A tiny cap, a hallway of cheers, and a mom who couldn’t stop crying—this is the story behind 60 sessions that changed the way our son learns, focuses, and feels about himself. We walk you through the hard parts most parents don’t post about: the midyear school transfer that crushed routines, the two-school shuffle that wrecked work schedules, and the choice to pile on speech, OT, and more when waiting felt worse than trying.

What shifted everything was discovering Brain Balance and leaning into frequency over quick fixes. Three sessions a week layered sensory input, cognitive drills, and motor work until new patterns began to stick. We saw practical, everyday wins: unprompted stories after school, stronger language retrieval, calmer transitions, and fine motor progress that showed up at restaurants and homework time. Yes, maturation matters—and we name it—but structured repetition helped those gains surface sooner and hold longer. Kindergarten feedback reflected the change: reading readiness on track, better attention, and a child more present in the classroom and at home.

This conversation is honest about tradeoffs and hopeful about outcomes. If you’re navigating IEP timelines, long waitlists, or therapies that feel like maintenance, you’ll hear how a consistent, integrated approach can unlock learning, independence, and joy. We share the messy start, the skeptical moments, and the graduation night that made it all worth it, plus how we’re keeping progress steady with home exercises and follow-up assessments.

We didn’t share this story because it’s perfect—far from it. We shared it because it’s real. 💛 And if it helps even one family feel less alone or more hopeful, it’s worth it. ✨

If you’d like to learn more about Brain Balance 🧠 and how their program works, here are their links:

🌐 Website: Brain Balance Baltimore

📸 Instagram: @brainbalancebaltimore

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New year energy doesn’t have to feel like a sprint. Claire opens the studio for a candid reset: a quick reintroduction, the origin story of Columbia Mom, and a practical path to growth that skips brittle resolutions in favor of steady, quartered goals. It’s a warm, real start to 2026 that blends creative work, parenting, and personal mental health practices without pretending any of it is neat.

We dig into why the podcast exists at all—born late in the COVID era as a way to rebuild local connection—and how an “outlet” became a purpose. Claire shares how she protects her creative zone from email rabbit holes, why therapy, lifting, and winter walks are non-negotiables, and how she balances a Type B plus brain with the structure needed to ship consistently. The theme that ties it together is simple and honest: fear rarely disappears, so we name it, and we move anyway.

You’ll hear a small family story with big meaning, a framework for setting annual themes and quarterly priorities, and the difference between white-knuckling through survival and choosing courageous action with intention. If 2025 felt heavy for your work, your family, or your wallet, this conversation offers a kinder blueprint for 2026: protect one health rhythm, block time for creation, fence admin into tight windows, and plan the quarter. No perfection, just momentum.

If you’re craving a more grounded way to step into 2026—one that makes room for fear and forward motion—this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Follow along with me beyond the episode 🎧📖✨ for things to do in Maryland, local favorites, and life in between 💛

📸 Instagram: the.columbiamom

✍️ Blog: thecolumbiamdmom.com/blog

📘 Facebook: Facebook

💼 LinkedIn: Claire Duarte

📌 Pinterest: The Columbia MD Mom

🎥 YouTube: @TheColumbiaMDMom

Support the show

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to MomTalk Maryland — where community, connection, and conversation collide!

💻 Visit us at thecolumbiamdmom.com

📧 Join our newsletter for episode updates, exclusive content, and local happenings: Subscribe!

📲 Follow along on Instagram: @the.columbiamom

🗣️Got a topic idea, guest nomination, or want to sponsor an episode? Let us know!

🎬 Watch behind the scenes of the podcast on YouTube: Subscribe to the MomTalk Maryland Podcast Playlist

🎧 Like what you heard? Leave a review & share with a friend who needs this convo in their life!

What if the smartest move isn’t to push harder, but to taste and adjust? We sit down with Chef Ashish Alfred—known for Duck Duck Goose, his wellness advocacy, and recent turns on Bar Rescue—for a candid conversation about timing, reinvention, and the messy middle of growth. He didn’t fall into cooking for the romance; he found it because he needed structure. Culinary school introduced mise en place, and that single idea became a philosophy for life: put things in place, show up, and keep your head clear enough to do the next right thing.

We trace the arc from launching a beloved French-inspired restaurant to scaling across cities, and the subtle warnings that expansion can blur. Ashish talks openly about imposter syndrome, the urge to keep opening as proof of worth, and the point where momentum becomes noise. Then we move into the hard parts most entrepreneurs know but rarely say out loud: operating at a net loss, the weight of public scrutiny, and the emotional toll of being misunderstood. His reset is radical and simple—pack a knife roll, move to Paris, and relearn the craft in the city that shaped his palate. That season brought humility, fluency in patience, and a sharper sense of what matters.

We cover the call from Bar Rescue and why scars make for better mentors. Ashish explains how empathy lands when you’ve tasted both praise and loss, and why leaders need to pause, taste, and adjust long before the sauce goes bitter. He frames this season as layered—comforting, complex, and still building—and shares what’s next: more cooking, more travel, time with family, and a few TV ideas in development. If you’re navigating your own pivot, this story offers practical anchors: create structure, embrace discomfort, and stop sending plates you know aren’t ready.

Sometimes the smartest move is slowing down before the sauce goes bitter 🕰️🍲 Follow 👉 https://www.instagram.com/chefashishalfred/ for what’s next.

Support the show

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to MomTalk Maryland — where community, connection, and conversation collide!

💻 Visit us at thecolumbiamdmom.com

📧 Join our newsletter for episode updates, exclusive content, and local happenings: Subscribe!

📲 Follow along on Instagram: @the.columbiamom

🗣️Got a topic idea, guest nomination, or want to sponsor an episode? Let us know!

🎬 Watch behind the scenes of the podcast on YouTube: Subscribe to the MomTalk Maryland Podcast Playlist

🎧 Like what you heard? Leave a review & share with a friend who needs this convo in their life!