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✨ This month's featured resource includes simple reset strategies for overwhelmed seasons—because sometimes the clutter isn't just physical.
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Self-Care That Actually Works (And Why the Bubble Bath Isn't Fixing Burnout)
Have you ever done all the "right" self-care things… the candle, the skincare, the journal, the meditation app…
…and still felt completely overwhelmed?
In this episode, Katy sits down with Diane Boden from the Minimalist Moms Podcast for an honest conversation about what self-care actually looks like in real life.
Together, they unpack:
why so many women still feel burnt out after "taking care of themselves"
how comparison quietly drains us
why friendships matter more than we realize
the pressure to constantly achieve
and how true self-care often has far more to do with subtraction than addition
This episode feels like a long coffee chat with two women pulling back the curtain on modern motherhood, overwhelm, identity, and the mental load so many of us carry every day.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
1) Minimalism can help—but it won't magically fix burnout
Diane shares that simplifying your home absolutely makes life more manageable… but it doesn't automatically solve overwhelm if your schedule, expectations, or emotional load are still overflowing.
As she puts it:
"Minimalism is a tool… it's not going to make our lives perfect."
You can declutter your closets and still feel emotionally exhausted if you're saying yes to too much, constantly comparing yourself, or tying your worth to achievement.
2) Friendship might be one of the most overlooked forms of self-care
One of Diane's biggest self-care anchors? Friendship.
Not performative friendship. Not "networking." Real human connection.
The kind where you can let your guard down and simply be known.
Katy and Diane talk honestly about how easy it is—especially in motherhood—to unintentionally isolate yourself. And how meaningful connection often starts with very small moments of vulnerability.
3) Self-care doesn't always look glamorous
Sometimes self-care is:
going outside
reading a nonfiction book
taking a digital Sabbath
saying no
resting without earning it first
noticing flowers on a walk
sitting quietly with your thoughts
Diane shares how stepping away from constant news consumption and social media comparison dramatically improved her mental health.
And Katy reflects on how often we're sold the idea that self-care is something we buy… instead of something we practice.
4) Comparison creates problems that didn't exist before
This part of the conversation goes deep.
Katy and Diane unpack how social media, beauty culture, achievement culture, and even "perfect minimalism" can quietly make us feel like we're never enough.
More productive. More organized. More successful. More beautiful. More optimized.
And the problem? Once we believe we're lacking… someone is always ready to sell us the solution.
5) Rest is productive—even when nothing gets checked off
Diane shares one practice that became incredibly important for her: taking intentional Sabbath-style rest days.
Not necessarily doing "nothing." But intentionally unplugging from pressure, content creation, performance, and productivity.
As she explains, the world keeps moving even when we step away.
And often, that space is exactly what helps us reconnect to ourselves again.
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