Generation.Mom: Recent Episodes

Lara Schulte & Jenn Rout

Are you looking for a way to merge your pre-kid life into your life as Mom? You’re in the right place! Lara & Jenn candidly discuss real-life experience as Modern Day Moms, and highlight women who create space for both their individual identity and being Mom. This podcast is designed to guide, connect & support women navigating Modern Day Motherhood. Subscribe NOW & listen weekly!

Are you looking for natural ways to boost your fertility?

If so, we’ve got just the episode for you! In this episode, we had Liz Shaw, Founder of Shaw Simple Swaps, registered dietitian nutritionist and certified personal trainer.

Liz shares with us the role that our nutrition plays in our fertility and how you can help support your fertility and overall health with simple nutritional changes! She shares why she loves the Mediterranean diet for aspiring and postpartum mamas and how good nutrition can support you through an IVF journey.

She shares so much incredible advice in our conversation around avoiding toxins, postpartum nutrition and using supplements to support both you and your partner’s fertility!

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How she dove into nutrition when she was having fertility issues * What the Mediterranean diet is like and what options you have * How nutrition supports you through IVF * Liz’s tips on implementing supplements for men and women * Why nutrition is important for postpartum * Why Liz is passionate about secondary infertility

Have you ever wondered if your kid’s behavior is due to sensory preferences?

In this episode, we had on Wendy Bertagnole of the Exceptional Parenting Podcast. Wendy talks about a book on sensory preferences that changed her life and helped her to understand exactly what her child was going through.

We dive into what sensory preferences are and how they show up in our children. She shares how you can become more aware of what sensory preferences your little one might have and how to help them overcome things that might trigger their sensory system.

She also gives her advice for navigating the sensory system, figuring out what activities calm your child’s sensory system and so much more!

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What made her realize that she needed to figure out sensory preferences * What sensory processing is and how it comes up in your daily life * How to be more aware of your kid’s sensory preferences and adapt to them * What you can do to help kids process for experiences that may trigger their sensory system * Her advice for navigating the sensory system

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the little choices you have to make every day for your kids?

In this episode, we were joined by Stephanie Leshney, founder of Dabble & Dollop, a clean product line designed for families who want to have more fun in the tub!

With over 20 years of experience in the cosmetic industry, Stephanie walked us through behind the scenes information on cosmetic and personal care ingredients (and tips for which ingredients to use on children).

She shares different things you can look out for and be cognizant of when shopping for personal care items. You’ll learn more about what it means for products to be “clean”, how innovation is driven in the industry and what you should know about essential oils and fragrance in your products!

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Label tricks to be aware of and things to keep on your radar when shopping for cosmetics * The pros and cons of essential oils and fragrance is products * Tips for finding products for your child under the age of 2 * How she came up with her business, Dabble & Dollop * Her advice on showing your kids vulnerability and imperfection

Today we’re chatting with Dr. Jacqueline Worth, an ob/gyn and a passionate advocate for women’s health especially surrounding pregnancy. In her practice, Jacqueline specifically works with women who are pregnant. She also just released a new book, The New Rules of Pregnancy: What to Eat, Do, Think About, and Let Go Of While Your Body Is Making a Baby. She shares her candid advice to help expecting mothers learn what they really need to know about during their pregnancy. You’ll walk away from this episode feeling a lot less stressed about pregnancy and having the tools and knowledge to be able to experience your pregnancy with more joy.

What’s In This Episode:

Helping moms to see the joy of pregnancy
How the pain of labor is managed differently now
The higher rates of c-sections
Bringing a doula for spontaneous labor
The new rules of pregnancy
Asking for support and focusing on your own wellbeing and health

We can’t deny that 2020 has been a whirlwind of emotions and challenges.

In this episode, I was joined by Dr. Heather Maguire, host of the Prism Parenting podcast and the founder of Prism Behavior.

Heather and I talked about how we got started in our respective careers before diving into how you can thrive as a family during this challenging time. We talked about creating structure during COVID, our experiences with homeschool and at-home preschool and tips on using a reward system to change the dynamic at home.

We also explored ways you can find balance in your life and why you need to ditch mom guilt (and prioritize me-time). You’ll hear the importance of taking care of yourself as a mama and our advice on living in the present moment.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why Heather started Prism Parenting and Prism Behavior * Heather’s thoughts on the transition of putting structure back into our lives during the pandemic (and how this affects our kids) * How to use a rewards system to change the dynamic in your home * What you can do to prioritize me-time without mom guilt * Why we have to stop living for the future and capture joy in the present moment

Are you ready to design a life that fuels your soul?

In this episode, I was joined by the host of the Mompreneur Mastermind Show, Stefanie Gass. Stefanie is also the founder of two six-figure businesses all while being a mama.

She is passionate about helping women follow in her footsteps to create a life that they love. She shares her wisdom about tapping into source (whether that be God or the universe for you) for direction and fulfillment.

You’ll also hear why managing your relationship with social media is important, how to navigate the pressure of mom guilt and her advice on looking at life through a filter of love.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How she balances being an entrepreneur of two six-figure businesses and a mama * Her suggestions for defining your success without societal pressure * Personal expectations we place on ourselves and how this plays into mom guilt * Why you should incorporate your children into your dreams * How she’s learned to be authentic and show up as herself

There’s no one route to getting a family. The path to conceiving can look very different for many women.

Today we had Megan Bendinelli on for part two of our series on infertility. Megan is the CEO of Fertility Framework and a board-certified family nurse practitioner specializing in the area of fertility and assists many men and women with the miracle of starting their family.

In part two of this interview, Megan discusses different fertility treatment options such as IUI and IVF. We talk about how a diagnosis can help you get closer to the path of success (and ultimately starting your family).

She also dives into the topics of third party reproduction and what that can look like for couples when deciding to use an egg donor or surrogate. She shares her candid advice on how to support a friend navigating through infertility and her favorite part about her career.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How a diagnosis can help you distinguish the paths to success * Reframing how you look at the infertility journey and focusing in on the missing pieces of the puzzle * What IVF is and how it differs from an IUI * What third party reproduction is and going through the process of using an egg donor or surrogate * Tips on supporting a friend who’s dealing with infertility and what you should or shouldn’t say to someone going through infertility * Getting to that end-stage of acceptance and peace, with or without conceiving

As mamas, one of our biggest dreams is that our children will love themselves just as much as we love them.

In this episode, I was joined by Carly Anderson. Carly is the motherhood blogger behind Lipgloss and Crayons and the founder of the #justwearthesuit movement on Instagram.

We talk about why she got into body positivity and how she came to the realization that she was equipped to empower herself and her daughter.

Carly shares why our world needs a diverse representation of beauty, what the community of moms behind the #justwearthesuit is like and what women can do now to help impact our future generations in a positive way.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How her work is inspired by empowering her daughter and herself * Why Carly is passionate about body positivity * What women can do now to help cause change for future generations * Why a diverse representation of what beauty is in our world is needed * The messages she received from other moms around her campaign, #justwearthesuit

The process of trying to conceive can be overwhelming and daunting.

That’s why in this episode we decided to bring on Megan Bendinelli, the CEO of Fertility Framework and a board-certified family nurse practitioner specializing in the area of fertility.

She shares what prompted her to start the Fertility Framework after her own struggles to conceive. We discuss everything from infertility to secondary infertility, what a regular period looks like and the steps you should take when you’re ready to start your family.

She talks about the differences between an OBGYN and a reproductive endocrinologist, the types of testing that help medical professionals piece together the puzzle of your fertility journey and why it’s necessary to lean on the advice and guidance of a professional instead of using Dr. Google.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why Megan started Fertility Framework after her own struggles trying to conceive * What infertility is and how it’s different from secondary infertility * Her advice for steps to take if you’re ready to conceive * What a reproductive endocrinologist does and how that differs from an OBGYN * What types of testing they do to guide them in doing fertility treatments

Do you ever feel like life is too good to be true? Find yourself just waiting for the other shoe to drop?

In this episode, we’re chatting all things imposter syndrome and how it comes up in motherhood with Emme Estacio. Emee is a psychologist, author, speaker, leadership coach and founder of The PAME Code.

Emee has authored three books on imposter syndrome and she shares so much about what it is, how it comes up in motherhood and how you can overcome it.

She shares two techniques that you can use whenever you feel imposter syndrome creeping up. You’ll also hear what advice she has for mamas who are suffering from imposter syndrome and her tips on why you need supportive people around you.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How imposter syndrome comes up in motherhood * When imposter syndrome usually gets triggered for people * The characteristics to look for that you may be suffering from imposter syndrome * Consequences of imposter syndrome specifically in motherhood * Her advice for moms who are suffering from imposter syndrome

Do you feel like you need a translator to understand your toddler? If so, then this is the episode for you.

Today we’re speaking with Carly Tulloch, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and the founder of WeeTalkers, a platform that helps parents navigate all things speech with their kiddos.

Carly shares how music and singing can help kids as they learn speech and why you should follow your child’s lead of what they’re interested in when communicating with them.

We ask all of our questions on what mamas should be looking out for to make sure their little one is on track and what to do to help support your child’s foundational language skills. She gives us a clue on what we could expect from an appointment with a speech-language pathologist plus how to approach teaching your child language in a two-language household.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What speech-language pathologists do to help people communicate * The benefits of music and singing as it relates to speech * What you can do to help support your child’s foundational language skills * What you should look for to make sure your child is on track at each age range * What you can expect from an appointment with a speech-language pathologist

Have you ever found yourself comparing your motherhood to another mom on Instagram?

It’s no secret that social media has an effect on the business of being a mom. In this episode, we brought on Bethany Johnson and Maggie Quinlan, the researchers and authors behind You’re Doing It Wrong!

We dive into the comparison trap that comes with Instagram. It’s so easy to get sucked into comparing your life to the glossy, seemingly-perfect feed of someone else. However social media isn’t always the best place to turn to for advice around mothering.

We chat about making decisions based on social media and parenting advice from history that is found on social media today. You’ll hear all about the research they did, what they’ve found out and why they decided to write this book and research the correlation of media and motherhood.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How Maggie and Bethany’s career and life has shifted since motherhood * What inspired them to begin their research * How they researched and found data for their book * An example of poor advice that ties together history and social media * Why they set out to do this to help eliminate shame * Positive outcomes they’ve noted from their research and social media * Negative things they noted about the way people mother and the portrayal of mothering in media * How doctors and medical practitioners can support their patients who are getting information from social media * Maggie’s takeaways on their chapter around fertility and pregnancy * Their thoughts on sleep development programs * Bethany’s takeaways from their chapter on babies * How we’re doing postpartum care wrong and things to keep in mind when taking advice from social media

Has motherhood ever inspired you to start a business of your own?

Today we’re chatting with Mary Clavieres, the owner and CEO of Brief Transitions about how one of the most challenging and overwhelming parts of the postpartum experience led her to start a new business venture.

Mary started an underwear line specifically for postpartum women after she realized how much the product was desperately needed and not easy to find outside of the white mesh ones that we all steal from the hospital.

She shares some time blocking strategies she uses for juggling being a momma and entrepreneur and why she does something each morning to fill up her cup before getting started on her workday.

We also talked about how she made the leap from her corporate job to entrepreneurship, how motherhood influences her business and tips for building your career outside of motherhood.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Her product’s recent feature in What to Expect * How a difficult postpartum experience resulted in her starting her business * How her life and career has shifted due to motherhood * What she would tell an expectant mother about postpartum life * Mary’s journey of launching her business and how she hopes to support new moms * How she came up with the idea for her product and the process for bringing it together * What Mary did to make it work while juggling her corporate job, starting her business and being a mom to a newborn * How she manages her inventory using a fulfillment center and what she did before getting the fulfillment center up and running * What surprised her about the transition away from corporate and building her business * Her tips for staying focused and managing your schedule to get work done efficiently * Why she does an activity to fill up her cup before starting her workday * The most appreciative lesson she’s learned while growing her company * Common fears and roadblocks she sees other women in business face * What parenthood has taught her about being a business owner * Mary’s thoughts on what a self-made career path is teaching her girls * What she hopes to be most proud of looking back * Her tips on media relations for your business and getting placements in publications and podcasts

Lara Schulte shares a special announcement on behalf of herself and Jenn Rout. These have been unprecedented times of challenge and change. Generation.mom wants to address the events and commit to learning, growing and doing better.

Does your family have food issues? If so, you’ll love this episode with Jennifer Anderson of Kids Eat in Color.

Today we’re exploring all of the feelings that go along with food and family meals with little ones. Have you experienced mom guilt in relation to what you’re feeding your kids? Too much mac n’ cheese, not enough veggies, the list goes on!

Jennifer shares the nuances and best practices around how and what we should be feeding our kids, without the guilt.

We chat about everything from how to help your kid eat intuitively, what diet culture is teaching our kids and how to help picky eaters who are experiencing anxiety around food. You’ll definitely want to hear all of the tips she shares about incorporating play into meals and being present during meals.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Her feelings about being a mom and the CEO of her business * How Jennifer’s passion for food and family influenced the start of her business * What you should focus on besides just the food * How mom guilt plays into meal choices while eating out * How you can incorporate food play into mealtime * What you can do to be more present during meals without mom guilt * The challenges of dealing with picky eaters and helping them overcome anxiety around food choices * What intuitive eating is and how it helps people regain the ability to eat intuitively * Why parents have to protect their kid’s instincts to maintain their ability to eat intuitively * The 3 best practices to help encourage your kid’s instincts

Are you dreaming about creating an online business with real income? Today we’re discussing building a business based on community. We brought on the Boss Mom, Dana Malstaff to share how to cultivate an online community and in turn generate profits for yourself and your family. We discuss how not getting the job she wanted led her to start a business. She shares her goals for the community and how she wants to use it to impact other women, why you can absolutely “have it all” and how lack of communication can have an effect on your relationships. She also dives into tackling challenges and recognizing that you don’t have to play all of the roles and being comfortable with letting other people handle tasks and responsibilities.

What’s In This Episode:

Feeling isolated and unsure of what to do which led to the birth of Boss Mom
Her advice on how to tackle changes and move forward
How community can help you in life and business
Building your brand around your product or offering
Dana’s advice for entrepreneurs working on building their business

This episode is for you if you’re looking for some data-driven answers about the many decisions made during pregnancy and parenthood. There’s so much information out there about what you should or shouldn’t do during pregnancy, delivery, and those early parenting years that it can be really challenging to determine what is right for you and your family and what is fact versus fiction. For this episode, we brought on Emily Oster, an Economist, author and New York Times contributor. She shared how we can make measured approaches to decision making in parenting. We talked about a few of the do’s and don’ts in pregnancy and motherhood, using evidence to determine what is important to you and your family and some of the common misconceptions that come with breastfeeding, cosleeping, sleep training and more.

What’s In This Episode:

Using data and determining what is important to you and your family
Accepting that there is no absolute right choice
To do’s and not to do’s in pregnancy and motherhood
Being a stay-at-home mom or a working mom
Her best piece of advice for parents in the decision-making process

In parenthood, sometimes the mistakes we make are just as important as the successes. On today’s episode, we are diving in deep with guest, Wendy Snyder, a parenting coach who teaches people about Positive Parenting. She shares how to get to the root cause of your child’s misbehavior and how to work with your child instead of trying to change them. It’s time to get intentional with empowering your kids and learn how to navigate the parenting challenges that come your way with integrity.

What’s In This Episode:

Working with your children instead of trying to change them
Incorporating new habits into parenting and staying on track
How parenting mistakes are just as important as successes
The fear and force model and how this affects children
Getting intentional with empowering your kids

What exactly is a hormone and what role does it play in our health? Today we’re joined by Dr. Lauren Noel, a naturopathic doctor, and expert in natural medicine. Lauren, also known as “Dr. Lo”, is the host for the podcast, The Dr. Lo Radio Show and owns Shine Natural Medicine where she focuses on hormonal health and fertility. She shares how her own personal health journey led her to her work as a naturopathic doctor, everything you need to know about hormones and your health, and how the brain and gut are connected. This episode will leave you feeling inspired to make small changes to your lifestyle that will benefit your health in a big way.

What’s In This Episode:

What hormones do for the body
The correlation between your hormones and how you feel
Understanding your fertility and ovulation
The role that estrogen and progesterone play in pregnancy
What Lauren wishes more women knew about their hormones
Setting time aside to do what makes you happy

If you’re looking for an operation manual on motherhood, then today’s episode is for you. On this episode, Jenn talks to Lara about a tool that has changed her life, The Ultimate Life Tool. This tool is something that she uses in her coaching business for leaders, teams and professionals in identifying how to best play to their strengths in the workplace. Now, Lara is using this tool to help mothers identify the parent they want to be and how to pair it to their skillset. She explains how this tool can help you identify your natural talents, strengths, weaknesses, tolerance levels, communication styles and more. This episode will help you to better understand who you are and help you in becoming the mother and partner you dream of being.

