Carrie Jo Coaching

06/10/2026

Fourteen years ago today, we sat in a hospital room praying for a miracle as we waited while Kennedy had a life-saving liver transplant.

It was scary, hopeful, heartbreaking, overwhelming and miraculous all at the same time.

It’s a strange thing to experience one of the hardest days of your life and one of the most beautiful gifts you’ll ever receive on the exact same day. I will never forget the feeling. And it resurfaces every year as I think about it.

Because while we were praying for more time with our daughter, another family was experiencing unimaginable loss. And because of their selfless decision, we got more.

More birthdays. More laughs. More ordinary moments that suddenly don’t feel ordinary at all.

Over the past 14 years, I’ve watched Kennedy not only survive, but truly live. I’ve watched her grow into a strong, caring, compassionate, resilient young woman who understands the gift of life in a way most people never have to. Life hasn't been easy for her, but she keeps fighting and staying positive.

All of this has taught me that life is fragile. That ordinary moments are actually extraordinary. We spend so much time worrying about things that really don’t matter. And it taught me to stop waiting for someday.

Someday when things slow down.
Someday when everything is perfect.
Someday when the timing is right.

We don’t get a guarantee of someday. We get today.

So love your people. Chase the thing that lights you up. Take the trip. Have the conversation. Pay attention to the little moments happening right in front of you right now.

To Kennedy’s donor and donor family: thank you will never feel big enough. We love you and pray for you every single day.

If Kennedy’s story inspires even one person to become an organ donor, that ripple continues. 💙

Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gJy2N-wS

💙 14 years post-transplant
💙 14 years of gratitude
💙 14 years of living her best life

05/21/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how many women are carrying SO much right now… while also feeling surprisingly disconnected at the same time.

Disconnected from themselves.
From joy.
From real conversation.
From people who make them feel safe enough to exhale.

This week’s Weekly Spark newsletter dives into why connection and community matter more than we realize, especially during stressful seasons of life.

Because sometimes what we call “burnout” is actually prolonged disconnection.

And one honest conversation, one safe space, or one meaningful connection can shift more than we think.

If you’ve been craving deeper connection lately… I think this one will resonate. 🩵

https://www.carriejocoaching.com/newsletter-sign-up

05/13/2026

“Recalculating route” is just life’s way of shifting you when something no longer fits or aligns with who you are or what you value anymore.

That’s not failure.
That’s growth. 💗

05/11/2026

Recently, I asked a room full of women a simple question:

“What do you actually like to do for fun?”

The room got quiet. Then came the nervous laughter. A few women looked at each other and said things like:

“I honestly don’t know.”
“I have no clue.”
“I can’t remember the last time I did something just because I wanted to.”

And honestly? That was a bit hard to hear.

Because these were smart, capable women with full lives. Women holding families together, building careers, managing schedules, showing up for everyone else, and getting things DONE.

Most of them looked like they were killing it.

But somewhere along the way, many of them stopped paying attention to themselves.

Not all at once. Just slowly. One responsibility at a time. One busy season at a time. One “I’ll deal with myself later” at a time. And eventually, survival mode started feeling normal.

I see this all the time.

Women who can organize everyone else’s lives but struggle to answer questions like:

What lights you up?
What gives you energy?
What do you enjoy just because YOU enjoy it?
What makes you feel good?

That kind of disconnection matters more than most people realize.

Because when you spend years ignoring yourself, life can start to feel heavy.

So if this feels a little familiar, maybe this is your reminder to reconnect with yourself again.

Not the version of you that performs. Not the version of you that manages everyone else.

YOU.

This Week’s Micro Move:
Make a quick list of:
• Things you used to love
• Things you’re curious about
• Moments when you're enjoying yourself the most.

Don’t overthink it. And please don’t turn it into another project to perfect.

This isn’t about becoming a “better” version of yourself.

It’s about reconnecting with the version of you that’s been buried under responsibility for way too long.

And honestly, that’s some of the most important work there is.

05/10/2026

The moms holding families together.
The moms trying their best while also trying not to lose themselves.
The moms navigating exhaustion, guilt, transitions, worry, joy, chaos, love… sometimes all before 9am.

And also to the women who are grieving today.
Missing their moms.
Longing to become moms.
Mothering everyone else while forgetting themselves.
Figuring out who they are now that their kids need them differently.

Motherhood changes you.
Life changes you.

But somewhere underneath all the responsibilities, schedules, and pressure to hold it all together… YOU still matter too.

I hope today reminds you that your needs, your joy, your peace, and the things that light you up are not selfish.
They matter.

You are allowed to take up space in your own life too. 🩷

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women out there doing the best they can with what they’re carrying.

04/30/2026

04/28/2026

04/22/2026

Ever feel like you’re fighting your own brain when trying to get healthy?

You're not wrong.

How you think DIRECTLY correlates with weight loss:

​✔️ Stress blocks your "full" signal

​When you’re stressed or down on yourself, your body pumps out cortisol. This hormone can actually "mute" the signals that tell your brain you’re full.

A calmer, more positive mindset helps your hormones stay balanced so you can actually hear what your body needs.

​✔️ You can literally rewire your brain

​Thanks to neuroplasticity, your brain is like muscle.

If you focus on small, "GO ME 🥳" wins instead of beating yourself up, you build new pathways.

Eventually, choosing healthier food vs. the drive-thru, or hitting the gym instead of snooze, stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like an automatic habit.

​IMPORTANT: kind to your mind, and your body will have a much easier time following along. 🌿✨

​

04/22/2026

You’re not overwhelmed because you’re weak.

You’re overwhelmed because you’re the one who handles everything.

The one people count on.
The one who figures it out.
The one who keeps it all moving… even when you’re running on empty.

And at some point, being “the strong one” stops feeling like a compliment and starts feeling like a full-time job you never signed up for.

Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

Just because you can handle it… doesn’t mean you’re supposed to handle all of it.

Read that again.

You don’t get bonus points for carrying everything. You just get exhausted.

What would it look like to:

• Ask for help before you hit your breaking point
• Say no without explaining it like a legal case
• Put something down… even if no one else picks it up right away

Not forever. Just… start there.

Because the goal isn’t to prove how much you can handle.

It’s to build a life where you don’t have to handle everything alone.