Have you ever gone through a rough stretch and it’s made you take a look at your life from a zoomed out perspective? Well that’s exactly where we’ve been lately. Both of us have gone through a stretch of illnesses for both ourselves and our kids that has made us reflect on what we want to stay in our lives and what we want to leave behind. And sometimes it takes going through a really hard period to notice these things.

In this episode we talk about how most of us live such busy lives that we don’t have any margin for sick days. And that includes for ourselves. We talk about what we call the “10-minute” support person and how neither of us have that. But instead of wishing we did, we share how we have the necessary conversations with our partners and friends, so that when we do get that call from school saying our kiddo is sick, it isn’t always falling on just us.

We want this episode to be the push you need to do some reflecting on your own life. What can you let go of? Where can you ask for help? What are your values and what can you do that is going to help you live in more alignment? Do you have the necessary margins that you need so that when something does come up, you’re set up to handle it in a way that feels best for you?

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Making new friends in our 30’s and 40’s can be tricky, especially as moms. Today, we have Danielle Bayard Jackson on the show to talk with us about how to maintain close friends while nurturing the surface level ones at the same time. Danielle is the friendship expert on Bumble’s new app; Bumble for Friends. She is here to share everything from what to do if your partner doesn’t get along with one of your friends to ideas on how to find those deep friendship connections if that’s what you're seeking.

What is more important - the quality of the friendships you have or the quantity? Danielle gets into how many deep friendships we can sustain at a time but also pushes us to not discount the “weaker” ties that we have. She explains the pros and cons of both. And what are we supposed to do when those feelings of being left out creep in? Danielle offers some great tips on what you can do if loneliness seems to be a factor in your life right now.

We know that many of you are moms and this can be one of the hardest stages to make or maintain friendships. But the value that they bring to your life is so rich. It’s not too late to find those deep connections. Be intentional with the new people you meet. Put in some effort and remind yourself that these types of relationships are going to take time and work!

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Are you working on forming habits that will lead to positive behavior change? What’s the difference between a behavior change and an actual habit? Today, our guest Robyn Conley Downs, joins us to speak on all things habits! When it comes to forming new habits maybe you fall into the all or nothing category? Or perhaps you compare yourself too much or have that perfectionistic mindset? Well, Robyn is here to give you strategies that you can implement right away no matter what stage of habit formation you are currently in.

Wanting to live a healthier lifestyle but not knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Robyn explains the power that momentum can have when we start small. She also reminds us to give ourselves credit for how far we have come. Robyn explains what a purpose habit is and why it is a key piece to the puzzle. 

Are you one to focus on the outcome of a goal rather than the process? Robyn shares what shifting your goals to process goals versus outcome goals can do for you. She also breaks down the 80/20 rule and talks about the impact that becoming brilliant at the basics can have on your life. 

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In the past so many of you have requested more podcast episodes that are aimed towards dads. This one does just that. Our guest, Michael Perry, is a husband, dad of two young boys, and the founder of tech startup and household organization app Maple - which stands for Make All Parents Lives Easier.

It is easy to hear Michael’s passion for his work. He talks about his values and how they show up both in and out of his household. Michael touches on how he and his wife share the load and the responsibilities he takes on as a father. He also offers tips on how to empower your partner to step up more and share more of the work that comes with parenting. 

If you’ve implemented different strategies and systems to try to improve how your household functions but it doesn’t seem to be working, Michael offers suggestions on how a simple conversation about things can make the world of difference. We also know that at times, it can feel like we and our partner are giving each other the leftover version of ourselves. Michael touches on how we can bring the best version of ourselves to our families and how that might mean not giving 100% at work all the time.

We know this episode is going to really resonate with our male listeners so be sure to share this one with your partner!

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Are you in a phase of your relationship where your partner feels more like a roommate? We know this is a challenge that many of our listeners in this community face. Today we are excited to have Sheina Schochet of @loveafterbaby back on the show. If you haven’t already, be sure to go back and listen to episode 170 when we first had Sheina on.

Today’s discussion is infused with so many tips on everything from what to do if your partnership doesn’t feel like it’s in a strong place to some actions you can take if your partner isn’t open to going to therapy. Since Sheina’s last visit on the show, she has become a Gottman Bringing Home Baby educator and the insights she’s gained from this are tangible throughout our conversation.

What we want you to walk away with from our discussion with Sheina is that being in a rut in your relationship is super common and it’s something that isn’t talked about enough. So if you’re feeling like you are in a low place right now, tune into this episode to learn how to reconnect with your partner and get back to a place where you are able to find the friendship & intimacy in your relationship again. 

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Men Searching for Meaning

The Mask of Masculinity

Episode 170: Keeping the Love in Our Partnerships After Kids with Sheina Schochet @loveafterbaby

Love After Baby Quiz

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Love After Baby Workshops

Work 1x1 with Sheina

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This episode with Dr. Gloria Han is all about mindfulness. Gloria is a clinical psychologist but today we focus on how simple mindfulness can be yet at the same time, it’s not easy. Gloria gives us lots of ways we can plug mindfulness into our daily lives that will allow us to be more present and get more enjoyment out of this life.

When we think about mindfulness we might think that it needs to be an uninterrupted time of meditating. Gloria explains how this isn’t true. She goes into details about how it can be something that we practice all day long and explains the three skills of mindfulness, including examples of each. She also gives us examples of things we can do that will only take 5-10 minutes but can have a huge impact. 