What’s In This Episode:

What the Ultimate Life Tool or ULT is and how Lara’s uses it for her career and motherhood
Becoming a mother and how this has shifted her perspective on coaching clients
Natural talents vs. learned talents
Figuring out your communication style
Using the ULT as your life’s operation manual
Understanding your strengths and what you excel in

Are you looking for your mom tribe? Today we’re talking about community and how this is an integral part of motherhood, business and all aspects of life. We brought on professional community builder, Katie Saffert to help us dive into this topic. We chat about Katie’s experience with entrepreneurship and the pivots she’s made over the last decade. She shares why building community in your life is important and how to tap into that community for support when you need it. She also discusses how community has impacted her, the importance of learning to say no and why you need to show up for what you want.

What’s In This Episode:

How she ended up launching the Hatched Collective
Why community is needed in motherhood
How serving people will make you feel better
Going inward before being able to give
Connecting with other people on Instagram

We brought on Vienna Farlow, a holistic reproductive health practitioner intern and founder of the Cvntsultant. She focuses her work on demystifying the female body and teaching women better ways to connect with themselves. We discuss what body literacy is and how to become your own expert for your health. She shares the stigmas that there are about the female body, misconceptions there are around feminine health and how to determine what your body is telling you.

What’s In This Episode:

Learning more about natural birth control methods and deciphering your health through the menstrual cycle
Why there is a stigma about the female body
What the term cvntsultant means to her
How your menstrual cycle is a window into your overall health
What you should expect your cycle to look like after birth

Have you ever heard the phrase, “there’s an oil for that”? On this episode, we’ve enlisted Kelowna Giuliano, a holistic health practitioner and owner of Drop into Wellness who has over two decades of experience on healing from within. She breaks down all of the benefits and uses for essential oils including how to use it to support sleep, digestion, immunity, libido and even to clean your home. We chat about living a toxic-free lifestyle, how to use essential oils to benefit your health and wellness and precautions to take when using essential oils. If you want to ditch the chemicals from your life, then this is the episode for you.

What’s In This Episode:

Wanting to raise her family holistically and help clients with healing
Ditching the toxic chemicals and upgrading to products that come from plants
Knowing the difference between higher quality oils and synthetic oils
How to use the oils on a wound, to support sleep, for babies, etc.
How to get started using essential oils

Have you had issues with your children fighting or bickering? Or are you about to bring home baby number two and want to stop sibling rivalry in its tracks before it has the chance of forming?

Today we brought on Dr. Sheldon Zablow, a child and adult psychiatrist with an extensive background in sibling rivalries.

He gives some of his best advice on how to navigate difficult sibling relationships and how to set a good foundation for children to eliminate the chances of developing a sibling rivalry from the beginning.

We discuss how the family dynamic plays a role in sibling rivalries, why 1-on-1 time with your children is so important, and how to be inclusive and avoid showing favoritism to children.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How he defines siblings and step-siblings and why sibling relationships are so important * What sibling rivalry is and how to know when it’s gotten out of control * How to set up a good foundation to eliminate the chances of developing a sibling rivalry * Empowering children to resolve sibling rivalry on their own without stepping in as parents * The worst and best things you can say to children and siblings

Have you ever found yourself struggling with the juggling?

Our guest for today’s episode joined us to discuss her movement, #thejuggleisreal.

As a mama, entrepreneur and wife - Nina wanted to find something that could express what most of us mothers feel on the day to day: which is the constant need to manage the juggle of our mental load and our mental to-do list that is always piling up.

The constant juggling that often leads us moms burnt out. Nina works to help create realistic conversations around motherhood without the sugarcoating you might see in your Instagram feed. She shares practical, real-life solutions to help you lighten your mental load. We discuss maternal gatekeeping and how this can contribute to an even larger mental load and how the mental load affects your partner dynamics.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * The realities of juggling the mental load on a daily basis in motherhood * How technology has changed our generation of moms and the impact this has on our mental load * How the #thejuggleisreal came about * Real-life solutions for easing your mental load such as hiring a mother’s helper, using Amazon and delegating tasks to others * Why being connected and present with your support network will help with your mental load

In celebration of Father’s day, we are doing something a little different on the podcast these next few weeks. For the first time ever, we are going to be bringing on dads to hear their perspective on fatherhood. Today’s guest is Sean Donahue of Parenting Modern Teens. We discuss how parenting children in today’s age looks different than in prior generations and how we can better parent teens and children. This episode will help you step away from fear-based parenting and feel encouraged to talk to your kids about feelings and emotions rather than teaching them right from wrong.

What’s In This Episode:

Why parenting looks different today than it did in previous generations
Sean’s advice for embracing the behaviors of adolescence
False beliefs that parents have
Where influences on our children come from
Why presence is crucial in parenting

Are you looking for activity ideas for your children but feeling like you just aren’t that creative? That’s where today’s guest and her business comes in. Beth is the founder and creator of Days with Grey where she developed creative, fun activities called Breakfast Invitations that help your child get engaged and learning during play. She explains what the Breakfast Invitations are, how they can be modified as your children grow and how you can differ the activity for children of different ages depending on their skill set. She shared how children can use these activities to explore concepts rather than worrying about mastering and perfecting them.

What’s In This Episode:

Making playtime more functional and educational
Being a stay-at-home mom and figuring out how to prepare her children for school
How to use the Breakfast Invitations activities with your children
How projects help with sibling relationships and interactions
Key supplies that you need to start
Giving yourself grace as a parent

As we’re all learning how to navigate through a global pandemic, we wanted to share our experiences with social distancing, the joys we’ve had from this time at home and how we’ve personally been navigating the challenges of balancing parenting while staying up to date on information regarding COVID-19.

In this episode, we talk about the biggest resources for parents during this pandemic, how it’s okay to take a step back and do less and how this is similar to what a lot of our grandparents and parents went through with the 1918 Pandemic and Great Depression.

We also share where the Generation.Mom podcast is headed next including a short break we’re taking (and how you can stay connected with us during the break). Although we’re taking a break we are going to be re-releasing some of our very favorite episodes so you can continue to enjoy past episodes.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Managing the balance of parenting and learning information about the pandemic * Navigating the weight on the pandemic * Resources for helping parents with their kids during this time * The biggest joys they’ve had during this time at home * Where Generation.Mom is headed next

Raising children in today’s world, it’s important that we have these needed conversations about race, inclusion and being tolerant of everybody no matter their skin tone and background.

We’re very excited to have someone on the podcast who is helping to bridge this gap and is creating a community that supports black families and people of color in parenthood. We brought on Jackie Douge, pediatrician, children’s health advocate and the host of What Is Black?

In this episode, Jackie shares how we can start these open and honest conversations with our kids. She talks about the importance of creating a lived, shared experience with people of all races and the themes her podcast explores including the misperceptions of race that occur in the world.

She explains how adverse childhood experiences such as racism can impact a child’s wellbeing and how she hopes her podcast will help inform and educate parents on how these issues can impact their children in the long term while providing them with helpful insight to navigate these concerns as they come up.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Informing and educating your children about racism and prejudices that happen in the world * Having open and honest discussions about tolerance and inclusion * How she uses the knowledge she learns from podcast guests to influence her parenting and work as a pediatrician * Lifting up your kids and sharing positive messages with them * Providing information to your kids and continuing to have conversations about race, intimacy and other important topics as they grow developmentally

Do you feel like you need a translator to understand your toddler? If so, then this is the episode for you.

Today we’re speaking with Carly Tulloch, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and the founder of WeeTalkers, a platform that helps parents navigate all things speech with their kiddos.

Carly shares how music and singing can help kids as they learn speech and why you should follow your child’s lead of what they’re interested in when communicating with them.

We ask all of our questions on what mamas should be looking out for to make sure their little one is on track and what to do to help support your child’s foundational language skills. She gives us a clue on what we could expect from an appointment with a speech-language pathologist plus how to approach teaching your child language in a two-language household.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What speech-language pathologists do to help people communicate * The benefits of music and singing as it relates to speech * What you can do to help support your child’s foundational language skills * What you should look for to make sure your child is on track at each age range * What you can expect from an appointment with a speech-language pathologist

There’s no one route to getting a family. The path to conceiving can look very different for many women.

Today we had Megan Bendinelli on for part two of our series on infertility. Megan is the CEO of Fertility Framework and a board-certified family nurse practitioner specializing in the area of fertility and assists many men and women with the miracle of starting their family.

In part two of this interview, Megan discusses different fertility treatment options such as IUI and IVF. We talk about how a diagnosis can help you get closer to the path of success (and ultimately starting your family).

She also dives into the topics of third party reproduction and what that can look like for couples when deciding to use an egg donor or surrogate. She shares her candid advice on how to support a friend navigating through infertility and her favorite part about her career.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How a diagnosis can help you distinguish the paths to success * Reframing how you look at the infertility journey and focusing in on the missing pieces of the puzzle * What IVF is and how it differs from an IUI * What third party reproduction is and going through the process of using an egg donor or surrogate * Tips on supporting a friend who’s dealing with infertility and what you should or shouldn’t say to someone going through infertility * Getting to that end-stage of acceptance and peace, with or without conceiving

The process of trying to conceive can be overwhelming and daunting.

That’s why in this episode we decided to bring on Megan Bendinelli, the CEO of Fertility Framework and a board-certified family nurse practitioner specializing in the area of fertility.

She shares what prompted her to start the Fertility Framework after her own struggles to conceive. We discuss everything from infertility to secondary infertility, what a regular period looks like and the steps you should take when you’re ready to start your family.

She talks about the differences between an OBGYN and a reproductive endocrinologist, the types of testing that help medical professionals piece together the puzzle of your fertility journey and why it’s necessary to lean on the advice and guidance of a professional instead of using Dr. Google.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why Megan started Fertility Framework after her own struggles trying to conceive * What infertility is and how it’s different from secondary infertility * Her advice for steps to take if you’re ready to conceive * What a reproductive endocrinologist does and how that differs from an OBGYN * What types of testing they do to guide them in doing fertility treatments

Have you been looking for an alternative approach for teaching your children? Today on the podcast we brought on Simone Davies to talk about the Montessori method of education. Simone is an international educator and AMI Montessori teacher. She has been working in Montessori education for 15 years and is passionate about how its methods help parents garner greater happiness and fulfillment with their children. She shares specific activities they use in the Montessori school, why it is important to let children make their own decisions and how this method will make your home life run smoother.

What’s In This Episode:

What the Montessori approach to education is
How the Montessori classroom is set up
Letting children guide their own experience
Reinforcing good behavior to build their intrinsic motivation
Modeling behavior for children

Does the thought of a medical emergency for your little one bring you fear?

For most moms, the answer is without a doubt yes. That’s why we wanted to bring on today’s guest, Shannon Tripp. Shannon is a pediatric ER nurse, birth coach and the founder of a course for mommas called, “Mastering Medical Emergencies for Moms”.

We talk about leaning into your intuition as a mama, how to know when you should or shouldn’t take your kids in for emergency care, why education is so powerful and how to help educate others who care for your children on what to do in emergency situations.

She shares tips for keeping your kids safe at home, why she decided to move her family to Hawaii and why she’s so passionate about empowering other moms with this education for their families.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How her career as a nurse made her want to help other moms * Why education is so important to know what to do in emergencies * Following your intuition when deciding whether or not to go to the doctor * How to know when to pause and call for medical emergency responders * Techniques and tips for keeping your kids safe at home

Motherhood can be lonely.

That’s exactly why today’s guest Kate Turza and her co-host Liz Sanicola set out to start a podcast for moms. The two wanted to help create a sense of community in motherhood.

In this episode, she comes on to chat about her experience of being a podcast host and what inspired her to start a podcast about motherhood. We dive into her career as a postpartum doula and how as moms, we don’t know what we’re doing from time to time and how that’s completely okay.

She shares a few of the common themes she's seen emerge on her own podcast and what she hopes to build within her community as she and Liz continue to grow their podcast.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What inspired her and Liz to start the podcast * Common themes about motherhood today that she’s noticed from her podcast including how motherhood has changed from previous generations of moms * What she hopes people will gain from her show * A few of her favorite and most memorable episodes (and why they stood out to her) * What she hopes listeners will gain from her podcast including a sense of community

Do you want to feel amazing naked? Why wouldn’t you?

As moms, it can be hard to cultivate confidence and feel great about who we are in our own body. Today’s guest Amanda Walker, the founder of Feel Amazing Naked, a company that helps women squash their inner mean girl and start owning their confidence.

She came on to discuss how self-awareness can help you to get past the mindset problems that may be holding you back. She shares her tips for overcoming your inner mean girl and getting to the root causes of your problems to make real and lasting changes.

We also chat about using self-care to make a greater transformation and enjoying the journey of becoming happier and more confident in your own skin.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * The first steps to take to start feeling like yourself again and becoming reconnected with you * How we have weight loss all wrong and where you should start instead with your fitness goals * How Amanda came up with the Feel Amazing Naked Program * Practices to overcome your inner mean girl * Doing what you can each day to pour into yourself so you can be present for loved ones

How can you make sure that the time you spend with your children during their first 18 years of life is substantial enough to have a positive impact on both your life and theirs?

Today’s guest is Jim Sheils, founder of 18 Summers and the author of The Family Board Meeting. In this episode, we talk about creating relationships and memories with your children while teaching them to become responsible, kind and fulfilled adults.

He shares how he compartmentalizes business and family (and why he always puts family first), the importance of having a standing date scheduled in with your spouse and what weekly team meetings look like for his family.

He shares how an “intermittent tech fast” can improve family relationships and the importance of having one on one time with each of your children.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Making the most of every day with your family and setting consistent rhythms in your family life * Relationship health benefits of “intermittent tech fasting” * What a weekly team meeting looks like for a family * Prioritizing and making time for date night with your partner * His biggest piece of advice for building stronger families

Does the thought of introducing allergenic foods to your kids terrify you?

We wanted to bring on an expert to help us understand food allergens and children so we brought on Katie Marks-Cogan, a board-certified allergist and the chief allergist at Ready, Set, Food!, a company that has created a way to introduce common food allergens to your kids.

Katie breaks down a lot of the myths we hear about food allergies. She shares how food allergies are developed over time and the differences between an intolerance and an allergy.

You’ll hear how food allergies have become more of an epidemic compared to previous generations and how you can use Ready, Set, Food! to prevent food allergies for your little ones.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Katie’s experience of being on Shark Tank and getting a deal with Mark Cuban * How food allergies have changed over the past generations * Managing the differences between an allergen and an intolerance * Myths and facts about early allergen introduction * How Ready, Set, Food! was founded and what it does for babies

When you become a mom, you may find yourself wondering, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this beforehand?” That is exactly what we will be discussing today with Andrea Madril. Andrea is the founder of Sunflower Motherhood, a company that helps new and expecting moms with pre and postnatal care packages that support physical and mental healing throughout their recovery period. In this episode, you’ll find out what you should really expect in those first few days of motherhood and what you can do to prepare for this season of life. We chat about how to support yourself and other mamas in their postpartum period and share all of the things that we wish we would've known but no one told us about becoming a mom.

What’s In This Episode:

How first-time moms are blindsided after childbirth
What Sunflower Motherhood offers for new moms
Preparing yourself for postpartum
The mental and emotional parts of postpartum they wish they would’ve known about
The changes in your relationship with yourself

Listen to the full episode here: https://generation.mom/sunflower-motherhood/

Do you have a dragon of self-doubt looming over you?

Today we spoke with Katherine Wintsch, founder of the Mom Complex and author of Slay Like a Mother.

Katherine came on to discuss why so many moms struggle with what she calls, “dragons of self-doubt” and what we can do to slay these dragons. She talks about the differences between struggling and suffering and why you need to give yourself grace as you grow as a mother.

She dives into how modern-day motherhood is so vastly different from previous generations and the effects this has on us as moms.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How Katherine overcame her “dragon of self-doubt” * How technological advances have changed modern-day motherhood * Acknowledging the success of other mothers without internalizing it * Giving yourself grace as you grow as a mother * Steps you can take if you’re dealing with self-doubt

Do you need help figuring out your work-life balance?

Today we brought on guest Julie Finn for our bonus episode where we highlight other mamas in the podcasting space. Julie is a podcast host, executive coach, speaker, thought leader.

Julie has mastered the art of creating balance in her career that gives her freedom, income all while helping other mamas do the same. In this episode, she shares how to create a career that supports a life you love and aligning your vision with what you do.

She dives into what it means to “play big” and why you have to make pivots that align with your joy and the bigger purpose you hope to accomplish. She also shares what you can expect from her podcast and how she hopes motherhood will evolve for the working mother.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Julie’s thoughts on goal setting and New Year’s resolutions * What it really means to “play big” * Aligning your vision for your life with what you do * Making pivots that align with your joy and the bigger picture of what you want in your life * What people can expect from Julie’s podcast, the Working Mother’s Mentor

It’s time to shift your thinking from “I don’t have time for that,” to “this is just not a priority for me.”

