this section.
Speaker 1:This planner came with the help of myself and my project management experience. It came with the help of mental health providers. It came with the help of my husband and his leadership skills. This planner has gone through several versions of itself. I worked so tirelessly getting this planner from the very beginning stages to the end and final product that it is. Now I can genuinely say it's clinically backed by the mental health provider. She was amazing. Huge shout out to Ashley Urtel for helping me bring this beauty to life, and also my husband, robert. I will forever be thankful for these two in this journey of developing this planner.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of what you get with page one and page two. Is you really get a deep dive into, I guess, a mini course on how to get the most out of this planner, why it's there and what each section means. So this episode is just going to be like a general overview where, if you want a deeper piece of accountability, a deeper understanding, then those QR codes are definitely in the front of that planner and there for you to inspire you and guide you through using the planner. So you're going to open up to the next page, and the very first thing that you're going to do but with interacting with this planner is you're going to set your values, and there is a value sheet worksheet in there for you that you like you don't have to like figure this out on your own. It's all there. And and the reason we cover values is you are much more likely to stick to your goals, even through the hard and the thick of it. You are much more likely to stick to your goals if you are working within your value system, and so that is a huge factor in success. If you can learn how to operate within your values, then you can learn how to operate on such a higher level. And so then the next page, you're going to take it and you're going to turn to your SMART goals or just planning out your goals, and it's important to have your values first, and then you can really set with your goals and ask yourself, like, does this goal really align with being within my value system. If not, then maybe let's Not completely change the goal, but let's cater that and adjust it just a little bit so it can be aligned more with your values. And so that's the next page.
Speaker 1:That's the next section of the planner is diving into your SMART goals and how to set those goals and how to make it appropriate on timelines and all sorts of things of that nature. And then you're going to turn the page and this is where Project Management 101 comes into play. The page is gonna look like it's a little bit of overwhelm. There's a lot of little like squares and spaces, and they do guide you of what should be in each square. But this is where you're really gonna sit and like you're gonna put pen to paper with these goals and you're going to think about your timeline. So this is why it's important to break down on just a 90 day scale instead of a big, long, year-long scale.
Speaker 1:It's pretty easy to know what's in front of you, obstacle wise, in the next 90 days. Like you, you generally have a schedule. You may not know every detail of that 90 days, but you generally know what's coming up. You know if you have birthdays, you know if you have holidays, you know if you have vacations planned or traveling or people coming to you or you know anything really, if you have some weird surgeries scheduled. You know like these are all obstacles that could potentially put a blocker on your goals that are going to. If you can know those in advance and plan for those in advance, then your goals don't have to take a back seat, but you can plan accordingly and this is all part of project management and holding yourself accountable. Right Like in the corporate world, a project manager is going to be running these projects and you're crazy to think that there's not obstacles in the real world outside of your personal life. There are obstacles everywhere and resources everywhere, and when we can train our brains to plan for those and plan accordingly, then things go much, much smoother than if we don't plan for them. For example, I am recording this episode early to be released while I am on vacation. So I will be recording multiple episodes to be released while I'm on vacation and then my podcast doesn't have to miss a beat. But because I planned for this obstacle of knowing that I'm traveling for the holidays, I can still travel and take a break and not have to work while I'm traveling, but also my schedule and my podcast schedule does not have to take a hit and I can keep that momentum going and come back prepared for the next episodes whenever I get back into town. But on paper, my podcast never missed a beat. So that's the importance of this.
