WhozYourMama

From Overwhelm To Ownership: How Intentional Energy Shapes Brain Health And Daily Life

• Michelle Kreft

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Change doesn’t feel big or small to the nervous system. It just feels like change. We open up about “intentional energy” and how choosing context on purpose can turn overwhelm into steady progress, whether you’re moving states for a PhD, advocating for safer streets, or juggling family and work. Our goal is simple: meet yourself where you are, then pick the next right step that your brain will actually do.

Anabel shares what relocating from California to Colorado taught her about mood, environment, and honest self-checks. We talk through practical emotion regulation, how to label what you feel without fighting it, and why community can accelerate growth. From walking groups to a vibrant biking culture, small social commitments help make movement and mental health routine. We also connect this to kids and schools through the growing Bike Bus movement, where daily exercise and neighborhood rituals build healthier, safer habits.

If time management has felt like a guilt machine, you’ll hear a kinder, more effective approach. We map tasks to energy windows, use breaks and micro-rewards to lower friction, and lean on tools that blend planning with reflection. The Roots health and wellness planner becomes a one-stop system for daily lists, notes to self, and weekly gratitude reviews—turning “I failed today” into useful data you can act on tomorrow. We also unpack boundaries around advocacy so passion doesn’t eclipse your bandwidth. Consistency beats intensity, and reflection beats shame.

Listen for clear tactics you can use today: check-ins that take 60 seconds, reframes that soften negative self-talk, and routines that protect brain health. If this conversation sparked ideas, follow, share with a friend who needs a gentler plan, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. The time is now—let’s move with intention.

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Michelle:

Welcome to WhozYourMama, a podcast focusing on tomorrow's future, which are our kids, educators, teachers, parents, all-encompassing with the goal of understanding that our brain is a muscle that we can exercise to control the speed in the direction that we want. Let's go, y'all. The time is now. Annabelle Solomon of Roots and just an overall impressive woman. Welcome back to Who's Your Mama? Hey, Michelle. Thanks so much for having me back. Yes, we're excited. Uh, for there's some people that have watched since you and I started. I started Who's Your Mama? You started Roots, gosh, almost like a year and a half ago, something around that was very similar timing. Um, our missions are intertwined in terms of brain health is life health and taking things day by day and week by week and month by month. So we had a few lives recently, and we thought, you know what? As the year progresses and we're all going through things personally, professionally, let's let's do a series. Um so we're gonna, this is our first in October, and we're gonna do another one in November and December, and take people on our personal journeys and and hear back from some of the things we've heard back from our lives and things like that. So the first thing I wanted to, and whether people have listened to us before or not, they I think something that is I'm finding universal is intentional energy. So we all go through shifts in life, and whether it's small or big, the feeling very much can be the same. And so, where do we invest our time? How? And and you've also had a not only are you getting your PhD in psychology that also required a major life shift for you outside of that. So can you expand on that?

Anabel:

Yeah, definitely. I think this is such an important and interesting topic to kind of dive into and intentional energy, right? And I know we talked about this a bit during our live stream series as well, but I do want to bring it back and expand more on kind of different factors that I think about. I know for me personally, so I moved from California to Colorado to start my PhD program. Um, so first time living out of the state of California, which has been a big change for me. Um, and it's it's kind of elicited a lot of what we've talked about, right? Of the intentional energy, where am I spending my time, where am I investing my energy, whether that's like physically or mentally, both such important components to consider with this topic, too. Um, and I think some stuff that we've already brainstormed about and kind of want to expand upon is like the importance of your context and staying grounded, really, you know, again, thinking about the theme of intentional energy, kind of mimicking where am I spending my time, my focus, my resources in the present moment, right? So kind of thinking about the context I'm in, the environment I'm in, what my body needs right now, and really being able to kind of check in with yourself as the days go on, as the hours go on, what do I need in this moment if I'm feeling overwhelmed, or even if I'm feeling good, just kind of taking a second to just reflect that back and say, hey, I'm feeling really good right now. And I think that all ties into this component, the question of where can I spend intentional energy that comes with like good moods, bad moods, middle moods. It's all so subjective. And I think something that's so important that I've learned and something that I try to practice myself and help teach others is really to take the time whenever you can, as frequent as you can, to just check in with yourself. Where are you at?