Today we brought on Marisa Lonic, founder of Mama Work It and author of Time Momagement. Marissa loves helping other mamas find the time they need to do want they want.

You’ll hear why multitasking can be self-sabotage if you’re not doing it right. She also shares how you can use time journaling to make sure you are making time for what truly matters.

We discuss why moms need a tribe of support, how to identify areas where you can improve your own time management and the 4 most common words that moms say when it comes to time management.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why self-care needs to be a priority for moms * Using your time to do activities that fuel you rather than indulging in time wasters * Identifying areas where you can improve your time management * The 4 most common words that moms say when it comes to time management * Why you need a tribe of support as a mom

Do you ever find yourself hovering over your kids’ every move and sheltering them from life?

Today’s guest, Michelle Carlson, is the founder of Peace and Parenting. Michelle helps parents navigate through what it really means to be a connected parent.

In this episode, you’ll hear what helicopter parenting is and why you should strive to be a less reactionary parent and how sometimes, it’s okay to let your kids fail.

She shares how to recognize if you’re inadvertently subjecting your kids to helicopter parenting, how to manage your anxieties without projecting them onto your kids and how dynamics from past relationships affect you as a parent.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What helicopter parenting is and what it looks like * Becoming a less reactionary parent and knowing you don’t have to “fix” everything * Reflecting back on your childhood to unpack issues that are brought to the surface in parenting * How overprotective parenting can affect children in the long run * Giving your kids the tools to do the right thing without the promise for rewards

Are you setting an example for your children that they should do work that they love?

Today’s guest is Katya Libin, CEO and co-founder of Hey Mama, a community for mothers. Katya started her business with a friend and another past guest of Generation.Mom, Amri Kibbler.

In this episode, we talk about leading by example and showing our children that work should be something that brings you joy and fulfillment rather than something you “have” to do.

We dive into her experience of running Hey Mama with Amri including what it was like raising capital for her business, what she’s learned from bootstrapping her company for 4+ years and her experience of running a business as a single mom.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why she created a community-based platform and how it’s helped Katya with being a single mother * The advantages of running her business as a single mom * Setting an example for your children that work should be something that brings you joy and fulfillment * Katya’s experience with raising capital and crowdfunding for HeyMama * Navigating the ups and downs of building a business to make the best decisions for your team, family and company

Nowadays, we’re constantly bombarded with the educational gimmicks that our children “need” to prepare them for school and as they grow. On today’s episode, we’re discussing the actual skills your child needs for success in school and life. We are joined by Susie Allison of Busy Toddler, a former teacher turned blogger who helps parents to discover play-based learning activities for their children (of all ages!). We discuss why play-based learning is so important and how to encourage play-based learning. She also shares what our kids really need in their toddler years to help to set them up for success, what skills are most important for children to learn in early childhood years, which toys are essential for play and learning and the top 3 things you can be doing as a parent everyday.

What’s In This Episode:

Play-based learning vs. direct instruction
When to start encouraging play-based learning
Creating dedicated time for play and an environment that supports play
Toys that help kids with play-based learning
How Susie creates activities that incorporate different ages

Listen to the full episode here: https://generation.mom/busy-toddler/

Have you ever felt shamed by a healthcare provider, especially during pregnancy?

Today’s guest is Jen McLellan, founder of Plus Sized Birth. She started her blog after her own pregnancy when she realized there weren’t enough resources out there for pregnant plus-sized women.

In this episode, Jen talks about her experience of using a midwife and the misconceptions that many plus-sized women face during their pregnancy, labor and delivery.

We also chat about the shame that many women feel from healthcare providers and why the language that healthcare providers use when speaking with patients matters. She shares how to teach children to embrace people of all sizes and what “body love” means to her.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Why Jen opted to go with natural birth and how her pregnancy led her to start her blog * How important the language that care providers use with patients is * What you should look for from a care provider for your pregnancy * Misconceptions that plus size women face during their pregnancy, labor and delivery * What “body love” means to Jen

We are taking a break till January 8, 2020. If you are traveling and have some downtime over the holiday break, tune in to some popular episodes from this year. Listen in for more info!

We’re wrapping up this year and this decade with a big bow and looking forward to what’s to come with this amazing community we have here at Generation.Mom in 2020.

Today we’re reflecting on all of our wins and losses this year, talking about holiday traditions and what we’re looking forward to as we wrap up 2019.

We have so many episodes with amazing mama’s and experts lined up for the new year to help to continue to guide us through navigating modern-day motherhood and we cannot wait to share them all with you next year.

It’s time for a short holiday break but we’ll be back January 8th, 2020. In the meantime, be sure to relisten or tune into any episodes you missed in 2019 and take some time for yourself to enjoy this holiday season.

If you’ve enjoyed listening this year, it’d be a gift to us if you could take a few minutes to rate and review the podcast - it would mean so much to us.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Jenn being back from maternity leave and the challenges of having more than one child * What challenges they’ve faced over the course of the year * The surprises they’ve faced in 2019 including being able to quit her corporate job, navigating a miscarriage and being able to travel * How Jenn and Lara prepare for the new year (and the new decade) by goal setting, manifesting and trusting in her spirituality * Reflecting on the words that they chose for 2019 and what words Jenn and Lara have chosen for the new year

How do our children’s nutrition needs change as they grow?

Today’s show is part 2 of a two-episode series with Jessica Gust, pediatric dietitian and founder of Element Nutrition Co.

In this episode, we continued with our conversation on childhood nutrition and discussed how to handle mealtime for kids of all ages from toddlers to teenagers. She shares the importance of figuring out a schedule, how much food to serve based on your child’s age and how to make sure your child is staying hydrated.

Jessica also shares how to get kids involved with packing their own lunches, encouraging kids to make healthy food choices as they grow up and meeting them where they’re at when they hit their teen years.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How to deal with a toddler who just won’t eat and the importance of a meal and snack schedule * How meals will change when a child moves into their elementary school years * How to encourage teenagers to continue eating healthy * How family meals can make a huge impact on your * The calculation that lets you know how much water your child needs per day

Do you often wonder what your child really needs to be eating?

Today we had on Jessica Gust, a pediatric dietitian and the founder of Element Nutrition Co. to talk about child nutrition and how to handle picky eaters.

Some children are extremely particular about their food, which let’s face it, can be really exhausting for us mamas. But why are kids picky about eating and how do we get them to learn to like the foods that offer the nutrients and vitamins they need for growth and development?

Jessica shares how to teach kids to like certain foods and why family meals are crucial for our children from a very young age. She discusses the differences of baby-led weaning vs. traditional weaning, how to use comfort foods at mealtime and how to know when it's time to start your baby on solid foods.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * What a pediatric dietitian is and how they help families with their child’s nutrition * Key factors to consider when raising “healthy” children * Why family meals are essential for teaching kids socialization, role modeling and table manners * Letting your children make choices around meals and giving them the structure to make good choices * How to know if you’re dealing with a picky eater and when to seek out extra help

This week we are off for a much-needed break for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you are traveling and have some downtime, tune in to some popular episodes from this year. Listen in for more info!

Have you had issues with your children fighting or bickering? Or are you about to bring home baby number two and want to stop sibling rivalry in its tracks before it has the chance of forming?

Today we brought on Dr. Sheldon Zablow, a child and adult psychiatrist with an extensive background in sibling rivalries.

He gives some of his best advice on how to navigate difficult sibling relationships and how to set a good foundation for children to eliminate the chances of developing a sibling rivalry from the beginning.

We discuss how the family dynamic plays a role in sibling rivalries, why 1-on-1 time with your children is so important, and how to be inclusive and avoid showing favoritism to children.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How he defines siblings and step-siblings and why sibling relationships are so important * What sibling rivalry is and how to know when it’s gotten out of control * How to set up a good foundation to eliminate the chances of developing a sibling rivalry * Empowering children to resolve sibling rivalry on their own without stepping in as parents * The worst and best things you can say to children and siblings

Has motherhood inspired you to go for your dreams?

Today we’re talking with a mom who used hustle and hard work to create a company that she loves and the mindset she’s created to take her there.

We brought on product designer and mompreneur, Rachel Miriam of Rachel Miriam Designs. A luxury personalization product company that creates curated collections with celebrities, influencers and female leaders to support incredible non-profit organizations.

She shares how motherhood inspired her to start a business, how she has learned to persevere past obstacles and adversity and how she uses manifestation to help make things a reality in her life.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How Rachel feels about perseverance and the silent struggles you go through as a business owner * Vowing to never live without happiness again and why she has decided to do one thing each day to bring happiness to her life * Making the choice to believe in yourself and arming yourself with what makes you feel ambitious * Taking back control and making the day she wants to live * Boobytrapping your journey with ammunition that will make you believe in yourself

Have you ever found yourself struggling with the juggling?

Our guest for today’s episode joined us to discuss her movement, #thejuggleisreal.

As a mama, entrepreneur and wife - Nina wanted to find something that could express what most of us mothers feel on the day to day: which is the constant need to manage the juggle of our mental load and our mental to-do list that is always piling up.

The constant juggling that often leads us moms burnt out. Nina works to help create realistic conversations around motherhood without the sugarcoating you might see in your Instagram feed. She shares practical, real-life solutions to help you lighten your mental load. We discuss maternal gatekeeping and how this can contribute to an even larger mental load and how the mental load affects your partner dynamics.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * How motherhood has made Nina more conscious and ambitious * The realities of juggling the mental load on a daily basis in motherhood * Not knowing what others are going through and what their mental load is * How technology has changed our generation of moms and the impact this has on our mental load * Dealing with difficult pregnancies and a miscarriage and the impact this had on her * Not wanting to burden anyone and the burden this brought on to her mental health * How the #thejuggleisreal came about * What maternal gatekeeping is and how it causes fathers to feel less capable * Real-life solutions for easing your mental load such as hiring a mother’s helper, using Amazon and delegating tasks to others * Playing on your strengths and weaknesses and taking on tasks that are best for your skills * How the juggle plays into the mental load and the response Nina’s gotten from #thejuggleisreal * How Nina feels about mommy guilt * Her experience with shooting her video series and how therapeutic it was for her * Why being connected and present with your support network will help with your mental load * Nina’s professional retreat for female financial advisors and her goal for helping other women unwind, disconnect and work on themselves personally and professionally

When faced with a difficult loss, or sometimes when you’re just navigating through life - it can be a challenge to focus on celebrating the little wins.

Today’s guest saw a need for learning to celebrate the small things.

Shiloh’s idea for celebrating these moments was what inspired her to start her business, We Drink Bubbles. We Drink Bubbles is an online subscription service and retail boutique that focuses on bringing customers clean bubbles with good ingredients from family-run wineries.

We dive into her experience of losing her mother-in-law and how this changed their perspective for life as a family. She shares why her family moved abroad and how this impacted her as a mother and entrepreneur. She also gives us insight on why you should focus on the good in life, how to pull the trigger when you’re looking to pivot in your life or career and how to figure out what brings you joy.

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE: * Transitioning from a teacher to a business owner * Building foundation as a family before starting her business * Moving to Italy for a fresh start and in honor of her mother-in-law * How the experience of moving abroad impacted her as a mom and entrepreneur * Her first experiences of wine in Italy and how this inspired her to start We Drink Bubbles * How her business has helped her to grow in areas that she didn’t ….. * Incorporating her slogan into your daily life and celebrating the little victories * Focusing on the good in life and the small moments * Shiloh’s advice for pivoting your life or career to bring more joy into your everyday * Pulling the trigger on making a pivot and being confident in the choices you make * Shiloh’s experience with making pivots and how her family and friends reacted * How you can figure out what brings you joy and focus on that in the hard moments * Allowing yourself the time to heal and experience the pain through losses * Why you need to honor your boundaries and time management commitments * Carving out time for herself and not letting responsibilities of entrepreneurship cloud the joys * Prioritizing your family and creating a business schedule around that * Bringing better quality champagne to consumers from family-run wineries * Establishing relationships with different wineries * How her subscription model works and how it benefits the customer

· Take in the precious moments and slowing down to appreciate time with loved ones

Today we’ve got another bonus episode highlighting another mama podcaster that we love - actually two of them. On this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jenn Samstag and Dr. Sarine Boyadjian, these women are both therapists and moms whos started a passion project to create a space where parents could explore what it’s like to be both parents and people, all while raising tiny humans that make us ask, “is it bedtime yet?” We discuss how their relationship transformed after becoming moms and how this connected their friendship on an even deeper level. They share why you should take in and absorb information but then decipher what will work for your family and ditch the rest. They also dive into maintaining your identity as a person when you become a mama, learning how to manage your fear and anxiety as a parent and mom shame.

What’s In This Episode:

Realizing there weren’t enough podcasts for mental health and parenting and focusing in on that niche
How Jen and Sarine’s relationship changed once Jen became a mom and could relate and connect to her experience of motherhood on a new level
Sarine’s experience of watching Jen become a mother
Wanting to be there for someone without influencing them to make decisions based on your knowledge
Taking in information and using what works for you and your family
The common denominator that they share with all podcast guests and listeners that makes their podcast more relatable
Maintaining your identity and who you are when transitioning into motherhood
Seeing moms struggle with mom-shaming and feeling unable to keep up with what they see online
Playing the comparison game and the internalized shame moms deal with
Creating a mom tribe so you don’t feel isolated in motherhood
Using their podcast as a way to serve as a resource for moms and helping them to feel validated and a sense of community
What current parents deal with that previous generations of parents didn’t including fear, anxiety and an information overload via the internet
On the flip side: how mama’s deal with less stigma around female reproductive issues that many dealt with in previous generations of motherhood
Embracing information and knowledge rather than letting it cripple you with fear
The healing nature of shared experiences and knowing you’re all in it together
The misconception that as a parent you can plan for everything
How expectations and plans that you had can crumble once you become a parent
Parenting to your own skill set and what feels right for you
What’s coming up on their podcast and their goals for the future

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put into your body. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing clean beauty and wellness for both mamas and their babies. We have enlisted guest Natalie Schwartz, creator and founder of The Modern Mamahood and The Modern Mamahood Beauty. We cover all of the reasons why you must pay attention to the products you use on a daily basis and how brands use buzzwords to trick consumers into thinking products are better for them. Natalie shares the harmful effects that products can have on moms, what the word “fragrance” actually means in the U.S. beauty industry and the efficacy of natural products. We also dive into what clean beauty is and other clean products you can use to lower your toxic exposure.

What’s In This Episode:

How Natalie got into the clean beauty arena
What clean beauty is and what it means
The traditional ingredients that are avoided in clean beauty
What the word “fragrance” actually means in the beauty industry
How the U.S. doesn’t adhere to the European beauty standards
Thinking about the toxic products you’re exposed to daily
The efficacy of natural products
What other clean products are available for consumers to lower toxic exposure
How brands use buzzwords to trick consumers
Using clean beauty when growing and nurturing a baby
Clean beauty vs. traditional beauty in regard to fertility
Using clean products for babies and children
What to be aware of with diapers and wipes
Why Natalie started TMM Beauty
What type of products she carries and what they do
Running her business while being a mother
What to look out for at the hair salon
Where Natalie sees her business going next

If you’ve ever dealt with pregnancy or infant loss - we hear you, we see you and we support you. This episode is being released in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Today we’re hearing from several mama’s and even Lara’s husband, Taylor, on pregnancy and infant loss. We dive into what it felt like, how they handled the grieving process, how they feel in hindsight looking back on the loss and more. Parents going through infant and pregnancy loss can often feel isolated, ashamed, embarrassed, broken and a range of other emotions. This episode will give you some perspective of other mamas who’ve been through pregnancy or infant loss and will give you some practical advice on how to support a friend who may be navigating their own loss.

What’s In This Episode:

03:15 - Lara’s Interview with Amanda from the Feel Amazing Naked Podcast
What led up to the first time Lara experienced pregnancy loss and navigating that loss
How Lara felt when she found out about her miscarriage
What it feels like when others don’t know what to say or how to comfort you
Becoming pregnant with Sawyer and keeping it to themselves
How to navigate the grieving process
What emotions they felt about their loss
How their perspective changed from navigating multiple miscarriages
What got them through their pregnancy loss
How they feel about their losses in hindsight
Their thoughts on getting pregnant again or accepting a new child into their family
How to support a friend during pregnancy loss
27:20 - Questions and Answers from other mama influencers on pregnancy or infant loss
Rachel’s experience of being told her unborn son had downs syndrome then being told he would have trisomy 18
Going through the birthing experience with her son and having to say goodbye
How she feels about the loss today
Being pregnant again after losing her son
Rachel’s thoughts on support from others in her grief
1:02:00 - Lara’s interview with her husband Taylor on his perspective
Taylor’s perspectives as a husband going through multiple miscarriages
How Taylor felt about each miscarriage
What Taylor’s beliefs are around pregnancy loss
Taylor’s thoughts on what was happening to Lara
What support Taylor got as a man going through pregnancy loss with his wife
His hindsight on what they went through

We brought on Vienna Farlow, a holistic reproductive health practitioner intern and founder of the Cvntsultant. She focuses her work on demystifying the female body and teaching women better ways to connect with themselves. We discuss what body literacy is and how to become your own expert for your health. She shares the stigmas that there are about the female body, misconceptions there are around feminine health and how to determine what your body is telling you.

