EPI 89 - The Season You’re In: How to Stay Rooted When Life Gets Busy

Hi friend — welcome back to The Habit Within! I’m Camille Kinzler, and today’s episode is a little mini grounding session for the season we’re in. Because if your life looks anything like mine right now… it’s full. Beautiful, meaningful, chaotic, and full.

And during these kinds of seasons, it’s so easy to think you should be doing more — starting a new workout plan, reinventing your routines, signing up for a program, overhauling your habits. But the truth is: this is not the season for massive shifts.

This is the season for presence.
 For grounding.
 For simplicity.

So today, I’m walking you through five small things I’m personally committing to over the next three weeks — things that don’t require extra time, big decisions, or rearranging your life… just tiny anchors that keep you rooted when life gets busy.

In this episode, I share:

• Why this is not the moment to should all over yourself (you’ll feel that one!)
• How remembering that every yes is a choice can lift guilt and mental clutter
• What presence actually looks like in a full season — especially when your brain wants to time-travel
• A sweet glimpse into my kids’ Winter Fair (pocket ladies and handmade treasures included)
• Why even 5 minutes of movement can shift your nervous system and blood sugar
• How the small things — supplements, peptides, water, sunlight — are always the first to disappear when we need them most
• Why scheduling time for yourself in January is the most loving thing you can do for December
• A reminder that your five grounding practices don’t have to match mine — they just need to support your aliveness

This episode is meant to help you breathe again.
 To remind you that it’s okay to be in this season — not the one you think you “should” be in.

Big Takeaways

• You chose what’s on your plate — which means you can release the guilt around what you can’t get to right now.
• Presence allows you to actually experience the life you’re living instead of rushing through it.
• Small anchors create big stability in busy seasons.
• This time of year is meant to be beautiful — even when it’s messy.

I’d love to hear from you

What are your five grounding things for this season?
DM them to me on Instagram — I can’t wait to read them and share a few on the next episode.

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Transcript

(0:00 - 2:01)
All that we really need to do in this moment in season in our life is to be present within it. So I'm going to give you five things that I'm going to be focusing on for the next three weeks. And I would love for you to come up with five things that feel really grounding for you. 

Welcome to The Habit Within. This podcast is for high achieving women, 35 and older, who seem to have it all together, but feel like they're constantly running on fumes, struggling to balance it all, and losing sight of the woman they used to be. I'm Camille Kinzler, a former physician assistant turned transformational coach, blending science, positive psychology, and a metaphysical approach to habits, health, and vitality. 

If you've ever asked yourself, why am I so exhausted even after a full night's sleep, or I feel like I'm juggling so much, but I'm just barely keeping my head above water, you are in the right place. Each week, we'll explore the real reasons behind feeling overwhelmed, trapped in the cycle of overworking, and constantly running low on energy, and how to break free from the patterns keeping you stuck in survival mode. It's time to stop living on autopilot and to start feeling like yourself again. 

Let's dive in. Hello, beautiful people. Welcome back to The Habit Within. 

I'm your host, Camille. Today is going to be a short but powerful little mini podcast where I just want us to focus on five things that really bring us back into presence and more into joy this holiday season, because life gets really, really busy around this time. In Texas, because it's cooler, and Christmas Day is usually 70 and sunny, I often want to start my New Year's resolutions.

(2:01 - 2:34)
Right? I want to really jumpstart moving my body. It's unlike in most places where you want to go in, go inward more. For me, because the weather changes and it's not so stinking hot in Texas, when I want to get out there and start making some pretty massive shifts in my life. 

However, this is not the time to make massive shifts in your life. Let me say that again. Right now is not the time to make these huge commitments, because there's already so much on our plates.

(2:35 - 6:56)
When we think that we should be doing something else in our life, that we're shitting all over ourselves, if you will, that we should be working out more, that we should be eating more healthy, that we should sign up for this program or that program, whatever it might be, really recognizing that all that we really need to do in this moment in season in our life is to be present within it. I'm going to give you five things that I'm going to be focusing on for the next three weeks. I would love for you to come up with five things that feel really grounding for you. 

They don't have to be my five. However, you are welcome to borrow my five if you need some. But these really five things that we're going to be focusing on in the next three weeks have nothing to do with a lot of time, meaning carving out a lot of time to do them. 

These are things that we don't have to rearrange our lives in order to fit them in. It's really tapping, you know, where we don't have to like the last couple of episodes, I think I was talking about our subconscious values. You have to really do some inner work to really figure out what those subconscious values are. 

We're not doing that kind of work right now. Those are not the five things that we're going to be focusing on. We are going to be focusing on five things that are simple and grounding that you can ground into your life in this exact moment in time. 

