Babbles Nonsense

#205: The year starts with a swirl of twinkle lights, back roads, and choices about what comfort really looks like. We open up about juggling split holiday plans, laughing through Dirty Santa with Mal’s big-hearted family, and why a heated mattress pad seemed perfect until the fine print clashed with a Tempur-Pedic. That twist led to a smarter swap—a weighted blanket that actually helped insomnia—and a reminder to match products to...

#204: Forget the January hype cycle. We’re building a year that actually works by changing how we decide, not how much we do. Together we unpack five practical shifts that outlast resolutions: setting value-based goals, self-regulating before outsourcing decisions, reflective journaling to track growth, taking messy action, and enforcing boundaries that protect energy. If you’re tired of starting strong and fading by February, this...

#203: Not every December needs tinsel-level perfection. We open the gift box on real holiday life—the joy, the mess, and the logistics no one puts on a card—and invite you to build a season that actually fits. With Ivy at the mic, we swap polite scripts for honest takes on gift pressure, Santa fairness for kids, and the surprising relief of doing less but doing it well.

We dig into the stress cycle of adult gift exchanges ...

#202: The internet made it easy to slap a diagnosis on anyone who annoys us, but that habit is burning out our relationships. We dig beneath the buzzwords to ask better questions: What’s the difference between harm and discomfort? When is a trait “workable,” and when is it a pattern of disrespect? How do we own our triggers without turning them into shields? With real stories from dating and friendships, we draw a clean line betwee...

#201: Tired of feeling whiplash from dating that starts strong, then fades by month three? We’re pulling the curtain back on the pattern so many women recognize: consistent texts, thoughtful questions, future talk, and then a sudden dip in energy that gets explained away as “not ready” or “let’s go with the flow.” We explore why these early signals feel like intention, how they set expectations, and what to do when words and action...

#200: Holiday magic rarely arrives tidy, and that’s exactly why this week felt so good. I switched my usual Nashville trek to host my aunt in Huntsville, crammed a work sprint into a pre-holiday marathon, and wrestled a nine-foot tree into a gold-and-pink glow that made the whole house exhale. One guest room makeover became a full-blown decor spiral—because once one corner shines, the rest of the house starts asking for equal treat...

#199: Holiday gatherings can be beautiful and brutal at the same time, and that’s exactly where we spend our time: the messy middle. We unpack a practical, compassionate playbook for handling family dynamics, nosy questions, culture clashes, and the emotional whiplash of going from work mode to “be festive now.”

We start with a smarter runway into the season: how to preload gratitude, rest, and realistic expectations so yo...

#198: Is it actually embarrassing to have a boyfriend or are we finally refusing to shrink our identities for a relationship status? We dive into the viral question with life coach MMeenu, exploring how women’s autonomy, financial power, and tighter social circles are changing what partnership needs to deliver. When independence is real and community is strong, the bar shifts from optics to value: emotional maturity, conflict repai...

#197: Skip the grind, choose the pause. That was the heartbeat of turning 38, and it changed how the week unfolded. I front-loaded the chores, cleared the calendar, and took a true day off with my pup, a warm couch, and zero guilt—right alongside a thoughtful moment to honor Veterans Day and the people who serve.

The weekend gathered friends from every chapter—childhood, college, and old workplaces—proving that when the ri...

#196: What if the peace you’re protecting is actually performance? We go straight at the cost of staying quiet—how it starts in childhood, mutates into hyper-independence, and shows up as “I’m fine” until it explodes. Along the way, we unpack why so many of us can hold firm at work yet struggle to speak up in the relationships that matter most, and we offer compassionate ways to trade avoidance for clarity without lighting everythi...

#195: Think three 12s means a breezy four days off? We pull back the curtain on the nursing schedule everyone loves to glamorize and lay out what those days actually feel like: recovery that swallows time, errands that only exist during business hours, and the mental load of gearing up to do it again. From the first cup of coffee to the late-night charting sprint, we trace the unspoken timeline of a “12-hour” shift that too often s...

#194: What if the best part of your plans is the part where nothing happens? This week, I share a soul-soothing weekend that swapped spectacle for substance: a glowing 21+ Halloween night at the botanical gardens, a book club meet-up by a fire pit, and a Pearls and Prosecco bridal shower that left me believing in big love again.

We start with the garden event..... warm air when I wanted crisp fall, neon swings, and the kin...

#193: Ever felt crazy for speaking up—then wondered if you were actually being managed? We go straight at the blurry line between emotional immaturity and manipulation, mapping the real signals that separate missing skills from a need for control. With honesty and a lot of lived experience, we unpack how anxiety, attachment styles, and poor regulation can fuel reactions that hurt, and how tactics like gaslighting, love bombing, and...

#192: When the chat goes quiet, our brains get loud. We’ve all felt that sharp drop from constant conversation to three dots and nothing, and the stories that rush in to fill the gap. Today we examine what silence actually communicates, why it triggers so much anxiety, and how to turn those empty spaces into clear signals for boundaries, self-respect, and better relationships.

We start by reframing silence as a language: s...

#191: Ever wondered why your doctor seems to rush you through your medical history? Or why getting that MRI your provider ordered takes weeks of insurance battles? The disconnect between what patients experience and how the healthcare system actually functions creates frustration on all sides.

Drawing from 15 years of healthcare experience, as both a provider and a patient, I'm pulling back the curtain on how medicine...

#190: Have you ever wondered what happens when you finally silence that voice telling you to stick to your comfort zone? In this candid and refreshing episode, I dive into my recent adventures beyond the boundaries of my usual 8 PM bedtime – including an unexpected stint as an impromptu DJ at 1 AM and solo brunches that turned into meaningful connections with strangers.

These experiences reminded me of the magic that happe...

#189: The masks we wear rarely tell our full story. When I uploaded my Instagram photo to Chat GPT for analysis, the contrast between perception and reality struck me deeply. The world sees confidence, boldness, and someone who "has it all figured out", yet beneath that exterior lives someone who feels deeply, craves safety, and needs solitude to recharge.

This fascinating disconnect shapes every relationship we ...

#188: Ever wondered what goes on inside my head when it comes to dating, beauty standards, and personal growth? This raw Q&A episode pulls back the curtain on everything from my dating history to fitness philosophy.

I'm tackling the relationship questions you've been curious about—why I'm still single, the red flags I repeatedly ignore, and my tendency to give second (or tenth) chances. With unflinching ...

#187: The decision not to have children isn't made lightly, yet it's often dismissed as selfish or temporary. In this candid conversation, we pull back the curtain on what it truly means to be child-free by choice in 2025, starting with an important distinction – the difference between being "childless" versus "child-free." This isn't about what's missing from our lives; it's about defin...