I'm Not Lucky. I'm Intentional. (And I Have a Really Good Calendar.)

Mother’s Day 2026 | May 10, 2026

Today is Mother's Day — a day that celebrates the women who somehow manage to hold entire worlds together while making it look, to everyone watching, like they're barely breaking a sweat. And on a day like today, I keep thinking about the question I get asked most once people find out how many things I'm running at once: "How do you balance it all?"

It's a question that gets asked of mothers, of women building businesses, of women with ambition that spills outside the lines of a single job description. And every single time, I have to take a quiet breath and resist pointing out the obvious double standard — because I'm pretty confident that if a man were out here building multiple businesses, co-founding a bed and breakfast with his closest friends, raising kids, and holding down a full-time job — nobody would be asking how he balances it. They'd be calling him driven. Ambitious. Impressive.

But here we are.

What I will say is this: the majority of the time I get asked this question, it's from other women. And I understand why — because I've been on the other side of it too.

I've watched other women build their dreams and thought: how are they making this look so effortless? How is everything so neat and tidy? How do they have it so together when I feel like I'm held together with good intentions and dry shampoo?

And then the spiral starts. Maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe I'm not worthy of it. Maybe I'm not good enough to make it happen.

That's imposter syndrome doing what it does — using someone else's highlight reel to convince you that your behind-the-scenes disqualifies you.

It doesn't. I promise.

So let's talk about what's actually behind the curtain.

It Was Never Easy. It Was Always Intentional.

I've heard "you're so lucky" and "everything comes so naturally to you" more times than I can count.

As Cher from Clueless would say — as if.

What people see is curiosity and creativity that's been in motion for a very long time. In childhood, I co-created a handmade newspaper with a friend and sold it at our lemonade stand — each copy unique, no mass production, didn't last long, but loved every second of it. My sister and I made wrapped pens to sell. We held garage sales for things I'm not entirely sure we were authorized to sell. Later came Avon, Herbalife, handmade jewelry, empowerment accessories — all of it attempted while going to school, working full-time, and being a mom.

None of it was a straight line. None of it was clean. But all of it was building something — an entrepreneurial spirit that kept searching for what I had to offer the world.

The truth is, I like to be busy. I like to be creating. That's where I find my joy. But I've never found a perfect formula, and I've definitely never kept things neat and tidy along the way. What I've found instead is something better: the willingness to be nimble. To flex. And more recently, to actually listen to what my body and mind are telling me.

That last part matters more than I used to give it credit for. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, physically tired, or just plain sore — I've learned to listen. To shift what I can, where I can, and give myself actual permission to rest. Not guilt-laced, one-eye-open rest. Real rest. It took me a long time to get there, but my body has never steered me wrong when I've paid attention to it.

That — plus a color-coded calendar with imaginary focus blocks built in — is my whole system.

What the Week Actually Looks Like

Since we're being honest, here's the current framework. I say current, because in six weeks it could look completely different.

Weekdays:

• 6:30–8:30am — Kids. Getting them ready and out the door.

• 9am–6pm — Full-time work. All the things.

• 6–8pm — Errands, family, or side-gig appointments.

• 8–9pm — Wind-down and bedtime routine.

• 9–11pm — Side gig and creative work.

• 11pm–6am — Sleep. Non-negotiable.

Weekends:

• Friday noon through Sunday noon — typically full days at The Stacy Mansion.

• Sunday afternoons — family time, full stop.

Each family member has their own color on the calendar. I look ahead every Sunday for the week, and every night before bed for the next day. I use home delivery and online pickup services constantly and without shame. Mental preparedness is one of my biggest assets — if I start a day without knowing what's ahead, I feel behind before I've even begun.

And then life throws what it always throws — travel, illness, double-bookings, the unexpected — and you learn to run everything through a quick filter: what is truly important right now, and what can be delayed, delegated, or deleted?

I try never to miss a performance, a birthday, or a milestone. Those moments don't come back. Everything else is negotiable.

Prioritization Decision Matrix

The Unsung Heroes Nobody Talks About

Here's the part that most "how I do it all" posts leave out entirely — and I think it's the most important part.

I don't do it alone.

My husband, my parents, my in-laws, my friends — they are the steady hands underneath everything I'm building. The ones who show up when life gets chaotic and make things feel a little more manageable just by being there. They are, genuinely, the unsung heroes of this whole operation.

I'll be honest: it has always been hard for me to ask for help. There's something in me that wants to handle it, figure it out, push through. But I'm better at asking now than I used to be. And every time I do, I'm reminded that accepting help isn't a sign that the dream is too big. It's a sign that you've built something worth supporting — and people who love you want to be part of it.

If you have people like that in your corner, tell them today. Especially today. 🤍

Progress Over Perfection. Every Time.

I'm a recovering perfectionist. And perfectionism, left unchecked, is one of the most effective ways to make sure nothing ever gets finished.

I've had to learn — and keep relearning — that progress is the point. That done and iterating is better than perfect and paralyzed. That the version I put out today can be better tomorrow, and that's not failure. That's how everything worth building actually gets built.

I've also had to learn that feeling stuck is not a permanent state. It's information. If something isn't working, I have the power to change it. If an environment isn't serving me, I can improve it or leave it. That's true of my routines, my career path, and my dream path.

The schedule I shared above is what works right now. In six weeks, or six months, it might be completely different. The point isn't the specific system — it's the willingness to keep finding one that works, to hold firm on what you're unwilling to compromise (for me, my kids), and to stay flexible on everything else.

“Be hard fast on what you're unwilling to compromise. Be willing to flex on everything else.” - Serena Riley

That's not luck. That's not ease. That's not something that just comes naturally.

That's intention. Practiced daily. With a really good calendar.