In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, trust, emotional safety, and the tiny everyday moments that decide whether our kids feel safe coming to us later. It starts with Christmas decorating and a broken ornament, but really, it becomes a conversation about communication beating condemnation, trust breaking in tiny fractures, and wanting to be the lighthouse my girls can come back to. This is not me saying I get it right every time. I mess up too. But I’m learning that if I want my tiny humans to trust me when life gets bigger, it starts with how I meet them now.

00:00 Two for Two and Taking the Small Wins
00:36 Disneyland Countdown Joy
01:14 Let’s Talk Hemorrhoids, Because Besties
04:12 Christmas Decor Before Thanksgiving
06:18 Halloween, Allergies, and Early Christmas Vibes
07:39 Amazon Storefronts and Life Updates
09:22 Christmas Decor and Holiday Campaigns
10:08 Building Trust With Tiny Humans
11:19 The Windshield Crack Analogy
12:45 Ornament Stories and Family Memories
14:00 The Broken Ornament Moment
16:05 Meeting Mistakes With Safety
17:32 I Want You to Talk to Me Later
19:22 Trust, Acceptance, Love, and Empathy
20:55 The Lighthouse and the Dock
23:33 Teaching Through Our Own Mistakes
26:15 Forced Apologies and Internal Repair
28:19 Teens, Power Struggles, and Communication
33:35 Trust in Marriage and Owning Impact
36:16 Relationship Building, Not Control
38:29 Teaching Emotions as Superpowers
42:23 It Is Never Too Late to Rebuild Trust
47:00 Communication Beats Condemnation
49:17 Final Encouragement

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m back with a long voicemail between friends about the holiday season, mom guilt, gift giving, social media comparison, and the pressure to do all the things. I love the cozy magic of the holidays, but I also know how quickly it can turn into a checklist. This is me reminding myself that sometimes giving less means giving more, and the memories that stay with us are often made in the being, not just the doing. If the holidays feel heavy, exciting, lonely, or overwhelming, you can sit here with me for a bit.

00:00 Welcome Back, Friend
01:41 A Long Voicemail Between Friends
02:08 The Bathrobe Story
05:00 Heading Into the Holidays
06:02 Gift Giving and Social Media Comparison
07:43 What Tiny People Really Want
08:49 Sometimes Giving Less Means Giving More
10:35 Giving Without Expecting
11:48 The Hickory Farms Christmas Story
15:06 Being, Not Just Doing
16:20 Bedtime Books and Mom Guilt
18:15 Breathe In Good, Breathe Out Night
19:21 The Holiday Checklist Trap
20:45 When the Holidays Feel Lonely
22:20 Giving Your Time and Presence
23:23 Watching for the Small Moments
25:20 Holiday Activities, Money, and Pressure
28:32 Choosing Where You Want to Be
31:31 Avoiding the Holiday Haze
31:56 Grief, Memory, and What Stays
35:28 You Are Not Alone Here

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about clean plates, forced apologies, food, body cues, empathy, and the tiny ways we teach kids to trust or ignore themselves. This is not me telling anyone how to parent. It is me thinking out loud about what happens when we focus more on the performance of gratitude, manners, or obedience than the internal tools our kids are building. From dinner tables to apologies to gift reactions, I’m asking what it looks like to raise tiny humans who can listen to their bodies, say no politely, repair with empathy, and trust themselves as they grow.

00:00 Sleepytime Tea and a Late Night Hello

02:15 Forts, Toy Story, and Tiny Humans

04:26 The Almost New York Trip

07:03 Phantom, Les Mis, and Big Questions

10:39 What This Podcast Really Is

12:24 The Clean Plate Problem

16:16 Forced Apologies and Real Empathy

18:42 Walking Kids Through Repair

20:38 Teaching Kids to Listen to Their Bodies

23:33 Food Rules, Dessert, and Boundaries

26:34 Trusting Intuition Beyond the Dinner Table

29:19 Teaching Kids to Say No Politely

31:17 When Kids Learn to Perform

33:10 Cruise Control Parenting

37:09 Gift Reactions and Gratitude

40:35 Food for Thought and Final Encouragement

Hey friend. In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m taking a deep breath with you and talking through a tender week. I share why I took time off social media, how grief and addiction memories around my brother Adam came back up, and why I’m reminding myself that mental health is not a finish line. We also get into therapy, body image, old family patterns, Dopesick, motherhood, and the ache of wanting every human to feel seen, loved, and needed. This is not expert advice. It is just a very honest, very human check-in from someone still becoming.

