Have you ever felt completely exhausted—not just physically, but deep down in your bones? You try to get more sleep, drink more coffee, and power through, but nothing seems to shake the overwhelming fatigue. You’re not alone.
This week on The Love Offering Podcast, I had the joy of talking with Hannah Keeley, America’s top Christian mom coach, about her book Mom Fog: 8 Steps to Overcoming Mom Fatigue Syndrome. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of exhaustion, distraction, and overwhelm, this conversation is for you!
Hannah gets to the root of why so many moms feel drained, and she offers a step-by-step, Bible-based approach to reclaiming energy, focus, and joy amid motherhood. She shares how to:
✔️ Break free from the “mom fog” that keeps you stuck
✔️ Find rest that actually restores your mind and body
✔️ Overcome exhaustion without guilt or frustration
✔️ Reignite your energy and reclaim your purpose as a mom
✔️ Live the joyful, purposeful life God has called you to
Hannah is filled with wisdom, encouragement, and practical strategies to help moms feel in control, rested, and productive—without feeling like they’re barely surviving. If you’re ready to wake up your mind, refocus your heart, and break free from constant exhaustion, you don’t want to miss this episode!
And if this conversation resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What’s one area of motherhood where you’re feeling exhausted? How has God met you in that place?
Join the “Mom Brain Makeover” program: https://mombrainmakeover.com/
Summary
In the Love Offering Podcast episode, host Rachael Adams speaks with Hannah Keeley, a mom of seven and behavioral therapist, about overcoming mom fatigue syndrome. Hannah shares her journey of recognizing the signs of overwhelm and the transformative steps she took to reclaim her energy and joy. The conversation delves into the importance of faith, self-love, and the power of questioning our overwhelming feelings. Hannah outlines eight steps to help moms navigate their challenges and emphasizes the significance of being present in the moment. The episode concludes with a reminder that it’s okay to rest and the importance of community support among mothers.
Takeaways
Hannah Keeley emphasizes the importance of awareness in overcoming mom fatigue.
Moms often feel overwhelmed due to societal pressures and unrealistic expectations.
The brain changes from having children, affecting cognitive functions.
Surrendering overwhelm involves questioning our feelings and thoughts.
Moms are powerful and play a crucial role in shaping future generations.
Shame is a common struggle for mothers, but it can be transformed into self-love.
It’s essential to prioritize self-care and mental well-being.
Resting is not just physical; it involves emotional and spiritual rest.
Being present in the moment can alleviate feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
Community support among mothers is vital for navigating challenges.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Love Offering Podcast
00:30 Meet Hannah Keeley: Mom and Behavioral Therapist
02:41 Recognizing Mom Fatigue Syndrome
08:01 Eight Steps to Overcoming Mom Fatigue
16:37 The Role of Faith in Overcoming Overwhelm
22:50 Transforming Shame into Self-Love
32:02 Finding Joy in Daily Routines
Transcript
Rachael Adams (00:01.535)
Welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I’m your host, Rachel Adams, author of Everyday Prayers for Love, learning to love God, others, and yourself. Each week, we dive into meaningful conversations about how to live out the greatest commandment, loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Whether through inspiring stories, practical tips, or biblical truths, I hope to encourage you to love boldly, live faithfully, and reflect God’s love in your everyday life.
My guest today is Hannah Keeley. Hannah is a mom of seven, a behavioral therapist, a coach, and the creator of the mom mastery method. She’s passionate about helping moms overcome overwhelm and reclaim their energy, purpose, and joy. In her new book, Mom Fog, Eight Steps to Overcoming Mom Fatigue Syndrome, Hannah provides a step-by-step guide to help moms overcome what she calls mom fog and into a life of high energy, good vibes, and incredible productivity.
Well, hello, Hannah, and welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I’m so happy to have you.
Hannah Keeley (01:07.296)
I’m so excited to be here. I’m looking forward to talking with you.
Rachael Adams (01:12.237)
So, I shared with you before we hit record that you are the second person this week who is recording standing up. And so, it’s interesting to me because you’re both super productive, high-energy, entrepreneurial, like, let’s get this done. And it’s interesting, like, most of us are sitting now, but you’re standing up because you’re like, I got stuff to do. We all have stuff to do.
