In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about motherhood, identity, and the misconception that being a good mom means losing yourself.

I’m sharing a very Amanda story about dating Blake, E. coli, stool samples, and the first time he told me he loved me, and somehow, yes, it connects back to motherhood.

This one is about the slow ways we hand over pieces of ourselves, the mom guilt that makes self care feel selfish, and why being yourself is part of being a good mom.

Not a rulebook, just a long voicemail between friends who are doing our best.

00:00 Welcome Back and the New Tagline

00:41 Taco Bell Crunchwrap News

03:23 The Misconception of Motherhood

05:15 The Story Before Blake Said I Love You

07:02 E. Coli, LAX, and Bathroom Routes

10:18 The Stool Sample Situation

13:50 When Blake Said I Love You

14:46 What Love Makes Us Willing to Do

16:28 Why Moms Feel Lost

18:13 When Motherhood Starts Taking Over

19:08 The Slow Handing Over of Identity

20:26 People Have So Many Facets

21:28 You Are Not Just Mom

22:19 Talking to Kids Like People

25:19 Creating Space for Amanda Too

27:06 Taking Down the Motherhood Misconception

29:32 Motherhood Is Not the Only Thing I Am

33:19 The Buffet of Who You Are

35:00 Being a Good Mom and Being Yourself

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about mom shaming, judgment, and why insecurity can make us act like crabs in a bucket.

I’m sharing the Target parking lot diaper story, the birth plan comment I never forgot, and the way motherhood can bring out comparison around epidurals, breastfeeding, formula, screen time, sugar, tantrums, and all the tiny choices people suddenly have opinions about.

This is me learning out loud about empathy, insecurity, and choosing not to tear down another mom who is also doing her best.

00:00 Happy Wednesday and Leopard Energy

01:23 The Topic: Mom Shaming

03:33 Not a Rulebook, Just My Journey

04:14 What Mom Shaming Really Is

05:02 The Target Parking Lot Diaper Story

06:32 Mom Shaming and Insecurity

07:02 Crabs in a Bucket

08:56 Women Empowerment and Tearing Down

10:20 Mom Humor and Fear Around Motherhood

11:21 The Hot Button Parenting Topics

13:16 The Birth Plan Comment I Never Forgot

18:02 Breastfeeding, Formula, and Guilt

20:29 Why Moms Need to Do Better

23:07 Shaming People Who Do Not Want Kids

25:34 How Judgment Divides Us

29:22 Seeing the Person, Not Just the Mom

32:23 Raising Daughters With Empathy

34:34 Lead With Empathy, Not Insecurity

Grab your coffee, your Coke, your kombucha, or in my case today, maybe a butter croissant, because y’all, we need to talk about the inner voice we give our kids.

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, self talk, emotional regulation, and the way our tiny humans start building their inner dialogue way earlier than we sometimes realize.

This one started with a moment I still think about. I was on the phone with a friend, talking about being tired after Corey was born, and London heard it in a way I never intended. She thought I was tired because of her. And that moment made me stop and think about what our kids hear, what they absorb, and what starts becoming the voice in their own little minds.

I’m sharing stories about bento boxes, school lunch panic, spicy kids, labels like strong willed, the fake bunny we keep chasing, and why “I can’t” is something I try to help my girls reframe into “I need help.”

This is not a rulebook. It’s just me learning out loud about motherhood, self talk, parenting tiny people, and teaching our kids not to become their own biggest bully.

If no one has told you lately, you are loved, you are worthy, you are needed, and you do not have to tear yourself down to grow.

Send this to someone who needs a kinder voice in their head today.

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about motherhood, identity, and the fear that you somehow lose yourself after having kids. After my third baby, I felt underwater, overwhelmed, and unsure which way was up. But over time, I started wondering if motherhood was not erasing me, but growing me.

This is not expert advice. It’s just me learning out loud about tiny people, personal growth, marriage, friendship, and the messy, beautiful way kids add color to who we already are.

If you’ve felt lost in the middle of becoming, this one is for you.

00:00 Welcome Back to After Hours With Amanda

01:05 My Delilah Radio Voice Moment

01:34 McDonald’s Coke and the Disclaimer

02:18 Fly by the Seat of My Pants

03:04 Identity, Motherhood, and Change

04:15 When My Third Baby Rocked My World

05:28 Feeling Underwater

06:39 Finding Which Way Is Up

07:05 Motherhood as Rebirth

08:28 You Are Still Growing

09:16 Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly

10:02 Marriage Changes You Too

11:19 Your Cup Is Refillable

12:12 Kids Don’t Cancel You Out

14:34 Kids Make Us More Intentional

16:33 The Ten More Minutes at Bedtime

19:37 Kids Add Color to Your Life

21:15 Kids Expose Our Selfishness

23:08 Becoming Someone’s Everyday Hero

26:40 There Is a Season for Everything

29:34 Parenting and the Tower of Terror

31:46 One Small Thing a Day

In this first episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the heart behind the podcast: parenting tiny humans with empathy, humor, curiosity, and a lot of “we are doing our best” energy.

I talk about why I started the show, how motherhood shifted the way I see kids, and why my parenting style is less about a label and more about humanizing children.

This is not expert advice. It’s lived experience from a mom learning out loud about big feelings, giving kids a voice, and becoming the kind of parent who repairs, reflects, and keeps trying.

00:00 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda

02:42 Recording From the Closet

03:39 Meet Amanda’s Tiny Humans

04:02 No Parenting Books Prepared Me

06:02 Bringing Home a Real Baby

07:00 I Wasn’t Always This Parent

09:02 The Night Everything Shifted

11:06 Learning From Daniel Tiger

12:32 Realizing Something Had to Change

14:27 Humanizing Kids

16:04 Giving Kids a Voice

17:13 The Starbucks Bagel Story

20:47 Parenting Without the Hierarchy

23:43 Raising Tiny World Changers

25:02 Motherhood and Identity

28:22 Giving Kids Tools for Big Feelings