The Motherhood Metamorphosis: Recent Episodes
Brittany Meng
They say that when a baby is born, so is a mother. But while you are there to help your baby grow into the person he or she is meant to be, who is there to help you? Many women feel lost and alone when they become mothers, wondering “who AM I now?” Sometimes it feels like transformation from woman to mother is as radical as a caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly. Did you know that inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar literally turns into goop before it rearranges itself into a butterfly? This podcast is about the goop, what soul transformation looks like as you transition from being a woman to a mom. Your baby’s growth matters. But yours does too. You’re not alone. I’m your host, Brittany Meng. Welcome to the Motherhood Metamorphosis.
Love this episode? Send me a message here!
Suzzie and I talk about her journey to becoming a doula, her experiences working with birthing women and postpartum moms, her passion for public health, and how being a doula has guided and shaped her as a woman and mom in her own metamorphosis journey.
Find Suzzie on IG here
BIO: Suzzie Vehrs is a Mother, Doula, Childbirth Educator and the founder of She Births Bravely, an organization that provides comprehensive education and support for expecting parents. She has worked with hundreds of families on their journey towards childbirth and parenting. Suzzie is passionate about empowering parents to make informed decisions about their birthing and parenting experiences.
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Love this episode? Send me a message here!
Kim and I discuss her journey to becoming a cottage foster mom to teenage girls, recounting her reluctance, fears, and compassion and love she's gained in her vocation as a foster mom.
We talk about the trials, joys, and laughs involved in raising both toddlers and teens and the ways she's grown and changed on her unexpected journey of motherhood and foster care.
Kim Patton is an adoptive and foster mama living in South Carolina with her family. In her free time, she is usually reading a memoir, taking her girls to the playground or playing tennis with her husband at the YMCA. Her second book, "Nothing Wasted: Struggling Well through Difficult Seasons" encourages readers to recognize personal growth amidst hard times. She writes at kimpatton.com, and has been the host of the Book Therapy podcast since 2022.
Support the show
Join the FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Love this episode? Send me a message here!
Krystal Sieben and I talk about the challenges and sadness she experienced in the first 5 years of her motherhood, when her son was struggling and she didn't feel accepted and seen by family and friends.
She narrates her journey in discovering her son is Autistic and how befriending a "weird" horse name Chadwick helped heal her heart and find her joy again.
She turned her personal joy, healing and love for horses into a non-profit horse experience for for adults and children of all abilities: Three Little Burdes.
Follow her on Social Media here
Support the show
Join the FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Love this episode? Send me a message here!
The Motherhood Metamorphosis is BACK! Welcome to season 5!
Amy Betters-Midvedt and I talk about all things parenting teens--this episode is authentic and real and is for every parent, whether you are in the teen years now or years away.
We discuss Amy's new book and the wisdom she brings to topics like
acting out,
clamming up,
making sure they are OK vs. making sure I am OK,
boundaries,
co-dependence,
changing the narrative of “this is what caring moms do”,
giving yourself a mom “time out”,
taking opportunities to repair the relationship,
accepting “their way” vs “your way”,
choosing the hills you die on,
creating and choosing connection,
and the woes of having teens clean the kitchen
We hope you laugh and find solidarity with us in whatever parenting stage you are in!
Find Amy's website here
Find Amy's book here:
You'll Make It (and They Will Too): Everything No One Talks About When You're Parenting TeensSupport the show
Join the FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Support the Show.
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Dr. Mina and I dive into a conversation about skincare, aging, and our evolving beauty. She shares stories and struggles she's had in both a dermatologist and a mom of two and the ways she has come to accept herself.
We talk about inner narratives and insecurities we have about motherhood, aging and beauty, social pressures, social media narratives, simplifying our skin care routines, and so much more!
This episode is encouraging, refreshing, as well as candid and practical.
Follow Dr. Mina on IG here
BIO: Dr. Mary Alice Mina is a Harvard-trained double-board certified dermatologist, dermatologic surgeon, and leading expert on skin health and skincare. She is the host of THE SKIN REAL, a podcast for people looking for real skin care guidance, by true skin experts where she emphasizes a holistic and preventative approach to skin health and aesthetics. She is co-owner of Baucom & Mina Derm Surgery in Atlanta, Georgia where she treats patients with advanced surgical and cosmetic procedures to restore and maintain healthy skin. She is recognized for her artistic eye and surgical skills while helping people feel good in their skin!
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Kaitlyn and I both share stories about how we got pregnant while we were university students. Kaitlyn faced her pregnancy without the support of her partner, parents, or university. After having her baby and graduating from Auburn University, she helped co-found Baby Steps, an organization committed to helping student moms through pregnancy and parenting until they graduate from college.
We discuss the ways women need to support women, demographics that are often overlooked, and the ways we can help young mothers thrive in unexpected circumstances.
This is an empowering and inspiring episode--don't miss it!
Find out more about Baby Steps here!
BIO: Kaitlyn Willing graduated from Auburn University as a Student-Mom, passionate about changing the culture around unplanned pregnancies. She is currently the Director of National Operations for a nonprofit she helped build, called Baby Steps and is the host of their Podcast "Unplanned & Untold". Although Auburn will always be considered home, Kaitlyn and her husband currently live in Phoenix, Arizona with their 5 beautiful children.
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Alisha and I explore her narrative about separation, divorce, and co-parenting her two boys. She relates the hard and challenges things she’s experiences and also shares how she’s growing, changing and finding new ways of being herself in an unexpected story.
This episode will encourage anyone who has gone through a big life transition and is now seeking new ways of being themselves and finding joy.
Follow Alisha’s writing on Substack here: alishameador.substack.com
BIO: Alisha Meador is a divorced, single mom of 2 boys living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA. She’s passionate about community, friendships and authenticity. When she’s not working her job in local government, you can find her either somewhere outdoors, playing darts, hanging with friends at a local restaurant, watching British television or planning her next adventure - preferably one that involves England. Or attempting to navigate the world of online dating (someone please help!)
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
BONUS EPISODE!
In this solo episode, I talk about what being a cycle breaker means to me. Sometimes we break cycles from our own childhoods, or generational cycles of dysfunction. Sometime we break cycles that we have created in our own families too that are not working for us anymore or are causing harm.
For me, cycle breaking is about our inner work not just providing a different path for our children. I want to break cycles of fear, shame, deprivation, dysfunction, and trauma. I want to provide paths of healing, wholeness, delight, health, and love.
So how do we start? In this episode, I share 3 truths I've realized and 4 steps I've taken, along with specific stories, to help change the narrative for my kids and break toxic cycles.
It’s not too late to say, “I’ve been doing things one way and I want to do things another way.”
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Lauren and I dive deep into all things menstruation! We challenge common narratives, attitudes and misconceptions, and provide alternative beliefs, attitudes and practices to help us embrace our periods, womb wisdom, and natural energy cycles as women.
We focus on both the physical challenges of menstruation as well as the emotional challenges women can face, and how we can learn to speak more kindly to ourselves and practice holistic self-care.
We also give practical examples about conversations we can have with our partners and children and how we can change the narratives concerning shame, secrecy, and dismissive attitudes about our periods so we can show up more honestly and authentically in our own bodies and lives.
This episode is LIFE-CHANGING. Listen for yourself and then share it with your sister, BFFs, and tween and teen daughters.
Download the Mindful Menstruation Worksheet here
Use the discount code "MMP" to get this amazing resource for FREE!
ABOUT LAUREN: Lauren Elise Rogers is a Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and the owner of SEX ED FOR YOU where she provides comprehensive sexuality education. After a decade in maternal health, Lauren returned to school to obtain a certification in Holistic Sex Education with the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment, whose program is approved by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). Unlearning and expanding thought patterns can be challenging and vulnerable. By combining her decade of program development with her passion for transformative education, Lauren now specializes in creating containers that allow students to sit safely in discomfort while developing the tools necessary to support pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence.
Find Lauren on IG here
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Tami Jacob graduated from Lynchburg College and takes great pride in being a first-generation college graduate in her family. She then went on to receive her Masters in Community Counseling from Eastern Illinois University. Following a decade raising her 3 daughters, Tami went to law school with a desire to serve. When Tami isn't working tirelessly for the betterment of children and families, you can often find her running alongside her loyal Australian Shepherd, sharing a good book with friends, or engaging in some friendly competition on the tennis court with her husband of 23 years.
Tami narrates her story about her dreams of law school as a young woman in her 20s to motherhood, marriage and lifelong goals that keep pushing you to act. After 10 years of mothering 3 girls, she and her husband finally took the plunge into her pursuing her dream of becoming a lawyer.
Tami recounts her struggles, how she got stronger through the difficulties, her family's support, and how she found her passion in her current law career.
This is a story that will encourage and inspire you to keep going in pursuing YOUR dreams!
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Julie K. Rhodes is an actor and author. In March of 2020, Julie was a healthy 30- something with a husband, two kids, a pug, and a professional acting career. A month later, she would be fighting an illness that her health team would come to believe was COVID-19. For the next year and a half, the virus would plague Julie with debilitating symptoms. She is the author of Chronic Grace: Prayers, Saints, and Thorns That Stay published in 2023.
Julie narrates her health journey through long Covid, where she experienced debilitating chronic illness for 18 months. As a mother of 2 young children, this was a life-altering experience. She also relates how she had to come to a new sense of self and acceptance as she was no longer able to do the acting work she loved.
Our conversation is honest and vulnerable as we discuss frantic striving for answers and quiet acceptance of reality, learning to hold on and let go, and leaning into story and faith to find strength and healing.
Don't miss this beautiful conversation!
Join Julie's newsletter here and receive a download to beautiful art!