Speaker 1:Next page is planning out your goals. You have a start date, an end date, a motivation like why, why are you doing this? It's important to know why. And if you don't fully know why and you need to think deeper than surface level there is an exercise the seven levels of why and this is in that module of like why, I included this. So seven levels of why is just going to dig deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper into why you actually want to do something. Why do you want this goal? Your answer is originally going to start out pretty surface level because I want to lose weight, okay. But why do you want to lose weight? Well, because I don't like looking at myself in the mirror. Okay, why don't you like looking at yourself in the mirror? Well, I don't feel very healthy. You know like there's lots of reasons why somebody wants to lose weight and ultimately it may come down to well. Actually, I know that I'm really not healthy on the inside and it would be devastating if my kids had to grow up and remember me as not being able to go outside and play with them in the front yard. Okay, now you have a real reason and a great reminder as to why this goal. So, when that goal gets hard, you can, you can lean on that why and understand on a very deep level as to why you're actually doing this. So that's the importance of why and what's your motivation behind this 90-day goal.
Speaker 1:Um, the next page is going to be. The next three pages are going to be sorry, I just got a text and I am so easily distracted so I'm going to turn my phone on to do not disturb. The next goals are the next. Sorry, the next three pages are going to be a blank, like your calendars, and they're blank so you can write in whatever month it is, whatever days you're starting this Again, everything's undated. For this specific reason, I did not want any time constraints of not being able to order it because I am in the middle of an actual quarter and it's not going to work and what a waste of money. So these three blank 30-day calendars are super wonderful when you know that you have obstacles. For example, I just used mine, as I know that I'm traveling this week for Christmas.
Speaker 1:That could be something that you put in your calendar. Or major milestones. Let's say you are writing a digital course, you're putting a course together, and there are very specific milestones that you need to plan for. When it comes down to launching a product, launching a course, launching anything, you're going to have marketing campaigns. When do you want that marketing? Like? If you're in the launch phase, like, when do you want that marketing campaign to launch? You need to start two weeks early and heavily market your launch, and so that's a milestone that you're going to want to record in your blank calendars. You know it could be quite literally anything, even health and wellness journeys. There are dates that you are going to want to set as, like, mini milestones, and I'm going to explain how that comes into play with the next page.
Speaker 1:So, after you fill in your three and this is something like you don't have to fill it in and never return to it, like as, as you go, you know those are there to fill in, like even just as appointment reminders. You know anything, anything, but they're there for like milestones and things that need to be recorded just on like that specific day of the month, how you would use a normal calendar. So then you're going to go to your very first page in the actual daily planner portion of it and it's actually going to be your weekly outline. And so this is your chance to sit I like to sit on Sundays and put some thought to the week ahead of me and understand I typically pick like three main things within each day that I need to get done. Those are going to translate into my daily non-negotiables Um, what do you have ahead of you? What, like what kind of work needs to be done If you're organizing? What are some resources that you might need for this next week in order to achieve what needs to be achieved, et cetera? Those of things. Right, this is your chance to really put just a general outline on the week ahead of you, and then you're going to have the next seven days of actual daily planner pages and that is going to break down. It has like by the hour on the left-hand side of the page and then over to the right, you have your non-negotiables. Meaning those are the three tasks. Three tasks is very manageable of things to get done. Those are the three tasks that need to be done just that day. Those are the three things that help move the needle forward.
Speaker 1:They don't always have to do with the goal itself. Sometimes for me, sometimes for me it is. I know that I need to get. If I need to have creative, thoughtful time in the morning, then I'm going to block that time and I'm going to get my podcast episode recorded then and then in the afternoon I'm going to block time where I am going to finish getting like something cleaned before my kiddos get home. It's just. It just comes down to being. That's where you get to be creative with your organization and whatever keeps the needle moving forward.
Speaker 1:Folding laundry is a big one for me. Like I, I actually like plan that into my day of. Sometimes I won't allow myself to sit down and do the creative, fun things that I want until my non-negotiable of getting the laundry put away, because that's how much I hate the laundry. So again, but when the laundry is put away, then my mind is super clear because I don't feel like my room is cluttered, I feel very organized, I feel like I have a clean space to think clearly and creatively. So it is an important non-negotiable on those days that the laundry needs to be put away, that I get them done and put away. So that's the importance of that. And then I do allow as a mom.
