Season 1. Episode 16. The Yes...And Podcast: Let's talk about REMs.

In this heart-centered episode, Claire shares a powerful concept that became a guiding light for her family after the upheaval of COVID: REMs—Relationships, Experiences and Memories.

What started as a quiet realization during a season of stillness has now become a way of living with intention. Through personal stories and gentle insights, Claire unpacks how we can prioritize what truly matters—especially in the midst of busy careers, packed schedules, and everyday pressures.

Whether you're a high-achieving professional, a parent, or simply someone craving more meaning in your life, this episode is a beautiful invitation to slow down and focus on what lasts.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
✨ Why REMs matter more than ever in our fast-paced world
✨ The difference between productivity and presence
✨ How to start creating meaningful moments in everyday life
✨ Simple ways to live more intentionally—with your people and your purpose

This episode is for you if:
✔ You’ve been feeling the tug to slow down and savor more
✔ You want to create deeper connections with the people you love
✔ You’re ready to live a life that feels as good as it looks

✨ Mentioned in the Episode:
Ready to reconnect with what matters most? Explore the 21 Day Day Success Roadmap: Build Micro Habits for Success 

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going:
📸 Share your favorite memory-making moment and tag @IamClaireDarr
💌 Know someone who needs this reminder? Send them this episode.
🌟 If this spoke to you, please leave a rating + review to help others find the show.

Welcome to The Yes… And Podcast, where we explore what happens when you say yes to life, embrace your purpose, and step into your fullest potential.

Hosted by Claire Darr—former corporate lawyer turned executive coach, wife, mom, and passionate believer in intentional living—this podcast is your guide to creating a life you can’t wait to wake up for.

Each week, we’ll dive into inspiring stories and practical lessons, blending soulful conversations with actionable strategies to help you overcome self-imposed limits, find balance, and build a legacy of joy and fulfillment. From courageous entrepreneurs to everyday heroes, our guests share how they’ve said yes… and to faith, family, career, and the adventures of life.

Whether you’re a busy professional, a working mom, or someone feeling stuck or overwhelmed,The Yes… And Podcast is here to empower you with the tools, mindset, and inspiration to dream big and live boldly.

Life is too short to play small. It’s time to say yes to more—and discover the yes..and life you’ve been longing for.

Subscribe now and join the movement toward a life of peace, purpose, and boundless possibilities.

Follow me on Instagram @iamclairedarr

Interested in working with me, all the links here: https://linktr.ee/clairedarr

Transcript

Hi there. Well, welcome back. Welcome back to the Yes And podcast. And my hope ⁓ for today's episode is that I inspire you to start living in a different way. That is fun and wonderful and joyous. And today I want to talk about REMs, R-E-M-S. ⁓ And it's not a sleep pattern and it's not a band from the 80s and 90s. ⁓

It's something that's really close to my heart, something me and my family started prioritizing in a whole new way after COVID. Relationships, experiences, memories, that's what REM stands for.

And all of that might sound really simple on the surface, but for us, REMs became kind of a compass for us as a family. A reminder of what truly matters. Because if the COVID years, the last few years and everything going on in the world has taught us anything, it's this. Time is precious. People are not promised. And

The little moments often turn out to be the big ones. When you look back

over six months, a year, five, five years, whatever you look back on your life, it was those little moments that turned out to be the big ones. But as with everything important, you have to be intentional sometimes. So let's start with relationships. You know, during lockdown, when everything slowed down, ⁓

we actually saw what remained and that was our people, our family, our close friends, the one who sit with us and show up when there's no reason to show up, but they do. And they're the ones that are there no matter what. Those are the relationships worth pouring into. I know as I'm talking, people are coming to mind for you. ⁓

I know over the past few years, we've stopped assuming that we'd always have later or more time or another time. And we started making the phone calls. We started sending the messages of gratitude. We've hugged a little longer. We've sat down at the dinner table without rushing off to the next thing that has to be done.

And all of these things, these small little things are important because relationships don't thrive on autopilot. They don't. need attention. They need presence. They need love.

