In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about the illusion of control, the routines that make us feel safe, and what happens when life changes enough that the old systems do not fit the same way. This is a long voicemail about overbooking myself, somatic therapy, emotional hijacking, Starbucks rituals, food routines, In N Out Mondays, motherhood, faith, and learning that structure can support us without becoming the measure of whether we are okay. If your habits have shifted, your body feels different, or you are trying to hold everything together because you love your people, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 An Unintended Episode
00:32 Overbooking Myself Again
01:23 Teacher Features and Mini Golf
02:18 Valentine’s Parties and Garden Class
03:17 Thriving on Chaos
04:01 Somatic Therapy and Inside Out
06:11 When One Emotion Hijacks Everything
07:20 When the Body Holds the Feeling
08:00 Journaling Feels Too Honest
09:15 Reporting Versus Really Feeling
10:38 Family Photos and Full Circle Moments
14:32 Swim, Schedules, and Being Voluntold
15:16 The Illusion of Control
16:33 The Starbucks Ritual
20:31 When the Old Systems Break Down
22:19 Trying Decaf and Feeling Anxiety Rise
25:30 What If This Is Not My Jam Anymore?
26:16 Strawberries, Structure, and Flexibility
28:11 Habits Are Helpful Until They Hijack You
30:49 In N Out Mondays and Holding On
33:08 Faith When Everything Falls Apart
34:38 Control, Birth, and Sacred Moments
36:10 When Systems Become the Bar
37:19 Learning to Slow Down
38:10 Control Can Come From Love
40:24 Shaking Up the Systems
42:10 Parenting the Younger Parts of Me
43:27 Pivoting Without Calling It Failure
44:26 Valentine’s Day and Being Loved

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about restriction versus restraint in parenting, food, iPads, friendships, exercise, marriage, and the way I treat myself. This is not advice. It is me learning out loud about raising tiny humans who can build judgment, confidence, and trust instead of just hearing “no” at every turn. We get into sugar, screens, peer pressure, food fear after surgery, getting back to movement for mental health, and the joy of hearing my tiny queen call me out when I needed it. If you are trying to parent without making everything all or nothing, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Still Figuring Out the Video Podcast
00:23 Delilah Radio Energy and Mic Noises
01:08 Bodily Functions and Being Real
02:11 Getting Back in the Gym
04:23 Starting a New Kind of Therapy
06:02 Living Again After Surgery
06:28 Catching the Good Old Days
08:07 Past Me, Present Me, Future Me
08:51 Avatar, Toy Story, and Disney Tangents
10:35 Parenting an Almost Ten Year Old
11:18 Friends, Restriction, and Control
13:07 Restriction Versus Restraint
16:16 Teaching Safety Instead of Just Saying No
17:05 iPads, Sugar, and Building Judgment
21:16 Why Peer Pressure Gets Tricky
24:06 Parenting Is Not a Group Project
26:07 Restriction Versus Restraint With Myself
30:43 Marriage Is Not All or Nothing
33:23 Tools for Friendships and Toxic Relationships
35:31 I Trust Your Judgment
37:01 Conversations With My Tiny Queen
40:16 Final Encouragement

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about people over productivity and the way we measure ourselves and each other by what gets done, what gets missed, and which balls get dropped. After months of pain and recovery, I started thinking about how quickly we take things personally instead of asking what might be going on. This is a long voicemail about motherhood, friendship, mental health, hot lunch, tiny queens, boundaries, empathy, and remembering that we are all more than our checkboxes. If you have felt behind, quiet, overwhelmed, or not enough, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Trying a New Video Podcast Setup
00:44 Mall Walker Energy and Sephora Chaos
02:46 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda
03:28 Feeling the Love After Last Week
04:08 Starting Somatic Therapy
04:35 Why Do I Go on the Defense?
06:21 The Stress of “Can We Talk?”
07:03 Where My Value Comes From
08:34 When the Balls Start Dropping
10:23 Asking What Happened First
12:24 Seeing Our Tiny People More Clearly
13:38 Why Are They Dropping the Ball?
16:10 Chronic Pain and People Over Productivity
18:28 Noticing When Someone Seems Off
21:00 When a Tiny Queen Finally Says the Week Was Hard
23:21 The Village Does Not Have to Be Large
25:07 When People Show Up in the Dark
26:17 Boundaries, Peace, and Collaboration
30:25 Hot Lunch and Letting Go of Mom Rules
33:43 Asking Why Before Moving On
36:03 The Frozen Lake Analogy
38:00 Mental Health Should Not Be Whispered About
41:24 You Are More Than Your Productivity
43:05 Do Something Kind for Someone Else
45:04 People Over Productivity
46:10 Final Encouragement

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing where I have been for the last four months. This is my personal medical story, not medical advice, about an anal fissure, chronic pain, health anxiety, food fear, advocating for myself, and finally being believed. It is vulnerable, chaotic, and yes, somehow includes the phrase “Botox for my butthole.” I talk about pain, surgery, motherhood, faith, asking for help, and what it felt like to have life stop long enough for me to see how much control I was trying to carry. If you are in something life altering, I hope you feel less alone here.

00:00 Filming the Podcast and Feeling Awkward
01:36 Welcome Back After Four Months
02:18 Trigger Warnings and Why I’m Sharing
03:35 When I Thought It Was Hemorrhoids
04:49 Years of GI Issues and Bathroom Shame
07:19 Suppositories, Burning, and Things Getting Worse
08:26 The Night the Pain Took Over
11:51 Getting Diagnosed With an Anal Fissure
14:53 Creams, Pain, and No Clear Answers
17:15 Fiber Counting and Food Fear
20:14 The 50/50 Phone Call
23:24 Spasms, Baths, and Losing Weight
26:22 The Light Leaving My Eyes
28:02 Disneyland in Survival Mode
35:13 The Appointment I Thought Would Fix Everything
36:11 A Triggering Medical Exam
40:14 Needing a Female Surgeon
44:10 Fighting Insurance and Feeling Unheard
50:18 Advocating for Myself Like I Would for My Girls
52:42 Finally Getting the Appointment
55:01 Being Believed Without Explaining Everything
56:14 Surgery, Botox, and Finally No Pain
01:02:25 Why Validation Matters
01:03:30 Faith, Anger, and Feeling Deserted
01:04:34 Motherhood, Control, and Missing Christmas Programs
01:08:09 Finding Joy in the Small Things
01:09:20 Water, Fiber, and Food Exposure
01:11:27 Life Altering, Not Life Threatening
01:12:45 Final Encouragement

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