2018 has hands down been one of the hardest years of my life physically and emotionally.It wasn’t hard because of some trauma or hardship, in fact, nothing “bad” at all happened and I have so much to be grateful for (which I’ll get into later in this post). Instead it was hard because I felt like I kept failing myself over and over again.At this time in 2017, I had an entire plan laid out for 2018:...My goals were set in place....I was super motivated and determined to spend 2018 building my new coaching company....I had a full picture of what my “maternity leave” would look like...I outlined what each quarter would produce....But instead, I burnt out.The first 5 months of 2018 were strong and the momentum kept propelling me forward until Mia arrived 4 weeks early on June 9th. Everything came to a sudden halt and my original 6-8 week “maternity leave” extended to 7 months. While I still executed all the events through Stephanie Uchima Events I had committed to (in a sleep deprived state), I put my entire coaching business on hold.I was in complete survival and maintenance mode.The first 3 months of Mia’s life were relatively easy. She slept 85% of the time. I was able to work while nursing (minus some awkward conference calls). She didn’t have acid reflux or colic like Chase (my 3.5 year old). Things appeared to be running smoothly… but then I hesitated. I hesitated on finding childcare for the baby.I hesitated on saying no to things I should have.I hesitated on what I wanted to focus on because imposter syndrome, comparison syndrome and mommy guilt started to creep in.How could I help and inspire mom entrepreneurs to be a power moms in life and business when I was struggling myself? From the outside, I made it look easy. I was still doing interviews, Facebook lives, running a challenge, executing events, participating in online courses, posting on social media, chairing a committee for a local philanthropy, attending 2 different mommy and me classes (one being an hour from my house), volunteering at my son’s pre-school (while also taking him to two different schools), decorating our new home, running two companies, exclusively breastfeeding, making daily lunches for school, sleeping only in 2-3 hour blocks, etc… but internally, I was drowning and physically I was exhausted and putting self-care last.I was doing too much, yet I felt like I was doing absolutely NOTHING.I kept falling short of every expectation I had laid out for myself and I felt like I was failing at ALL. THE. THINGS.Then December hit and I stopped and realized that although the year had flown by, in 2018 I had so much to be grateful for. And despite losing touch with my morning gratitude journal (or any morning routine for that matter), I thought I'd write down the top 10 15 things I am grateful for in 2018... because gratitude changes everything.

I am grateful for...

Giving birth (via second time “emergency” c-section) to a healthy, happy and easy-going baby girl who completed our family of four
Watching our smart, funny, athletic and incredibly loving and charming 3 year old boy grow up
Moving into our beautifully remodeled new house
Getting clarity in my career path
Making some amazing new mommy and parent friends (IRL)
Making some incredible new business mommy friends online (thank you Facebook groups)
Having my brother-in-law move back to the USA after being out of the country for 6 years (best uncle ever)
Successfully pulling off 2 major events only 3 and 4 months postpartum
Executing my final wedding ever only 1 week before giving birth
Leasing a new office space in a location I love
Being accepted to be a speaker at a conference I have been dreaming of attending (yet alone speaking at... oh and one that Joanna Gaines is the keynote speaker)
Watching my husband excel in his career
Getting a new MacBook Air (who knew I hadn't bought a new laptop in 6 years)
Joining our favorite golf club
Having a supportive family and group of personal, business and online friends throughout the year to help get me through it all!