Stephing Up

Meal Prep Tips For People Who Hate Meal Prep

Stephing Up

Show Notes

The reason your meal prep keeps failing isn't because you're not disciplined. It's because you're copying systems built for people who like cooking. If that's not you, those systems will never work. You know the spiral. You're on Pinterest, you find recipes that look amazing, you go and spend hundreds of dollars on groceries (including six herbs you've never heard of), and by week three you're hating life and the kitchen is a war zone. Week one you were motivated. Week two you were okay. Week three you've given up. You know what hasn't given up? The weird herbs. They're still in your pantry. They will outlive us all. In this episode I share: The 10-meal rotation: the framework that fixed my dinners forever ("we like what we like" beats Pinterest every time) Theme nights and the science of pre-set decision frames The meal plan is a guide, not a contract: how to swap meals without falling off the wagon Component prep, not full meal prep The viral lunch bag I designed at the SPP warehouse The Woolies online list hack that saves me 30 minutes a week Decide what's for dinner at 9am, not 5pm: the rule that ended my 5pm panic forever BONUS: The Grab-and-Go Tub — pantry snacks the kids choose from … Episode Links: Shop the Luxe Lunch Bag: https://www.stephpaseplanners.com.au/collections/luxe-lunch-bags Shop the Shopping List Notepad: https://www.stephpaseplanners.com.au/products/new-shopping-list Shop Magnet Planners: https://www.stephpaseplanners.com.au/collections/planner-magnets Steph’s Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com.au/shop/justanothermummyblog/list/17TTU785IMM53 … Follow Stephing Up I’m Steph Pase, your (somewhat) organised bestie in your ears. This podcast is about growth that’s messy, building a life that actually fits you, and what happens when life doesn’t go to plan. We’ll talk mental health, motherhood, business, ADHD and how to stop being such an asshole to yourself. New episodes drop every Monday morning. So set your reminder. Pop in your headphones. Because we’re Stephing Up together. If today's episode helped, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is honestly the best thing you can do to help us reach more women. … Let’s Hang: Stephing Up on Instagram: @stephing.up Steph Pase on Instagram: @stephpase_ Steph Pase on Youtube: @stephpase. Shop Planners + Organisation: Steph Pase Planners Shop Steph’s book “Mastering my Messy Life”: Penguin Books Australia

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Sep 20, 2026

I know everyone loves the Let Them Theory… but I actually think there’s one pretty big problem with telling people to simply “let them” and stop caring what other people think. It kind of asks us to fight against our own psychology. Humans are wired to care about belonging, rejection and what other people think of us. For most of human history, being accepted by the group wasn’t just nice — it was tied to survival. Which is probably why one weird comment can derail your entire day, someone seeming “off” sends you into a spiral, or criticism somehow becomes evidence that you’re a terrible person… hi. Same. For years, I thought the goal was to learn how to stop caring what people think. But the more I’ve looked into the psychology behind it, the more I’ve realised that advice like “just don’t care” can miss something pretty important: humans are literally wired to care about belonging. So maybe the goal isn’t becoming someone who doesn’t care. Maybe it’s becoming much more selective about whose opinions are allowed to carry weight. In this episode, we’re talking about: Why some of us take criticism, rejection and other people’s moods so personally The very old survival reason your brain cares so much about what other people think How negativity bias can make one negative comment louder than 100 positive ones Why telling yourself to “just stop caring” often doesn’t actually work The difference between receiving feedback and automatically turning it into a judgement about who you are Why disagreement doesn’t necessarily mean rejection The problem with giving people who barely know you the same voting rights as the people who actually do The simple filter I now use before deciding whether someone’s opinion deserves my energy The “mailbox” idea that completely changed how I think about criticism How to let something sting without letting it become your truth And towards the end, I’ll give you the questions I now ask myself when a comment gets under my skin — because I’m probably never going to become someone who magically doesn’t care what anyone thinks. But I can stop handing everyone a vote on who I am. Follow Stephing Up I’m Steph Pase, your (somewhat) organised bestie in your ears. This podcast is about growth that’s messy, building a life that actually fits you, and what happens when life doesn’t go to plan. We’ll talk mental health, motherhood, business, ADHD and how to stop being such an asshole to yourself. New episodes drop every Monday morning. So set your reminder. Pop in your headphones. Because we’re Stephing Up together. If today's episode helped, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is honestly the best thing you can do to help us reach more women. Let’s Hang: Stephing Up on Instagram: @stephing.up Steph Pase on Instagram: @stephpase_ Steph Pase on Youtube: @stephpase. Shop Planners + Organisation: Steph Pase Planners Shop Steph’s book “Mastering my Messy Life”: Penguin Books Australia Steph’s Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com.au/shop/justanothermummyblog/list/17TTU785IMM53 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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