Protecting Your Peace During the Holidays

The holidays are supposed to be joyful, but for many women, they can bring stress, overwhelm, and emotional burnout. In this episode of Just Women Talking Shit: Real Conversations About Life, Mental Health, & Womanhood, we talk about protecting your peace during the holidays and navigating everything that comes with the season—in-laws who push boundaries, co-parenting drama, uncomfortable social situations, backhanded compliments, pressure to drink, and even navigating physical boundaries with children.

I share actionable steps to help you:

• Identify your holiday stress triggers
• Set and maintain boundaries with family, friends, and yourself
• Prioritize self-care to preserve your mental health
• Manage expectations and release the pressure to be perfect
• Create intentional rituals to stay grounded and joyful
  
  

Whether you’re hosting, traveling, or trying to survive family gatherings, this episode is full of practical strategies for stress-free holidays, mindful living, and emotional well-being.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and start protecting your peace this season.

Episode Highlights:

• Recognizing common sources of holiday stress
• How to set boundaries without guilt
• Practical self-care tips for women during the holidays
• Managing expectations and redefining what success looks like
• Creating rituals that support mental health and emotional well-being

Chapters

• 0:00 Framing Holiday Stress And Peace
• 1:27 Co‑Parenting Conflicts And Time Respect
• 4:40 Preparing For Triggers And Anxiety
• 6:09 Setting Boundaries With Family And Friends
• 8:01 Communicating With A Co‑Parent
• 9:35 Handling Backhanded Compliments
• 11:03 Non‑Negotiables And Tech To De‑Stress
• 12:12 Step Away Before Things Escalate
• 14:01 Self‑Care That’s Simple And Intentional
• 16:14 Moving Your Body To Reset Energy
• 17:28 Managing Money, Gifts, And Parties
• 19:18 Let Kids Be Kids And Ditch Perfection
• 21:05 Redefining A Successful Holiday
• 23:19 Daily Rituals That Ground You
• 25:02 Teaching Kids Physical Boundaries
• 26:21 Five Pillars To Protect Your Peace
• 28:15 Closing Thoughts And Support Request

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello, beautiful humans. Welcome back to Just Women Talking Shit. I am Jacqueline Cotton, and today we are talking about protecting your peace during the holidays. We all know that the holidays can bring joy, and that's what they're supposed to do, but they also bring stress from in-laws who push boundaries, co-parenting drama, or feeling pressure to drink at a family gathering to backhanded compliments or navigating uncomfortable social gatherings. We're gonna unpack the real strategies to stay sane and stay you. So if you're ready to protect your mental health, set boundaries, and enjoy this holiday season without burnout, this episode is for you.

SPEAKER_01: 0:49

Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, you're listening to just women talking shit with your host, Jacqueline Cotton. Jacqueline Cotton.