What’s In This Episode:

How Vienna got started in this industry
Learning more about natural birth control methods and deciphering your health through the menstrual cycle
Why there is a stigma about the female body
Why bacteria is a good thing when it’s in balance
What the term cvntsultant means to her
What she wishes more women would talk about and the misconceptions around vaginal health
Being able to self-treat and have “body literacy”
How your menstrual cycle is a window into your overall health
What hormonal birth control and reversible contraceptives actually do
What a healthy period looks like
Discharge, cervical mucus and what it does for your body
What the cervix does for your reproductive system
What roles estrogen and progesterone play in your health
Checking in on yourself day to day
What you should expect your cycle to look like after birth
What a “yoni steam” is and what it does for your vaginal health
Vienna’s advice for being your own best expert

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Our guests included Beth Rosenbleeth, Kelowna Guiliano, Emily Little and Ashley Meyer and an episode where did something a little different and Jenn interviewed Lara. We start this roundup with a rundown of Lara’s current motherhood confessions (one that will definitely make you laugh), her current struggles as a mama, the mom hack that's currently saving her and more. After that, she dove into each episode from the past month and takeaways from each guest.What’s In This Episode:

Lara’s current motherhood confession
The current product that is saving her life as a mom
Lara’s mom crush and collaboration with Amanda Walker of Feeling Amazing Naked
Her current mom hacks of meal prepping and quick, easy meals
What Lara is currently struggling with right now
Her highlight of the month
How Beth guides Lara in being a boy mom
Making playtime functional and educational (while buying mom more time) with Beth Rosenbleeth
Why Lara loves the Ultimate Life Tool and how its been life changing for understanding relationships
Helping other people to have a better understanding of themselves
Why Kelowna raises her family holistically
Ditching toxic chemicals and using products that come from plants with Kelowna Guiliano
How to give your children the benefits of breastfeeding even without doing it with Emily Little
The profound implications of breastfeeding for maternal health
Why you need to set expectations in business and motherhood
Starting the Mompire podcast and why you need community with Ashley Meyer

Are you dreaming about creating an online business with real income? Today we’re discussing building a business based on community. We brought on the Boss Mom, Dana Malstaff to share how to cultivate an online community and in turn generate profits for yourself and your family. We discuss how not getting the job she wanted led her to start a business. She shares her goals for the community and how she wants to use it to impact other women, why you can absolutely “have it all” and how lack of communication can have an effect on your relationships. She also dives into tackling challenges and recognizing that you don’t have to play all of the roles and being comfortable with letting other people handle tasks and responsibilities.

What’s In This Episode:

What it felt like releasing her third book
Feeling that people didn’t know how to love her in the way she needed to be loved
How not getting the job she wanted to shift her mindset and led her to become a consultant
Feeling isolated and unsure of what to do which led to the birth of Boss Mom
Dana’s goals for how the company will help other women
Her advice on how to tackle changes and move forward
Why you can “have it all” and knowing what your “all” is
How community can help you in life and business
Understanding that you don’t need to play all of the roles
Learning how to make people feel protected and valued
Being okay with acknowledging that you need “me time”
How fights stem from a lack of communication
Pretending to be someone else to keep others happy
Building your brand around your product or offering
Going through her divorce and being transparent about it with her community without oversharing
Dana’s advice for entrepreneurs working on building their business

Do you often feel overwhelmed with the expectations that come along with motherhood? Today we’re excited to bring you another bonus episode with a fellow podcaster, Ashley Meyer. Ashley is the founder of MOMpire, an online community and podcast dedicated to helping women navigate their day to day in motherhood. We discuss the social expectations placed on women and how we can become more aware of these to change them. Ashley shares her experience with adrenal fatigue, why she started MOMpire and taking the pressure off of yourself to constantly produce.

What’s In This Episode:

How Ashley’s life and career has transitioned due to motherhood
What made Ashley start MOMpire
Why you need to set up expectations in business and motherhood
Taking the pressure off of yourself to constantly perform
Deciding to stop taking clients and slowing down at the law firm
Shifting roles and responsibilities in her business and home
Ashley’s advice for figuring out the best steps to take toward the roles you want
Bringing clarity to what is out of alignment in your life
Making the time when you need clarity
Getting stuck in the “woe is me” stage
Not letting your fear get in the way of what you want to happen
The importance of having a community to support you
What MOMpire does for moms and their families

This episode is for you if you’ve ever cried over spilled milk - spilled breast milk that is. Today we brought on Emily Little, a maternal-infant health researcher, educator and non-profit leader. We discuss breastfeeding and postnatal touch and how this benefits both the child and mother. She shares how breastmilk changes to fit the baby's needs and stages, the differences between daytime milk and nighttime milk and how breastfeeding can affect a mom’s mental health.

What’s In This Episode:

Starting her non-profit, Nurturely
The science behind breastfeeding and postnatal touch
How breastmilk changes to fit the baby’s needs
The difference between daytime milk and nighttime milk
The profound implications of breastfeeding on maternal health
What postnatal touch is and how it benefits parents and babies
How breastfeeding affects a mom’s mental health
Lara’s experience of breastfeeding her children
What a supportive breastfeeding experience looks like
Preparing for the postpartum period
How to know when your child is ready to get off breastfeeding
Cultural differences between the U.S. and other countries with regard to breastfeeding
Changing the conversation around breastfeeding in the U.S.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “there’s an oil for that”? On this episode, we’ve enlisted Kelowna Giuliano, a holistic health practitioner and owner of Drop into Wellness who has over two decades of experience on healing from within. She breaks down all of the benefits and uses for essential oils including how to use it to support sleep, digestion, immunity, libido and even to clean your home. We chat about living a toxic-free lifestyle, how to use essential oils to benefit your health and wellness and precautions to take when using essential oils. If you want to ditch the chemicals from your life, then this is the episode for you.

What’s In This Episode:

Wanting to raise her family holistically and help clients with healing
How Kelowna’s life and career has transitioned from motherhood
Incorporating essential oils into her classes and educating moms on how to use them
Ditching the toxic chemicals and upgrading to products that come from plants
The three ways you can use essential oils
How Kelowna uses essential oils in conjunction with carrier oils
Using foot mapping when applying essential oils
Knowing the difference between higher quality oils and synthetic oils
Oils that Kelowna uses daily
Precautions to take when using essential oils
How to use the oils on a wound, to support sleep, for babies, etc.
What oils to use for healthy digestion and immunity
Using oils for hormones and to support your libido
Addressing what’s going on physically and mentally
Using essential oils for cleaning
How to get started using essential oils

If you’re looking for an operation manual on motherhood, then today’s episode is for you. On this episode, Jenn talks to Lara about a tool that has changed her life, The Ultimate Life Tool. This tool is something that she uses in her coaching business for leaders, teams and professionals in identifying how to best play to their strengths in the workplace. Now, Lara is using this tool to help mothers identify the parent they want to be and how to pair it to their skillset. She explains how this tool can help you identify your natural talents, strengths, weaknesses, tolerance levels, communication styles and more. This episode will help you to better understand who you are and help you in becoming the mother and partner you dream of being.

What’s In This Episode:

What the Ultimate Life Tool or ULT is and how Lara’s uses it for her career and motherhood
Why Lara knew it was time to move on from her corporate role
Manifesting being able to work remotely and pursue what she loved
Starting a side hustle as a coach
Becoming a mother and how this has shifted her perspective on coaching clients
Rebranding her business to focus on helping other moms
Natural talents vs. learned talents
Using your driver and codriver to motivate you
Understanding your tolerance levels and boundaries
Taking time to fuel yourself
Figuring out your communication style
Using the ULT as your life’s operation manual
Understanding your strengths and what you excel in
Why we need people with neutral perspectives, people with positive perspectives and people with negative perspectives
How things can change due to circumstance
Taking the pressure off of ourselves

Connect with Lara:

Website | Instagram

Quotes:

"I saw that the people that I worked with had incredible talents yet they were being overlooked. I didn't want to manage people that way." - Lara Schulte

"Motherhood was completely not how I suspected it would be. It didn't allow for a lot of time and I didn't have the time to dedicate to my coaching business the way that I had anticipated." - Lara Schulte

"I think a lot of young moms are just in the thick of it and don't realize that one of the hardest pieces of motherhood at this stage is really identifying with who you are now as a mom, and not who you were before." - Lara Schulte

"You're not gonna expect a lion to elegantly prance around like a deer. You're gonna expect it to use its roar and be aggressive so it can get its prey." - Lara

"I have to be really aware of how my alchemy flows with his and vice versa." - Lara

"These 4 types of communication styles are basically like tires on your car, you want them as balanced as possible." - Lara

"I see this being really helpful for people who manage other people." - Jenn Rout

"They can really use it as a guide to how they need to take care of themselves and work with their husbands or partners and where they should put themselves first and where they should be spending time when they do feel depleted of energy in order to get re-energized." - Lara

"My favorite thing about this tool is it really teaches you how to parent really to what you are." - Lara

"Ultimately, if we’re not taking care of ourselves as mothers and we don't have a true understanding of ourselves as mothers, we'll have no energy or fuel to get us through those long days of childbearing." - Lara

Links:

The Ultimate Life Tool Get 50% off by using code: GMOM

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at: Website | Facebook | Instagram

We’ve got some exciting news this month. There’s a new member of the Generation.Mom family. That’s right, Jenn’s baby boy, Gavin was born this August. Jenn will be out for maternity leave so for this month’s bonus episode, I brought on a past guest, Carly Kenihan to help me with the monthly roundup. This August we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with some great mamas to hear their thoughts on motherhood. Guests included Susie Allison, Andrea Madril, Dr. Lauren Noel, Amy Dunkel and Katie Saffert. We’ll go through our rapid-fire questions, along with a rapid-fire question from Carly. We’ll also discuss August’s episodes and what we enjoyed hearing about from each guest. What’s In This Episode:

Carly joining in as a guest host while Jenn is on maternity leave
Moving to San Diego and what Carly has been up to
Rebranding her business
Carly and Lara’s motherhood confession
Products that are saving their lives right now as mothers
Their current mom crushes
The mom hacks they’re using
Struggling with teaching kids to share
Figuring out how to set boundaries and the pressure of when to have another baby
Taking time to have fun as a mom and having other people open up to her about their own difficulties
Their current mom juice
Encouraging kids through play-based learning with Susie Allison
The differences with play-based learning and direct-instruction
Preparing yourself for postpartum with Andrea Madril
Why we need to shift the conversation after childbirth from baby to mother
Understanding how hormones work in our health and fertility with Dr. Lauren Noel
Why everyone should get their hormones tested regularly
Creating community in motherhood with Katie Saffert
Why it’s essential to disconnect from life and work as a busy entrepreneur
Sharing more voices of inspiring mothers with Amy Dunkel
Why she started a creative business and podcast alongside motherhood

Are you looking for activity ideas for your children but feeling like you just aren’t that creative? That’s where today’s guest and her business comes in. Beth is the founder and creator of Days with Grey where she developed creative, fun activities called Breakfast Invitations that help your child get engaged and learning during play. She explains what the Breakfast Invitations are, how they can be modified as your children grow and how you can differ the activity for children of different ages depending on their skill set. She shared how children can use these activities to explore concepts rather than worrying about mastering and perfecting them.

What’s In This Episode:

Making playtime more functional and educational
How Beth’s career has transitioned due to motherhood
Becoming a teacher and figuring out how to become an educator
Being a stay-at-home mom and figuring out how to prepare her children for school
Learning to do marketing and social media through friends
How to use the Breakfast Invitations activities with your children
Using prompts to help kids get started
Making changes to the activities that fit the age and stage of the child
How projects help with sibling relationships and interactions
The benefits she’s seen from using Breakfast Invitations
Key supplies that you need to start
Implementing outdoor activities
Giving yourself grace as a parent

Are you looking for your mom tribe? Today we’re talking about community and how this is an integral part of motherhood, business and all aspects of life. We brought on professional community builder, Katie Saffert to help us dive into this topic. We chat about Katie’s experience with entrepreneurship and the pivots she’s made over the last decade. She shares why building community in your life is important and how to tap into that community for support when you need it. She also discusses how community has impacted her, the importance of learning to say no and why you need to show up for what you want.

What’s In This Episode:

Disconnecting from life and work when you’re a busy entrepreneur
Why she doesn’t work nights or weekends
How motherhood through her for a loop
The struggles she faced as a stay at home mom
How she ended up launching the Hatched Collective
How community has impacted Katie
Why community is needed in motherhood
Learning to say no
Making community outside of the Hatched Collective
The importance of showing up for what you want
How serving people will make you feel better
Going inward before being able to give
Her hope for people to go and build their own tribe
What the Build Your Brand Conference is
Using Instagram as a tool for business
Connecting with other people on Instagram

Today we have a special bonus episode highlighting a mama in the podcasting space that we absolutely adore. We’re talking to Amy Dunkel, the host of Moms Who Rule the World, a podcast for all things motherhood designed specifically for moms who are in between ruling the world and losing their mind. In this episode, you’ll hear about Amy’s experience of continually reinventing herself as a woman and mother and how she prioritizes creativity to fuel her motherhood. She shares the importance of taking baby steps to make tasks more approachable and to help reach your goals. She also shares why she started her podcast, what her life looks as a mama and a podcaster, and the changes that have come along with all of life’s transitions.

What’s In This Episode:

The emotions that come when children have birthdays
How her career has transitioned due to motherhood
Getting married and deciding she wanted to start a creative business
Struggling with postpartum depression
The hardest part of starting her own podcast
How motherhood affects your self-identity
Navigating through changes in her life with motherhood
Managing her relationship with her spouse through all of life’s transitions
How your capability of love expands with children
What her day-to-day life looks like
What Moms Who Rule the World is about
What Amy is excited about this year

What exactly is a hormone and what role does it play in our health? Today we’re joined by Dr. Lauren Noel, a naturopathic doctor, and expert in natural medicine. Lauren, also known as “Dr. Lo”, is the host for the podcast, The Dr. Lo Radio Show and owns Shine Natural Medicine where she focuses on hormonal health and fertility. She shares how her own personal health journey led her to her work as a naturopathic doctor, everything you need to know about hormones and your health, and how the brain and gut are connected. This episode will leave you feeling inspired to make small changes to your lifestyle that will benefit your health in a big way.

What’s In This Episode:

Understanding what her patients go through firsthand
How Lauren anticipates her career will change from motherhood
Her first experience with a naturopathic doctor
Deciding to become a naturopathic doctor
Transitioning her practice to focus on fertility and hormonal balance
What hormones do for the body
Why everyone should get their hormones tested
How hormones differ from men to women
The correlation between your hormones and how you feel
Bringing in anti-inflammatory foods
Why sleep is so essential for hormones
What role hormones play when you’re trying to conceive
Understanding your fertility and ovulation
What are the differences between HRT and BHRT?
The role that estrogen and progesterone play in pregnancy
What Lauren wishes more women knew about their hormones
Setting time aside to do what makes you happy

When you become a mom, you may find yourself wondering, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this beforehand?” That is exactly what we will be discussing today with Andrea Madril. Andrea is the founder of Sunflower Motherhood, a company that helps new and expecting moms with pre and postnatal care packages that support physical and mental healing throughout their recovery period. In this episode, you’ll find out what you should really expect in those first few days of motherhood and what you can do to prepare for this season of life. We chat about how to support yourself and other mamas in their postpartum period and share all of the things that we wish we would've known but no one told us about becoming a mom.

What’s In This Episode:

Making a box of healing goods for new mothers after her own postpartum experience
How first-time moms are blindsided after childbirth
How your identity changes when you become a mother
What Sunflower Motherhood offers for new moms
Why it’s not commonplace to talk about how hard it is to become a mom
Not knowing what to expect with motherhood
Preparing yourself for postpartum
Shifting the conversation from the baby to the mother
How motherhood can be such a communal experience
The mental and emotional parts of postpartum they wish they would’ve known about
What changes they experienced in their relationships and sex postpartum
Getting to know your partner in their new role as a parent
The changes in your relationship with yourself
How breastfeeding can be a different experience from child to child
Working to create a postpartum bereavement basket for grieving mothers

Nowadays, we’re constantly bombarded with the educational gimmicks that our children “need” to prepare them for school and as they grow. On today’s episode, we’re discussing the actual skills your child needs for success in school and life. We are joined by Susie Allison of Busy Toddler, a former teacher turned blogger who helps parents to discover play-based learning activities for their children (of all ages!) We discuss why play-based learning is so important and how to encourage play-based learning. She also shares what our kids really need in their toddler years to help to set them up for success, what skills are most important for children to learn in early childhood years, which toys are essential for play and learning and the top 3 things you can be doing as a parent every day.

