Introducing The 15 Minute Formula

A Purpose Driven Mom Podcast

Episode 188

I remember the exact moment I became resentful of my
family.
I was home with my newborn baby and my husband had
gone back to work. It was me and her—alone for the first
time since she was born.
I had left my teaching job to attempt to work full time
in network marketing a few years prior. I had dreams of
starting my own business and coaching company. I wanted
more time freedom and the ability to make my own hours
around my family and what actually mattered to us.
And here I was, lying on the floor of our playroom with
my two-month-old, sobbing my eyes out.
I was covered in spit up (most likely from the day before),
couldn’t remember the last time I showered, and that fuzz on
my teeth reminded me that I hadn’t brushed them yet today.
Surviving on a few hours of sleep, I watched my husband
leave to go to work and thought, What about me?

How was I supposed to take care of my kids (my stepson
at this point was nine years old) when my husband was at
work? When was I supposed to have time to get back to
work? What about those mounds of laundry eyeing me up
from the corner? Would I ever have time to start the business
I dreamed of having? Heck, I didn’t even know when I’d be
able to shower without the baby crying and me panicking.
Is this what motherhood was supposed to be like?
Over the course of those first few months with my
husband back at work, my resentfulness toward him started
to grow. I mean, he got to leave the house and have real
conversations each day with coworkers. He was able to work
at a job he loved and have a purpose outside of parenthood.
He didn’t feel the pressure of having to take care of the home,
the kids, and everything in between.
On top of these feelings, during this time of my life, I
was dealing with Postpartum Anxiety and Depression (PPA/
PPD) that my doctors dismissed as “baby blues.” I spent
months suffering in silence because I thought I was just an
unfit mother. I mean, what kind of mother struggles to feel
fulfilled at home?
Shouldn’t “just being Mom” be enough?
I started to take these feelings out on my family. Due to
my PPA/PPD, I struggled to know how to handle my own
feelings and emotions and, since the doctor said I would “get
over it,” I thought there was something wrong with me for
feeling unfulfilled, anxious, and angry.

Instead of “just getting over it,” I buried my feelings
down. I was afraid to talk about them because of what others
would think. And instead of dealing with these feelings, I
dove into wearing busy like a badge of honor.
I thought if I just kept going, if I checked everything
off my to-do list, if I appeared to be working harder than
everyone else, then I was doing a good job.
I mean that is what a mom does, right? Martyr themselves
for their family? Grind themselves down to serve? Put
everyone else’s needs first?
Along the way, I had forgotten about my needs.
Over the course of the next few years, I did what I knew
how to do. I hustled. I worked hard. I did my best as a mom,
worked my network marketing business during nap time,
and stayed up late trying to do it all.
And people would affirm my grind.
“Wow—you do so much! I wish I could be like you!”
“I seriously don’t know how you do it all, it’s amazing!”
“I wish I could do what you do.”
Because on the outside, it looked amazing. I was running
my home and family (and at this point was pregnant with
kid number three). I was leading a successful network
marketing business with 200+ people on my team. I was
posting motivational quotes on social media like I was a
Pinterest page. And I did it all with a smile on my face. I
loved that people thought I was successful. I loved that they
thought I had it all together.

I had tied my worth to accomplishing my day-to-day
tasks, and a completed to-do list meant that I was beating
my mental health issues and anxiety. In my eyes, that
completed to-do list meant I “had it together” more than
other moms. That finished list told me each day whether I
was worthy or not.
But on the inside, I was drowning.
I wasn’t resting. I equated burnout with success. I was
burnt out, overwhelmed, and irritated all the time. And
when I wasn’t accomplishing things, I thought there was
something wrong with me. I thought I was a failure. I
thought that I’d never have it all together like that mom I
saw on Instagram with the beautiful kitchen, well-dressed
kids, and curated perfection on their social media feed.
In addition to the major burnout, while I was pregnant
with kid three, our outwardly perfect-looking family went
through a major upheaval. My husband, our primary
breadwinner, lost his job and was unemployed for eight
months. We were on government assistance, almost filed
bankruptcy, and I was selling anything I could on Facebook
Marketplace to get by.
After my son was born, I once again was struggling with
PPA/PPD, and this time, I became an advocate for myself. I
went to multiple doctors. I got into therapy. I realized that
hustling and not resting was actually making things worse.

