Long Days Big Love Podcast

The Days Got Long… and Life Got Loud | Motherhood, Mental Load & Starting Again

I love my kids. I love my life. But wow… I am exhausted.

After a long break, I'm finally back behind the microphone for The Long Days & Big Love Podcast. And no, life hasn't slowed down. If anything, it's gotten louder.

Between raising four kids, marriage, endless schedules, parenting a child with a disability, and the invisible mental load of motherhood, it's easy to lose sight of the things that make us feel like ourselves.

In this honest and personal comeback episode, I'm catching you up on where I've been, why I stepped away, and what finally made me stop waiting for the "perfect time" to start recording again.

We're talking about:

• The mental load of motherhood: Why moms can feel completely exhausted before the day has even really started.
• Mom guilt and burnout: Loving your family deeply while admitting you're overwhelmed and need a break.
• Special-needs parenting and advocacy: How raising Michael has changed my perspective on childhood, inclusion, and belonging.
• The Michael Mackie Project: A touching moment from our adaptive flag football program that reminded me why every child deserves the chance to be part of a team.
• Finding yourself beyond motherhood: Remembering that being a mom is an important part of who we are, but it isn't all we are.
• Starting again without perfection: Giving ourselves permission to pursue something meaningful, even when life is messy.

This episode isn't about having all the answers. It's about showing up exactly where we are, acknowledging that motherhood can be both beautiful and exhausting, and realizing that we don't have to wait for life to calm down before making room for ourselves.

Whether you're a busy mom, a special-needs parent, a caregiver, or someone navigating a season of change, I hope this conversation reminds you that you're not alone.

Because being grateful doesn't mean you're not allowed to be tired. And loving your family doesn't mean you have to love every single minute of motherhood.

So grab your coffee (or your Pepsi!), take a moment for yourself, and let's catch up.

The days can be long, but the love is always bigger. ❤️

About the Podcast

The Long Days & Big Love Podcast, hosted by Audrey Mackie, shares honest conversations about motherhood, marriage, family life, raising children with disabilities, inclusion, advocacy, and finding yourself in the beautiful chaos of everyday life.

Join the Conversation

What's something you've been putting off while waiting for life to slow down? I'd love to hear your story.

Follow, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that they aren't alone.

Before I became a mom, I had parenting all figured out—or so I thought.

In this episode of Long Days Big Love, I'm sharing the many things I swore I'd never do as a parent: screen time at restaurants, drive-thru dinners, bribery, yelling, mismatched outfits, and so much more. Like many of us, I had a picture-perfect vision of motherhood before children arrived and lovingly turned those plans upside down.

As a mom of four, including a son with special needs, I've learned that parenting isn't about following a perfect plan. It's about adapting, showing up, embracing the chaos, and focusing on what truly matters. We talk about emotional safety, kindness, flexibility, and why connection will always matter more than perfection.

If you've ever looked back and laughed at your pre-kid parenting expectations, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, I share:

• The parenting rules I completely abandoned
• Why motherhood humbled me in the best possible way
• How having multiple children changed my perspective
• What emotional safety looks like in our family
• The importance of kindness, flexibility, and showing up
• Why connection matters more than perfection

Motherhood may not look the way we imagined, but sometimes the most beautiful moments are found in the imperfections.

Thank you for joining me for another episode of Long Days Big Love. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, subscribe, and share it with another mom who needs the reminder that she's doing just fine.

Have you ever noticed that every school pickup line, PTO meeting, and youth sports sideline seems to have the same familiar cast of characters?

In this episode of Long Days, Big Love, Audrey takes a fun and relatable look at the different mom personalities that show up throughout school and sports life. From the hyper-organized mom who never misses a deadline, to the always-late hot mess mom running on coffee and determination, to the PTO queens and sideline screamers who keep everything moving, we're celebrating the women who make up our parenting village.

Through personal stories and plenty of humor, Audrey reflects on the friendships, support systems, and sense of community that develop in these shared spaces. Because while we may all parent differently, we're all navigating the same beautiful, messy journey.

So, which mom are you?

Join the conversation and discover why the moms standing beside us at practices, concerts, book fairs, and pickup lines often become some of the most important people in our lives.

Connect with us at LongDaysBigLove.com and follow Long Days, Big Love for more honest conversations about motherhood, family life, special needs parenting, marriage, and finding joy in the chaos.

What happens when one mom decides to stop waiting for someone else to make a difference?

In this episode of Long Days, Big Love, Audrey sits down with friend, nurse practitioner, and philanthropist Amy Fleming, co-founder of 412 Gives Back. What started as a simple desire to build community after moving to Pittsburgh has grown into a movement that's raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local families and organizations.

Amy shares the story behind 412 Gives Back, the magic of their kid-powered lemonade stands, and why they believe every dollar raised should directly impact the people who need it most. Together, Audrey and Amy talk about motherhood, volunteering, Make-A-Wish, the incredible work of the Children's Home of Pittsburgh, and the power of ordinary families coming together to create extraordinary change.