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Kirstyn Wegner lives in rural Minnesota with her high school sweetheart husband and neurodivergent daughter, along with a bunch of feral cats, a revolving cast of foster children, and a pesky epilepsy diagnosis. She is a recovering pessimist who teaches high school English, collects old books, directs plays and musicals, loves rock concerts, travels as widely as time and budget will allow, and writes when she can find the time. Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefrustratedepileptic and Instagram @finding.glitter.in.the.litter.
Kirstyn narrates her unique journey to motherhood through foster care and adoption. We talk about the challenges of building love and relationships with children and their biological parents and how Kirstyn developed a special relationship with her daughter's birth mom.
Kirstyn's story is heartfelt and encouraging, especially in learning to accept and love our children and families through unique and challenging circumstances.
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Heather Creekmore writes and speaks hope to thousands of women each week, inspiring them to stop comparing and start living. The host of the internationally popular Compared to Who? podcast, she has been featured on Fox News, Huff Post, Morning Dose, Church Leaders, and For Every Mom, along with dozens of other shows and podcasts. She was a contestant on Nailed It, the hit Netflix bake fails show. Heather and her Marine-fighter-pilot-turned-pastor husband, Eric, have four children and live in Austin, Texas.
Heather and I dive into the complex issue of body image as women. She shares how her struggles began as a child, young woman and young mom and how she worked through the narratives of comparison and "never enough" when it comes to how you feel about your body. We talk about how diets and fads come and go and how the real issue lies at the heart, not on the number on the scale.
Our conversation about our bodies, beauty, acceptance, and changing the narrative for ourselves and our children is powerful and encouraging. Don't miss this one!
Find Heather online here
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Kelly Cervantes is an award-winning writer, speaker, and advocate best known for her blog Inchstones and debut book, Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When It’s Time to Heal But You’re Not Sure You Want To. She has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, and Fortune as well as featured on MSNBC, NY Times, and CNN. Born and raised in the Midwest, Kelly resides in Maplewood, NJ, with her husband, Miguel Cervantes, their children, and dogs, Tabasco and Sriracha.
Kelly shares her story of mothering her daughter Adalaide. She was a career woman until her daughter's diagnosis with Infantile Spasms and her husband's demanding career collided. She shares how she grew to love being her daughter's advocate and care-giver and then the life-transition she was thrust into again when her daughter died at age 3.
Kelly's book, Normal Broken, was born out of her love and grief for Adalaide and her honest reflections on healing when you're not sure you want to.
She is a vulnerable, honest, and beautiful story-teller, possessing the strength to share her story of love and the ability to keep on living through grief.
Find Kelly's blog here
Order Normal Broken here
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Susie Maurer is a dreamer by spirit, a writer by instinct, and a big sister by habit. She currently lives in Colorado with her favorite people in the world.
Susie and I reminisce about the challenges and surprising gifts we experienced while living overseas in England while parenting young children. We share the really tough stuff that made us cry and how we found inner strength to keep growing as women and moms.
We also share our favorite things about living in a new culture, how we navigated schools systems, and the things we loved about living in England. Also, we share how the DRIVING nearly did us in--and hilarious stories about how we thought we were going to die in a roundabout!
My favorite part of our conversation is how we learned to navigate motherhood and growth while feeling completely out of our element and being brave in the face of cultural and personal challenges.
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Dr. Becky Clark serves as the Director of Student Support at a K-12 Christian School in Middle Tennessee. Additionally, she serves as an Assistant Professor for Liberty University Online and the Chair of the Williamson County Literacy Association (a local chapter of the Literacy Association of Tennessee). She is mom to three, 2 sons and one daughter.
Our conversation in this episode focuses on Becky's daughter, Noel, who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was three years old. Becky recounts those difficult years of treatment and how battling cancer, now in remission, has continued to affect Noel's life today, at age 12.
Becky shares the joys, anxieties, and heartache she experienced as a mom and how she and Noel have leaned into hope and healing through their faith and community. She and Noel now volunteer with Make a Wish, helping other children who are battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases to make their dreams come true.
This episode is heartfelt, emotional, hopeful, tender, and is a beautiful arch of storytelling.
Check out their local chapter of Make a Wish here
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Sarah lives in the east of England and is a home educating mother of 5 boys (aged 4-13, some neuro-spicy - their term) and a cat and a dog (who require less educating). She has a fairly useless, but fascinating, degree in Arabic, Art History and Archaeology, is rated (on average) an “adequate” cook by her children and is married to Tim, a pastor overseeing 8 churches in chocolate-box rural English villages. She would love to pursue further study in her rather niche area, but life is not making that possible right now.
Even though Sarah and I have 9 boys between the two of us (and 10 children), this episode is not just for Boy Moms! At the heart of our conversation, we share what we thought motherhood would look like before we had kids, and then contrast our fantasies with reality.
This episode is about acknowledging the grief of gender disappointment AND learning to embrace the children you have. Sarah is equally wise and hilarious (we laugh so much!).
We both reveal the tender parts of our hearts as we discuss the difficulties and joys in embracing our unique motherhood journey--and our crazy, delightful boys!
True confession: I've been trying to keep the episodes to 35 minutes but I got so excited to talk to Sarah that I forgot to set the timer. Enjoy the 4-5 minutes of out-takes at the end!!
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Caitlin Voebel is a 33 year old mom of 4. Her husband of nearly 14 years is Air Force and she spent all of her adulthood traveling and moving where the military sends them, creating life and connections in each place.
While she has worked as a caregiver, dance instructor, and childcare provider, her real and true calling is to be home with her children. She’s not a professional writer (yet) but after her mother’s passing she created @griefgraceandwaffles on Instagram as an outlet for processing grief, motherhood and things in between.
Caitlin and I explore her unique journey of grief when her mom died unexpectedly at the age of 48 when Caitlin was 6 weeks postpartum with her 3rd child and living overseas.
She shares how she's learning to show up as herself in her own grief and as a mom to her kids, how she discarded platitudes that people say to try and comfort, and how she's figuring out how to navigate grief on her own terms.
Link to Caitlin's Shop: I know you're tired, but stay on fire
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Dr. Mikala Albertson is a board-certified family practice doctor, author, and well-being advocate who is passionate about women’s health and healing in the middle of our messy, ordinary lives in the imperfect bodies we actually have.
She’s the author the book Ordinary on Purpose and continues to inspire readers every day to stop striving for ‘perfect’ lives or some unattainable cultural ideal of ‘beauty and wellness’ and instead aim for wholehearted living through a gentle, achievable, sustainable approach.
She and her husband of 22 years are raising five children near Salt Lake City, UT.
Mikala and I launched into this conversation talking about transitions in motherhood, specifically the transition we can go through if we've been a Stay at Home Mom when our youngest child enters school and we wonder, "what am I going to do with my life now?"
She talks about the internal struggles she experienced in choosing to follow her passions (as well as the privileged involved in having a choice), and how if we are listening to our hearts, we often know the direction we want to go in when we are wanting a life change.
I hope you enjoy and are encouraged by this beautiful, contemplative, life-giving conversation!
Find Mikala at ordinaryonpurpose.com
IG: @bewell.ish
@ordinaryonpurpose
Baker Books: Ordinary on Purpose
New book coming in September: Everything I wish I could tell you about midlife
The LYLAS Podcast
If you know what LYLAS stands for, then this podcast is for you! Two besties since...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Welcome back to The Motherhood Metamorphosis! It's been over 10 months since I published an episode and I'm so glad to be back in this space.
In this episode, I talk about beginning again after a long break (and what was happening in my life during 2023), the ways the podcast is changing, my commitment to excellent content, and some new ways to connect with and support the podcast in 2024!
So thankful you are here and I can't wait to share season 4 with you!
PS. Here's the book I wrote!
Support the show
Join the new FB group here!
Check out the new shop on Buy Me a Coffee and please consider becoming a $5 supporter of the show (I need 8 per month to cover the out of pocket expenses of producing the podcast)
I'm so glad you are here! Please share the podcast with a friend and don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Hey friends! In this episode, I reflect and wrap up season 3: the guests, stats, memories, and shout-outs to our patrons and supporters
I also share some fun facts about me (Brittany), your host and some challenges I've had behind the scenes of this podcast.
Listen in to a few funny bloopers at the end.
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and supported this podcast in seasons 1, 2, and 3.
I am taking a much needed break from the podcast for the time being and am not sure when I will resume interviews and episodes. In the meantime, catch up on episodes you have missed--there are over 60!
If you have any questions or would like to communicate with me, please contact me at brittanyameng@gmail.com
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Erin Eileen Leigh is married to her college sweetheart, and she is the proud mother of three sons and one daughter. She practiced health care law for over ten years before becoming a stay at home mom. She published her first book earlier this year: Navigating the Newborn Months and Beyond: A Mother's Guide to Routine, Sleep, Fussiness and Self-Care and is also a contributing writer for Her View From Home, Motherly, and Motherzing magazine.
Erin and I talk all things postpartum in this episode, the period directly after you have a baby, and what a transformative and often challenging period that can be.
We share our stories, difficulties, what boosted and shattered our confidence, and our best advice for new moms in navigating postpartum life.
Find Erin's book here!
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Whitney Fleming is a mom of three teen girls and married to one of the most patient men on Earth. She is the co-manager of the popular blog Parenting Teens and Tweens, and writes musings on her Facebook and Instagram at Whitney Fleming Writes. She brings an authentic and realistic voice to topics such as marriage, mid-life, and mental health, and believes being vulnerable and sharing your story is the most powerful way we can help others.
Whitney and I dive into all things raising teens in this episode! The teenage years can be a huge transition for mothers and can leave us feeling like we are in the goop all over again, wondering who we are as women and who we are becoming as our kids grow up.
We talk about transitions and vulnerability, the power of going first, feeling lonely and trying to find community during the teen years, growing into new versions of ourselves, and growth as women even as our children begin their journey out of the home.
Beautiful, honest, and encouraging conversation. Don't miss this (even if you aren't in the teen years yet!)
