CATCH YOUR BREATH with Inga, Your Homeschool Coach and EncouragerI Homeschool Tips for Moms | Stop Stressing and Beat Burnout

71//What About Me? Finding Your Thing in the Middle of Homeschool Life

Hey friend,
A listener asked a question that I think many of us have felt at one point or another as homeschooling moms.
She said, “I love homeschooling. I love my family. I do love my life. But what about me? What’s my thing? Who am I outside of everyone else needing something from me?”
And I don’t think she’s alone in that.
So in this episode, we’re talking about what happens when your days revolve around kids and lessons and church and marriage and responsibilities — and somewhere in the middle of all of that, you realize you don’t really know where you fit anymore.
You can love your life and still ask that question. And it isn’t about becoming self-focused. It’s about wholeness.
It’s about remembering that God created you as a whole woman — not just a role.
Tune in and let me know if you can relate, then
Share This With Another Mom
If this episode made you think of someone, send it to her.
You never know who else is quietly asking the same question.
Send Me Your Question
If there’s something you’d like me to talk about on a future episode — a situation, a challenge, or something you’re wrestling with — send me an email or a voice note.
I read every message. Your real-life questions shape these conversations.
Connect With Me
Instagram: @homeschool.wellness.coachEmail: hello@ingamasek.com
Breathable Homeschool Circle
What part of your homeschool needs to be more breathable?
I’m opening the Breathable Homeschool Circle — a small, live space for homeschooling moms who want to talk things through in real time and get support.
If you’d like to be invited to the first session, email me the words:
CIRCLE LIST
to hello@ingamasek.com and I’ll send you the details as soon as it opens.

70//Stop Asking ‘What’s Wrong?’ and Ask This Instead

Hey friend!
In this  short episode, we’re talking about the question many of us default to when things feel off, hard, or unclear —
“What’s wrong?”Thank you thank you for coming. Have a great eveningI just realize you got ice cream in the cold weather is happening right now
What’s wrong with me.
What’s wrong with today.
What’s wrong with our homeschool.
 
We talk about why that question is rarely neutral, how it quietly turns moments of struggle into self-blame, and what changes when you learn to pause and ask a different kind of question instead.
 
This episode isn’t about fixing yourself or figuring everything out.
It’s about noticing what’s actually happening — without putting yourself on trial in the process.
 
So, what’s in it for you?
 
👉🏿 Insight into why certain questions increase pressure instead of clarity
👉🏿 Language that helps you step out of blame and into perspective
👉🏿 A more helpful way to approach hard or unclear moments
👉🏿 Space to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting against yourself
 
I hope this episode gives you a new way to meet the moments when things aren’t going well — without assuming something is wrong with you.
 
xo,
Inga
Next Steps
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Share with a Friend
If another homeschool mom came to mind while listening, feel free to share this episode with her.
January Reflection ResourceI put together a simple January reflection resource you can use alongside the January episodes.If you want it, email me the word JANUARY and I’ll send it to you.
Breathable Homeschool CircleI’m opening the Breathable Homeschool Circle — a small, live space for homeschooling moms who want a place to talk things through.If you’d like to be invited, email me CIRCLE LIST.

69//Seasons Change — and So Does Your Homeschool

In this episode, we’re talking about the reality that homeschooling doesn’t stay the same, because life doesn’t stay the same. Your kids grow. Your responsibilities shift. What you need changes.
We talk about how seasons show up in homeschooling and why it’s helpful to recognize them — not so you can label yourself, but so you can make wiser choices about support, structure, and expectations.
This episode builds on our conversation about homeschool disciplines and helps connect the dots between what supports you and when that support is actually needed.
So, what’s in it for you?
👉🏿 A clearer way to think about seasons in homeschooling👉🏿 Help recognizing when your needs have changed👉🏿 Language to talk about support without overcomplicating it👉🏿 A way to respond as things shift instead of forcing what used to work
I hope this episode helps you think differently about where you are right now and what this season is asking of you.
xo,Inga
Next Steps
January Reflection ResourceI put together a simple January reflection resource you can use alongside the January episodes.If you want it, email me the word JANUARY and I’ll send it to you.
Breathable Homeschool CircleI’m opening the Breathable Homeschool Circle — a small, live space for homeschooling moms who want a place to talk things through.If you’d like to be invited, email me CIRCLE LIST.

68//The Five Core Homeschool Disciplines

Happy New Year, friend! If you’re feeling the pressure to do things differently in your homeschool — or telling yourself you just need more self-discipline — this episode is for you.
In this episode, we talk about five different kinds of discipline that support homeschooling, depending on what you’re facing in this season.
You’ll hear:
how to think about discipline in a more specific way
why different situations call for different kinds of discipline
how to recognize which discipline would support you most right now
how to choose one place to focus instead of trying to change everything
January Reflection Resource
I’ve created a simple January reflection resource you can use throughout the month as you listen to the January episodes.
To get it, email me the word JANUARY to hello@ingamasek.com and I’ll send it to you.
Breathable Homeschool Circle
What part of your homeschool needs to be more breathable? I’m opening the Breathable Homeschool Circle — a small, live space for homeschooling moms who want to talk things through in real time and get support.
If you want to be invited to the first session, I  want to hear from you! Email me the words CIRCLE LIST and I’ll send you the details as soon as it opens. hello@ingamasek.com 

