Girls Night #298: Why You Keep Second-Guessing Your Best Decisions (And How to Stop)
Welcome to Girls Night! This podcast is for every woman in her Everything Era — that wild decade where we're making the most significant decisions of our lives all at once. Whether you're second-guessing a career move, questioning a relationship decision, or wondering if you're making the right choices about your future — you're in the perfect place.
Today's episode is especially close to my heart because it's about something I see constantly in our community: why we keep second-guessing our best decisions and how understanding your emotional patterns can help you stop letting fear masquerade as wisdom.
I'm sharing the story of the night before my family moved to Spain — when I was lying in bed having a complete panic attack about a decision I knew was right — and the breakthrough that changed how I navigate decision-making anxiety forever.
If you've ever made a thoughtful choice only to immediately start doubting yourself when things got uncomfortable, this episode will give you the tools to trust your decisions even when they feel scary.
You'll learn to distinguish between "this feels hard because it's wrong" and "this feels hard because it's new."
Let's dive in!
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36:40
Girls Night #297: How to Figure Out What's Next (When You're Completely Conflicted!)
Hey friend! Welcome to Girls Night!
I'm beyond thrilled to share today's episode with you because I’m talking with my very best friend, Kelsey Bennett. Kelsey and I both took the leap and relocated our families to Spain just 10 months ago, and I'm so excited to dive into what our experience has been like navigating this significant life change. In this conversation, we'll explore the highs and lows of our journey so far, how we navigated the decision-making process, and what's on the horizon for both of our families.
Fair warning, there were tears shed in this episode, but for a good reason!
If you’re in the midst of working through a big decision in your own life and need encouragement for what to do next, then this conversation is for you.
Okay, let’s jump into my conversation with Kelsey!
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59:51
Girls Night #296: What Happened When I Stopped Trying to Have the Perfect Body — with Stephanie May Wilson
Hey friend! Welcome to Girls Night!
It's hot here in Granada, Spain - my family and I moved here last summer - which means I'm instantly desperate for a pool. I cannot wait to go swimming this summer, and as we speak, I'm trying to wiggle one last weekend getaway out of our hotel points before we head back to the US for the summer.
But naturally, just like summer means swimming, swimming means swimsuits, which means we're all going to be dealing with our feelings about our bodies in a way we don't have to quite as directly when we're covered in spring dresses or winter coats.
Today I wanted to get a little candid - okay, a LOT candid - and share with you what I've been sharing with my in-person friends at my real-life girls' nights lately. And that's how I'm feeling about my body these days, especially considering me and everybody else is about to see a lot more of it.
If you're someone who dreads swimsuit season, who starts panicking about "getting beach body ready," or who has ever felt like your worth is tied to the number on the scale or the size of your jeans, this episode is for you. We're going to talk about what it really means to get your body image ready for summer - and spoiler alert, it has nothing to do with losing weight.
Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge that everyone's experience with their body is different — and that for a lot of us, the one we have with our body is by FAR our hardest relationship. For some of us, talking about body is tender, for some of us, it’s THE MOST TENDER THING. And my hope for this episode is that I’ve been able to create a safe space for you to process, no matter your experience. And if you find a place where I inevitably fell short, please forgive me in advance.
If you've struggled with your weight your whole life, if you've been in a bigger body and faced discrimination because of it, if you've dealt with health issues - your experience is valid, and your feelings are valid.
This conversation isn't meant to dismiss the real challenges that some people face, including the very real ways that society treats different bodies differently. What I am saying is that regardless of your starting point, regardless of your body size or shape, you deserve to feel at home in your body.
You deserve to define what health means for you. And while mindset work can't erase societal discrimination, it can help you reclaim some power in how you relate to your own body.
We’ll chat more about this in the episode. Let’s dive in!
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31:10
Girls Night #295: Feeling Behind When Everyone Else Is Moving Forward?
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
I’m so excited. We’re officially back for Season 21 of the Girls Night Podcast! Can you believe it? Twenty-one seasons of this show started in my bedroom closet when Carl and I were newlyweds and trying to figure out life, and here we are - still figuring it out together, just in different ways.