Find Whitney here: www.parentingteensandtweens.com
Whitney Fleming Writes
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Jillian Benfield is a former news anchor and reporter with a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. She and her husband got the surprise of their life when they found out their unborn son was rockin' an extra chromosome- also known as Down syndrome. Jillian's writings about living an unexpected life have been featured on Good Morning American, The Today Show and Her View From Home.
We dive deep into Jillian's story of the Unexpected: losing her career in TV after a military move; a surprise pregnancy and Down Syndrome diagnosis for her son, Anderson; and other unexpected left turns in her story of motherhood.
During our conversation, she shares her wisdom and faith with honesty, thoughtfulness, and authenticity. Jillian shares how she felt bitter and stuck and how she found her light and hope again in life. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed speaking to her!
Find Jillian here:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Buy here book here
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Got 5 minutes? This is the perfect "I see you" moment for your Monday morning.
This chapter, When you can't embrace it, is an excerpt from my audiobook Unexpected: Learning to love your unpredictable story. For this month, anyone who signs up to be a $3 patron on Patreon will received a free Audible download of the whole book. If you become a $5 patron, I will send you a signed hard copy of the book.
Thanks for listening! If you’d like to receive an audio version of my book or a hardcopy, please visit patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis
About Unexpected: Learning to love your unpredictable story
Are you going through the unexpected right now, this very moment?
I've been there too: From an unexpected twin pregnancy; Autism and ADHD diagnoses for my sons; a devastating miscarriage; the loss of my career; dealing with depression and anxiety; being a military wife, and so much more. With honesty and compassion, I explores themes such as grief, anger, rest, waiting, community, patience, supporting others through difficult circumstances, and loving others when it is hard.
Each chapter contains a brief reading, scripture to meditate on, and challenge questions to ponder, pray over, journal about, or discuss in a group. My hope and prayer is that as you are going through this unexpected season, my story will encourage you and provide comfort and support as you bravely walk this unfamiliar path.
NOTE: I write about my faith so this book may not speak to you in your personal journey. However, I strive to be inclusive and encouraging (and NOT preachy) and women who are not Christians have enjoyed reading it as well.
Thanks for listening! If you’d like to receive an audio version of my book or a hardcopy, please visit patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Shannon Brescher Shea is a writer, environmental activist, and mom of two awesome kids who are obsessed with rabbits and elephants. She lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C.
Shannon and I have a delightful conversation about parenting and being green. She raised the question, "When does being green conflict with being a good parent? Why does nobody else struggle with this except for me??"
Um, Me. ::raises hand::
I struggle with this.
I love Shannon's enthusiasm, joyfulness, passion, creativity, and practical ideas. Most of all, though, I love that she is all about assuaging the guilt that we often feel as moms, whether it be mom guilt or green guilt.
Don't miss this episode! It's a good one.
Check out Shannon's book here: Growing Sustainable Together: Practical Resources for Raising Kind, Engaged, Resilient
Shannon's blog: We'll eat you up we love you so
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
CW: Discussion of miscarriage
April Leiffer Henry is the owner and founder of Pregnancy & Birth Stories, a company that creates digital content for birth centers, community midwives, lactation consultants, and other health professionals. Since experiencing three miscarriages, April views all of her writing work through the lens of loss, holding space for grief and joy, which often collide during the parenting journey. She and her husband, Mike, have three living children — two sons and one daughter.
April and I discuss her journey with secondary infertility, a struggle that may not be familiar to everyone. We explore loss and acceptance, grief and embracing a story that you may not have ever chosen for yourself.
We also talk about what to say (and NOT to say) to a friend who may be going through secondary infertility and loss and how to be there for people who are in pain.
Sometimes these topics are hard, but there is beautiful growth, both inner and outer, that happens when we educate ourselves and learn how to practice compassion in new and heartfelt ways.
Find April here: https://pregnancyandbirthstories.com/
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Brianne Edwards is the author of A Thousand Pounds. She is also a wife, mother of six, physician assistant, and founder of Lach's Legacy, a nonprofit created in memory of her son.
Losing a baby to SIDS is a heavy topic but my conversation with Brianne is embracing, loving, and full of practical wisdom and hope.
So many parents have walked the path of loss: this conversation is for you.
Many of us will know someone who has lost a child or baby: this conversation is for you too. We talk about the practical ways to support someone who is in deep pain.
Brianne narrates her story of losing her son Lach and how she began to live again afterwards, including how she began her nonprofit to support others who were walking the same path she has.
I hope this podcast encourages you as much as it encouraged me.
Find Brianne's book, A Thousand Pounds, here
Find Brianne here:
https://www.lachslegacy.org/
Facebook
Instagram
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Esther and Sarah are mother and daughter and just decided this week that they make a great team. Whether it’s preparing flowers for a wedding; organizing one of their spaces; figuring out how to be better women and moms in a culture that is confusing, exciting, and needs lots of healing; or writing on their blogs processing their own struggles and strengths. They love being mom and daughter, but they even more love now being friends. They could not have picked better people to spend their lives with.
As moms, we always want to do our best and we often wonder if we are doing things “right” in motherhood.
The truth is, we are going to make mistakes as moms, and sometimes we don’t see the consequence of our mistakes until many years down the road.
I asked Esther and Sarah to come on the podcast to talk about their mother/daughter relationship, second chances, and laying a new foundation when we realize that our motherhood choices may not have produced the relationship we want with our kids.
Resources: Boundaries Book
Find Esther on FB and IG at Moms of Bigs
Podcast: Deconstructing Mamas
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Are you going through the unexpected right now, this very moment?
I've been there too: From an unexpected twin pregnancy; Autism and ADHD diagnoses for my sons; a devastating miscarriage; the loss of my career; dealing with depression and anxiety; being a military wife, and so much more. With honesty and compassion, I explores themes such as grief, anger, rest, waiting, community, patience, supporting others through difficult circumstances, and loving others when it is hard.
Each chapter contains a brief reading, scripture to meditate on, and challenge questions to ponder, pray over, journal about, or discuss in a group. My hope and prayer is that as you are going through this unexpected season, my story will encourage you and provide comfort and support as you bravely walk this unfamiliar path.
NOTE: I write about my faith so this book may not speak to you in your personal journey. However, I strive to be inclusive and encouraging (and NOT preachy) and women who are not Christians have enjoyed reading it as well.
This is an excerpt from my audiobook Unexpected: Learning to love your unpredictable story. For this month, anyone who signs up to be a $3 patron on Patreon will received a free Audible download of the whole book. If you become a $5 patron, I will send you a signed hard copy of the book.
Thanks for listening! If you’d like to receive an audio version of my book or a hardcopy, please visit patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis
Regular interview episodes will be back Jan 2, 2023! Thanks for supporting this show!
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
For listeners who would like to listen to the whole story in one sitting, here it is! It is broken into parts 1, 2, & 3 but there's no need to wait or switch to a new episode with this one.
Mary's Story: A Birth Story is a special Christmas series on the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 2, 2023
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Welcome to Part 3, the final episode, of Mary's Story, a special Christmas series on the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 2, 2023
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Welcome to Part 2 of Mary's Story, a 3 part special episode of the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 2, 2023
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Welcome to this special episode of the Motherhood Metamorphosis. This week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this 3 part story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture, where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Part 1 of Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
(If you just can't wait for the next installment, you can read the rest of the story here)
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 2, 2023
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Lisi Lopez is a mother to three incredible kids and a wife to her college sweetheart. She worked as an industrial engineer before her middle son was born with Down Syndrome and she was promoted to 'stay-at-home mom'. She has now been figuring out the journey of motherhood and enjoying all its fun surprises.
In this episode, Lisi shares how she learned that she was going to have a baby with Down Syndrome and how her son changed her life. She shares her fears and challenges as well as when she knew things were going to be okay. Lisi is a beautiful advocate for her son and all Down Syndrome people.
This is a wonderful, educational conversation full of honesty and hope.
Visit Lisi's advocate Instagram account for her son, @ourextraluckyworld and a blog https://ourextraluckyworld.wixsite.com/blog.
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Emily Solberg is a writer, soldier, military spouse, mom of two, and fierce advocate of women supporting women. The goal of her writing is to help others feel less alone in their parenting journeys, and she isn’t afraid to share the hard parts of her own. You can find more from her over on Facebook and Instagram at Shower Arguments with Emily Solberg.
Emily and I talk about her journey as a military spouse and mom and how the intensity of parenthood increases when you are the default parent.
She discusses the tough decisions she and her husband have made for both career and mental health and the good and hard consequence of those decisions.
Emily offers honesty and hope in sharing her story of strength and resilience in a difficult lifestyle.
This conversation is real and vulnerable and is for anyone in the trenches of all-consuming parenthood, whether you are a military spouse or not.
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Sara Springer is an aspiring writer, mental health advocate, and mom to 5. She is co-founder to Love Will Foundation; a grass roots non-profit organization that offers financial assistance for counseling services in St. Louis, MO. During the day she works as a nurse practitioner and in her spare time she blogs under the name Rebel Housewife.
I LOVE this conversation with Sara! We tackle the holiday pressure to be and do "all the things" as mom and how it can be absolutely crazy making and exhausting.
We share our experiences, mess-ups, and things we've found that bring us joy during this season as moms of five kids each.
We hope that this conversation can give you permission to say no to what makes you crazy, say yes to what brings you joy, and a deep breath to embrace your personal peace and sanity during this holiday season.
Remember: You are a person in your family who deserves to have peace and joy at the holidays too. Do not miss this episode!
This episode is sponsored by wellness coach Melissa Davis. Melissa specializes in
- Weight management
- Stress management
- Sleep hygiene
- Nutrition coaching
- Virtual support
Contact her at m.davis.cpt@gmail.com for your FREE 30 minute session!
