Behind the Scenes: Family Changes, Summer Goals, and What's Next

 The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. 

Between the end-of-school-year craziness, navigating IEP meetings, preparing for a major career change in our family, and jumping headfirst into summer activities, I've been reminded of one powerful lesson about weight loss:

The moms who succeed aren't the ones with perfect routines. They're the ones who learn how to stay flexible.

In this episode, I'm sharing some personal life updates, what the past few weeks have looked like behind the scenes, and the mindset shift that has helped me continue making progress on my weight loss goals even during one of the busiest seasons of the year.

We'll talk about:
• Why your habits need to be fluid, not rigid
• How to keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan
• The "weight loss pyramid" approach I use during busy seasons
• What it means to have your weight loss running on autopilot
• An exciting sneak peek at a brand-new program I'm creating for moms

If you've ever felt like you have to choose between enjoying your life and reaching your weight loss goals, this episode is for you.

Because sustainable weight loss doesn't happen outside of motherhood...it happens within it.

Follow Kelsey on Socials: @sassybrunettefitness

Transcript

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Hey, I'm Kelsey, and welcome to the Mama Wellness Hour, a place for moms who want to lose weight, but don't want to lose themselves, their sanity, or their life in the process. This is a space for real mom life: the highs, the lows, and the messy middle. No pressure, no perfection, just simple tools, real support, and the reminder that you are not alone in this. If you're ready to start moving forward at your pace, on your terms, I'm right here with you. Let's get into it. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Mama Wellness Hour. I feel like it's been forever since I've recorded a podcast episode, but all in good reason, it has been pure chaos over here for the past few weeks. And to be honest, I'm coming into this podcast episode with absolutely no notes, no idea what I want to talk about. We're just gonna chat and see what comes out. So hopefully some words kind of meld together and there gets to be a point here. But I really just kind of want to share with you where I've been at the past few weeks, what's been going on, some exciting things coming up, and just kind of what I've learned over the past few weeks when it comes to my own weight loss journey. So, in a nutshell, it's no secret. The past few weeks we've had the end of school year, we've had Memorial Day weekend, and all of the stuff that comes with the end of the school year is just, whoo, like I feel like I'm finally taking that deep breath exhale from all of it. I don't know. I went into the last couple weeks of school, honestly feeling really good. I'm like, I got this, I got all the things planned on the calendar, I know what I'm doing, what, where I need to be. And then it was like, it felt like every day something else was added. I had two field days for the kids. I had multiple celebrations, award ceremonies, kindergarten graduation. They decided to do a themed last two weeks of school. So every day was a different theme, a different dress up, a different bring this or that to school, which I don't know why they decided to do that to us moms when we're already running on very little brain power the last few weeks of school. All in all, it was a great end of the school year, and it is just it's so bittersweet ending another year. It was Braden's first year of elementary school, and I don't know why. Like kindergarten is such a big step, but first grade just feels so old. Like he's not the baby of the school anymore. He grew so much in kindergarten. Like the fact that he can read and do all of this with math and has just come so far from that first day of kindergarten when he still was like my little itty bitty toddler boy. Now he feels like a grown adult almost. Okay, not quite an adult. I'm not ready for that yet. But he just grew so much in kindergarten and it's such a bittersweet feeling ending that chapter. And I loved his kindergarten teacher. So we're moving on to first grade. And Raylan had another great year as well, and she's going to be going to two different schools next year, along with all of the end-of-the-year school chaos and events. I do mentally and emotionally work through the process that is Raylan's IEP process. If you have a child with an IEP, you probably know what I'm talking about. It is a lot to deal with mentally and emotionally. And I don't think I really fully understood that until we really went through the process with Raylan because Braden has an IEP, yes, but it's just for speech. And Raylan gets so many extra services. And so we had her IEP meeting. She had to get fully re-evaluated, and we had to talk with her teachers about the progress she's made and areas that she still needs services with and all of the stuff that comes with that. And it's just she has made so much progress this year as well, which is a great thing. She is actually dropping down, they're reducing her services needed, but it's still a mentally and emotionally taxing process because you just want the best for your child. You want to set them up for success in their learning environment