00:00 Hey Friend, Let’s Take a Breath

02:37 Remembering to Actually Breathe

04:59 Why I Took a Week Off

07:02 Why This Podcast Feels Safe

07:53 Body Image, My Mom, and Old Patterns

12:39 When Our Wounds Start Bleeding

14:31 Working Out, Therapy, and Mental Health

16:02 Adam, Addiction, and Being Triggered

23:30 Watching Dopesick Hit Too Close

27:31 Mental Health Is Not a Finish Line

31:15 Be Careful What You Consume

32:36 Can We Celebrate Going Back to Therapy?

34:34 Sharing Adam’s Story

38:51 The Gift of Unconditional Love

40:34 This Is a Safe Place

42:31 We’re All Different, and That’s Okay

45:25 You Are Loved, Valued, and Needed

TW: In this episode, I broadly touch on sensitive subjects so I wanted to give you a heads up. So many of you have requested a dating episode speaking specifically to my dating life and experience and as always I wanted to be honest with you. 

Substance Abuse Hotline- 1-800-662-4357

National Suicide Prevention Hotline- 1-800-273-8255

National Sexual Abuse Hotline- 1-800-656-4673 

National Domestic Violence Hotline- 1-800-799-7233

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the dating story y’all have been asking for, but not as advice. This is a vulnerable look at toxic relationship patterns, gaslighting, boundaries, and what happens when chaos becomes your baseline for love. I talk about wanting to feel seen, ignoring red flags, mistaking attention for care, and slowly learning that peace is not boring and love should not make you feel less than. If you have ever played the highlight reel to convince yourself something “wasn’t that bad,” this one is for you.

00:00 Coke, Gas Tanks, and Chaos

06:16 Why I’m Sharing My Dating Story

08:49 Wanting to Feel Seen

12:21 Gaslighting, Lies, and the Promise Ring

14:28 When Chaos Becomes Your Baseline

21:29 The Tarzan Swing Into Another Relationship

28:23 When One Green Flag Felt Like Everything

35:02 Addiction, Boundaries, and Feeling Responsible

38:10 The Hole No Relationship Could Fill

40:12 Disneyland, Blake, and Faith That Felt Safe

42:41 Why I Used to Create Conflict

48:10 You Deserve More Than Just Good Enough

This week, I’m talking about achievement culture, parenting pressure, and the way we can accidentally make our tiny humans’ milestones, grades, emotions, and behavior about us. From swim week and school decisions to pacifiers, homework, gentle parenting, hugs before correction, and the phrase “fair means you get your needs met,” this episode is about separating our kids’ growth from our own self worth. I’m sharing what I’m learning in real time as a mom who is doing her best, trying to disrupt before I erupt, and remembering that our children are whole people, not reflections of our performance.

00:00 Thursday Night Podcast Vibes

00:29 Welcome to the Coffee Chat

01:40 Swim Week and Tired Kids

04:36 Getting Ready for My Mental Health

06:20 Achievement Culture

07:15 Choosing a Different School Path

09:45 The Pacifier Question

12:18 What Do I Actually Care About?

13:37 Achievement Starts in Pregnancy

16:32 Milestones Are Not a Report Card

18:33 Gentle Parenting and Identity

23:34 Homework After a Full Day

26:25 Why I Started This Podcast

29:26 You Might Just Not Fit That Job

31:33 Your Achievements Are Not Your Identity

37:00 Tiny Triggers and Looking Inward

38:47 Disrupt Before You Erupt

42:03 Why I Offer a Hug First

45:04 Fair Means Needs Are Met

46:58 Stop Tying Worth to Achievement

49:49 You Are Good Enough

This week, I’m talking about what it feels like to be a mom, wife, friend, and human who does not always know what she is doing. From protecting my kids’ privacy to making uncertain parenting decisions, advocating for my tiny humans, and learning not to go straight into defense mode, this episode is about being certainly uncertain. I’m sharing the six words that have helped me in relationships, parenting, and conflict: “What do you mean by that?” If you feel unsure, overwhelmed, or like everyone else got the manual, come sit with me. We’re doing our best and giving God the rest.

00:00 Second Week in a Row

01:24 The Podcast Intro Goal

02:12 Protecting My Kids’ Privacy

03:29 Topics Y’all Asked For

04:42 I’m Not an Authority

05:32 Feeling Ill Equipped as a Parent

07:05 The Identities We Step Into

09:23 Learning Means Making Mistakes

10:35 Making Big Decisions for Tiny Humans

18:38 Giving Yourself Grace to Change Your Mind

19:05 Advocating for Corey

20:28 The Finger Scale for Big Feelings

22:28 Who Made the Rule?

