Breaking News: Elon Musk’s 3-Week Mom Retreat in Space (No Kids Allowed)
Ladies, have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a never-ending loop of school runs, laundry, and “Mom, where’s my…?” If you answered yes, you might be just as excited as I am about the latest retreat for moms—courtesy of none other than Elon Musk. 🚀 That’s right—Elon Musk has teamed up with his buddy Trump (who, I’m sure, is already lobbying for men to go first) to offer the ultimate 3-week mom retreat in space. Apparently, we’re the ones who need to escape to a whole new galaxy for a proper reset, free from the chaos of everyday life. As a self-proclaimed pronatalist, Elon believes we need more children. But if moms are too exhausted to have more kids, that won’t happen. So, here’s the solution: a retreat to help moms recharge, so they’re ready to “reproduce” in the best possible way. (Don’t worry—if you think you’ve got enough children already, just pretend you’re thinking about another one, and you might still be eligible.) What Will You Do on This Retreat? Aside from snooze, nap, repeat (because let’s be honest, we all need that), here’s a glimpse of the luxurious activities you can expect: The Catch? There’s just one little hiccup: Elon is still ironing out a few minor issues with the project (he’s pretty busy these days making the U.S. administration ‘more efficient’). And his buddy, Trump, thinks that men should go first. While Elon has promised that we’ll be next in line after ‘a few more men’ get their turn, it looks like it’s not happening just yet. 😬 Maybe we need moms to take up this kind of project ourselves! 🙌 BUT—I’ve got you covered! While You Wait for Your Space Retreat… Since we can’t leave Earth just yet, why not take a break in the most grounded way possible? Join me in my next Vision Board Workshop, where we’ll create your personal roadmap to a future full of relaxation, joy, and peace—no spaceship required. 🌟 And just a heads-up: this blog post is my playful April Fools’ joke for the day! 😄 But the opportunity to create your dream escape—and even more so, a lighter and more joyful everyday life—is 100% real, and I’m here to help you bring it to life. Simply reply with ‘I’m interested in the workshop,’ or email me at connect@judithfuhrmann.com, and I’ll share the workshop details with you in the coming days, so you can decide if it resonates with you. You deserve a break and an escape, dear mama bird, even if it’s just a workshop that brings more lightness to your everyday life—and maybe even helps you plan a little escape for yourself. 🌸 I’d love to hear from you! With much love (and humor) ☺️, Judith
Why the 5 am Club Didn’t Work for Me (And the Confidence to Do It My Way)
Have you ever heard of the 5 am Club, promoted by life coach Robin Sharma? The concept is simple: wake up at 5 am, dedicate an hour to self-development, and watch your life transform. It’s a powerful idea, and I admire Robin Sharma for his insights—I even followed his program for a while. For those of you who are early birds and love a peaceful morning routine, that’s absolutely wonderful. I’ve deeply enjoyed the few times I’ve watched the sunrise and done yoga in the quiet hours of the morning. 🌅 But as a mom navigating sleepless nights with little ones, this method felt impossible. I’d beat myself up for not having the discipline to wake up early and do yoga, journaling, or exercise. I thought, If only I could get up at 5 am, my life would be so much better. Fast forward a few years, and I still don’t wake up at 5 am. My energy peaks in the afternoon or evening—I’m more of a night owl. And I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s okay. Letting Go of the Pressure to Fit In As moms, we already deal with so much pressure. Adding another expectation—like waking up at 5 am—that feels heavy or leads to self-criticism when we don’t meet it doesn’t help. The truth is, not every method works for everyone. Your circumstances, energy patterns, and preferences are unique, and that’s okay. Meaningful moments can happen at any time of day. For example, I often recharge with an evening walk with our dog or a peaceful stroll in the afternoon. Finding What Works for You Building new habits does take effort, but they should feel joyful, natural, and aligned with your life. As someone once said: “Don’t think about how you feel before doing it; think about how you’ll feel after.” This mindset has helped me push through moments when I don’t feel like starting something, like heading to a workout class on a rainy evening. And I always feel better afterward. Another favorite approach of mine is the 2 out of 3 rule by Robin Conley Downs. This rule reminds us that progress doesn’t require perfection—just consistency. If you aim to do yoga every day but miss a day, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, gently return to it the next day. The goal is to do what you set out to do on more days than not, which helps build habits without adding unnecessary pressure. Many of my clients have found this mindset life-changing: “Don’t beat yourself up. Just gently get back to it the next time.” Tools for a Joyful Life This philosophy is also at the heart of my Mini-Courses. I designed these courses to bring joy, not feel like another “to-do” list. Use the tools and techniques that resonate with you, and leave the rest for another time. Each course is: Short and hands-on: Perfect for busy moms. Practical and joyful: Tools and techniques to help you feel more balanced, connected, and fulfilled. Aligned with YOU: Take what feels right and leave the rest—because you know what works best for your life. These tools have completely changed how I experience and enjoy everyday life. A small shift in perspective, or just a little time to reconnect with yourself, can make all the difference. Make Yourself a Gift This Holiday Season Amidst the holiday hustle, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on what feels right for you. Give yourself permission to create more joy, ease, and connection—on your terms. 🎁 Make yourself a special Christmas gift this year. Start your personal joy journey with one (or more!) of these mini-courses and experience the difference firsthand. ✨ Explore the Mini-Course Library here! ✨ Remember, your joy matters. Let’s make it a priority this holiday season and beyond. With love and light, Judith