SPEAKER_00: 1:27

My favorite is the backhanded compliments that come with in-laws. Anybody relate? Co-parenting drama. I remember when my daughter's dad was still alive, God rest his soul. Um, we always had co-parenting drama. It felt like this unspoken competition almost. Like, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna treat her better, I'm gonna make her love me more. It was really stupid and childish, to be honest. Like we would always find something, but then pretend like nothing was going on. Very childish. And again, God rest his soul. I wish I would have been the bigger person in so many situations, but to be frank, I was a total bitch. So we're talking about like scheduling conflicts, gift exchanges, or last-minute changes that totally throw you off. That was one that really triggered me a lot was last minute changes, right? He didn't respect my time. I felt like, and sometimes I didn't respect his. So, like someone wanting to hug your kids, and your kids are not comfortable with that. We're gonna discuss that as well. Pressure to drink alcohol, even when you don't want to. This is a big one, especially around here. I feel like it has become such a norm and such a customary like way to socialize that it makes you feel uncomfortable if you're not drinking. People like ask a lot of questions and make you feel like an outcast. So let's talk about it. What you can do, like before any of this even happens, is you can recognize what the triggers are and then grab a notebook, right? Write down all the things that stress you out during the holidays. Seeing it on paper, I swear, helps you separate what you can control from what you can't. And if you are anxious at all like me, then you probably already know that a big thing about anxiety is just feeling like you are out of control, meaning that you don't have control, meaning that somebody else controls the scenarios, and that makes you feel uncomfortable because being anxious is like just worrying about the future without even being able to know what you're really worrying about. So instead you worry about everything, all the possibilities of what could happen, right? So let's start with setting boundaries early. Boundaries, seriously, in the holiday seasons, are going to be your best friend. Like you don't have to say yes to everything, and you can do it without feeling guilty, too. So, like telling your in-laws ahead of time, this is where it really comes in. Ahead of time, setting them early, but telling your in-laws, like, you know, we're keeping the schedule pretty light this year, we won't be able to attend every event because I think it is super, super, super freaking expected that somehow you appear everywhere that day. There's a lot of pressure, and from my experience, like families will sit and talk about oh, so-and-so is late, so and so this, so and so went to her husband's instead of coming to see our family. Well, you can't be everywhere, and I think that it's pretty freaking silly and selfish to expect somebody to spend their whole day running all over the place to check off the list and make everybody happy. So just tell them, tell them ahead of time. We're keeping the schedule light this year, so we probably won't be able to join in on every event. I think that you should go ahead and explain to your friends. Like, I don't want to drink at parties, but I'd love to come over for dinner. Like, I don't want to feel the pressure of drinking. So as long as there's as there's no pressure and you know, people aren't gonna look at me weird and like I have a third fucking eye, I'd love to come. But if it's like a it's a house or it's a party where you know that that's kind of what everybody does, is they drink and they gossip and and it could turn into drama, it could turn into shit. Let them know. Let them know ahead of time. Like I I'm trying not to drink, or I don't want to drink at this year's party. So I'll come for dinner. Communicating whenever it comes to being a co-parent is super important. Um, and you'll hear me reference to my co-parenting relationship before he passed away. We were just not good at communicating. We still said words to kind of get back at the other person. It was a very weird control thing. Um, but communicating to the co-parent, like, here's what works for our kids this year, and let's stick to the schedule. Because that is something that I've come across in in you know my my past experience, but then um friends who co-parent, like they have agreements, it's in divorce papers, it's in the agreement. Um, who is with who on you know, even years, and then uh it switches for odd years, stuff like that. But then it comes time for the holidays, and one of one of the parties is like they try to kind of change the papers and make it swing in their favor, like the because maybe the other person doesn't remember, or so I think it's super, super important whenever it comes to co-parenting uh to really just communicate and communicate ahead of time and stick to what you say instead of letting the other party make you feel bad or like they deserve more time, or no, no pity party, like this is what we're gonna do this year. Let's let's stick to the schedule. Um, I respect your time and you respect mine. Now, for back hitting compliments, it's best to practice a neutral response, in my opinion. And that's like, thanks, I appreciate it. But I'm gonna go a step further and say, So are you saying, and I this is just me, I'm not trying to start shit, but I've got a way of being able to communicate with people like thanks, I appreciate that. So did you not expect for it to look good on me? Or maybe you can figure another way to figure out another way to say that, but I kind of like to turn it on them, like, thanks, I appreciate that. So, did you think it wasn't gonna look good? Or are you do did you think this wasn't my style? Or I I kind of like to to have them respond why why they complimented me in that way. Because maybe they're not aware. I think they're aware. The people that come to mind, I know they're fucking aware. It's their way of getting under my skin, right? But maybe they don't know, and maybe, maybe they can give you some insight, and maybe you guys will have a good conversation