and in her social and emotional skills and really just support her the best that I can, that her teachers can as she prepares to go to kindergarten, not this year, but next year, which is crazy to think about. So I just spent the past five minutes talking about the end of the school year, chaos, and all of the stuff that comes with that. And on top of all of that, Brian has been in the middle of a huge career change. If you have followed me for some time, you know that Brian travels for his job. He fixes hail damage on cars, and that is all we have known as a couple. Ever since we met back in 2014, he has traveled for his job, he has done this career. And so as the kids have gotten older, he has really struggled with leaving them. So this year he has had some amazing opportunities really fall into his lap. And so he is making a career change in the next few months. He's actually not traveling this year, which has been amazing. Because really, the past few years, him traveling has been really challenging on both of us. And so I am super thankful that we don't have to go through that again this year. But with that being said, I feel like with all of the changes that are happening in his schedule, all of the things that he has to prepare for, I'm actually seeing him less and less and taking on more responsibility when it comes to the mental load of our family as the kids get busier, as summer is in full swing, as he is being pulled in a million different directions. And so it's been a really hard adjustment for me as well, mentally and emotionally, especially because one of my love languages is quality time. So it's been challenging. But the good news is these changes that he is making to his career are going to really benefit us as a family as a whole. Like I said, he won't have to travel much anymore. And so that's very, very exciting. If all goes to plan, he will be making the official career change come October. He's also coaching pickleball a lot more now. So he's actually coaching at three different places. So he's essentially in this process. He's still fixing hail damage on cars. He's coaching pickleball, he's studying, taking tests to get his insurance license, going to be transitioning and taking over an insurance office. So, needless to say, he's working essentially three jobs right now, which, like I said, makes everything else fall on me. And that's been really challenging, but we're working through it, we're managing, and we're going to figure out this new routine and rhythm one day at a time. And today, as I was dropping the kids off at camp, it kind of really got me thinking about all of this and you know how I've been able to continue on my weight loss journey the past few weeks, despite all of the stuff that has happened. And I really just kept coming back to this idea of yes, I have habits in place. If you have listened to me, if you're on social media, you have heard people talk about habits: your protein habit, your workout habit, your water habit, your movement habit, your nutrition habits, all of that. You have heard about habits. But I really think as a mom, the most important thing that we can do when it comes to our weight loss journeys is being fluid. And what I mean by that is yes, it's important to have habits in place. It's important to have a workout habit. It's important to have your nutrition habits. All of that is important. I talk a lot about building a strong foundation of habits. But I also think our habits need to stay fluid because no season of motherhood is going to look the same. Going into 2026, I had no idea that May would look the way that it did in my season of motherhood. But because I was able to stay fluid in my habits, I was able to always keep showing up, always keep that momentum moving forward, always keep going towards my weight loss goals. And I don't think we talk enough about being able to do that and the importance of yes, having that foundation, but also a foundation that can move with you. I like to think about it like a pyramid, almost kind of like a hierarchy of needs. When you think about a pyramid, you have your base layer, you have your middle layer, you have your top layer. And so when you think about staying fluid in your habits, really something that is so beneficial for me is I kind of identify, okay, my movement habit, my nutrition habit, what does that look like at each level of my pyramid? Because that way, no matter what the day brings, I'm able to stay fluid, to move through that pyramid, to move through that hierarchy of needs based on my capacity, my time, my energy, my season, what I'm realistically able to do for my weight loss goals on any given day. So, for example, this summer already, we've been spending a lot of time at the pool. We've been doing different activities. I created a summer bucket list because I am determined to have a fun summer for myself and give my kids a fun summer filled with different activities that we normally don't do on a routine basis. When I think about doing all of that with my weight loss goals, I've been really practicing staying fluid in these habits. Last weekend we went bowling. My kids have never been bowling before, and oh my gosh, they loved it. And I am kind of embarrassed to say this, but I was in dead last both games we played. Yes, both of my kids beat me in bowling, but they had bumpers. I did not have bumpers, I