FTK Moms Podcast

The first week of school is officially over, and let’s just say…we are surviving. 😅

After talking about all the emotions that come with going back to school, Winter shares what actually happened when Eli’s seventh-grade schedule was wrong, athletics was missing, and his dyslexia services were removed. What followed was four days of emails, anxiety, advocacy, and one mama who was absolutely ready for a fight.

We get real about IEPs, ARD meetings, special education services, standardized testing, overwhelmed teachers, poor communication, and the kids who fall through the cracks when they don’t have someone fighting for them.

Then, because motherhood never stays on one topic, we somehow end up talking about student loans, adult children who still need their moms, forgotten laundry, and Winter’s million-dollar idea for a laundromat with a bar.I

t’s raw, frustrated, funny, and very FTK Moms.

FTK Moms is back for Season 3—and we’re kicking things off with the excitement, anxiety, chaos, and big emotions that come with sending our kids back to school.
Winter and Alicia reflect on their children’s very different school journeys—from the first day of kindergarten and entering “big school” to navigating middle school, high school, football, and college. They share honest stories about school supply anxiety, IEPs and advocating for a child with autism and ADHD, communicating with teachers, changing friendships, growing independence, and the never-ending back-to-school logistics moms are expected to manage.
But preparing our kids for a new school year involves more than buying notebooks and planning the perfect first-day outfit. This episode also tackles the hard conversations parents need to have about vaping, drugs, sex, parties, social media, personal safety, and making good decisions when we aren’t there to protect them.

In this episode:

• Back-to-school anxiety for kids and moms
• First-day memories from kindergarten through high school
• Advocating for children with autism, ADHD, and IEPs
• Building strong communication with teachers and school staff
• Preparing kids for peer pressure, vaping, drugs, parties, and social media
• Balancing fear with trust as our children become more independent
• Why the tough conversations need to start earlier than we think
• Finding joy in every season of parenting

We can let fear take over—or we can trust the lessons we’ve taught, enjoy the little wins, and watch our kids become who they’re meant to be.
Welcome to Season 3 of the FTK Moms Podcast—where motherhood is real, every child is different, and we’re all learning and winning along the way.
Subscribe, follow, and share this episode with another mom navigating the back-to-school season.

#BackToSchool #ParentingPodcast #MomPodcast #MiddleSchoolParenting #TeenParenting #AutismParenting #ADHDParenting #FTKMomsPodcast

Turns out... moms who start a podcast are still moms.Season 2 didn't exactly go according to plan.

Between work, sports, school events, family schedules, and simply trying to survive one of the busiest seasons of the year, life happened. Instead of pretending everything was perfectly organized, we're pulling back the curtain and talking about what we've learned.
Because if motherhood has taught us anything...If you're not learning, you're not growing.

Season 2 came with plenty of lessons.

Then we share a Mother's Day conversation we recorded months ago but never got the chance to release—and honestly, the timing might be even better now.
In this episode we talk about:
✨ Why moms are constantly juggling everyone's schedules except their own
✨ Why we think Mother's Day should officially move to July (seriously... who decided May was a good idea? 😂)
✨ The chaos of May with graduations, sports, recitals, teacher appreciation, and end-of-school everything
✨ Mom guilt and giving yourself grace when life doesn't go according to plan
✨ Why showing up imperfectly is still showing up
✨ The biggest lessons we've learned during Season 2

Motherhood isn't always neat.

Sometimes the best stories come from the seasons that didn't go according to plan.
If you've ever felt behind, overwhelmed, or like you were dropping the ball...This episode is for you.

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the FTK Moms Podcast, we sit down with Millie — a proud mama bear of four — for a real, unfiltered conversation about parenting with instinct, strength, and a whole lot of love.

Millie shares her journey navigating homeschooling vs. public school, managing different age gaps, and figuring out what actually works for her family. From trying to follow parenting books to shutting down unsolicited advice, she talks about the moment she fully stepped into her “don’t mess with my kids” mindset.

Her biggest takeaway? Kids don’t need perfection — they need to feel loved, heard, understood… and protected.

If you’ve ever felt judged, overwhelmed, or second-guessed as a mom, this episode is your reminder to trust yourself and stand firm in what’s best for your children.

✨ In This Episode We Talk About:

• Homeschool vs. public school decisions
• Parenting kids with different age gaps
• The reality of parenting books vs. real life
• Handling unsolicited advice with confidence
• “Don’t mess with my kids” energy & boundaries
• Why kids need to feel loved, heard, and understood

This conversation is a reminder that kids don’t need perfection — they need to feel loved, heard, understood… and protected.

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts
👉 Subscribe for real, raw, and unfiltered conversations about motherhood.

This week on the FTK Moms Podcast, we sit down with Elaine — a mom of seven and beauty pageant queen — who shares her powerful perspective on motherhood, healing, and finding joy again.

Raising seven kids comes with its own level of chaos, responsibility, and sacrifice. But Elaine opens up about something even deeper — the importance of healing yourself as a mom, so you don’t pass unhealed wounds onto your children.