out of it. But if you want to keep it very neutral, I would just say thanks. I appreciate it. And then probably walk away. Uh, not trying to be petty, but like I'd be like, okay, energy, energy field, not letting you into my into my aura. Some actionable steps would be to decide your non-negotiables, to prepare polite but firm responses, and to use technology to reduce your stress. So, like when you schedule breaks, um, or the like the co-parenting thing, having that schedule ahead of time and making sure that both of you uh are fully aware of the schedule or like adding the other person to the calendar, to the Google calendar. Um, another way would be to mute your notifications. You know, like I've got my phone set up to where like 8 p.m. it just goes, I'm like gone to the world. We are in do not disturb mode. And if you if you text me most days, I'm it's probably still on do not disturb. But that's again because like when we mute notifications, we're less distracted. Uh, we can focus on what's in front of us, spend more time with our kids, spend more time with our partner, like really be present. So maybe utilizing some, you know, muting of notifications this year would also help you reduce stress and and really just protect your peace during the holidays. Um, but another thing that I really strongly recommend is just being able to step away when you need it. So when you feel yourself getting frustrated, if you feel yourself getting triggered, if you feel yourself getting mad, or like you might cry, or just I don't know what's going on at these holiday gatherings for you guys, but like I've been in some situations where I just feel sad and I'm like, I really don't want to be here, where I feel triggered and I want to say something, or there have been instances where we're all drinking and stuff is said and we can't take it back, and I'm crying in the backseat of a fucking Honda because somebody said something that just I can't handle, or I'm not ready to hear, or I don't understand their logic, and I just want to be accepted, and so I'm I'm left crying my eyes out, and alcohol does definitely does not help that, right? Um, so just being able to step away when needed and saying, you know what? Jacqueline said, protect my peace. That's what I'm doing these holiday season, and I'm just gonna step away because usually when you step away, it gives yourself the opportunity to really think things through. Don't say something you're gonna regret. Um, and obviously, I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but I we don't condone violence. Let's not like be ratchet and shit and like throwing fists this holiday season, um, which is all the more reason to just take a deep breath and step the fuck away. Because I think it's really important to remember that protecting your peace is not selfish, it is absolutely essential. And I think it's important we don't make fools out of ourselves. Like we could set boundaries and be respectful, but it doesn't have to get to that point. You cannot, and I repeat, cannot pour from an empty cup. Okay. So self-care, which I know some of us are familiar with, some of us keep putting it off, but self-care during the holiday season doesn't have to be fancy. It just really has to be intentional, like it just needs to happen. So maybe like after a long dinner, you take 15 minutes to just go outside and breathe. Okay. Go outside, get a few good, fresh breaths of air into your lungs. Maybe pop in some, you know, earbuds and listen to some good music. I don't know what you need to do. I'd I wouldn't say just, you know, like don't sit and scroll on your phone or anything like that, but going outside and taking a deep breath and kind of grounding your nervous system again, that's that in itself is an act of self-care. So when I say it doesn't need to be fancy, I'd like I truly freaking mean that. Uh, if if you're at a gathering and it's draining, maybe your reward to yourself is the next day to schedule a solo coffee date or to go, you know, buy yourself some flowers or to have a date with yourself, going for a walk. Um, that in itself is self-care. So again, it doesn't take a lot and it gives you something to look forward to if you're one of those people that have a really hard time, you know, sharing your energy. I feel fucking drained after a two-hour social event. Like, okay, I want to lock myself away now for 72 hours where only my kids or husband can be near me. If you're one of those people, it really does help you um mentally, and it kind of gives you something to look forward to if you have something to look forward to. So if I'm going to my in-laws and I know that it's super freaking draining, I don't enjoy being there. Um, but I want to be there for my husband, I want to show up for my kids, then okay. That means that, you know, in a day or two, like I'm I'm taking myself out to do something because I feel like that would cheer me up and that would keep me looking forward to these events. So just another idea. You could journal, you know, you could journal your feelings after an uncomfortable interaction with someone when they cross the boundary instead of just going smooth the fuck off on them, which I'm sometimes it has its place, not gonna lie. Sometimes people just really cross boundaries, and you have to stand up for yourself and say no, no, no, no, no, no. You won't disrespect me that way. No, just fucking bottom line, no. But you also really need to have the emotional intelligence to be able to know when to just journal your feelings. Okay, when they cross the boundary, journal your feelings. I'm not saying internalize it, I'm saying getting it out in a healthier way. Another, you know, form of self-care could just be saying no to social media scrolling when you feel comparison creeping in. So I know that sometimes when I go to events, sometimes when I go out, I compare myself, like my outfit, my nails. Am I keeping up with my appearance good enough? Are they talking about me? Or, you know, people are talking about, especially during the holiday seasons, all these great things they're doing, all these great things they're buying, or all these great gifts they've received, or all these great trips they're going on. And it can be really, really