Modern Mom Probs

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode, Tara sits down with former QVC host and fashion industry veteran Jackie Morgan. Jackie recounts her unexpected journey to live television, which began with a spontaneous video submission during the pandemic and drew upon her lifelong passion for styling. From nostalgic conversations about 90s mall trips to insightful commentary on the rise of social shopping platforms, Jackie brings her signature authenticity and industry expertise to the table. She shares the behind-the-scenes reality of unscripted live television, the hilarious mishaps that happen on air, and how her deep knowledge of garment construction helped her connect with millions of viewers. Beyond the glitz of the fashion world, Jackie opens up with incredible vulnerability about her personal trials and triumphs. She and Tara bond over the shared joys and societal stigmas of being "one and done" mothers raising only children. Jackie bravely details her harrowing experience with pre-eclampsia, her daughter's premature birth and NICU stay, and the compounding grief of losing both her stepfather and biological father within a year while working on national television. Balancing these heavy, emotional topics with laugh-out-loud, highly relatable moments about navigating the challenges of perimenopause and "brain fog," Jackie’s story is a profound testament to resilience, humor, and the power of staying true to oneself through life's most unpredictable challenges. Links: https://www.instagram.com/iamjackiemorgan/

In this episode, Tara chats with executive functioning expert and author Ana Homayoun to challenge the intense, early pressure surrounding college admissions. For parents who have ever felt overwhelmed by the academic race, like the stress of hearing about AP classes at a fifth-grade orientation, this conversation is essential listening. Ana, author of the new book Getting In Is Not Enough, draws on her 25 years of experience to remind listeners that getting into college is not the ultimate finish line. The episode dives into why this hyper-focus on college prep at such a young age causes unnecessary anxiety and how families need to shift their perspective on what it means for students to truly succeed. Instead of obsessing over the destination, Ana explains why the focus must shift to building essential executive functioning skills like organizing, planning, and resilience. She shares inspiring stories that prove building good habits naturally leads to better outcomes, emphasizing that adaptability and non-transactional human connections are more crucial than ever in today's AI-driven world. You will gain a refreshing, grounded take on redefining success, and learn how to foster the life habits children need to thrive long after the college acceptance letters arrive. Links: https://anahomayoun.com/ https://anahomayoun.com/getting-in/ https://www.instagram.com/anahomayoun

Motherhood can feel incredibly isolating, but you don't have to navigate it alone. In this episode, Tara sits down with Leah Wiseman Fink and Jamie Kolnick as they share their powerful insights on building a genuine community and the realities of making mom friends in a modern world. Together, they dive into practical strategies for fostering real connection, breaking through the loneliness that so many mothers experience, and the undeniable importance of simply showing up for one another. Beyond the basics of making friends, Leah and Jamie open up about personal stories of profound loss and how leaning on their village made healing possible. They explore how to balance boundaries with support, the life-changing impact of proactively asking for help when you hit your limit, and why community is truly everything during our hardest seasons. If you've been looking for your village or wondering how to be a better friend to the moms in your life, this conversation is exactly what you need. Links: https://www.thesparksociety.co/ https://www.instagram.com/thesparksociety_/ https://www.instagram.com/leahwisemanfink/ https://jamwithjamie.com/

In this episode, Tara sits down with Keesha Scott, mother of three, podcaster, certified parenting coach, and author of the new memoir Cake for Dinner, for a refreshingly honest conversation about dismantling the pressure to be a perfect mother. Drawing from her own experiences with addiction recovery, high-achieving environments, and raising teenagers, Keesha opens up about why modern mom culture often feels impossibly harsh. Together, they tackle the competitive nature of modern childhood and the pitfalls of overparenting, highlighting how stepping back from the "must do everything" mindset can actually build greater resilience, confidence, and independence in our kids. Beyond the daily logistics of raising children, their discussion explores the challenge of maintaining an individual identity outside of motherhood and adapting to the emotional complexities that arise as kids grow older. Keesha shares the touching origin of her memoir's title, a playful reminder from her father that sometimes you just have to say "forget it" and eat cake for dinner, reinforcing the message that mothers can make mistakes, survive hard things, and still be phenomenal parents. Packed with actionable insights on letting kids answer for themselves and stepping out of the comparison trap, this episode is a powerful reminder that "perfection is dumb" and you don't have to get it all right to be a great mom. Links: https://keeshascott.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cake-for-dinner/id1836443936 https://www.instagram.com/keeshawscott/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0757325653 https://www.youtube.com/@CakeForDinnerPod

In this conversation, Tara chats with Emily Feret, the self-proclaimed "anti-mommy influencer," for a refreshingly candid conversation about stripping away the pressure of perfection in motherhood. Emily shares the story of how her "normalizing normal" movement was accidentally born out of pandemic boredom on TikTok, quickly growing into a massive community built on unfiltered honesty, messy homes, and finding humor in the chaos of everyday life. They discuss the profound impact of seeing real, uncurated lives online, and how sharing the unvarnished truth, from dealing with mom guilt over toddler cavities to embracing the actual bodies we have, can instantly make motherhood feel less isolating. They deep dive into the very real challenges modern mothers face, particularly the lack of a physical village and the dangerous trap of social media comparison in an era of AI-generated perfection. Emily opens up about writing her new book, Normalizing Normal, without experiencing a vulnerability hangover, and why it's so crucial to let go of the idealized parent you thought you'd be to embrace the child you actually have. Ultimately, this episode is a powerful reminder that two things can be true at once, and by saying the hard stuff out loud and focusing on our parenting strengths instead of our perceived failures, we can build the virtual village we all desperately need. Links: https://normalizebeingnormal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/emilyjeanneferet https://www.facebook.com/share/192uDgX6zf/ https://www.tiktok.com/@emilyjeanne333