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
I had a beautiful, curated solo episode planned for you...in my head. But life is happening here in full force and I'm exhausted.
So, for the solo episode today, I present to you "What's on my mind Monday", a 25 minute podcast on self care, meaningful work, what makes your heart come alive, and accepting help with stories and encouragement from me, Brittany Meng.
To listen to the whole episode, click here! (The password is Monday)
My favorite tension release yoga routine
PS. Today is episode FIFTY for The Motherhood Metamorphosis! Let's celebrate!!
Support the showI’d love to hear your thoughts! leave a comment below or head over to the podcast Facebook page and leave a comment there. Your words encourage me so much.
Support the podcast here on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee
Kelly is privileged to be stepmom to two amazing kids and biological mom to twins. She’s a post-secondary housing professional that’s taken her passionate approach to parenting into her work. In her downtime she loves adventuring and experiencing the beauty of the West Coast Island her family calls home.z
Kelly and I dive deep into the delightful and challenging journey of having twins! We both share our amazing and hilarious stories of how we found out we were having twins, as well as the unique and sometimes difficult aspects of preserving the twin bond while also promoting individuality.
We also discuss how having twins has shaped our hearts and priorities as mothers and women.
If you have twins or have ever been curious about what it is like to parent twins, I hope you will find this conversation as wonderful as we did.
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Amy Cirksena is a freelancer and single mother living in Maryland A self-proclaimed watermelon slicing expert- and firm believer that coffee is its own food group - when she isn't spending time chasing around her two bubbly little boys she can be found writing about love, grief, and renewed hope. Her articles can be found on Still Standing Magazine and Her View From Home.
Amy and I talk about the challenging path of going through a divorce with young children and how this journey has transformed her as a mother and woman. We discuss the hardships, grief, things she didn't expect, and how she's reclaiming her joy.
This episode is sponsored by wellness coach Melissa Davis. Melissa specializes in
- Weight management
- Stress management
- Sleep hygiene
- Nutrition coaching
- Virtual support
Contact her at m.davis.cpt@gmail.com for your FREE 30 minute session!
Support the show
Jen Douglas lives in Virginia with her husband and three children. After 6 years of of infertility and trying every other fertility treatment and not having success they moved forward with IVF. This process has had some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Jen and I go deep into her journey to motherhood through infertility and IVF. This is a topic that many do not fully understand and Jen takes us through the emotions, struggles, grief, medical procedures, and joy that are part of her story. She offers humor, honesty, compassion, and a supportive narrative for those walking this path.
Even if you have never experienced infertility or IVF, this episode is for you, as those walking unexpected and difficult roads to motherhood need understanding and the support of friends.
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Sabrena Deal is a visual communicator, educator and aspiring gardener living in Athens, GA. She lives with her husband, Josh, their two kids Bea (5) and Owen (almost 2) and their dog, Maggie.
Sabrena and I nerd out on all things personality in this episode: Are you an introvert or extrovert? How have your needs changed since you became a mom? What is your Myers-Briggs and Enneagram Type and what strengths and weaknesses do YOU bring to the table with your unique personality in your unique motherhood story?
This is such a fun conversation full of honest stories and reflections, growth, grace, and encouragement.
This episode is sponsored by wellness coach Melissa Davis. Melissa specializes in
- Weight management
- Stress management
- Sleep hygiene
- Nutrition coaching
- Virtual support
Contact her at m.davis.cpt@gmail.com for your FREE 30 minute session!
Support the show
Hey friends! In this episode, I reflect on and wrap up the amazing season 2 of the podcast. I share stats, top episodes, the interview that made me SWEAT through my shirt, top 10 countries that are listening from around the world, and an exclusive SNEAK PEEK into the episode topics of season 3.
I also share a reflection on my own growth and being in the goop in my motherhood journey as my youngest child starts preschool today, as well as some honest encouragement for your own growth today.
I'm so thankful for each one of you!
You can support the podcast by leaving a review in Apple podcasts, star in Spotify, and comments in our Facebook Group.
Become a Patron of the podcast here
Buy me a coffee here
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Lisa Speers transformed her love of journaling into a thriving platform aptly named, I Do Part Two. She shares 'keeping it real' marriage stories and advice from experts to strengthen our most important relationships. She also hopes to encourage women who feel ‘stuck’ and a little ‘lost’ as their children leave the nest to start pursuing their own dreams. After 35 years of togetherness with her best friend and husband, as well as raising three grown children together, Lisa's concluded she and her husband will forever be trying to figure each other out.
Lisa and I use the metaphor of "being in the goop"--the transformational process of becoming someone or something new in the journey of motherhood--to talk about the metamorphosis a marriage or partnership goes through when you become a parent.
This can be an intense transformation! We both share our personal stories from new motherhood and how our marriages have shifted and changed over the years; how we've learned to connect with our spouses new new ways, and grow together as a couple.
This is a beautiful and practical conversation that we hope will help you reflect on your own relationship and the goodness and growth that can be found there.
You can find lisa at idoparttwo.com and just recently at Better Than Gossip—Ageless advice for Timeless Women—a collaboration with 3 other amazing women that includes a podcast and its own on-demand streaming show.
Check it out at https://betterthangossip.com/ or on FB and Instagram at Better Than Gossip
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Sierra Buck is the mom of an absurdly good-natured baby, the owner of an unforgivably spoiled puppy, and the wife of the kindest man on Earth. She is a budding writer who recently graduated with her MFA in Creative Nonfiction and has become a professional rejection letter recipient on her quest to getting published. Because she became a mom while in grad school during the pandemic, she is basically a hermit, and is going a little crazy.
Sierra and I do a deep dive into what it was like to become a first time mom during the pandemic and what a unique and difficult situation it was for women. We talk about making difficult decisions, feeling isolated, fear of the unknown, giving birth without your support people, dealing with postpartum in a vacuum, and how the difficulties of the last 2-3 years has shaped her as a woman and a mom.
If you became a mom in 2020-2021, this episode is for you. It's honest, affirming, encouraging, and holds space for both grief and growth.
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Jessika Sanders is the Founder and President of Praying Through ministries, a nonprofit organization that emboldens and equips families with Biblical Truth and encouragement as they journey through the difficult seasons of the NICU, PICU, and Child Loss.
In this episode, Jessika and I talk about the roller coaster that is having a baby in the NICU and the emotional hurdles that come with this often unexpected journey.
She shares about her precious son and his long stay in the hospital and how she used her experience to provide solace and support for parents who are also going through the NICU, PICU or child loss.
The NICU can shape a woman as a mother and Jessika's story is one of compassion, honesty, and hope.
Find Jessika here: www.prayingthroughministries.org
Resources: Swaddle Baby Dolls
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Celeste Yvonne is a popular writer and personality whose filter free approach to parenting and sober living resonates with mothers everywhere.
In 2018, Celeste openly spoke about her struggles with alcohol, and announced her commitment to becoming a sober mom for the sake of her health and her family. Celeste lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband and two boys.
Celeste and I tackle a polarizing topic in this episode about Mommy Wine Culture, which Celeste defines as "needing alcohol to cope with parenting OR stating (through jokes or otherwise) that our kids are the reason we drink."
She shares her story about her relationship with alcohol and her decision to choose sobriety in motherhood. We talk about the way culture interacts with alcohol and treats mothers, coping methods, and needing more support as women and mothers in our society.
This is a MUST LISTEN, thought-provoking, life-giving episode that doesn't seek to shame or guilt but to ask better questions about motherhood and drinking culture.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram at The Ultimate Mom Challenge.
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Kathy Radigan is a writer, blogger, mom to three, wife to one, and the one time owner of a possessed appliance. She has fun exploring midlife, marriage and raising teens and a college kid on her blog, My Dishwasher's Possessed! And sharing her experience as a parent to a daughter with significant disabilities on The Special Needs Nest by Kathy Radigan.
Sometimes, becoming a mother looks nothing like we planned. In this episode, Kathy shares about having multiple miscarriages before she was able to carry her first baby to term and how those losses shaped her as a woman and mother on her unique journey.
As a mom to a special needs daughter, Kathy reflects on how becoming an advocate for herself during her miscarriages helped her to gain the confidence to become an advocate in the medical world for her daughter years later.
With strength and humor, Kathy shares how she made it through the dark years of loss and how she learned to hold onto hope.
Find her on Facebook at:
My Dishwasher is Possessed
The Special Needs Nest by Kathy Radigan
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Jessica Brudjar is a Jesus-loving single mom to an 11-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old tabby cat. She has spent the last 17 years on active duty in the Air Force, and she has a deep passion for people. When she isn't working or parenting, she loves to write, sing, work on odd projects around the house, and/or nap.
Happy Independence Day!
A huge part of this podcast is talking about the soul transformation of women as they become mothers or go through big life transitions. I am SO excited to feature Jessica's story as an active duty single military mom.
Jessica shares about her unique experiences as a military member in a challenging career field and how she went through the goop when she suddenly found herself as a single mother to her 3 year old daughter.
She gives us a intimate glimpse into military life and motherhood, the heartbreak she has experienced, the help and advice she's received, the deployment she went through, and the wisdom and strength she has gained.
This week, as we celebrate our country, we honor the active duty women who serve in our military and also the women who support their families as military spouses. We see you. We honor your struggle and celebrate your strength.
Video Link to Jessica's inspiring story here
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In this solo episode, I talk about what being a cycle breaker means to me. Sometimes we break cycles from our own childhoods, or generational cycles of dysfunction. Sometime we break cycles that we have created in our own families too that are not working for us anymore or are causing harm.
For me, cycle breaking is about our inner work not just providing a different path for our children. I want to break cycles of fear, shame, deprivation, dysfunction, and trauma. I want to provide paths of healing, wholeness, delight, health, and love.
