The Restored Mind | Mom Guilt, Self Doubt, Biblical Encouragement, Self Forgiveness, Positive Mindset, Motherhood
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Do you constantly feel like you’re falling short—no matter how hard you try?
Are you stuck in a cycle of guilt, frustration, and wishing the hard moments away?
What if the breakthrough isn’t a new routine… but a new way to see yourself—through forgiveness?
Welcome to The Restored Mind Podcast—a peaceful space for Christian moms who want to be the best mom they can be, end guilt, and start a journey of self-forgiveness. If you’re tired of wondering whether you’re doing enough—or feeling like you’re falling short in every area—you’re not alone. Each week, you'll learn small but impactful habit changes that will help you lead your children to know and love God- while growing your own faith along the way.
Hi, I’m Caroline Thao—Jesus follower, wife, and mom who knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by expectations that stem from a perfectionist mindset. It led me to try to control everything—and when I failed, I felt the heavy weight of mom guilt. For years, I second-guessed everything: my parenting, my faith, my dreams. I felt torn between being fully present with my kids and pursuing the passions God placed on my heart. Worst of all, I believed the lie that I had to choose one or the other—until I learned to forgive myself so I could finally show up as the mom I wanted to be.
And here’s the good news: you don’t have to live stuck in guilt or strive to be a “perfect” mom.
Through scripture, intentional habits, and faith-filled mindset shifts, I discovered how to let go of guilt and live like the mom God created me to be—not the one guilt kept me stuck as. And now, I want to help you do the same.
Each episode will give you biblical encouragement, simple steps, and easy, attainable habits so you can::
- Break free from mom guilt and the perfectionist mindset that leaves you feeling stuck.
- Walk in confidence in all the roles God has entrusted you without needing to do it all perfectly.
- Lead your children with grace, love, and patience—not pressure.
- Finally becoming the mom you’ve always envisioned yourself to be.
So if you’re ready to stop running on empty and start thriving in your motherhood journey, you’re in the right place. Grab your Bible, invite the Holy Spirit in, and let’s walk this journey together—one peaceful step at a time.
The Restored Mind | Mom Guilt, Self Doubt, Biblical Encouragement, Self Forgiveness, Positive Mindset, Motherhood
142 | Finding Peace When Christmas Feels Overwhelming
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Hey Mama!
Christmas can feel overwhelming as a Christian mom—especially when you're trying to create perfect moments while wrestling with mom guilt. This episode reminds you that Emmanuel means "God with us," not "God with your perfect plans."
Key takeaways:
- You don't need a perfect Christmas tree or flawless holiday plans to receive the gift of Jesus' presence
- Create tiny pockets throughout your day to notice Him
- Trade one task for presence this season
This episode offers biblical encouragement to help you anchor your faith and find peace in the chaos. Ready to discover which type of mom guilt you're carrying? Take the Discover Your Mom Guilt Quiz and get personalized strategies to break free.
Mentioned Episode:
140 | Why Holiday Comparison Triggers Mom Guilt (And How To Stop It)
More FREE Resources:
Take The Quiz: Discover Your Mom Guilt Type
FREE Community: Break Free From Mom Guilt
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It's time to become to the mom you want to be. Remember, you can do hard things!
