Stop stressing & fighting about money.
Shana Roberson Uncategorized

Communication contract

Let’s talk about communication today.

A survey of 100 marriage counselors revealed that the #1 cause for divorce is poor communication. That’s not surprising to you, is it?

In fact, I’d venture to say your own relationship struggles also stem from poor communication, be it a spouse, a teenager or a coworker. Am I right?

So, if communication is such a problem, why don’t we tackle it head-on? Why don’t we be proactive with our communication?

The more you know, the better you’ll communicate. Do you know if you’re an over-communicator or an under-communicator? I learned about this from Alli Worthington’s book Breaking Busy.

YOU MIGHT BE AN OVERCOMMUNICATOR IF:

  • You’re always thinking of the next thing you’ll say in a conversation
  • If you say goodbye several times in a phone call
  • You’ve been accused of hijacking a conversation or meeting.
  • Sometimes talk a lot without saying anythings

YOU MIGHT BE AN UNDERCOMMUNICATOR IF:

  • You think people don’t follow your directions well
  • People often fail to live up to your expectations
  • You find yourself doing things you don’t want to do because you don’t want to speak up
  • Your spouse often complains, “I’m not a mind reader you know!”

Well, which one do you tend toward? Are there any small steps you can take to be a better communicator based on your tendencies?

Let’s keep learning. Have you heard of:

THE FOUR STAGES OF COMMUNICATION

Have you ever said something but it came out wrong? Or said something you didn’t mean? Maybe you’ve misinterpreted something someone else said? These problems are due to what we call the ladder of inference or the four stages of communication. They are:

  • What someone means to say
  • What someone says
  • What the other person hears
  • What they make it mean

Refer to my video here for more detailed explanation.

So, as you can imagine, we can easily mean to say something but the words don’t actually end up reflecting what we mean. Between the mind and the mouth, things get jumbled around or we’re in a hurry or distracted. Right? That’s just the beginning though.

Then, the person listening hears what you say, adds in their bias and your tone. Then once they think about it, they might make it mean something else. It’s like a game of telephone ON STEROIDS. Here’s an example:

Husband gets home early.

What I mean: Yay, he’s home!

What I say: I didn’t know you were getting off early!

What he hears: She doesn’t want me home early.

What he makes it mean: She doesn’t love me.

Sure that’s dramatic, but you get the point. What’s more is you are rarely aware of this entire process. Your brain and thoughts march along without your approval. If you were to stop and think about all of these things, you might come to a different conclusion.

I’ve created a communication contract for you for just that reason! This contract is so you and the person you’re having communication troubles with can actually DO THE WORK that it’s going to require to improve your communication. I promise you, it’s not going to fix itself.

jumpstart-by-shana-communication-contractDownload

I also advocate for marriage meetings and family meetings. This is time you and your family take to communicate on purpose. It’s time when you know you’ll be able to share and be heard as well as address things that might have come up during the week.

Since money stress is one of the leading causes of divorce, I specifically teach about BUDGET meetings and MONEY TALK in my membership community. For $20 a month, you can learn all about budgeting, communicating, eliminating debt and savings for emergencies along with so much more. You’ll even get individualized coaching plans for your financial situation along with two coaching calls a month where we answer questions and teach on topics. Sign up today, we close the doors tomorrow until next month!

Shana Roberson Family

What your kids really want from you

Think back to your childhood. Was your mom stressed out? Did you seem to somehow miss the mark with her expectations often?

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What was the thing you REALLY wanted from your mom? Was it more clothes? Was it for her to be skinnier? Was it for her to do the dishes more or keep the house cleaner? Was it for her to get a better job or to be at home more? Was it for her to go to the pto meetings? Was it for her to have picture perfect farmhouse decor?

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No. I bet we all wanted the same thing for our moms: for her to be happy. We just wanted to see her smile and laugh. Her smile and her laugh could melt almost anything away and swell your heart. You just wanted her to be happy. It meant the world and made you feel so happy yourself.