So how do we start? In this episode, I share 3 truths I've realized and 4 steps I've taken, along with specific stories, to help change the narrative for my kids and break toxic cycles.
It’s not too late to say, “I’ve been doing things one way and I want to do things another way.”
If you'd like to listen to this full episode, please go to patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis and choose the Butterfly Tier.
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In December 2020, Danielle Johnsrude’s best friend, teammate, and colleague, her husband, lost his short battle with cancer. She has been learning how to navigate grief while leading and parenting a child through this experience as she is mom to a creative and inspiring 4-year-old daughter. Danielle love’s her west coast ocean living, listening to CBC and podcasts of all varieties, hand dripping a freshly roasted cup of coffee, and learning to be grateful in all circumstances while finding purpose through the challenges.
I love Danielle's honest reflection on her husband and what an amazing man, friend, husband and father he was. Our conversation reveals an intimate look into grief and the practical ways Danielle has walked her young daughter through both grief and remembrance for her her dad.
The last two years have brought much loss into the lives of many people in around the world, either though death or other losses. This episode is honest and intimate, and full of strength and hope.
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Nellie Harden is a Family Life & Leadership Coach who focuses on helping parents eliminate power struggles with their daughters and help them grow into confident, wise, and respectful young women that are actually ready for the world! She is a wife and mom to 4 daughters, author, speaker and podcaster, homeschooling parent and adventure chaser. She has a degree in biology and psychology and a diverse behavior background from humpback whales in the South Pacific to teens and parents in homes across the world. She believes in a life of intention and making dreams and goals realities. She knows that they best way to help the world is through one living room at a time!
Nellie shares her unique story of infertility before she became a mother. She went through years of appointments, medications, surgery and so much waiting before she gave birth. We talk about how lonely infertility can be and how it can affect your marriage, mental health, friendships, work life and more.
Nellie shares how she dug deep and learned resilience on this journey and how she continues to use these lessons in her own growth and life as both a woman and a mother raising 4 strong young women.
If you are going through infertility or secondary infertility, you are not alone. This episode is for you.
Find Nellie online here:
Website
Ignite Her Joy Workshop: Building Your Daughter’s Mental Wellness During the Tween and Teen Years
Podcast
Family Architects Club
Instagram
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As a trained educator with 20+ years of public speaking experience, Lauren makes evidence-based sexuality education fun and accessible. Lauren specializes in working with clients to restore positive and respectful approaches to sexuality, pleasure, and relationships, as well as overcoming obstacles associated with: religious trauma, sexual communication, life transitions, emotional shifts, and childbirth experiences.
This conversation is candid, real, affirming, practical and so SO important. Whether you are postpartum with your first child, or have a whole handful of kids ranging from teens to toddlers (like me!) there is something for you in this amazing episode.
Lauren and I talk about cultural expectations when it comes to sex after kids, the pressures women feel, the struggles we often face, and how to communicate with our intimate partner to re-frame the narrative and create a holistic, intimate, and joyful sex life--YES, AFTER KIDS!!
This is a must listen. Then share it with your friends.
Let's re-think this whole thing.
Resource: Wheel of consent Betty Martin
You can find Lauren @sex_ed_for_you on Instagram and Facebook
Sexedforyou.com
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Savannah is a labor and delivery nurse, mom to two rambunctious toddlers, and fiber arts enthusiast. For the past two years she has been travel nursing all over the US with her little family, working while her husband (and most incredible support) stays home with the kids.
She is intimately acquainted with the growing pains of juggling professional ambitions with the joys and demands of motherhood, while still trying to dedicate time to the hobbies that fuel her spirit.
Savannah and I explore the different narratives about work that we bring into our motherhood, beginning with how we both were raised in communities where stay at home moms were the norm (even the morally correct choice) and how these narratives affect us now that we are mothers.
Savannah is the full time breadwinner in her family and her husband is a stay at home dad. We talk about cultural roles, expectations for men and women surrounding working outside the home, mom guilt, and adjusting the "good mom" narratives we tell ourselves.
Love this conversation!
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With a degree in journalism, Valli Gideons' work has reached millions of people across multiple platforms. Her engaged community made up of parents and leaders in the field of the deaf and hard of hearing, she is passionate about her role as advocate and champion of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Valli opens her story about raising two children with hearing loss by saying simply, "My baby was the first deaf person I ever met."
Our conversation explores her amazing and unique journey of motherhood (and being a military spouse!) and how both the hardships and joys of her life have shaped her into the woman she is today, and inspired her to share her story in her new book, Through the Fog: Navigating life’s challenges while raising kids with hearing loss .References:
The Price of Admission by Liz Patrone
Through the Fog: Navigating life’s challenges while raising kids with hearing loss by Valli Vida Gideons
You can follow more of her family’s journey here: www.mybattlecall.com. and on Facebook/IG @MyBattleCall
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Ashley Pi is a wife and SAHM to four kids under the age of four. She became a licensed foster mom five years ago and has adopted four toddlers and helped three reunify with their families. After seeing the needs of all involved in the system, she has been creating and partnering with organizations in her city to help support kids in care, former foster youth, adoptees, biological parents, social workers, and foster/ adoptive/ and kinship families.
My conversation with Ashley is a vulnerable, beautiful, and heartfelt look into a tender motherhood story: becoming a foster parent and then an adoptive mom. I loved how she continues to honor her kids' "tummy mommies" and birth families and how she hold their stories in her hands and her heart.
We discuss trauma, grief, healing, hope, the fear of leaning into joy, and how, so often, we hold polarizing emotions in our hearts as mothers, no matter how our motherhood story began.
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Leslie is founder and owner of the popular website Her View From Home, which features heartfelt contributor stories on motherhood, marriage, faith and grief. She is a former news anchor, published children’s book author, weekly columnist for the Kearney Hub, and has published several short stories.
She is married to a very patient man named Kyle, and together they have three fantastic kids: Ella, Grace, and Keithan. When she’s not sharing too much personal information online or in the newspaper, you’ll find her somewhere in Nebraska spending time with family and friends.
Leslie and I dig into the amazing story of how Her View From Home came to be and the patience it took for Leslie to pursue and realize her dreams. We dig deep into stories of struggle, giving up and hanging on, finding yourself and realizing new ways of finding joy as a mom.
References:
New mom takes her own life after silent battle with postpartum depression: Why all of us must share her friend's plea
Brene brown Unlocking Us : Karen Walrond on Accessing Joy and Finding connection in the midst of struggle
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
It's the 30th episode of the podcast and the LAST episode of season 1
I share a bit about me (Because I never did that in the first episode of the season ha!)
Stats for Season 1
3 things that surprised me about podcasting (I get real vulnerable, friends...!) and
(drum roll!)
a SNEAK PEEK into the topics covered in Season 2 of The Motherhood Metamorphosis!
I'd love to hear your thoughts afterwards! Hop over the to the FB group and share what the podcast has meant to you, your favorite episode, or which topic you are looking forward to in
Season 2.
Season 2 coming May 2, 2022!
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Jacqueline Pezzillo is a mother, stepmother and the Director of Brand Communications & PR at Room to Read, a global education non-profit focused on creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. She is passionate about rewriting the narratives girls and women are told about themselves and living a purpose-driven life.
Jacqueline and I talk about weaning from breastfeeding in this podcast, a transition in motherhood that is rarely discussed, and one that is often inundated with outside pressure. She shares how extended nursing helped her find confidence as a woman and mom and how it strengthened her mother’s intuition.
We swap weaning stories, discuss breastfeeding toddlers, and lean into how trusting your intuition when it comes to your relationship with your child continues to be the foundation for gaining confidence as a mom.
Quotable Quotes:
We’re inundated with messages that breastfeeding is supposed to be easy and beautiful and natural and that weaning is supposed to be easy and beautiful and natural and none of that is true!
I think we all just need to be kinder to ourselves and kinder to our children, and more understanding of the challenges that come along with breastfeeding and weaning. And stop feeling like we are doing something incorrectly when things become difficult of when they take longer than expected.
Trust yourself, be kind to yourself, be patient with yourself. Ultimately know that disappointing everyone else in your life before you disappoint yourself is what you should strive for.
Find Jacqueline on Twitter and Instagram @jmpezzillo
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
It’s March 2022. I don’t know about you, but my mind (and Facebook memories) is filled with reflections on the last two years. I’m tired. I know you are too. We’ve all been through a LOT since March 2020.
Our motherhood narratives are filled with the unexpected, parts we would never have chosen for ourselves and our children. We know about the shift that happens: in our bodies, our hearts, our souls, our expectations, our jobs, our loves, our priorities.
We have been here before. This is the goop. Our pre-pandemic lives have dissolved, are dissolving. It’s horrible and real and frightening and exhausting. We are being remade, even as we resist the transformation. I think that’s why it can be so painful.
In this solo podcast, I’ve collected my thoughts, your stories and stats, and my research and stories to reflect on how the pandemic has affected me as a woman and mother.
This episode is NOT a Patreon download this month because I wanted everyone to be able to listen, reflect, and share their experiences about surviving during this unique era. If you participated in the polls and reflection posts on the Motherhood Metamorphosis Podcast page in March, you may hear your story on the podcast too.
If this episode encouraged you, I’d love to have you consider a Pateron donation. The $5 per month tier grants you access to the last two solo episodes, “How to strengthen your intuition” and “Good mother/bad mother: reframing the narrative in our heads”.
Works Cited:
Our Brains Want the Story of the Pandemic to Be Something It Isn’t By Joe Pinsker
Addressing the pandemic’s mental health fallout
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Kristen is a writer with personal experiences struggling with mental health in motherhood. She and her husband and 3 boys live in the suburbs of Dallas, TX. Her mission is to help other mothers know that they are not alone in their struggles by sharing experiences and advice through a mix of informative posts, stories, and humor.
Kristen shares her story about experiencing depression for the first time during her first pregnancy and how mental health struggles with anxiety and depression have become part of her motherhood story.
I also share my own struggles with my mental health and we both get real about what this looks like for us on a day to day basis. We talk about hope, support, practical grace, and rediscovering hope when you deal with mental health struggles as a mom.
Quotable Quotes:
“I realized that, if this isn’t going to go away, I want other moms to know that they can get help and that they’re not alone too. That’s really is what makes you feel like you can have hope and survive is by knowing that other people have done it.”
"Now that I have a plan in place and medication, usually the bad days pass and then it’s reminding yourself “the bad days are going to pass and it’s going to be ok” and rediscovering that hope again and again."
"Advocating for yourself is a skill that you have to develop."
You can find Kristen online on Facebook and Instagram @drivingmomcrazy or on her website www.drivingmomcrazy.com
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Theresa is a mom of two children, 15 years apart. When her second was born, She had one learning to talk, and one talking back. One learning to drive and one driving her crazy. These days, her daughter is the momma of two cuties, and her son is starting college.
Theresa and her husband live in Missouri and enjoy walking, gardening, and laughing at our complete oppositeness. She is a former English teacher, now a writer, speaker, and humor hunter who enjoys telling a funny story. She writes about life lessons, parenting, self-help, and Christian topics with both a serious and funny viewpoint.
Theresa started our interview by sharing her story about how she had to figure out how to be an older mom where the rules had changed in motherhood after her son was born 15 years after her daughter. She felt like she was expected to follow all the new parenting advice and the pressures as a mom had intensified beyond anything she had experienced with her first child.
Our conversation led into exploring the rules, formulas and advice that moms are inundated with, especially in the digital age, and how to find inner confidence in our own choices as mothers.
Quotable Quotes:
We as humans would love there to be, “if you do A, B, and C your child will come out perfectly!” sleep through the night! Potty train! But there is no formula.
Are you having fun with your children? Because I think we focus so much on how do we feed them? How do we potty train them? How do we get them to sleep at night? And we forget to have fun with them. The more we have fun with them, that builds our relationship with them and it also makes us more comfortable with them, loving to them, and helps us see them more as a person.
You can find Theresa online at TheresaBoedeker.com.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Ali Flynn is excited to share with you the joys and hardships of motherhood with an open heart, laughter and some tears. Ali has been seen on Love What Matters, Her View From Home, Filter Free Parents, Grown and Flown, Today Parents and The Mighty where she shares inspirational stories about motherhood while keeping it real.
I so appreciated my conversation with Ali this week! We talked about that feeling of not being "enough" in motherhood and how to combat it head on. Ali offers her own experience, story, and practical advice to find what makes you smile in your own life and motherhood story.
We also talked a lot about caretaking and caring for yourself and stepping into vulnerability as a way of honoring our own struggle and finding strength.
Quotable Quotes:
Ali: Whatever our child is struggling with is not a reflection of whether we are “enough” or not. Or on the flip side, our child’s accomplishments don’t necessarily reveal that we are outstanding parents either.
My way of feeling complete within this whole world is really going to be by fulfilling myself, which is then also going to fulfill my children.
Article References: What does a Good Day look like for you?
You can find Ali on Social media at Hang in there Mama:
https://www.Facebook.com/hangintheremama
https://www.Instagram.com/hang.in.there.mama
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
In this solo episode, I share my own struggle with the Good Mother/Bad Mother narratives that play in my head, sharing stories from my early motherhood years, how I've changed and grown, and how I still struggle to re-frame the narratives that I receive from our culture, my past, my family of origin, and my own inner pressure to be a "good mom."
Most importantly, I talk about how being a Good Mom isn't about fulfilling a list of standards or rules, but how it relies on the unique relationship between mother and child and how to lean into that relationship in order to make those inner voices quieter and the bonds with our children stronger.
If you'd like to listen to this full episode, please go to patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis and choose the Butterfly Tier.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Awunli Eghosasere is from Nigeria and is the founder of hapiwify.site, a digital platform that publishes resources to help young women to achieve their dreams. She is also a Christain women speaker and writer. For the past seven years, she has contributed to several leading blogs, magazines and newspapers on women issues.
I truly enjoyed my conversation with Awunli and was struck by the universality of the modern motherhood experience even as we mother from the USA and Nigeria, respectively.
I hope you are inspired by Awunli's honesty and tenacity as she worked through the challenges of her early motherhood experience to pursue her dreams and inspire women on their own journeys.
Quotable Quotes:
Awunli: When I was in school, I didn’t really think a woman’s life was this hectic or that a woman would encounter these kinds of challenges—this invisible barrier between her and her dreams when she gets married and starts having children. I had never thoughts of anything like that. No one told me.
Motherhood can make you feel like your dreams cannot be realized. I would want other women to know that it is only for a while.
Brittany: Even if the path looks different than you thought, you can still find joy in finding out new ways of being yourself.
Follow Awunli on Facebook @hapiwify
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Emily Roussell is author of Rock You Tonight, a lullaby style picture book written for new babies and moms. She's mom to four, and wife to her best friend. She's a speech language pathologist by degree, but as motherhood has grown and changed her she's become a writer by passion and pursuit.
Emily and I dive deep into the cultural narrative of being a Supermom and the pressures modern moms face to "do all/be all."
Our conversation holds a magnifying glass over the the expectation women feel--both internally and externally--and offers a refreshing alternative to the pressure and anxiety to be a "Supermom".
Quotable Quotes:
"There are no supermoms. That is a myth. We all have our hard and we all have our great and it’s all vastly different."
"There is so much pressure to be or fulfill that supermom role. Part of the problem is that we are getting praised for it."
Read the article by Emily that inspired our conversation here.
You Can find Emily at on Facebook at You are Loved Emily Roussell or pick up a copy of Rock You Tonight in hard cover or kindle version on Amazon.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Lauren Lund is a wife, a mother of 6 (3 regular kids and 3 fur babies), a teacher, and a writer. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who spends most of her free time reading and writing or walking outdoors where she can reflect on the aforementioned. She is currently working on her first non-fiction book and is back in school for pastoral counseling.
Lauren and I have both had a "Plan B" birth experience, where the birth in your head is not the birth you experience. She shares with raw authenticity about her traumatic birth with her oldest child and how that experience has colored her journey as a mother and woman.
This is an episode about pain, healing, growth, moving forward, and story-telling. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed having this conversation.
Quotable Quotes:
Lauren: It’s weird how something as small as the fact that I didn’t get to hold her after having her can affect me 9 years later, but it does. It comes up in weird ways.
Lauren: I want there to be this movement where we start acknowledging more loudly that having a baby and becoming a mother is a process that’s full of trauma and crisis a lot of the time. And that’s OKAY. It doesn’t mean that you’re not a good mom or you don’t love your kids, but its life changing.
Brittany: Sometimes, we have a really hard time telling our painful stories and they get locked inside of us in a way that alters the beginning of our motherhood in such a way that we live in pain instead of living in healing.
Find Lauren on Facebook by searching for "Lauren Lund"
Follow her on IG at Lorolund
Check out her book Reflections on Genesis: Poems of lament
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Trust your gut
Make your voice louder
Lean on your intuition
Throughout the 2021 podcast interviews, I started noticing a theme: Across the various topics, the amazing women I spoke to kept coming back to the idea of trusting your intuition as a mom.
But I got to thinking—as a new mom, I had NO CLUE what it meant to trust my gut.
How do I make my own voice stronger in my head?
How do I learn to trust my intuition?
What are some truths I could learn that will help me develop strength, confidence, and inner peace as a mother?
I’ll be talking about Learning to Trust and How to Strengthen your Intuition as a Mom in my first solo episode on The Motherhood Metamorphosis.
I’ll share personal stories about when I DID and DID NOT listen to my gut, what the outcomes were, and how I’ve learned to trust and strengthen my mother’s intuition in my 14 years as a mom.
I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of “How to strengthen your intuition”. To unlock the full episode, head over to patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis to subscribe. Thank you friends!
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Melissa Davis is a certified Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer. A mom of 2 boys, she has been in the wellness industry for 18 years and truly enjoys helping people reach their wellness goals.
In this interview, Melissa and I discuss how hard it can be to recover after having a baby. She shares her personal story of having postpartum depression, health struggles, and an unexpected surgery after her second son was born and how difficult it was to get back into fitness, even though she is a personal trainer.
Wherever you are in your fitness life, out conversation is candid, hopeful and guilt-free.
Quotable Quotes:
‘Acknowledge the fact that this is going to be a process. It took 9 months to get the baby here. It’s going to take at least 9 months to put yourself back together. And that’s going to be a whole new you. That’s not going to be who you were 9 months ago—that’s a totally different person.”
“Every postpartum is going to have its own story, just like every birth is going to have its own story.”
Resources mentioned:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
If you'd like to contact Melissa, her email is m.davis.cpt@gmail.com
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Lauren Flake is a wife, mom to two girls, watercolor artist, seventh-generation Texan, and early-onset Alzheimer's daughter. She is the author and illustrator of two award-winning children's books for grieving preschoolers, Where Did My Sweet Grandma Go? and Where Did My Sweet Grandpa Go?, and a devotional for women, Though I Walk through the Valley.Lauren's mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2013 when Lauren graduated from college and then sadly passed away when Lauren was a young mother. Our conversation recounts the intense difficulties of caring for a declining parent when you still need your mom so much and the grief Lauren experienced and still experiences in her life.
Quotable Quotes:
“My grandparents died in their early 90s. I had them for a long time and they had a full life and I grieved the relationship we had that was lost. But then with my mom, I grieved that but I also grieved all these things that she’s missing.
“We’re so naive about grief. You’re never done with grief. You always grieve. Don’t tell me to stop grieving; that’s like telling me to stop loving. Grief is just the other side of love.”
