Episode 80

full
Published on:

2nd Sep 2025

The “Phone-a-Friend” September Reset

September has a way of sneaking up on us. The commitments start rolling in, the days get shorter, and suddenly the pressure to “get it together” hits full force. In this “season-two” kickoff of Cowgirls Over Coffee, Thea and her dear friend Meg share how one simple conversation shifted their entire perspective on the September spiral, and why the reset you need may not actually start with another routine tweak.

For many women, September feels like a fresh start wrapped in glossy anxiety. The casual pace of summer fades, structure snaps back into place, and expectations start piling up. The natural response? Double down, do more, and try to wrestle order out of chaos.

But in this episode, Thea and Meg explore what happens when you pause before reacting. Their conversation ranges from seasonal transitions to family rhythms, the pressure of rural grit, and the reminder that we’re not meant to navigate life alone. Along the way, they uncover a surprising truth: what often feels like burnout might actually have a different root cause.

You’ll walk away with a practical reframe for the fall, an invitation to anchor your routines in depth instead of hustle, and permission to reach out instead of powering through. If September already feels frenetic, maybe the best reset is as simple as picking up the phone.

Listen in for …

  • Why September often triggers “fresh start pressure” that turns into burnout.
  • The hidden cost of powering through on your own.
  • How conversation can act as infrastructure for your routines.
  • A practical fall reset: channel intensity into depth instead of just more doing.

TL;DR (Minute by Minute)

  • [00:00] Why this feels like Season Two.
  • [02:10] The fog-lifting effect of conversation.
  • [06:20] Why September hits harder than summer.
  • [10:08]  Grit, buried feelings, and the cost of powering through.
  • [14:45] A surprising realization about what’s really behind burnout.
  • [17:18] Channeling intensity into depth instead of productivity.
  • [20:18] Living in neutrality and curiosity when routines get shaky.
  • [24:32] Work examples: how conversation resets productivity.
  • [29:26] What’s next for this new season of Cowgirls Over Coffee.

Where to Go From Here

We want to know: does burnout for you feel more like exhaustion or like loneliness? Screenshot and tag @cowgirlsovercoffee with your answer.

The FREE Routine Playbook I mentioned. Your step-by-step playbook for routines that actually stick, because capacity has to come before consistency: TAP HERE

Join the Cowgirls Over Coffee Lifetime Membership where conversation, accountability, and routines become infrastructure. LEARN MORE HERE

Let’s keep the conversation going: find Thea at @thea.does.the.thing and Meg at @meg.scales.

Listen for free

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About the Podcast

Cowgirls Over Coffee
Spoiler: there’s nothing you’re missing. There’s no hack, strategy, system or secret that you just haven’t figured out. There’s only the process of discovering what matters for you and what doesn’t, what works for you and what doesn’t. The Cowgirls Over Coffee podcast exists to invite women into deeper conversations that lead to stronger lives.

Welcome to Cowgirls Over Coffee with Thea Larsen! The podcast where I take you along on my mission to encourage and equip women to finally quit winging it, and learn to savor life at the intersection of home and ambition. Tune in each week for conversations with not only myself, but also roundtable discussions with my friends, and even an expert or two, as we navigate the messy, mundane and magic of every day cultivating thriving homes and businesses from the ranch, farm, kitchen table or cab of the truck.

This is an experiment in embracing the process, sampling systems, and nurturing self, all while simply refusing to settle for less than we know we can achieve - for ourselves, our families, our communities and our businesses. We’ll cover topics like planning, organization, rural lifestyle, motherhood, wellbeing, homemaking, dream chasing and entrepreneurship.

Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss a convo!

Websites: www.cowgirlsovercoffee.com
Facebook: @cowgirlsovercoffee
Instagram: @thea.does.all.the.things

About your host

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Thea Larsen