How many times have we said yes when every part of us was screaming no? Not because we wanted to but because saying no felt mean, selfish, or just too hard. In this episode Marilyn gets honest about her own experience with saying yes to everything, the burnout it created, and the moment she realized that saying yes to the wrong things was actually doing everyone a disservice including herself.

This episode is a real and honest conversation about why saying no is not mean. It is actually one of the most responsible and respectful things we can do. For ourselves, for the people we love, and for the opportunities and clients that deserve our very best.

Because saying no to the things that do not fit is exactly how we make room for the things that do.

In this episode:

• Why so many of us struggle to say no and where that guilt actually comes from
• How saying yes to the wrong things in business costs everyone involved not just us
• Why our loved ones deserve our real presence not our exhausted obligatory one
• The power of not right now as a kind and honest alternative to yes
• How to use the bubble method when the guilt of saying no feels overwhelming
• Five practical tools for saying no with confidence and without apology

This week's takeaway: Before saying yes ask yourself one honest question. Can I show up fully for this? If the answer is no then no is a complete sentence. And not right now is a kind and honest one. Saying no to the wrong things is how we protect our best yes.

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #SayingNo #Boundaries #BurnoutRecovery #YouAreAllowed #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #SelfRespect #PersonalGrowth #NotRightNow #ProtectYourEnergy #EmotionalHealth #ShowUpFully #GrowthMindset

Have you ever felt exhausted not by what is happening around you but by what is happening inside your own head? Those thoughts that just keep running no matter how many times you try to push them away. The ones that follow you through your day, keep you up at night, and leave you worn out in a way that is hard to explain.

In this episode Marilyn gets honest about what it feels like to get stuck in a mental loop and why our brains do this in the first place. Because understanding why it happens is the first step to interrupting it.

Through two relatable examples and five practical tools Marilyn walks us through how to start creating a little distance between ourselves and the thoughts that will not quit. This episode is not about silencing our minds. It is about learning that we do not have to follow every thought down the rabbit hole.

In this episode:

• Why getting stuck in mental loops is not a character flaw, it is just how our brain works
• The worry loop, replaying situations we cannot control over and over
• The self-criticism loop, beating ourselves up for something we cannot change
• Why fighting our thoughts often makes them stronger
• How to use the bubble method when the loop feels impossible to stop
• Five simple and practical tools for interrupting the loop when it starts

This week's takeaway: The next time we notice a loop starting, just name it. Say to yourself, there is that thought again. That one simple act of noticing creates just enough distance to give us a choice about what we do next.

If you are struggling: You are not alone and you do not have to face this by yourself. If you are in crisis or feeling unsafe, please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 anytime day or night. Free confidential support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #MentalLoops #TiredOfYourOwnThoughts #YouAreNotAlone #MindsetShift #AnxietySupport #MentalWellness #BreakTheCycle #LetItGo #SelfCompassion #GrowthMindset #PersonalGrowth #EmotionalHealth #BlowItAway

Losing someone we love is one of the hardest things we will ever go through. And yet so often we find ourselves surrounded by well-meaning words that though they come from a good place do not always make our hearts hurt less. In this episode Marilyn gets personal about a recent loss and opens up an honest conversation about grief, resilience, and what it really means to honor the people we have lost.

This episode is not about moving on. It is about moving forward. With them still in our hearts, their stories still on our lips, and their legacy still alive in the way we choose to live every single day.

Whether you are in the middle of grief right now or you are carrying a loss from years ago that still visits you sometimes, this episode meets us right where we are. No timeline. No right way. Just an honest conversation about love, loss, and the courage it takes to keep going.

In this episode:

• Why the things people say to comfort us do not always make the pain smaller and why that is okay to acknowledge
• How loss hits each of us differently and why there is no right way to grieve
• Why staying silent about the people, we have lost is a disservice to them and to us
• What resilience after loss actually looks like
• How honoring their legacy and building our own go hand in hand
• How to use the bubble method in the overwhelming moments of grief
• Five practical coping tools for carrying loss a little more gently

This week's takeaway: Do not stop thinking about them. Do not stop talking about them. And do not stop living your best life. Because living fully is the greatest tribute we can give to the people we have loved and lost.