We also talked about how Lauren has transformed her experiences into resources for others who are walking the same path.
She hosts a caregivers support page called Daughters of Dementia
Her books for preschoolers:
Where did my sweet Grandma go?
Where did my sweet Grandpa go?
A devotional for grieving women:
Though I walk through the valley
Find Lauren here:
@loveofdixie on Facebook and Instagram
LaurenFlake.com
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Amy is a stay at home mom of two boys, ages 4 & 2, living in Maryland.
Amy and I dig deep into the question of "why is the transition to SAHM SO HARD?"
We talk about invisible work; loss of identity; not contributing to family finances; choosing to stay at home vs. not having a choice; the sameness of stay-at-home-mom life, no validation from co-workers or bosses; and discouragement from friends who say things like “but you’re so smart...I don't know why you're staying home with your kids."
This episode is honest, validating, encouraging, and affirming to stay at home parents everywhere.
Quotable Quotes:
Amy: (tongue in cheek) “I came in to being a stay a home mom, as a NEW mom, I was like, “I GOT THIS! It’s fine! It’ll be fine! I have a college degree…I’m a SMART person! I can handle children!”
Brittany: “Visible work is so much easier to reward, either with money or a high five (be that physical or metaphorical. But invisible work, which is THE work of motherhood, is so easy to dismiss. You don’t see it so you don’t reward it.”
"We have to silence to voices in society by making our own voice louder in our lives."
“Maybe that’s the real work every day as a woman—who is also a stay at home mom—is keeping yourself aware and mentally healthy, because I think the default so many times is negativity.”
Find Amy here:
Instagram @amy_cirksena
She also writes about love, loss and motherhood as a contributor for HVFH and Still Standing Magazine.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Julie Plagens is the author of Estranged: Finding hope when your family falls apart . Wow, is this a POWERFUL conversation.
This is not a topic people talk about--FULL. STOP.
But if you have a strained or difficult or estranged relationship with your parents and/or siblings, it affects you, as a woman, and your motherhood journey, in EVERY. WAY.
Julie tells her own story and how she has struggled towards emotional and physical health, freedom, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
I specifically chose this episode for after the holidays because family relationships can be so tough and the pain that comes from difficult or estranged relationships is often indescribable. It's easy to feel stuck and hopeless.
It's real, raw, and full of strength, hope and practical stories.
You're not alone.
Quotable Quotes:
“The problem with estrangement is that things aren’t worked out. That’s why you go away. So when you come back, it’s not like everything is worked out automatically. You’ve got the same people and the same problems, only I had changed in that I was going to set hard boundaries. I had to really, really work at saying no and my parents being angry with me. And whatever that meant, that was ok because I knew who I was despite what they thought."
"There is a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is about the offense. Reconciliation is about the relationship. Forgiveness takes one person—that’s between you and God. Reconciliation takes two people and both sides have to be willing to admit wrongs, to work together, to build trust, to do what you say, say what you do—it takes time. And if that person is not trustworthy, you have to set harder boundaries and step back. "
Resources: When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas
Find Julie here:
Estranged: Finding Hope When Your Family Falls Apart.
You can find it in paperback on Amazon or any other digital platform.
Social media for Pinterest, Insta, and FB is @julieaplagens.
You can find her blog at: momremaede.com
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
For listeners who would like to listen to the whole story in one sitting, here it is! It is broken into parts 1, 2, & 3 but there's no need to wait or switch to a new episode with this one.
Mary's Story: A Birth Story is a special Christmas series on the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 3, 2022
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Welcome to Part 3, the final episode, of Mary's Story, a special Christmas series on the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this 3 part story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Part 3 of Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 3, 2022
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Welcome to Part 2 of Mary's Story, a 3 part special episode of the Motherhood Metamorphosis. I’m your host, Brittany Meng, and this week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this 3 part story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Part 2 of Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
(If you can't wait for the next installment, you can read the rest of the story here)
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 3, 2022
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Welcome to this special episode of the Motherhood Metamorphosis. This week, I’ll be reading my fictional account of what I think the first Christmas may have looked like, if Mary had written down her birth story for all of us to read.
I wrote this 3 part story in 2017, though it had been in my mind since my youngest son Elijah was born in 2014. His birthday is just 2 days before Christmas and while I was pregnant with him, I just couldn’t help but think about Mary, about what it must have been like for her—as a woman—to give birth to Jesus. What did she feel? How did the birth go? Did she really give birth in a dark, cold barn, surrounded by animal with only Joseph to assist?
This is a work of fiction but it is based on the Biblical accounts in Mathew and Luke, as well as a lot of research I did on ancient middle eastern culture and hospitality practices and really came up with a different narrative than the one that we’re so used to seeing in our modern Christmas culture, where Mary is this pristine, clean, unruffled person dressed in blue and white, with no hint of a belly with her arms crossed over her chest kneeling beside a wooden manger.
So this is quite a different Christmas story than you may have heard before, or that has been portrayed in our culture through paintings, Christmas songs, and nativity scenes. But I hope that this un-sanitized, real, and authentic birth story will inspire you to view not only Mary in a new way, but your own motherhood as well as you move through your own metamorphosis and spiritual journey.
So welcome to Part 1 of Mary’s Story
By Brittany Meng
(If you just can't wait for the next installment, you can read the rest of the story here)
Have a happy holiday, everyone! Regular episodes will resume on January 3, 2022
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Mikala Albertson is a wife and family practice doctor turned mostly stay-at-home mom to five kids ranging from 16 to five. She is passionate about the beauty of an ordinary life and writes under the name Ordinary on Purpose on social media. She will be releasing a book in March of 2022 titled Ordinary on Purpose: Surrendering Perfect and Discovering Beauty Amid the Rubble through Bethany House. Mikala hopes her writing will give permission to let go of 'should' and 'have to' and embrace who you already are...lovely and loved, imperfect and beautiful, ordinary, and so very on purpose.
When I messaged Mikala and asked her to be on the podcast, I thought it would be fun if we talked about the expectations we had before we became moms...and what reality looks like on the other side.
We both have 5 kids (4 boys and 1 girl) and found a lot in common, and while I expected some laughs, I got so much more in my conversation with Mikala. She is so thoughtful, descriptive, and wise and I hope you listen in with a cup of coffee and feel like you are joining in the best conversation about motherhood with trusted friends.
Quotable quotes:
Mikala: "I thought Motherhood was about the big moments…holidays, vacations and special family traditions, and like a designated game night. And those are all very lovely....But I’m learning that—mostly—motherhood happens in ordinary moments. And some of the most meaningful things are small and simple. "
Brittany: "The motherhood experience is so complex. We want to boil it down to, like, the one thing, or the sweet emotion, or the “enjoy it while you can!” or a platitude…but it’s just so many things. Making room for that “both/and”, I think can be a generous gift to ourselves, to say “I miss it” and “I’m grateful” and “I’m sad” and “I’m excited for the future”—all of those emotions are valid.”
Article referenced:
"Christmas is Cumulative"
Find Mikala here:
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Blog
Pre-order her book here!!! Ordinary on Purpose: Surrendering Perfect and Discovering Beauty Amid the Rubble
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Ashley Mays has been married for 8 years and she and her husband have two boys. When her youngest was 9 weeks old, their lives were turned upside down when she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.
I really appreciated my candid conversation with Ashley about her cancer journey, especially as she was diagnosed in May of 2020, right in the intensity of the pandemic.
We talked about what helped her get through this time, what she struggled with emotionally, and how she found connection with other women, as well as post-partum depression, mom guilt, therapy, medication, and how social media can make you feel so alone as a mom. (If this last topic resonates with you, check out episode 5, Sara Springer's interview!)
Quotable Quotes:
“With Luke, I did Mommy and Me swim lessons with him and you have to be in the pool, obviously and I hated it. Like, hated it. I would joke with my husband, “I hate getting in a swimsuit postpartum, being around all these other moms and dads. And with Ford, it just changed how I looked at that time—wow I GET to do this with him. I get to have this one on one time with him. I could very well not be alive.”
“Mom guilt is real for everyone, you know? And so I just try to control what I can and then tell myself that I can’t control certain situations. It’s easier said that done!”
Follow Ashley on social media here:
Instagram: @babiesandbreastcancer
Facebook: Babies and Breast Cancer
Resources mentioned: Parents as Teachers
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Traci Rhoades is a writer and Bible teacher. She lives in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area with her family. She is the author of "Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost."
My conversation with Traci went by so fast and we dove into questions that are really close to my heart, particularly "how do I show up as a whole person in my family, and not just "the mom"? We talk in depth about how she has grown in her critical thinking skills, and how that's influencing the way she's raising her daughter.
I loved hearing how Traci does this with her daughter and the practical stories she shared about being on her own journey, asking question, changing her mind, and seeking growth.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I enjoyed talking to Traci!
Find Traci online:
Twitter - @tracesoffaith
Instagram: @tracesoffaithblog
Facebook: @tracesoffaithblog
Find Traci's Advent Booklet here!
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Kate Brown has been recently promoted to a stay-at-home-mommy that keeps it real. Her goal in this life is to use her own victories and struggles to help other women.
Wow. We get raw and real in this episode where Kate shares her struggles with an Eating Disorder before she had her first child and what pregnancy was like while she fought both for her mental health and personal physical wellness for herself and her baby.
I really appreciated the insight she brought to the topic of Eating Disorders--for Kate, it wasn't about looking a certain way or being skinny. It was about seeking control when her world felt out of control. She digs deep into the emotional pain of this struggle and how pregnancy and motherhood was a refining fire that ultimately brought her new life and healing in this area of her life.
Quotable quotesKate: "I never wanted to look skinny. That was not my thing. I feel like so many people misunderstand and they don’t know why they are struggling with an eating disorder and most of the time it is about control. People are always like, “Why do you want to be so skinny?” And that is not what I want. I want control. So that is what I want to talk about this. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, you have to find new ways to be in control. You have to get back in the driver’s seat. You can’t let it drive you."
