freemom, conversations for modern mothers

Today’s episode is all about something we know matters deeply to this community—raising kids who care. But not just care passively. Care deeply, actively, and persistently about the world around them. Specifically, our environment.

How do we teach our kids about sustainability without scaring them? How do we raise little environmental advocates who feel empowered, not overwhelmed?

Today’s guest is someone who’s made it her life’s mission to build a better future—literally from the fabric up. Marianna Sachse is the founder and CEO of Jackalo, a sustainable kids’ clothing brand that’s challenging fast fashion, reducing waste, and redefining what it means to care for our planet and our families. She’s also a mom, which means she knows what it’s like to talk to kids who ask, “But what can I do?”

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Today we’re tackling a topic that hits close to home for so many of us: how to advocate for your child within the school system, especially when it feels like you’re speaking a different language than your child’s teacher, principal, or district.

Our guest today is Alina Lewis, a parent advocacy specialist who helps families find their voice and get the support their children need in school. Alina is a powerhouse in this space, helping parents navigate school bureaucracy, and the all-too-often frustrating maze of public education.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Today we’re diving headfirst into one of the most uncomfortable but critical conversations we can have as parents: talking to our kids about pornography.

With the average age of first exposure now as young as 9 years old, this isn’t a “wait until they’re older” kind of chat anymore. This is a right-now conversation. And let’s be real—if we’re not the ones talking to our kids about it, someone else (or something else) already is.

Our guest today, Jessica Vanderberg, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the co-founder of The Alliance Center. Jessica is a mom of three and works with women in every stage of their parenting journey. She’s here to help us navigate how to talk about pornography, when to start, and what to actually say—without shame, panic, or awkward silence.

Resources we love:

• Protect Young Eyes
• Culture Reframed
• The Alliance Center

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s becoming terrifyingly common: sextortion and revenge porn—especially how these crimes impact teens and tweens. 

As our kids are spending more time online than ever before, the risks they face are evolving—often faster than we can keep up.

The numbers are staggering. Reports of sextortion have increased by 322% in recent years, with many cases involving minors between the ages of 10-17. These crimes target young people through social media, gaming apps, and messaging platforms, leaving victims feeling scared, ashamed, and isolated.

Our guest today is Lindsay Lieberman, an attorney, advocate, and the founder of the Lieberman Law Firm. She specializes in helping victims of digital abuse, including sextortion, revenge porn, and online harassment. Lindsay is here to break down what every parent needs to know to protect their kids—and how we can empower young people to navigate the digital world safely.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s a huge part of our daily lives - it’s where we connect, share, scroll... and sometimes, let’s be honest, compare. But what is social media actually doing to us, especially as women and mothers? And what about our daughters?

The statistics are sobering: Nearly 95% of adolescent girls are active on social media, and 46% spend six or more hours a day on these platforms. Studies show that consuming appearance-focused content can significantly increase rates of anxiety and depression, particularly among teenage girls. And when you add in the constant pressures of comparison, unrealistic beauty standards, and cyberbullying, it’s no wonder that social media is having such a profound impact on women and girls.

That’s where our guest comes in. Dr. Kara Alaimo is a communication professor and the author of Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls—And How We Can Take It Back. She’s an expert on the intersection of media and gender, and she’s here to help us understand what’s going on, why it matters, and how we can make social media work for us instead of against us.

Resources: 

Kara Alaimo's Website

Finnish Curriculum on Media

Wait Until 8th

Committing to 16

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

This episode is an important one, because we’re talking about something that so many of us carry quietly: the weight of motherhood and how hard it can be to take care of ourselves while we’re taking care of everyone else.

We all feel it—that mental load, the emotional overwhelm, the constant pressure to hold it all together. And yet, somehow, we’re still expected to just power through without real support.

But here’s the thing: maternal mental health matters, and the numbers make that painfully clear. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country—and more than 22% of those deaths are linked to mental health complications. That’s not just a statistic—that’s real women, real families, and it’s a sign that the system is failing us.

That’s why I’m so excited for today’s conversation with Stella Falkner. She’s a mom and the founder of Dowa Health, a platform that brings together clinical expertise and lived experience to support mothers in a way that feels validating, proactive, and accessible. Dowa offers over 100 classes and courses from licensed maternal health professionals across the U.S. and internationally—because real care shouldn’t only come after a crisis. It should be there before we fall apart.

Get your first three months free with promo code FREEMOM at www.dowahealth.com

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Have you ever thought about - or fought about - how our phones, screens, and even artificial intelligence impact our most important relationships? Have you ever been guilty of avoiding a conversation with your spouse by hiding on your phone? Maybe tuning out of a story about their day to scroll? 

I know the answer is yes because we are all guilty of it. So what can we do to stay connected to our partners in a world designed to distract us?

Let’s start with the data. Research indicates that the average American checks their phone 205 times a day, or almost once every five minutes while awake.

Another study found that 46% of participants experienced "phubbing"—being snubbed by a partner in favor of a phone—and 23% reported it as a problem in their relationship.

With the rise of AI companionship, like virtual girlfriends and boyfriends, we’re facing a whole new frontier in the world of modern love. So let’s talk about it.

Colette Jane Fehr is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Relationship Expert, and co-host of the popular podcast Insights from the Couch. She is also a TEDx speaker and the author of the book The Cost of Quiet: Why Avoiding Conflict Harms Our Relationships and How Speaking Up Can Save Them, coming soon from Penguin Random House.

Resources:

• Colette Fehr's Website: https://www.colettejanefehr.com/
• Colette Fehr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colettejanefehr
• Colette Fehr’s Substack - colettejanefehr.substack.com 

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Hey, freemoms! Today, we’re diving into a subject that impacts every woman at some point in her life: the intersection of hormones, mental health, and menopause. From postpartum mood changes to the emotional highs and lows of menopause, hormones play a critical role in our mental and physical well-being. But how much do we really understand about these shifts, and how can we better navigate them?

The statistics paint a clear picture. Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women in the United States, and over 50% of menopausal women report experiencing depression or anxiety. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from anxiety disorders, a disparity often linked to hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives. So let’s talk about it. 

Our guest today, Dr. Kristen Beardslee, is a reproductive psychiatrist with over 12 years of experience as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Beardslee is the Medical Director at The Alliance Center in Connecticut where she specializes in mental health care for women and offers a trauma-informed, holistic approach that integrates hormonal health with mental wellness.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s as complex as it is essential: raising boys in a patriarchal society. As we continue to empower women and girls, we also need to think about how to support our boys. How do we raise compassionate, emotionally intelligent sons who can thrive in a society that values equality?

The statistics tell an alarming story. Boys are now 50% more likely than girls to fail basic proficiency in reading. They are also falling behind in school at higher rates and attending college in significantly lower numbers—just 40% of college students today are male. In addition, boys are more likely to face mental health challenges such as depression, and suicide rates among boys and men are nearly four times higher than those of girls and women.

Our guest today is Susie Fishleder, a leadership coach for women who has written extensively on this subject. In her Substack newsletter “Rebel Leaders," Susie dismantles leadership norms rooted in patriarchy, racism, and capitalism to uplift and celebrate women, mothers, people of color, and allies in their workplaces and communities. Check out Susie's work at susiefishleder.com or have a listen to her podcast Rebel Leaders wherever you listen.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

Welcome back, freemoms! Season 4 of freemom is here, and we couldn’t be more excited to share what’s in store. This season, we’re diving deeper into the challenges, triumphs, and truths of modern motherhood, with conversations that empower, inspire, and spark change.

From tackling tough topics like sextortion, and the impact of social media on our girls, to uncovering the hidden struggles of adult female ADHD, and raising boys in a patriarchal world, we’re bringing you the experts, thought leaders, and everyday moms who are breaking barriers and reshaping motherhood.

We’ll explore the mental load of parenting, how to protect our mental health, and what it means to truly advocate for ourselves and our children. It’s real talk, honest truths, and actionable advice to help you find yourself while raising a family.

This is Season 4 of freemom.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!