Jodi Brichta-Coyne, Coach/Author/Speaker

Book:  Are You Still There God? It's Me, Jodi. Available NOW on Amazon. A 40-something moms journey through mid-life. You will laugh and cry and learn some good tips and strategies as we navigate this life stage together.

      Yesterday, I was scrolling down in a couple of local mom groups and I could not believe what I was seeing (or maybe I could). A lot of posts were moms  bitching and moaning about their daily struggles and everything on their plate-- in other words...STRESS!    So then, last night I was flipping through Netflix and came across the documentary, Stress: the silent killer. I decided to watch it and found it interesting. It showed how one nuerobiologist studied a tribe of baboons in Africa for over a decade and how stress affected the entire tribe. It seemed as though the dominate,aggressive males brought much of the stress to the entire community.    When the dominate males were around,fights would break out and other baboons cortisol (stress) levels would go up. Then something remarkable happened. The monkeys were plagued with tuberculosis. However, only the dominate males died but the rest survived (interesting). After these monkeys...

    Every year I get photo cards done of my two kids and send them out to close friends and family for the holidays. In years past, I really enjoyed doing this. However, the cost accrued and time spent with making the cards, labeling and sending them out only to be (for most) tossed out shortly after the holidays has lost its zest for me. I for one, had always loved to get cards from others of their families and I would tape them above my molding in my kitchen and leave them up all year long. I would only take them down the following year when I got new cards and would compare the two to see how much the kids grew. Over the last couple of years I noticed little by little, I wasn't getting as many as I used to. People were just not sending out Christmas cards anymore, it made me wonder.   This year, I decided that instead of sending cards out I would do something different. I announced on facebook and tagged most of my family and friends who would have received a ...

   As a woman, mom, wife, friend, daughter, business-owner and someone juggling all the balls in the air with the endless to-do lists, the one thing that I use to think was "is everyone happy by my efforts?" You see, I am a recovering people-pleaser and was constantly looking for validation from others in return. When I would do something for someone else, I expected that they either: 1) be grateful or 2) do something for me in return down the road. It seemed the more I did, the more people expected from me. So, I kept doing and kept seeking their approval. I would do anything to feel validated, buy them things thinking they would be over the moon and appreciative. I would offer to do services such as watch their kids, or do errands or even offer and go visit them because I knew they wouldn't visit me and my family and I wanted them to like me. As the years went on and I had my own kids and to be honest, I was expecting others to just help me out. However, that wasn...

                                    This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an amazing 4-day seminar with my mentor, the huge, the almighty, Mr. TONY ROBBINS. During this amazing 4-day event, I had some incredible breakthroughs and even walked across hot coals (YES, PEOPLE HOT COALS!) without so much as a mark. This experience made me realize so much as I felt all the more wiser. One of the limiting beliefs that I was able to crush, was the thought that I didn't know enough. Even though I love to inspire other women that they ARE enough, I myself, was feeling less than. I have been studying everything I could get my hands on in my current field and just can't get enough. At one point during the seminar, Tony has us break out into pairs where we had to tell a partner (complete stranger) what are limiting beliefs were. I told (now my new friend) mine and she replied back with "m...

What happened? Where did all the kids go? You know, the ones who use to play outside and were curious about the world. The ones who used their imagination to dream of far away lands with dragons and knights in the woods of their own back yards? The ones yelling, playing kickball, laughing and smiling at each other.... where did they go? I think they  forgot.. forgot what it was like to stop for a moment...put down the phones... go outside... breathe in the fresh, crisp air and stare at the world with wonderment.  We (the 70's/80s kids) have forgotten.....WE have forgotten what it is like to just 'be' a kid. How can we expect our children to do the same when we ourselves, don't set the example. We are so stressed out, overworked, overburdened and overwhelmed that instead of turning everything off, sharing quality moments with our kids as we walk around and absorb the world, we give them things to tune out instead. Then we go ahead and label them as lazy, unmotiv...

Did you ever notice that sometimes when you look around the world seems empty? you can also look around in a crowded room and yet feel... so all alone. When you look around and see all the 'stuff' in your world (material things) does it lack lustre? Something is missing? what is it?   In today's society, we all are so caught up with wanting and having more because if we get things we want or what our nieghbors' have, we think we will be fulfilled. That new piece, i.e. furniture, clothing, things once obtained will allow us to release endorphins or feel good hormones but, for how long?   When we attach ourselves to things to help us achieve happiness we set ourselves up with a standard, a standard that is only visible to the eye. It holds no depth and definitely doesn't sustain us for the long term. Clothes get worn and out of style, furniture gets used, things fade or lose appeal and after they do, we are so eager to replace them. The same goes for people, the...