Michelle:

Where can I ask you on that note, just checking in with yourself? Because everyone is on different levels of self-exploration. Yeah. So I kind of think of it as as steps, you know, in the ladders is somebody might be on say step seven, and somebody's on one, and they're like, okay, well, how do I climb up there in terms of self self-really regulation? How do I how do I get those signs that are I know triggers that are obvious, but how do I flip the coin to spark my mind to help have forward movement? What would you suggest in those areas for you that you've experienced that's helped you personally and then through your studies and things like that?

Anabel:

Yeah, 100%. And that's a great question and a great topic. And something I think about too when when hearing about that question is also, you know, you want to try to practice this with other people of meeting people where they're at, right? Or I know there's the common saying of um, do to yourself what you want to do to others, treat others how you would like them to treat you, right? And I think that fits into this model too, when you're thinking of it personally. So either we're meeting people where they're at, or we're also meeting ourselves where we're at, right? And I think that is a hard lesson to learn and something that's maybe not often talked about or taught, but it should be more of an open conversation, right? And and teaching the skills of how can I meet myself where I'm at. And the first step to that, I believe, is just getting comfortable with listening to your body, listening to your mind, being able to understand the emotions that you're feeling, right? So trying to build those emotion regulation skills, trying to understand yourself and not combat yourself, right? Instead of, and also we talked about this before, is changing your thoughts or changing your mindset.

Michelle:

Instead of we talked about what do you say out loud? Would you say it literally saying it out loud? Would you say those same words to a loved one, family member, friends, or if they said it to you? If the answer is no, that wouldn't feel right, then why are you saying it to your internal self? And so to your point, is that sitting right in here, which also helps us because we are who we surround ourselves with, and that growth, like you said, like-minded.

Anabel:

Exactly. And it's about, you know, like you mentioned, who we surround ourselves with, our community. Are those people also engaging in these types of growth patterns that I want to be a comp be a part of or practice or not? Can I share these resources with my peers or my family? But also, again, it's again taking that first step in terms of like what should I do first? Let's just start with getting comfortable with ourselves and with our feelings and with our bodies and our thoughts, and instead of combating them and saying, oh, I'm so upset that I'm feeling this way, or I'm angry at myself for feeling this way. Why not instead reframe that and say, okay, you know, I'm realizing that I'm feeling a bit stressed out right now. Let's just take a second for myself, kind of think through and process through that emotion to then work up from there. And I think that's a really hard step and a new skill for a lot of people is like taking that time for myself to just really pause and be like, I'm feeling this way right now. What am I feeling? How can I help myself feel better in this moment and kind of move from there instead of just being so combative of like, oh, I don't like that I'm feeling well, it's muscle memory, right?

Michelle:

I mean, the brain's a muscle and we don't use it, we lose it. That's why, you know, you know, people that get older in life when their brain has been active, it stays active. And we could go into down some rabbit holes on that, but but it's it's true, and that's why I'm when it's like athletes that train their bodies for things. When you flip the coin, you program your mind to take triggers and flip it and spark your mind and be like, you know what? I'm feeling really like you said, I'm feeling down, I'm overwhelmed. I'm proud of myself for making this, if I used you, like making this huge transition, moving out of state. I am proud of myself to recognize that and know, say, I'm gonna go outside and I'm gonna go to walk. I think you shared on one of the lives that did you get involved with was it like a running club or or some sort of group outside? Am I right? Did I remember that? Yeah, yeah. Like actually maybe I'm losing my mind.