What France and Japan Can Teach Us About Self-care and ‘Savoir Vivre’
Micro-moments of self-care can sometimes make all the difference in a busy everyday life Do you sometimes long to have a weekend, a day, or maybe just half an hour or a few minutes for yourself and do something that brings you joy? Life can be busy and hectic, and when we are particularly busy, we might think that we just don’t have the time to take a little break to rest and recharge. But especially when we feel exhausted, irritated, or just plain tired, a little break is what should be our first priority. It is impossible to pour from an empty cup, and when our energy levels are low—no matter the reason—it is challenging to show up fully for the persons and projects that are important to us. So, instead of feeling guilty for taking time for yourself, you should feel proud to do it as it allows you to show up with passion and energy for what is important for you afterward. When thinking of self-care, the first things that come to mind might be a weekend getaway, a spa or manicure treatment, or some shopping trip. And while indulging in such activities can be wonderful from time to time, it is even more important to focus on self-care tools that we can easily incorporate into our everyday lives. Micro-moments of self-care A while ago, I learned about the concept of micro-moments of self-care for everyday life. This concept emphasizes the importance of making our daily life more joyful and bearable instead of just focusing all our attention on the next vacation or weekend getaway—even though those can, of course, be beautiful supplements. Micro-moments of self-care can be any activity that you can easily integrate into your day, lasting anything from a few minutes to half an hour or more. And it can be any activity that helps you recharge your batteries. Some examples from my personal ‘micro-moments of self-care list’ are: • Listen to a couple of my favorite songs• Read a few pages in a book I’d love to read• Listen to a podcast episode that I enjoy or watch an inspiring TED talk• Do a few yoga stretches or some other movement• Journal for a few minutes• Take a few deep, conscious breaths• Play a song on the piano• Take a short walk in nature• Call a loved one• Take a short nap• Or just prepare a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy it consciously without doing anything else at the same time—sometimes even on the sunchair in the garden What counts is to take the time to do something you enjoy consciously, focusing your whole attention on the activity and how it makes you feel. What we can learn from the Japanese in terms of micro-moments of self-care and self-cultivation When reflecting on the micro-moments of self-care concept, I directly had to think back to the time when I lived in Japan. In Japan, people have turned everyday activities into powerful self-care, self-awareness, and self-cultivation practices for centuries. It is, for example, quite common for many people and families to take a hot bath in the ofuro (wide, deep, and, often, relatively short bathtubs) in the evening. It is a ritual that many people enjoy doing before going to bed. It helps relax the body and mind and to feel clean and purified for the night. But many other activities can be viewed as self-care or self-cultivation rituals in Japan. For example, ikebana, the art of arranging flowers in beautiful ways. This activity can often have a meditative quality. Similarly, the tea ceremony rituals, chadō, play an important role for many Japanese people. It is a beautiful practice rooted in Zen Buddhism that involves preparing and sharing a bowl of finely powdered green tea. Some people engage in shodō, Japanese calligraphy, to foster a meditative state of mind. During my time in China and Japan, I always loved drawing Chinese and Japanese characters when taking Chinese and Japanese classes. Just learning to write some of these beautiful characters could turn into a self-care and self-cultivation tool for me. There is also the practice of shoyin ryori, a vegetarian cooking tradition, which involves mindful cooking, using fresh ingredients, and not wasting anything. And I know many people who love doing origami, the Japanese art of folding paper in beautiful ways. What seems crucial is not so much the activity, but rather the ability to fully indulge in the activity and let yourself be taken away by it for a little while. Engaging mindfully in an activity, consciously bringing attention to it, and enjoying it in the process can turn many activities into self-care tools. I admire how children manage to do this quite naturally. For example, when I observe our daughters play, it can be the most heart-warming experience to see how they indulge in the play world they are creating, forgetting about everything else around them for that moment. What we can learn from the French savoir vivre The ability to slow down and take a break is something I also observed many times in France. There is a reason why people often talk about the French savoir vivre, the ability to enjoy life naturally. A recent study of the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) found that people in France generally spend more time sitting down to eat than people in other OECD countries. On average, they spend two hours and eleven minutes per day eating and drinking. That is 40 minutes longer than the OECD average and more than twice as long as the average time spent in the U.S. This emphasizes that many people in France take the time to sit down and enjoy a meal, often with loved ones, and talk. Enjoying a meal consciously and taking the time to enjoy it, can also be regarded as a self-care activity. It has been proven that we tend to eat much healthier if we take the time
