CEO Mama Newsletter: 29th Edition

Hey ,

There’s a tenderness to this time of year.

School ends. Lunchboxes get tucked away.
The house is suddenly full of noise, mess, and barefoot kids asking for snacks.
The rhythm changes, and so does everything else.

Part of you welcomes the slower mornings.
Part of you already misses the structure.
And if you’re really honest, there’s another part of you - quiet, almost imperceptible - that’s grieving.

Not just the loss of deep work blocks.
Not just the friction of more toggling between roles.

But the subtle ache of watching time pass.

Another school year gone.
Another summer that reminds you: they won’t be little forever.
There’s only so many of these “in-between” seasons left.

So how do you hold that truth without collapsing under it?
How do you honor this moment - your ambition, your kids, your desire for presence - without losing yourself in the shuffle?

You build a new rhythm.
One that’s designed for this season.
One that supports your full identity.

For ambitious moms, summer isn’t just a scheduling shift.
It’s an identity recalibration.

You want to be present for the spontaneous moments - the cannonballs, the bike rides, the lazy afternoons.
You also want to stay connected to your work - your vision, your voice, your momentum.

This isn’t about guilt.
It’s about desire.
A desire to do both well. To hold both roles fully.

But if you try to carry the same pace, the same expectations, the same systems you had during the school year, you’ll end up stretched, resentful, or disconnected from your kids or yourself.

Instead of pushing through, what if you paused long enough to reimagine how this season wants to be lived?

You don’t need more hours.
You need a system that matches your reality.

Enter the CEO Mama Summer Operating System - a way to align your schedule, energy, and expectations with what actually matters this season.

This isn’t about scaling back your dreams.
It’s about creating a sustainable rhythm so you can keep showing up for them.

Build Your Summer Operating System

1. Recalibrate Your “Focus Blocks”

• Ditch the 3-hour blocks. Embrace 60–90 min sprints.

• Use timeboxing to protect your top priorities.

• Stack calls and meetings to allow for full “off” days with your kids.

2. Anchor the Day with Two Rituals

• One that roots you in connection (morning walks, breakfast together, shared intention).

• One that closes your workday with clarity (quick review, tomorrow’s setup, energy reset).
  → These emotional transitions help you shift roles without losing yourself.

3. Define Summer-Specific Priorities

• Choose 2–3 core business goals for the season.

• Design a weekly rhythm around those, not everything.
  → Progress still happens - it just has a different pace.

4. Batch Work, Not Just Tasks

• Group similar energy tasks together: calls on one day, creation on another.

• Protect at least one window a week for deep strategy or visioning.
  → This honors your bandwidth and your brilliance.

5. Let the Season Shape You

• Ask: What is summer here to teach me?
  → Flexibility? Joy? Simplicity? Patience?

When you design around the season, not against it, you move with more power and less friction.

Most of us are not just building businesses, we’re building lives.
And lives are seasonal.

No one operates at 100% output all year long.
Elite performers don’t resist seasons, they leverage them.

When you normalize this kind of adaptation for yourself, you give permission to others too. Your clients, your team, your audience - they’re navigating this shift as well.

So instead of pretending you’re unchanged by summer, lead from your truth:

“I’m recalibrating. And here’s how I’m designing this season to serve what matters most.”

This is sustainable ambition.
This is embodied leadership.
This is how we keep showing up for the long game.

Transitions aren’t just logistical, they’re emotional.
And summer brings with it a particular kind of tenderness.

It’s the grief of losing structure.
The beauty of gaining time.
The ache of watching your kids grow faster than you’re ready for.
The guilt of still wanting space for yourself.

Let it all be there.

Your nervous system doesn’t need you to suppress or bypass it.
It needs you to honor the moment - with softness, strategy, and presence.

You’re not failing because you need more margin.
You’re not behind because your pace is changing.
You’re responding to life. That’s what leaders do.

This week, take 30 minutes and set up your Summer OS:

1. Audit your calendar – Where are you expecting a school-year rhythm from a summer season? What needs to shift?
   

2. Set 2–3 seasonal business goals – Be specific. Give them clear milestones.
   

3. Design your two rituals – One to connect with your kids, one to close your work with clarity.
   

4. Batch with intention – Give your focus tasks the space they deserve. And give yourself time to be here now.

Let this summer be the one where you lead with the season, not in spite of it.

And let it remind you that you’re not just managing time, you’re honoring the rhythm of real life.

P.S. If you’re ready to lead your business and your life in a way that honors your seasons (not fights them), our CEO Mama Membership is the space for you. We’re opening doors again at the end of summer. Apply here to get on the list for the next open enrollment round. You’ll be the first to know when we’re accepting new members!