97. An 11-mile hike + the power of believing

Recorded mid-vacation on the last leg of our family road trip — Maine to New Hampshire to Lake George — this episode is a fresh-off-the-trail reflection on the two-day, 11-mile hike up Mount Washington my family and I just completed, totally green and totally underprepared on the research front. What I really want to talk about isn't the hike itself, but what made it work: my husband and I believing, from the start, that our kids could do it. That belief becomes the thread connecting this hike to two other places I've had to practice it — sleep training my first daughter and the early, rocky years of my marriage — and the invitation is the same across all three: where in your life are you one foot (or two feet) out the door on an outcome you actually want?

Key Points

• The backstory: an 11-mile, two-day hike up Mount Washington, booked with minimal research, based on "if their kids could do it, ours can too"
• What was actually foundational to the day's success wasn't fitness or weather — it was belief
• How belief changes your nervous system state, which changes your feelings, your tone, your posture, and how the people around you co-regulate to you
• The sleep training parallel: believing your child is capable changes your own posturing, even when it's still hard
• The marriage parallel: how couples therapy and the Gottman work reframed the idea that you have to be "all in" for it to work
• The moment on the trail Sarah almost gave in to doubt — and what pulled her back
• Applying this to manifestation: believing an outcome is possible vs. believing you're worthy of it
• The engagement ring story — what happened when Sarah almost talked herself out of wanting something because she didn't feel worthy of it
• An older woman's blunt wisdom on a plane: "There is no such thing as too much bling"
• The invitation: practice believing an outcome is inevitable, in parenting, in relationships, and in what you desire for yourself

Quotes

• "Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're right."
• "It changes your nervous system state, which changes the feelings, which changes the thoughts, which changes how you show up."
• "We have to turn up the dial on the voice, the belief, that actually it will work out, and it is possible."
• "Girl, there is no such thing as too much bling. You wear that ring and you wear it proud."

Resources Mentioned

• The Self-Awareness Trap — free audio resource: https://theschoolofmom.com/trap
• Community waitlist — mentioned as the place I "roll up my sleeves" with this work daily: https://theschoolofmom.com/waitlist
• Discover Your Dominant Inner Voice Quiz : https://theschoolofmom.com/quiz
• Send Sarah your voice note right HERE : https://www.speakpipe.com/theschoolofmom

What's Coming Next

Sarah returns to her regular routine next week and leaves listeners with a question to sit with: where are you not fully believing in an outcome you want — for your kids, your relationship, or yourself — and what would it look like to turn the dial up on that belief?

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "Mothering Ourselves Mindfully." We look forward to sharing more insights and inspiration in the upcoming episodes!

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