For today's bonus episode, we are doing a recap of all of our amazing guests from the month of May. We brought on so many brilliant and intelligent women to chat about all things motherhood including Dr. Christine Sterling, Jenny Blossom, Wendy Snyder, Kari Keating and Renata Cameron. We start off this episode with a few rapid fire questions so you can get to know us a little more then we share key takeaways from our guests in their episodes.What's In This Episode:

• Highlights from each episode in May
• Rapid fire with Jenn and Lara
• What products they are loving right now
• Their favorite moms
• The mom hacks they are currently implementing
• Struggling with time management
• Prioritizing self-care activities
• Being aware of hormonal changes that occur
• Postpartum tips with Dr. Christine Sterling
• What to expect in your fourth trimester
• Creating meaningful motherhood for the modern mama with Jenny Blossom
• 3 tips for mamas trying to find more meaning in motherhood
• The power of positive parenting with Wendy Snyder
• Dealing with parenting problems with integrity
• How parenting mistakes are just as important as successes
• Setting realistic expectations for yourself and business with Kari Keating
• Investing in your business
• Matresence and the birth of a mother with Renata Cameron
• The learning curves that come with motherhood

This week on Generation.Mom, we are continuing with our trend for the month of June and interviewing another dad to get his take on fatherhood and the unique challenges that dads face. We brought Doug French on the show to chat about his experience of being a dad. Doug is a writer, speaker and single dad who began blogging after being laid off from his job in 2003. He currently writes and cartoons while also running the Dad 2.0 Summit, to help dads come together and learn from one another. We chat about coparenting, how men nurture differently, building empathy for your partner, and embracing the challenges of fatherhood.What's In This Episode:

• How Doug got into Dad blogging
• Making coparenting work by dividing and conquering
• Masculinity and being a caregiver
• How men can nurture differently as a parent
• Modern parenting and how parenthood is evolving
• Why paternity leave is important for men
• What women go through as mothers and building empathy for your partner
• Tackling parenthood with the resources you have
• Well visits with a couples counselor
• The 4 sides-model of communication
• The challenges that modern fatherhood is embracing
• Breaking the cycle of flawed relationships with fathers
• Being open about your struggles as a dad
• Progressive workplaces offering more flexibility for families
• How families have changed in the modern age
• Being aware of what your partner goes through
• Judgments that dads face in their role as a father
• The stigma behind paternity leave
• The identity issues that men and women face when they become parents
• Strides that dads are making

For today's episode of the podcast, we are bringing another dad on the podcast in honor of Father's day this coming weekend. The guest we are chatting with today is Brad Johnson, a financial coach, investment consultant and father of three children. We chat about why it is so important to schedule in regular date nights with your spouse or partner. He discusses what it was like feeling underprepared for fatherhood and creating accountability for children. If you want to learn to stop policing kids and start empowering them then this is the episode for you.What's In This Episode:

• Brad's career and how it transformed from fatherhood
• Dealing with dad guilt
• Hitting the stop button and being present with your family
• How his relationship with his wife strengthened after children
• What would've been helpful to know before fatherhood
• What it's like going to a Dad Retreat
• The importance of 1 on 1 time with children
• The connection that dads have with their kids
• Learning to communicate as parents
• How divorce affects children
• The importance of continuing to "date" your partner
• Implementing meditation into his life
• The framework for great conversations with your kids
• Creating a family culture and having your children hold you accountable
• Focusing on effort rather than labeling
• Empowering kids rather than policing them

In celebration of Father's day this month, we are doing something a little different on the podcast these next few weeks. For the first time ever, we are going to be bringing on dads to hear their perspective on fatherhood. Today's guest is Sean Donahue of Parenting Modern Teens. We discuss how parenting children in today's age looks different than in prior generations and how we can better parent teens and children. This episode will help you step away from fear-based parenting and feel encouraged to talk to your kids about feelings and emotions rather than teaching them right from wrong.

What's In This Episode:

• Sean's background and how he got started
• How Sean's began his career working with kids and teens
• The changes that happened in his life and career after kids
• Why parenting looks different today than it did in previous generations
• Modern parenting and how parenthood has evolved
• Living in fear while parenting
• Where Sean's passion for teenagers comes from
• His process for coaching and the approaches he uses
• Sean's advice for embracing the behaviors of adolescence
• False beliefs that parents have
• How children change your marriage
• Where influences on our children come from
• Being careful of what our children are exposed to
• Emotion coaching for our kids
• Why presence is crucial in parenting

There are so many learning curves that mamas face once their little ones are here and they enter motherhood. Today on the podcast, we are discussing matresence with Renata Cameron, a licensed MFT and new mom advocate. Renata is a big believer in helping moms to feel better prepared for motherhood, by providing support and community through her classes, Milestone Mommy and Me. You will learn what matresence is and how to handle your expectations of becoming a mom. She will also share how to embrace the learning process of motherhood and everything that comes along with it.