Hannah Keeley (01:31.49)
I do. We all have stuff to do, right? But yeah, I find when I’m standing, it’s just… I find I’m more productive, my energy’s higher, my state’s more positive. It’s funny because my mom used to be convinced. She’s like, Hannah, I know there is a button on my butt. And every time I sit down, my eyes close. And I was like, Mom, I think I inherited that button. So I’m just going to stand up.
Rachael Adams (01:59.043)
I love it. I think there’s something to that. And so you and I are both moms. I imagine most of the women listening, and you know; I’m sensitive to the fact because so many of us may have been able to be your children. Maybe we haven’t, perhaps you’ve adopted, you’ve fostered, maybe you’re a spiritual mom. This topic can apply to so many of us as women. I know it can apply to every one of us because we are all tired and we’re overwhelmed. You know, just fatigued and in a fog because of all the things that are required of us. So I’d love to hear from you. What inspired you to write mom fog, and how did you first recognize these signs of mom fatigue syndrome in your own life?
Hannah Keeley (02:41.624)
Man, well, I mean, going back, I had all of these great ideas of how I was going to be a mom and the life I was going to live, you know, that idyllic life that, you know, you’re always like such a great mom before you have kids. Right? You know everything. You know all about discipline. You all know, you know all about what is best for your child. And then you become a mom, and life slaps you in the face. And you’re like, I am so not ready for this. Here I was, a behavior therapist. I had a few kids then, but I was so overwhelmed. Living in a cluttered house, broke is a joke. I couldn’t even afford to pay attention. It was horrible. I didn’t have any money and insufficient funds left and right. I gained weight, didn’t feel good, and had low energy. And the thing that was most crippling to me at the time was I had anxiety and depression. That just was. It was so invasive, stopping me from being the person I wanted to be. I was either having this horrible anxiety in my chest when I went to bed, or I would be in this dark place in my mind. And here I was, a behavior therapist, and my strategies weren’t working on me. And I did not know what was wrong. I was like, what is wrong with me? Why am I such a failure? Why can’t I do this right? My kids deserve a better mom, all this stuff. And then it all culminated one day when I walked into my bedroom. I was carrying a load of laundry with the full intention of putting it on, dumping it on the other seven loads in the corner of the room, and waiting eight to 10 business days to fold and put away. You know how the scenario goes. And I just glimpsed at myself, Rachel. I just, the way I can describe it, is like a dead mom walking. I was just so young to look so old, no life dirty hair pulled back, I had my husband’s clothes, I couldn’t fit in any of mine. It just hit me, like, is this my life? It’s just like when I caught a glimpse of myself; it just broke me because this woman was living so far below what she had dreamed and envisioned she would be living. Honestly, that day, I had a mental breakdown. I fell on the floor in the middle of the laundry, just bawling, like an ugly cry. I don’t know if you know what an ugly cry is, but I bet some of your listeners do. And it’s when you can’t discriminate between the tears, snot, and fluids and are bald. It’s not something you would see in a Lifetime movie. It’s something you see in real life. And it was just ugly. And I’m bald in my eyes now, begging God to please rescue me. Send me, you know, I wanted a knock on the door, and there’s a, Hey, you, the Holy Spirit just came upon me and said for me to bring you $83,000. Like I wanted something like that, like a miracle. I’m begging God to send a miracle. And I’ll never forget, he met me there and what he told me was not what I expected. And I heard his voice say, up and fold your laundry. I was like, no, I don’t want to. I don’t want to. I don’t want to. But this verse in the Bible says there is a way that seems right unto men, and at the end, there’s sure death.
Hannah Keeley (06:08.482)
I remembered at that moment that all of my strategies were not working. All of the things I think I’m doing right are not working. So what if I do the thing that I am most resistant to? I did not wanna fold my laundry, but I decided to be obedient that day. And I’m not gonna tell you that day everything changed, and we were out of debt, and I lost 40 pounds. I’m not gonna tell you that, but I will tell you that day, it started me on a path that months, years down the road, it was just incredible transformation because I decided to do things God’s way and not my way. I’m sharing this with you not so that you know more about me but also so you know more about me because it is the thing that will leverage our life the most. This will give us the most powerful result in our lives. I promise you it will be the most counterintuitive thing you want to do. Because if we always do what we feel like doing, we will always stay where we are.