23:19 The One Thing I’m Certain Of

25:21 Why We Go on Defense

27:19 Asking Before Reacting

31:50 Six Words That Change Conversations

34:08 Wait, Assess, Then Decide

38:11 It’s Okay to Be Certainly Uncertain

42:09 You Matter

Hey y’all, I’m back and this one is a full catch up. From therapy and inner child work to platform Converse, clip in extensions, self sabotage in the school drop off line, and marriage conversations with Blake, I’m unpacking the freedom of letting myself be a little inconsistent. This is about the rules we carry from childhood, the lie of “I’m not that girl,” and the way relationships get healthier when we choose solving over winning. Parenting, marriage, personal growth, and doing our best, all in one long voicemail between friends.

00:00 Hey Girl, We’re Back

02:26 Back in Therapy

08:17 The Inner Child Year

09:26 The Converse Shoes Story

13:23 Identity and Imposter Syndrome

17:21 Dedicated to the Inconsistencies

19:40 Self Sabotage in the Car

23:16 The Lie of “I’m Not That Girl”

26:19 Tiny You Gets a Yes

31:35 Marriage Therapy Before Marriage

32:49 There’s No Me in We

35:19 Two Kinds of Arguments

40:50 Never and Always Are Dangerous Words

44:18 You Are Loved and Needed

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m catching up on life, therapy, trauma work, Disneyland prep, and what I did not realize about healing: you can work through trauma and still be holding it.

I share how intrusive thoughts about my kids led me back to therapy, how losing my mom and brother shaped my fear, and how migraines, dizziness, jaw clenching, and exhaustion made me realize my body was sending an SOS.

This one is about asking for help, releasing survival habits, letting go of control, and giving ourselves grace when healing looks inconsistent.

00:01 Welcome Back And Catching Up

00:50 Missing The Moment And Disneyland Prep

01:11 Trauma Does Not Have To Be Comparative

02:19 How I Found My Therapist

03:02 Intrusive Thoughts About My Kids

04:50 Crying In The Closet

06:22 Mental Health Support For Kids

07:03 What Therapy Did Not Tell Me

07:26 Trauma Responses In Marriage

10:17 Holding Trauma In Your Body

11:24 The Doctor Appointment

14:27 When The Tension Finally Lifted

16:11 Cutting Caffeine And Finding Quiet

18:24 Self-Care Versus Real Care

19:32 Trauma Habits As Identity

20:13 Asking For Help And Feeling Strong

22:07 Peace, Control, And Letting Go

24:14 Identity, Social Media, And Showing Up

26:42 It Is Okay To Be Sporadic

29:14 Fear Before Disneyland

31:06 Questioning Old Rules

34:13 Accepting Who I Am Becoming

35:07 Thank You For Showing Up

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about mental health, therapy, shame, faith, anxiety, and why getting support should not feel like something we have to hide.

I share what mental health looked like in my family growing up, how my mom’s breakdown shaped the way I saw therapy, how my brother’s addiction keeps me passionate about people not suffering alone, and why I think therapy is more like taking the car in for a tune up than admitting failure.

I’m not sharing this as a therapist. I’m sharing as someone who is still learning that needing support does not mean you are weak.

00:00 Welcome Back And Hawaii Anxiety

00:24 Why Mental Health Should Not Be Taboo

01:35 Therapy Is Asking For Support

02:48 My Family’s Mental Health Story

03:50 My Mom’s Breakdown

05:32 My First Introduction To Therapy

07:32 Addiction, Anxiety, And Fear Around Mental Health

09:34 Stop Invalidating Your Own Pain

12:09 Ignoring My Own Need For Help

13:43 Mental Health Is Like A Car Tune Up

16:19 Why Do We Apologize For Crying?

17:42 How I Found My Therapist

18:19 I Turned Out Fine, But Did I?

19:27 Why I Refuse To Stay Quiet

20:33 Kids, Therapy, And Support

21:50 Mental Health Days Should Be Normal

24:51 Mental Health Is Not A Lack Of Faith

26:47 Therapy Is A Lifelong Journey

28:09 Anxiety In The School Drop Off Line

29:14 Tools That Help My Mental Health

31:01 Therapy Is For Everyone

32:01 Boundaries Around Mental Health Shame