easy to start comparing your life to someone else's, like me, for instance. You know, my husband and I have five kids between the two of us. He is the breadwinner, he makes some more money out of the two of us, and it's I can real quickly um chalk myself up to be worthless and like I, you know, I be ashamed of the fact that my career is just getting started and I'm not contributing enough, and we're not getting to go on all these trips, and it's real easy to do it. How do I know? Because I've done it. So just saying no to scrolling social media whenever you feel that comparison creeping in and trying to anchor yourself into being present is in itself a form of self-care. Okay. So I mean during the event, but also after the event. You know, don't go hopping on Facebook or Instagram to go look at everybody's profiles that you were just at the party with. Come on, we can find better ways to utilize our time and to improve our mental health. So, some actionable steps whenever it comes to this would be blocking um out down time in your calendar. For instance, like I told you, my phone goes into do not disturb at it's it's 8 p.m. Um, having quiet time, uh, making sure that, like, for instance, whenever I know that I'm busy for the day, I'll block off the whole day in my calendar and say it's a me day, uh, and just really give myself the opportunity to to re hit reset for myself. Speaking of resetting, another actionable step would be to move your body to reset your energy. So I know that oftentimes one of the first things we want to do after we're feeling drained is to just go home and crawl in bed. But that isn't always the most helpful thing. So being able to move your body and get out, if like especially if you went to somebody's house where you're uncomfortable, you know they gossip about you and like it's just you don't fit in. I know that maybe your first instinct is to go home and feel sorry for yourself, but if you were to move your body and like get the aggression out, maybe through punching a punching bag or screaming into a pillow or dancing like a fucking mad woman, you might feel completely different about this situation. So that's something you can do. Move your body to reset your energy instead of letting them continue to scython off of it, even when they're not here. You can use meditation, deep breathing techniques, or even journaling to decompress. So putting all that out there so that you have a few techniques to use, um, so that your mental health is top priority, you know, front of mind, because your mental health should always come first, especially and even during the holidays. Next up, let's talk about managing expectations because I feel like a lot of holiday stress comes from expectations, it's a combination of hours, but it's a it's also everybody else's, you know. Like a little example would be gifts. Like you don't have to spend beyond your means. This drives me crazy. I'm gonna give you a situation, and if they hear it, they fucking hear it. But we have family members who they expect us, again, we have five kids. We don't, I mean, we we we make ends meet, but we do not, we're not, you know, we don't have all these savings, and five kids cost a lot. Let's just say that. Um, but we have five kids ranging from age four to sixteen, and we have family that expects us to give all the kids, and when I say kids, I mean these people are 23 and above. They're twenty okay, they have jobs, they have they probably are able to save more than we do because uh well, we have a bunch of kids, and I'm not like this, goes back to the comparison thing, but it's just so silly because every year I ask my husband, are do are we are we giving money to everybody's kids this year? And it's kind of like it's silly to me because the I think the mindset behind us giving their grown children who have careers and limited expenses, we should give them money. And the logic behind it is that if they get our kids a gift, then we should get their kids a gift. But it's just like it's just that expectation, right? So I just want to put that out there. You don't have to spend beyond your means. I know that there's this pressure of, well, I've got to get them a gift. Um, and then it may even boil down to like how much how much you're supposed to spend is an expectation. And if you don't spend enough, it means you don't care about that person enough. Which I don't know, I don't feel that way. I don't even want people to get me gifts. I think it's like you, if you were to just like write me a song and make me feel special for a few minutes, that that feels so much more personal to me than buying me like a little a little pedicure set or something. Like, I don't need it's probably gonna get you know thrown on a shelf and not used for quite some time to like expectations. Uh, some other realistic examples be feeling like you have to attend every single party, even if it's draining you, even if schedules conflict and you are trying to make everybody happy. There's this expectation that if I don't go, they're they're gonna think I don't care or they're gonna talk about me, and like nobody wants to be talked about. So it's it really is a thing. It's a thing that happens, and and we don't have to do that. We just don't have to do that. We're all adults here, and I think we should be able to spend our holidays the way we fucking want to. Um, another expectation is hosting the perfect holiday meal when a simple gathering really would suffice. I see it every year. We have entirely too much fucking food. There is always somebody stressed out that they're not doing enough, they're not making enough, we don't have enough sides. Um, this doesn't like it's gotta be this lavish big feast. And the reality is that we're gonna throw so much food away. And really, what matters at the end of the day is spending time with each other. You know, that's one thing that bothers me. And we're just gonna get off on a quick little tangent right now because this fucking bothers me. It bothers me that there's this expectation to go to people's houses and pretend like we all care about each other this one or two days a year, but nobody's making an attempt all the other days of a year of the year to spend time with each