No Guilt Mom | Overcoming Mom Guilt, Parenting Tips, & Self Care for Moms

Mom guilt happens to every mom. In this episode, JoAnn sits down with Holly Swenson—nurse, author, and mom coach—to explore the wake-up call that comes when your body forces you to stop. If you're an overwhelmed mom dealing with burnout and mom guilt, this conversation offers practical parenting tips and compassionate mom help to reclaim your energy and joy. Holly shares her powerful story of being hospitalized while parenting four kids under four and how she learned to reset without guilt. Discover the subtle signs your body gives before reaching a breaking point, why moms struggle to ask for the support they need, and how guilt often keeps parents trapped in survival mode. This episode also explores the difference between taking meaningful breaks and quick self-care moments when time is scarce. Learn practical strategies for nervous system regulation, grounding practices, and emotional awareness that can help reset your well-being even with no extra support. Resources Mentioned:Stop, Drop, Grow & Glow by Holly Swenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when you become a mom… and you don’t want to give up the parts of you that make you feel alive? Especially when you feel the weight of mom guilt? In this episode, JoAnn and Brie sit down with Emily Harrington—world-renowned rock climber, North Face athlete, and mom—who shares what it really looks like to pursue big goals, recover after a scary setback, and reshape your identity after becoming a parent.You’ll hear why motherhood didn’t make Emily “stop”… but it did change what felt worth it—and how that shift actually brought her more peace than she expected.In this episode, we talk about:What it’s like to climb El Capitan in a day (and how you fuel for a 24-hour push)The terrifying fall that sent Emily to the hospital—and how she rebuilt trust in herself afterwardThe mindset red flags she noticed before the accident (and what we can learn from them)Climbing through pregnancy—and the “random stupid comments” people love to makeWhy becoming a mom changed Emily’s relationship to risk (and why that’s not a loss)The surprising freedom that comes from letting your goals evolveThe power of mentors: “You have to see it to be it”How to keep your passion and your family life—without feeling like you have to chooseMentioned in this episode:Emily’s film “Girl Climber” (currently available to rent on Jolt; streaming more widely next year) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ready to boost mom happiness? Science-backed tips you can apply now. If the word “happy” feels more like a goal than a daily reality right now, this episode is going to land right where you need it. I’m joined by Tia Graham—leadership coach, positive psychology expert, author of Be a Happy Leader, and someone who has spent years studying the actual science behind what makes us feel happier. And yes… moms can absolutely use this research to feel more joy, more calm, and more fulfillment in their everyday lives.We dig into everything from genetics (turns out happiness is far more inherited than you think!) to the environments we’re raising our kids in, to the small, simple practices that actually move the needle on wellbeing.Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, craving more meaning, or just wanting to feel more like yourself, this conversation offers such grounded hope.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why up to 70% of your happiness is influenced by genetics—and why that means you deserve WAY more compassion (not more pressure).How your environment—from work demands to lack of societal support—shapes your wellbeing, and why your struggles are not personal failures.A powerful “12 months from now” exercise to help you reimagine your life and priorities with more clarity and less guilt.The #1 predictor of happiness according to neuroscience (hint: your kids can’t fill this bucket on their own!).How to spot habits that drain your joy, even the subtle ones you don’t realize you’re doing out of routine or “shoulds.”Why journaling & meditation are scientifically backed tools for processing emotions, increasing resilience, and helping your brain rewire toward more positive thought patterns.How to realign your calendar with your actual values, so your schedule supports the life you want—not the one you inherited from shoulds, guilt, or overwhelm.Resources We Shared30 Self Care Practices from Tia: https://www.tiagraham.com/selfcareLearn more about Tia here: www.tiagraham.comDownload the No Guilt Mom Stop Doing Checklist: https://www.balanceformoms.com/opt-in-stop-doing-checklist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is technology helping or quietly shaping you as a mom? Parenting tips to reset your tech habit. We're joined by Amanda Hess, writer at large for The New York Times and author of Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age. Amanda shares how pregnancy apps, tracking tools, and hyper-targeted ads didn’t just “support” her— they started defining what kind of mom she thought she was supposed to be. From fertility tracking and bump apps to baby monitors, sleep trackers, and Life360-style teen surveillance, we unpack the subtle ways tech feeds anxiety, perfectionism, and the pressure to “optimize” everything… including our kids. In this episode, you’ll hear: How one pregnancy app quietly shifted Amanda from “this is helpful” to “this is telling me who my baby should be”—and why that mattered when her son’s diagnosis didn’t match the glossy digital version. What happens when your phone knows your pregnancy before your friends do, and how targeted ads start shaping your identity as a mom before your baby is even born. The hidden emotional cost of baby and teen surveillance tech (like smart socks and location tracking apps) and why they create more anxiety than actual safety. Simple mindset shifts to reclaim your intuition in a tech-saturated world, so your phone becomes a tool—not the authority on your parenting. Resources We SharedGrab Amanda's book Second Life: Having A Child In The Digital Age: hFollow Amanda on InstagramGrab our FREE Stop Doing Checklist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If dinner at your house looks like one kid eating plain noodles, another living on beige food, and you wondering why you even bothered cooking… this episode is for you. I’m joined by registered dietitian Sarah Schlichter of Bucket List Tummy to talk about picky eating, pressure at the table, and why so many of us feel like we’re failing if our kids don’t touch the veggies we lovingly chopped. We chat about how our 90s “boxed and canned” childhoods impact the way we feed our own kids now, how social media adds a whole layer of mom-pressure, and what realistic, actually doable changes you can make to help your kids feel safer trying new foods—without turning dinner into a battle. What the “beige diet” really is (and why it’s so common, even in good, loving homes). In this episode, you’ll hear: The simple mindset shift that can instantly lower the pressure you feel at mealtimes. One tiny tweak to how you serve dinner that gives kids more autonomy and makes them more likely to explore new foods. How to use “safe foods” and curiosity to gently expand your child’s palate over time (without bribing, begging, or bargaining for “just one bite”). Resources We Shared: Download Sarah's freebie for 5 easy family meal recipes Visit Sarah at Bucket List Tummy Grab our FREE Stop Doing Checklist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices