Amanda spends two years of her impressionable adolescence under the care of Larry Nassar, former family medicine physician and team doctor of the US women’s national gymnastics team. Having not fully understood that what she experienced was abuse, it’s only later—when Amanda and her husband struggle to conceive—that the details of her painful story come to light. Then, just as the case against Larry begins to hit the media, Amanda becomes pregnant. She steps forward, along with 155 other women, to testify against Nassar in court. Amanda uses her voice for the daughter she’s carrying, and in the process re-discovers her own. Content warning: sexual abuse. 

At the close of this series, we want to extend a special thank you to each woman who bravely offered their story to the project. If this series impacted you, encouraged you, or opened your heart or mind in some way, please help us spread the word. We’d love for you to share this series with your friends and family, your colleagues, and even your online circles. If you’ve only got a minute to spare, please leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts, which helps other women find our show.

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs. 

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd. 

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon. 

Writer: Sonya Spillmann.

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon.

Special thanks to WDIV in Detroit for permission to use their reporting on the Nassar case and trial. We also want to thank Stacy Kaiser and Dr. Lauren Bouchard for their expertise. To learn more about RAINN or M-Power or any of the information we shared in today’s episode visit our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother.

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order. This episode is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CC10 and get 10% off your first month.

This series is also brought to you by the paid Substack Community of Coffee + Crumbs. To support our work in the future, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com. From all of us at Coffee + Crumbs, thank you for listening to Making a Mother. 

Jerrell’s first baby is born six weeks premature, despite an otherwise typical and healthy pregnancy. At her postpartum appointment, she learns that Black women are 60% more likely to give birth prematurely than white women, and that Black maternal and infant mortality rates are more than double those of white women — regardless of socio-economic status or education. Experts weigh in on why these disparities exist and challenge all of us to ask: what are we doing about it?

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs. 

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd. 

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon. 

Writer: Sonya Spillmann.

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon.

Special thanks to Dr. Lauren Bouchard and Cecily Smith. To learn more about Abide Women’s Health, the Cleveland Clinic or any of the information we shared in today’s episode visit our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother. If this story impacted you, please consider sharing it with a friend and leaving a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. 

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.

Thank you for supporting the brands that helped make this series possible.

From the time she is young, Faith has a desire to foster or adopt, and assumes it will happen after she gets married. But a life-changing conversation with a pastor challenges her to pursue foster care, even though she is a 29-year-old single woman. This one decision sets off a cascade of events that lead her to motherhood, love, and a fresh appreciation for how God’s plan isn’t constrained by our idealized timelines.

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs. 

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd. 

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon. 

Writer: Sonya Spillmann

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon

For more information on today’s episode—including podcast club discussion guides—check out our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother. If you’d like to support the show, please share this episode with a friend and consider leaving us a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. 

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.

This episode is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CC10 and get 10% off your first month.

Thank you for supporting the brands that helped make this series possible. 

When Kate receives the call about a newborn boy in need of foster care and a forever home, her heart is ready to open wide. Assured that the baby’s mother is unlikely to regain custody, she dreams of a future with this child. Meanwhile, Cindy begins to see glimmers of hope amidst all her struggles. Fueled by faith and a determination to turn her life around, she begins the hard work of creating a stable home. Through time and a mutual love for the same baby boy, Kate and Cindy form an unlikely friendship. Together, they navigate the complexities of love, sacrifice, and what it truly means to put the best interests first for the child they both cherish.

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs. 

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd. 

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon. 

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon

Special thanks to Amanda Morales. To learn more about Serenity Foster and Adoption or other information shared in today’s episode visit our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother. If this story impacted you, please consider sharing it with a friend and leaving a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts.

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.

Thank you for supporting the brands that helped make this series possible.

After struggling with infertility, IVF and multiple losses, Kate and her paraplegic husband choose to pursue adoption through the foster care system. Meanwhile, Cindy—battling homelessness and addiction—gives birth to her sixth child, a boy, who is immediately removed from her care. In the next episode, we learn how these two women’s stories collide and intertwine in the most unexpected ways. Content warning: sexual assault and pregnancy loss.

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs. 

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd. 

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon. 

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon

For more information on today’s episode—including podcast club discussion guides—check out our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother. If you’d like to support the show, please share this episode with a friend and consider leaving us a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. 

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.

This episode is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CC10 and get 10% off your first month.

Thank you for supporting the brands that helped make this series possible.

