What if one of the most powerful parenting tools isn't something you buy, but something you already use every day?

This week on Drafting Motherhood, I'm joined by bestselling author and parenting educator Jody Hill, author of The Parent's Secret Superpower. We discuss positive parenting, breaking generational cycles, emotional regulation, and how our words can help raise confident, resilient kids.

Jody shares practical strategies for handling big emotions, navigating appearance-based conversations, and finding the balance between fostering independence and providing support. As a mom on my own healing journey, this conversation left me with powerful tools and a fresh perspective on intentional parenting.

If you're working to break unhealthy patterns, strengthen your connection with your children, and raise confident kids, this episode is for you.

To access Jody's free guide, you can email podcast@itsjodyhill.com or access the guide using the following link- https://itsjhill.lpages.co/free-confidence-boosters-busters-web/

Show's email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

Motherhood can be beautiful, but it can also be incredibly isolating.

In this personal diary-style episode, I'm sharing my journey of building a village from scratch, navigating life far from family, making mom friends, strengthening my marriage after kids, and realizing that community isn't just important for our children, it's essential for us, too.

We'll talk about the realities of modern motherhood, the loneliness so many moms quietly carry, how apps like Peanut helped me find connection, and why my family is making the decision to move closer to our support system.

If you've ever felt like you're raising children without a village, struggled to make friends after becoming a mom, or wondered how to create meaningful community in this season of life, this episode is for you.

Show email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

Motherhood is expensive. Mentally, emotionally, and literally.

So I asked myself: if moms got paid for everything they actually do… what would they be paid? And how much does a working mom realistically need to make just to stay afloat?

In this episode, I unpack the mental load of motherhood, burnout, childcare costs, and the financial pressure facing moms today. I also dive into my family history during the Great Depression and reflect on how women across generations have continued finding purpose, resilience, and little moments of joy along the way.

Because sometimes all we need is a change of perspective. A perspective that can be found by simply taking the scenic route home.

Show's email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

In this week's episode of Drafting Motherhood, I’m sharing the very true and slightly chaotic story of how I accidentally became a children’s author. I share how one late-night idea sent in the group chat somehow turned into a manuscript archive on Google Docs, countless hours at YouTube University building a website, and creating an independent publishing house while learning the ins and outs of self-publishing. And the best part? I get to do it all with my best friend (Spoiler alert: she's now my rockstar illustrator!) This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at our creative process. The realities of creating with toddlers running around, figuring out the heart of my "why", and creating stories centered around social emotional learning (SEL).

So buckle up! We’re talking motherhood, creativity, self-image, friendship, ADHD-fueled ambition, children’s books, and what it’s like learning everything as you go. If you’ve been hesitating to try something new but you're nervous because you don't know everything yet, this one’s for you.

Whether you’re a parent, aspiring author, or a fellow neurodivergent figuring life out one hyperfixation at a time, welcome to the club, sis. Let’s keep talking. 🫶🏼

Show's email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

In this special Mother’s Day episode of Drafting Motherhood, we’re celebrating the beautiful side of motherhood through heartfelt stories from moms across every stage of parenting. From toddlers singing in the backseat to watching grown children build lives of their own, this episode explores the love, connection, growth, and joy that make motherhood so meaningful.

Throughout the episode, real moms share their favorite parts of being a mom: sibling bonds, personality-filled toddler moments, life lessons from children, and the bittersweet beauty of watching kids grow up. We talk about parenting, family traditions, emotional growth, motherhood identity, raising independent children, and finding magic in everyday moments.

If you’re a first-time mom, expecting mom, seasoned parent, grandmother, or somewhere in between, this episode is a reminder that while motherhood can be exhausting, the love always runs deeper.

Because once a mom, always a mom.

Show email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

Being creative in motherhood can honestly feel impossible. Between the exhaustion, the pressure to “do it all,” and the constant comparison on social media, it’s easy to lose touch with yourself completely.

In this episode, I’m talking about what it actually looks like to find creativity in the chaos. From the weight of hustle culture to the double-edged sword of social media, we’re unpacking why so many moms feel stuck in survival mode and disconnected from who they used to be.

I share my own journey through healing and rediscovering curiosity, along with a powerful listener story about turning postpartum depression into a creative outlet that became something more.

We’ll talk about:

• Why creativity can't exist in burnout
• How comparison blocks connection (and what to do instead)
• The role of “mental spring cleaning” in finding yourself again
• And why creativity starts with curiosity, not pressure

If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’ve lost a piece of yourself in motherhood…have a seat, sis. This one's for you.

Show's email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

What’s for dinner?

It’s a question moms hear on repeat…but what if it’s about more than just food? In this episode of Drafting Motherhood, I explore the quiet, powerful role food plays in shaping connection, memory, and family identity. After an insightful conversation with a 73-year-old mama, this episode pivoted from “perfect dinner table conversations” to something much simpler and more profound: the role food plays in how we love, gather, and remember.

I take a look at the Blue Zones and the long, healthy lives that are built around community, as well as stories from Anthony Bourdain and Phil Rosenthal. This small glimpse shows how meals bring strangers together and how food might be one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting with others.

So yeah, motherhood does come with making the same meal 1000 times. But at the end of the day, our kids won’t remember everything we said, but they just might remember how it felt to be fed.

Show's email- draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com

TW: grief, loss of a parent

Today’s episode is a deeply personal one.

In this episode, I share how becoming a writer wasn’t born from a lifelong dream, but from a quiet nudge I'd felt after having my first daughter. But that nudge unfortunately collided with a moment that changed my family's lives. After the unexpected loss of my father-in-law, and alongside my best friend experiencing the same of heartbreak of having lost her own father, I found myself searching for words to explain grief to my children… before I had even processed it myself.

What I discovered was the power of shared grief. The way stories, connection, and creation can hold us when nothing else can.

This episode is about learning to create in the middle of chaos. About building something meaningful while navigating motherhood, healing, and learning to accept the uncertainty. About honoring the people we’ve lost by choosing to keep going, even when the path forward feels unclear.

It’s also the beginning of something new: the story behind The Quiet Bloom Press, a dream built in nap times, late nights, and in-between moments of real life.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to create but didn’t know where to begin…if you’re carrying grief and trying to find beauty inside it…or if you just need a reminder that you don’t have to have it all figured out to start…this one’s for you.

We’re in this together. 🤍

Show email: draftingmotherhoodpod@gmail.com