Marisa O'Brien Transformational Coaching & Parent Breakthrough

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Glastonbury, CT
Marisa O'Brien Transformational Coaching & Parent Breakthrough

I help parents with challenging kids break free from their mental, physical and emotional overwhelm and guilt.

Together we put the pieces of your puzzle together to uplevel your life. Here you'll find quick parenting wins, mindset hacks & inspiration.

06/16/2026

Finding joy in the little things

My niece said to me today, “you are always happy, I like it!”

It agreed and it also made me think about it and it is true that I am happy a lot. But looking back on my life there have been many times I struggled.

And if I could go back in time during those moments my advice to myself would be to listen to my body and find joy in the little things.

Our bodies know what we need and when we tune into ourselves and get curious … the answer shows up.

This moment popping bubbles on the deck was one of those moments of finding joy in the little things.

What would the world be like if we all found as much joy each day as we could?

06/05/2026

Self-love isn’t just bubble baths and self-care.

Self-love is:

💛 The way you speak to yourself when you’re struggling.

💛 The grace you offer yourself when things don’t go perfectly.

💛 The permission you give yourself to be human.

💛 The choice to stop treating yourself like a problem that needs fixing.

Sometimes the most powerful act of self-love is simply changing the conversation happening inside your own head.

The next time you catch yourself judging, criticizing, or beating yourself up, pause.

Take a breath.

And ask yourself:

“What would I say to someone I love right now?”

Then offer yourself the same kindness.

✨ Be the warm, squishy hug your inner voice has been missing.

You are love!

05/27/2026

Capacity is not about how much you can do.

Not productivity.
Not how much we can force ourselves to carry.

Capacity is what your nervous system can hold.

Because there’s a difference between functioning in force and survival mode…
and truly having the internal safety to hold more and create flow and stability.

When our body doesn’t feel safe, everything can feel heavier.

Small stressors feel overwhelming.
Conversations feel triggering.
Rest feels unfamiliar.
We react faster.
Shut down quicker.
Become more emotionally exhausted carrying things that once felt manageable.

But as we begin creating more safety within ourselves, something shifts.

Our capacity expands.

Not because life suddenly becomes perfect…
but because our nervous system is no longer spending all of its energy trying to survive and push through.

Regulation increases our ability to:
hold emotions,
navigate stress,
respond intentionally,
stay present,
create boundaries,
become balanced,
and move through life with more steadiness.

When we create enough internal safety, life no longer feels like something we are constantly bracing against or pushing through.

A regulated nervous system doesn’t remove challenge.

It increases our ability to move through challenge without abandoning ourselves in the process 🥰

📸 by

05/20/2026

I’ve been talking a lot lately about nervous system regulation, self-awareness, and emotional patterns.

One thing I hear often is:

“This is just how I am.”
Or…
“That’s just how they are.”

But humans are far more adaptable than we give ourselves credit for.

We are not fixed beings.

We are multifaceted humans with an incredible ability to learn, grow, heal, adapt, and change throughout our lives.

Science continues to show us that through neuroplasticity, the brain is capable of creating new neural pathways, patterns, behaviors, and responses based on repetition, awareness, environment, and experience.

Which means:
Just because something is familiar…
does not mean it is permanent.

And while we may not control every circumstance around us, we do have influence over how we show up within them.

Our reactions.
Our awareness.
Our healing.
Our accountability.
Our willingness to pause, reflect, and choose differently.

That is powerful.

Because growth often begins the moment we stop saying:
“This is just who I am.”

And start asking:
“Is this who I want to continue being?”

Or:
“What would it look like to respond differently than I do right now?”

Not from shame.
Not from perfectionism.
But from curiosity.

The beautiful thing about being human is that we are constantly evolving.

And sometimes the most important changes begin with small moments of awareness repeated over time. 🌿

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day 💕

This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about the women who hold so much for everyone else… and how important it is that they feel held too. 🤍

The mothers carrying the mental load.
The emotional load.
The invisible load no one else fully sees.

The women who keep showing up even when they’re tired.

Who are balancing caregiving, work, relationships, healing, growth, and everyday life all at once.