And enjoy the season, instead of just plowing through it. Okay. So if you are with me, I want you to think of your five, I want you to DM me and Instagram or email me what your five things are. 

And I would share them. I'll share them the next podcast. But yeah, so without further ado, let's dive in. 

So number one is remember that every single thing that you do is a choice. This is particularly powerful when we have a lot on our plate. Okay, so every single yes, that you have chosen in this season is a choice. 

And every yes, is also something that you have said no to when you say yes to one thing you have said no to something else. And there is a podcast episode all about that somewhere in the early archives. But I just want you to remember I want myself to remember that if I have, if I have chosen all of these busy moments, right, if I've chosen this really full schedule, then I shouldn't really complain about it. 

Right. And that helps me really kind of take the guilt out. So if I am choosing to say yes to this one thing, then that means that the other thing that I am saying no to is just saying no to it for now, I'll get to it later. 

You know, this is not on my list of things, but maybe even making a little note in your phone where it says like things to get to in January, right? So it's something that you can kind of take off of your brain, put it someplace else to deal with later. So removing the guilt that you're not doing those other things, because you are choosing to do the thing that you're doing in this exact moment. And I don't want you to even sit down and write down the things, a list of things and say, Oh, my gosh, was this a heaven? Yes. 

Or is this a should? No, I don't want you to do anything, anything like that. If it is on your schedule, then that means that you chose it and just do it and just do it in the best most present way possible. And y'all again, this is my list. 

This means these are things that I am focusing on, because I was noticing that I was feeling like I was buried in all of the yeses. And there is a whole bunch of things that I really want to do as well that I'm just not going to get to. So just say that you've chosen this, I will say I have chosen this, because this season of your life, your responsibilities and your family traditions and your commitments, these are the things that you raised your hand for. 

They're part of your story right now. And acknowledgement of this can bring you and me so much peace. Number two, go into each of these yeses with as much presence and gratitude as possible.

(6:56 - 11:07)
When I say with as much presence, because when your plate is as full as mine is, sometimes we're in that moment, but we're already planning the next moment, right? Oh, did I get x, y, and z? Or did I put everything in my car, because I don't want to have to go back after this one event, I'm going directly to my other one. So really making sure that we're as present as possible in the moment that we're in. And when our mind wanders, just like when we're in yoga class, we bring it back to the present moment, because this busy season can really, really make us time travel mentally, or we're jumping ahead to the next moment. 

But presence is what really tunes us into the meaningful moments of the day. So for me, that looks like the Saturday when I'm at the Winter Fair at my kids school. So if you're listening to this, you're listening to it the day or the day that this episode drops is the day of the kids Winter Fair. 

And a lot is going to be happening on that day. I'm running the diner, which is the eighth grade tradition to serve food and wash dishes, dishes for the community and be present in that way. It's really sweet, because in seventh grade, what they did is they had a dessert cafe where they served desserts, which I think my eighth grader was just eating the desserts the entire time. 

In sixth grade, they served popcorn. And then first through fifth grade, they have crafts in their rooms, which is so sweet, like candle dipping and making ornaments and bells and all sorts of really sweet things anyway. But it's chaotic, and it's a huge production. 

But there is so much nostalgia, even though my kids haven't been going to this school for very long. They love Winter Fair. Oh my gosh, they have these pocket ladies. 

Yep, they're wearing like these large cloaks, like Renaissance style gear in rich colors. And they open up their cloak and inside there are these tiny little pockets lining the underside of their coat. And you get to give them a ticket. 

And then they get this teeny tiny little trinket, which isn't like a plastic trinket that you get from Amazon. It's a handmade item. They're so beautiful, and so special. 

But anyway, just recognizing for myself that this is the season of my life that I am choosing this. I was speaking to a mother who has high schoolers. She is an 11th or 12th grader. 

And she said this is the first year that she's not doing anything for the fair because she had been doing it for the last 15 years. So she's like, I'm not bringing a dessert. I'm not doing anything. 

And that's because that's her season. So maybe recognizing that when you are in the moment of something, that presence, a way for you to get back into the present moment is to just remind yourself, this is the season that I'm in right now. I said yes to this, because more than likely, I'm not going to feel like saying no to it later, because it's just not going to be where my kids are or where I am. 

Maybe that's professionally. Maybe it's even with inside certain friend groups, because you never know when your friends are going to be moving. So just really having that as your recenter. 

So I'm just going to remember that this is going to be the last moment for these kids to be together. I'm actually, every performance that they do, every time I see this class together, I know that next year, they're going to be going to different high schools. Some of them are staying, some of them are going. 

And I'm just, oh, my heart breaks, because I also love the group of parents that these kids belong to, and I want to keep them. But it's a season. So I'm going to walk in presence and gratitude and not resentment or rush. 