I realized it was time to change the way I was living so
I could ditch the burnout. I needed to make changes that
allowed me to stop going a million miles an hour and carve
out time for myself. I knew that hustling the way I was
would lead to resentful feelings toward my family when they
weren’t moving at my pace. And I was moving farther away
from the mother I wanted to be.
That’s when I developed this system of the 15 Minute
Formula that I am going to share with you in this book.
Once I started to use these principles in my life, things
began to shift. I started to feel more joy in my home. I was
spending more time playing with my kids. I lost the guilt that
came from a sink full of dishes or piles of laundry begging to
be folded.
I crafted time pockets for me: to read, to watch TV, to call
family, or to just be. And I finally took the leap into growing
my own business where I could help overwhelmed moms
find time for their goals too—without the overwhelm or
burnout.
Because I know what it’s like.
I know how it can be to feel like you’re sinking. I know
what it feels like to get lost in motherhood. I know what it’s
like to feel angry that you don’t have time to pee alone—let
alone pursue your goals.
In this book, I’m going to walk you through the 5 Pillars
to help you go from overwhelmed to in control.

These pillars include
• Vision
• Time management and productivity
• Goal setting
• Routines
• Habits
But before you dive in, I want to give you some
encouragement. Because this book is going to be different
from a lot of other productivity books out there.
Because we are moms.
And our lives are different. We need a different system.
The 15 Minute Formula is not about perfection, it’s about
intention.
We’ll be diving into what I call “priority-based
productivity”—because it’s not about just doing more. It’s
about fitting in time for more of what matters to you
and your family.
There is no one-size-fits-all here. I want you to take what
I teach and customize it for what you need at the moment.
The 15 Minute Formula isn’t about jamming a million
things into your already overflowing to-do list or being
the perfect mom. It’s about making life work for you while
working on your goals—without adding a million things to
your plate.
In this book, I’ll also be sharing stories of other moms
from all different backgrounds. These moms have applied

the principles I teach and have been able to customize them
to find massive happiness in their lives. From stay-at-home
moms to single moms to moms working the night shift and
more—I hope you’ll be able to see yourself in their stories.
And because I want this book to do more than sit on your
shelf (no judgment, I have plenty of pretty books collecting
dust too), at the end of each chapter will be short action
items that will help you apply that pillar.
If you haven’t already, make sure you go to www.
the15minuteformula.com/free to download the 30-day
Action Guide. This guide will break down your reading of
the book and the actions to help you read and implement all
that we’ll be chatting about.
I want this book to feel like you and me are hanging out
at the Target café, talking about managing #allthethings
while our kids eat cake pops and ask to play in the toy aisle
a million times.
So, if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels, done
feeling like you’re never doing enough, and tired of being
tied to your to-do list, let’s do this!

Introduction Action Steps
1. Download the 30-Day Action Guide at www.
the15minuteformula.com/free to help you read and
implement these tips in the next thirty days.

Grab a notebook to take notes in—this way you can
always go back to it. If you want to go digital, I’ve also
linked a Trello board with the book chapters (you’ll
hear me mention Trello a few times in this book, it’s
an amazing tool!) where you can keep all your notes,
thoughts, and ideas. You’ll get this when you snag
your action guide!
3. And if you’re ready, I want you to email me at book@
apurposedrivenmom.com with the subject line
“I’m over the overwhelm.” In the email, it’s time
to draw a line in the sand. Send me two sentences
(or more if you want) saying, “I am committing to
me! I am over being a burnout mom, and I deserve
this!” This commitment is your first lesson in public
accountability. If you want more, take a picture of that
email and the book cover and tag me on Instagram
at @apurposedrivenmom. Share with your people
that you’re ready to remember how fabulous you are
again!

Thank You For Listening!

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