Speaker 1:I think that you should only stick to three. Whether you're working or stay-at-home, your days are so chaotic and so unpredictable sometimes. I know this because I spent the last 16 years being a stay-at-home mom. It's so hard to plan out 15 different steps of your day and not to mention you get decision fatigue after a while. So three is plenty and then just go be a part of your family, like you deserve that and you've earned that as well. And do that with grace and celebration, not shame and guilt of I know I have who cares if you have all these things Put those things, pick three more and put them on your non-negotiables tomorrow, but for today, celebrate that you got those three important things done and then go be a part of your family.
Speaker 1:If you do find time to yourself and you feel like you're just super motivated. There's different times throughout my cycle that I have more energy and more bandwidth to get more done, and so I do make room for two negotiable tasks. And if I have time, great. If I don't, it's not considered a loss for the day either. So that's where you find grace for that too.
Speaker 1:And then there is an exercise at the bottom called I am statement, and it's really. This is where the mental health side of things come in, and it's really to reshift and reframe your mindset of, instead of saying I wish I was more organized, just starting to say I am more organized. I just need to do x, y and z on a daily basis. That keeps me continuing to be organized. So working on those I am statements are amazing. And then, last but not least, as far as sections in the planner at the end of each week well, no, there's another part, but I'll explain this one, since I've already opened up the portal on this one At the end of each week there is a reflection and this again is leaning on Project Management 101 Lessons Learned folder, being able to sit back and reflect on the week behind you and there is a section that says what worked and a couple lines where you can reflect on, like what things did work for you and then what areas can I improve on, and then what might get in the way next week.
Speaker 1:So, again, it's more reflection on the things that are working. Don't change those, the things that didn't work cool. Now you have space to change those and come up with a new strategy. And then also, continuing to constantly think about what could potentially get in your way next week is a crucial piece of sticking to your goal and continuing building that momentum. Sticking to your goal and continuing building that momentum so I did skip over.
Speaker 1:There is a section attached to each daily page, so those seven days there is a page it's just like a notebook page, and so I call it a page for your thoughts. And so this is where, like, if you're into journaling, this is the space to do that. If you're not into journaling but you have like random thoughts, like I am, I have like the most random thoughts throughout the day and my planner is typically close by, and so that's really what I use to write these random thoughts down. Or if I, if I need to pay a bill, you know it's literally just like your, your, your notebook attached to you at all times. If you need to write something down, write it down and it clears up space in your brain for other thoughts and other creativity and other things that can be thought about. So there's that in there too. So that's pretty much the gist of the planner.
Speaker 1:I am happy that I recorded this episode because it is going to be something that I'll be able to refer back to as the podcast begins to grow. I will always plug this episode because it is going to be something that I'll be able to refer back to as the podcast begins to grow. I will always plug this episode in the description of each episode, so if anybody's ever curious, you can refer back to this episode. But for now, like, welcome to the 90 day planner. That's what it's about. That's what you get out of it.
Speaker 1:It is not just your typical planner. I think it's amazing. I think that it is. It took several people with a lot of wonderful brains to get it to where it is today, and so it is not just something that I threw together to hope to make a quick buck.
Speaker 1:It really genuinely was designed with the idea of taking a mom that feels like she has goals and dreams and ambition, who just doesn't know how to organize her thoughts enough to battle the fear of the unknown.
Speaker 1:And that was me. Like that's I've spent all these years with like these great ideas and ambitions, but being a stay-at-home mom, like I didn't feel like I had a lot of resources, I wasn't working around people that had experience and ideas, and I didn't get the luxury of like collaborating with other leaders in the military, like Ashley and my husband. So so to have a resource like this and then to build a community within this podcast and bring other women who have these goals and ambitions, and now having a resource that I can say, hey, I hear you, I see you and I know where you're at and here's the very thing that got me out of that hole too. So that is my hope with this planner. I think it's wonderful. I put a lot of TLC into it, so I hope that you get the most out of it as well, and until next time, don't forget to be one strong mother.