What’s In This Episode:

Getting into People magazine
How Susie celebrated getting half a million followers
Realizing she didn’t like being a journalist
Changing her career path to teaching
Becoming a stay at home mom
Not being able to find toddler activities
Getting 2,000 followers by the end of her first month
When Susie knew she had a real business on her hands
Play-based learning vs. direct instruction
Giving children the chance to discover the world on their own
When to start encouraging play-based learning
Kids getting pushed to start learning to read earlier
How the common core state standards have affected younger grades
Why faster learning is not better
How parents can support this type of learning at home
Creating dedicated time for play and an environment that supports play
Toys that help kids with play-based learning
How Susie creates activities that incorporate different ages
Adjusting activities as the child grows older
Key supplies for play
When to use activities for children

In July, we’ve been fortunate enough to chat with some amazing mothers to get their take on motherhood. These guests included Dr. Jacequeline Worth, Simone Davies, Amri Kibbler, Emily Oster, and Melissa Clayton. We started this round up by chatting about our current motherhood confessions, what we’re struggling with right now and our recent mom hacks. We also discuss each episode and what we enjoyed learning from each guest. What’s In This Episode:

Jenn and Lara’s current motherhood confessions
What products are saving their lives right now
Their current mom crushes
The current mom hacks they’re implementing
What Jenn and Lara are struggling with right now
A mom win they’ve had this month
Learning the new rules of pregnancy with Dr. Jacequeline Worth
Focusing on your own well-being and health during pregnancy
Breaking down the Montessori methods with Simone Davies
The mixed-age classrooms that they have in Montessori
The importance of cultivating community within motherhood with Amri Kibbler
How to handle challenging periods and disagreements
Finding data driven solutions to parenting with Emily Oster
Using both data and intuition to make parenting decisions
Defining your “why” with Melissa Clayton
Leveraging social media to grow her brand

Today we’re speaking with mompreneur Melissa Clayton, who is the CEO and founder of Tiny Tags, a company dedicated to celebrating children and the joy of motherhood via their customizable and personalized jewelry. This episode will give you insight on how to structure and build your brand, motivation on how to stay focused on your goals plus inspirational real-life stories on how social media can tangibly be used to tell the real story behind your brand. Melissa shares how she hustled to get her own publicity by sending her products to magazine editors and high profile celebrities. She also discusses how she began focusing on her niche, why she doesn’t want to raise money from venture capitalists and how to make decisions that align with your why.

What’s In This Episode:

How Melissa fell into Tiny Tags after being a CPA
Having a mother's helper so she could work on her business
How Tiny Tags is different from other personalized jewelry companies
Discovering what her brand was and honing in on it
Focusing on her niche
Moving from hand-stamping to laser engraving
Leveraging social media to help grow her brand
Hustling to get her own PR
What inspires Melissa about her work
Gifting her products to high profile people
Why she doesn’t want to raise venture capital
Melissa’s husband joining her in her business
Making decisions that align with your why
What her career and business is teaching her children
Melissa’s hope for her children finding a career they are passionate about
How reading has helped Melissa in growing her business
How joining a trade organization can help your business
Why you should find a mentor when starting a business

This episode is for you if you’re looking for some data-driven answers about the many decisions made during pregnancy and parenthood. There’s so much information out there about what you should or shouldn’t do during pregnancy, delivery, and those early parenting years that it can be really challenging to determine what is right for you and your family and what is fact versus fiction. For this episode, we brought on Emily Oster, an Economist, author and New York Times contributor. She shared how we can make measured approaches to decision making in parenting. We talked about a few of the do’s and don’ts in pregnancy and motherhood, using evidence to determine what is important to you and your family and some of the common misconceptions that come with breastfeeding, cosleeping, sleep training and more.

What’s In This Episode:

How Emily navigates the success of her work while being a mom
Sharing the same profession with her husband
How having a common language helps with their parenting
The career shift she had when entering into motherhood
General parenting misconceptions she came across
What an Economist does
Using data and determining what is important to you and your family
Accepting that there is no absolute right choice
Looking at risk tolerances in parenthood
To do’s and not to do’s in pregnancy and motherhood
Food and drink avoidances for pregnant women
C-sections vs. vaginal delivery
Data on getting an epidural for delivery
Eating the placenta
The data on vaccinations and how important they are
Common misconceptions with breastfeeding
Sleep training and cosleeping
Evidence about cosleeping and SIDS
Being a stay-at-home mom or a working mom
What research surprised Emily about parenting
Her best piece of advice for parents in the decision-making process
What is next for Emily and her research

What does entrepreneurship look like for the modern day mom? Today on the podcast, we brought on Amri Kibbler to discuss mamapreneurship and the importance of finding other moms to support you in this endeavor. After all, there are many similarities in building a business and managing a family. One thing that is so important is tapping into a community of supportive, like-minded mamas.

Amri is the Chief Experience Officer and Cofounder of Hey Mama, a community for mothers. She shares what it's like starting a business from scratch with a cofounder, how to foster relationships with your team and community, the early days of running a startup, and what Hey Mama offers for modern day mothers.

What’s In This Episode:

What surprised Amri about Mamafest
How Amri went from working in publishing to what she does now
Her passion for community and the power of women supporting each other
What Hey Mama is and the story behind her and Katya
Taking things into their own hands and building something to fill their own needs
How other women helped them to launch Hey Mama
Why Amri decided to partner with someone in business
How being in a partnership has served them
Figuring out that she wanted to start her own business
How to handle challenging periods and disagreements
The mutual respect that is needed in building a team
Defining roles and establishing boundaries
Having a flexible schedule with their team
Keeping each other accountable with their own schedules
The tools they use for their internal communication and project management
Making the decision to find a cofounder
Maintaining their personal relationship outside of their business
Investing time into doing things with their kids
What Amri was grateful for during her transition
How they decided they would create a community through Instagram
Building their business on a small budget in the beginning
How much Amri has grown from managing a team and community
Why Amri and Katya wanted to build a community
How community can change your life personally, professionally and in motherhood

Have you been looking for an alternative approach for teaching your children? Today on the podcast we brought on Simone Davies to talk about the Montessori method of education. Simone is an international educator and AMI Montessori teacher. She has been working in Montessori education for 15 years and is passionate about how its methods help parents garner greater happiness and fulfillment with their children. She shares specific activities they use in the Montessori school, why it is important to let children make their own decisions and how this method will make your home life run smoother.

What’s In This Episode:

How Simone’s life has changed as a mother
What the Montessori approach to education is
The mixed age classrooms in Montessori
How the Montessori classroom is set up
Setting up the environment to be cozy
Specific activities that Montessori schools focus on
Using work cycles to not break the child’s concentration
Incorporating motor movement into activities
What motivated Simone to write her book
Leaving children in charge and giving them the choice to choose
Letting children guide their own experience
How the Montessori method makes things run smoother
Easy way to start implementing the Montessori method in your home
Encouraging other caregivers to use the Montessori principles
Reinforcing good behavior to build their intrinsic motivation
Modeling behavior for children
What Simone is excited about

In the month of June, we switched things up a little bit and for the first time we brought on a few inspiring guests to share their wisdom about fatherhood. Guests included Sean Donahue, Brad Johnson, Doug French and to round it all out for our one year anniversary of the podcast, we brought on our husbands Tim and Taylor to get their take on fatherhood. We start this episode with some rapid fire questions and then discuss each guest and what we loved about their episode.What’s In This Episode:

Highlights from each episode in June
Rapid fire with Jenn and Lara
What products they are loving right now
Their current mom crushes
Current mom hacks
The evening hours of motherhood
Figuring out the transition from work mode into mom mode
Their mom wins for the month
Why parenting looks different today than for previous generations
Parenting modern-day teens with guest Sean Donahue
Being aware of what kids are exposed to in this day and age
Prioritizing parenthood with Brad Johnson
Hit the stop button and really be present with your family
The importance of having 1-on-1 time with your children
Embracing the challenges of parenthood today with Doug French
Co-parenting and how being a caregiver is different for men
Challenges for modern fatherhood
Having the ability to be able to ask their husbands about fatherhood with Jenn and Lara
Their husbands' thoughts on how they transitioned to motherhood
What Tim and Taylor wish they knew about fatherhood
How they feel about Dad guilt

Today we’re chatting with Dr. Jacqueline Worth, an ob/gyn and a passionate advocate for women’s health especially surrounding pregnancy. In her practice, Jacqueline specifically works with women who are pregnant. She also just released a new book, The New Rules of Pregnancy: What to Eat, Do, Think About, and Let Go Of While Your Body Is Making a Baby. She shares her candid advice to help expecting mothers learn what they really need to know about during their pregnancy. You’ll walk away from this episode feeling a lot less stressed about pregnancy and having the tools and knowledge to be able to experience your pregnancy with more joy.

What’s In This Episode:

Incorporating motherhood into her work
The demands of her career and how it has affected her family
Helping moms to see the joy of pregnancy
Feeling underprepared for motherhood
The trends that Dr. Jacqueline sees in her practice
Making sure that you trust your doctors
How the pain of labor is managed differently now
The higher rates of c-sections
Bringing a doula for spontaneous labor
How to avoid having a c-section
The hazards of being overdueChange has been a huge part of my in pregnancy
Strategies that encourage spontaneous labor
The new rules of pregnancy
What Dr. Jacqueline wishes she knew when she was pregnant
Asking for support and focusing on your own wellbeing and health
Say no to obligations and giving yourself space
Involve your husband and let him help you

Today we’re celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the Generation.Mom podcast. We can hardly believe it ourselves that we have been at this for over a year and have produced over 50 episodes. To help us celebrate this milestone, we’ve decided to bring some amazing guests on the show today. Since we’ve spent the month of June celebrating fathers, we thought we’d round off this series with some special guests, the ones who made us mothers, who are also our husbands. We chat about their lives as fathers, what surprises them the most about our podcast and we also play a fun game to see who knows us best, our husbands or each other.

What’s In This Episode:

How their life and career has transitioned due to fatherhood
Being above the line or below the line
How expectations of fathers have changed in the modern age
Their thoughts on their wives transition to motherhood
What has surprised them about Generation.Mom
Topics that they would like to hear more about
What Tim and Taylor wish their wives understood about fatherhood
How they feel about dad guilt
Adjusting to having children in the picture and the challenges of balance
A game of who knows who best, husbands vs. co-host
Their favorite dad hacks
Tim and Taylor’s dad crushes
What they are struggling with right now as a dad and a recent dad win
Their best memories with their children so far
What Tim and Taylor’s biggest dreams are for their children
The #1 thing that fatherhood has taught them
Learning efficiency and appreciating simple pleasures

For today’s bonus episode, we are doing a recap of all of our amazing guests from the month of May. We brought on so many brilliant and intelligent women to chat about all things motherhood including Dr. Christine Sterling, Jenny Blossom, Wendy Snyder, Kari Keating and Renata Cameron. We start off this episode with a few rapid fire questions so you can get to know us a little more then we share key takeaways from our guests in their episodes.What’s In This Episode:

Highlights from each episode in May
Rapid fire with Jenn and Lara
What products they are loving right now
Their favorite moms
The mom hacks they are currently implementing
Struggling with time management
Prioritizing self-care activities
Being aware of hormonal changes that occur
Postpartum tips with Dr. Christine Sterling
What to expect in your fourth trimester
Creating meaningful motherhood for the modern mama with Jenny Blossom
3 tips for mamas trying to find more meaning in motherhood
The power of positive parenting with Wendy Snyder
Dealing with parenting problems with integrity
How parenting mistakes are just as important as successes
Setting realistic expectations for yourself and business with Kari Keating
Investing in your business
Matresence and the birth of a mother with Renata Cameron
The learning curves that come with motherhood

This week on Generation.Mom, we are continuing with our trend for the month of June and interviewing another dad to get his take on fatherhood and the unique challenges that dads face. We brought Doug French on the show to chat about his experience of being a dad. Doug is a writer, speaker and single dad who began blogging after being laid off from his job in 2003. He currently writes and cartoons while also running the Dad 2.0 Summit, to help dads come together and learn from one another. We chat about coparenting, how men nurture differently, building empathy for your partner, and embracing the challenges of fatherhood.What’s In This Episode:

How Doug got into Dad blogging
Making coparenting work by dividing and conquering
Masculinity and being a caregiver
How men can nurture differently as a parent
Modern parenting and how parenthood is evolving
Why paternity leave is important for men
What women go through as mothers and building empathy for your partner
Tackling parenthood with the resources you have
Well visits with a couples counselor
The 4 sides-model of communication
The challenges that modern fatherhood is embracing
Breaking the cycle of flawed relationships with fathers
Being open about your struggles as a dad
Progressive workplaces offering more flexibility for families
How families have changed in the modern age
Being aware of what your partner goes through
Judgments that dads face in their role as a father
The stigma behind paternity leave
The identity issues that men and women face when they become parents
Strides that dads are making

For today’s episode of the podcast, we are bringing another dad on the podcast in honor of Father’s day this coming weekend. The guest we are chatting with today is Brad Johnson, a financial coach, investment consultant and father of three children. We chat about why it is so important to schedule in regular date nights with your spouse or partner. He discusses what it was like feeling underprepared for fatherhood and creating accountability for children. If you want to learn to stop policing kids and start empowering them then this is the episode for you.What’s In This Episode:

Brad’s career and how it transformed from fatherhood
Dealing with dad guilt
Hitting the stop button and being present with your family
How his relationship with his wife strengthened after children
What would've been helpful to know before fatherhood
What it’s like going to a Dad Retreat
The importance of 1 on 1 time with children
The connection that dads have with their kids
Learning to communicate as parents
How divorce affects children
The importance of continuing to “date” your partner
Implementing meditation into his life
The framework for great conversations with your kids
Creating a family culture and having your children hold you accountable
Focusing on effort rather than labeling
Empowering kids rather than policing them

In celebration of Father’s day this month, we are doing something a little different on the podcast these next few weeks. For the first time ever, we are going to be bringing on dads to hear their perspective on fatherhood. Today’s guest is Sean Donahue of Parenting Modern Teens. We discuss how parenting children in today’s age looks different than in prior generations and how we can better parent teens and children. This episode will help you step away from fear-based parenting and feel encouraged to talk to your kids about feelings and emotions rather than teaching them right from wrong.

What’s In This Episode:

Sean’s background and how he got started
How Sean’s began his career working with kids and teens
The changes that happened in his life and career after kids
Why parenting looks different today than it did in previous generations
Modern parenting and how parenthood has evolved
Living in fear while parenting
Where Sean’s passion for teenagers comes from
His process for coaching and the approaches he uses
Sean’s advice for embracing the behaviors of adolescence
False beliefs that parents have
How children change your marriage
Where influences on our children come from
Being careful of what our children are exposed to
Emotion coaching for our kids
Why presence is crucial in parenting

There are so many learning curves that mamas face once their little ones are here and they enter motherhood. Today on the podcast, we are discussing matresence with Renata Cameron, a licensed MFT and new mom advocate. Renata is a big believer in helping moms to feel better prepared for motherhood, by providing support and community through her classes, Milestone Mommy and Me. You will learn what matresence is and how to handle your expectations of becoming a mom. She will also share how to embrace the learning process of motherhood and everything that comes along with it.

What’s In This Episode:

Learning what matresence is
How Renata's career and life transitioned due to motherhood
The need for community as a mother
Learning curves that come with a new baby
The variables that come with matresence
How babies can rock your marriage and the importance of couples counseling
The pressure of learning to become a parent
Fear of not doing enough
Shifting the vocabulary around motherhood
Handling your expectations of being a mom
Renata’s advice for first-time mothers
Paying attention to your experiences and verbalizing it to your partner
Embracing the learning process of motherhood

As a mama, creating something for yourself, by yourself can be one of the most rewarding feelings. Many modern-day mamas are building businesses and babies. Today we brought on Kari Keating, a business and growth coach who got started in entrepreneurship through multi-level marketing. She shares why she joined a MLM as a way to generate extra income and how she quickly realized entrepreneurship was the path for her after replacing her full-time income in just three months. We chat about how she fell into coaching and her advice for other mamas who are looking to make something of their own. If your dreaming of starting a side hustle and searching for work outside of motherhood that is both fulfilling and inspiring then this is the episode for you.