If you are struggling Grief can be heavy and you do not have to carry it alone. Please reach out to someone you trust. And if you are in crisis or feeling unsafe please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 anytime day or night. Free confidential support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com

In Loving Memory of Martha Ann Brown 1939-2026

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #Grief #GriefSupport #YouAreNotAlone #HonorTheirLegacy #Resilience #KeepGoingKeepGrowing #LossAndLove #MentalWellness #TalkAboutThem #HealingJourney #LiveYourBestLife #TheirLegacyLivesOn #988

Have you ever felt like real change was out of reach because you did not know where to start or everything just felt too overwhelming to tackle? In this episode Marilyn talks about why we do not need a big dramatic overhaul to start moving forward. We just need one small shift.

Through personal experience and real life examples Marilyn walks us through why trying to change everything at once is one of the biggest reasons we give up, and how one small quiet change done consistently can make a bigger difference than we ever expected. This episode is a reminder that progress does not always look like progress while it is happening, and that is okay.

Whether we are navigating a hard relationship, pushing through a tough emotional season, or just trying to break a negative pattern, this episode meets us right where we are and gives us something real and simple to hold onto.

In this episode:

• Why trying to change everything at once sets us up to quit
• How one small shift in a relationship can change the whole dynamic
• What consistent small changes look like during a hard emotional season
• Why we need to stop keeping score on ourselves
• How to use the bubble method when the pressure to fix everything feels like too much
• A simple practical exercise we can start using this week

This week's small shift: When we feel ourselves going negative, stop, breathe, count to ten, and find one positive thing to focus on. Simple, immediate, and it works.

If you are struggling: You are not alone and you do not have to face this by yourself. If you are in crisis or feeling unsafe please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 anytime day or night. Free confidential support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com #PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #OneSmallShift #MindsetShift #PersonalGrowth #YouAreNotAlone #MentalWellness #SelfCare #ProgressNotPerfection #LetItGo #EmotionalHealth #SmallStepsBigChange #GrowthMindset #BePatientWithYourself #BlowItAway

Have you ever felt exhausted in a way that you just cannot explain? Like you are holding everything together on the outside but quietly falling apart on the inside? In this episode Marilyn gets real about the invisible weight so many of us carry every single day, the kind that does not show up on your face or in your words but is very real just the same.

Through honest personal reflection and relatable examples, Marilyn walks through what this invisible weight actually looks like, why we keep carrying it alone, and how to start giving yourself a little breathing room even when the weight does not go away completely. She also shares five simple coping tools you can reach for on the hard days, because sometimes you just need something practical to hold onto.

This is not an episode about having it all figured out. It is an episode for anyone who is tired of pretending they are okay when they are not. And it is a reminder that you do not have to keep carrying it alone.

In this episode:

• What the invisible weight actually feels like from the inside
• Two real life examples of how this shows up for different people
• Why we hide our struggles even when the weight is too heavy to carry alone
• How to use the bubble method when the weight feels overwhelming
• Five simple coping tools for hard days including journaling, meditation, breathing, the bubble method, and grounding

If you are struggling: You are not alone and you do not have to face this by yourself. If you are in crisis or feeling unsafe please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 anytime, day or night. Free, confidential support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #InvisibleStruggle #YouAreNotAlone #MentalWellness #CopingSkills #AnxietySupport #DepressionAwareness #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #SelfCare #LetItGo #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #988

Have you ever had a gut feeling about something, ignored it, and then watched it play out exactly the way you feared? You are not alone. In this episode, Marilyn gets real about the gap between what we know and what we actually do, and why that gap does not make you broken or weak. It just makes you human.

