A fast, science-backed reset for distracted, overwhelmed moms: Question • Reason • Story.

Feeling triggered before 9 a.m.? This quick, science-backed reset—my QRS Technique™—helps moms shift from autopilot reactions to calm, connected parenting in seconds. Perfect for back-to-school chaos.

Your brain can learn a new response. In this story-driven episode, I share a real Montessori-mom moment, then walk you through QRS: Question, Reason, Story—a micro-habit that interrupts the spiral and rewires your nervous system for steadier days.

Full Details

What you’ll learn

Why busy moms default to autopilot reactions (amygdala alarm vs. prefrontal calm)

How to run the QRS Technique™ in real life: Question → Reason → Story

Pattern interruption 101: breaking the trigger → reaction → regret loop

Using QRS during back-to-school transitions, sibling squabbles, spills, and time crunches

A mom-tested script to validate worry, invite curiosity, and model regulation

Why micro-habits create macro-change (hello, neuroplasticity)

In this episode

A messy, very real Montessori high-chair moment (and what it taught me)

The exact thought that flipped my response from snap → steady

QRS Technique™ you can use anywhere: dentist dash, car chaos, kitchen glitter storm

A dinner-table story: two kids, one season, very different emotions—and how QRS met both

Back-to-school reframes you can borrow: curiosity over catastrophizing

Try it this week (homework): Catch one spicy moment. Pause. Run Q → R → S:

• Question: What’s really going on here?
• Reason: Why do I want to stay calm?
• Story: How can I reframe this as a teachable moment?
• Notice the energy shift—for you and your child.

Resources & Next Steps

Join the Compass Circle™ for simple tools, coaching, and community: [link]

Next episode: The MIA Routine—a simple daily rhythm to anchor your day.

📚 Research & Sources Mentioned

• Garcia, A. (2025). The QRS Technique™: Pause & Power-Up Parenting Tool. Developed and introduced inside Compass Circle by Anya Garcia.→ Original framework for parents to pause before reacting: Question, Reason, Story.
• Wood, W. (2019). Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.
• Davidson, R. J., & Begley, S. (2012). The Emotional Life of Your Brain. Penguin Books.
• Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). The Whole-Brain Child. Delacorte Press.
• McGonigal, K. (2015). The Upside of Stress. Avery.
• Research on neuroplasticity: Pascual-Leone, A., Amedi, A., Fregni, F., & Merabet, L. B. (2005). The Plastic Human Brain Cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 28, 377–401

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