From navigating the demands of a large family to rediscovering what brings her happiness, Elaine shares how she’s learned to prioritize growth, self-awareness, and joy in the middle of motherhood.

✨ In This Episode We Talk About:
• What it’s really like raising 7 kids
• The importance of healing yourself as a mom
• Breaking generational patterns
• Finding joy in the middle of busy motherhood
• Making space for yourself without guilt
• Balancing identity, motherhood, and personal growth

This conversation is a reminder that motherhood isn’t just about raising kids — it’s also about growing, healing, and evolving as a woman.

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve lost yourself or needed to pour back into you, this episode will meet you right where you are.

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts
👉 Subscribe for real, raw, and unfiltered conversations about motherhood.

This week on the FTK Moms Podcast, Alicia and Winter get real about something so many moms feel but don’t always say out loud — losing yourself in motherhood.

Somewhere between the diapers, schedules, responsibilities, and showing up for everyone else… you look up and wonder:👉 Who am I outside of being a mom?

In this episode, we talk about the identity shift that happens in motherhood — how easy it is to pour into everyone else while slowly losing sight of yourself in the process.

From feeling disconnected from who you used to be, to figuring out how to rediscover yourself again, this conversation is honest, vulnerable, and deeply relatable.

✨ In This Episode We Talk About:
• The identity shift that comes with becoming a mom
• Losing yourself in the day-to-day of motherhood
• Feeling like you’ve put your own needs last
• The pressure to be everything for everyone
• What it looks like to find yourself again
• Giving yourself permission to grow and evolve

This episode is for the mom who feels like she’s lost a part of herself — and is ready to start finding her way back. You’re still in there. 💛

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts

👉 Subscribe for real, raw, and unfiltered conversations about motherhood.

This week on the FTK Moms Podcast, Alicia and Winter dive into something every mom feels but rarely talks about out loud — the mental load of motherhood.It’s the endless to-do lists.
The constant planning.
The invisible responsibilities no one sees… but moms carry every single day.

From remembering appointments and managing schedules to thinking ten steps ahead for the entire family, the mental load can feel overwhelming — and often unshared.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What the mental load of motherhood really looks like
• Why moms feel like they’re always “on”
• The invisible tasks no one talks about
• How carrying it all can lead to burnout
• The emotional weight of being the default parent
• Learning to communicate and ask for support

This is a real, honest conversation about what it means to hold everything together — even when you feel like you’re running on empty.

If you’ve ever thought,
👉 “Why am I the only one thinking about all of this?”- This episode will make you feel seen.
🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts
👉 Subscribe for real, raw, and unfiltered conversations about motherhood.

This week on the FTK Moms Podcast, Jessica shares her powerful story of navigating motherhood through Type 1 Diabetes, pregnancy during the 2020 pandemic, a NICU experience, and postpartum anxiety.

Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at just 16 months old, Jessica has spent her entire life managing a chronic illness — but motherhood brought a whole new level of challenges she never expected.

From being pregnant during the uncertainty of COVID shutdowns, to the emotional triggers of having a NICU baby, Jessica opens up about how those experiences impacted her mental health and led to struggles with postpartum anxiety.

She shares what it really looked like to show up as a mom while battling both physical and emotional challenges — especially when much of it wasn’t visible to others. Through it all, Jessica leans on her faith in Jesus and the strength of her sisterhood and family to carry her through the hardest seasons.

✨ In This Episode We Talk About:
• Living with Type 1 Diabetes since infancy
• Being pregnant during the 2020 pandemic
• The emotional impact of having a NICU baby
• Triggers and realities of postpartum anxiety
• Mothering through both visible and invisible struggles
• The role of faith, family, and sisterhood in healing
• Learning to trust God in uncertain seasons

This episode is for the mom who feels overwhelmed, unseen, or like she’s carrying more than others realize.

Your story matters. And you are not alone. 💛

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts

👉 Subscribe for real, raw, and unfiltered conversations about motherhood.

Debra Serrano is back on the FTK Moms Podcast, bringing the kind of wisdom that only comes from decades of motherhood.

As a mom of five and grandmother to fifteen, Debra has lived through nearly every season of parenting — from raising young children to watching her kids become parents themselves.

In this episode, Winter and Alicia sit down with Debra to reflect on the defining seasons of motherhood that shaped her most. She shares how faith, prayer, and community helped her navigate some of the hardest moments of raising kids, and how those lessons still influence the way she supports her growing family today.

Together they talk about:
• The seasons of motherhood that stretch us the most
• How faith can anchor you during difficult parenting moments
• Protecting your marriage while raising a busy family
• Balancing when to step in as a parent and when to let kids learn on their own
• Overcoming mom guilt and learning to give yourself grace
• Why building community matters for moms
• What grandmotherhood has taught her about motherhood

The episode also includes listener-submitted questions from the FTK Moms community, where Debra shares heartfelt advice for moms who feel overwhelmed or unsure in their parenting journey.

Whether you’re raising toddlers, teens, or navigating adult children, Debra’s perspective reminds us that motherhood is a lifelong journey of growth, grace, and love.