What’s In This Episode:

The vision that Kari had as a child
Discovering how to serve as a leader while being a mom
How she discovered Isogenics and replaced her full-time income
Finding her passion as a business coach
Kari’s advice on how to find your purpose
Why people fear success
How to get loved ones on board with your purpose
Prioritizing and making time for your side hustle
Setting realistic expectations for yourself and your business
Investing in your business and using your resources
Her opinion on how gratitude can manifest positivity to your life
How technology helps mamas start businesses
Community building and relationship currency
Kari’s plans for growing her business

In parenthood, sometimes the mistakes we make are just as important as the successes. On today’s episode, we are diving in deep with guest, Wendy Snyder, a parenting coach who teaches people about Positive Parenting. She shares how to get to the root cause of your child’s misbehavior and how to work with your child instead of trying to change them. It’s time to get intentional with empowering your kids and learn how to navigate the parenting challenges that come your way with integrity.

What’s In This Episode:

Working with your children instead of trying to change them
The ups and downs of parenthood
How to deal with parenting challenges with integrity
Wendy’s career and how it transitioned due to motherhood
The three parenting styles most parents fit into
Learning how to process our emotions
Incorporating new habits into parenting and staying on track
How parenting mistakes are just as important as successes
Challenges and expectations that parents have
The fear and force model and how this affects children
How to avoid raising helicopter kids
Getting intentional with empowering your kids
The importance of community in parenthood

On today’s episode, we are talking about creating a deeper meaning to motherhood and your life as a mama. It can be challenging as a mom to put yourself before your family, but sometimes that's exactly what we need. We brought on an expert guest, Jenny Blossom, to help us understand how to simplify motherhood and the ups and downs that go along with raising a family. Jenny is the founder of Blossoming Mommy & Baby, which helps busy mamas live healthier lives and navigate modern homemaking. You will hear practical advice on how to find the best version of yourself as a mom and be able to identify and maneuver the daily challenges of motherhood.

What’s In This Episode:

Bringing further meaning to your life as a mama
How Jenny built a brand about motherhood before being a mom herself
How being at rock bottom led Jenny to start her own business
The transition to being a mom and a business owner
Her 3 tips for mamas looking to find more meaning in motherhood
Zoning out your motherhood tasks and batching your errands
How Jenny’s life experiences shaped her into living a meaningful motherhood
Becoming a victor rather than being a victim
Quick, healthy meals for your family
Ending the comparison game and focusing in on being present for your family
What Jenny is most excited about for her business and motherhood

Was your hardest part of pregnancy the fourth trimester? Today, we are talking about the postpartum period after the baby has arrived. We have enlisted an expert guest, OBGYN Dr. Christine Sterling, to help us navigate this crazy time! In this episode, Dr. Sterling breaks down all that encompasses this period of time. Mamas trust us, you will feel your postpartum experience was a normal experience as she speaks the truth to what really happens to us physically, mentally & emotionally. You will learn how to better navigate your body, brain, family, and relationships during this period of time, and feel inspired by the changes Dr. Sterling wants to make when it comes to women’s postpartum care.

What’s In This Episode:

Christine’s personal experience with the fourth trimester & how that impacted how she treats her patients
What the fourth trimester is
The physical & emotional changes during this postpartum period
What women should expect during that time
The specific challenges you can face when breastfeeding
The differences between the care women experience during pregnancy and postpartum
What Christine tells mom to expect from the fourth trimester
Her tips to help communication with your partner during the postpartum period
Postpartum paternal depression
What your expectations should be towards feeling like a mom
The hormone shift you experience after giving birth and how it impacts your experience
The new age baby showers
What ideal postpartum care would look like
Ways that expectant moms can prepare for postpartum

Today, we are going in for round two to talk about birth options. If you tuned in last week you heard the first part of this very informative interview with birth experts Anna Forsberg & Anglea De Leon of the San Diego Birth Network. If you have not yet listened to that episode make sure to go back and start there! What you can expect to hear in this series is information about the different types of birth providers, and what options are really available to you as a mom about to go through delivery. We will break down what a doula is vs midwife, and relay some tips for the challenging postpartum period.

What’s In This Episode:

The different options available for birthing their babies
The pros and cons of the different birthing options
Key questions to ask your doctor, midwife, or doula
The different costs associated with the different places to give birth
Postpartum care with each different birthing option
Advice for moms who are preparing to deliver
How doulas can help in the postpartum period
The way that moms can best advocate for themselves during birth

Is deciding how to birth your baby more overwhelming to you than having a baby itself? As moms, we are tasked with making so many decisions for our littles, and some of those first decisions start when we are pregnant. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin when trying to make a birth plan, especially as a first-time mom. Today, we are talking about the many birth options that are available to us as moms.

This is part one of a very informative two-part series, where we sit down with two birthing experts Anna Forsberg & Angela Diaz DeLeon from The San Diego Birth Network. What you can expect to hear in this series is information about the different types of birth providers, and what options are really available to you as a mom about to go through delivery. We will break down what a doula is vs midwife, and relay some tips for the challenging postpartum period.

What’s In This Episode:

How Angela & Anna’s careers transitioned due to motherhood
Their personal birth experiences
The mission of the San Diego Birth Network
What traumatic births are
How the immediate postpartum care impacts your perspective on traumatic births
The trauma that a doula or support person can experience
A doulas role when it comes to making decisions in the birth process
The difference between midwives versus doula
Who can hires a doula & whether c-section mamas would hire a doula
The continuous care that a doula provides

Are you looking to simplify your life? Do you want more efficiency and functionality? Today we are talking about how simplicity is the key to a fun and functional family & life! We invited Jessie Ansley, founder of Streamlined & Simple a collection of paper goods & organizational tools with a functional and simplistic design, to share her tips and tricks to make your home more functional. We hope that you walk away from this episode seeing that you can eliminate chaos simply by making things more simple.

What’s In This Episode:

How Jessie’s career & life has transitioned since becoming a mother
Where and how her business was born
What the early stages of her business were like while balancing motherhood
Why she believes that simplicity creates a more functional lifestyle
Jessie’s tips for moms to simplify your days
Survival chores and how they help eliminate chaos
The benefits of a family command center
Ways to simplify clutter in your house
Where routines & rhythms are most effective
Why it is important to write things down
How & why Jessie meal plans
The importance of community in motherhood

Today we are talking about the choices we make as moms relating to the education of our children. We have invited Caroline Hull to the podcast. Caroline is a podcast host herself, a podcast editor, and still manages to find time to homeschool her two daughters in Colorado.

What’s In This Episode:

Caroline shares the path that led her to homeschool her two girls
What is the definition of homeschooling
Caroline explains how she decides what to teach and when
Discussion on homeschooling laws and options for meeting state requirements
Establishing boundaries as a work-from-home homeschooling mama
The process of managing homeschooling more than one child
Homeschooling through high school
What children ask and understand about being homeschooled
The importance of community as a homeschooling family
Socialization in the homeschooling world
Homeschooling as an option for families seeking geographic flexibility
What support is available for homeschooling parents
What prep time and lesson planning looks like as a homeschooling mom
Bringing in outside help

Today we are talking about the nuances of family dynamics, especially the conversation and transition around adding a second child to the family. Since Lara is in the midst of this herself, we thought we’d have a candid conversation about the ups and downs of this time.

What’s In This Episode:

Do you innately know that you want more children?
The reality that sometimes the first child is so disruptive in your life that you question a second
Jenn shares her vision for her family
Lara discusses her desire for three or more children
Jenn shares her upfront conversation with her husband about adding to their family
Discussion about the fear of regret
Lara talks about her second pregnancy surprise
Jenn reflects on how long it took for the decision to become a plan
There is no one right way to have the second child conversation
The financial component of the decision
Should older children be considered in the decision to add to the family?
Special needs or other factors and how they may impact a decision
Lara discusses her biggest concerns about transitioning to a household of four
The importance of not keeping score in your marriage
Lara talks about the biggest challenges she faced in bringing another child home
Things that Lara and her husband did to help Sawyer transition to having a sibling
Lara discusses her day-by-day routine as a mom of two

Today we are talking about authenticity and transparency in motherhood. We’ve invited Desiree Fortin, infertility warrior, triplet mom, blogger, Instagram influencer, and Today show contributor to the podcast. Desiree tells her story of becoming a mom of triplets and her journey since becoming a mom. She shares her honest experiences and the challenges she faces everyday in navigating motherhood. We reflect on how the power of vulnerability is so important in the experience of becoming and being a mom.

What’s In This Episode:

How The Perfect Mom blog came to be
Why Desiree feels that connecting with others is important
The belief that good can come from struggle
Desiree and her husband Ryan’s reaction to finding out they were expecting triplets
What Desiree feels has been the most challenging aspects of raising triplets
The importance of being open to support while keeping clear boundaries
How transparency and vulnerability can help others
Desiree’s experience with her toddler’s near-drowning
Frank discussion about anxiety and postpartum depression
Desiree’s Confessions of the Anxious Mama series
Desiree’s husband’s role in the blog and related projects
The Marriage Truths series
Thoughts on body image and self-love

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Generation.Mom is a proud member of the Parents on Demand Network, a podcast network for parents and families. Download the app here!

03.13.19

The balance between career and motherhood is one of the most challenging equations for today’s moms. Our guest today is Erin Meanley Glenny, the editor in chief of San Diego Magazine and mother of two young children. She shares some of her insights on the challenges and blessings of being a working mom as well as her perspective on the ways that the career landscape is evolving to support mothers in their return to the workforce.

What’s In This Episode:

How this generation of motherhood looks different than in previous generations
The ways in which Erin transitioned in her career before and after motherhood
The reality that driven, career-focused women often find challenges in balancing work ethic with the responsibilities of motherhood.
It’s okay if you’re not a “baby person”; embrace what you’re good at
How settling into a new identity can be overwhelming
How childcare arrangements can dictate options in a career after becoming a mother
Advice for returning to the workforce after having children
The importance of a good support network
Using meditation as a tool in career and motherhood
The emotional aspect of missing milestones
The value of being truly present when with family
The importance of giving yourself grace
Trusting in the guidance and care of child development professionals
How to approach an employer about an alternative work arrangement
Offering benchmarks as a valuable tool in seeking support from an employer
The importance of finding a good routine for your family
Discussion on “the baby penalty”
Mom guilt is common among high-achieving women who have stayed in their careers
Recognizing the need to take downtime as it comes
Real talk: It’s okay if your kids aren’t your whole world
The need for more mother and baby friendly businesses
The value in raising children who see their mother go to work

Are you a mom of a toddler? Today’s show is part 2 of a two-episode series about toddlerhood, with toddler expert Megan Pierson of The Potty Shop. In part 1 we discussed toddler behavior, development, discipline, and sleep. In part 2 we continue to discuss the in’s and outs of this time in our children’s lives, but also get to the nitty-gritty on toddler eating and most importantly Potty Training these little humans!

What’s In This Episode:

Tips for getting your toddler to eat
Using creativity to get your toddler their servings of fruits and vegetables
Making dinner time fun
Family dinners are not always realistic and that’s okay
Why toddlers throw food and how to deal with it
The value of giving choices and offering variety
Make mealtime shorter for your toddler
Tips for dining out with toddlers
What lead Megan to start her research into potty training
The pitfalls of the “cold turkey” method of potty training
Potty training is very individualized
Starting positive potty associations between 16 and 18 months
Modeling that using the bathroom is a normal part of life.
Physical, emotional, and cognitive signs that your toddler is ready for potty training
The importance of making sure that life is at a calm stage before beginning potty training
Expectations for how long potty training will take
Potty training as an “awake hours” activity vs. expectations for a child being night/nap trained
The right way to handle potty training accidents
How to offer rewards, not bribes
The advantage of fun underwear
Pitfalls of the “commando” method of potty training
Regressions in potty training
Advice for enjoying toddlerhood

Do you live with a bunch of tiny people who serve as your middle-of-the-night alarm clock, keep you on your toes with their unpredictable mood swings, and challenge you in new ways every day? Today’s episode is part 1 of a two-part series on toddlerhood. Since we are not experts on toddlerhood, we have enlisted the help of Megan Pierson of The Potty Shop to help.

In this episode, Megan covers toddler behavior & development and educates us on discipline methods and sleep training for these little humans of ours. She breaks down what all mamas need to know about their toddlers, what can be expected during this period of their life, and how you can best handle being a supportive figure to help them grow.

What’s In This Episode:

Megan’s background and how her career transitioned after becoming a mother
The age & developmental stages of toddlerhood
High tides & low tides when it comes to having a toddler
How smart and manipulative toddlers can be
The main challenges and themes a toddler will experience
How to approach your toddler when they are having a tantrum
Creating a spot in your home for your toddler
The importance of role-playing & utilizing pictures
How to successfully transition from activity to activity with your toddler
When to use time out & how to use it appropriately
Utilizing positive affirmation to reinforce positive behaviors
Sleep regressions in toddlerhood & creating firm boundaries around bedtime
Comforting toddlers during night terrors & nightmares
How to determine when to check in when your toddler cries at night
Transitioning a toddler from crib to bed

Does your home feel chaotic and cluttered because you’re busy raising little ones? Today, we are talking about the benefits of organization, not just for you personally, but how it can benefit your family as a whole. Managing the ins and outs of children -- their schedules, their meals, and all of our personal needs isn’t easy but organization can be a simple step in minimizing all of that stress. Since we are no experts on this topic and are constantly trying to get better at it ourselves, we have enlisted Jen Robin of Life in Jeneral to share her inspiration with us all!

In this episode, expect to hear some simple and relevant tips on how you can simplify your life, simply by getting better organized at home. Jen breaks down how she helps her clients stay sane with all the clutter little ones create, and her best methods when it comes to purging, getting organized and most importantly staying organized. Trust us, once you are through listening you are going to head straight to that closet you’ve been ignoring for far too long, inspired to clean out, clean up, and live with less!

What’s In This Episode:

How Jen’s company helps moms & families
What inspired Jen to start Life in Jeneral
How her passion for organization impact Jen’s day to day life
The benefits of organization for families
How Jen helps clients navigate through the psychology of organization
Working with people who are naturally organized and those who need to be taught
Little things that can make the biggest impact
Having systems that grow and change with you over the years
The process of hiring Jen and her team
Why you need to start with a clean slate
Jen’s tips for the purging process
Advice for managing children’s gear and toys
Small ways people can start getting organized
Whether or not there are people are beyond help when it comes to organization
What is coming up for Life in Jeneral

Have you experienced the rollercoaster of postpartum? Today, Lara is pulling down the veil and getting real with you by breaking down her postpartum experience after the birth of her second son last year. She’ll be sharing what the first 12-weeks as a postpartum mom of two has been like, the ups and downs, what she learned, and what she is still learning about motherhood. Lara’s honesty and vulnerability will help you feel less alone in your postpartum experience.

What’s In This Episode:

How her experience with bringing Sutton home has differed from her experience with bringing Sawyer home
How the introduction of Sawyer to his brother went
Sawyer’s reaction to Sutton being home from the hospital
Allowing more help the second time around
How Lara and her husband are navigating being parents of two together
What the holiday season looked like during postpartum
When she started struggling a little more with anxiety & letting things go
Managing all of the changes that Sutton was going through
The difficulties that her & her husband faced while feeling overwhelmed during the holidays
Sutton’s struggles with nursing and how her experience with breastfeeding differed from the first time
Why it’s important to take care of yourself in order to take care of the rest of your family
What caused her to go to the doctor
The things that have been helpful to her in this postpartum period

Was your journey to motherhood not quite as smooth as you expected it to be? Today, we are taking things to a little more of a personal level as we are featuring Jenn Rout, our very own Generation.Mom co-founder, and her journey to motherhood. Jenn discusses how she navigated having a rare tumor in her heart in order to ensure that she eventually would get the opportunity to become a mom. You will walk away from this episode learning a lot more about Jenn and how she used her strength and resilience to see the big picture!

What’s In This Episode:

Where Jenn’s path to motherhood first began
When she first learned about the rare cardiac tumor inside her heart
What happened after the incidental finding of the tumor
Her husband’s reaction to the news
The feelings she had at her first appointment with the cardiologist
What the next few months looked like after the diagnosis
How her mindset shifted after finding out about the tumor
How her desire to be a mother impacted the treatment options
The way she prepared her mind for surgery
Her surgery experience
How the process was very draining for her & how she coped with that
The recovery process after open heart surgery
When they were able to start trying to get pregnant
How the whole process changed her outlook on life
Jenn’s advice for those going through a stressful medical event

When you sneeze, do you pee a little bit? Today, we are throwing it back to one of our most popular episodes with women’s postpartum physical therapist, Dr. Dawn Andalon. You guys had so many questions when we featured her a few months ago so we wanted to bring her back for a little more discussion!

We’re talking all about the physical part of the postpartum period and how we can get our physical selves back to the strongest we can be. Dr. Dawn Andalon, creator of Level 4, joins us to discuss all things pelvic floor and postpartum. Dawn will share some of the common issues women have after having a baby, how to prepare themselves for success, and her beliefs on treating women in the postnatal period.