6 Tools to Deal with Overwhelm and Get Back a Lighthearted Feeling
Get back a lighthearted feeling by fighting feelings of overwhelm with these efficient tools Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed, frustrated and irritated and wonder where to start with everything that needs to get done? The kitchen sink might be full of unwashed dishes; the washing machine is beeping, as does the phone; your little ones call “Moooomy look!” and you catch them last minute before a self-built chair castle falls down. And all this while you are trying to keep a great thought that just entered your mind about your work or a passion project. I certainly have such moments when I just think: Gosh, how are you supposed to NOT go insane in such overwhelming chaos? The long-held belief that multitasking is efficient and that women are particularly good at it has been disproved by many studies now. While sometimes we might not have a choice other than multitasking, it is definitely not helping our mental state to be doing it constantly. And even though I sometimes still experience moments of overwhelm, I have found a few tools that can help get back some sanity in the chaos that can prevail at home—especially if you have sweet little human beings with independent minds to take care of at the same time: 1. Take moments to BREATHE I had heard the advice to breathe when feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed many times, yet until recently, I did not entirely understand how it could help me in such situations. For example, when I felt I was about to blow up at home for some reason, I would start breathing in a hectic, dog-like way (meaning a dog who just comes back from a 10 km run in the sun—panting like crazy). My daughters would sometimes stop and look at me (at least this behavior would draw their attention!), but I rarely felt more relaxed after this type of breathing. In a lovely women’s group with which I connect regularly online, we developed the ritual to start each session with three deep breaths. After having done this for a few months, I finally understood how breathing can really help us calm down and center. It is about giving yourself the gift to take in a deep breath, pause at the top, and then exhale—three times. Often we are encouraged to give ourselves a little neck or head massage while breathing in and out. And with some practice, this type of breathing has come to help me enormously when I feel overwhelmed. It helps me center in the storm and feel like I can take up my surfboard again to take the next wave coming at me after this little ritual. 2. Set Three Intentions on How You Want to FEEL Each Day I recently came across the beautiful concept of the “Desire Map” created by Danielle LaPorte. Her concept suggests turning goal-setting upside down and establishing “goals with soul.” This implies that, rather than just setting and focusing on a goal you’d like to achieve, it can be good to focus on how you want to feel each day and to set your goals accordingly. With the usual goal-setting procedure, we often chase goals and hope that we’ll feel accomplished once we reach them. While reaching a goal can give you a pleasurable, rewarding feeling, this feeling often doesn’t last long as we continue to chase our next goal. A much more sustainable and fulfilling way of setting goals can hence be to define how we want to feel each day. In the before-mentioned women’s group, we were encouraged to set three intentions for how we want to feel during the next 6 to 12 months. We were then asked to report back daily for 21 days what we did each day to achieve this feeling. I chose that I wanted to feel 1) grounded in myself, 2) joyful with my family and friends (consciously enjoying moments with them), and 3) visionary and purpose-driven in my work. It was proposed to choose one emoji per feeling and to shortly check in on our WhatsApp group each day, putting the emoji and then writing a sentence of what we did to get closer to our desired feeling. I must say that this approach has been life-changing for me. Bringing your attention to your desired feelings each day, makes you live and enjoy your days much more consciously. I look out for little moments that bring me joy with my loved ones on a daily basis now. It could be anything from a nice self-cooked dinner with my husband to the visit of an animal park and the glowing eyes of our daughters. Similarly, I try to take little moments here and there each day to center and ground myself. Be it by taking a few deep breaths, by slowly enjoying a cup of coffee, or by taking a few minutes to journal about my day and my feelings. Reflecting on how you want to feel each day and setting your daily intentions accordingly is an extremely valuable tool in my eyes. The actions will then somehow follow automatically, and it becomes much easier to prioritize and organize your plans and to-do lists. 3. Get yourself a GOOD PLANNER that helps you focus on your broader goals and not just your imminent to-do list I love writing to-do lists and have often had discussions with my husband about whether they are helpful or not. For me, there is nothing better than writing down what comes to my mind as it clears up space in my mind for other things. For him, my endless to-do lists seem like a self-imposed stress factor ruling my life. It is true that to-do lists can be helpful but also frustrating since oftentimes we have way too many items on them, and we might feel frustrated if we only get done a fraction of them. Or we might feel that we are just rushing throughout our days to
