Quiet Confessions Ep. 34: The Power of Yes and Investing In Yourself

In this intimate "flare day" confession, Chelsea records from their couch to discuss a fundamental shift in how they are approaching the new year. Moving away from traditional resolutions, Chelsea shares why their word for 2026 is "Believe"—specifically, the belief that they are worthy of good things, joy, and comfort despite the chaos of the world.

Tune in to hear why saying "yes" to yourself is actually one of the best things you can do for your family.

Key Takeaways

• Energy as a Finite Resource: Inspired by a Taylor Swift quote, Chelsea discusses the importance of being protective and intentional about where you spend your mental and physical energy.
• The Power of "Believe": The theme for the year is centered on believing in one's own worthiness of care and the existence of "glimmers" even during heavy times.
• Reclaiming Body Relationship: Chelsea shares the experience of doing a boudoir shoot with photographer Megan to heal a fractured relationship with a body impacted by chronic illness.
• Realistic Self-Care: Self-care isn't about being "super mom"; it's about filling your own cup so you have the mental capacity to be present and invested in your family's lives.
• Strategic Planning for Joy: For those who are planners, Chelsea suggests budgeting time and money for the "scary things" you've been putting off, rather than waiting for the "right time".
• The Multi-Layered "Yes": Saying "yes" to personal desires is about more than the activity itself—it's about the feeling of being seen, respected, and empowered.

Transcript

Chelsea Myers (00:00)
Hey, welcome to another quiet confession. Sorry I missed you guys last week. It has been crazy chaos, but that's just life. So I was just being real and doing what I had the capacity to do, which unfortunately did not include recording a confession. And I am currently

coming to you from my couch, curled up in a ball because I am having a flare day. But no, this is not gonna be an episode where I complain or where I talk more about my chronic illness and yada, yada, yada. It's not gonna be that. It's actually going to be

a chance for me to talk to you about focusing more of my attention and my energy on me as a person and how I'm finding that that's a really important thing. And if you're rolling your eyes and you're saying, okay, all right, all right, I've heard this before. This is not the episode for me.

I am going to very politely ask you to stick with me because I think

Honestly, it's a more realistic approach to the idea of taking care of you in my opinion. and if you stick around for a little bit and it's still, it's not hitting home, feel free to skip this episode. You know, you know, I don't mind, but if this does resonate, let me know. Let me hear about it.

send me a DM on Instagram or on Facebook or anything like that because I'm here for it. I'm here to connect with you. So yeah, as I am curled up in a ball on my couch, I am just kind of reflecting on...

The the last couple of weeks January the beginning of 2026 I am NOT the type of person who makes New Year resolutions Because I don't know I just don't I don't I Feel like if I set the bar too high I'm not gonna get there and if I set the bar too low then it's like

I don't know, I just don't want to set a bar at all. but this year I did choose a word and I think I've told you guys this before, but if I haven't, my word for 2026 is believe. And I chose it because it really encompasses a lot of where I want to invest my energy and

that specifically investing my energy is something that I am paying so much more attention to. And that comes from, you know, life experience. I'm, I'm about to turn 37 here in just a couple of weeks. it comes from just the weight of the world right now.

comes from changes in my health and it just, I don't know. It comes from Taylor Swift too. I don't have the exact quote, but if you've, if you've ⁓ listened to the podcast, she did New Heights with Travis. She has this beautiful quote about your energy and how you choose to spend it.

Yeah, so believe that word. For me, it means believe that I am worthy of good things. Believe that good things can happen. Believe that even when everything around you feels chaotic and scary or overwhelming or heavy,

that there is still good in the world and there are still glimmers to be found. And one of the areas that I am focusing that belief is, like I said, that I am worthy. I am worthy of care. I am worthy of joy. I am worthy of existing in a way that's comfortable.

Because I truly think that that belief and leaning into that makes me a better partner, makes me a better mom. I am not super mom. I'm not saying that I excel in that area, but I am learning that when I

take care of me and go the extra mile to fill my own cup that I'm able to show up as a better person. And no, it doesn't mean that I'm Pinterest mom. It doesn't mean that I'm catering to my children's every whim. And it doesn't mean that I'm Mary Poppins floating in with her umbrella and

making everything practically perfect in every way. It means that I have the mental capacity to still be present with my kids even if I don't feel well. It means that I can sit down for a meal and converse with my family. And it means that my kids know without me having to remind them over and over again that they are

loved, that they are cared about, and that I'm truly invested in their lives. I want to know what's going on. I want to be a part of it and I want to help them, you know, be their best selves too. So what do I mean by this? What does all of this have to do with self-care and filling your cup and all the things?

