HERself

Mom guilt can feel SO heavy in one season of life, and lighter in others. If you’ve yet to feel one of the lighter seasons, today’s episode is for you. We are here to tell you that we see you and we hope that today’s episode helps to open up the conversation about mom guilt.

In today’s episode we both share how our mom guilt has changed over the years from when our children were infants to their ages now. For Abby, mom guilt currently shows up with her children’s involvement in sports and being able to spend time at practice and games with all the other life things going on creating schedule conflicts. Amy shares that having one child who is a deep feeler and big reactor requires a lot of hands-on parenting and how that has affected her other children and the guilt that comes along with making each of her three children feel special. 

Something both of us can relate to is the guilt that comes along with being a working mother. Amy finds encouragement thinking about the other working moms in her life that are both amazing career women AND amazing mothers! Seeing the proof you can be both at the same time and reminding yourself that your work is important for your family makes the guilt a little less heavy. Whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, working to release the mom guilt will lead to a happier life!

Links & Resources:

20% off your purchase of Thorne

20% off at Vuori Clothing

HERself Episode 12 - Mom Guilt: How We’re Working Through It

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Divorce is a heavy topic, but it happens and that’s why we thought it was important to bring you this episode. We are so lucky to have Kate Anthony as our guest for today. Kate is a divorce coach who helps women decide if they should stay or leave their marriages and is a wealth of knowledge of the divorce process. Whether today’s episode applies to you personally or not, it could be helpful for your sister, friend, or other family member. We hope you take what you need from today’s interview with Kate and pass this episode along to someone you know who may need the information too.

There are two big common misconceptions about divorce that Kate breaks down for us. Lots of people think that couple’s therapy may be the first step towards reconciliation. However, it is not always the answer and Kate tells us which marriage scenarios should actually avoid it. If divorce is the route you choose, Kate shares with us how she thinks you should go about the first steps of the process as well as some important “do’s and don’ts” of divorce. 

If you, our listener, is living in an unhealthy marriage, we want you to know that you deserve to be happy. Reach out to a marriage coach, someone like Kate, who can help you discern what your next steps should be and utilize their resources. You deserve happiness and we support you! 

Links & Resources:

Free sample pack with purchase of LMNT

10% off at BETTERHELP

Follow Kate on Instagram

Kate’s Website

Listen to Kate’s Podcast: Divorce Survival Guide Podcast

Purchase Kate’s Book; “The D Word”

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

As we are closing the chapter on this year’s summer season with the celebration of Labor Day here in the US, we thought it would be perfect to revisit our conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy from episode 146. Besides being a psychologist, Dr. Becky is also a mother of three and founder of Good Inside, the expert-guided, community-powered platform equipping parents with a new way of seeing and solving challenges at home. 

With a new school year starting, there will be many transitions for our kids. And for us as parents! Dr. Becky’s insight on parenting is so valuable as we go into this fall season. She opens up the conversation on a lot of topics that usually happen behind closed doors and has great advice on how to approach our children’s changing behaviors when going through transitional times like the start of a new school year. Dr. Becky encourages us that no matter where we are in our motherhood and parenting journey, it’s never too late to re-evaluate our behaviors and start to make a change.

Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram

Dr. Becky’s Website

Dr. Becky’s Online Workshops

Purchase Dr. Becky’s Book; Good Inside

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today is a more casual episode between us, your hosts, Amy and Abby, as we talk all about stress and the way it’s impacted our lives, our families and friends, and the techniques we’ve learned over the years to get through those stressful times.

Our long term partners can get the brunt of our stress. Sometimes that means our stress can be triggering for them and vice versa! Every person deals with stress differently. Do you withdraw? Do you nitpick? Do you yell? Reflecting on your inner self, what are your triggers while you’re going through a stressful time? Knowing these triggers can help you pause in the moment and approach the situation differently. Try narrating how you’re feeling to your kids so they know you’re reaching your limit to prevent an explosion. And don’t forget to utilize your “village”. Whether that’s nearby family or friends, lean on them to support you in times of stress. Most of the time, they will happily help! 

Work and friendship goes hand and hand for us as best friends who own a business together. Being open, honest, and direct about our stressors and what our needs are from each other has really helped us be on the same page with our expectations for the day-to-day workflow. We often check in with each other before unloading a heavy work-related topic just to make sure it can be given the proper attention it needs. Not taking things personally has really helped the way we respond to friends as well. 

What we want you to take away from this episode is that we all experience stress and stressful situations. And we all express our stress differently. We can’t handle it perfectly every time, but the goal is to take a deep breath and be a little bit better each day. 

