• 29 minutes 21 seconds
    What To Do When Your Kid Tells You To "Shut Up"

    New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    If you've ever tried gentle parenting and still wondered what to do when your kid says shut up to you, this episode is for you.

    When your kid tells you to shut up, your face gets hot and your brain can go blank. In this solo episode, I explain what is usually going on underneath those words and walk you through five calm steps for kids third grade and up, plus an easy adjustment for younger kids. You'll also hear why your own triggers matter and why you deserve the same pause you give your kids.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why "shut up" usually means overwhelm or a need for more say, not disrespect
    • The question that gets you further than "what do I do?": what happened right before
    • Five calm steps for kids third grade and up: let the shock land, get quiet and don't tower, name it and leave, take the time you need, and come back to repair
    • How to adjust for younger kids with a simple "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back"
    • How to work with your own triggers and why you deserve a tap out

    Resources mentioned in this episode

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    1 October 2026, 8:00 am
  • 36 minutes 17 seconds
    Why Your Kid Still Won't Listen No Matter How Many Times You Say It with Dr. Siggie

    New here? Start with our Start Here playlist, five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    You validate your kid's feelings. You explain the reasoning behind every rule. And your kid still melts down anyway. Child development specialist and author Dr. Siggie Cohen joins JoAnn to explain the missing piece: why kids speak the language of emotion while parents default to logic, and exactly what to say when bedtime, screens, or "get ready" turns into a nightly fight.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why explaining the "why" behind a boundary doesn't get your kid to comply
    • The real reason "how many times do I have to tell you" backfires every time
    • How to validate your kid's feelings without caving to what they want
    • The exact language to use during transitions like bedtime and screen time
    • Why staying calm and confident, not permissive, is what actually helps your kid through a meltdown

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

    Ready to feel calmer and more confident in your parenting? Join us for the free Happy Mom Reset class.


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    29 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 29 minutes 31 seconds
    Why You're Still the Default Parent (And The 7 Rules that Got Me Out)

    If you're carrying the mental load and wondering how to stop being the default parent, this episode is for you.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    Nobody sits down and decides to become the default parent. It happens one "I'll just grab it" at a time. In this solo episode, I share the seven rules I follow so I'm not the default parent in my house, from the "go ask Dad" rule I started when my kids were little to the overflowing trash I refuse to take out.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why being the default parent is a set of habits, not a personality trait
    • How to end the "I do everything" fight by seeing the real split in your house
    • Why doing your partner's jobs to be nice backfires, and what to say instead
    • The simple "go ask Dad" rule that retrains your kids
    • Why "it's just easier if I do it" is a trap, and how to let your partner do it his way

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

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    24 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 35 minutes 21 seconds
    Why You Keep Abandoning Yourself to Keep Everyone Else Happy with Jessica Anne Pressler

    New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    If you've ever struggled with people pleasing and wondered why you put everyone else's needs before your own even when it's costing you, this episode is for you.

    Psychotherapist Jessica Anne Pressler joins JoAnn to talk about self-abandonment, the pattern of putting everyone else first until you disappear from your own life. They dig into where it starts in childhood, how it shows up as people pleasing and trauma bonding in adult relationships, and how to finally start trusting yourself again.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • What self-abandonment actually means, and why most moms do it without realizing it
    • Why your kids learn more from watching you take care of yourself than from anything you tell them
    • What a trauma bond is and why it can feel like an addiction
    • The gray rock method for dealing with someone who wants a reaction from you
    • A simple script for talking back to the inner voice that keeps you stuck (Jessica calls it "the traitor within")

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

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    22 September 2026, 11:00 am
  • 28 minutes 46 seconds
    Why You Feel Powerless When Your Daughter Gets Dress Coded (And What Actually Helps)

    If gentle parenting has you wanting to back your daughter up without shaking things up at school, but you're stuck on why she keeps getting dress coded in the first place, this episode is for you.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    JoAnn goes solo this week on a topic she's been sitting with since her own middle school uniform battles: dress codes, and why they land so much harder on girls than boys. She pulls the research on where dress codes actually came from, what "self-objectification" does to a girl's brain and test scores, and ties it directly into this week's Sydney Sweeney ad backlash. Then she gives you the exact conversation to have with your daughter the next time she comes home dress coded.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why dress codes were never really about safety, and where they actually came from
    • The research showing it's girls' bodies, not their behavior, that dress codes target
    • What "self-objectification" is, and how it can measurably lower a girl's test performance
    • Exactly what to say (and not say) when your daughter comes home dress coded
    • How to help her decide whether to comply or push back, in her own words

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

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    17 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 37 minutes 58 seconds
    Why You Give Until You're Empty (And What To Do Instead)

    If you've ever dealt with mom burnout and wondered why you can't stop giving until there's nothing left, this episode is for you.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    Therapist Dr. Julie Merriman joins the podcast to talk about why so many moms quietly minimize themselves until they're running on empty, and why the idea that "you can't give from an empty cup" is actually a myth, because we do it all the time. We get into little T trauma, why your worth might be tied to productivity, and Julie's five-step framework for coming back to yourself after burnout.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why moms give until they hit "empty cup" burnout, and why the belief that you can't give from empty isn't true
    • What "little T trauma" is and why almost everyone has some, even without a dramatic backstory
    • Julie's five-step framework for recovering from burnout: reflection, a nervous system inventory, a reappearance checklist, a self-return ritual, and daily affirmations
    • A simple full-body-scan technique to check in with your nervous system in under a minute
    • Why tying your worth to productivity makes it impossible to just sit and relax

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

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    15 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 32 minutes 45 seconds
    Why You Can't Turn Off Work Mode the Second You Walk in the Door (And the 3-Ritual Fix)

    If you've ever felt the mental load of work follow you home and wondered why you can't turn your brain off the second you walk in the door, this episode is for you.