Well, for me, it means saying yes to myself. And again, I can hear the audible eye roll. We all hear that phrase, say yes to you. Do the scary thing. I think I even said that in one of my stories the other day. Do the scary thing.

But what does that actually mean? Well, for me, it means making some choices that I've been putting off for a really long time, but that I've always wanted to do. I recently did a boudoir shoot with one of my absolute favorite humans and photographers who was in season two of the podcast.

Megan, you can find her episode if you want to learn more about her. um, yeah, I had an opportunity. I had always, always, always wanted to do this. I've worked with Megan before on family shoots, but this was just something I wanted to do because I don't have a great relationship with this body of mine that's been trying to off me for the last few years.

And I just, I don't know, I came to a point where she had an offer that she was doing and there was an application process it was a, all right, screw it. I'm going all in moment. And so I'm just going to do it. Then I'm going to make it work. And I did and we did. And I, I can't tell you.

how incredible it was. mean, honestly, just the whole, the whole experience what I expected. And I'm going to get into that more in other ways, but I want to be so super clear that I'm not suggesting that everybody go sign up and do a boudoir shoot. Although if you are in Vermont and you have the opportunity to work with Megan, I think you absolutely should.

What I'm saying is whatever that thing is for you that you keep saying like, ⁓ it's too expensive or I don't have the time no, this this time or this money or this energy could be used in other ways. But deep down, you really have that calling saying, ⁓ I really want to I really want to do that. I really want to try that. I really

I know, I really want to experience that. I am finding that listening to that voice is far more beneficial than shoving it down and trying to make it quiet. And no, it doesn't have to cost money. It doesn't have to be something that is big.

That's not what it means. That's not what I'm talking about. It can literally be saying yes to joining a book club. It can be saying yes to getting outside once a day for 15 minutes.

It can be saying yes to advocating for yourself, whether that be in with your doctors, in your workplace, in your relationship. For me, it's saying yes to things that I know will bring me joy. And it doesn't matter if that means

taking a nap because I know that will bring me some peace and joy or if it means booking the boudoir session like the boudoir photo shoot.

It all depends on you. You decide what's important to you. You decide where you want to expend your energy. And you decide if you can make it happen.

For me, in my experience, I am a planner. So, I don't just dive in blindly. I don't just say, I wanna do this thing, so I'm gonna do it. I say, I've been putting this thing off for a really long time that I really, really feel called to do. How can I make that happen? So if it is something that's an expense, it's sitting down and being like,

How can I budget for this? How long would it take me to save up to be able to do this? And however long that is, all right, we're gonna book it out that far and we're gonna get it on the calendar. Because if I don't, I'm not gonna do it. If it's something that doesn't cost money, like advocating for yourself, it's, all right, I'm gonna sit down and I'm gonna do my research and I'm gonna figure out the best ways to advocate for myself at my medical appointments. And I'm gonna take notes and I'm gonna, ⁓

do the thing. If it's downloading a book that you feel like, I shouldn't be reading this, you know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. Download the book or take it out of the library or, you know, if you need to do it discreetly, do it.

Instead of thinking about these things as things that you don't deserve or things that you shouldn't want or shouldn't indulge in if it feels like an indulgence, shifting that mindset is what I'm doing into, okay, what if I said yes? How is that going to feel for me?

How is that going to feel for my family? What's the result going to be? Is it going to be a positive result for me? Is it going to be a positive result for how I show up for my kids and my partner in life? Is it going to be worth the energy that I put into it? And if the answer is yes, do it. Try it. That's my philosophy right now.

So yes, maybe this was a little preachy. And no, I'm not going to get into the nitty gritties of my recent boudoir photo shoot other than to say that saying yes to me was so multi-layered.

but so worth it. It wasn't about the pictures that will ultimately come from this. It was about knowing that I was going to be seen and held and respected, knowing that I was gonna be taken care of for a little while and not have to think about my responsibilities.

It was knowing that, especially because I was working with Megan, I was going to feel confident and empowered and beautiful in ways that I have not felt in years.

And that was a good investment of my energy. Am I paying for it physically now? Yes, I am. But it was still worth the cost. And again, I'm reiterating, it can be anything. It can literally be anything that you feel called to do or you feel called to try. And if the energy that you put into it

is going to equal a more fulfilled you.

Do it! Do the thing! Alright, I don't usually pre-chat you. So, instead, I'm gonna let you off the hook here. And probably take a little nap. Maybe, maybe, You should schedule some time to take a little nap today too. Naps are good, you guys. They're good.

Either way, do something nice for yourself today. Say yes to you. Because it's saying yes to your family too. All right, I'll catch you here next week. Thanks for hanging out.