Anabel:

No, no, definitely. Yeah, there's a really big outdoor community here where I live now. So for me, it's taking that step of trying to embrace myself in this new community and this new environment. What does that look like? And what are those steps to take? Um, yeah, so a lot of like walking groups or social activities with friends, I'll do a lot of like outdoor activities, um, which is good in a lot of dimensions, but also taking myself out of my comfort zone, right? Like I haven't ridden a bike in so many years, and now here I am in this biking community. Um, and I think there's so many things we can talk about in those instances as well, but just how to find your place within a new community could also be something that is scary and new and challenging for folks. And again, it's taking it step by step, day by day, and just kind of thinking what can I do now in this present moment, practicing that mindfulness and and those gratitude exercises of being grounded and adhering to what you need in that moment before taking that next step that might seem scary.

Michelle:

Absolutely. And it's interesting you mention biking and things like that. I know Colorado is such a beautiful outdoor community, and options like that. That didn't spark my mind. Of it, so I think it was January. Gosh, time does fly. Talk about month by month, as we know. I don't think I've had a year pass by faster than 2025, but I you are not alone. Um we had a coach Balto who started Bike Bus World, and it's become this huge have you have you seen him? Yes, I have. You have? Um, so we had the I had the pleasure of having him come on Who's Your Mama in January and to watch what he's built, not just all over the country, abroad as well, has been really incredible for getting kids and community involved with daily exercise. Um and to to watch the the growth of this has so warmed my heart, and it made me think about my daughter who's now a junior in high school, and she's had an e-bike for a couple of years, and where we live, um I mean there's tons of kids that do. One of the things that I when because they're intertwined is outdoor activity and safety and how we use our time. And what I mean by that is for me, we had an accident that was at the end of my street between a kid that was on an e-bike and a in a car, and it's something that I'm incredibly passionate about, community and how to make a difference. It's a huge part of who's your mama is through sharing. And and I think one of the positive ways to use social media too. And so for me, I being a single mama and whether you're mom or not, we're all juggling a lot in life, and I've really tried to think more about how much time do I spend on certain things. Like I'm incredibly passionate about this, and I am gonna get two stop signs that more that should be four. I I am going to, but I also have other things that I need to do as well. So I think that's part of what I through my own personal stuff, and I know things that we've discussed, and then other people have given feedback from listening to us, and then just friends and family is how do you know when to maybe table something? How much time is two time on something? I know I'm not letting this go. I also know that I it's not the only thing I'm doing right now. What advice would you give to people in terms of juggling multiple things that might look like they're all and very likely are important? How do you, how do you in your own life prioritize?

Anabel:

100%. I love that question. You know, time management is something that I take into consideration strongly when creating my day-by-day wellness planners, right? And kind of reframing and thinking about what is the most helpful way to organize one's day. Yeah. You know, because there are, like you said, so many things that either captivate us or maybe don't captivate us, but are things that need to get done in a day, in a week, in a month. And, you know, for me, something that has worked really well is to-do lists, right? To really just take some time either at the beginning of the week or at the beginning of the day, building those healthy habits to think about what is on my to-do list for me to complete today, what is on my to-do list for me to complete this week. Once I think about those all and I visualize those out, then I'm able to kind of parse that throughout the week or throughout the day, right? Then I can kind of take some time, okay. What meetings do I have or what obligations do I have that might get in the way of my productivity? How can I work around that? And I really try to visualize what would make most sense in terms of what project I'm working on at what time of the day, for example. But something I do want to make really clear and something that I'm passionate about strongly, and I practice is that I have to work on the task that feels, you know, like exciting and fulfilling to me in that moment.

Michelle:

There's a lot of times where I'll be- Can you expand on that when you say in that moment? Because for some people, and if it's not obvious, of course it is, we're different generations. Uh-huh, you're Gen Z, I'm Gen X. And there's a kind of a difference of thinking, there's also similarities as well. But for me, in that moment might be okay, I feel like this, and I keep it moving. Sure. But so in that moment could be that day that I push through. But for other people, in that moment could be everything that so how do you define that?