    New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    You close the laptop, but your brain doesn't get the memo. In this episode, JoAnn breaks down the real research on why work stress follows you home (and why home stress follows you to work), and gives you three small, doable rituals you can try tonight to actually make the switch.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why "boundary theory" research says your brain needs an actual ritual to switch roles, not just willpower
    • Why remote and hybrid workers report 20% higher burnout, and what's missing from the workday that used to fix this for free
    • What a real diary study of 166 employees found is the single strongest predictor of recovering from a stressful workday
    • Three simple scripts you can use tonight: naming your feeling, noticing and asking what's up, and picking your family's one thing
    • How the Happy Home Ladder turns these skills into something your whole family builds together, not just you

    Resources mentioned in this episode:


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    10 September 2026, 11:00 am
  • 34 minutes 22 seconds
    Self-Forgiveness Strategies to Overcome Mom Guilt and Burnout with Dr. Dravon James

    If you've ever dealt with mom guilt and wondered why you can't stop replaying the same mistake in your head long after it happened, this episode is for you. Explore practical tools for managing mom guilt and the mental load using gentle parenting principles and a proven self-forgiveness method with Dr. Dravon James.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    Dr. Dravon James, founder of Everyday Peace and author of Forgiveness: A Pathway to Happiness, joins JoAnn to talk about why self-forgiveness is so much harder for moms than forgiving anyone else. They walk through Dravon's three-step practice for actually letting go of the mistakes you keep carrying, plus the exact language to use with yourself when you mess up.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why holding onto guilt doesn't actually protect you from making the same mistake again
    • The three-step self-forgiveness practice: reflect on self-criticism, forgive yourself for past mistakes, and release the memory's hold
    • The difference between accepting what happened and excusing it
    • The "sandwich technique" for saying "I forgive you" to yourself without it feeling forced
    • Why treating yourself the way you'd treat your own middle schooler changes everything

    Ready to stop doing everything and start doing what actually matters? Grab JoAnn's free Stop Doing Checklist.

    Resources mentioned in this episode:


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    8 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 35 minutes 50 seconds
    Why You Feel Like You're Failing as a Mom (And the 5 Good Mom Myths That Fuel Mom Burnout)

    Mom guilt has a source—and it's not your parenting. JoAnn busts the five biggest "good mom" myths that convince you you're failing, even when you're doing your best.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    JoAnn shares the day she screamed at a wall (and cowered her own kids) to name the perfectionism baked into modern motherhood. Then she busts the five biggest "good mom" myths, the ones telling you that missing the game, serving chicken nuggets again, losing your temper, taking time for yourself, or your kid's report card all mean you're failing. Spoiler: none of them do.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why missing your kid's activity can actually be good for them (and what the research on over-involved parents really shows)
    • Why your picky eater isn't a reflection of your cooking, and the biology behind food neophobia
    • The exact repair script to use after you lose your temper, and why the repair matters more than the rupture
    • Why taking time for yourself is an investment in your kid, not a theft from them
    • Why your kid's school performance predicts nothing about who they'll become

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to ⁠https://heypolo.com/ngm ⁠or use code NGM and get 70% off your first year!

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    3 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 39 minutes 1 second
    Why Nothing Works with Your Strong-Willed Kid, and What Actually Does with wendy snyder

    If you have tried gentle parenting and still feel like nothing works with your strong-willed child, this episode is for you.

    New to the show? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠.

    Wendy Snyder was three years into motherhood, home with a colicky newborn and a three-year-old who got sent home from preschool on repeat, when she walked past a flyer for a free positive parenting class and took it as a sign. Fifteen years later, that same strong-willed daughter is a Division I beach volleyball player at a top ten school.

    In this conversation, Wendy and JoAnn get into why the strong will you are fighting is the exact trait that will carry your kid, and what has to shift in you first before any strategy will work.

    In this episode, you'll learn

    • Why punishment, timeouts and "break their will early" advice backfire hardest on the kids they are aimed at
    • The difference between a kid who is born strong-willed and a mild kid moving through a power surge season
    • What autocratic parenting actually is, and why almost all of us absorbed some of it
    • How releasing control over homework and grades produced a self-motivated straight A kid
    • One tactical swap you can make today: replacing compliance statements with choices

    Resources mentioned in this episode


    Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to https://heypolo.com/ngm or use code NGM and get 70% off your first year!

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    1 September 2026, 8:00 am
  • 31 minutes 32 seconds
    Why Letting Go of Control Feels So Scary (And Why It Means You're Doing It Right)

    If you've ever struggled with letting go of control and wondered why sending your kid off to college (or even just watching them grow up) feels so scary, this episode is for you.

    New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

    This episode released on the actual day JoAnn flew to New York to drop her firstborn off at college. Instead of a highlight reel of the trip, she's sharing the real research and the real mindset shifts that got her here, including one she wishes every parent heard well before senior year.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why the "secure base" concept from attachment theory means being your kid's biggest fan instead of their director, and why that actually makes your relationship stronger, not weaker
    • What overcontrol dressed up as care looks like right now (grade portals, dorm housekeepers, and more) and why it does more harm than good
    • The real research on empty nest syndrome, and why it's not what most parents assume
    • A personal story about backing off when her daughter said she hugged her too much, and what happened to their relationship afterward
    • Why letting your kid struggle a little now builds the strength they'll need later (yes, there's a science experiment involved)

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

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    27 August 2026, 8:00 am
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