What keeps you up at night? We asked our audience of busy, high-achieving women, and wow, did they (you!) deliver. Venting feels nice, and thereās solidarity and comfort in knowing weāre ānot the only one,ā but then what? What do we do about :: gestures widely :: IT ALL?Ā
Fortunately, our friends at Insomnia Mom have our backs. We shared the responses with Vikki Duke, the founder, and her team. Hereās what they had to say.
Can we sayā¦hot flash?
Hot flashes? Yep, I’ve been there. If youāre ready to feel more like yourself again, check out Elevate Functional Medicine in Carmel. They really listen, dig into whatās going on, and help you find a plan that works for your body, not just a quick fixātotal game-changer.
The business loan Iām sick of talking about. Ā
SO many free resources here! Several organizations in Indiana offer free advice and resources to help businesses navigate the loan application process and secure funding:
1.) Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC): Provides no-cost business advising, training, and referrals to help entrepreneurs understand funding programs and prepare their loan applications.
2.) SCORE Indianapolis: A non-profit organization offering free business mentoring from experienced professionals, including advice on financing and preparing for lender meetings. They offer confidential mentoring sessions in person, via email, or by video.
3.) Business Ownership Initiative (BOI): Offers free one-on-one business coaching and access to financing options, including microloans, specifically for Central Indiana residents. BOI is part of the Indy Chamber Entrepreneur Services.
4.) Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA provides various programs and services to support small businesses, including funding programs, counseling, and referrals to partner organizations and lenders. You can contact the SBA’s Answer Desk at 1-800-827-5722 or email answerdesk@sba.gov for general questions.
How am I going to get everything done (the laundry, grocery shopping, appts, etc.)? So basically, all the things!
This is my favorite thing to do….Shop & Errand Share! Need Kroger? And the dry cleaner? Amazon returns? Buddy up & share the load (literally) with a girlfriend! One of you takes the groceries while the other does the returns. Love chicken salad? Double your batch & share with a friend, and she can send over one of her double-batch lasagnas! Truly divide & conquer…going twice as fast with half the mental load when you share with a friend!
In a laundry pinch? Laundry Valet will come pick up your laundry & send it back (even hanging!) in a few days.
How can I stay involved in community and networking events without the guilt of spending more time away from my kidsā¦
Combine your worlds.
Host something at your home or a local park, Busy Bee Cafe, or coffee shopā invite your contacts and encourage them to bring families. It becomes networking, playtime, and memory-making all in one.
Schedule kid-priority windows.
When your kids know that Tuesday nights are always game night or Sunday mornings are pancake day, they see consistency. You can be gone other times without the guilt because youāve anchored special moments.
Schedule around family rhythms.
Hop on lunchtime webinars while the kids are at school or during their evening screen time. That way, your networking doesnāt compete with family time.
Change the story you tell yourself.
Letting your kids watch you connect, contribute, and show up in the community is a gift. Youāre modeling how to build relationships and give back, which theyāll carry for life.
Release the guilt.
Youāre not taking time from your family – youāre protecting it. Virtual events cut the travel, the small talk, and the hours away. What your kids see is a parent whoās building connections and opportunities and showing them what balance looks like. Thatās leadership at home and in your career.
The piles of stuff that I make around the house, like a little dumpster rat. What is in them? Who knows. Who knows what to do with it? Not me. Do I want to keep it? Probably. But the thought of tackling them all sends me into paralysis.
Sounds like itās time for a rescue mission! Hiring a pro organizer isnāt splurgingāitās leveling up your life. They dive into the chaos (judgment-free!), kick piles to the curb, and build systems that keep your spaceāand your mindāclear. Budget for it like itās a VIP pass to sanity because once you do, youāll wonder how you survived all those āwhat even is this?ā moments without one.
I would have someone plan my content. I create a lot of content for a lot of different gigs and that is what keeps me up at night.
It’s never been easier to do this for pennies! We all know the big players, but here are some lesser-known, nearly-free stops to help!
ClickUp
Beyond just project management, ClickUp offers customizable content calendar templates, task automation, and goal trackingāall in its generous free tier. Perfect if you want a centralized hub that grows with you.
Airtable
A hybrid spreadsheet-database tool that lets you build dynamic content calendars, track assets, and collaborate visually with kanban, calendar, and gallery views. The free plan is surprisingly robust.
ContentCal (now part of Adobe Express)
Offers a streamlined content planning and approval workflow designed for teams, with a free tier thatās great for individuals wanting more structure and collaboration features.
Planoly
Mostly known for Instagram scheduling, but Planolyās free plan includes a solid content calendar and visual planner that works well for multi-platform campaigns.
Bit.ai
A smart document collaboration tool where you can create living content calendars with embedded media, live links, and real-time updatesāideal for teams or solo creators wanting more than just lists.
Notion Templates by Red Gregory or Marie Poulin
Notion power-users share amazing free or low-cost content planner templates that come pre-built with workflows, reminders, and content ideation spaces.
Everything to do with food prep, cooking, and cleaning. Medically, I have to eat a strict gluten-free diet, which means rotating grocery stores to get the best GF brands. I find the whole planning, buying, cooking, and cleaning cycle exhausting and would love for someone to take it off my hands.
Here are some excellent free resources tailored for gluten-free meal planning and shopping:
Eat This Much
A flexible meal planner where you can customize dietary preferencesāincluding gluten-freeāand it generates weekly meal plans plus grocery lists automatically.
Mealime
Offers free meal plans with plenty of gluten-free recipes, and a smart grocery list that organizes ingredients by category to speed up shopping.
AllRecipes Gluten-Free Section
Search and save thousands of user-reviewed gluten-free recipes; the site also lets you create meal plans and shopping lists for free.
Yummly
Filters recipes by gluten-free, and you can save favorites, create weekly meal plans, and generate shopping lists that sync with your phone.
Gluten-Free Living (Website & App)
Provides recipes, tips, and shopping guides specifically for gluten-free lifestyles, with many free articles and downloadable resources.
BigOven
You can upload your own gluten-free recipes or find new ones, create meal plans, and generate organized grocery lists for free.
Insomnia Mom
We also have an expert available to assist with one-on-one needs for more in-depth, personalized support. Learn more here.
And I cannot recommend Shipt enough for grocery delivery. Over half a dozen local stores, right to your door every week.
ABOUT INSOMNIA MOM
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