Today's episode is extra special—it's our Mother's Day episode, and I've got my oldest daughter, Laken, in the studio with me! I've been wanting to have her on the podcast for a long time, and since she was in town this past week, I finally convinced her to sit down and chat about motherhood.

If you don't already know her, you're going to love her. She's the most amazing mom to my granddaughter, Mauve, and she's been a huge part of this podcast since the very beginning—six seasons ago! She actually wrote and recorded our theme song and has been our audio engineer ever since. I'm seriously so lucky to work alongside her... and even luckier to be her mom.

In this episode, we swap stories, laugh a lot, and share a few lessons we've learned along the way as a mother and daughter. It's a little peek into the beautiful (and sometimes messy) reality of family life—from both sides of the generation gap. Think of it as a celebration of the little moments that make it all worth it—and a reminder of why we do what we do at Chatbooks.

We also know that Mother's Day can bring up all kinds of emotions. For some, it's a day full of joy. For others, it might feel bittersweet or even heavy. However you're feeling this year, please know we see you, we're thinking of you, and we're sending you so much love.

Listen to my podcast episode featuring my mom

Follow Chatbooks

Follow Vanessa

I Am My Mother!

4:30 Expectations on your first Mother's Day as a new mom

8:30 What it is like to see your daughter become a mother

15:00 "Family Fandangos!"

21:15 Moments in your parenting journey when you have to step into the role of mother

23:20 The drawbacks of parenting in the age of social media

29:01 Why Monthbooks are the greatest gift for a grandma

33:00 Behind the Scenes of the newest top secret project at Chatbooks

40:00 The ups and downs of parenting through the teen years

44:00 The different seasons of life and motherhood that you can lean into as an artist

47:08 Mom as a camp counselor/daughter as a camper dilemma

50:00 "I hope you will do better than we did"