Links & Resources:

Free Shipping at GOODR with code ‘HERSELF’

Free sample pack with purchase of LMNT

ShrinkChicks Podcast

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

This episode is a MUST listen! Today on the podcast we have Dr. Karen Tang. She is a board-certified gynecologist who is here to answer ALL of our questions about women’s health that we were never taught before! Her goal through her online presence is to help get rid of the stigma around women’s health so that women everywhere can live better.

“Cycle syncing” is a popular trend going around online. Dr. Tang tells us that if it works for you to change your workouts and diet based on your cycle phase, then keep doing so! But it’s totally not necessary. Your flow can say a lot about your period health, so Dr. Tang covers how much flow is too little and also how much is too much and could be cause for concern. If you’ve been on birth control for several years and are wondering if it’s safe to continue, Dr. Tang breaks that down for us based on the types of birth control and the risk factors involved. 

As we enter into our late 30s and 40s, women start experiencing symptoms of perimenopause. We talk with Dr. Tang about what we can do during this transitional time to improve our experience of perimenopause. Dr. Tang leaves us with the encouragement that if you feel something is not right, don’t wait to seek help while you suffer. Talk to your provider or get a second opinion to come up with a plan to help you live your best life. You’ve got this!


10% off at BETTERHELP


Try Forage Kitchen

Follow Dr. Karen Tang on Instagram

Dr. Karen Tang’s Website

Purchase Dr. Tang’s Book; It’s Not Hysteria, Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told)

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today on the podcast we are happy to have Megan McNamee of Feeding Littles. Megan is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist who works specifically with babies, children, and their families to promote positive eating habits. Megan began teaching feeding courses at her local hospital after an unfortunate series of events before her first child was born. It was there that she fell in love with teaching families and babies and met Judy, an OT and feeding therapist, and created Feeding Littles together!

Do you have a picky eater? Megan wants you to know that picky eating is normal in childhood! And it won’t last forever. You know your child the best, so the guidelines Megan shares with us today may not apply to every situation, but are a great starting place to help your picky eater. 

We’ve all heard how beneficial it is for our children to sit as a family for dinner time because it is a time for connection. But we realize that our school-age children have activities that happen during the evenings. Not every family can sit down daily for a meal together, so just do it when you can! We also go through some tips about snacks before bed, easy protein sources, and how you as a parent can set a good example through food. 

Making school lunches can get overwhelming. Megan and Judy’s new book, Feeding Littles Lunches, is the perfect inspiration you need to create simple, easy, and nutritious lunches for your kiddos. With beautiful photography and a list of easy swaps for allergies/diet needs, this book will be your saving grace this upcoming school year! We’ve been using it this summer for packing our kids’ lunches and loved all their ideas!

Links & Resources:

20% off at Vuori Clothing

20% off your purchase of Thorne

Free drink mix sample pack with purchase of LMNT

Follow Megan on Instagram

Megan’s Website

Preorder Megan and Judy’s Book - available August 27th; Feeding Littles Lunches

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Lauren Goodwin, creator of Career Contessa, loves helping women navigate their careers. After having done all the “right” things, her first job after college left her wanting something more. After a long job search, Lauren became a recruiter. Now on the other side of the hiring process, she finally understood what employers were looking for. And from that, Career Contessa was born! 

There are more women in the career world now than ever before! Lauren tells us that job flexibility and pay are the two main things we should be mindful of in our current careers. If you’re feeling burnt out, present your boss with a list of solutions to your desires that would give you more flexibility in your current role. Pay is always something we should be evaluating too, even if we are happy at our current jobs. Researching the open market for salaries of your same position at other employers can help you know your value and worth. Lauren goes over how to have a salary negotiation if you find you are being undervalued at a job that you love.

Networking is everything! We know you’ve been told to network externally, but don’t forget to be relationally-minded within your current company. Lauren suggests keeping your Linkedin profile up to date even if you are taking a career break. It’s also never too late to pivot into a new career field if your priorities have shifted. And don’t forget, sometimes the “good enough” job allows us a better work/life balance than the “dream job”. To wrap up our interview, Lauren shares  her opinion on some popular career advice!

Links & Resources:

Enroll in the HERself Self-Care Course

Follow Lauren on Instagram

Lauren’s Website

Purchase Lauren’s book, “Power Moves”

Listen to Lauren’s Podcast: The Career Contessa Podcast

10% off at BETTERHELP

Code ‘HERself’ for 25% off your purchase of Goodwipes

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

This episode was brought to you by the 

Today on the show we are talking with Dominika from Dog Meets Baby. Dominika is a certified dog trainer who works specifically with families who have a dog and are bringing home a new baby or have kiddos and are bringing home a new dog. She helps to make the transition smooth for both kiddos and canines! 