Rachael Adams (07:07.361)
Yeah, it reminds me, Hannah, of the parable. It wasn’t a parable. It was just Jesus talking to the paralytic, and for him, he’s like, what do you want me to do for you? He’s like, well, I want to walk. And he says, well, then take up your mat and go. Like you’ve got to take up the mat. If you want your healing, you know, there is this partnership with God, his action, and our action. And I remember years ago, I interviewed Hannah Brincher, and she was talking about depression. And she said, you know, if you want to go to sleep, you need to get up and go for a walk. If you want to be alone, invite a friend to have coffee. It’s almost what you’re saying, like this: do the opposite of what you feel like doing. And there could be a shift in you. Um, and yeah, so I think, I think this is just resonating with so many of us. I know it’s resonating with me, and I’m excited to continue this conversation, but we will take a brief break to hear a word from today’s sponsor. When we return, we’ll dive into the eight steps you outline in Mom Fog for overcoming mom fatigue syndrome. Welcome back. As I mentioned before the break, you outline eight steps to overcoming mom fatigue. Can you walk us through these steps and how they build on one another?
Hannah Keeley (08:26.392)
It’s so much that it would almost not be helpful. No, here’s what I mean. It’s because you wouldn’t be able to do them all. Like you would write them down and think, I will get to it. Unless someone walks you through it, it’s almost like it would be harder for you. So if someone’s like, hey, show me what you do to get those incredible glutes. It’d be like, I’m not talking personally here. But it’d be like, okay, here’s my workout routine. But it’s like, no, I need to make sure I’m there, and you have the posture right, and you have your stance right, and you got the weight right. But I will tell you, it starts with we have to have awareness. So that’s one of the very first steps, and you have to be aware of what’s happening in your brain. And this is so important for women who have a baby, and they think, all right, when will my life get back to normal? Why can’t I think straight? What is wrong with me? Chances are you have a mom’s brain, and there is actually like you can look at an MRI of a woman’s brain before she has a baby and after she has a baby, and there are distinct anatomical differences. You have up to a 4 % loss in gray matter as if your kids are making you lose your mind. If that helps you any, it’s documented, right? But not just that, you also change cognitively in how you process information. So the first thing I always tell women, if you want to get out of this mom thought, first be aware that it’s not you, it’s your brain. It kind of takes all that condemnation and that shame off of it because the enemy loves to put shame on moms, and the enemy targets moms because they’re so powerful. Moms determine how future generations go. Moms are the force that changed the world. We are just saying, “I’m just a mom.” That is so much BS and belief system. Okay, I don’t know what you were thinking, but BS is belief system. That is such a negative belief system because you’re so powerful. So that’s why the enemy targets moms with shame. And here’s what shame sounds like: I am such a loser that I never do enough.
Hannah Keeley (10:46.502)
I failed today. I didn’t get this done. My kids deserve a better mom. I’m such a loser. Why can’t I just have more energy? Why can’t I be thinner? Why can’t I be all the things? That’s what shame sounds like in your brain. Now, until we’re aware of it, we can’t do anything about it. So, the first step is awareness. You have mom’s brain; you’re not going crazy. There’s a reason you walk into a room, and you forget why you walked in there. There’s a reason you drive away from Starbucks, and the latte’s still on the car’s hood. There’s a reason that you’re so overstimulated. There’s a reason that when you’re imagining things, it’s always horrific. You’re imagining the worst things for your children. You’re imagining yourself careening off a bridge in the minivan, falling into an ocean, and you can’t get the kids out. We’re all thinking about it. I’m just saying it. Okay, that’s what the mom brain does. The reason is that our brains have changed priorities. So before you have a baby, the number one priority of a woman’s brain is to keep her alive.
Okay, keep her safe. Now, after you have a baby, a new wiring happens in your brain. And now, the number one priority is to keep your children alive. So you think about this, you know that story that so many people share about taking care of yourself, and they say, they use that like airplane analogy. For example, in the event of oxygen pressure, the mass will fall from above your head. And now make sure you put on yourself before you put on your child. And I was like, okay, you got it. Okay, in the event of an actual emergency, you would have all these kids with masks on, and moms passed out up and down the aisle because our brain says, you must outlive me. In emergencies, the mom’s brain kicks in. That’s why what do you do when driving up to you, making an abrupt stop in the car, and having one of your kids on the passenger side? You push. Okay. Like an arm swing, that one is an instant reflex of the mom’s brain. And what it’s saying is, I will freaking go through the windshield and die, but you must live. So we have to understand there’s a reason it’s so hard to take care of ourselves.
Hannah Keeley (13:10.072)
There’s a reason we feel over-simulated: we can’t focus. And there’s a reason we start things and we don’t finish them. It’s not you; it’s your brain. So I want everyone listening right now to take a huge, deep sigh. Nothing is wrong with me.
Rachael Adams (13:26.851)
Yeah, there is such freedom and grace in knowing I’m not the only one doing all these things. I wrote something about that in my devotional. I was braiding my daughter’s hair and asked her, “Well, how did you sleep last night? She’s like, Mom, you just asked me that. Like, I just told you. I’m like, well, I must have asked your brother, I don’t know. You know, it’s just like, where am I? I’m so forgetful, and this is just that I always forget things. Like you said, I’m like, why am I in this room, or why did I come to this store? And I’m like, gosh, I’m just so overwhelmed. And there’s a part of me that things like, is this like a cultural thing, like a society thing that like Americans, we just put so much pressure on ourselves, and we want to be perfect. Or is this just, what is this? You know, like. Yeah.
Hannah Keeley (14:18.76)
It’s your mom’s brain. It is your mom’s brain. Because now think about it, your whole focus is I’ve got to make sure my kids are alive. So now, we used to have a filtering system in our brain that helped us process information in bits and chunks that we could use at the time. Now, after you have a baby, imagine, okay, here’s a perfect example. Okay, this will hit. Sometimes, my phone gets janky, slows down, and I can’t load up videos, and things aren’t like, you know, apps are closing, and I’m like, what is wrong with my phone? I need to get a new phone. This phone is broken. Inevitably, one of my kids will be like Mom, let me see your phone. And then they’re like, holy crap, mom, how many apps do you have open? They’re swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe. I have like 189 open apps. So imagine your mom’s brain has all the apps open. It’s constantly on a subconscious level; this isn’t a conscious thing, so you’re unaware of it, subconsciously scanning the environment for potential threats. So that’s why you can’t focus. That’s why you can’t maintain a stream of thought. That’s why you forget things; so much is happening in the subconscious realm of scanning the environment for threats. So, we must understand that things are happening in our brains that we’re unaware of, which is good news. This isn’t all bad because that’s the reason we have our mother’s intuition. Okay, there’s a reason that our kids come home from school, and we’re like, mmm, something’s a little off, and our husband’s like, oh, they’re fine. Like no, something’s a little off. I found out they were bullied that day, right? Or we grab our toddler’s arm right before they run out in front of a car, or we wait; the house is a little too quiet. Like something’s going on, and so it’s good. It’s a good brain function because it helps us have this sixth sense of our children. But if we don’t know how to work with our brain, we’re always gonna be working against our brain and be struggling with that and think that something’s just wrong with us.
Rachael Adams (16:25.557)
Yeah, well, we’ll take another brief break to hear from today’s sponsor, but when we return, we will discuss the connection between faith mindset and overcoming this mom fatigue. Welcome back, as I mentioned before the break. How do you think faith plays a role in overcoming mom fog, and how have you seen God work in the lives of moms who surrender to him?
Hannah Keeley (16:48.514)
So here’s the problem. Moms surrender their overwhelm, and then they pick it right back up. You know, I love the word yield. I love the word yield instead of surrender because surrender makes it look like we’re opposing forces. And God says I am for you. I am your defense. I go before you. I surround you. I hem you in with my love. I’m on your side. So he’s never opposing us, but what he is doing is saying, lean into me, learn my love, and start to develop that same love for yourself. That’s why I say the first thing we must do is break off that shame.
Nothing is wrong with you. You’re not a bad mom. Your kids did not get a bad choice when born to you. Nothing was screwed up. You are the perfect mom for your kids. This is the perfect time, so you’re now listening to this. So you can hear the voice of God saying, called you to this daughter, you’re equipped for this. And I’m going to do what you can’t do. Like we do what we can do. God does what we can’t do. And in that combination, we will always be the best mom for our kids. And so we have to lean into the love. And I don’t think it’s surrendering the overwhelm. I think it’s just really questioning the overwhelm. Like, am I overwhelmed? What is it that’s so big for me right now? Like I’ve been raising seven kids, building a business, building a ministry, homeschooling them. And the times that were most overwhelming was not what was going on outside of me, but what was going on inside of me. That’s why Romans 12.2 says, do not conform to the pattern of this world. The pattern of this world says, I’m overwhelmed. I’m gonna go stop, and I need to do self-care, and I need to, no, don’t fall for that because you’re gonna go back to the same situation. So we don’t conform to the pattern of this world, we’re transformed by the renewing of our mind so we can test and prove what God’s will is, is good, pleasing, perfect will. So, we start with the mind and question whether we are overwhelmed.
We question our fatigue, we question our anger, we question our anxiety. Is this real? One of the most powerful questions a mom can ask is what’s going on here? It’s as if we caught ourselves in those periods of anxiety and overwhelm. What’s going on here? Mm, yeah. I was feeling frustrated at something that happened this morning. Or I was feeling like I wasn’t appreciated. Or I was feeling bitter against somebody. Or I was just on social media, and I felt like I was such a loser because I can’t compare to all these amazing, powerful, know, thin, sexy, hot women. Like whatever it is, think about what you’re thinking about. It’s called metacognition. And if you pause long enough, you might find this root lie that caused you to feel overwhelmed and tired. But it’s not like a question that. Be your own best private detective.
Rachael Adams (19:51.937)
Yeah, yeah, that’s a great question to ask. But I’m just thinking that so many times, we are probably doing many of the responsibilities not because God has asked us to do them but because we feel like we should or society has put these pressures on us. It’s like people-pleasing. And so we say yes to things that we should say no to, and we don’t set boundaries. And so I think sometimes we are fatigued doing things God never asked us to do.
Hannah Keeley (20:19.818)
That’s so powerful, and chances are you probably are, so we have to get into a place where, like, what if we didn’t need that confirmation? What if we didn’t need evidence that we’re enough because all we do when we take on more is trying to desperately provide our brain with evidence that we have worth, merit, and value? What if you already knew that you did? What if you didn’t even need to set up boundaries because they were already preset by how much you love yourself? Like, really think about it. Like these things that we just kind of fall into because they seem like good terms and they seem like, you know, everyone believes the same thing. Question everything and say, what, what if I could become so affirmed in who I am that I don’t even need to lose my peace over anything? I can carry my peace in every situation. I remember one time this, it was at church. And this woman approached me and my husband and they said, you guys are so good with the kids. Do you think you could take on like one of the children’s classes? I said, no. And she just looked at me and, like expect, I was like, I didn’t say anything else. And it was so awkward for her because it was awkward for me. I’m like, I’m good. I don’t need to feel like I must explain or validate myself. God already did that through Jesus on the cross. So I don’t need to do it. And if I feel like I need to do it, I’m questioning my worth and value. And I need you to see me a certain way so I feel comfortable. People-pleasing is very prideful because we’re trying to feel more comfortable and make others like us feel more comfortable. What if you didn’t have to feel more comfortable? You could deal with discomfort if it came and deal with discomfort long enough so that you’re confident, and you can just say no. And don’t say, let me go pray about it or think about it. You don’t have to do that. Will you pray about it, or is this a stall technique? I’m just, I’m sorry, everyone’s doing it, I’m just saying it.
Rachael Adams (22:37.307)
Okay, so I’m just the Hannah you talked about at the beginning of the show. You know, you’re in the laundry room and you’re crying, you know, the ugly cry to Hannah today. How much time has passed?
Hannah Keeley (22:55.456)
And I was in my 20s when I first started having kids.
Rachael Adams (22:58.379)
Okay. So you’re talking like 30. This is a 30-year process for you, but you flipped a switch. There is a; there is that you had that epiphany moment, and then you have this awareness and then what, you know, I’m just thinking, I’m like thinking of the woman right now that maybe is just had that ugly cry in the laundry room and she’s like, okay, Hannah, I’m aware I’ve got a problem. I understand my brain needs to be rewired. Now what?
