“Mom guilt”! If you’re a mom, you’ve likely experienced what that dirty term feels like first-hand. My guest today knows all about it and how to manage it so it doesn't get in the way of being the mom she wants to be.

On today's episode, I talk to Jaymee Castle from Your Milk Shoppe Knoxville. Your Milk Shoppe is a business started by moms that offers affordable maternity services to mothers from the beginning of their pregnancy into the many years of parenting. Their goal is to empower and lift up moms by assisting them in planning for their new arrival and also providing them with helpful tools and resources along the way. 

Jaymee is their Knoxville, TN representative. She lives in Knoxville with her husband and three young children where she works full time at a corporate job and also works to grow the services and reach of Your Milk Shoppe to help more moms.

From grade school through college and up the ladder in Corporate America, Jaymee always found a straight forward formula of hard working equaling success. 

Then she and her husband welcomed the first of their three young children and she quickly found that hard work didn’t always lead to what felt like a success. 

Navigating multiple pregnancies, maternity leaves and back to work transitions, all while parenting three very different babies has led Jaymee to fully understand how critical it is for mamas to have a strong support system in place.  

Jaymee and I talk about "mom guilt", knowing when and how to ask for outside help, what being a “successful” mom looks like, and why so many moms struggle during postpartum.

Jaymee has experienced both sides of the coin - working full time and also staying home full time. So I know you’ll be able to relate to her story no matter your current situation! 

JAYMEE'S INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jaymeecastle

YOUR MILK SHOPPE KNOXVILLE INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/yourmilkshoppe_knoxville

Learn more: https://yourmilkshoppe.com/

GOTCHA MAMA INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/gotchamama/

GOTCHA MAMA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gotchamama/

Waiting for something you want so much and not knowing when, how, or IF it will happen is one of the most difficult things. My guest on today's episode shares her story of grief and desperation in waiting and also the incredible miracles and hope on the other side of it. 

Today I talk with Ashleigh Mackey. Ashleigh is an Arizona adoptive mama of one who married her high school sweetheart, Bobby, in 2010. Ashleigh’s story of adopting her daughter Charleigh is truly amazing.

Her husband's childhood illness made the chances of conceiving a child very slim for them. But her desire to be a mother still weighed heavy on her heart. Through extreme ups and downs, Ashleigh leaned into God for comfort and guidance.

Ashleigh's story is about adoption, but maybe not the kind you immediately think of.  Ashleigh's story is about kinship adoption. This happens when children in foster care find permanent homes with relatives when they can’t return to live with their parents for some reason. 

Ashleigh and I talk about the pain and desperation she experienced during uncertainty while waiting for a child, how God met her at her lowest point, the miraculous series of events that occurred for Charleigh to become her daughter, and the unique set of challenges and benefits that come with kinship care and adoption. 

Ashleigh’s heart to be a mother, along with her inspiring faith in God, make this story of kinship adoption one you do NOT want to miss. SO many goosebump moments.

More about Ashleigh:

Ashleigh is a part-time special needs caregiver and a full-time stay-at-home-mama. 

Her little family of three enjoy lots of travel, exploring the outdoors, and cultivating a strong community of friendship. The Mackey’s value building a home together steeped in love and a sense of belonging to all who enter. 

Over the years, Ashleigh has built a deep love for home & event decorating. Making “something out of nothing” is what she’s known for, but what really brings her joy is all things vintage!

Following the encouragement by her family & friends, she is currently in the beginning stages of building an online thrift shop called “Mother of Thrift” where she intends to sell unique vintage finds that she collects on a weekly basis.  

ASHLEIGH'S INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/littlemissashleigh/

Ashleigh's online thrift shop - MOTHER OF THRIFT INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/motherofthrift/

GOTCHA MAMA INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/gotchamama/

GOTCHA MAMA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gotchamama/

Today I’m giving you permission to let yourself off the hook because that’s what I had to do. As moms, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for something we did or didn’t do because we just didn’t know.

As a new mom, I expected there to be sleepless nights and lots of crying - mainly my daughter, but also me. And when things were hard, and I mean really hard, those first two months after my daughter was born, I thought maybe being a mom just IS this difficult.

My daughter's two-month checkup at the pediatrician confirmed my worst fears though. Something was not right and I had been clueless while my daughter suffered. 

In today's episode, I talk about the challenges I encountered breastfeeding a baby who was diagnosed with a dairy protein allergy after months of struggling with her sleeping, eating, and endless crying, how we got the diagnosis, what we did to turn things around and get going in the right direction (her and me), and where we are now with dairy in our diets. Hint - I did NOT have a good experience with dairy-free pizza!