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Now, I want you to think about your kiddos. I want you to think about all the ways you’re stressing out. I want you to think about all the pressure you’re putting on yourself in the name of motherhood.

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Then I want you to sink into the fact that your kids just want to be happy. They just want to see you feel carefree and giggle with them. They just want to please you and they desperately wish they could find a way to make you happy.

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So give it to them. Today. Be happy. Smile and love and hug and giggle and enjoy them today. Take the pressure and the guilt you’re feeling and cast it off like the heavy garment it is.

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Shana Roberson 21-day-fix, finance, Household Management, Nutrition

How to tame your food budget

Food is the most important thing you can buy with your money.

Well, that was dramatic, wasn’t it? But it’s true. Besides oxygen and water, food is the most basic survival need. Now, most of us are blessed in that we don’t wonder where our next meal is coming from or if we can afford it.

In fact, we may be a little too blessed if you know what I mean. Yes, as Americans we are the richest 1% of people in the HISTORY of the world. Yay!

SO WHY DO I ALWAYS FEEL BROKE?

Girl, I hear you. We’re feeling broke because money is flying out the window faster that we can make it. One of the best ways to get control of your money is the zero-based budget I teach in my coaching and online community Budget Bootcamp.

Once we get that going we can quickly start to make progress by taming the food budget. Your food budget is typically one of your largest expenses, and rightfully so. But! My my philosophy is that you should be:

Saving money & saving calories

You know fitness and nutrition are one of my top passions, so that is something I say nearly EVERY coaching session. Here are 5 ways that you can save money and save calories

1. STOP EATING OUT. (DUH)

Please don’t get me started. You know that fast food is no longer fast nor cheap. You know that it’s WAY overpriced and WAY over calories. Maybe you don’t know that family dinners are correlated with kiddos eating healthier–not only as a child but as when they leave home too. They’re less likely to be obese now and in the future. Maybe you don’t know that even a salad (dressing) is typically loaded with calories and preservatives that will stall any efforts you are making toward weight loss by PRESERVING water and fat in your body. So, if you can stop eating out you will save 1. time 2. money 3. calories 4. clothing costs. Here are some of my healthy eating staples.

2. MEAL PLAN

Okay, this one is pretty obvious too, right? Well, I’ve been preaching it so long that I feel like it is. But it may not be. What I mean here is plan EVERY MEAL that your family will eat. Then plan what items you’ll need to make those meals happen. Then make a list and ONLY buy that stuff. Likewise, figure out what household things you need each month and buy only those things. For example, we need 2 dishwasher soaps and 1 shaving cream a month. We need shampoo and laundry soap every 2 months. Once you’ve figured out what you need, take the time to see where the shopping is the cheapest. Pick your top 10 items and check each store for prices. Which store wins? Shop there!

3. NIX THE CRAP!

This one will be the most unpopular of all. Stop buying junk food. Completely and totally. Yep. You don’t need it and neither does your family. You don’t need it because it’s obviously bad for you but it’s also a HUGE grocery budget buster. If your family wants ice cream, budget to go out as a family once a month. If you want to have family pizza night, we can talk about that. But the overall chips, crackers, cookies, sodas and whatever else. GONE. The truth is no one is going to go without. There are parties and lunches and cookouts and football games. JUNK ABOUNDS. Therefore, you don’t need to bring it in your home. Again, this will save you time (less time in the store!), calories and money. WINNING. This is especially true because junk food doesn’t provide nutrition so you have to replace those calories anyway.

4. CLOSE THE KITCHEN!

This one isn’t going to be hard if you follow #3. Closing the kitchen means we don’t eat all day. We eat at meal times and maybe a snack here or there. Do you know what NOT having junk food does? It makes people suddenly less hungry, like this:

  • Kid: Mom, I’m hungry.
  • Mom: You can have carrots or almonds.
  • Kid: Nevermind.