What’s In This Episode:

The different symptoms that women experience after giving birth to their second or third children
What causes postpartum back pain & how to address the pain
Whether women can regain their pre-pregnancy strength and how long it takes after giving birth
When you can start working out postpartum
Who needs postpartum strength training and resources
How women can determine if they have Diastasis Recti
How Dawn handled the transition from a career without kids to a career with kids
What a physical therapist that specializes in postnatal health does & how they help women
Why there is a gap of knowledge when it comes to pelvic floor issues
Dawn’s belief system for treating women in the postpartum period
The most common reasons women come to Level 4
The issues Diastasis Recti can cause and how Dawn can help
How can women prevent issues that may arise in the postnatal period
The relationship between epidurals and the healing process
What signs of birth trauma should women look for after the baby
How we can talk to our doctors about getting a referral to a physical therapist
What uterine prolapse is & how it can be treated
Dawn’s recovery strategies and exercises
Her belief on how long you should give yourself before trying to jump back into everything
How second pregnancies differ from first pregnancies and what you should watch for
The length of time you should expect it to take to get back to your pre-baby self
What women should be doing prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy to prepare themselves for success

Are you wanting to build a doorway to manage who & what comes into & out of your life? Today we are talking about boundaries within motherhood and life with our guest, OBGYN and postpartum expert, Dr. Christine Sterling. In this episode, you will hear candid conversation about how each of us has struggled with establishing boundaries, how we have overcome some of those struggles, and why establishing boundaries, especially in motherhood, is so important. We also discuss some tips and tricks to help you be better about setting boundaries in your own life.

What’s In This Episode:

Christine’s background & how her career transitioned when she became a mom
What are boundaries, who needs them, and why we need them
The first boundary you establish in motherhood
Boundaries within pregnancy
How Christine’s boundaries have shifted from her first pregnancy to now
The way social media has impacted our boundaries
How to navigate setting boundaries within the context of challenging relationships
How to set boundaries within motherhood & with your children
Why it’s important to practice setting boundaries during pregnancy
Where mom guilt comes from
A practice that will help ensure your boundaries are aligning with your values
Why you need to be direct in your boundaries

We recently welcomed a new member to the Generation.Mom family. On today's special bonus episode, Lara is sharing the birth story of her second son. Be sure to share your birth stories in the Generation.Mom community!

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Generation.Mom is a proud member of the Parents on Demand Network, a podcast network for parents and families. Download the app here!

Are you ready to get to know us just a little bit more? Today we are talking about our personal birth stories with our sons. We’re getting personal in an effort to connect further with all of you! We’ll be sharing about labor, delivery, and those first few moments as moms.

What’s In This Episode:

A fun fact about both of our deliveries
Lara’s experience with labor & birth
Her thoughts on having a birth photographer
How Sawyer slept the first few weeks
Jenn’s experience with going over her due date
Her labor & delivery experience
The benefits of the vaginal seeding procedure
What a c-section feels like

Do you feel like your transition into motherhood was like going through puberty -- a roller coaster of emotions alongside of identifying with the new you. Today, we’re talking about the importance of being authentic to your self in motherhood and in your career. Katie Burke of Method Financial Planning is here to share her personal story about her journey through matrescence, and how that journey renewed her appreciation for the importance of authenticity both in her career and motherhood.

What’s In This Episode:

What matrescence is
Katie’s career and mindset before she had children
How her perspective shifted after having her first baby
The changes that she made in her career after becoming a mom
The types of clients that she loves working with
What she learned most about motherhood in her transitional period
How motherhood allowed her to find her true authentic self
Katie’s tips to identify what you want in business and motherhood
The parallels between being an entrepreneur and being a mom
The iceberg analogy and how it applies to career and motherhood
How her desire to create authentic, supportive spaces has furthered her career & influenced how she has built her business
How important community is in motherhood
The pitfalls of not being authentic in your financial life
What a financial planner does
Katie’s financial planning tips for moms
Her advice for working moms that are in the midst of adjusting their careers

Are you celebrating the end of a chapter or the start of a new beginning? Today, we are doing something a little bit different & are sharing our year in review! We’ll be sharing where 2018 took us & where we hope to find ourselves in 2019. We hope you enjoy our last episode of 2018!

What’s In This Episode:

What we accomplished throughout the year
Our personal circumstances month by month
Both the expected & unexpected things that happened throughout 2018
Our professional and personal intentions for 2019
Both of our words that encompass what we want to accomplish in the new year
What we want to let go of & leave in 2018

Dreaming of more sleep? Today, in part 2 of our conversation with Natalie of The Sleep Shop, we discuss all things sleep! We talk about what a sleep coach does, why sleep is so important, when to start sleep training, sleep props and sleep associations, and so much more! You will not want to miss Natalie’s valuable insight! If you missed part 1, we talked all about creating a career and business that allowed Natalie the flexibility and lifestyle that she wanted as a mom, make sure to go back and listen!

What’s In This Episode:

What a sleep coach does & what sleep coaching is
How additions to the family can change the sleep dynamics
Natalie’s philosophy on sleep training
Why sleep is so important for babies
Night sleep vs. day sleep
When do you start sleep training & whether all babies need sleep training or not
The sleep props that you should avoid and how to transition away from them
What sleep associations are & how they can be used
Sleep rituals and routines
Why it’s ok to let babies or toddlers fuss or cry when they are in the last stages of their ritual or routine
Transitioning away from night feedings
How to determine when a toddler wants you vs. when they need you
The importance of giving toddlers choices during their nighttime routines
Getting two kids on a similar schedule
How to see nap transitions are coming
Postnatal depletion and how sleep schedules help you combat it

Let’s begin by defining maternal ambivalence: “Ambivalence arises where there is a conflict between the needs of the parents and those of their children” (from Psychology Today). Some call it the ‘crime that dare not speak its name.’ No doubt if you speak an ill word against your feelings for your children, you’ll end up feeling guilty or shamed by others. But is it really a crime to be a normal human being? Lara and Jenn tackle this tough topic on today’s episode.

Many people have relationship ambivalence, but few people talk about it.

You aren’t supposed to dislike your kids or wish they weren’t around. They are the shining light in your life, and the world should revolve around them. Right? Right? At least, that’s what society tells us. But what is the nitty-gritty truth about motherhood? Do we somehow transcend our real feelings and become god-like in our ability to never think a negative thought? Of course not. Jenn and Lara share their own stories of how they’ve struggled with guilt and negativity and sometimes, anger, as new mothers.

Are these feelings normal?

In fact, yes. They are. They’ve been medically documented and are considered common. You aren’t a terrible person or a heartless mother. But the real danger lies in when you try to suppress those feelings, when you bury them and let them fester as ‘mommy guilt.’ There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to help relieve yourself of the guilt, but Jenn found that accepting the way she felt as normal helped. She also recognized that she might need a little more alone time and some boundaries.

You don’t have to fall in love at first sight.

Your friends who have children have probably told you how much they love being a mother, how they loved their baby while it was still in the womb. Or maybe, they’re just afraid to say the truth. It’s such a huge change in a woman’s life to become a mother, and so much of it is figuring out who you are again. This can create resentment but don’t worry. True love grows. You won’t always like your children, but you will always love them.

You don’t have to be in love 100% of the time.

Try to think of one thing you love 100% of the time. Hard to do, isn’t it? Your job, your marriage, your home… whatever. It’s the same with being a mother, though you might find that the swing from high to low can be much greater. One minute, they’re the most beautiful thing alive, and the next minute, a little tyrant whose water cup being empty is the end of the world. The feelings are far more complicated than you might have ever experienced.

What to do when YOU feel maternal ambivalence.

Reach out. It can be as simple as Googling other mothers’ experiences and real talk. Add things into your life that combine the best of what you love. You can join a community (like ours!) and talk about it. But if your feelings are extreme and frequent, like you might harm yourself or your baby, then a licensed psychiatrist can help you. Don’t let the shame keep you from getting the support you need and deserve. It’s not easy being a mother and you don’t have to do it alone!

The Generation.Mom community wants to hear from you!

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at:

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Was your journey into motherhood not as easy as expected? We know that moms connect most to other moms when they open up candidly about their experiences in motherhood. With that in mind, on today’s episode, we are talking to our friend Carly Kenihen of BunBunBook about her battle with infertility and the silver lining that came from this experience. She also shares about her experience with her twins having to stay in the NICU.

What’s In This Episode:

How Carly’s career has shifted since becoming a mom
When she started Bun Bun Book & how it has transitioned over time
The point at which Carly felt ready to become a mom
When she knew it was time to investigate deeper into her fertility
The process & timeline of getting pregnant with Slater & Zoe
Her diagnosis of endometriosis and the decision to move forward with IVF
The feelings and emotions Carly and her husband faced throughout the process of IVF
What the process looked like after the egg retrieval
Her experience learning that the first round of IVF was unsuccessful
Carly’s hesitancy in sharing her feelings throughout her battle with infertility and why she finally decided to share their story on the blog
How Carly found support along her IVF journey after sharing her story
When the second transfer took place
Carly’s reaction to finding out she was pregnant
Her pregnancy experience with the twins
When Slater & Zoe were born
Their experience in the NICU
Carly’s advice for anyone experiencing infertility or walking through a NICU experience

Are you looking for a better understanding of you, your husband, and your kids? Today we are interviewing Haleh Gianni, a certified human behavior specialist and Life & Business coach. Haleh focuses on helping singles make conscious decisions about their personal and love lives, couples to enhance their relationships, and businesses to create cohesive and collaborative team environments. Today, we will be talking about addressing the daily challenges in motherhood while maintaining our energy, managing multiple perceptions and differences, and learning the importance of downtime when we are operating out of our weaknesses.

What’s In This Episode:

Her career background and how her career pivoted after becoming a mom
What a life & business coach does and why people come to her
Haleh’s ability to customize her coaching for each of her clients
How Haleh helps her clients address the day-to-day challenges and maintain their energy level
The dynamic of multiple perceptions in one household
Identifying differences and managing them in a healthy manner
The importance of understanding ourselves on an objective level
Learning when you are operating out of your weakness
How vital downtime and knowing what brings you energy is to your bandwidth
Knowing how to open our communication doorways especially with our children

We recently had the opportunity to meet Maria Alcoke, the host of The Engine Mom Podcast. Since we loved the conversation so much we wanted to replay the episode for all of you today! We talked with Maria all about our vision for Generation.Mom and the community that we’re creating!

What’s In This Episode:

A little background on Lara & Jenn and their families
What currently fuels both Lara & Jenn
How Generation.Mom got started
How Lara & Jenn’s experiences have shaped their vision for Generation.Mom
The importance of community in motherhood
The biggest takeaways from building this community for moms
The impact of authentic vulnerability in a community
What Jenn & Lara have learned from other moms
Maria’s rearview wrap up questions for Jenn & Lara

Are you seeking clarity in your role as mom? Today we are talking about the importance of defining self and establishing individuality in parenthood. We will be talking with licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Lorna Hecht who will be sharing her considerable knowledge about how the importance of defining self as a parent leads to healthier parent/child and parent/parent relationships!

What’s In This Episode:

Lorna’s career before kids & how is transitioned after having kids
What a licensed marriage & family therapist does & why couples reach out to her for guidance
How does understanding the family as a system assist in the overall functioning of an individual
The importance of reinvesting in self-care
How anxiety will become symptomatic in the most vulnerable person in the family system
The way the emotional health of the mother impacts the family
The tension between the drive for individuality and the allegiance to the group
Working out conflict within the family system
The impact of birth order on personality development
How self-care is different for different people
The most important tip Lorna has for moms

Do you find yourself in a season life that just seems still? Today, we are talking about waiting times, not waiting in line at the store, but times when you are waiting on the next big thing to happen whether that be a vacation, a baby, a promotion, or a relationship. We’ll talk about how those times can be frustrating & share some ways that you can embrace the waiting period.

What’s In This Episode:

How Jenn & Lara deal with times of waiting
A reflective exercise that helps deal with times of waiting
The different times of waiting that we experience & the feelings that we might experience in these seasons
How you deal with frustrations when you feel like you feel like you should be further ahead or in a different season than you are
How all of life is really a long waiting period
The importance of enjoying the moment and not just moving on to the next thing
What happens when you’re in a long period of waiting on something and it isn’t coming
Lessons you can learn in your waiting periods
What Jenn & Lara are currently waiting on

Have you or has someone you know experienced pregnancy loss? One of the most common experiences women have in their journeys to motherhood is pregnancy loss and although it’s uncomfortable to talk about, we feel it’s really important. Today, we are sharing the story of a fellow Generation.Mom, Kelsey Murphy of the Whiskey & Work podcast about her personal & recent miscarriage story. Kelsey is so brave to open up about her experience, and we are grateful she is doing so to help all women (including herself) and families of loss.

What’s In This Episode:

Kelsey’s career background prior to becoming a mom
When she knew it was time to grow her family from 3 to 4
What the beginning of her pregnancy with her second baby looked like
The story of her loss
Her immediate reaction to learning the news of losing her pregnancy
How she decided to proceed after having some time to process and research
The painful process when her body recognized she was no longer pregnant
Where Kelsey is at now after going through this experience
Her experience sharing her story publicly
What Kelsey and her husband told her daughter about the baby

Do you dream of being more than “mom”? Today, we are talking about making motherhood work while pursuing multiple passions with special guest, Maria Alcoke. Maria is the host of one of our favorite Mom Podcasts “The Mom Engine” and in this episode we are talking with her all about identifying and pursuing passions while being a mom. She shares about how she balances everything, how she is gearing up for baby number two, and her advice on how to get past distractions in order to pursue your dreams.

What’s In This Episode:

Maria’s career before kids and how it transitioned once she became a mother
The slow evolution of her career over time
When she started The Engine Mom Podcast & why she started it
What “Engine Mom” stands for
How she manages and balances everything
The importance of giving yourself grace when things don’t go as scheduled
How being a mom has added to her existing passions
The impact her work and passions have had on her daughter
Maria’s tips for moms who have many passions
How she is gearing up for baby number two
Her recommendations for getting past the distractions to pursue what you are passionate about
What advice Maria would give to a new mom

Does your marriage seem to go through just as many transitions as your baby did? Today, we’re talking about your marriage after the kids arrive. Both you & your husband are navigating new roles and new dynamics as you get used to a third party in your marriage. Studies show that marital satisfaction declines overall after children, but why? Does it have to be that way? How can we work through that together to ensure that the decline is only temporary?

What’s In This Episode:

What it means to be a parent and how it impacts marriage
The difference between marriage prior to children and after having a baby
How we can start addressing the changes in our marriage
The stressors that couples face once children are introduced
How conflict changes within marriages after baby
Being aware of what your partner needs and the five love languages
The notion that as a parent you don’t have time for intimacy
Ways to carve out time for your marriage

When you sneeze, do you pee a little bit? Today, we are talking about the physical part of the postpartum period and how we can get our physical selves back to the strongest we can be. Dr. Dawn Andalon, creator of Level 4, joins us to discuss all things pelvic floor and postpartum. Dawn will share some of the common issues women have after having a baby, how to prepare themselves for success, and her beliefs on treating women in the postnatal period.

What’s In This Episode:

How Dawn handled the transition from career without kids to career with kids
What a physical therapist that specializes in postnatal health does & how they help women
Why their is a gap of knowledge when it comes to pelvic floor issues
Dawn’s belief system on treating women in the postpartum period
The most common reasons women come to Level 4
The issues Diastasis Recti can cause and how Dawn can help
How can women prevent issues that may arise in the postnatal period
The relationship between epidurals and the healing process
What signs of birth trauma should women look for after the baby
How we can talk to our doctors about getting a referral to a physical therapist
What uterine prolapse is & how it can be treated
Dawn’s recovery strategies and exercises
Her belief on how long you should give yourself before trying to jump back into everything
How second pregnancies differ from first pregnancies and what you should watch for
The length of time you should expect it to take to get back to your pre-baby self
What women should be doing prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy to prepare themselves for success

Have you ever jumped on the comparison train and found it to be a pretty bumpy ride? Today, we’re talking about comparing yourself to others, why it happens, and whether comparison is always a negative thing or if it can sometimes have a positive impact on you. We also share some strategies and tips for overcoming the comparison game.

What’s In This Episode:

When comparing yourself to others can be a positive thing
The different ways that we compare ourselves to others
How comparison can lead to stress within your marriage
The danger of making assumptions about other people
The ultimate in mom comparisons
How our expectations and identity as moms are connected to comparison
The external societal factors that facilitate in comparison
Why do we focus on “the things that our lives aren’t”
Strategies that we can use to overcome insecurities and compare ourselves less
An exercise to help eliminate the comparison game

Gayle Fulbright is the OG mompreneur who has been there, done that, and is building a business of her own. She is a business owner, influencer, mentor, educator, and a mom and has been for over 30 years! Today we talk to Gayle about her experiences of balancing a business and being a mom, why she loved being a working mom, the parallels between the business world and mom life, and her advice for moms who are wanting to start their own business. We also talk about the importance of community and support to your success as both a mom and a business owner.

