The Creative Bodega | Content Marketing and Instagram Growth for Solopreneurs

35: Mom Guilt + Launching a Live Program: My Unfiltered, Messy BTS Reality

• Emily Connors • Episode 35

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If you’ve ever launched something and felt like your personal life caught on fire at the exact same time… this episode is for you.

Let’s be real — launching a program isn’t just spreadsheets and sales pages. It’s emotional. It’s chaotic. And if you’re a mom or solopreneur (or both), it will absolutely spill over into your everyday life.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing what really went down the week before my launch — the messy mom moments, the anxiety spirals, and the behind-the-scenes systems that kept me somewhat sane when everything felt like too much.

To read the full show notes, [CLICK HERE].

Here’s what we cover:
✨ The moment I realized I was giving launch advice but not taking care of me
📦 How support systems (home + biz) are the real MVPs behind any successful launch
😩 A very real mom meltdown that reminded me: energy > productivity
🧠 Why I plan my business around my energy — not some color-coded calendar
💬 How open communication (with my husband, my kids, my team) keeps everything running

This isn’t an episode about time-blocking or hustle culture. It’s about what it actually looks like to run a business while managing real life, real emotions, and real responsibilities — without burning out in the process.

💬 Your challenge this week: Audit your support system. Where are you carrying too much alone? Where could you ask for help — and how would that change your energy?

Tools & Resources
🧘🏻‍♀️ 20% OFF KLS Studio Workout App
🧖🏼‍♀️ My Sunlighten Sauna
🎧 Listen: Organized AF (Made Simple): The Systems + Energy Flow That Keep Me Productive
🎧 Listen: Marriage, Money & Entrepreneurship: A Real Talk with My Husband