You KNOW that’s not how the conversation goes if you or the kids have chips, ice cream or whatever else available. Closing the kitchen means you’re not always a human vending machine. It also means dishes can be done and the kitchen clean sometimes. It means digestive systems get a break and folks might actually eat their veggies at dinner because they were HUNGRY. Not wasting food / being a good steward of food is a great way to save money on your groceries.

5. USE CASH

Okay, I’m going to be totally honest with you. I buy my bulk of groceries on the 1st of the month and then pull out the remainder of my cash to put in a food envelope for the rest of the month. That usually amounts to $40 a week or so because we do eat quite a lot of fresh produce. When you go into a store with only a $20 bill you think differently, you think strategically. Not having the swipe back up forces you to be serious. Studies have show you also spend 12-18% more when you swipe instead of pull out cash.

6. SYSTEMIZE

How can you systemize? What can make your grocery life easier and stress-free? My entire food/household goods life comes and goes each month in 3 stages:

  1. My meat comes from a monthly co-op because I am fortunate to be able to afford that. Because of that I can 100% expect to have the meat I need each month without thinking. Before I’d get all of my meat on the first of the month shopping, looking for discounts and deals.
  2. At the first of the month I order everything we’re going to need at Walmart. I’ve tried finding folks that are cheaper but I can’t. And the convenience is 100% worth it for me. I have a set spreadsheet that shows me what I need to order each month as far as peanut butter and ketchup and laundry soap and hair gel. I order it, pick it up on the 1st and don’t look back. Check out this video for a walkthrough of exactly how I do it.
  3. Each week after church my husband drops me off at the front door of the grocery store and I take my $20 or $40 and grab fresh produce, dairy, eggs or whatever I need to supplement our food. It takes about 20 minutes.

That’s it! I don’t go to the store several times a week. I will say it takes a bit to get used to. But then it’s amazing because I always, ALWAYS have what I need because it was planned that way. So, what sort of system can you set up so that things are automated and the grocery store no longer rules your life?

7. BACK UP PLAN

Sometimes your best intentions and even your best plans may NOT happen. That’s where a back up plan comes in. A back up plan helps us when things get crazy. It helps us stick to our budget with food because we don’t have to rely on fast food. At any given time, I have items on hand to make our “back up meals.” You need to determine your back up meals and make sure you buy for them each month.

Here are 2 example back up plans in case dinner just escaped you:

  • No cook salad. Yes, it’s boring, but it’s doable! Part of your monthly shopping should ALWAYS include things like EVOO, dijon honey, olives, avocado/cheese, the best deli meat you can afford and fresh veggies like lettuce and tomatoes. So fast! (Here’s a from scratch salad dressing recipe) You can put it in a wrap to make it different. And, if you have some turkey bacon on hand, swap a slice or two of deli meat for it!
  • Breakfast for dinner. Again, you’ll have these ingredients on hand because you make it a priority to get ingredients for breakfast on your monthly shopping trip. And breakfast is usually pretty healthy. For example, if I’m really in a dinner bind, I throw a few eggs, spinach and tomatoes in the skillet. Tada! The kids might get the same with some pancakes added in! Fast & cheap & easy. Almost like fast food. 😉

So, what back up plans would work for you & your family?

8. GET BUY IN!

My kids decide what they want their lunches to be each week. They eat a healthy version of a lunchable so they get to write out their choice for fruit, veggie, protein, fat & carb. Because they PICK, they are really good at eating it all not complaining. Likewise, they have a few nights a week they pick dinner like Pizza movie night and pasta night. =D My husband also chooses some of the meals. Getting buy in means folks will actually eat the food you buy and make. THAT is what is going to save money. So, ask them for their input. Let them help you make a plan that way you’re all more likely to stick to it.

9. MEAL PREP

Each Sunday my kiddos make their lunches and my husband grills our dinner + the meat for his lunches (I have shake for lunch, even though I hate that it sounds like a Slimfast commercial–It’s just how I get my vitamins). I’m not going to belabor this point because as a certified personal trainer wit my nutrition specialization, I’ve been belaboring it for years. Here is a link for help. And another one. And another one. And one about the kids. See what I mean?