This season, we're going back to the heart of Girls Night. This show has always been for women in their twenties and thirties who are navigating the biggest decisions of their lives. Maybe you're single and wondering if you'll ever meet your person. Maybe you're newly married and trying to figure out how to blend two lives into one. Maybe you're thinking about having kids but you're not sure about the timing, or the finances, or if you even want to be a mom at all. Maybe you love your job but you're wondering if there's something else out there for you. Maybe you're feeling stuck, or lost, or like everyone else got a playbook that you never received.
If any of that is you - you are in exactly the right place.
Now, I have to tell you something. This summer, I'm doing something that feels pretty scary to me, but scary in the way where I know, "Oh gosh, this is definitely what I'm supposed to do." I'm going to be doing more solo episodes. Just me, talking to you, like we're having coffee together or texting back and forth. No guests, no interviews – just the conversations I wish we could have if we were sitting across from each other right now.
I'm trying to listen and follow where I feel led, and this is where it's taking me. So we'll see where it goes! But I'm excited to go there with you.
Before we dive in, I want you to know something: this is a safe space. You don't have to have it all figured out here. You don't need a polished answer to "So what's next for you?" In fact, if your honest answer right now is "I have absolutely no idea," you are in exactly the right place.
Today we're talking about something I know so many of you are feeling – that nagging sense that you're falling behind in life. That everyone else figured out the secret playbook while you were... what? Making coffee? Scrolling Instagram? Living your actual life?
Here's what I want you to know right up front: You're not falling behind. You're not broken. And there's nothing wrong with you. What you're experiencing? It's not a you problem - it's an us problem.
I’ll tell you what I mean by that in the episode. Let’s dive in!
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24:23
Girls Night #294: How to Stop Letting Fear Run Your Life — with Mary Marantz
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to stop letting fear run your life.
If you're like me, you have a vision for your life and career and your family- but somehow, fear, self-doubt, and uncertainty keep creeping in, whispering that you're not enough or that you're just not ready. Well, it's time to silence those voices and start living the life you ACTUALLY want to live.
Our guest for today’s episode is my friend, Mary Marantz. Mary is the three-time bestselling author of Underestimated, Dirt, and Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots, as well as the host of the popular podcast The Mary Marantz Show. She grew up in a trailer in rural West Virginia and was the first in her family to go to college before going on to Yale for law school.
I was so blown away by Mary’s story. She's teaching us how to reclaim our power from fear and create a new narrative for our lives. This is seriously one of my favorite episodes ever! I know I say that all the time, but it’s true. I can’t wait for you to hear from her!
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Are you in your “Everything Era”... aka, that wildly confusing decade-ish where you have to make some of the most significant decisions of your life – all at the same time?
Your 20s and 30s are full of big transitions — career pivots, changing cities, wondering if/when you’ll get married, having kids, not having kids, losing friendships, building new ones…
It’s a lot. And somehow, the world expects you to make all the right decisions with no real guidance (and a highlight reel constantly playing in the background).
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Introducing the “Girls Night” (hosted by me, Stephanie May Wilson, 9x author and TEDx speaker!) – the podcast version of the group chat that fills your cup instead of draining it.
You know that rare kind of girls' night…the one where you laugh until your stomach hurts, cry a little, get real about what’s going on in your life, and leave feeling like you can actually do this?
That’s exactly what the Girls Night Podcast is all about.
With over 7.3 million downloads and 3,900 five-star reviews, it’s where women in their “what-am-I-doing-with-my-life” era come to feel less alone and way more equipped.
Because let’s be honest.. googling “What am I doing with my life?” at 2 AM isn’t working, and you know it.
As listener Adrienne puts it:
“It feels like being welcomed into the coolest inner circle of incredible women who want you to be the best version of yourself possible. Stephanie and her pals make you feel loved, seen, and heard. The episodes are honest, they're raw, and they're hilarious.”
So, if your brain feels noisy and your heart feels uncertain, put your earbuds in. You’ve got a Girls Night waiting.
South Africa