You've Got This, Mama - The Change Edition: A Mother's Guide to Embracing the Unknown & Living a Beautiful Life

By Sabrina Greer

You've Got This, Mama - The Change Edition: A Mother's Guide to Embracing the Unknown & Living a Beautiful Life is the resurgence edition in the popular, best-selling series. The year 2020 brought about a lot of ongoing change in the world, inspiring parents to look at things through a new lens-the way we work, the way we teach, and the way

• Language: English
• Publisher: YGTMAMA Inc.
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781998754236

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You’ve Got This, Mama–The Change Edition: A Mother’s Guide to Embracing The Unknown & Living a Beautiful Life

2023 YGTMedia Co. Press Trade Paperback Edition.

Copyright @ 2023 Sabrina Greer

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book can be scanned, distributed or copied without permission. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher at [e-mail]—except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The authors have independently contributed to the content of this book, irrespective of the other authors’ contribution, viewpoint, or advice.

The authors have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information within this book was correct at time of publication. The authors do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from accident, negligence, or any other cause. This book is not intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed physician. The reader should consult with their doctor in any matters relating to their health.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

Published in Canada, for Global Distribution by YGTMedia Co.

www.ygtmedia.co

For more information email: [e-mail]

ISBN trade paperback: 978-1-998754-22-9

eBook: 978-1-998754-23-6

To order additional copies of this book: [e-mail]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Sabrina Greer

One

The Internship

Michelle Surtees

Two

The Ripples and Billows of Change

Tania Gasparotto

Three

Seven

Leisse Wilcox

Four

Filling an Empty Glass

Tiffany Richardson

Five

Deconstructing the Mother Wound

Jamie Murray

Six

Moonflower

Dr. Parastoo Boroumand

Seven

Peacefully Exiting the Rat Race

Kate Warren

Eight

Beautiful Chaos

Kylie Waechter

Nine

Taking Back My Power

Kristen Westcott

Ten

Planting Your Intuitive Seeds

Natalia Harhaj

Eleven

Three Months to Change Three Years

Doris Chung

Twelve

Make Yourself a Priority; Your Life May Count On It

Samantha Gernhart

Thirteen

Motherhood and Makeup: The Next Chapter

Merideth Kahn

Fourteen

Teenagers . . . Growing Up and Letting Go

Sarah Hepburn

Closing Note

Sabrina Greer

Every new season in life requires us to shed an old version of ourselves so we can step into new skin.

Sabrina Greer

@sabrina.greer.2.0

Sabrina Greer

Sabrina Greer is globally recognized as The Book Coach. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, best-selling author, international publisher, motivational speaker, and coach to authors and creative entrepreneurs. She is the CEO and visionary behind YGTMedia Company, a boutique publishing house for purpose-driven humans. To date she has helped more than 300 thought leaders write and publish their soul’s work. A true lover of nature and sustainable living, Sabrina, when not in the books, can be found raising her fur and feather babies alongside her three sons on their 70-acre farmstead in the woods.

i @sabrina.greer.2.0

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To them – all the mamas out there thinking it’s impossible, remember you are capable and valuable and the world needs you!

Introduction

Sabrina Greer

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

–Maya Angelou

Change. How does that word feel to you? Making a change can be intimidating, frightening, freeing, or exhilarating. Essentially, when you make a change, there is a loss of original identity for something new. I love this explanation because it highlights the loss of original identity in addition to the concept that, in some circumstances, change involves choice. Isn’t that the point of life, the purpose? Every new season in life requires us to shed an old version of ourselves so we can step into new skin. Parenting, relationships, geography, careers, even our sense of style or a haircut. Sometimes this shedding is welcomed with open arms and excitement for the new opportunities on the other side and the new upgraded version of our lives. Most of the time, however, change comes with fears of the unknown, anxieties around what’s next, and a wave of discomfort and grief for the loss of what was.

Change is a funny concept. It can evoke such a wide range of responses, yet it is the only thing that is inevitable. The seasons change, and with them, the weather. Days change to nights as our incredible planet spins on an invisible axis moving in rhythm with the sun and the moon. A small seed changes into an enormous tree and an embryo the size of a pea eventually changes into a person, just like you and me.

Change comes in many forms. There is that surprise kind of change, like when the sun peeks out from behind a cloud on a rainy day. This can instantly change our mood, for better or worse. Maybe you had prepared for foul weather, rendering you overdressed and uncomfortable when the sun begins to warm your body. Or perhaps the peeking sun elevates your mood to one of happiness. There is also the kind of change that happens over time, like the aging of a fine, oak-barrel wine. The natural sugars fermenting the fruit combined with the charred wood actually change the chemical composition of the liquid, thus leaving its consumers delighted.

Then there are gradual but expected changes, ones we can easily prepare for. Seasons, for example. We know that the budding blossoms of early spring will turn to flowers. We can plant our seeds, clean our homes, and let the warm rain wash away the ice and snow. Summer follows with heat-filled nights, sandy toes, and late sunsets. Inevitably, we next prepare for sweater weather and pumpkin-spice everything as the colors and cool breezes of autumn greet us. Then, with the first bite from Jack Frost, we know snowy landscapes and twinkly lights will take over once again. We swap out our closets for more seasonally appropriate clothing. We can and store food with the knowledge that the ground will soon freeze. So many changes are found in the seasons, some beautiful and met with anticipation and some dreaded and met with angst and depression.

