Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

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Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

Joanna Hardis, LISW-S, is a licensed therapist, author and speaker who helps people do hard things.

Her second book, “Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less,” guides parents on building distress tolerance.

12/18/2025

Repeat after me: You don’t have to feel calm to act calmly.

You can be flooded with frustration and still hold a boundary. You can feel the urge to yell and still speak with a steady tone.

That’s what the PAUSEing helps you do. It reminds us to pause before we act. It's 5 skills that can be used together, separately or in any combination that someone needs, and those needs will change depending on the moment.

It doesn’t erase the discomfort. It gives you the skill set to stay with it without letting it take the wheel.

Because parenting from values means:
💥 Holding the line even when you're exhausted
💥 Responding kindly even when you're irritated
💥 Choosing your behavior instead of reacting from panic
We’re not aiming for perfection. We’re building capacity.

Want to learn how to make that space between trigger and response? Start by PAUSEing (full breakdown in the blog—https://joannahardis.com/2025/12/01/how-to-stop-getting-so-mad-so-easily-pause/).

12/16/2025

Holidays can be especially hard if you’re grieving or feeling lonely this time of year.

When I was newly divorced, I would dread the time between Christmas and the New Year. I still don’t like it though I’ve come to make new traditions to get through it.

Make sure you check on your friends, colleagues and acquaintances that may be alone and feeling lonely. ❤️

12/11/2025

Your nervous system can’t tell the difference between:
🚨 “My kid is yelling at me” and
🚨 “A bear is chasing me.”

Both trigger the same fight-or-flight response.

This is why you explode over bedtime. Or homework. Or the 6th snack request.

The solution? Learning to PAUSE and remind yourself: “I’m not in danger. I’m just uncomfortable.”

It sounds simple, but this shift is powerful. Because when you stop treating discomfort like danger, you can respond from your values, not your panic.
Want a tool that helps you do this in the moment?

Get your copy of Just Do Nothing (for Parents) here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Do-Nothing-Parents-Parent/dp/B0FV3Q1CSV/

12/09/2025

This one’s for the parents, usually us moms.

This time of year, the urge to make things perfect for our kids can be strong (including their moods!)

When we’re so focused on making sure everything’s perfect and everyone’s happy, we can slip into control mode—micromanaging, oversteering, missing the moment right in front of us.

What would happen if you gave yourself permission to go from "perfect" to "good enough?"

12/05/2025

There’s a voice in your head that says you should be doing more. More wrapping, more reaching out, more showing up, more self-improvement before the ball drops.

Let’s challenge that. 🗣️

Not engaging with the urge to do more does not mean you're lazy, wasting time, or falling behind. In fact, it may give you the opportunity to slow down and connect with what's really important.

Rest isn’t something you earn by pushing yourself to the edge, it’s part of being human. It’s how we take care of ourselves so we can keep showing up.

What helps you actually rest this time of year? Share in the comments, it might just give someone else permission to do the same.

12/03/2025

It’s not just the holidays that feel hard.

It’s the pressure to feel a certain way, to keep everyone happy, to not let anything bother you.

But the truth is you don’t have to fix these feelings or fight them, that will just make them stronger.. You do have to build the capacity to stay with them. That’s building distress tolerance.

It’s not about staying calm all the time (that’s unrealistic), it’s about learning how to function when things aren’t calm.

💭 What helps you stay grounded when things feel messy? Drop it in the comments, someone else might need it, too.

11/26/2025

Friendly reminder: You can be grateful and uncomfortable at the same time 🍂

11/25/2025

Most of us want the quickest fix, the straight shot from A to B, but when it comes to meaningful, lasting change, that shortcut usually doesn’t cut it.

Before we can shift a behavior, we have to understand how we function (our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behaviors) especially in the moments that stir up our more vulnerable emotions.

It’s not always comfortable to look inward, but it is essential.

Meeting those moments with curiosity and compassion helps us move from autopilot to intention. And that’s where real change begins. 💫

11/21/2025

Dreading the holiday dinner déjà vu? You’re not alone.

Instead of bracing for that meltdown, that question, or that relative, try this:
✨ Soften into the discomfort.
✨ Plan your response ahead of time.

You know it’s coming, so let’s stop being surprised and start being intentional. You can show up how you want to show up.

11/19/2025

Doing less never traveled so far. 🌎📚

Just Do Nothing (for Parents) is making its way around the country (and hopefully onto your reading list).

If you’ve bought, shared, talked about, recommended, posted, or messaged me about this book, thank you.

There’s nothing better than seeing your work land in the hands of the people it was written for.

11/17/2025

You can know the “right” thing to do as a parent and still not be able to do it.

Not because you don’t care or aren’t trying hard enough, but because in the moment, your discomfort feels too much.

Or your child is upset, disappointed, maybe even furious, and instead of holding the boundary, you cave (we’ve all been there). It’s rarely because we don’t know what to do. Often our fears about how our kids may react hijack our parenting.

That’s distress intolerance. And it’s a barriers to following through, especially when emotions are high.

The good news is you can build your tolerance. You can increase your capacity to feel discomfort without reacting or avoiding it. It’s a skill. And it changes everything.

👉 I talk more about this in my new book, Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less. Get your copy today.

11/13/2025

Very few things in life are linear. Change certainly isn’t. 🌀

There’s this perception that if you return to an old behavior, you’re moving backwards or regressing. You’re not. Progress includes setbacks. It’s how we respond to that setback that matters.

Accept what happened, remind yourself this is part of the process (as much as it may suck), and find your next small step. You CAN do it.

Address

2460 Fairmount Boulevard Suite 320
Cleveland Heights, OH
44106

Telephone

+12166008696

Website

http://joannahardis.com/

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