GOTCHA MAMA INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/gotchamama/

GOTCHA MAMA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gotchamama/

Your hearing gets muffled, the room starts to go dark. Your world is turning upside down in that very moment. As you sit in the ER staring at the awful pastel curtains, you try to make sense of what the doctor is telling you.

My guest on today's episode, Stefani Klinedinst, experienced that gut-wrenching situation.

Stefani is a wife and mom to two young boys living in Washington, D.C. When her son Brody was just sixteen months old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and a terrifying series of events followed.

I’m going to warn you now that today's episode is a graphic and emotional one. But Stefani’s story doesn’t end in the middle of a tragic situation! If you know me at all, believe that I wouldn’t leave you there. 

Through it all, Stefani has shown strength and tenacity in navigating what I can’t imagine having to go through in order to just keep moving forward and survive.

I so appreciate her bravery in sharing the really tough and messy things she’s experienced as a mom. And I hope you will too.

I don’t want your takeaway from this episode to be fear or guilt or sadness. My goal in having Stefani share her story is for you to see the value of persistence, hope, strength, and grace for yourself and for other moms in difficult seasons.

My guest today is a new mom to an adorable baby boy, but she is no newbie to waking up multiple times a night. She's been doing that pretty much every night for the past 14 years!

Rachel Mayo is the mom of her IVF miracle baby Noah. She lives and works just outside of Nashville, TN at a nonprofit that's close to her heart - JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

Rachel has lived with the autoimmune disease Type 1 Diabetes, sometimes called Juvenile Diabetes, for 14 years. She's spent a majority of those years helping other people like her navigate their disease with a positive spirit.

Type 1 Diabetes can be a challenging and frustrating disease that requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, correcting, and adjusting in order to stay alive. 

One more added weight to the mental and physical exhaustion of being a mom.

But there's no pity party here my friend. You are going to love Rachel's positive attitude and how she cares for people. Her genuineness and light-hearted spirit come through as she shares her literal highs and lows of her motherhood journey as a mom with Type 1 Diabetes.

At one time or another, we've all let our circumstances determine what we think we're capable of doing. It's only natural. My guest today is going to completely change the way you view your limitations as a mom though. I guarantee it!

Megan DeJarnett is a wife, mom to two small boys, speaker, and blogger. At 2 years old, she was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. In a wheelchair since childhood and told that she would likely only live to age 15, Megan chose not to let obstacles limit the desires in her heart or taking action to make them a reality.

She recently celebrated her 30th birthday as a healthy mom of two biological children!

Megan and I talk about removing labels, how anything is possible even though it may look different, and how we're all trying to figure out motherhood, no matter what "kind of mom" you are. 

Her journey in motherhood, and in life, is summed up so beautifully by her statement, "You are capable of more than you know!"

Hold on to your mom bun, I'm doing something a little different today! To kick off a new month, I wanted to try something new. There's no guest on this episode. It's just me telling one of my motherhood stories. . .

Ever have one of those days where your plans get derailed by something out of your control and then everything after that makes you frustrated? I had a day like that and then something unexpected happened that changed everything for me. I'll tell you all about what happened.

Have you wondered what it's like to be a mom with OCD and severe anxiety? My guest on today's episode talks about just that. Caroline Broadbent is a wife, mom to a toddler, a nurse, and a blogger.  She was diagnosed three years ago with OCD and severe anxiety and has been battling them ever since.

She started growthspurts blog as a form of therapy, and an emotional outlet from the stressors of her profession and every day triggers. 

Caroline talks about living with OCD and severe anxiety while raising a toddler, how OCD and anxiety affected her life during pregnancy and after her son was born, her thoughts on "mom guilt", hitting rock bottom, and what pulled her out of the darkest place imaginable. 

If you've ever felt stuck, or feel unfulfilled in your life as a mom, or maybe you deal with anxiety, then you NEED to listen to this week’s episode with my guest Ryan Swanson. Ryan is a wife, mom of three adorable young kiddos, a former (very successful) lawyer who is now an Executive Director with BeautyCounter (don’t worry, there’s no pitch at the end of the episode).

Ryan talks about how she went from feeling like she was drowning and unfulfilled with two small kids at home and a fulltime job she hated to now living a life she loves, pursuing her purpose, and continually working toward being the best version of herself as she also manages her anxiety. She talks about how she totally transformed her life by taking the next imperfect step and why she has decided to say ‘yes’ more.

So Buckle up, you’re going to be so inspired and motivated by her story.

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Lots of things change when you become a mom. The way you view your own beauty may be one of them. Guest Jennifer Duvall is a makeup artist, beauty blogger, and mom. We talk about how she built and runs a business she loves while she is a mom to three kids, the importance of loving yourself FOR your kids, and her favorite inexpensive and painless way to look younger. We also talk about that dirty word "comparison" and the unrealistic beauty expectations that bombard us as women and moms.