Connect with me:
🫶🏼 Follow me on Instagram for daily insights
🫶🏼 Join my 321 Create Newsletter for weekly content tips
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Here I am giving, you know, my followers, all this advice on launching, make this spreadsheet, do this with your wait list, whatever, but like, what about the part where I need to like stay sane and energized and balanced even when my business life is? Uh, having a chaotic moment. Welcome to the Creative Bodega, a podcast about content marketing, Instagram growth, and personal branding for female service-based solopreneurs who wanna grow their business without letting it take over their lives. I'm your host, EM Connors, and each week I'll share actionable tips, expert advice, and unfiltered truths to help you create engaging content, connect authentically with your audience, and turn followers into loyal customers. All without the burnout. If you're ready to simplify your content creation, navigate the ever changing trends and build a business that works for you while staying sane in this crazy season of life, then you're in the right place. This is the third episode in a bunch of episodes. I don't know how many they're gonna be about just behind the scenes of what it takes to launch. Program. This is specifically about a live program, but this podcast is a little, not a little bit, a lot less about the details and the how toss that go into an actual product launch and more about how I. Don't lose my mind. I had a moment this morning. Uh, my kids were getting ready for camp slash they weren't getting ready and I am on edge. I am about to open the doors in What's today is Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, four days, and. I'm on edge. I'm not gonna lie. I feel a little shaky. I feel sick to my stomach. Actually, like I said to my husband, like three days ago, I was like, I think I have a stomach bug. Like I have no appetite. And he was like, M like you always do this, like you're nervous and you're anxious about your lunch. And I was like, yeah, you're probably right. And that's what's happening. I'm waking up. I'm not hungry. My stomach kind of hurts. I have coffee. I force food down. And this morning my son did not want to get ready for camp, and so this is the final hurrah. This is the last week of summer. They have camp and he just didn't wanna get up. He wasn't even on his iPad or anything. He was actually making a loom bracelet, like he just learned how to do it. And he's just one of those kids that like when he learns something new, he's just like. All in. Okay. So he's making it and I was like, listen, you gotta put it down. And Mr. Bryce. So we're carpooling with another family. We pick up at the end of the day. They drop off in the morning. Mr. Bryce is gonna be here in five minutes. And this is the kind of kid where like you tell him to get his shoes on and he like runs upstairs to get his shoes and yells down five minutes later. What was I doing up here? Bless his heart. He gets sidetracked and so I know it's gonna take longer than five minutes and I don't want Mr. Bryce to wait'cause that triggers my anxiety. I definitely have something around making people wait. And being on time, and I totally get that from my dad. He's psychotic. Like he will leave you if you're not ready. Like I've seen him do it. So it's just sort of one of those built in things. So I'm like, buddy, get dressed. So he got upset with how I was speaking to him. I'm on edge because I am packing their backpacks and getting their lunches ready and cleaning up their breakfast and, and I just want them to take some accountability for themselves at eight and nine and get their shoes on and do their hair. And be ready to go, but it just went down horribly. He said something to me, I snapped back to him. He was in the room where he does his hair, doing his hair, and he actually threw this water bottle, like spritz water bottle spray thing like. On the ground. It flew apart. Like it broke. He has a temper. I have a temper. I then freaked out on him. I'm not gonna lie. And it just all was bad. It was all so bad. My husband is not home. He's golfing. And it's just one of those moments as a mom where you're just like. Yeah, I just did not handle that well, and I absolutely know why, and it's because I'm launching in four days and yes, I did not like the way he was speaking to me. Yes, we constantly have power struggles in our house with this child. A lot of times I swear to God, he thinks he's my parent the way that he speaks to me, and that is also a trigger for me, like that disrespect, and I have to remind him all the time. I am the parent. I tell you what to do. You know what I mean? You don't tell me what to do and you don't speak back to me in that tone when I'm asking you to do something like this is, again, this is not a parenting podcast, but I'm sure those of you who have a strong-willed child can relate to what I'm saying here. So anyways, it all just went bad. Mr. Bryce pulled up. They got in the car, my stomach hurt even more'cause I, I just, I'm like covering my face with my hands right now. I, I just, it was an embarrassing mom moment and. I 100% plan to apologize to him when he gets home. And honestly, this is the kind of kid that'll be completely over it and forget even what happened, but I won't. So it's gonna be important for me to show him that I will apologize when I know I did things wrong. And the more I've been apologizing to them and the past few years, the more they apologize to me. In fact, they apologized to me. A good amount, and it always does my heart good because I know that I am leading and modeling that for them, that I'm not too above apologizing. And I want them to know