Mom Goddess Coach: Why can't we just eat cupcakes, smile and be happy... : This may seem like such a trivial issue to some given the scope of other challenges in the world today. It is the ever debatable peanut a...

This may seem like such a trivial issue to some given the scope of other challenges in the world today. It is the ever debatable peanut allergy and cupcake issue that I wish to address. I know that every mom has dealt with this issue and I want to lay the cards on the table per say.  I am a room mom for my daughters 4th grade class in which, 3 kids have allergies to peanuts (1 severe) and 1 child had sensitivities to red dye 40. I sent around a memo asking for a donation for crafts, paper supplies,  and the teachers holiday gift card. On the bottom of the note I put... "If you would like to send in cupcakes I believe the preferred brand to use is Dunkin Hines, as they are peanut-free"     Now... I just want to note that one of the moms (whose son does have an allergy, not severe) brought in cupcakes the week prior as they had a small party for another child who was leaving. I asked her what brand she used so I know in the future and her reply was "oh, I don'...

This week my children started back to school and as I returned from the bus stop (dropping off my middle-schooler and elementary child), I couldn't believe what I was hearing... Stay at home mom's complaining about doing housework, kids schedules, etc. OK, so yes, we all like to bitch and moan at times (and yes, that was me years ago) however, my perspective has long since changed-- and I thank my lucky stars for that everyday!  Let me explain why: 1) If all I have in life to talk about are my kids and housework then I have not yet fulfilled my purpose here on earth... There is so much more to life than that! I am a role model to my children. Wouldn't I want them to see me doing something that fulfills me and that I am passionate about? hmmnn... 2) By complaining you are actually bringing on more of that misery so, why complain? instead, be thankful for your blessings and rea lize that some days are more "do-ing" than others and on the other days do somethin...

There is something that happens in a women after she hits the magical number of 40. She enters a new era where her body and emotions shift and seem to go in completely different directions.  For a lot of women/moms, this uncertainty or unawareness can lead to a feeling of being overloaded and make one go insane.  After discussing this topic with numerous women, I am finding the following scenario most common today:   After a hectic start to the day, you manage to get the kids off to school and you're already exhausted.  You grab your 2nd cup of coffee and off to work you go. After a full day of work, you come home only to take the kids to their activities, make dinner, and help with homework. You then manage to grab a glass of wine to settle down or perhaps take your anti-depressant because you are so overwhelmed and have had no time to yourself to decompress.  Perhaps, you take your happy pill in the morning and make it through the day numb,emotionless and ...

During a recent conversation with a family member, I have come to realize how silly our rationalized thinking can be sometimes.  I started talking about food and choices we all make today.   Our food choices are filled with food derived from GMO's (genetically modified organisms), wheat, dairy with hormones and antibiotics and grocery stores filled with processed food that has more chemicals on the labels that I won't even attempt to pronounce.  As I asked the question "do you know what a GMO is?" the answer was "I don't care, I am still here." As I thought about this response I wondered, is it because I am younger and have this knowledge of something they don't.. was their ego challenged? -or- is it because they really do not want to know?" Is this the same for a lot of people?   My wheels were turning, and then I thought; what are the consequences of NOT knowing this information? If people knew that animals grazed on GMO crops and were get...

    Why is it that I have to constantly repeat myself day in and day out and my children still do not listen? I often wonder what it would take for that magic number to appear -- will it be the 11,357th time when it will finally CLICK and they will do as they are told. This morning as I am walking around the house, I pick up after them and my blood starts to boil and then I suddenly stopped. I looked around and instead of getting frustrated today I start to wonder. One day this will all be gone! one day I will wake up but this time I won't HAVE to get up to get them out of the house and off to school. I won't have to pick their clothes off the floor. I won't have to clean the toothpaste off of the sink. I won't have to pack their lunch or make them breakfast. Lastly, we won't be rushing to get their shoes on as we stumble out the front door and run to catch the bus.  One day they will be off to college and the house will be quiet, just me and my thoughts. ...

As I sit back and reflect over this past weeks events, an overwhelming sense of sadness comes over me. In my last post, I wrote about a terrible incident that happened between my son and my brothers dog, and how helpless I felt during the whole event.  Now, words cannot express how much my heart bleeds for each and every Newtown child (now angels above), and for the brave adults that were trying to protect them.  A day just like any other day, so it seemed, turned into a horrific and mind numbing tragedy.  "How can this happen?"everyone asks.  The sad truth is that this can happen anywhere, at any time, in any town.  No one is safe in reality, however, our own safety and certainty can be taken away at any time if we allow it.   To be honest, I was one of those parents who nervously looked at her kids as they got on the bus Monday morning. I looked as they stepped on and just wanted to pull them back and take them home, where I would know they are safe....

