Between Us Podcast

Motherhood changes everything—but not always in the ways we're told.In this episode, Catherine and Elena reflect on how becoming mothers transformed their identities, challenged their assumptions, and reshaped the way they think about purpose, partnership, and personal growth.Together they explore the tension between ambition and family, the messages women receive about motherhood today, and the surprising truth that some of life's greatest transformations begin when we allow ourselves to become someone new.Whether you're a parent or simply navigating your own season of change, this conversation is an invitation to reflect on what it means to grow, love, and evolve with intention.

Everyone wants a village.

But building one is harder than it sounds.

In this episode, Catherine and Elena explore motherhood, friendship, community, and the growing longing many people feel for deeper connection.

Together they discuss what it means to show up for one another, create belonging, and become the kind of villager we hope to find.

Because maybe the question isn't where the village is.

Maybe it's how we're showing up inside it.

Why do relationships feel so hard right now?

Catherine and Elena explore friendship, community, social media, political differences, and the loneliness many people are feeling in modern life.

Together they discuss what it means to build a village, stay connected across disagreement, and create relationships rooted in curiosity rather than sameness.

Because maybe the question isn't just where our village is.

Maybe it's whether we're willing to be villagers ourselves.

In Episode 2 of Between Us, Catherine shares the story behind years of perfectionism, spiritual fear, people pleasing, and the deep longing to belong.

From growing up in rural Michigan after an early childhood in Alaska, to wrestling deeply with faith, identity, and what it meant to be “good,” Catherine opens up about the inner world she carried for years while trying to live up to expectations and do everything right.

This conversation explores:
• Fear, faith, and belonging
• People pleasing and perfectionism
• Childhood anxiety and spirituality
• Friendship across difference
• Identity, healing, and self-acceptance
• Learning to create belonging instead of waiting to receive it

Together, Catherine and Elena reflect on how two women with very different backgrounds and perspectives became close friends through honesty, curiosity, compassion, and connection.

Mother’s Day wasn’t originally created for brunches, flowers, or greeting cards.

It began as something far more radical. A peace movement led by women who believed mothers held a unique power to heal division, preserve humanity, and call people back to one another.

In this snack episode, Catherine and Elena dive into the forgotten origins of Mother’s Day through the stories of Julia Ward Howe and Anne Jarvis, reflecting on what their original vision might still have to teach us today. Together they explore motherhood, tenderness, empathy, commercialization, leadership, and the role women can play in bridging divides in a deeply fractured culture.

This conversation isn’t about rejecting modern Mother’s Day. It’s about remembering the deeper spirit underneath it.

What if motherhood was never just meant to be celebrated… but lived as a force for healing?

What happens when the way you’ve always seen the world stops making sense?

In this first episode of Between Us, we begin with Elena’s story.

From growing up in deeply politicized spaces on the South Side of Chicago to questioning everything she once believed, Elena shares what it looked like to confront her own contradictions, step away from groupthink, and choose a different way of being.

This is a conversation about ideology, belonging, and what it takes to truly see people beyond labels. It’s also about the courage to look in the mirror and not fully recognize who you see. If you’ve ever felt caught between worlds, or like you don’t fit neatly into any one belief system, this space is for you.

We’re not here to change your mind.

We’re here to understand the stories that shaped us.