Okay, but honestly I don’t expect you to get all of this on your own. It’s hard. And like any new skill, you could use a coach to get better. I’m your huckleberry. Fill out the form together and let’s work together for a session, two or more.

Here’s to saving money and saving calories!

Shana Roberson mindset, Uncategorized

Make it fun!

One of the first sounds of my day today was an excited screaming voice memo from a client who is now credit card debt free. I was as excited as she was and it made me pause and think…

Paying off debt isn’t fun for most people.

Yes. Paying off debt isn’t fun. Most people wouldn’t consider the run I went on this morning fun either.

But my rule is to make it fun! In my book, Put Your Big Girl Panties On, I specifically talk about this with your workout. The most important rule is that you enjoy it. If you don’t, you won’t stick to it and it can have negative effects for your fitness. I even talk about ways to make laundry fun. It’s just the way I think.

Deciding to have fun is a choice. It’s an action. You can make anything fun. Likewise, in your mind, you can decide you’re not going to have fun. And then you know what? You don’t have any fun.

If you can look at it through a different lens, you can purposefully turn up the fun. Many times we think that AFTER we finish something, that’s the time we can have fun. But you don’t have to wait. You don’t have to wait UNTIL you’re debt free to have fun. You don’t have to wait UNTIL you’ve lost weight to have fun. You don’t have to wait UNTIL your home is in order to have fun. You don’t have to wait UNTIL the semester is over to have fun.

What we want is a life where we have fun DURING THE JOURNEY. Everytime you pay off a little debt, do a little dance, make a little love and get down that night. Every workout, play your favorite music, dress in cute clothes and do an activity you love. Every meal you eat, have something that makes you smile for it’s natural goodness. Celebrate every shelf or drawer you organize and make pretty. Go to Starbucks or the beach to study, get pretty highlighters and notebooks. Do whatever you can do to make the JOURNEY fun.

It’s kind of like how I got a glass of wine on the airplane on the way to Las Vegas. This was going to be my first vacation with my husband alone since having kids. In fact, it was going to be my first vacation ever. And my first time in Vegas. I didn’t have to wait until I got there to have fun. NOPE. I settled in that seat, ordered the wine and had SO much fun for an hour.

It’s also the way I coach. We’re going to make this fun. Whatever it is, you’re going to enjoy it. You’re going to enjoy our time together and you’ll even enjoy the task at hand. Life is too short to not have fun!

So, here is your challenge:

I want you to think this thought & act out the answer today at least three times:

How can I make this more fun?

So, you’re doing laundry: How can I make this more fun?

You’re cooking dinner: How can I make this more fun?

You’re driving home from work: How can I make this more fun?

You’re doing taxes: How can I make this more fun?

I have a reminder set on my phone that asks this very question every morning at 10am. Here are some ways I make things more fun:

  • Friends
  • Sunshine
  • Get organized
  • Lists (I’m a nerd)
  • Racing/Challenging myself/others
  • Talk on the phone with a friend while __
  • Listen to a podcast
  • Countdown calendar/timer
  • Make it more beautiful
  • Dancing
  • Track progress
  • Celebrate success

How about you? What can you do to make things more fun today? Trust me, you deserve it!

Shana Roberson Family

Uniform of the Day

Download the Free Uniform of the Day Planner here!

In the military, you’re assigned a uniform of the day. Different jobs or places you’ll work will determine that uniform. The uniform you put on suits the work you will do for the day. Somehow, pajamas and general frumpiness become the uniform of motherhood. It’s so lame. We think it’s easier. And maybe it is. But it also reinforces a lot of the issues we face as moms like depression, lack of self-worth, isolation and boredom. Putting some clothes on, and maybe even some lipstick, reinforces (even if we don’t believe it yet) that we are still us! We are still the person we were before we had those lovely little rascals. Moreover, it reinforces that we are still valuable, that we have important work to do that requires getting dressed. It pulls us out of zombie mode and back into the realm of the living. It is a first step for many into self-care. 