Kate: "I’ve had to become friends with the voice in my head instead of making it my enemy. It’s going to live there. This voice is going to live there forever. And I just have to learn to co-exist and change the narrative."
Kate: "You know all nine months you’re waiting to meet this baby. You’re so excited. You can’t wait to meet them. And then they come out and you meet them for the first time, but you meet someone new also—you meet yourself in a totally different way."
Brittany: "You have to constantly speak truth to your mental health lies. It’s so important and it’s so exhausting."
Resources: The Recovery Mama Guide to Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum by Linda Shanti McCabe
Follow Kate on Social Media here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fi.flawlessimperfection
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fi_flawlessimperfection/?hl=en
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Hillary Rodriguez is a pilot wife, working mother of three, travel lover, serial over- volunteer-er, home baker, book lover, and disability advocate.
My conversation with Hillary Rodriguiz was close to my heart as we both have kids with extra needs. Whew! Even as I was listening to the episode again to do the edits, I got tears in my eyes.
We both showed up in a big way with our stories and emotions about the journey of parenting a child with special needs, hitting on key issues like grief, fear, and building empathy within ourselves, our kids, and the siblings of our kids with extra needs.
Overall, it was a beautiful and emotional conversation that I hope touches your heart and mothering experience, whether your kids have special needs or not.
Quotable Quotes:
Hillary: "I’ve been fortunate—I’ve never lost a child. The pain, I don’t think, can compare to that. But you do have a dream. You spend your whole pregnancy coming up with these dreams. “My daughter is going to be a doctor and she’s going to be an astronaut!” And she’s going to be these grandiose things! And then all of a sudden… “Can she drive?” I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll have to just wait and see. Things get a little bit different and we have to get through that grief. It takes time."
Hillary: "“I always talk to people and when their children are newborns, they want to know what to do. My biggest piece of advice is just to appreciate them, who they are, and love them just right now because they grow so fast. But getting over that grief and coming to acceptance is a big thing. Being okay with what you’re family’s going to look like and the community you’re going to get and all these gorgeous things that come from it is big. But that initial period of denial and grief is a lot for people to overcome. But once you get past it…."
Brittany: "I remember talking to someone once who was going through a diagnosis, and saying “You have to love your child more than your grief over what you thought their future was going to to be.” And I say that as somebody who has loved their grief at times more than their child. I had to make a choice about whether or not I was going to grieve over their future or step into that love.”
Terms and references for this episode:
IEP: Individual Education Plan
"Welcome to Holland" by Emily Pearl Kingsley
You can find Hillary @Hycastillo85 on Instagram
Check out her article on Her View From Home here!
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Note: Angela emailed me before our interview and asked if "swears were ok" I was like "hell, yeah!" but if swears are not for you, feel free to enjoy a different episode!
Angela Anagnost-Repke is a nature-loving, empathy-blooming mom of 2 school-aged kids. She is working on a non-fiction book proposal on how even unscientific moms can give the gift of nature to their kids.
We talked candidly about how motherhood felt unnatural to her when her son was a newborn. This feeling was complicated by the narrative she heard from her own mom about how motherhood had "saved her" when Angela and her siblings were little.
Angela and I also talked about how, 6 weeks after her daughter was born, she became one of the primary caregivers to her mom after a cancer diagnosis. She recounts how she hit rock bottom, had to reach out for help, and rediscover her joy after care-giving encompassed her whole life.
I love her honesty, candor, authenticity, and bad-ass message to just BE YOURSELF when it comes to your motherhood story.
Quotable quotes: Kudos to all women who own their journey and don’t try to be a certain kind of mother that they’re just not meant to be at all.
You can follow Angela on Facebook @Angela Anagnost-Repke, Writer
and @Angela Repke on Instagram
Oh my goodness--Let's talk about social media pressure on moms. No generation of mothers before us has had social media pressure screaming at them about every single facet of their motherhood. This pressure can feel suffocating at times.
Sara and I had a really wonderful and insightful conversation about what social media pressure looks like in our own motherhood journeys and how we are dealing with it in our own way day by day.
Quotable quotes:
Sara: "If [viewing someone's social media is] bringing out envy, pettiness, annoyance—that’s not a reflection on what they’re doing. That’s stirring up something inside of me. So maybe that’s something we can work on in ourselves and set boundaries when it comes to social media."
Brittany: "You’re not a bad person for wanting hearts and likes and validation. But you are already worthy. You are already a mom who is trying her best and you don’t have to have the hearts to tell you that you are worthy and that you are a good mom."
You can follow Sara here: TikTok @rebelhousewifeblog
Do Less Live More e-book available to download on my website
How are you bringing personal awareness to how social media affects you as a mom?
What are you doing to protect your peace, well-being, and joy when it comes to social media?
Please subscribe to The Motherhood Metamorphosis and leave a review so that other people can find this podcast too! And hope on over to Brittany Meng The Bam Blog to join in conversation about this episode.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
My conversation with Shelby Spear was gold--at least for me! I hope you feel the same. I gained so much from her experience and wisdom as a contemplative mom of 3 grown children.
Shelby's honesty and authenticity about her personal struggles and healing is inspiring. We talked at length about the stories we tell ourselves and how to weed out the lies from our minds. It it is up to us, as women, to seek healing so that we can be the women and mothers that will bring life and health into our world and families.
Quotable Quotes: “We want our kids to believe all these things about themselves—that they are worthy and valued and they have gifts and talents and they can do whatever they want in life—we build them up! But if we’re also not building THIS [presses hand to heart] up, then they can see how we’re treating ourselves. Modeling that is so huge too. It’s not just what we say.”
"The more we can really question the stories we’re telling and ask ourselves, "Does this align with what God would say about me…and even what MY OWN KIDS would say about me?!" They see such a better version than we would admit or even what see in in mirror!"
Find Shelby Spear here:
Website: shelbyspear.com
Motherhood mentoring: courses.shelbyspear.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/shelspear
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shelspear
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/shelspear
Please subscribe to The Motherhood Metamorphosis and leave a review so that other people can find this podcast too! And hope on over to Brittany Meng The Bam Blog to join in conversation about this episode.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
I loved my conversation with Kerri Bond. We are primarily social media friends but have a lot of IRL friends in common. Plus we have both worked with The Motherhood Collective, an amazing community organization in Lynchburg VA.
Kerri has a unique beginning to her motherhood story and our conversation morphed into how her motherhood experience looked nothing like what she expected. She recounts her story of grief and loss with honesty and grace. I love her strength and resilience and I hope you do too.
Quotable Quote: You know that thing people say, “let me know how I can help” (which is not usually very helpful) but they want to be helpful? I think when you’re going through that darkness, there are people who want to help and it’s okay to say, “I need you” even though that feels so awful sometimes.Please subscribe to The Motherhood Metamorphosis and leave a review so that other people can find this podcast too! And hope on over to Brittany Meng The Bam Blog to join in conversation about this episode.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
I so enjoyed my conversation with Stevie Swift on this episode. We talk about being a "good" mom, social pressure, and bringing our selves and needs as women (not just moms) into our families.
Takeaway quotes:
"I think sometimes when we want to move towards respecting our kids as humans and respecting their needs, sometimes we pull away from our needs as people too, and I don't want to do that because that's really an important part of the conversation."
"I kind of eliminated that phrase “have to” from my vocabulary, and I thought instead, every time I was tempted to say “have to” I would actually think through why I was choosing to do it, because there IS always a choice."
Find and follow Stevie here:
If you're interested in Stevie's Christian writing, you can find her at @stevieswiftauthor on FB and IG or at stevieswift.com. If that is not your speed, you can connect with her at @steviedoodles on FB and IG or at steviedoodles.com where there are 1000's of free coloring pages available to print and color.
Please hop on over to Brittany Meng The Bam Blog to join in conversation about this episode.
Please subscribe to The Motherhood Metamorphosis and leave a review so that other people can find this podcast too!
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
Welcome friends! This is the first episode of the Motherhood Metamorphosis. In this episode I answer all the who/what/when/where/why questions of the podcast.
I discuss how the idea of The Motherhood Metamorphosis came to be, what to expect from the podcast, and who the primary and secondary audiences are. This is a solo episode but I will typically have interviews with amazing and inspiring guests.
Here is the link to the surfing story I read on the episode. It was written by Ryan Kuja
As I am a complete newbie and got very excited, I left out some key details, like WHO I AM!
Hi. I'm Brittany Meng. I'm a wife of 15+ years and a mom to 5 kids: 4 boys and a girl. My oldest boys are twins. My youngest baby was born in England when we were stationed with the Air Force. I've experienced c-sections, unmedicated VBAC, an epidural birth, NICU stays...the whole range of birth experiences.
I am passionate about mental health and have shared my experiences with anxiety and depression in writing.
I am also passionate about growth, both for my children and for myself. I have struggled along the path of motherhood and have climbed some pretty tall mountains (miscarriage, Learning disabilities, Autism diagnosis, ADHDx3 kids, IEPs, Anxiety, depression, moving, loss of career, and more) and am passionate about sharing my journey in order to provide a smoother path, or at least a shoulder to lean on, as you walk your journey.
I love Jesus and asking questions. I welcome faith stories here, although this is not a Christian podcast.
I've been a writer for pretty much my whole life and a blogger for about 12 years.
You can find my writing on my website
OR
On my facebook page: BrittanyMengTheBamBlog
(I'm also on Instagram but I suck at IG. I'm sorry, guys. I'll try to do better)
My book, Unexpected: Learning to love your unpredictable story came out in 2018 and is available on Amazon.
I'm so excited to have you join us for this episode and more to come.
Support the show (https://patreon.com/themotherhoodmetamorphosis)
