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Help Them Bloom

Help Them Bloom

Written by: Evelyn Mendal
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Welcome to your home away from home for parenting support. As a child and parenting expert, I'm here to chat about all things child development, mental health (both parent and child’s), and parenting strategies based on science and preserving our critical human connection to our children.Evelyn Mendal Parenting Relationships
Episodes
  • 47. Friendship in Your 30s & 40s: The Real Talk We Needed as Moms
    Jan 13 2026

    What if friendship isn’t meant to look the same in every season of your life?

    In this deeply honest and affirming episode of Help Them Bloom, host Evelyn Mendal sits down with Rebecca Smith, founder of Mamala Organics, for a powerful conversation about adult friendship, motherhood, identity, and the invisible emotional labor women carry – especially after becoming moms.

    From postpartum isolation and “playdate friendships” to soul-level connections and modeling healthy relationships for our children, this episode explores why not every friend can meet every need – and why that realization can be incredibly freeing.

    Friendships exist for reasons, seasons, and lifetimes. Together, Evelyn and Rebecca unpack how women can release guilt, comparison, and unrealistic expectations – and instead build intentional, values-aligned friendships that support who we are now.


    This episode is for any woman who has ever thought:

    “Why do friendships feel harder now?”

    “Is something wrong with me?”

    “Will I ever find my people again?”

    ✨ Spoiler: You will.


    About the Guest: https://linkin.bio/mamala

    Rebecca Smith is the founder of Mamala Organics, a line of organic, functional support snacks created to nourish women through postpartum healing and beyond—because women deserve food that supports their bodies, not just their kids’.

    Learn more about Mamala Organics: https://www.mamalaorganics.com/

    Follow Mamala Organics: https://www.instagram.com/mamala_organics


    Chapters:

    00:00 Setting the stage: friendship, motherhood & seasons of life

    08:55 Introducing Rebecca Smith, Founder of Mamala Organics

    011:45 Why adult friendships feel different after becoming a mom

    12:45 The isolation of early motherhood & misaligned life timing

    14:20 Can you really make lifelong friends later in life?

    16:45 Releasing disappointment & categorizing friendships by purpose

    17:15 Seeking value-aligned friendships intentionally

    19:30 “Your partner can’t be everything” — redefining emotional support

    21:30 Letting friendships ebb and flow without guilt

    24:10 The power of women’s circles & intentional female community

    25:45 Choosing the right energy around your kids

    26:35 How adult friendships shape children’s social blueprints

    31:15 Belonging vs. authenticity (for kids and adults)

    32:30 Preparing kids for social challenges at every age

    35:15 Mamala Organics: postpartum nourishment & food as medicine


    Subscribe to Help Them Bloom:

    Follow us on Instagram: @hatchandbloomco instagram.com/hatchandbloomco

    Visit our website: https://www.hatchandbloom.co/

    Produced by Haynow Media: https://haynowmedia.com/

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    30 mins
  • 46. Transform Your Parenting by Healing Yourself First & Breaking Generational Patterns | Andrea Paola
    Dec 16 2025

    What if the hardest parts of parenting have nothing to do with your kids—and everything to do with what you carry?

    Andrea Paola, psychologist and parent coach reveals why modern parenting feels so overwhelming—and what’s actually underneath the guilt, burnout, and emotional triggers so many of us experience.

    Andrea opens up about her personal journey through intergenerational trauma, family constellations, inner child work, and breaking the patterns she inherited—especially after becoming a mother to her daughter, Violeta.


    In this episode of Help Them Bloom with Evelyn Mendal, you'll learn:

    - Why parenting activates our deepest wounds

    - How our 0–6 childhood years shape everything

    - Why “mom guilt” is so universal

    - What family constellations revealed about Andrea’s past

    - How to stop parenting from the wounded child within

    - How curiosity—not perfection—creates healing

    - Why true parenting transformation starts with us, not our kids


    Learn more about Andrea's work: https://linktr.ee/iamandreapaola?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

    Timestamps:

    00:00 The Reality of Parenting

    02:38 Generational Patterns and Their Impact

    05:28 Family Constellations: A Path to Healing

    08:13 The Inner Child and Parenting Dynamics

    11:10 Navigating Fear and Anxiety in Parenting

    14:07 Creating Safe Spaces for Children

    16:55 The Journey of Self-Discovery

    19:43 Building New Family Dynamics

    22:46 Choosing What to Carry Forward

    25:38 Empathy and Connection in Parenting


    Subscribe to Help Them Bloom:

    Follow us on Instagram: @hatchandbloomco instagram.com/hatchandbloomco

    Visit our website: https://www.hatchandbloom.co/

    Produced by Haynow Media: https://haynowmedia.com/

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • 45. Are You and Your Partner Parenting Opposites? | Jordanne Sculler, LMHC
    Dec 2 2025

    What if the real tension in your relationship isn’t actually about parenting—but about the ache of feeling unheard, unseen, and misunderstood?

    Jordanne Sculler, Psychotherapist at Jordanne Sculler, LMHC, unpacks the complex emotional undercurrents that surface the moment children enter a relationship. She explores how unresolved histories, mismatched communication styles, and old attachment patterns quietly shape the way partners navigate parenthood.

    A specialist in relationship work and couples therapy, Jordanne helps partners truly understand one another, communicate with clarity and intention, and rebuild emotional connection—especially during the early parenting years when life feels especially chaotic, triggering, and unfamiliar.

    If you’re overwhelmed by sleep struggles, discipline differences, mental load imbalance, fading intimacy, or a painful sense of disconnect, this episode offers the insight, tools, and validation you need to begin finding your way back to each other.


    In this episode of Help Them Bloom with Evelyn Mendal, you’ll learn:

    - Why parenting exposes differences in upbringing and values

    - What really happens when partners have opposite parenting styles

    - The co-sleeping debate: a real client example broken down

    - How to communicate without getting defensive

    - The Imago technique for actually hearing each other

    - Why curiosity is the most underrated relationship skill

    - How to find alignment—not sameness—in how you raise your kids

    - And why no one is prepared for the transformation that comes with becoming a parent


    Learn more about Jordanne's practice: https://www.jordannescullerlmhc.com/

    Follow Jordanne on social: https://www.instagram.com/jordannesculler/


    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction to Relationship Dynamics

    01:52 Navigating Parenting Styles in Relationships

    05:34 The Importance of Communication and Understanding

    11:19 Finding Common Ground in Parenting

    16:50 Respecting Each Other's Parenting Approaches

    18:50 Navigating Parental Dynamics

    20:41 The Impact of Arguments on Children

    25:26 Fostering Connection Post-Children

    33:30 Deepening Relationship Through Curiosity


    Subscribe to Help Them Bloom:

    Follow us on Instagram: @hatchandbloomco instagram.com/hatchandbloomco

    Visit our website: https://www.hatchandbloom.co/

    Produced by Haynow Media: https://haynowmedia.com/

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
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