when I feel like I've just done something that I'm not proud of. And. It's helped them to do that. So it just made me think, I'm like, here I am giving, you know, my followers all this advice on launching, make this spreadsheet, do this with your wait list, whatever. But like, what about the part where I need to like stay sane and energized and balanced even when my business life is? Having a chaotic moment. Right. So, and, and no matter what anyone tells you, launching is never gonna be a smooth sailing stress-free thing. And, and it does bleed into my personal life as much as I would like to think it doesn't. So I want this conversation to just be really honest. It's not about productivity hacks or time blocking. It's about the stuff behind the scenes that. Yeah, I don't think a lot of big creators talk about, or any creators talk about like how I stay sane, how I fuel my body, how I've hired the people to help me to do that. The systems I've built at home and in maybe in my business. And the self-awareness to know when I need to slow the F down or apologize when I don't handle things well, when I'm on edge and launching. So today I'm gonna pull back the curtain on what's helped me actually. Feel good in my business so I can keep showing up. Well, because I'm not that kind of person that can really fake it till I make it, if it, like, I haven't been on stories at all today. It's 12, almost 12:30 PM and that is not like me, but my son left and it was a little bit of a come to Jesus. I wasn't feeling great and I'm not the type of person that can hop on my stories and pretend like everything's fine. I had to really do some processing this morning and some self care and some me time. And now here I am kind of recording this. Episode, which is definitely like cathartic for me. And I haven't been on stories'cause I can't fake it. Like I, I don't feel great about this day so far. So in these seasons of life where things are feeling chaotic and nonstop, I have the support systems in place. If I didn't, I'd be snapping a lot more. I know, I realize I just told you I snapped this morning, but I think it would be 10 times worse if I didn't have these systems and support that I do have behind the scenes. So when I really sat down to work with Chachi BT on this episode script, I listed out all the things that I think help keep me really grounded and that keep me energized, not just during launch time, but honestly. Pretty much year round, right? And it's what I need in place to not just get through, but to feel like myself in this process and to not let my anxiety take over.'cause I am a very anxious person, like full, full disclosure, pretty much always have been my whole life. So let's talk about five lessons that keep me sane and focused. So number one, and this is like number one, I I, I don't know if I'm going in order. I'll let you know as I get going here, but this is probably number one, the support system that I have, and that is a strategy. Okay? I used to feel like I had to do everything on my own and now. I do not hesitate to ask for help when things are crazy. What does that look like? My husband, he's probably my number one, not probably, he is my number one support system, and you better believe that. We looked at the calendar and I said, this is when I'm launching, and so he knows in his mind the next. Three weeks, probably the last week and the next two are gonna be crazy and he's gonna have to do more than usual and he will step up and he will offer to do things, to take things off my plate and God bless him for that. But you know what guys? Also I'm the breadwinner. So like this was a discussion we had to have when we decided he was gonna leave his day job, that he made very good money in finance and it was a conversation at that time. Okay. If I'm gonna be the one making most of the money, I'm like, you are going to have to step up and step in. Where, when, when, where, if I need you. And he's completely fine with that. So emotionally and practically. He is going to be taking on more in the next couple weeks. So he steps in, he does the grocery shopping, he does the meal planning, he's dropping kids off at sports, he's tapping into our friend support system. If we need help with rides for the kids, like he's on it, and that helps me so much. I also don't expect him to know what to do. So if he's not doing something and I need help, I will tell him, not in a snarky way. I'll be like, listen, you know, I'm kind of freaking out. Like, I need your help on Monday to do this. And he'll be like, done. No problem. So I. That's huge. But I've also built a team, a small team that I absolutely trust. So right now, in this very moment, I have three women working for me. Uh, and I will link them in the show notes. Okay. And if you need any show notes, you can find them at the creative bodega.com/blog/ 35. Okay. Uh, Brianna is my VA currently. She does 10 hours a month for me, and she's doing a lot of the backend stuff for my podcast. So she writes the blog for me. She also is helping me update, um, some workflows that I need updating. So she's definitely more of that technical hand holder. She also helps me, um, with the coven backend failed payments, reaching out to people, letting them know everything in stripe. So she's a lot of that backend stuff. Then I have Nicole, who is the coven membership manager, and she's actually about to take on even more for me, but she is helping me get the challenges up and running, responding to people inside the membership. She's even been helping me with graphics. She's. Awesome at graphic design. She's got a great eye and she's been helping me create graphics, which I've never had anyone do before, because A, I love it. And B, I