What’s In This Episode:

The fact that you can’t do it all & why that’s ok
Living in the present moment versus always looking to the future
Developing the skill of time management as a young mom
Her struggles with balancing a business and being a mom
The times that she wanted to be a full-time mom and why she ultimately loves being a working mom
The positives that came from her being a mompreneur for her business, for her family, and for herself
Gayle’s advice for moms who are wanting to start a business or who are in the midst of being a mom and a business owner
How vital community and support is to your success
The way society has changed over time and how it impacts working moms
Creating time for yourself and time with your friends
How her business impacted her children
The transition of working in her business to working on her business
The benefits of hiring a mom as an employee
Why it is so important for her to give back

Does friendship and motherhood remind you of that Girl Scout’s song? Or is that just us? On today’s episode, we are talking about fostering friendships in motherhood and how our friendships change once we become a mom. We’ll talk about navigating different types of friendships, give some helpful tips on meeting new mom friends, as well as talk about the different types of mom friends you might have!

What’s In This Episode:

How does facilitating friendship look different in motherhood than it did before
The impact schedules have on your friendships
Where and how we can make new mom friends
How to make the process making new mom friends more fun
The different types of friends that exist in motherhood
Why it’s important to have friends as a mom
How our prior relationships with people who are not yet moms change once we become a mom and why it is important to maintain those relationships

Have you ever compared your post-mom body to your pre-mom body? On today’s episode we have special guest, Tara Turnure of The Model Mama joining us to give her insights on body after baby and how the struggle with female body image is one that exists before baby, during pregnancy, and after kids.

What’s In This Episode:

What inspired Tara to create her platforms
The importance of learning to pivot when you become a mother
Tara’s personal experience loving her body pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy, and post-pregnancy
Talking to children about body image and working out
Jenn’s experience with her body image after having a baby and where she’s at now
Lara’s journey with body image throughout college, miscarriage, pregnancy, postpartum, and now her second pregnancy
The importance of your mindset when it comes to body image
The pressures that exist for women and where they come from
Why we need to be transparent and vulnerable about our postpartum journey
Our tips for women struggling with body-image
How the way we view our bodies impacts our relationships and children

Do you have skeletons in your closet that you’re too embarrassed to admit? On today’s episode, we’re sharing our modern day mama confessions. We're confessing about everything from screen time to mom-shaming. We also talk about whether shame is a natural feeling that goes along with motherhood and the healthy and unhealthy ways to combat it.

What’s In This Episode:

Whether or not shame is a natural feeling that goes along with motherhood
Lara & Jenn’s motherhood confessions about screen time and arguing in front of your children
Why we feel so uncomfortable when we break rules that we set for ourselves in parenthood
How society plays a role in the shame that we feel
Lara & Jenn’s motherhood confessions about second pregnancies & struggling with feeling as though starting a family was the right decision
Why we stay isolated in our feelings of guilt and shame and how that compounds the problem
Lara & Jenn’s confessions on what they go to when feeling shame & passing judgement on to other moms
The importance of recognizing the things we go to when trying to numb our feelings
The root cause of mommy shaming
Why we should reach out to others instead of spiraling into shame

Dreaming of more sleep? Today, in part 2 of our conversation with Natalie of The Sleep Shop, we discuss all things sleep! We talk about what a sleep coach does, why sleep is so important, when to start sleep training, sleep props and sleep associations, and so much more! You will not want to miss Natalie’s valuable insight! If you missed part 1, we talked all about creating a career and business that allowed Natalie the flexibility and lifestyle that she wanted as a mom, make sure to go back and listen!

What’s In This Episode:

What a sleep coach does & what sleep coaching is
How additions to the family can change the sleep dynamics
Natalie’s philosophy on sleep training
Why sleep is so important for babies
Night sleep vs. day sleep
When do you start sleep training & whether all babies need sleep training or not
The sleep props that you should avoid and how to transition away from them
What sleep associations are & how they can be used
Sleep rituals and routines
Why it’s ok to let babies or toddlers fuss or cry when they are in the last stages of their ritual or routine
Transitioning away from night feedings
How to determine when a toddler wants you vs. when they need you
The importance of giving toddlers choices during their nighttime routines
Getting two kids on a similar schedule
How to see nap transitions are coming
Postnatal depletion and how sleep schedules help you combat it

Are you dreaming of more time for your family, your career, and most of all sleep? Today, we’re talking with Natalie Fitzgerald of The Sleep Shop all about how she transitioned from high school teacher, to mom, to eventually creating a career and a business that allowed her the flexibility and lifestyle she wanted as a mom. We discuss how she knew she wanted to be a sleep coach and doula, how she balances being an entrepreneur and a mom, and how her business has grown over time. Next week, on part 2 of our conversation with Natalie, she will be sharing all about her sleep training tips so be sure to tune in!

What’s In This Episode:

What made Natalie want to be a sleep coach and doula
How she created a business around motherhood
Her personal experience with postpartum depression and anxiety
The balancing act of being an entrepreneur and a mom and the advice she would give to other moms who are wanting to create a career for themselves
How Natalie sets limitations for herself and expectations for her clients
The growth of Natalie’s business overtime and how she manages the growth
Where she finds the confidence to charge the prices she knows her services are worth

Did your sex life change after you had a baby? Or did you just go back to your pre-baby, honeymoon sex life? Today we’re talking about sex after baby and how things in that department tend to change once you have little people in the household!

What’s In This Episode:

The physical and emotional aspects of your sex life that may need to be reestablished after baby
All of the little things that contribute to feeling connected to your husband and that make you feel confident & sexy
How to handle the time issue and prioritizing it in the postpartum period
Whether or not having sex post baby is more important than it was prior
Scheduling Sex
The consequences of not engaging in sex regularly after baby
Eliminating the pressure of feeling as though you have to reinvent yourself after baby to be sexy to your husband again
Reclaiming your sexuality after baby even when you don’t feel like you want to have sex

Routine can often feel boring, but sometimes it’s necessary. Is it possible to find happiness in the mundane day-to-day? Today, we are talking with Jessie Gardner of Hey Soul about the daily routines that are a part of being a modern-day mom and the rituals you can incorporate into your day-to-day to make life a little more exciting. We’ll talk all about utilizing positive disruptions to shake up the mundane & some practical ways you can add a little joy into your most dreaded parts of the day.

What’s In This Episode:

What is positive disruption
Jessie’s personal positive disruption experience
Lara’s positive disruption in her career
How we can learn to look for positive disruptions in our own lives
Proactively planning for positive disruption in your day-to-day life
How kids are positive disruptions in your world
Why Jessie started Hey Soul
The purpose of Hey Soul & how the gift boxes help you reconnect with different areas of your life
When Hey Soul became a business & what it was like when Jessie transitioned to working it full time
Jessie’s biggest struggle when it comes to being a mom & running her own business
The advice Jessie would give to women working their side hustle who are wanting to transition out of their full-time careers
Why rituals are important & the neuroscience behind them
How to recognize when you need to pivot from your rituals or routines
Letting go of the guilt you experience when you feel like you’ve “failed” at the your new ritual or routine
Jessie’s suggestions on how moms can bring back simple joys into life when it starts to feel mundane
The benefits of rituals for kids

Asking for help is always easier said than done, but it’s a skill that we all need to work on. Today we are talking about asking for help, accepting help, and how as a mom, it’s just something we have to do! We’ll discuss the positive impact asking for help can have on your marriage, career, your kids, and with your family and friends. We will also share how we recognize when we need help & how to ask for it. Remember, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything!

What’s In This Episode:

The reasons why moms struggle with asking for help
How control issues impact our desire to do everything ourselves
Negative feelings that can arise when we ask for help
The need to lower our “Supermom” expectations of ourselves
The positive impact asking for help can have on your marriage
Jenn & Lara’s experiences with nannies
Lara’s experience asking family for help & setting boundaries within those relationships
The benefits of asking for help within your career
Allowing for friends to help & showing up for your friends when they need help
The ways asking for help will benefit your relationship with yourself
How we realize when we need help, how we ask for help & how we accept help
Why we need to stop concerning yourself with others think
How asking for help sets an example of collaboration, balance, and time management for your children
The tools that we can use to implement asking for help in our daily lives

You thought labor was hard, but then you met its best friend, motherhood. Becoming a mother is unlike anything that you have ever experienced and it is impossible to prepare for. Today, we are talking about getting through your first year of motherhood & the expectations that come along with it. We are sharing the most common expectations soon-to-be moms have surrounding topics like motherhood, careers, marriage and breastfeeding. We address some ideas about motherhood and parenting that we have prior to baby, as well as how these expectations compare to reality.

What’s In This Episode:

Jenn & Lara’s experiences in the first year of motherhood, both the hard parts & the good parts
The difficulty of setting aside or adjusting your expectations
The surprising amount of joy & happiness you experience becoming a mom
How having a child allows you to see yourself, your strengths, & your shortcomings more clearly
The importance of adjusting your expectations to meet reality to alleviate the amount of disappointment you will experience
Jenn & Lara’s biggest takeaways from their first year of motherhood
The most common expectations given by soon-to-be moms on motherhood, careers, marriage, breastfeeding, and the rules they plan to abide by
How Jenn & Lara’s experiences compare to the expectations of expectant mothers
Several takeaways surrounding the idea of expectations vs. reality

Did you know that the postpartum period is technically only 30 days? As mothers, we all know that this stage lasts much longer than 30 days. On today’s episode we are talking about all things postpartum. We will share our experiences, the physical challenges, & the mental challenges that come after giving birth. Our friend Liz, a postpartum advocate, will also share her experience, why she decided to seek professional help, and resources that helped her throughout her postpartum anxiety and depression.

What’s In This Episode:

How long the postpartum stage lasts for
What was surprising about the postpartum experience
Their biggest physical challenges after giving birth
Liz’s experience caring for her toddler & a newborn while recovering from a C-section
Recommendations for new moms who have never experienced giving birth
How having a breast pump on hand can be useful even if you don’t plan on bottle feeding
Finding your new normal after giving birth
The mental challenges in postpartum
Jenn & Lara’s experience with anxiety after becoming moms
Liz, a postpartum advocate, shares her postpartum experiences & what made her seek professional help
The resources that, in addition to counseling, helped her throughout her anxiety and depression she experienced after having her kids
The importance of community in navigating postpartum & motherhood

What exactly is the new face of motherhood? Generation.Mom mothers find themselves in an interesting situation: being both a real person and a virtual person, so how do they balance changing diapers with looking great for Instagram? Today, Lara and Jenn talk about what modern motherhood really is.

Modern moms are having their children later in life.

That also means that modern moms have a very strong sense of who they are. They’ve developed a career, where in the past, they typically only had jobs. So the big question is how do you retain your identity while adding motherhood to it? Lara and Jenn talk about how they met – at a support group for new moms, and both of them were wondering if they were even up to the challenge of getting their lives, their relationships back.

There’s often a disconnect between what mothers say and what they feel.

You’ve heard it yourself, especially if your friends had children before you: “Oh, I’m so in love with my baby!” But is that always the case? No, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some mothers feel a disconnect in the beginning – both Lara and Jenn did – and it’s more common than you think. They talked over wine and strollers about teething, sleep habits, and solid foods, but it wasn’t until they broke down and were completely honest with each other that the healing truly began. They share the story of the first night they were honest about motherhood not just with each other, but with themselves.

How and why Generation.Mom was born.

Jenn and Lara realized what they had together was too good not to share. They decided to create a community of modern moms where they could support each other, be honest with themselves, and find their own identities once again. It’s by moms, FOR moms, and while Lara and Jenn have a lot in common, they also have some key differences. They might not agree on everything, but they hold each other accountable – and they’ll do the same for you.

Generation.Mom is about more than having a baby.

Modern moms aren’t just mothers; they’re entrepreneurs and professionals. They’ve got side hustles, teams, and varied skill sets. Today’s moms are a different breed of woman – self-assured and ready to take the world on, baby on her hip and smartphone in hand. So – are YOU a Generation.Mom?

You’ve seen the ‘supermoms’ plastered all over social media. They’ve got it all together: the husband, the kids, the career, the volunteering, the soccer practice, the perfect makeup and hair… how do they do it? Or are they pulling the wool over your eyes? Either way, Lara and Jenn have a message for you. You don’t need to be a supermom, and if we’re honest, it probably isn’t even possible. Holding yourself to that standard will only make you feel like a failure. What you need to be is your superself.

Social media is a ‘highlights reel,’ not reality.

We always want to put our best foot forward. Show the clean house, the smiling children, and the successes of motherhood. We DON’T want to share the truth: Cheerios between the couch cushions that have probably been there a few months, screaming fits (both you and the kids), and the look of utter exhaustion that is on your face 90% of the time.

When it’s okay to look like a supermom.

For Lara, she needs a clean house and a solid schedule. Her career requires her to keep her appearance worthy of social media. So why does it bother her to be called a supermom? Because she’s really just being her superself. She thrives in that environment, but Lara is NOT immune to the troubles that every other mom faces. But the deeper problem is when her life looks like an impossible standard, and she is painfully aware of the effect it has on other moms.

What being a supermom really means.

Being a supermom isn’t about having it all together. It’s being your superself. Maybe you don’t thrive in an ordered environment. Maybe your kids don’t. Or maybe you and the kids are opposites. It’s all about finding the right balance where you’re doing your best mothering while honoring who you are. You also have to understand that no matter where your balance is, it won’t be without hardships and sacrifice.

Don’t compare yourself with other moms.

What’s right for them and their families isn’t right for you and yours. What matters is that you’re happy, your kids are happy, and you still have a little time for yourself and your own dreams – not what that looks like on the outside. Take an honest inventory of your own expectation of yourself as a wife, mother, and professional. Are your standards realistic?

How to be your superself.

Jenn believes you should set boundaries for what you need to be the best version of yourself, and that includes taking care of yourself rather than allow your life to run you ragged. Lara urges you to not put your bar too high; choose one thing that makes you your superself and master it. For her, it’s how she reacts to things, which can be a challenge with toddlers because it’s often very reactionary. But the biggest takeaway is one we covered already: don’t compare yourself to others!

What’s your best advice for being your superself?

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Let’s begin by defining maternal ambivalence: “Ambivalence arises where there is a conflict between the needs of the parents and those of their children” (from Psychology Today). Some call it the ‘crime that dare not speak its name.’ No doubt if you speak an ill word against your feelings for your children, you’ll end up feeling guilty or shamed by others. But is it really a crime to be a normal human being? Lara and Jenn tackle this tough topic on today’s episode.

Many people have relationship ambivalence, but few people talk about it.

You aren’t supposed to dislike your kids or wish they weren’t around. They are the shining light in your life, and the world should revolve around them. Right? Right? At least, that’s what society tells us. But what is the nitty-gritty truth about motherhood? Do we somehow transcend our real feelings and become god-like in our ability to never think a negative thought? Of course not. Jenn and Lara share their own stories of how they’ve struggled with guilt and negativity and sometimes, anger, as new mothers.

Are these feelings normal?

In fact, yes. They are. They’ve been medically documented and are considered common. You aren’t a terrible person or a heartless mother. But the real danger lies in when you try to suppress those feelings, when you bury them and let them fester as ‘mommy guilt.’ There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to help relieve yourself of the guilt, but Jenn found that accepting the way she felt as normal helped. She also recognized that she might need a little more alone time and some boundaries.

You don’t have to fall in love at first sight.

Your friends who have children have probably told you how much they love being a mother, how they loved their baby while it was still in the womb. Or maybe, they’re just afraid to say the truth. It’s such a huge change in a woman’s life to become a mother, and so much of it is figuring out who you are again. This can create resentment but don’t worry. True love grows. You won’t always like your children, but you will always love them.

You don’t have to be in love 100% of the time.

Try to think of one thing you love 100% of the time. Hard to do, isn’t it? Your job, your marriage, your home… whatever. It’s the same with being a mother, though you might find that the swing from high to low can be much greater. One minute, they’re the most beautiful thing alive, and the next minute, a little tyrant whose water cup being empty is the end of the world. The feelings are far more complicated than you might have ever experienced.

What to do when YOU feel maternal ambivalence.

Reach out. It can be as simple as Googling other mothers’ experiences and real talk. Add things into your life that combine the best of what you love. You can join a community (like ours!) and talk about it. But if your feelings are extreme and frequent, like you might harm yourself or your baby, then a licensed psychiatrist can help you. Don’t let the shame keep you from getting the support you need and deserve. It’s not easy being a mother and you don’t have to do it alone!

The Generation.Mom community wants to hear from you!

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Looking for a way to merge your pre-kid life into your life as Mom? You’re in the right place! Lara & Jenn candidly discuss real-life experience as Modern Day Moms, and highlight women who create space for both their individual identity and being Mom. This podcast is designed to guide, connect & support women navigating Modern Day Motherhood. Listen weekly & join their community, Generation.Mom.