Anabel:

Yeah, yeah, 100%. I appreciate you you mentioning that and trying to like break that down a bit. So again, like for me, something that works is I start with writing my to-do list of kind of what I have to do that day, right? Then I'll kind of check in with myself periodically throughout the day when I'm looking at my to-do list and I'm like, okay, honestly, which of these different tasks do I feel like I can conquer right now?

Michelle:

Yeah. The honesty of self-accountability of being truthful internally. Yeah. Yeah.

Anabel:

Because something that I've learned and noticed in peers and through education as well is that, and people might relate to this, you know, if you're trying to force yourself to do something that you don't want to do, not only is it gonna take you so much longer to get it done, you're not gonna enjoy it, you're not gonna associate it with anything positive in the future.

Michelle:

The hamster on the wheel, just like sometimes I feel like I'm literally doing that. And I'm like, yeah, help me. I say to myself out loud, Michelle, help me help you, as if we're different people, like me, myself, and I. It's like, we got this.

Anabel:

Yeah, I love that. And there's so many ways to go about that exact feeling, right? So let's say you're stuck in a position when you're like, I told myself I have to get this task done now. And you're like, oh, I don't want to do it. This isn't feeling good for me right now. There's so many options to take, right? That first one is doing exactly what you practice. Let's take a break, let's have some self-talk and think, is there things that I can do to help me in this moment? Maybe you're doing a paper or an essay and you're like, I don't want to be writing right now, but if I were to have a fun drink or a coffee, maybe I can give myself a treat to make it or get outside or something, or or put on music.

Michelle:

You know, I sometimes I cannot when I'm have to be focused in certain areas, no music. Other times it might be classical, other times I mean it's all over the place. Yeah. But sometimes it's just that break in the mind to relax it. I totally agree. That's one of the things I really love about, and and you've had you know, you've had a a newer version come out, which is so exciting for roots, and and it's a correct me if I'm wrong, you referred to because a lot of people have like associate there's negative connotations sometimes with planners, it feels like extra work, but you call it a health and wellness, yeah, yeah, planner planner because it's all encompassing, right? So you have it day by day, week by week, month by month, but it also has for people that like to journal and have notes, like you you can put those things down, so it's a one-stop shop. So it's it's not just another task, it's things where you write you could write your thoughts and also take you through your own journey, reflect back. And maybe when you didn't check things off your list, you could say, But maybe I wrote a note here, like I call it like note to self, yeah. That like self-love, like I call it the self-love bucket, is when we're in there, like pull from it, and and that could be writing it down to remind yourself of you know what it felt like today I didn't do this or this week, but look at what I wrote to myself to reflect. That's incredible. I love about the Roots, Health and Wellness Um journal planner is that you have that there to kind of shift minds to, you know, it's it's uh it's a really good healthy tool that's um that has longevity of the creating the foundation of success in a lot of ways for people in their own way.

Anabel:

Yes, exactly. And exactly what you mentioned too, right? Like if you're not able to get to your to-do list, to your task, again, writing those notes to yourself, having that reflection. There's also a weekly reflection that's built in, whether you choose to engage some weeks or not, that's completely fine. Sometimes you have more of a bandwidth than other times. But again, going back and looking at your prior week, either that's your tasks that you've done or just how you felt, being able to take note of that and take those just five minutes to reflect is actually a gratitude practice and is grounded in positive psychology principles.

Michelle:

Yes, no shame. Like, let's not let's let's get rid of the shame. And I'm also like in my home with my daughter and also with friends, like we don't used to see where like you're not crazy, might be fascinating, might be interesting, but there's no shame in this. But it's it's to remind yourself that it may not feel like it you're moving forward, but you are, but it's a personalized process. And so on that note, um, we will uh wrap up here. So thank you so much for coming on. And I'm I'm excited to continue the conversation, some other areas that both you and I have discussed that I think will really resonate with people. So I look forward to it.

Anabel:

Likewise, Michelle, it's always a pleasure.

Michelle:

And as I always say, let's go, y'all. The time is now. Bye. Bye. Thank you for tuning in to WhozYourMama, and I look forward to collaborating from a community standpoint for the next episodes.

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Michelle Kreft

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