    This past weekend was my birthday and my husband decided to surprise me by taking me out to dinner.  He made arrangements with my mother and it was all set for Saturday eve. We had not been out together by ourselves for so long and I was really looking forward to it. On Friday, my daughter started not feeling well and it carried into Saturday.  I was debating on whether or not to postpone our dinner.  My husband convinced me she would be alright.  I asked her and she seemed fine with it.  I got dressed up and was all excited to go on date night. We drove over to my mothers house and my husband said to wait in the car and he would drop them off.  I said "no, I will come in and say hello". Upon arriving my brothers dog (Australian Shepherd) was outside the door.  We opened the door and he ran in. I asked my mother if it was OK for him to come in and she replied "yes" (my brother lives next to my mom and my nephew is there all the time w...

Someone recently asked me what I do and I paused  for a brief moment, I replied with: I inspire moms to be an imperfectly perfect role model to their children by creating harmony and calmness in their own lives.  How does one do this in this crazy, fast paced, stressful and demanding world? Let's look at this prime example:   "There are days where I am so tired, I get so overwhelmed and can't pull it all together.  I have in my head exactly what it is all supposed to look like, but I never get there.  I get stressed and start wondering if I will ever catch up, my anxiety builds and then I take my anger out on my children. I feel guilty and horrible afterwards."   I hear this kind of example a lot. We all are rushing to get somewhere and never stop to think about the moment we are in. It is in that space, [the present], where one must seek out that calmness or see it for what it is, so as not to get overwhelmed about the future. I realize this is easie...

"Pay no attention to the little man behind the curtain." wizard of Oz I recently read an article that referred to that line and it starting me thinking....Who is behind your curtain?who's in control of your time, health and life? It made me stop to reflect and think.  As a mom, with so many balls juggled everyday, most of us are too overwhelmed to see who's in control. We put on our masks and we let overbooked schedules, day-to-day activities and energy drainers dictate when and where we should be ( let alone how we should think, act and respond to life's challenges and circumstance). When is it time to just say "ENOUGH",  I am in control.     It is very much like the line from Pretty woman when she refers to her prostitution, "I Say who, I say when, I say how much!".. It makes you think we, in a (demented) sense, are doing the very same thing.  We are losing ourselves because we are letting everything and everyone dictate to us who we a...

      Can you imagine becoming a "guilt-free" mom? seems impossible for most as we tend to live there more often than not these days. Ever wonder why is that? Does this sound like you....your day starts the moment your feet touch the floor. You get out of bed only to climb aboard the perpetual mouse exercise wheel where you spin endlessly (taking care of the kids, home, work, chores etc) until you clock out at night. By the time you climb out, you are tired and dizzy and collapse onto your bed in complete exhaustion.... only to feel GUILT!    I used to live there much too often. I was never good enough, never finished what I started, was constantly running around like a chicken with no head, and always felt that I was not doing right by my children and well...GUILTY!! Today, I am here to tell you ENOUGH,..NO MORE!!! a true mom goddess must learn not to harness such a demeaning emotion. So, to better understand it, let's first look at the word....

  As winter storm Athena draws near, I can't help but compare this goddess's qualities with the valuable lessons we have learned from Hurricane Sandy.  Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast hard and furious.  She was a large mass that covered the east coast causing devastation and leaving most of us in the dark struggling with day to day activities that we had oh so taken for granted in the past.  As each day was a struggle for most, we saw emotions flare as anger and bitterness shined its' ugly face.  People started to believe it was their right to have power as it seemed that they turned a blind eye to the ones that had lost everything.  I think as time went on and people learned about the devastation in other area's something shifted.  Hearts started opening up and people starting helping and contributing.  The attitude of most changed from "so what I have no power, these people have nothing." People in my area started donating anything and ever...

   It has been 6 days since Hurricane Sandy has come and gone.  She wreaked havoc here in the tri-state area (where I am from), and we still have a long recovery and healing process to go through.  However, It's hard not to succumb to all the doom and gloom when it's constantly in your face, news,  and at the gas stations etc.  Hurricane Sandy made it real--- it is now that NY has turned into a really screwed up dysfunctional family, (not that we weren't before).  Sandy came into our homes unannounced, caused havoc and decided to stay.  We all thought we were prepared---we weren't.  How can we blame mother nature? we can't punch her in the face but, we can turn on our neighbors and slap them.  The whole thing is so messed up.  At least when it was 9/11, we all banned together and we had an enemy to blame.  Again, can't hate mother nature.  This to me, is everyone's wake up call. Sandy is saying "NY WAKE THE F@^* UP, IT'S ...