67//A Prayer For You This Season

Hi friend,
As we come to the end of 2025, I wanted to pause with you and name the gift that often gets lost in the middle of homeschooling and everyday life.
In this episode of Catch Your Breath, I reflect on the freedom, rest, and grace Jesus offers us right where we are—at the kitchen table, in unfinished lessons, and in the weight we carry into the next day.
This isn’t an episode about catching up, fixing your homeschool, or planning a better new year. It’s about releasing guilt for the days that didn’t look the way you hoped and remembering that God’s mercy meets us new every morning.
I talk about what it looks like to trust God in seasons we don’t fully understand, to stop carrying pressure that was never ours to hold, and to allow rest even when the list is still there.
I also pray for you and with you as you close out this year—over your homeschooling, your home, and your heart.
If this season has felt full, messy, or unfinished, this episode is an invitation to slow down and breathe.
The gift has already been given.
One Thing for Today:
Name one place in your homeschool where guilt has crept in—and release it.
Take a breath.
You’re allowed to rest.
xo,Inga
If this podcast has been a support to you, consider sharing it with another homeschool mom and inviting her to listen with you when the new season begins in January.

66//When the To-Do List Doesn’t Get Done

What happens when the season (or the intentional break)  ends…and the list is still there?
In this episode of Catch Your Breath, I’m sharing a personal reflection on a season that didn’t look the way I planned—and what I noticed when I slowed down long enough to look again.
This isn’t an episode about productivity or fixing your to-do list. It’s about perspective. About presence. And about the quiet work that still happens when the visible work doesn’t.
I talk about the moments that filled December for me—driving kids around, opening our home, long conversations, letting go of traditions, releasing guilt, and learning to sit with what was instead of rushing past it.
If you’ve looked at your list and thought, “I didn’t get to what I planned,” this episode is an invitation to pause—and notice what still unfolded.
In this episode, we reflect on:
When plans don’t match reality
How perspective shapes how a season feels
Letting go of guilt around unfinished lists
Finding peace and presence in ordinary moments
Why not everything meaningful shows up on paper
One Thing for Today:
Revisit one thing you wrote off as “nothing” and ask yourself what it actually gave you.
Take a breath.
You may have done more than you think.
And, if hiding more Scripture in your heart feels like it should be on your list this December—but it just hasn’t happened—I have something simple for you.
Email the word JOY to hello@ingamasek.com, and I’ll senda short set of encouraging Scriptures you can come back to when you need them.
xo, Inga

65//Three Simple Ways to Make Your December Break Matter

Hey friend,
December can be full. Full calendars, full expectations, and sometimes full guilt. Many of us want a break but aren’t always sure how to approach it.
In this episode of Catch Your Breath, we talk through three simple ways to think about a December break and how to use that time more intentionally.
OTFT: Choose one focus for your December break and let it guide how you use your time.
December Prayer Guide:Email JOY to hello@ingamasek.com

64//How to Breathe Through December (with Joy)

December can feel like when you’re doing your best to make it a good month for your family.
If you’ve been trying to manage homeschool, plans, expectations, and real life at the same time… this episode will meet you right where you are.
This is a simple conversation about strength, joy, and how to move through this month without losing yourself in the process.
If you need a moment to breathe in the middle of your holiday plans — this one’s for you.
Want the December Prayer Guide?
Email JOY to hello@ingamasek.com and I’ll send it to you.

63//A Reminder of the Power of Gratitude

This week, we’re slowing down for a moment to remember something we already know but often forget: gratitude is powerful.
Not just as a feeling — but in what it does to us mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Science can explain a lot of it, but Scripture has been showing us this truth long before research ever named it.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing why gratitude matters, what it does inside us, and why this season gives us a little extra room to notice it. No steps, no pressure — just a reminder that thankfulness is doing more in you than you realize.
You’ll hear:
what gratitude does in your mind and body
what Scripture shows us about thankfulness
how gratitude works in your heart and your faith
a simple reflection for your week
Your One Thing for Today:
Name one thing you’re thankful for today and each day (in your homeschool, your day, your life). If you're bold, share it with your family or write it in your journal. 
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a mom who could use a breath today, and let me know about it. Email me at hello@ingamasek.com and I'll send you the scriptures for a thankful heart from this episode and a few more. 
**Resource mentioned in this episode- A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

62//When You Feel Like You're Failing at Homeschooling

If you’ve had a moment in homeschool that instantly turned into
“I’m failing at this,”
you’re not alone — and you’re not the only mom who thinks that way.
This episode gets honest about that feeling: why it shows up so quickly, why it hits so hard, and how to stop the moment from becoming a story about who you are.
We walk through a simple reset you can use the next time that thought hits — one that helps you pause, breathe, and move forward with clarity instead of spiraling.
Your One Thing for Today:
Talk to God about the feeling — just as it is.
Ask Him to help you notice when that thought shows up,
and to help you take it captive before it shapes your day.
If this episode gives you a moment of relief or helps you see your day differently, share it with another mom who might need the same reminder.
 
Connect with me here to share your thoughts, ask questions, or let me know how i can serve you. 😊
Instagram: @homeschool.wellness.coach
Email: hello@ingamasek.com