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"- Philippians 4:13
Are you feeling panicked that you'll somehow let your kids down this Christmas? I've got two simple shifts for real peace without the perfect plan. The second one changes everything. Let's get into it. Welcome to the restored Mind, where biblical wisdom meets practical strategies to become the mom you've always wanted to be. It's time to ditch that mom guilt. So grab your favorite drink and let's do this. Are you ready to finally break free from the guilt that has been weighing you down? Take the Discover Your Mom guilt quiz and get personalized insights into exactly what's holding you back so you can step into the peace and confidence you've been craving because Mama, you deserve to enjoy motherhood without constantly second guessing yourself. The link is in the show notes, and I cannot wait for you to break free from mom guilt. Alright. If you're listening to this on launch day, it is one week before Christmas and I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you. I'm saying this in the beginning of the episode because there's a good chance I'm going to forget. I also thought this would be an awesome time for us to take this episode and really reflect on Jesus. Our Lord and Savior's birth and how it is wonderful that his name Emmanuel, is not only reserved for Christmas, but for us who are followers of him. Now, a few years ago, I decided I wanted to flock my Christmas tree. We had this traditional green tree that. Was sufficient for so many years and I really, really wanted to have a snowy Christmas tree, and I had my eyes set on to do this really awesome project. So I thought, how hard can it be? And after I watched a couple of videos on YouTube, I went ahead and ordered the flocking powder from Amazon, grabbed my spray bottle, filled it with water, and then I dragged my tree outside. But before doing that, I took all of the lights off of the tree., I don't know why I did that, but it ended up being a mess. That's a whole nother story for another day. But from here, it turned into the messiest project I had ever done. I mean, the lights should have been the red flag that this was not going to be a good idea because The powder was. Everywhere. I mean, it was so tedious and the cleanup was absolutely horrific. Long story short, the flock did not stick well and it was most likely user error because every time someone would touch the tree, it would shed like a snowstorm. And that Christmas, I spent more time cleaning up after the project, than enjoying the actual tree. And the thing is, it looked easy online, but it did not go the way that I imagined it. And so here's what I learned from that.. I was chasing a feeling instead of the meaning of Christmas. I didn't need a flocked tree or a quote unquote perfect tree to have a meaningful Christmas. I needed to notice Emmanuel, meaning God with us right into my imperfect. Living room and that day showed me two things that I wanna pass on to you this week as you prepare for Christmas, because I know that it can get very chaotic around this time. I mean, most of us are probably ready to just have this day be over with, but let's not rush it. Let's learn to be in the moment. So we're gonna talk about how e Emmanuel is not a mood that is manufactured. And then we're gonna also talk about what happens when we don't make small pockets of time to notice him. And how you miss the meaning of Christmas and his name entirely. So let's go through this together. I had said earlier that Emmanuel is not a mood. It's actually reality because the reality is that Emmanuel means. God with us, we see this in Matthew chapter one, where it reads, behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us, and so that proves that God's presence, is not fragile. He's not seasonal or even dependent on our feelings, His presence is not a reward for when we become less worried or less anxious. No, mama. We become less of those things when we remember him and anchor ourselves in him. Peace is not found. When things are perfect, peace is found in Emmanuel, and after all, he is also known as the. Prince of peace, and since Emmanuel is God with us, then here's why that matters. In our real messy life moments, sometimes we think we need to have it all together before, Jesus comes to us,. the truth is he is not at all worried whether or not if your vision board Pinterest for this holiday season becomes a reality. The thing is he wants you. No matter what state you are in to go to him. The moments in your motherhood journey where you probably felt like maybe you failed them or you were just so worried about your kids' future for whatever reason it may be he was already there in those moments. And I think that that is such a wonderful thing because there's so many times where we feel like we are by ourselves. I believe that a lot of moms suffer in silence. We don't really talk about our emotions and how we are worried for our kids. A lot of times we bypass that conversation by brushing it off, like, oh, they'll be all right. But we halfway believe that sometimes, and the goal is to not halfway believe anything, but to truly believe that your kids are gonna be all right. we can feel like we are undeserving and unprepared and you know, I get it. I used to think the same way. I used to try and prepare. By being busy and staying focused on trying to do everything before I can go and sit at the feet of Jesus just to be with him. And a lot of times we can miss the moment when we are trying to do everything on our to-do list before Christmas comes around or before a big event Now, I actually talked about this in episode 140, where I dive into how joy honors God just as much as serving does, and how you don't have to earn rest by finishing every task first. If you miss that episode, I highly encourage it. If it's resonating with you right now, I've linked it in the show notes for you. That way you can easily find it if you want to hear more about finding rest in the busy season. So. Here's how you can live it out right now. This is gonna be super easy for you to do. You're going to predecide the task that you're going to trade, meaning pick one task that you are going to intentionally leave undone during a key family moment. So for example, you might decide that you'll leave the dishes undone Christmas