haven't trusted anyone, but now I do. I trust her. And so that's been an absolute huge help to me. And then I have. Steph, Steph is my brand strategist. She gets on a call with me every two weeks and helps me figure out what the f I'm doing with my business and how to talk about it. That outside perspective for me is he huge. Like I'm too close. I'm too close to what I do. It all becomes a jumbled mess in my brain. I can help you and your business and your messaging, but when it comes to my own, my brain literally turns to mush. So she, oh my God, she knows me. Personally and my business so well. Every two weeks we talk about what is happening, what to dos I need to do. She keeps me accountable to get them done. What's coming up? We plan out loosely, you know, Q1, Q2, Q3 loosely. I told, I told you in the last episode, like I'm not crazy about that, but she just helps me keep on my ducks in a row. So I've got that support team, and then I have my family and friends. My mom is local. My father-in-law is local. They help me with my kids. And then I have these incredible friends who are my kids', friends, parents, and I know they'll help me too.'cause honestly they're following along in my stories and they know what the heck I'm doing and they know I'm stressed. So support is huge. Number two, taking care of my. Taking care of my body when I eat like trash. When I don't move my body, when I am not going to bed at a good time, it shows in my energy, in my focus, in my creativity, and in my patience in my everyday life. Again, this goes for year round. This is not just launch time, but I'm probably even more in tune to this during launch time. So I've gotten super intentional about meal prepping. We prep a lunch for the whole week. We, meaning my husband and I, a lot of times during busy times like this, I will just say to him, what are you making? Can I get it on that? And he will double make stuff for him and for me, which is awesome. Whether it's Turkey burgers or like a hearty soup or Greek salad with grilled chicken, like we'll make it for the week and ha to have that lunch ready downstairs. And it's healthy and balanced is so big for me. Walking every day, whether it's 15 minutes or 45, you better believe I'm making walking a priority as well as getting in my workouts. Right now I'm following KLS studio. I'll link her in the show notes. It's daily workouts. I'm not doing daily. I probably do four a week, but. Just to not have to think about what I need to do in the gym is huge for me. I don't have that focus or brain power. If it were left up to me and my own devices, I wouldn't work out.'cause I'm not one of those people that's like, oh my God, I love working out like my husband. Like he like loves working out. That's not me. So I need to be easy so I can see that Monday is this and I just don't think about it. I go out in the garage and I do it. And then some stuff that's sort of maybe not the norm. I get monthly massages. I look forward to them like it's no one's business. Every month we're booked out for the full year. She's incredible. She's actually become one of my good friends. We talk the entire time and an hour and a half, I get a massage every month. I also have a person coming and cleaning my house once a month because while your girl is a neat freak and I like organized piles, I don't clean. You're not gonna find me cleaning. It's gotta be really dirty for me to clean and neither does my husband. So that's a problem. So when I started making money, one of the first things I did was start getting these monthly massages and get a cleaning person, and that's about$300 a month total for. For both. Like each one is like one 50, call it. So that's big. So my energy's my currency, so I really treat it like it matters and I pay attention to it. Number three, the home systems that save my sanity. So that includes that house cleaner.'cause I love a clean space, but I don't wanna clean. Okay. So yes, I invested in that house cleaner. And then my husband does all the dishes. He actually hates the way I load the dishwasher. There's a very funny podcast episode with the two of us that I'll link in my show notes, but we talk about how he thinks I suck at loading the dishwasher, and I'm like, cool. Then you do all the dishes. And he does, but he didn't like folding laundry. So I actually fold all the laundry and these are things that we've talked about and like we help each other out with and like it's a plan. Like we know he is the dishes guy. I don't have to touch them. I don't need to worry about them. And I'm the laundry girl because it doesn't bother me. I really don't mind folding laundry. I don't love putting it away. So we kinda have a deal where like we're trying to get the kids to do it. I'll put it on this bench in the hallway upstairs. They put theirs away, he puts his away. I put mine away, but. Otherwise, yeah. Outsourcing these tasks gives me back energy and time and mental space to just be a better mom, partner and CEO of the creative bodega five. Honest communication keeps my relationships so strong. So when things start ramping up, I let my family know. I tell my kids, Hey, the next few weeks is gonna be a lot for mommy. I'm launching a course. Here's what it's called. Here's how many people I'm trying to get into it. Here's what I'm teaching people. And you know what? They get it. They're at ages now. Eight and nine where they get it. In fact, my daughter was in my office the other day practicing writing names on Post-It notes, which like makes me wanna cry. And she put two up behind me. She made up names. What were they? Uh, Sally m and Jen s. With a backwards J, so like I get them involved. I let them know what's happening, why I might have my laptop