So can you tell us a little bit about what you would recommend, uh, that our fellow moms do as, as to be able to find that deeper motivation?

Sure.

Um, you know, I think when we say, "Oh, we need to find our why," it's so abstract.

And we're like, "I know my why.

My why is because I don't wanna have to find the shoes.

I don't wanna have to feel like I have nothing to wear in this overwhelming closet." I, you know, we, we know that why.

Um, but that why doesn't necessarily keep us going when we feel overwhelmed or exhausted.

I really appreciate it, Shannon.

Like, it shouldn't be that way.

way.Yeah. You know, uh, that's the point right there, is that it- we think that thinking about death is going to make us just feel sad and depressed all the time, but there's actually been research on this.

I'm, like, Googling as we are right here.

There's, like, an entire article in Psychology Today.

You guys can all Google it too.

I didn't, like, do my homework ahead of time, 'cause this just came to mind as Emily was talking.

But there is research that contemplating death and talking about it openly and not letting it be taboo improves our quality of life because it, first of all, fosters our appreciation, right? You know, we all know that, that phrase, "Live like you're dying," but that requires the thought of dying.

So I just thought that was really brilliant.

Mm-hmm

... not let moms have opportunities, so I was grateful for that, but also, like, very overwhelmed because I hadn't slept more than 45 minutes straight in, you know, weeks, and I really thought I might die.

My husband was out to sea, so I was a solo mom.

I didn't have the support of my husband at home, and it was a very dark time in my life.

And I ended up saying yes, and my family thought I was crazy, but it was the best thing I ever could have done because it, it forced me, instead of to sit around and freak out about the fact that my baby's not sleeping, and I'm not sleeping, and breastfeeding's not going how I want it to, and my husband's gone, and I'm, um, you know, 40 pounds heavier than I've ever been in my life, and all the things that made it so hard.

And instead, I had to go to work, and I had to produce what I need...

I had to focus on what I needed to do for work.

Um, do you think that that has been a real big player in your sense of happiness around how your life is and how you're able to navigate things?