And then we have experiences. ⁓ We started choosing experiences over stuff. And that was intentional as well on our part. We moved house during COVID and when you move house, know, you know, that brings with it packing, unpacking, looking at all the stuff you have. And we made a conscious decision.

to choose experiences. And not just extravagant ones. Yes, we've planned amazing trips. Yes, yes, yes. But it's things like trying out a new card game, baking something in the kitchen together. That's totally messy. Trying a new family tradition. Like make your own pizza on Friday night, pizza night. Throw on some

Dean Martin Italian music and make your own pizza. Fun little excursions as a family and doing the fun little things that may have thought you might have thought they were ridiculous but they're just fun. They're fun going for a little ride around the neighborhood singing to your favorite songs.

I'm making a game out of things.

And please, please, please, please take the vacations. Please go see the things, do the things, buy the tickets to the shows, do all of those things. But no, it doesn't have to always be big and extravagant for the experience to be meaningful.

And then finally, there are the memories. I used to think that big vacations or milestone events were what the memories were made of. ⁓ And they are great. Like I've said, we love a celebration in our house. We love taking trips. But what are some of our favorite memories now? That Friday night pizza night that I talked about, where we each make our own.

making pancakes on Sunday morning, dance parties in the living room, sitting on the porch together, looking out at our garden, letting our dogs play. It's those ordinary, consistent moments that stack up into something really sacred. That's where the memories come from. And when life gets hard, those are the memories we go back to.

They're the things my children talk about. They're the things we bring up all the times. They're the ones, the memories that remind us of who we are and what we've built to get there.

And I want you to know that REMs aren't about perfection. It's not about Facebook perfect. It's not about the most perfect experience or the relationship that doesn't have its ups and downs. REMs are about presence. They're about living life on purpose, not just letting it pass by while, you know, we check off some boxes or chase the next thing.

Because at the end of the day, the most meaningful success is a life full of connection and joy and shared moments.

And I learned this lesson over and over again, and I heard it again this morning. And ⁓ I love being reminded of this, that, you know, a lot of us are conditioned in life to go after goals and achievements and the next thing and the next thing and I'll be happy when I'll be happy when I've lost some weight, I'll be happy when I'm in that relationship, I'll be happy when I get the promotion.

I'll be happy when the mortgage is paid off. I'll be happy when I retire. I'll be happy when I get my dream car. I'll be happy when, when, And what we miss out on in that constant pursuit of the next thing and the next thing and next thing, and don't get me wrong, I love the pursuit of a goal, of a dream, of achievement. I love it. I live by it. I encourage everyone to do it. But it's when we get caught up in thinking that we'll be happy when.

or if that we lose sight of being happy in the moment and the joy is in the journey. That's the whole point. Having fun along the way on that fun little adventure, that road trip you go on to achieve the goal and the dream. That's living, not getting to the end destination because here's something I know, when you reach that end destination, whatever it is,

happiness isn't always there at the end and because we're human and because this is how we were designed to always elevate and strive for more, then there'll be the next thing you want and the next thing and the next thing and that is okay. Where we trip ourselves up is presuming we'll be happy when we get the thing and then realizing we're not happy when we get the thing and we want something else.

and we miss out on having the fun and the joyous moments and the experiences and the connection and the relationship and the memories along the way. So please strive for what it is you want. Go after the goal, go after the dream, go after the achievement, set your sights on things and enjoy the process along the way. That's where the magic happens and then keep going and keep going and keep going.

There is no end destination until the absolute end for you. So keep going. So maybe today is a good day to ask yourself, what REMS are you creating?

Who do you want to be more present with?

What little moment could become a lifelong memory if you paused for long enough to enjoy it?

And for me and my family, rems aren't just something we talk about.

They're the legacy we're living right now in this moment.

Think about that for you and your loved ones. What legacy do you want to be living right now in the moment?

Thanks so much for being here today. I hope this resonates with you. I'd love you to share it with someone you love. Go make a new memory together. Go inspire other people to pursue their realms. And I'll look forward to seeing you next time.