Hannah Keeley (23:20.184)
Right. So we evolve, always evolving to the next version of ourselves. Right? You weren’t the same person you were last month, last year. You weren’t. Situations happened in your life. You had to face some really ugly things. You had to go through some really hard chapters. And those hardest chapters, the reason God allows it because it didn’t come from God, the pain didn’t come from God, but the reason he allows us to go through loss, grief, pain, and hurt is because he wants us to lean in more to his character. So I think every chapter we go through, the good, the bad, the ugly if we can say, all your ways are good. And I know that you work all things out for good because I love you, and I’m called according to your purpose, just like Romans 8.28 says. So, if I believe this, how will I show up today? And it doesn’t become how do we get to that person three decades later? It comes down to who I am going to be today. And I have this mom brain hack. I have a ton of mom-brain hacks. And one of them is that instead of, we always hear carpe diem, like seize the day, right? And sometimes it’s just carpe mare seize the morning. Like if I can get up this morning and make a decision that I’m gonna be 100 % that I’m gonna show up strong. What if we made that decision every single day? Like we don’t have to even go to tomorrow. Jesus said, why are you worried about tomorrow? Why is your mind even there? Stay today, stay present, and you can make it through today. He’s not gonna give us so much that we crumble today. It’s when we look forward with anxiety or we look backwards with regret, that’s when our energy drops. Our emotions suffer, but if we could stay present and know right here, no matter where I am, what I’m doing, or what mess I find myself in, I’m still okay. There’s so much power there. There have been moments in my life when I just had to stop and take a breath And say, but you know what? I’m okay right now. Do I know what tomorrow’s gonna bring? No, But I know who I am and who God is right now, and that was always enough to take me to the next day. And so I think the main thing for moms is don’t think about who you will be in a decade. Think about who you’re gonna be today. Let’s just make today awesome and then your whole life will take care of itself.
Rachael Adams (25:58.133)
So please tell me it’s okay to rest, though.
Hannah Keeley (26:02.19)
Okay, so my question would be, do you need permission? If someone says, “Tell me it’s okay to rest,” I would want to know why you need to be told it’s okay to rest.
Rachael Adams (26:14.913)
Yeah, you feel guilty. I feel guilty. It’s like, well, I’m taking time for myself. I should be productive. I need the validation. I need to cross everything off my to-do list, or I feel like a failure.
Hannah Keeley (26:23.574)
Yeah, right. And so that’s why his word says to labor to enter that rest. The hardest thing we can do is not rest physically but rest emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. That’s because you can take a time out and watch as many Bridgerton episodes as you want, but you’ll go back to life. And then you’re going to be like, I’m still tired. I’m still struggling. I’m still overwhelmed. I still feel like I’m about to break because I haven’t done the actual labor, which is to enter into the rest that’s provided through Jesus and what he did. And so when we can, just again, understand what needs to rest here, it’s probably what’s in my head. The thoughts are more exhausting than anything we could do physically. It is for a mom. For a mom, it is easier to run a marathon.
You have more energy than it is to go through a day of worry, stress, struggle, and internal anxiety. That’s exhausting. So yes, it’s okay to rest. He demands that we rest. And he says you have to work at this rest. That means in every situation, what if we can access a place of peace no matter what? That creates energy. It creates curiosity and creativity, but we can’t create with a mind struggling to keep itself together. So we have to do the internal work. And I always find I have the most energy when I feel the most rest inside.
Rachael Adams (28:05.539)
Yeah, absolutely. So, Hannah, tell us, is there a biblical concept of love that applies to this topic today?