morning until after everyone has already opened their presents. This is actually gonna help you be in the moment and remind you that Emmanuel means God with us as you are choosing to leave the dishes until after the presents. So you can enjoy this moment without the guilt and see the beauty and the gift that is right here in your living room. Remove comparison when it starts to creep in your mind by naming one gift in your life today so that your heart and mind and your eyes return to where his is at. All right. And then the second thing that I wanna pass on to you today, is probably my favorite part of the episode, and I don't say that a lot I will say I really liked the conversation about Emmanuel two anyway, we are going to be making pockets of time to notice him. John one says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. If you go all the way down to, verse 17, it also says The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and Jesus is the eternal word made flesh. Right. Isn't this amazing? Like are you connecting the dots with me?'cause I am so excited about this. Jesus is the eternal word, made flesh God's grace in truth is with us. So we practice noticing him, not just on Christmas but in the ordinary moments of every day. So create these tiny pockets in your day to remember him so that you can draw your attention to him. Now, these pockets of time, they don't have to be long at all. It can be done anywhere and in whatever it is that you're doing, I talk about. Doing this throughout the year because there is a very good reason for you to begin training your mind in your eyes to go back to him because if you don't make the intentional micro moments to see him in the mess, the busyness of whatever season it is for this episode, it's Christmas. But moving beyond that, or even in the simplest of things like snuggling with your kids, your everyday moments are going to become more daunting and more quote unquote boring because. You are going to miss it. You're gonna miss the reason why you are there in that moment. And I mean, I've said this multiple times but time is fleeting. We don't get that time back when it leaves. Trust me, I have been there. I've been that mom that used to wish my kids would hurry up and grow up or wish a certain phase away because of the annoyance my lack of self-control and my mindset at the time was not to embrace the moments, it was to rush them. And so my kids now are between the ages of six and 10, and they are no longer needing me as much as I want them to need me. And it's been a seasonal change and I love that they're growing and I get to be a part of that. But if I could go back, I truly believe that I would want to savor every single moment without that negative mommy mindset. So anyway, I'm getting off topic here, but this is the reason why I am telling you, if you don't make these pockets of time, if your day to notice him, your mindset, your attitude, the things that you say are going to reflect how far away you might be feeling from. You being the mom that you want to be. And I know that this episode is centering around Christmas, but you can truly take the content of today and apply it throughout the year as much as you need it to. So how can you begin to create these pockets of time? I have said this before on the podcast, and now it's probably becoming a broken record, but I still stand by it. It is so important that it becomes a habit to seek him throughout your day. So start by greeting him in the morning. I encourage you, mama to greet Jesus in the morning and thank him for who he is, and thank him for the rest that has been given to you, even if you feel like you didn't really rest well. Look for him. In the messy, frustrated moments, I want you to take a couple of deep breaths and seek his peace, his calmness and warmth that he radiates. Seek him for discipline so that you don't say things you'll regret later. And even further, the trap of mom guilt. I mean, I'll tell you, I've been very guilty of yelling at my kids, at my husband at slamming drawers and nothing good came out of that. I felt silly. I felt like I was honestly stooping down to the level of my then three and five year olds. When they threw tantrums only, I was louder, and I could tell you I looked way more foolish than they did by not seeking Jesus. In those moments, I said a lot of things that even furthered the trap of mom guilt for me. As I started growing in my faith and. Building my relationship with Jesus, I had realized that sometimes it is good to be silent. I don't have to have the last word. And it felt good later that I didn't say what I wanted to say because There was no guilt. There wasn't a moment where I felt bad for saying something that, I didn't mean and. That had absolutely nothing to do with me, but everything to do with the mightiness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit working in me, because your girl was a hot mess. Okay, so moving on. Seek Jesus also in times of joy and celebration, Continue to go to him even in celebratory times and in times of joy. Seek and praise him with gladness, don't forget to do it in times of hardships and frustrations too. All right? So invite him into your life is basically what I'm saying. Not just because it's Christmas, but because you want to be near to him. It takes practice, it takes patience. A lot of self-control, but I know that you can do it because this right here is how you are going to grow beyond Christmas season. This is how you are going to. Anchor your faith and become this changed person. On the inside is when you continue to keep your eyes on him and anchor yourself in him. All right, mama. We are nearing the end of this episode, but to recap really quickly, we talked about the meaning of Jesus'. Name, Emmanuel God with us. Remember that you don't need a perfect Christmas tree or even perfect holiday plans for you to receive the gift of Jesus. He is with you We also talked about creating these tiny pockets in your day so that you can continue to draw near to him beyond Christmas. Remembering that his presence is not a mood, but the truth of God's promises. Thanks for hanging out with me today, mama. If this episode blessed you in any way, would you share it with another mom who you think might need this message today? I can't wait to be back with you soon. Go in peace..