Making a Mother is a collection of raw, honest stories about some of the complex circumstances and unthinkable challenges women face in the pursuit of motherhood. These stories speak to the physical scars left on our bodies, as well as the emotional scars left on our hearts. Featuring universal themes of loss and redemption, broken dreams and resilience, deep heartache and unwavering love—each episode showcases one woman’s unique story of courage, hope, and tenacity.

Making a Mother will be released in January of 2025. If getting a peek into these stories moves you the way it moves us, we’d love for you to be part of our Making a Mother podcast launch team.

From deserted baby books to the tens of thousands of photos sitting on our phones, it’s easy to feel perpetually behind in memory keeping. Today, as we talk about the challenges of commemorating all the milestones, we also share our imperfect wins and how our approach has drastically changed since becoming first-time moms. Katie has a revelation about redefining what is actually worth remembering, while Ashlee shares her desire to capture the “essence” of her kids instead of data. We’ve come to the conclusion that a) we need to lower our expectations, and b) the chaotic, silly, and in-between moments are the ones that actually make up our lives. We hope this episode inspires you to keep doing your best—via quick notes jotted in a journal or by leaving the camera on the counter—to make those everyday memories the ones you keep. 

This show is brought to you ad-free by our generous Substack community. If you’d like to support the work we do for as little as $3/month, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com to join us (and get bonus episodes!). For show notes, go to coffeeandcrumbs.net/podcast.

Listen to this bonus episode to see what else is saving our lives, besides taking the pressure off of memory keeping. 

For more encouragement in your motherhood journey, check out the stories at Coffee + Crumbs. 

Today, we’re taking a look at hospitality with a twist(!) and sharing intentional creative gatherings we’ve either hosted or been invited to. Ashlee raves about a good ol’ fashioned book club (surprise, surprise), show-and-tell parties, and gives more gold stars and hearts for Galentine’s Day, while Katie loves commemorating the change of seasons—think fall soup competitions and end-of-summer backyard movies—and also makes a point to honor special dates like friendaverseries in unique-to-you ways. We hope this episode inspires you to host your own creative get-together. And hey, if you only take one thing from this episode, let it be this: any party where you can wear pajamas is a good party. 

This show is brought to you ad-free by our generous Substack community. If you’d like to support the work we do for as little as $3/month, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com to join us (and get bonus episodes!). For show notes, go to coffeeandcrumbs.net/podcast.

We’ll be sure to celebrate this festive time of year with a creative gathering. Listen to this bonus episode to hear our Very Strong Opinions about other holiday happenings.

For more encouragement in your motherhood journey, check out the stories at Coffee + Crumbs. 

Today we’re talking with a board certified dermatologist, Dr. Cameron Chesnut, about how aging affects our skin. Dr. Chesnut gives us holistic insight on our most potent anti-aging defenses (exercise! sleep! nutrition!) and gives us the sought-after scoop on which products actually do make a difference (collagen! retinols! Vitamin C!). He also weighs in on the great sunscreen debate, gives the pros and cons of Botox, and takes our rapid-fire “worth it, or not?” quiz. Whether you’re planning to age naturally or maximize modern technology to erase your wrinkles, we hope this conversation brings clarity to some of the most common skin care questions.

This show is brought to you ad-free by our generous Substack community. If you’d like to support the work we do for as little as $3/month, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com to join the party (and get bonus episodes!). For show notes, go to coffeeandcrumbs.net/podcast.

We wish more people knew all the good stuff Dr. Chesnut shared about taking care of our skin. Listen to this bonus episode to see what else we wish more people knew about.

For more encouragement in your motherhood journey, check out the stories at Coffee + Crumbs. 

Just in time for the most divisive political week of the year, special guests Elizabeth and Chris McKinney—authors of Neighborhoods Reimagined—are here today to share the importance of finding common ground with those living near us. How do we go from pulling into the garage and shutting it behind us to actually befriending our neighbors? Using the Beatitudes as a launching point, the McKinneys offer encouragement and practical tips (simply wave! remember names! start a Facebook page! invite one or two families to gather with you!) to create neighborhood flourishing.

This show is brought to you ad-free by our generous Substack community. If you’d like to support the work we do for as little as $3/month, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com to join the party (and get bonus episodes!). For show notes, go to coffeeandcrumbs.net/podcast.

The McKinneys are helping us make the most of our neighborhoods. Listen to Money Saving Hacks to see how we’re making the most of our paychecks.   

For more encouragement in your motherhood journey, check out the stories at Coffee + Crumbs.