And if I'm rushing, then I'm going to forgive myself and recognize that choice changes everything. Number three, continue moving my body. So even if it's just a little bit, so maybe continue moving your body, even if it's just a little bit.

(11:07 - 12:44)
So I haven't been moving my body as much as I should. Okay, there's that word again, or as I typically like to. And I've actually been looking up late, like trainers and hit classes and all of the things these past several weeks. 

And so this is my reminder that this is not the season to start signing up for, you know, a personal trainer, save it for January. Um, but really movement is the best way to clear your mind, clear the mental clutter, to reduce that holiday buzzing energy that occurs that really helps our blood sugar when we've had like those really high carb, sugary treats that I'm sure we're all having. And, um, you know, even a walk after dinner can really help the circadian rhythms, circadian rhythms, so we can sleep better. 

So even if it was five minutes of moving your body, um, outside, or maybe lifting lightweights inside, that is going to be best for your sleep, for your digestive system, and keep it simple, right? We're not adding any thing additional to our schedules right now. These are all things that we just need to continue doing or just do very lightly. Number four, keep taking your peptides and your supplements. 

So if you have, um, a regimen that you are currently taking, then just keep taking them. I know that when my life gets full, that's some of the first things that fall away is my morning routine, which is a lot of time when I take my supplements and my peptides. And if I don't do that in the morning, then it just kind of falls away.

(12:44 - 13:28)
And typically the things that kind of just fall away the first are the things that make us feel the best, right? When we need them the most, when we need those tools the most, those are the things that drift away because they seem frivolous, right? They seem like extra things, like moving our body, like our morning routine, like taking our supplements, like drinking our water, like eating healthy food, right? Those are the things that go away first, but as just a reminder that keep doing those things that make you feel good, okay? Maybe, I mean, again, like when I think about it, it takes two minutes to take my supplements. So, uh, you know, I mean, that's just something I need to just to do because it makes me feel better. My mind wandered to the next thing.

(13:28 - 14:33)
I'm not being present in this podcast recording. Um, so back to being present in the podcast recording and talking about the little things that fall away and just, yeah, I think that what happens is, is when we have those little small things that we do, like taking our supplements or um, drinking our water or having this morning routines, the benefits of those are cumulative. So they're slow and steady, but when we stop doing them, they're immediate, right? We feel them immediately. 

And so, um, but it's one of those things, right? Where we start it and we're like, oh, is this really the thing that's changing? Like waking up early, is it really the thing that's changing my life or taking my supplements and y'all taking my B vitamins is changing my life. So it feels so much better when I do. And yeah. 

And so just stay on it. So stay on that consistent routine. So I am committed to staying consistent because I feel the shift when I don't.

(14:33 - 14:53)
So maybe that can be your mantra as well. Whatever your supportive stack is, if it's peptides, magnesium to sleep, B vitamins, progesterone, adaptogens, maybe it's your DNA based essentials. Just keep going because your future will 100%. 

Thank you. Your future self will. All right.

(14:53 - 17:27)
Number five, carve out time for yourself in January. So I want you to think about this now. So this is the only thing that I want you to actually like make a little time for is I want you to look at your calendar and I want to give you yourself a couple of hours or half a day, a full day, maybe a full weekend where you carve out that time for yourself. 

And during that moment, during those moments, that's the time for you to reflect, reflect back on your year prior to really get quiet and look and see who that person you want to be in the new year, what you want to start adding into your life in these slow increments and really reset your nervous system in that moment. So even if it's just an hour or two, it's going to be so essential for you to carve that time out because when life gets extremely chaotic in these next three weeks, you can really just tell yourself, okay, I have that time scheduled. So I'm going to take a deep breath and this is the season and I'm going to have the ability to really reflect and decide what my steps, my next steps are in that moment. 

All right, babes. So final thoughts is your five things may be different than my five things. And I want to know your five things, but maybe yours is you want to focus on sleep or hydration, or maybe it's just going on autopilot with meals, like eating the same thing, feeding your kids the same thing every day, um, to reduce decision fatigue, whatever they are, just pick things that support your aliveness. 

And it is nothing to do with perfectionism. This season is meant to be beautiful, even when it is messy, it's supposed to be beautiful. And with just a few intentional anchors that are super simple, it can feel so much more spacious and enjoyable. 

So I hope this helps you breathe a little easier and move through these next few weeks with more grace and presence and groundedness. And again, I hope you loved this episode as much as I loved making it for you. And there's going to be a couple more before the new year. 

I will see you in the next episode. The world needs the vibrance and wisdom of a woman's intuition to help heal the world. When we learn to trust ourselves through leaning into and through discomfort, we learn to trust ourselves and in that space is our power and clarity.