other. So, can we make it less about the gifts, less about the food, and more about the fucking family? I'm speaking from my own personal experience. Like some of y'all I don't see but these two days a year. And I think it's really silly to pretend like if we don't get to make it to your event, to your house, and and and we spend it, you know, maybe at my family's house this year and instead of somebody else's family's, what about all the other days of the year that you could hang out with us? So there is a silly expectation to be able to be everywhere at once when the reality is, is are they spending time with you outside the holidays? And if not, okay. That tells enough in itself to me to be able to remove the pressure of trying to go to every party, trying to host this perfect gathering, um, give gifts that you necessarily don't have the money for, or just to give them because you're worried that the um the other people are gonna be mad at you. When the reality is that like the economy fucking sucks, everything's really expensive. I saw a tiny, a tiny building block set at the dollar store the other day, and I was like, oh my god, I think I might pick this up for the boys. No, I'm not. It's$30. It is easily a$10 set, and it's going for$30. That is insane to me. So the expectations are kind of bullshit, and I just want to, I'm just I'm just here to say I'm on your side and I'm advocating for you, okay? Um, and then the expectations of you know, kids, like whenever we're eating, and or just let the kids be kids, okay? Just let them be kids. Even if they spill something, even if they cry or they don't behave perfectly, let them be fucking kids. Um, there's this expectation to have the perfect family photo. I think it's so funny when it's not perfect. So we're just gonna leave this one where it is. But they're we're gonna manage our expectations with this. Like, let them be kids. It doesn't matter if if they're dressed perfectly, like we don't all have to have matching sweaters, right? Um, and they don't have to behave perfectly. So maybe just start with there. That's how we're gonna manage some expectations, okay? Actionable steps that I have for you would be to like redefine what a successful holiday even looks like for you. Communicate clearly with your family and friends about what matters to you. I tell my husband, like, I don't I don't need to be at everybody's house this year because what really matters is getting to hang out with our kids. I don't care if both of our families are mad at us because we don't go to holiday dinners. Because I kind of just want to hang out with my kids and you. Right? So, what is what does a successful holiday even look like for you? What feels good for you without everybody's expectations? Um and then just you know, accepting that imperfect moments, they're part of the season when we run around like chickens with our heads cut off and we get so upset that the tree doesn't look perfect or the turkey didn't come out perfect. Like, how can we just stop and laugh about this right now? How can we stop and laugh and make this a memory? Because when you manage your expectations, you really do free yourself from unnecessary stress, and that's what we're talking about in this episode, right? Is keeping your peace during the holidays and minimizing your stress. Now, finally, look, I'd like to talk about rituals that protect your peace. Okay. I'm talking like these small ones, small intentional actions that help you stay grounded, um, so that you don't spiral, so that you don't go into a depressive state, so that you don't curse somebody out by accident. Um, some examples of rituals would be like morning gratitude or journaling um or meditation to start the day to where you're feeling good, you're feeling centered. Could be um starting the day with a fun playlist, starting the day with a dance party. There are so many little things that you could do to start your day off on the right foot. Um could be choosing just one enjoyable activity per day that isn't an obligation. So maybe going for a walk, maybe having a call with a friend, maybe reading a book, uh, but just something that that you look forward to. Because the holidays we've already established, they can be stressful, lots of things are out of your control. So this goes back to the things you can control. Um, and if you're picking intentionally something that makes you happy, something that you enjoy, then if you do a little something that that brings you joy every day, those those those days that you know things spiral. Maybe it's Thanksgiving, maybe it's Christmas, maybe it's the traveling back and forth from house to house, and the kids won't be quiet, and the car rides just suck balls, and it's just like it's going to help your nerves. Nervous system in the moments of stress because you have been giving yourself these moments of peace. Um evening window time, you know, like having an actual routine, bath, tea, music, something just for you. It goes back to like having that thing that you look forward to. Um, and then for physical boundaries, it's really just about explaining to relatives like we love your hugs, but the kids aren't comfortable right now. You know, some of our kids have uh sensory issues or they're just not comfortable being touched, right? Like hugs can be very intimate. And and what are we teaching our kids when we say, oh, hug so-and-so, even though you don't want to? That's that's teaching them that their physical boundaries don't matter and that people can touch their body even if they say no, right? So just explain, you know, tell them from the perspective of a child, like I, you know, we we love your hugs, but the kids just they're they're not comfortable with that right now. And telling them it's not it's not necessarily them, it's just we're teaching them how to how to be comfortable in their own body and how to also be able to respect their own boundaries. Building rituals that bring joy and not stress are going to help you in the moments of stress. Sticking to your boundaries, even when others push back, is going to make you trust yourself more. It's going to, you know, create this respect within your nervous system that maybe others aren't giving you, so that you can