There’s also the kind of change that changes everything, something I call impact change. This change is the kind that takes a split second to happen, but after that second, nothing is ever the same as it was.

It was a day like any other. I woke up, executed my morning routine, packed lunches for the kiddos, kissed hubby goodbye, dropped the munchkins off at school, did some chores around the house, then opened my computer and got to work. Somewhere around lunchtime, I poured myself a coffee and made a toasted bagel, took a pause to look out the window into the forest before sitting back down at my desk, then glanced at my phone when it buzzed on the table beside me. During the workday it is not unusual for my phone to buzz more than a dozen times, so this was hardly out of the ordinary. This time it was.

It was a text from my hubby. Don’t be alarmed, but I am at the hospital. I had a funky chest pain and tightness. Here now and they’ll be doing tests for at least the next six hours or so. No emergency. Impact. One moment the world is upright, just as it should be, all things in harmony, and the next, it’s upside down and everything is different. My whole body filled with emotions. Rage was first: I thought this text was far too vague for reporting a potential heart attack. Fear was next: What would I do if this was it? How could I go on without my partner? The kids without a father? Next was a roller coaster packed with everything else: worry, instinct, sadness, anxiety, helplessness. Everything was spiraling so quickly.

I couldn’t go to him because I had to pick up our three children that afternoon and hubby was in a hospital two hours away. And I couldn’t change the circumstance—not with a phone call, an email, or some kind of grand gesture. There was nothing to be done. Helpless. Fortunately, our family has good support systems in place and my sister-in-law was able to drop what she was doing and get to the hospital. We live in a country where healthcare is free, albeit sometimes excruciatingly slow, so he was taken care of with all the testing and specialist referrals necessary without the added stress of invoices and bills.

It only takes a single second. One second for the world as we know it to change forever. Whether it is an accident, news from a loved one, a diagnosis, or a shift outside of the norm, change can happen in the blink of an eye. I am happy to report that my husband was not experiencing a heart attack, but this was a wake-up call. We are not immune to impact; nobody is. This experience invited our family to explore where we needed to make some changes in our lives—in our health and in our distribution of wealth. We had to better prepare for more future impact potential.

After much research and several visits down the rabbit hole of this topic of change, I discovered my own theory that there are two types of change: change that is out of our control (Impact) and change that is within it (Choice). There are ways to make both a more positive experience. We can handle Impact change with a growth mindset and grace by adjusting our reactions and finding the silver lining, and we can run toward Choice change, straight outside of our comfort zones, especially when accompanied with feelings of fear, worry, discomfort, resistance, and stress. Both are an invitation to review what is and is not serving our lives.

Where have you made some major changes in your life? Did you experience some (or all) of these emotions? Maybe you were also excited, ready? Change can feel freeing and expansive too.

A few years ago, I was introduced to human design. Human design is a self-exploration system that combines ancient and modern beliefs. This modality draws on traditions like the I-Ching, the Kabbalah, the chakra system, and astrology to help you understand what makes you unique. I know what you’re thinking: sounds a little hokey, right? And what does this have to do with change? For me, learning about my human design was the catalyst for learning to fall in love with change—something I hope this book and these stories can do for you. I learned how to identify what was right for me to lean into and to move away from what wasn’t serving me, through the fear, through the discomfort. I became more convicted in my personal decision-making processes, more capable in my ability to handle challenges, and more emotionally intelligent when coming up against conflict.

Some psychologists suggest that there are seven emotional stages associated with change. After exploring this further, I’d have to agree. Stage one, like with the first stage of grief, is denial. It is natural human behavior to try and avoid anything that feels uncomfortable and new. Stage two is realization, which can also present like shock or confusion. Stage three is resistance; here we can co-experience anger and desire, and we might place blame on external sources. Stage four is surrender, a letting go of the reins and realizing that change is natural and oftentimes necessary for evolution. Stage five is searching. This is where we explore the depths of the fears and worries, looking for something to hold on to as we plummet into our new existence. Stage six is understanding, which comes with optimism and hope. Lastly, stage seven is accepting where we have gone full circle and begin to trust that the path before us is actually meant for us.

This past year I decided to stop drinking alcohol. After nearly two decades in the fashion industry, then another decade in the food and beverage industry, alcohol simply became a part of my norm. I would drink to celebrate, drink to calm the nervous system, have a cocktail while cooking, a glass of wine while watching TV. Somehow, every regular activity became a reason to pour a glass of something.

It was a snowy morning in December. I opened my eyes to a light pressure in my temples and stiffness in my neck. I noticed I was unmotivated, and the usual tasks like making lunch and filling water bottles felt like a chore. I was also a little bit snappy with the kids; everything was annoying and felt triggering. My default was to blame the cold weather;