out more than usual, why I might be on my phone more than usual, because I've done episodes where I tell you that that stuff goes away when they come home from school. My phone goes away, my laptop doesn't come downstairs. But during a launch period it might. And so I let them know, because I have taught them to call me out. I will. I've taught them to say, mommy, put your phone down. Mommy, put your laptop away. But during launch season, I'm like, all right guys, this is the time where it's gonna be out more so you don't have to call me out. Okay. Unless it's really excessive. So just over communicating those expectations and owning my own stress keeps resentment low in our house and. Connection high if you ask me. And number five is energy management. Is going to equal time management For me, it's not just about how much time I have, it's about how I feel during that time, right? So I plan tasks around my energy. I'm a big protector of my mornings. I don't like rushing onto calls. I'm a big protector of Mondays. I do not book any calls at all. No meetings. Mondays are my day to get my life together. Whether that's personal or business, it's usually both, and that's really important to me. I also try to not to schedule anything on Fridays, so for this upcoming program, the messaging edit, and for my signature program, the Insta Can Collective, and for the Coven, if I'm booking any calls, they're typically on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and I try real hard. To protect those Mondays and Fridays. I also try not to book calls first thing in the morning,'cause that is the time I need to work out or move my body.'cause if I don't, I won't. Later on I know myself and I won't. So I also don't force creativity when I'm drained. Right. I just can't, I don't have it in me. So, doing those things that I've mentioned in this episode, preparing food, having a dinner plan, going for walks. Going in my sauna. I got a, I got an infrared sauna this year. I treated myself after my launch in January, and it's the best thing in the world. I'll put a link in bio for that too. I freaking love my sauna so much, and I know I'll be using it even more as this cold starts to creep in. So the lesson here, you don't need more hours. You probably just need more energy. And in order to get that energy, you really need to analyze when are you the most focused and how do you protect that time. Right. So actionable application here. How can you use these concepts in your everyday life? Audit, your support system? Where are you doing too much alone? Who could you ask for help in your home or in your business? You know, what's that gonna look like? And again, not doing it in an aggressive, accusatory way, more like a. I need some help here, you know? And when times are busier for my husband, you better believe I'm on board. He will tell me, I've got this presentation coming up with Morgan Stanley like I need, and I'm like, got it, I got you. Like, we're good. Um, number two, protect your energy like it's your business asset because it is right. Fuel your body. Move your body regularly. Take breaks before you burn out.'cause that's just the last thing you want to happen. Simplify your home life. Outsource where you can. That doesn't make you lazy. It makes you a leader, right? Four, communicate your needs and apologize when you need to. You're human. Your people don't expect you to be perfect. I don't expect my kids to be perfect, and I've explained to them that I am never gonna be perfect, even though I try. They expect you to be real. And that's just all that you can do, right? That's you owe that to them and apologize when you mess up. And number five, design your week around your energy, not just your tasks. I have a great podcast episode about how I really am energy led in my business. I am not a CEO days on Monday. Like I, I, I don't subscribe to that. It doesn't work for me. I am an energy led creator and so I ask myself, when do I feel best? How can I honor that? What are priorities to me? How can I honor that? Where is my time going? How do, how and where do I need to shift? To make myself a priority.'cause guys, if I burn out, like it's all going down, it's going down, and I am the breadwinner for my family. I can't allow that to happen. Okay? So you don't gotta be a superhero to run your biz. You just need the right support system. And to find stuff behind the scenes that's actually gonna keep you grounded and focused. In this episode, I hope you found some aha moments, or I hope that I made you feel less alone in the chaos that is owning your own business. So I would love it if you shared this with a business bestie or somebody who you think it would resonate with, or post this episode and Instagram tag me. I'll share it my stories. I'd also just love to hear what you have to say about how you stay sane behind the scenes. Okay, I will see you on next week's episode, which will be when the doors are open, and I'm probably losing my mind. All right, you guys. I'll see you next week. Thank you so much for being here. Thanks so much for hanging out with me on the Creative Bodega Podcast. If you love this episode, please be sure to share it with a fellow solopreneur. Who could use a little content creation inspiration. And hey, don't forget to check out the show notes for any resources I mentioned on the episode to help you create content that feels easy and actually gets you results. If you want even more Canva and content tips, head over to my website, the creative bodega.com, or find me on Instagram under the same name. Until next time, keep creating, keep showing up, and most importantly, try and have a little fun with your content. I'll see you on the next episode.