There are both mental and physical benefits of mindfulness. Gloria talks about how the mind isn’t separate from the body and how the well being of the two are inextricably linked. She also differentiates between when judgment is good versus when it can be a negative thing and how living too far in the past or future can be detrimental to our minds.

Finally, if you’re interested in how mindfulness can be beneficial to your kids, Gloria shares her favorite tools she uses as a pediatric pain psychologist to help children become more aware of their well-being.

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Shanna Hutcheson has been a longtime listener of the HERself podcast. But what we love about our interview with her today is that she breaks down her dietitian knowledge into a way that every mom can understand. Shanna gives us snack ideas, breakfast ideas, and explains how to develop a healthier relationship with food so that we can be better parents and love ourselves more.

Shanna’s honest answer about why she got into the field of nutrition and health will have a lot of you understanding where she comes from. Many of us struggle with our relationship with food and Shanna breaks down three simple things we can all aim to have in our diets to ensure we are nourishing and taking care of ourselves in the best way possible.

As a mom of two, Shanna understands the struggle of feeling like you don’t have enough time to take care of yourself. She even shares a little bit of the behind the scenes of being a special needs parent and how that can feel even more demanding than normal. Shanna explains what has been helpful during her hardest months and shares what you can do if you, or someone you know, might be in a similar situation.

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Expecting + Empowered Podcast Episode with Shanna; Navigating an Unplanned Diagnosis + NICU Stay with Shanna Hutcheson

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As you might know, we love to push both ourselves and this community to think bigger and gain perspective. This entire episode is all about politics. And although this topic can be a touchy one, our guest, Reena Ninan, loves to take complicated world affairs and make them easy to understand. Reena has been a correspondent for CBS, ABC, and FOX. She has delivered news on some of the world’s most critical events.

Reena covers why it is so important to be informed about current events and also shares her top, trusted resources on where we should be consuming this type of information. If politics are a touchy subject amongst you and your partner, or close family members, you are going to want to tune in to hear what Reena has to say on how you can decipher these conversations that can become heated at times.

Some of us may have the goal to raise kids who are informed. We ask Reena how we can start to open up our children’s perception of the world and help them realize that there is more to it than just their little bubbles. It can be hard to decide when it is appropriate to talk about current affairs with our children but Reena leads us in the right direction on how we can start to bring up both the good and the bad that is going on in today’s world.

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Reena’s Podcast with Dr. Lisa; Ask Lisa Podcast 

goodtroubleproductions.com

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Gretchen Rubin is someone that we’ve enjoyed listening to for years. She hosts the podcast HAPPIER with Gretchen Rubin with her sister. In her work Gretchen investigates unexpected truths about everyday life and identifies ways we can take happiness from the transcendent to the concrete. During our conversation with Gretchen she touches on ways we can make ourselves happier, how to identify our own self tendencies, and things we can improve on as we all seek to be just a little bit happier.

Happiness is not one size fits all and Gretchen stresses that there are certain elements that will bring individuals more happiness than what might spark joy in someone else. She also explains the concept that she developed; the four tendencies. Gretchen talks through the fact that both the people we surround ourselves with and how well we know ourselves are the two main things that play a role in the level of happiness we feel for ourselves.

We also discuss habits and how they play a vital role in our happiness. Another topic we cover is mindfulness and the positive impact that tuning into our five senses can have throughout our daily lives. Our conversation with Gretchen is sure to leave you feeling more enlightened about ways that you can start to live a more positive and happier life.

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If you’ve been a longtime listener then you might recognize these voices. We have Emmalee and Jen from ShrinkChicks back on the show today. They are some of our favorite guests because they use their own life experiences when they’re talking about therapy. In this episode, we also give our own life experiences on times where we’ve taken things personally and how we’ve worked through them. 

There are many reasons why we take things personally. Emmalee and Jen go through some examples and explain if these tendencies can be unlearned. A lot of it has to do with the way we were raised and now that most of us are raising kids of our own, we ask Emmalee and Jen how we can help our children not take things so personally themselves. If you’re currently stuck on something that you’ve taken personally, today’s guests walk us through some at-home therapy steps you can do to work yourself out of these types of situations.

This episode is going to call you out and call you in in the best ways. Jen and Emmalee are a wealth of information and have a way of putting things so that they are easy for everyone to understand. If you struggle with taking things personally, you’re not alone and you’re going to want to tune into this one.

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You guys are in for a treat today! Our husbands, Colin and Drew, are back on the show. We took questions from this community on things that you’re struggling with with your partners right now. We’ve had Colin and Drew on the show before but it has been a while. Most of the episodes that they’ve been on have been focused on the years when our kids were babies. But today it is great to have them back on now that our kids are a little older, we have new challenges and victories we’ve gone through, and we just know ourselves a little bit more.

We cover the heavy topic of permanent birth control. Drew and Colin both share their thoughts on vasectomies and how each of them has dealt with the finality of that procedure. We also talk about intimacy and whether or not it has improved now that our kids have grown up a little bit. And we know that we all go through tough stretches in marriage so the guys share their insights on what actions they both take to try to get our marriages back on track.

Finally, we finish with some fun, rapid fire questions that are not to be missed! Drew and Colin share their pet peeves and even give the inside scoop on the peaks + pits of being married to influencers.

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