Professor Karen Pine, author of Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion puts it this way:41

When we put on a piece of clothing we cannot help but adopt some of the characteristics associated with it, even if we are unaware of it.

Pine conducted extensive research to prove her point. What that means for us is how you dress determines the course of your day. Whether that means pajamas and being lazy on the couch or fitness gear and potentially working out, it matters. Whether that means not brushing your hair and not feeling like you matter or popping on some lipstick and feeling pretty, it matters. It’s not just about productivity, friend, it’s also about self-perception. You are what you wear. 

So simple: get dressed. Choose something that makes you feel good, that makes you feel sassy, sexy, confident (insert your desired adjectives). Also, consider stretchy things, because let’s be real: you never know when you need to lunge for a child or a breakable. Nevermind the fact things aren’t quite as, ahem, in place as they used to be. And, throw some lipstick on. Feel fabulous for the day. Everyday. It takes ten minutes, but it’s a total game changer. It’s a small step in the journey of self care.

Check out my free uniform of the day planner here. Everything you’re reading is from my book Put Your Big Girl Panties On. Grab a copy today from Amazon!

Shana Roberson Healthy Habits, mindset

Take Your Brain to the Mental Gym

Like any muscle in the body, your brain grows stronger as you use it. That’s the concept of the mental gym which suggests you treat a “brain workout” as seriously as you would a workout at the gym. That means employing the same intensity, discipline and the same process of stepping outside your comfort zone to get results. Two practical ways you can do this is to intentionally put good stuff in and to intentionally practice being quiet.

Click here to download my free mental gym workout planner!

Our brains are bombarded with information these days, constantly. More than ever before. Unfortunately, most of it is noise or it’s negative. You have to make the conscious decision to put in good stuff. On purpose. What kind of good stuff? Well, there’s all kinds of choices out there from good music to podcasts to audiobooks that you can get in while driving, working out or even folding laundry. 

I remember the first time I considered reading a personal development book “for fun.” I remember rolling my eyes thinking, I don’t even read for fun, let alone for “development.” Mom of three and running two part time businesses! No way Jose. So, I decided to listen to those books instead. I did that while driving the 11 hour drive to see my parents and I did it while setting up for workouts. I did it while doing dishes and I did it while folding laundry. As you might have guessed, I got pretty addicted. It was pretty incredible. It required me to think and question things I’d had on autopilot. It was a way better use of my time than many of the other things I’d been doing or listening to. It set me up to be a better mom, wife, coach and simply a better human. It certainly built the brain muscle.

Then there are these things that usually come in rectangular shapes and are stuffed with rectangular pieces of paper that have lines of ink printed across them. Books! I say that in a funny way because as adulting sets in, reading can be one of the first things to go. And yet, reading is by far one of the oldest and best ways to exercise your brain. After doing the mental work to improve myself and my brain, I suddenly found space in my life to read again. Which was great because while listening is good, reading has that awesome textile element. I like feeling the pages. It also forces you to indulge in some you time, and it probably has to be quiet. Which brings me to my next point.

Click here to download my free mental gym workout planner!

Make it a point to be quiet sometimes. Personally, I have to get up really early in the morning or go to the library to get that around here. I do that because getting quiet, specifically praying and meditating are habits both the most successful and the the most happy people have in common. If you consider Grammys to be a measure of success, then you’d consider Carrie Underwood a success.34 If you consider Superbowls to be a measure of success, then you’d consider Tom Brady successful.35 If you consider wealth to be a measure of success, then you’d consider Mark Zuckerberg to be successful.36 If you consider Oprah successful, then you’re human.37 They’ve all spoken about their daily habits of praying and/or meditating. It’s not a coincidence.