Through personal stories and real-life examples, Marilyn walks through why we override our own instincts, what it costs us when we do, and how to start rebuilding trust with yourself one moment at a time. If you have ever beaten yourself up for not listening to what you already knew, this episode is for you.

This is Season 4 of Put It in a Bubble, and we are going deeper this season. Not just talking about mindset, but what it actually looks like to live it out every single day.

In this episode:

• Why knowing better does not always mean doing better
• The real reason our brain overrides our gut
• Personal stories that show how this shows up in everyday life
• How to use the bubble method in that critical moment of decision
• Why beating yourself up is not the answer, and what to do instead

Connect with Marilyn: www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags: #PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #TrustYourGut #MindsetShift #SelfAwareness #YouKnowBetter #MentalWellness #LetItGo #PersonalGrowth #PodcastCommunity #BlowItAway #MindOverMatter #SelfTrust #EmotionalHealth #GrowthMindset

As this season comes to a close, it’s time to pause, reflect, and reset.

In this special episode of Put It in a Bubble, we step away from the usual pace and create space to look back on what you’ve experienced—and gently release what you’ve been carrying.

Throughout this season, we’ve explored overwhelm, pressure, boundaries, mindset, rest, and letting go. And while each episode offered something different, they all lead to this moment.

A reset.

This episode guides you through a simple but powerful process of noticing what feels heavy, letting it go, and choosing what you want to carry forward.

Because you don’t need to have everything figured out to move forward.

You just need a moment of awareness… and the willingness to begin again.

• Reflecting on your growth throughout the season

• Recognizing what you’ve been carrying emotionally

• Letting go of pressure, expectations, and mental weight

• Creating space for clarity and calm

• Choosing what you want to carry forward

• Resetting without pressure or perfection

This episode includes a guided moment to:

• Pause and breathe

• Notice what feels heavy

• Visualize releasing it

• Create space for something new

This is your moment to slow down and reconnect with yourself.

• What has shifted for me during this season?

• What am I still carrying that feels heavy?

• What am I ready to release?

• What do I want to carry forward into what’s next?

You don’t have to carry everything.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

You are allowed to pause… reset… and begin again.

If you’re ready to go deeper, the Put It in a Bubble book and workbook are available, and a guided course experience will be launching May 1st.

When life feels heavy, when your mind feels full, when you need a moment to reset…

Put it in a bubble. 🫧

Sometimes the weight we feel isn’t from what’s happening right now—it’s from everything we’ve been holding onto.

In this episode of Put It in a Bubble, we explore what it means to let go of what you carry—the expectations, pressure, past experiences, and thoughts that quietly build over time.

Holding onto everything can feel normal, but over time it becomes heavy. The truth is, just because you’ve been carrying something for a long time doesn’t mean you’re meant to carry it forever.

This episode gently walks you through recognizing what you’re holding, understanding why it’s hard to release, and learning how to let go without pressure or guilt.

Because letting go isn’t about forgetting—it’s about creating space for something lighter.

• The hidden weight of expectations, pressure, and past experiences

• Why holding everything in becomes exhausting over time

• The belief that we have to handle everything alone

• What letting go really means (and what it doesn’t mean)

• How releasing emotional weight creates space for growth

• Why letting go is a practice—not a one-time decision

• Pressure to be or do more

• Expectations about how life “should” look

• Past situations that still feel unresolved

• Negative thoughts or beliefs that aren’t even yours

Awareness is the first step to release.

• Pause and notice what feels heavy

• Ask yourself: “Do I need to carry this today?”

• Share what you’re feeling instead of holding it in

• Allow yourself to release things little by little

Letting go doesn’t have to be dramatic—it can be quiet and intentional.

• What am I carrying right now that feels heavy?

• Is this something I need to keep holding onto?

• What would it feel like to release even part of it?

• Where can I allow support instead of doing everything alone?

You don’t have to carry everything.

And you don’t have to carry it alone.

When the weight builds, when your thoughts feel full, when everything feels heavy…

Put it in a bubble. 🫧