Consider Yourself Hugged — Season Kickoff: New Studio, New Rhythm, Same Heart

Tami West
Sep 3
3 min read

Hey friends — it’s Tami and Michelle, and we’re BACK! New cozy studios, new workflow, new logo, new socials, and a fresh focus for the next few months… with the same mission: women’s mental & emotional well-being (teachers, we see you 💛).

Season 6, Episode 1: A New Beginning

In this post, we will catch you up on what’s been happening, celebrate milestones, and give you a sneak peek into what to expect in the upcoming episodes.

Wide angle view of a cozy podcast studio with soft lighting and comfortable chairs — Our cozy podcast studios, ready for recording

Hey friends — it’s Tami and Michelle, and we’re BACK! New cozy studio, new workflow, new logo, new socials, and a fresh focus for the next few months… with the same mission: women’s mental & emotional well-being (teachers, we see you 💛).

What we talk about today: (a little chaotic)

New everything: comfy chairs (review coming), footstools, headphones, new recording platform, and our shiny logo. We spent hours cabling and testing; we both fought with mics and laughed a lot.
New helpers: We now have a social media manager (yay, Lindsey!) who’s supporting our podcast brand and helping edit clips.
This season’s focus: We’ll still serve all women, but we’re speaking directly to teachers for a bit—back-to-school anxiety, boundaries, burnout, comparison, and perfectionism.
Why teachers? We’ve both taught. The pressure is real, often invisible, and mostly carried by women. A viral TikTok comment hit us hard: “If you’re not overwhelmed and burned out every day, you’re not working hard enough.” We want to flip that narrative.
Format shift: Think bookends—we’ll intro each month’s theme together, feature two guests in the middle, then close the month with you. More stories, more tools, more joy experiments. (At least this is the plan!)
New segment—Find the Joy: We’ll try experiences (together or solo), then bring you joy ratings + effort ratings. First up: Puppy Yoga (Michelle’s on it!). We’ll also highlight simple, local adventures and big ones (wild horses out West, anyone?).
Guests we’re lining up: An elementary teacher with ~¼ million followers (influencer life + classroom real talk), and a few other teachers and women who are passionate about helping others.
Life stage & identity: We shared the weirdness of being seen “as our age” (50 & 60) and how self-awareness makes each decade freer. We’ll keep weaving identity, boundaries, and compassion into every episode.
Beyond the pod:
- Tami’s Stress Club Course (video series) is in production; we’re targeting October.
- Our Professional Development video series for teachers is live and growing.
- Michelle’s book is in the works.
Community & engagement: We ranked high in two podcast analyses (thank you!). Next level for us = more conversation with you. Comment, DM, share—tell us your teacher wins, worries, and what would help most right now.

Tools, tips, and tiny homework

Boundaries starter: Choose one boundary that gives you back 30–90 minutes this week (e.g., “I stay 60 minutes after school on Mon/Wed only” or “No school email after 7 p.m.”). We’ll keep expanding this toolkit.
Workload re-design: “Less work for you” ≠ “less learning for them.” We’ll share classroom redesign ideas that lower cognitive load for teachers without sacrificing student engagement.
Joy experiment: Try one micro-adventure this week (10–60 minutes). Notice your mood before/after. Tell us what you tried—we might feature it!