build confidence upon that, so that you can show up in situations and speak your truth, hold your ground. Uh, and protecting like those small moments, the small moments where typically you would you would just people please. Those really add up whenever it comes to your your peace meter, if that makes sense. So, as a recap, number one, it is important that you identify your stressors. Number two, it is important that you set your boundaries early. Number three, you prioritize self-care. Number four, you manage expectations. Number five, you create peaceful rituals for yourself that are not dependent upon others. The holidays don't have to drain you this year. They can be joyous, they can be a time where you know you are recharging, reconnecting, uh, not only with others, but with yourself, because you now have these five, these five things that you can do for yourself to prioritize your own peace. Whereas normally you would just get lost in the hustle and bustle, the shopping, the cooking, the traveling, all the things. I'm not saying people won't get upset by your decisions, by your decision to, you know, tell them like this this bothers me, uh, by setting the boundaries, by prioritizing yourself, by managing some expectations, right? By keeping the peace, someone will be upset by that, I'm sure. But that's another part of it, is being okay with standing up for yourself and keeping, maintaining, and protecting your own peace whenever others clearly um don't know how to do the same. So you might get some pushback, but that's okay because at the end of the day, I think that it's really important to be able to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of those that you love around you. And that's all I have today. I hope that this lands in your lap at the perfect time. I hope that you're not stressing after you listen to this episode about the gifts, about all the, you know, overly um eager expectations that I think a lot of people have, especially when you are married or you have a partner, like that's when things start to get a little bit messy, because then you've got the in-laws um and and you've got just more families to make happy and and people get their feelings hurt if you don't spend time with them and you spend it somewhere else. So it you might get pushback, and that's okay, is what I'm is what I'm telling you, because um I think that it's really important for you to protect your peace and uh and to do it unapologetically because you really do, you deserve it. So if you found this episode valuable or somebody came to mind and you're like, oh my gosh, she gets so stressed out every year. I think that this would help her. Make sure that you send this episode to somebody or that you go ahead and hit follow so that you don't miss the next episode coming out. Um, make sure that you subscribe, make sure that you go and listen. I mean, not listen, uh, leave a review on Apple Podcast. Um, take a screenshot of this and tag us in your stories. Uh, you can tag Jacqueline Cotton, or you can tag just women talking shit, or you can tag both, and we'll share it on both our stories. Um, but if you enjoyed it, if you found it valuable, let me know, let the world know, let your friends know. Because it's just a little, a little uh Southern woman with a sailor mouth who gets talked about a lot, who talks shit in her neighborhood. Um it's just little old me, a mom of a blended family of seven with two pups. I'm I'm the only person doing this. I I I record all the episodes on my own, I edit them on my own, I uh publish them, I manage it, um, I fund it myself so far. So anything that you can do to help out, whether that's leave a review, send it to a friend, subscribe, tag us, whatever you can do. Um, or on Spotify, you can leave stars. If you want to give us all the stars, then every little bit helps. Um, and I'd just be so grateful. Like that would be a good gift for me this season, is if that you know, you could hit follow or do something. All the things that I mentioned, I'm I'm my brain's starting to go. I think I need some more coffee. Um, but all in all, I say all that just to to let you know that I appreciate you and those who do share this podcast, thank you so much. Um, but if you haven't thought about doing that yet, it's just kind of a little reminder that your one little action can do a whole lot for this podcast, for this little mom who has a big dream to take this on the road one day. Um, and that this is the season. This is a season of giving and joy, and that I hope you have the best one ever. Um, but if you want to send a little love my way, I'd appreciate that. We do now have the option to to um, what is it called, to support the show. And it starts at just$3 a month. So if you want to throw a little change my way, our way, so that we can um, you know, make this bigger and better, get new equipment to record. Right now, I just for the most part record on my phone, uh, mics, better sound equipment, being able to travel and and meet people in person, host events, stuff like that. Um, any any monetary gifts that you want to send our way. We are so grateful. I always say we, but there is no we, it's just me. I just I joke about how I'm gonna manifest this big Mel Robbins team one day. And so I continue to say we. But one day it'll catch on. One day people will know the name, just women talking shit, and um, and know about this mission that I have to to really help women um through real conversations on mental health, through real conversations on you know, womanhood, um, and just all of the things that I think that women experience in this journey of personal evolution. One day they'll know. They'll know. And you heard it here first. So, anywho, I love you all. Don't forget to come back uh at the end of this week. I mean, the end, I mean the beginning of next week. So interviews are published on Mondays or Tuesdays, and then the solo episodes are posted on Fridays. Um, but don't forget to come back next week for an amazing interview. And until then, you've got over a hundred episodes to listen to if you're brand new to this world. So go back and listen to some of those. Uh, and that's all. I love you. Oh, we got a new puppy, but we'll save that for another day. Bye.