Let's be honest - the holidays can be magical AND stressful.

Between burnt cookies, mall meltdowns, and the pressure to make everything perfect, it's easy to lose the joy in the season. But what if you could rewrite your holiday experience? Not by controlling every detail, but by controlling the one thing you actually can: how you respond to the chaos. In this solo episode, I'm sharing the simple PEN framework that will help you stay calm, present, and joyful this holiday season - even when your child is lying on the floor of the mall in their Christmas best, refusing to get up.

Because here's the truth: your family feeds off your energy. When you're frazzled and stressed, they become frazzled and stressed. When you're calm and intentional, everything shifts. The PEN framework stands for Pause (regulate before you react), Examine (get curious about the story you're telling yourself), and New Narrative (rewrite the story to support the experience you actually want). It's not about toxic positivity or pretending everything is perfect. It's about being intentional with your thoughts and responses so you can create the magical, memorable holiday season you actually want - not the stressed-out survival mode most of us default to. Because the pen is always in your hand. You're the author. And you get to decide what happens next.

Key Takeaways:

• Your family feeds off your energy - when you're stressed, they become stressed
• You can't control external circumstances, but you can always control your response
• The pause is where the power is - creating space between trigger and response
• Awareness is everything - you can't change what you're not noticing
• Rewriting your story trains your brain to choose calm over chaos
• "Doing less lets me be more present" - perfection isn't the goal, connection is
• Every choice and word is an opportunity to be intentional
• The PEN framework: Pause (regulate), Examine (get curious), New Narrative (rewrite)

Download the FREE Holiday Rewrite Mini Workbook:

This workbook walks you through the PEN framework with helpful prompts to shift your mindset and energy all holiday season long. Get intentional about creating the magical, memorable Christmas you actually want.

What happens when you realize you can help people, but you can't help them heal to the level you know is possible? Dr. Taylor Smeenk, chiropractor and founder of Empact Wellness, faced this exact moment after building what looked like a successful practice - full schedule, loyal patients, steady growth. But she felt capped. She was trying to be everything for everyone, which wasn't sustainable for her or truly effective for patients. That realization led her to build something radically different: a holistic wellness sanctuary with chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopaths, psychotherapists, reiki healers, IV therapy, and red light therapy - all under one roof, all communicating with each other to ensure no gaps in patient care. But getting here wasn't smooth. Her first attempt at opening her own space ended in eviction after signing a lease she shouldn't have signed with someone she barely knew. She admits she was "young and dumb," more comfortable living in other people's shadows than stepping into her own light. The crash and burn gave her three months to figure it out - and what she created in that pressure cooker moment blows her away to this day. Now she's in the middle of another rewrite: learning to thrive in peace instead of chaos. As someone who performs well under pressure, her physical body has had enough of that pattern. She's teaching herself to lead from a soul-led place instead of forcing and pushing. Her latest tool? Horseback riding. Because when you're galloping and panic, you lose your focus - just like in life and business. The only thing you can control is your inner environment, not all the external factors. This conversation is about recognizing when "successful" isn't sustainable, building teams that truly collaborate for patient care, and understanding that the next level requires releasing the limiting beliefs that got you here.

Key Takeaways:

• Success without sustainability isn't real success - you can't be everything for everyone
• Sometimes you need to crash and burn to build something truly aligned with your vision
• Being comfortable in other people's shadows keeps you from stepping into your own power
• Thriving in chaos is a strength, but your body will eventually demand you learn to thrive in peace
• Perfectionism and imposter syndrome delay starting - messy action beats perfect inaction
• The only thing you can truly control is your internal environment, not external chaos
• Horseback riding teaches profound lessons about calm leadership under pressure
• Building a soul-led business means prioritizing healing depth over schedule density

Connect with Dr. Taylor:

• Personal Instagram: @drtaylorsmeenk
• Personal Website: drtaylorsmeenk.com
• Business Instagram: @empactwellness
• Business Website: empactwellness.com
• Services: Chiropractic, Functional Medicine, Massage Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Psychotherapy, Reiki, IV Therapy, Red Light Therapy

What happens when your coworker says "she's always smiling" and your husband looks confused because he doesn't recognize that version of you? That's the moment Sarah Kinlin realized her corporate job was getting the best of her while her family got the worst. After 20+ years following all the rules, leading teams of 70 people working 24/7 in manufacturing, she was the happy, smiling leader at work - and grouchy, stressed, exhausted at home. The wake-up call at that Christmas party changed everything. She took a lateral move from 70 people to 2, got paid the same money, and suddenly had TIME. Time to ask "who is Sarah Kinlin?" Time to put herself first. Time to build a business as a speaker and coach. She started with one mindset coach, then another for business strategy, another for speaking craft, and eventually a spiritual coach to trust her own intuition. Her original plan? Manufacturing consultant. But that wasn't what lit her up. What she really wanted was to be a world-renowned speaker - and now she's living it. She went from needing to qualify herself with "I used to work at Johnson & Johnson for 25 years" to simply saying "I'm Sarah Kinlin. I get paid to show up and light up rooms." The most profound part? Her vision for the future isn't speaking to 20,000 people in an arena - it's facilitating experiences outside, with people's bare feet in the grass, more silence than speaking. Because she's learned that getting outside, grounding herself barefoot before every speaking engagement, is her secret to showing up fully. This conversation is about recognizing when success is costing you what matters most, understanding that putting yourself first strengthens every relationship, and knowing that your best life comes from balancing grit (relentless pursuit) with grace (forgiveness and rest).

Key Takeaways:

• When work gets your best self and family gets your worst, something needs to change
• Taking a lateral move can buy you time to build what you actually want
• Putting yourself first isn't selfish - it strengthens all your relationships
• You might need multiple coaches for different aspects of your growth journey
• Your business evolution might surprise you - trust what lights you up over what makes logical sense
• Letting go of your corporate identity takes time, but eventually you just become YOU
• Think "I get to do this" instead of "I have to do this" - reframe everything
• Grit (relentless action) + Grace (loving yourself, taking breaks) = achieving big scary goals with ease
• Your vision might need to evolve - if you can't hold it, it might not be the right one

Learn More About Sarah:

Sarah Kinlin is a professional speaker, coach, educator, and author who helps leaders move from overwhelmed to focused with the right balance of grit and grace. After 20+ years in corporate manufacturing and warehousing leadership, she left to build Pearl Performance Inc. (named after her daughter's middle name). She speaks to audiences about living their best lives, coaches on mindset and leadership, and works with youth hockey teams on mental performance. Her book "Grit, Grace, and Goals: Lessons from my Dad, Leader of Nine Kids and a Nuclear Station" published in April 2025. Sarah's unique grounding practice: taking her shoes off and walking barefoot outside before every speaking engagement. She lives just outside Guelph, Ontario with her husband Steve and three kids (ages 21, 18, and 11).

Connect with Sarah:

• Website: sarahkinlin.com
• Instagram: @pearlperformanceinc (active daily)
• Book: "Grit, Grace, and Goals" available on Amazon and sarahkinlin.com
• FREE: Audio of first chapter (read by Sarah): share.hsforms.com/1gYudCk_0Ri65WsbBsrdx6Qqwt29
• Upcoming: Grit, Grace & Goals Workshop Series - November 18, 25 & December 2