am not the best at bowling, so it is what it is. But Brayden likes to rub it in my face every day that he beat me at bowling. So there's that. But last weekend we went bowling, and to be honest, I had little time for a structured workout or even a structured walk. We had a really busy day leading up to that bowling. We had to help out at my parents' house. I had a bunch of cleaning around our house that we needed to get done and laundry. And so I didn't have time for an actual workout. And so staying fluid in my movement habit for me meant that day looked like counting cleaning as good enough movement. It looked like being active with bowling as movement. It looked like helping out at my parents' house and staying active there. Being able to stay fluid in that movement habit really helped me to keep going. Helped me to not feel guilty about not having time for a workout, not feel guilty about not making time for the walk, but really just looking at my day as a whole, the energy I had, the time I had, the priority list I had, the capacity I had, and being like, hey, moving in X, Y, and Z way is good enough. It's moving me forward. It's still helping me reach my step goal. It's intentional movement. It matters for my weight loss goals. And now am I saying that every single day we can be like, I don't have the capacity for the gym today, or I don't have the energy for the gym today, or oh, I don't have the motivation to eat this healthy meal. So I'm not going to do that. No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is being honest and realistic about where you are at and what you have going on that day, and being open to staying fluid with the habits, with the foundation, with the plan you have. That doesn't mean we're always choosing plan D because it's easier. There are days that we're going to have to do the plan A even when we don't feel like it. But it means being open to plan B being enough, to plan C being great for the day, to plan D, E, or F being what we can realistically stick to instead of not doing anything at all, instead of giving up, instead of calling it quits or falling off track and waiting until Monday to start over. Being able to stay fluid allows us to keep moving. And I really think that's one of the biggest levers that I have pulled on my own weight loss journey, not just in the past few weeks, but in the past couple years as a whole. And it's really allowed me to keep going no matter what comes my way. And I know for a fact it's going to be the biggest lever that I pull every single day this summer because I have other priorities besides losing weight this summer. I want to have a fun, enjoyable, memorable summer with my kids. I have work responsibilities. I have house responsibilities. I have wife and mother and friend and daughter responsibilities. And my weight loss has to happen inside of that, not outside of it. So staying fluid in that pyramid, moving from the base layer to the middle layer to the top layer, back and forth where I need to is what helps me keep going each and every day. I haven't been sharing a whole lot about it over on Instagram. I don't know why, I just haven't felt the need to, but I have been kind of exploring, sharing this weight loss process that I'm in right now over on TikTok. And I'm really aiming to hit my goal weight by my birthday this year, which my birthday is August 18th. So I have this summer to work to hit my weight loss goals. And I know that probably sounds crazy. You're like, Kelsey, why are you trying to lose weight in probably the craziest season of the year, the season with the most outings, vacations, activities, get togethers, fun events, all of the things. And I know it sounds crazy, but when you have these habits, when you have systems that run inside your life, alongside everything else you have to do on a daily basis, weight loss kind of just starts running in the background of your life. And it might sound near impossible, but it's because I have this foundation in place. It's because I am able to stay fluid in that foundation. I'm not stuck in the mud of that foundation. That foundation is fluid. And also I have these systems in place that really help weight loss run in the background of my life. I'm not thinking about food all day long. I'm not thinking about workouts all day long or how many calories I'm burning or how many steps I'm taking or how many ounces of water I'm drinking. I have systems in place to help all of that kind of just run on autopilot. I was talking to a friend last week about this concept of autopilot and how that's really how my weight loss feels right now. This sounds so horrible, but when we go to the gym, we have lived in our house for almost nine years now. So I have driven the route from my house to the gym many, many, many times. And it runs on autopilot. Like there will be days that I get to the gym and I don't even remember the drive to get there, which that sounds so horrible and so dangerous. And I promise you I am paying attention when I am driving. But I think a lot of us moms can relate to that because you drive the same route, you do the same things over and over and over again. That there is a lot of stuff in your life that does run on autopilot, your work, getting the kids to where they need to be, getting them to their activities, and even little things like making your bed or brushing your teeth. All of that runs on autopilot. And we can do the same for our weight loss habits, for our weight loss goals. And I've really gotten to a point in my journey where a lot of this just runs on autopilot in the background of my life. And that really kind of brings me to this exciting news that I wanted to share with you. You're actually the first ones to hear about it. But over the past couple months or so, I have really been thinking about this more and more. This idea of systems, this idea of weight loss running on autopilot, and really kind of this idea of our goals running on mom mode, where weight loss kind of just runs itself. And that is really where this idea for a new group program came from. I want to create something for you as a mom to help you implement the systems, the frameworks, the defaults so your own weight loss goals, your own weight loss journey can run on autopilot, can run on mom mode, so it can keep moving no matter what season of life you are in, no matter what comes your way. Because as a mom, seasons are always going to change. Life is always going to change. Priorities are always going to change. So having your weight loss run on mom mode helps you to navigate all of that, helps you to keep moving forward no matter what comes your way. And so I'm really excited about this brand new group program. I don't have all of the details hashed out yet or when it's going to be starting or any of that. This has really just come to fruition the past couple weeks. And I was just way too excited to keep it a secret any longer. I had to share it with you and just get it out into the world, but it is coming. It probably will be coming sometime later in July. It's going to be a six-week group program, and we're really going to be focusing on building these systems and getting your weight loss running on autopilot so you can keep seeing weight loss results no matter the season of motherhood that you are in. I am so excited about it. I hope you're excited about it as well. Make sure that you are following me on Instagram because that's where I'll be sharing all of the updates, all of the details on it, kind of taking you behind the scenes as I'm creating this program and what it really is going to be all about. But I know this is going to change so many moms' lives because really all of these stuff that I am going to be putting into this program are systems, defaults, frameworks that I use every single day in my own weight loss journey. And I have seen firsthand for myself just how much of an impact it has on my results, on my capacity, on my ability to keep doing this in seasons like I have been going through, where every day is just pure chaos. And I know that this mom mode way of going about your weight loss is going to absolutely change the game for you as a mom in reaching your weight loss goals. And I know that sounds cliche. Changing the game. It's gonna change the game for you. Everyone says that. That this work makes weight loss so much easier. That this work is critical if you want to lose weight in the short term. Keep it off and keep moving. That this work is the missing link between weight loss working and weight loss really running on autopilot without you having to constantly think about it, without you having to constantly manage it or spend more time, energy, and capacity than you have on it. It's going to be, I'm just so excited. I could go on and on and on about it, but this podcast episode is already getting a lot longer than I anticipated it to be. But of course, my podcast episodes always have that happen because apparently I'm an introverted yapper. I'm sitting in my office alone, yapping into my phone, and that's when I talk the most, apparently. But all of that to say, I hope you're excited about the new program. I'll be sharing more about it on Instagram in the next couple of weeks, sharing when it's gonna be coming out. If you have any questions about it, definitely reach out to me. I'm happy to chat with you. But I'm just so excited. It's going to be such an amazing group program and really a step that I think every mom who's trying to lose weight needs to take. So I just covered a lot in that episode. I know it was kind of all over the place. I know it was kind of random, and I was just sharing kind of some life updates where I am, some exciting new things, kind of what I've been doing on my own weight loss journey. And I hope it was helpful for you to hear that, to know that you are not alone when it comes to navigating this life, this crazy, busy, beautiful, unexpected life as a mom. And this summer for podcast episodes might look a little different. I am hoping to record episodes while my kids are at camp so you don't hear screaming and chaos in the background. But that might mean that the episodes are a little less frequent than the bi-weekly schedule I have been trying to keep up with. So bear with me, but I promise you I will be getting some episodes out this summer for you guys. And I think that's all I have for you. Like always, if you enjoyed this episode, I would absolutely love if you shared it with the moms in your life, moms on social media, on Facebook, on Instagram, the moms in your corner. So I can continue to get the mama wellness hour out to all of the moms out there who are wanting to lose weight without losing themselves in the process. I will chat with you in the next episode. Bye.