Hannah Keeley (28:13.856)
my goodness, yes. Okay, so one of my favorite stories is about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, right? Here’s like, there’s no question she was sinning. She was literally caught having sex and like caught right there and dragged into the temple courtyard and put on exhibit shame, shame, shame, shame, all the shame, right? This is the number one struggle that moms deal with: Shame. I not only feel like I’m screwing up, but I’ve caught screwing up. I remember one time people from our church came over to our house, and I was so embarrassed because they came into the house, which was so cluttered. We had dishes all over the kitchen. There was junk all over the dining room table. There was no place for them to sit, and I was so embarrassed. Shame, shame, shame, shame, right? And we find ourselves in that place Where we not only feel the shame but also exhibit the shame. You know, this is what I look like. This is what my kids are showing up like in life. This is what my car and my house look like. And in the middle of that, expose of shame and ridicule, they asked Jesus, like, come on, the law says we can stone her. What do you say? They wanted to catch him. And I love that he just bent down. Started writing in the sand and I believe he was stalling because he says in John I don’t do anything unless I see my father do it I don’t say unless I don’t say anything else. I heard my heavenly father say it, so he was waiting for a word: God, what do I do here, heavenly father? What do I do here? He was stalling, so he got the word, And he said, “All right, whoever is without sin. Go ahead. Throw the first stone, and everyone walks away. It’s a beautiful story, But the most attractive part is what happens after that when he bends down and enters her shame with her and says, look around, who’s condemning you? She says, no one. And that is the most beautiful story because Jesus is like, I’m here with you; who can condemn you? That’s when we can learn to love ourselves, and we can learn to love him, and we can learn to love this world because he takes that shame off of us. And he says, I don’t condemn you either. Like we can bring him all of our filth and embarrassment, things we don’t want anyone else to see, things we wanna hide from the eyes of God, and we bring it all before him, our idolatry, our wickedness, our covetousness, our bitterness, our anger, shame, all that, and throw it at his feet. He’s like, I’m not condemning you for it. I’m just gonna walk with you. I’m gonna get down in the dirt with you and do this thing together. And he says, now you can go and send them more. Only when we’re faced with that inexhaustible, unsought-after, unlimited love of God, it’s only in that place that we can truly rise up to be the best version of ourselves because nothing’s holding us back.
Rachael Adams (31:27.555)
That’s so beautiful, like having grace and compassion for ourselves. And then also to view the other women around us that way. Let’s not judge other women for, you know, when their house isn’t clean, their car is a mess, or their hair is a messy bun, and they’ve got pajamas on from the previous day like she’s doing their best.
Hannah Keeley (31:46.806)
Man, I want to go to every mom’s house and walk in there and sit in the middle of all the crap, and we just have a cup of coffee together and laugh about it. Then we roll up our sleeves. We do something.
Rachael Adams (31:58.209)
Okay, so Hannah, tell us something you love right now.
Hannah Keeley (32:02.374)
I love my morning hikes. I’m an avid hiker. I go on a three-mile hike every morning with my dogs, and that’s just like my time. I can praise God or think about whatever I’m thinking about, but you have to have that time. I love, love, love it.
Rachael Adams (32:25.859)
So, where do you live, where you can always hike three miles? I want to know.
Hannah Keeley (32:29.774)
I live so close to a state park, which is handy, right? But I’m in Virginia, and it’s beautiful. Yeah, especially in the spring, summer, and fall. In winter, I still hike. It’s not as much fun, but when you have the hats and gloves and the thermals, yeah.
Rachael Adams (32:42.497)
You still do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was gonna say yes. That’s right. Well, I know I want to stay connected with you. I’m sure listeners are going to want to. I know you’ve got a TED talk and a course that you’re offering. So tell us all the things.
Hannah Keeley (32:58.372)
Well, hit me up on Instagram because I answer all my, you know, fitting on messaging me there. That’s not like a bot or a team. Like, I actually love to build relationships with Mom. So it’s me that’s answering that. So make sure you follow me on Instagram or TikTok. I’m there, too. Hannah Keely. But also check out my website, hannahkeely.com, and Mom Brain Makeover. I got it; if you want to do me, watch my TEDx talk, Mom Brain Makeover. So that’s fun, but you can find all that on my website.
Rachael Adams (33:29.219)
Okay, well, we will link that in the show notes. But thank you so much for joining us today. I know my mom’s brain feels a little bit better, and I pray everybody else’s does as well.
Hannah Keeley (33:38.968)
Fantastic.
Rachael Adams (33:41.111)
Thank you so much for joining us today on the Love Offering Podcast. I hope today’s conversation encouraged and inspired you to love God, love others, and even love yourself a little bit more. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and leave a review. It helps others find the show and even further spread the message of love. To connect with me, visit me on my website at rachaelkadams.com. While there, download the Love Offering Calendar, a free resource filled with simple daily ways to love those around you. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of my new book, Everyday Prayers for Love.
Learning to Love God, Others, and Even Yourself and Hannah’s book Mom Fog, Eight Steps to Overcoming Mom Fatigue Syndrome are available now wherever books are sold, and we pray they are meaningful resources for your faith journey. A special thank you to Life Audio for supporting this podcast and making it possible. To find more great podcasts, visit lifeaudio.com. Thanks again for joining us today. Until next time, let’s make our lives an offering of love.