Scientists have an entire field called neurotheology that looks into the changes in our brains when we pray and meditate. And they’ve made a lot of cool findings like increased dopamine and serotonin levels (happy hormones!).38 BUT! They’ve also found that these can develop into permanent changes in your brain.39 Guys! That’s a mental workout, and those changes are the muscles you’re proud to show off now! Moreover, we know that prayer elicits the opposite of the stress response called the relaxation response.40 Most of us have way too much of the former and not enough of the latter.

Thinking it’s a good idea is one thing, doing it is another. Personally, I like to begin the day with time at the mental gym. I like to start the day with prayer and silence for as long as possible. That’s why I get up at 4:30 or 5 am sometimes! Beginning your day quiet, with gratitude and intention is a game changer. Likewise, meditation is simply taking the time to calm your mind and become inwardly focussed. That’s huge in today’s crazy, chaotic, rushed and zoned out world. To change the mindset, to truly change the way we think and believe and speak and see ourselves, we have to work for it. You have to work to get your mind right.

Shana Roberson mindset

Lean into the hard

Let’s flashback to November 2015. I was 8 months pregnant. I knew my husband was leaving for a year in two months. I’d accepted my fate, in my mind, with a sort of honorable stoicism.

Imagine my surprise when I was in church for a sermon called “Surviving vs. Thriving.” The remember the graphic from the series well. It was a tree that had two sides. On one side, the tree was dead. It had no leaves, showed no signs of life. On the other, the tree was thirving. It was growing, vibrant with new leaves.

That tree hit home. You see, I’d given up on the next year already. I figured we’d claw through, the three kids and I, but it wouldn’t be anything special. It would be a dead season. This sermon reminded me that I’m only promised a few years, and precious fewer with my kids at home. At that moment, I made up my mind that we would grow and thrive just like the right side of that tree.

Fast forward a month and I had a new baby. My parents had to rush over after my Grandma’s round of chemo ended to be with me since my husband was out of town. Then they left to go help another one of my grandparents whose health was failing.

Fast forward another month and my husband was gone, I had three kiddos (one brand new) and I’d lost one grandparent. I looked around and realized that it was up to me. For the first time, I realized I was truly on my own. I’ve been clinically diagnosed with depression and anxiety so I knew if I gave into despair it wouldn’t end well.

This was the moment. The moment I really decided to put my big girl panties on. I decided the hard work that lay in front of me was mine and mine alone. I was going to have to tackle each hurdle. I could no longer look the other way or hope something would change or that some day I’d feel motivated.

I decided to live on a budget and cut my credit cards up. I decided to finally lose the weight. I decided to try a brand new approach for my threenager so I could be the parent I wanted to be, not the yelling, frustrated mess I was. I decided to get my home in complete order. I decided to reset my relationship boundaries.

So many things. I decided. They were all hard. They were all separate battles I took head on. With each little win, I did develop confidence for the next one. I did figure out I could solve my own problems and I could overcome.

I leaned into the hard. I decided to stop pushing away discomfort or pain. Eventually I realized those things would lead me to great reward and great growth. It’s kind of like a workout. During the workout, it’s a lot of work, a lot of energy expended. But the result is totally worth it, both immediate and long term. It did take a lot of work and a lot of mental change, but the process made me a better person daily and when I got “final” results.

After I went through those battles, I decided to start helping other women do the same. I realized that the same problems I’d had was what they were facing too. I realized that we all needed a healthy dose of Put Your Big Girl Panties On. It didn’t matter the woman, the circumstances, the lifestyle, the income…we’re all fighting the same battles. So, I wrote a book about them.

If you’re interested, please head on over to Amazon to purchase a copy. I’ve walked step by step through these different areas and how to Put Your Big Girl Panties On.

Shana Roberson mindset

Decision Anxiety

One of the biggest problems we face is the mental battle we have inside that I call decision anxiety. Decision anxiety involves the agonizing amount of time we spend going back and forth before we make a decision as well as the post-decision making time in which we worry if we made the right decision or, worse yet, we double back on that decision.

It’s a form of self-torture we put ourselves and our brains through. And we can’t even blame others for it. It’s self-inflicted! Fortunately, there is a cure for this particular anxiety. First, go with your gut. In one study, scientists found that participants chose correctly 90 percent of the time when they went with their first instinct between two choices. That was based on math and it was fast. And still their instincts were right. Just like on a multiple choice test, when you go back and second guess your decisions in life you will probably erase the right choice and replace it with the wrong one.

It’s important to note that listening to your gut is different than people pleasing. Sometimes we make decisions based on other people’s desires in order to be polite or even help someone else. That is not your gut instinct. So, if we can recognize when we’re making decisions based on other people’s needs rather than our own, that will help us to stop making decisions we regret. Don’t say yes to the thing you’re going to regret later. In this way, you stop decision anxiety before it can even creep in.

Some good news about making a decision is that you have tools afterward. Once you make a decision, resolve to make it the right decision. Put your energy toward making that decision a good one rather than using your energy thinking about what ifs or regret. The way to do that is to focus on the good. What good things came or will come out of this decision? Focus on those.

Make the decision the right one by making it the right one. For example, when I bought a double jogging stroller for $500 it was tempting to have buyer’s remorse. I know my husband did. Instead of focusing on that though, I decided to get so much use out of it that we’d all know it had been a smart purchase. So I did. I used it almost everyday for my two girls and took up running my oldest to preschool. It allowed us time to be outside, and be together. It was the right decision. I made it so!

Another tool to becoming a good decision maker is to give yourself permission to course correct. We’re not living in a land of only rainbows and butterflies, so it’s obvious that sometimes things might not workout. Sometimes, a big ol’ iceberg shows up in your path. That is okay. Now you just course correct. Now that you’ve actually made a decision, you can adapt and be flexible as you carry it out. Allowing for course correction making frees you from paralyzation that comes from not being able to make a decision. It allows for movement forward, for progress, for action. 

For example, let’s say you decided to go for a run. Hooray, good for you! Sometimes, that’s a big decision, am I right? But now it’s raining. That’s okay. Course correcting means you just decide to get a little wet or you decide to run on a treadmill. You can even veer around that iceberg in your path and do a short cardio-based workout in your home. 

So, remember to go with your gut. Remember, that’s not a people-pleasing or knee-jerk reaction. Then, be sure to focus on the good and to make it the right decision. Finally, look for ways to course correct when something seems like it’s going to steer you off your decision’s track. If you apply these concepts to your decision making, you’ll go from having decision anxiety to decision confidence. 

You know I’ve got a free tool for you. Download this worksheet and keep it hand for the next time you have a decision to make.

The above is also a shortened excerpt from my book, Put Your Big Girl Panties On. Pick up a copy today!

Shana Roberson finance, Nutrition

Saving cash & saving calories

I like to advise clients to save cash & save calories!
Pizza Movie Night is a long-standing tradition in many homes.
The best way to save money & save calories is to make your own pita pizza at home.

You can purchase ingredients that will last many Fridays for the price of one large pizza. And your pita pizza will be fewer calories than a slice of delivery. (Recipe at end of post)

If that’s just not good enough, might I suggest limiting the pizza to 2-3 slices per person in the home and picking it up yourself? If you’re like my son, you can eat an entire pizza to yourself. But, you know, that doesn’t mean you HAVE to. 😉 We pick our pizzas up to save delivery fees + tip, which is at least $6 most of the time.


That’s not a lot but it’s one habit that saves over $300 a year. And just 2 slices instead of 4 can save you 940 calories a week or almost 14 pounds of calories a year!!


Switch the soda out for water and savor each bite.
Happy National Pizza night! #savingcashandsavingcalories

Shana Roberson Faith

You & Cinderella

Cinderella had a fairy godmother, a prince and helpful mice. You don’t.

How’s that for some life speaking?
That’s the first line of my book. Let’s call it real talk. 

Okay, how about three more sentences?

There is no hero in your story that is going to come along and save you. Well, that’s not entirely true. You are the hero of your story and you are the one that is going to save yourself.

If you read my book, please share! Let me know what resonates!