So many mothers are carrying more than people realize.

And while motherhood can be beautiful, it can also feel overwhelming at times too.

This is your reminder that you matter too.

You deserve support.
You deserve rest.
You deserve care.
You deserve moments where you don’t have to hold everything alone.

Today I hope you feel appreciated not just for what you do for everyone else…
but for who you are. 🌿

For your heart.
For your presence.
For the love, warmth, and humanity you bring into the lives around you.

Your worth is not something you have to earn through productivity, caregiving, or how much you give to others.

You are already worthy.
Already valuable.
Already deeply loved exactly as you are.

Simply because you exist.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible mothers and mother figures out there. 🤍

xoxo,
Marisa

05/08/2026

There’s been a lot going on lately and my body has been reminding me that slowing down is not weakness… it’s wisdom. 🌿

With a baby still waking up in the middle of the night 😜, it’s easy to slip into taking care of everyone else while quietly pushing our own needs aside.

But eventually the body whispers…
then nudges…
then demands our attention.

Lately I’ve been feeling under the weather, and instead of pushing through, I’m trying to listen more closely.

More rest.
More nourishment.
More honesty about what I need too.

So this is your reminder that self check-ins matter.

Not just mentally.
Physically. Emotionally. Nervous system wise.

Sometimes we don’t need to “do more.”
We need to reconnect with ourselves again.

For me, that means it’s time to restart my morning check-in practice. ☀️

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from yourself lately too, DM me the word “CHECK-IN” and I’ll send you the simple self check-in I use. 🤍

Photo by Isabella Delollio

04/23/2026

Earth Day reminder 🌎

Nature does not rush.
It does not force.
It does not compare itself to the season beside it.

It roots.
It adapts.
It grows when conditions support growth.

Humans are not so different.

Sometimes the next level is not doing more.
It is regulating more!

🌱More rest.
🌱More presence.
🌱More space in your nervous system.
🌱More trust in timing.

A dysregulated system pushes.
A regulated system expands.

This Earth Day, maybe your growth looks less like hustle…
and more like honoring your own natural rhythm.

Take one deep breath outside.
Pick up one piece of litter.
Plant one seed.
Choose one kinder habit.

Because small grounded actions create real change, in us and around us.

What if the most powerful thing you grow this season is inner steadiness, while caring for the world that holds you? 🌱🌎

04/16/2026

The way you talk to yourself matters more than you think.

Not just the big, obvious thoughts…
But the small, automatic ones.

The ones that quietly say:
“I should be doing better.”
“Why can’t I figure this out?”
“What’s wrong with me?”

Those thoughts aren’t harmless.
➡️They shape how you feel.
➡️How you show up.
➡️What you believe is possible for you.

And most of the time…
you don’t even realize they’re there.

But the moment you get curious…
everything starts to shift ✨

Pause and ask yourself:
Is my inner voice lifting me up…
or pulling me down?

And what would it sound like to speak to yourself the way you would a best friend?

✨ Because you do have power here.
More than you’ve been led to believe ✨

Keep your head up. Stay curious 💕

What do you want your inner voice to sound like!?!

innerwork

04/08/2026

Goofball Island is alive and well over here 😄

If you’ve seen Inside Out, you know how we create core memories.

The the moments that stick aren’t the perfectly planned ones…
they’re the silly, messy, unexpected bursts of joy.

This is your reminder:

You don’t have to be doing a million things.
You don’t need the perfect outing.
You don’t need more time.

You just need to be there.

Fully present.
In the laughter.
In the chaos.
In the moment that’s right in front of you.

Because these are the memories that build connection.
These are the moments they carry with them.

Pause.
Be here.
Let Goofball Island take over for a minute 🤍

03/24/2026

Most moms think they need more patience.
But what they actually need… is more capacity.

When your nervous system is overloaded, even small moments can feel like too much.

That’s not a failure.

That’s your system asking for support.

And when that shifts, you begin responding differently in moments that used to overwhelm you.

If this resonates, you’re invited to explore it on an Alignment Call.

Link in bio.

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Glastonbury, CT
06033

Website

https://linktr.ee/marisaobrien

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