What's In This Episode:

• Learning what matresence is
• How Renata's career and life transitioned due to motherhood
• The need for community as a mother
• Learning curves that come with a new baby
• The variables that come with matresence
• How babies can rock your marriage and the importance of couples counseling
• The pressure of learning to become a parent
• Fear of not doing enough
• Shifting the vocabulary around motherhood
• Handling your expectations of being a mom
• Renata's advice for first-time mothers
• Paying attention to your experiences and verbalizing it to your partner
• Embracing the learning process of motherhood

As a mama, creating something for yourself, by yourself can be one of the most rewarding feelings. Many modern-day mamas are building businesses and babies. Today we brought on Kari Keating, a business and growth coach who got started in entrepreneurship through multi-level marketing. She shares why she joined a MLM as a way to generate extra income and how she quickly realized entrepreneurship was the path for her after replacing her full-time income in just three months. We chat about how she fell into coaching and her advice for other mamas who are looking to make something of their own. If your dreaming of starting a side hustle and searching for work outside of motherhood that is both fulfilling and inspiring then this is the episode for you.

What's In This Episode:

• The vision that Kari had as a child
• Discovering how to serve as a leader while being a mom
• How she discovered Isogenics and replaced her full-time income
• Finding her passion as a business coach
• Kari's advice on how to find your purpose
• Why people fear success
• How to get loved ones on board with your purpose
• Prioritizing and making time for your side hustle
• Setting realistic expectations for yourself and your business
• Investing in your business and using your resources
• Her opinion on how gratitude can manifest positivity to your life
• How technology helps mamas start businesses
• Community building and relationship currency
• Kari's plans for growing her business

In parenthood, sometimes the mistakes we make are just as important as the successes. On today's episode, we are diving in deep with guest, Wendy Snyder, a parenting coach who teaches people about Positive Parenting. She shares how to get to the root cause of your child's misbehavior and how to work with your child instead of trying to change them. It's time to get intentional with empowering your kids and learn how to navigate the parenting challenges that come your way with integrity.

What's In This Episode:

• Working with your children instead of trying to change them
• The ups and downs of parenthood
• How to deal with parenting challenges with integrity
• Wendy's career and how it transitioned due to motherhood
• The three parenting styles most parents fit into
• Learning how to process our emotions
• Incorporating new habits into parenting and staying on track
• How parenting mistakes are just as important as successes
• Challenges and expectations that parents have
• The fear and force model and how this affects children
• How to avoid raising helicopter kids
• Getting intentional with empowering your kids
• The importance of community in parenthood

On today's episode, we are talking about creating a deeper meaning to motherhood and your life as a mama. It can be challenging as a mom to put yourself before your family, but sometimes that's exactly what we need. We brought on an expert guest, Jenny Blossom, to help us understand how to simplify motherhood and the ups and downs that go along with raising a family. Jenny is the founder of Blossoming Mommy & Baby, which helps busy mamas live healthier lives and navigate modern homemaking. You will hear practical advice on how to find the best version of yourself as a mom and be able to identify and maneuver the daily challenges of motherhood.

What's In This Episode:

• Bringing further meaning to your life as a mama
• How Jenny built a brand about motherhood before being a mom herself
• How being at rock bottom led Jenny to start her own business
• The transition to being a mom and a business owner
• Her 3 tips for mamas looking to find more meaning in motherhood
• Zoning out your motherhood tasks and batching your errands
• How Jenny's life experiences shaped her into living a meaningful motherhood
• Becoming a victor rather than being a victim
• Quick, healthy meals for your family
• Ending the comparison game and focusing in on being present for your family
• What Jenny is most excited about for her business and motherhood

Was your hardest part of pregnancy the fourth trimester? Today, we are talking about the postpartum period after the baby has arrived. We have enlisted an expert guest, OBGYN Dr. Christine Sterling, to help us navigate this crazy time! In this episode, Dr. Sterling breaks down all that encompasses this period of time. Mamas trust us, you will feel your postpartum experience was a normal experience as she speaks the truth to what really happens to us physically, mentally & emotionally. You will learn how to better navigate your body, brain, family, and relationships during this period of time, and feel inspired by the changes Dr. Sterling wants to make when it comes to women's postpartum care.

What's In This Episode:

• Christine's personal experience with the fourth trimester & how that impacted how she treats her patients
• What the fourth trimester is
• The physical & emotional changes during this postpartum period
• What women should expect during that time
• The specific challenges you can face when breastfeeding
• The differences between the care women experience during pregnancy and postpartum
• What Christine tells mom to expect from the fourth trimester
• Her tips to help communication with your partner during the postpartum period
• Postpartum paternal depression
• What your expectations should be towards feeling like a mom
• The hormone shift you experience after giving birth and how it impacts your experience
• The new age baby showers
• What ideal postpartum care would look like
• Ways that expectant moms can prepare for postpartum

Today, we are going in for round two to talk about birth options. If you tuned in last week you heard the first part of this very informative interview with birth experts Anna Forsberg & Anglea De Leon of the San Diego Birth Network. If you have not yet listened to that episode make sure to go back and start there! What you can expect to hear in this series is information about the different types of birth providers, and what options are really available to you as a mom about to go through delivery. We will break down what a doula is vs midwife, and relay some tips for the challenging postpartum period.

What's In This Episode:

• The different options available for birthing their babies
• The pros and cons of the different birthing options
• Key questions to ask your doctor, midwife, or doula
• The different costs associated with the different places to give birth
• Postpartum care with each different birthing option
• Advice for moms who are preparing to deliver
• How doulas can help in the postpartum period
• The way that moms can best advocate for themselves during birth