Dominika’s first piece of advice if bringing a new baby home to the family dog is to have a plan - don’t wing it. If you are able to, practice! We go through some details of how to do this in today’s episode. Don’t forget to plan where your dog will go or who will stay with them while you are in the hospital for delivery!

If you feel your family is ready to add in a canine companion, it’s important to choose a dog that will fit into your family’s lifestyle. Dominika shares her insight on several points to consider when picking a dog. Is there a magic age that your kiddos should be before adding a dog to the family? Dominika tells us the age, based on the research, and a bit of an explanation behind it. 

The last thing any parent wants to happen is your dog biting your child. Dominika tells us that we should have safety rules set in place that will prevent bites. But also what to do if it does happen. 


Ensure you have a safe and happy home set up for your kids and your dog to cohabitate with Dominika’s checklist we’ve linked for you down below. Children and dogs take a lot of care and attention, finding that happy balance spending time with both will create a happy dog and a happy family!

Links & Resources:

Enroll in the HERself Self-Care Course

Follow Dominika on Instagram

Dominika’s Website

Dog Meets Baby Blog Post: How to Select a Dog for a Family with Young Kids

Dog Meets Baby Preparation Checklist

Free Shipping at GOODR with code ‘HERSELF’

20% off your purchase at Thorne

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

(Trigger warning: secondary infertility, miscarriage)

1:8 couples will experience secondary infertility. Allie Karagozian, Occupational Therapist, momma, and founder of @holdingboth, always knew she wanted to be a mom. After using fertility treatments to conceive her first child, she was overjoyed to become a mother. When she and her husband were ready for a second child, they were met with secondary infertility troubles. From that hardship, @holdingboth was created with the mentality that it is okay to be thankful to have a child, but still grieve not being able to have another. Allie wants to bring more awareness to secondary infertility and through her business she provides support and a safe landing place for those families walking through it. 

Allie wants you to know that it’s important to take care of your mental health during the journey of secondary infertility. She highly recommends that you and your partner seek therapy through any outlet you feel comfortable with, whether that’s through your insurance, BetterHelp, or support groups like the ones Allie hosts. And if you’re a friend of someone going through infertility, it can be hard to know what to say and ask. Allie gives us a great insight as to what thoughtful questions to ask to show you care without causing overwhelm.

And if you are going through a pregnancy loss, we want you to know it’s okay to ask for help. Ask a friend or family to take your other children for the day so you can rest. And please give yourself some grace during this time. We understand this is a sensitive topic, and if listening to this episode is too much right now, we understand, and encourage you to tune back when the timing is right. 

Links & Resources:

Enroll in the HERself Self-Care Course

Follow Allie on Instagram

Allie’s Website

Listen to Allie’s Podcast: The Secondary Infertility Podcast

The Miscarriage Doula on Instagram 


Resolve Support Group for Men

10% off at BETTERHELP

Free sample pack with purchase of LMNT

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen

If you follow us on Instagram, then you may have seen our stories the day we got colonics. It was an interesting experience to say the least! A lot of you, our listeners, had questions and wanted more detail about the process, how it makes you feel, what to expect, etc. Spoiler, one of us had a little bit of a poopy situation! And one of us unfortunately had a not so pleasant experience. Today we’ll go in depth about our individual experiences during our colonics and share about what you can expect if you think a colonic procedure is right for you. Would we do it again? You’ll have to listen to find out!

On a more serious note, Abby wanted to share more about her journey with Hashimoto’s disease. We have a real conversation about being aware of your body’s symptoms, knowing your triggers, and slowing down. Abby discusses her symptoms she was having when she was first diagnosed and how those have waxed and waned over time. Amy shares her concern over her heavy periods and that she is doing some hormone testing to see if any improvements can be made. If you have been experiencing symptoms similar to ours, or just not feeling yourself, we encourage you to get hormone testing done! 

Over on the Expecting and Empowered Podcast, we interviewed the owners of Your Hormone Balance, a women-owned business that specializes in hormone testing and coaching. We are so excited to share that Your Hormone Balance has provided a discount code specifically for our listeners. Getting testing can be your first step to feeling better and getting back in control of your body and your life!

Links & Resources:

Enroll in the HERself Self-Care Course

Forage Kitchen: https://www.eatforage.com/

Your Hormone Balance; use code HERSELF for 10% off the “Build Your Own” Test Kit

Let’s connect!

HERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcast

HERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcast

MEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskiefer

MEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreen