Mother’s Day is supposed to feel like a celebration, but for a lot of us it lands more like a stress test. We’re pulling the filter off and talking about the real emotional mix that shows up: love and pride, plus exhaustion, pressure, guilt, and sometimes resentment. Not because we don’t adore our kids, but because motherhood is relentless and one Sunday in May doesn’t erase the daily mental load.

We dig into why this holiday can be so complicated, especially if you don’t have a relationship with your own mom, if you’re grieving, if you’re a single mom doing it all without backup, or if becoming a mom is something you want deeply but hasn’t happened. We also call out the “picture perfect” Mother’s Day posts that can make you feel like you’re doing it wrong, when the truth is most moms just want to feel seen and supported in a way that’s actually practical.

We share what moms repeatedly say they want most: unprompted hugs, “I love you,” genuine effort, and help that doesn’t require more managing. We talk about the gratitude struggle with kids, why appreciation can take time to come full circle, and why clear communication matters more than hints. The core takeaway we keep coming back to is simple: Mother’s Day is for you, so define it, say it out loud, and ditch the guilt. Two things can be true.

Subscribe to Momcom, share this with a mom who needs to hear it, and leave a review if it resonated. What would make you feel genuinely appreciated this Mother’s Day?

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

Your kid melts down at drop-off, refuses the birthday party, or panics over something that seems “small” to everyone else and you’re left wondering if you’re failing. We’re Nicole and Shannon, and we’re sharing what anxiety has looked like inside our own homes, including the moments that humbled us and the progress that only a parent can measure. We talk about why anxiety is often a nervous system safety alarm, not misbehavior, and why that one reframe can change how you respond in real time.

We break down common types of childhood anxiety parents run into: separation anxiety that doesn’t fade, social anxiety that blocks friendships and school events, performance anxiety that stops kids from trying, and generalized anxiety that lives in nonstop “what if” questions. We also get into health and medical anxiety, sensory overload, and the way parenting stress can amplify the whole cycle. Along the way, we share stories from daycare to camps to school struggles, plus the very real tension between protecting our kids and helping them build independence.

You’ll hear practical regulation tools we actually use, including tapping, humming for vagus nerve calming, and cold-water resets, plus simple language that validates feelings while still moving forward. If you’re trying to help your child feel safe in their body while also keeping your own calm, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find Momcom.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

One day you are on the track you planned for years. The next day motherhood, COVID, or a company decision you cannot control forces a hard question: what actually matters, and who are you without the title you worked so hard to earn?

We open up about the “one correct path” mindset we were raised with, the grind culture that rewards overwork, and the strange whiplash of being told to return to offices even after remote work proved effective. From there we go personal. Shannon shares what it looks like to grow up in survival mode, hustling early to keep life afloat, and how that shapes the way you chase money and security as an adult. Nicole shares the moment becoming a mom rewired everything, from attempting a nanny share to reshaping work around the kids all while being an entrepreneur.

Along the way we talk about U.S. maternity leave reality, self-employment with zero safety net, commuting and childcare logistics, and the mindset shift that helps us keep moving when the plan breaks. We also get into rebuilding through consulting, entrepreneurship, and creative work, plus why “work smarter not harder” applies to everything from career decisions to how our kids learn with modern tools.

If you are a working mom navigating burnout, career change, layoffs, remote work, or the pull between ambition and family life, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to Momcom, share this with a mom who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest career rule you are ready to unlearn.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I saying the same thing for the tenth time and still getting nowhere?” you’re not alone and you’re not failing. We sit down with Hanna Forrest, a child ADHD behavior specialist, parent trainer, and a mom with ADHD, to name what’s really happening underneath the chaos: executive function gaps, working memory overload, sensory stress, time blindness, and a whole lot of shame that kids quietly carry home after holding it together all day.

Hanna shares the perspective many of us never got at diagnosis. ADHD isn’t laziness, defiance, or a lack of caring. It’s a brain-based developmental difference that can leave kids up to a few years behind emotionally, even when they’re bright and capable. We talk medication in a grounded way, why “just medicate” is not the only path, and how nutrition, sleep, blood sugar, and targeted labs can be part of a real ADHD support plan when it fits your family.

Then we get practical. We cover why yelling from downstairs doesn’t work, how fewer words can improve follow-through, and why a simple touch can help the brain switch gears. We dig into ADHD paralysis, breaking big tasks into smaller steps, building routines without constant prompting, and how to think about dopamine, screens, and healthier “hits” like movement and outdoor time. You’ll leave with tiny, doable shifts that protect your child’s self-worth and protect your nervous system too.

If this helps, subscribe so you don’t miss part two, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review with the one strategy you’re trying first.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

Nicole didn’t just “grow up fast” she learned how to survive. From a childhood shaped by instability, addiction, and adult-sized responsibility, she became fiercely independent, resourceful, and determined to build a different life. That drive helped her work, graduate early, and take care of herself as a teen, but it also laid down a nervous-system blueprint that motherhood would later challenge in ways she never expected.

We talk through the mindset shift from “I never want kids” to building a stable marriage and becoming a mom, then the part people rarely say out loud: how having adorable kids can still feel activating when your body remembers chaos. Nicole shares what it’s like when noise, sleep deprivation, and constant needs trigger old survival mode, plus the pressure of navigating diagnoses and fighting to give your kids every tool for a healthy childhood.

We also get practical and real about coping. We touch on antidepressants, why drinking can quietly become a default in mom life, and the moment Nicole decided to stop so her kids wouldn’t grow up with the same patterns. A major turning point is EMDR therapy and doing the work to reprocess painful memories, soften triggers, and learn how to go with the flow instead of white-knuckling every day. We end with a reminder we both need: this hard season is temporary, and protecting your kids can also mean finally healing yourself.

If this hits home, subscribe, share with a friend who needs the honesty, and leave a review so more moms can find Momcom.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

Nicole turns the mic toward, Shannon, and it gets real fast. We go back to the small-town kid who thought her older brothers were the coolest, held an eighth-grade triple jump record, and learned early what it looks like when a single mom is in full survival mode. We talk about the kind of childhood you don’t fully remember until someone asks the right question and how family, neighbors, and grandparents quietly formed a village that feels rare now.

Then we jump to motherhood, where expectations get demolished. I share what labor felt like with Lucy and Thomas, the shock of postpartum intensity, and that protective, panicky feeling that makes daycare drop-off feel impossible. We also unpack the hard stages that don’t get posted online: battling with little people you love more than anything, trying to regulate your own emotions, and carrying mom guilt when you yell or forget the million tiny details schools expect you to track.

We also talk about identity, creativity, and why joy counts. I finally admit I’ve always loved interior design, from rearranging my childhood bedroom to putting my “stamp” on every home, and how sharing that passion helped me feel like me again. We end with our rapid-fire segment for a laugh, including thrifting wins, unread email chaos, and the story of me getting into the wrong car.

If you’ve ever thought, “What is wrong with me?” we’re here to say it's not you, it's motherhood. Subscribe to Mom Com, share this with a mom friend who needs a breath, and leave a review with the part that hit you hardest.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

One minute you’re packing a tiny backpack for the first day of preschool. The next minute you’re hearing the words “oncology floor” and trying to understand how your child can look perfectly fine while something life-threatening is happening inside their body. That’s the reality our friend Katie Holifield lived when her son Hunter was diagnosed at age three with a Wilms tumor, a form of pediatric kidney cancer that showed up without warning.

We walk through the day everything changed, the pediatrician visit that uncovered a mass, and the rapid-fire hospital decisions that followed. Katie shares what it’s like to face surgery, staging uncertainty, and a long treatment plan that included 28 weeks of chemotherapy and seven days of radiation. We also talk about the parts people don’t always see: the “fever means go now” rule, keeping a bag by the door, the way trauma lingers even after remission, and how scan season can bring anxiety roaring back.

What makes Katie’s story land so deeply is what she built from it. Hunter’s Heroes brings practical support and real joy into hospital rooms and family centers through need-based donations and kid-led fundraisers like a Fourth of July lemonade stand. If you’re navigating childhood cancer, parenting through crisis, or simply trying to live with more purpose and empathy, this conversation offers both honesty and hope. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

Motherhood has a way of turning made-up rules into daily proof that we’re “doing it wrong.” We’re Nicole and Shannon, and we’re calling out the myths that trigger mom guilt, perfectionism, and that heavy feeling you carry to bed at night. If you’ve ever looked at your dinner, your messy house, your short patience, or your morning chaos and thought, why can’t I get this right, you’re our person.

We talk through the big lies we’re handed: that good moms always have it together, that loving your kids should feel fulfilling 24/7, and that other moms are doing it better. We get honest about how social media comparison warps your perception, why “kid-approved menus” can make you question perfectly normal choices, and what’s really happening when you’re trying your best and still feel like you’re failing. We also unpack how survival mode and your own childhood can shape your nervous system, your energy, and the way you experience parenting stress.

Then we get practical about the myth that asking for help means you’re failing. We name the mental load, the real barriers (including kids who won’t go with anyone else), and why support has to be realistic to be useful. Our takeaways are simple and repeatable: catch the myth when shame shows up, replace perfection with presence, and laugh at the lies so they stop controlling you.

If this conversation makes you feel seen, subscribe to Momcom, share it with a mom friend who needs the reminder, and leave a review so more parents can find our little village. Which myth do you want to unlearn first?

The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.