This conversation is a reminder that community isn't something you find—it's something you build.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How motherhood led to a life of service
• The founding story of 412 Gives Back
• Why "kids giving back to kids" matters
• The life-changing impact of Make-A-Wish
• Supporting medically complex children and their families
• Building a nonprofit from the ground up
• Finding purpose through showing up for your community

Whether you're a parent, volunteer, or someone looking for a little hope, this episode will leave you believing that small acts of kindness can create a lasting legacy.

"Because when ordinary families come together, extraordinary things happen."

What happens when life doesn't look the way you expected—and somehow becomes even more beautiful?

In this deeply personal episode, Audrey shares an honest reflection on motherhood, marriage, raising a child with profound disabilities, navigating perimenopause, and finding joy in the middle of life's longest days. She explores the reality that the hardest part isn't necessarily special needs parenting—it's choosing love through exhaustion, overwhelm, grief, uncertainty, and the everyday chaos of family life. 

From tag-teaming parenting responsibilities with her husband to raising four children with very different needs, Audrey opens up about what "big love" really means—and why the most meaningful moments often happen during the seasons that stretch us the most. 

If you're a parent feeling overwhelmed, a caregiver navigating a difficult season, a woman experiencing the realities of midlife, or someone simply trying to hold it all together, this episode is for you.
In this episode:
 • The truth about parenting a child with significant disabilities
 • Why love is easiest when life is easy—and most important when it isn't
 • Marriage, partnership, and surviving the chaos together
 • The emotional realities of perimenopause and motherhood after 40
 • Learning to embrace seasons of life instead of fighting them
 • Finding joy, gratitude, and purpose in the everyday moments
 • Why controlling yourself matters more than controlling your circumstances

No perfection. No filters. Just real conversations about family, resilience, and choosing love again and again.

If this episode resonates with you, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE with someone who may need this reminder today.

#Motherhood #SpecialNeedsParenting #AutismParenting #DisabilityAdvocacy #Perimenopause #WomenOver40 #ParentingPodcast #MarriageAndFamily #CaregiverLife #SpecialNeedsMom #MentalHealth #FamilyLife #InclusionMatters #LongDaysBigLove #Podcast

What if inclusion wasn’t something complicated—but something we simply chose to make available?

In this episode of Long Days, Big Love, Audrey sits down with Coach Mike of Fitness for Focus in Wexford to talk about building spaces where every child belongs. Together, they reflect on the journey that brought Fitness for Focus and The Michael Mackie Project together and the shared mission of creating inclusive, adaptive opportunities for children and young adults of all abilities. 

From the growth of Hoops & High Fives to expanding adaptive sports programming through Michael’s Victory Players, this conversation explores what happens when communities stop focusing on limitations and start creating possibilities. Audrey and Coach Mike discuss confidence, movement, friendship, learning through mistakes, and why inclusion doesn’t require perfection—it just requires opportunity.

You’ll hear:

•  The story behind Fitness for Focus and its inclusive approach to fitness 
•  Why adaptive and unified sports matter beyond physical activity 
•  How sports build confidence, independence, and connection 
•  The impact of bringing neurotypical and adaptive athletes together 
•  What’s next for Hoops & High Fives and adaptive football programming 

Whether you're a parent, educator, coach, advocate, or someone who believes every child deserves a chance to participate—this episode is for you.  Because every kid deserves a victory.

#LongDaysBigLove #MichaelMackieProject #FitnessForFocus #AdaptiveSports #InclusionMatters #UnifiedSports #Parenting #SpecialNeeds #Community #DisabilityInclusion

In this heartfelt episode of Long Day’s Big Love, I sit down with my longtime friend Traci Kovacic-Stein to talk about grief, motherhood, special needs parenting, and finding purpose through life’s hardest moments.

Traci shares the sudden loss of her husband at just 32 years old, raising two young children through unimaginable grief, and the terrifying accident that nearly took her daughter’s life. We also discuss parenting children with epilepsy, planning for the future of special needs families, and why financial protection matters more than most people realize.

This is a conversation about resilience, faith, motherhood, and learning how to keep going when life looks nothing like you planned.

Motherhood, marriage, identity, and the quiet chaos in between—this episode is an honest reflection on what it means to love your life while sometimes feeling a little lost inside it.

I’m sharing the reality of becoming “the unit” in my family—the scheduler, the planner, the emotional center, and the keeper of all the moving parts. From managing four kids, therapies, sports, dinner plans, and everyday overstimulation, to navigating marriage, special needs parenting, and the identity shifts that come with it all, this episode is deeply personal.

I open up about raising my son Michael, his epilepsy and autism diagnosis, and how those moments reshaped not only our family, but my marriage with my husband, Pat. We talk about communication, expectations, quiet guilt, comparison, and learning to accept that our version of “more” may look different than everyone else’s.

But in the middle of all the noise, there’s also growth—patience, faith, laughter, resilience, and rediscovering the parts of yourself you thought were gone.

This podcast is becoming one of those pieces for me—a creative space to reconnect with myself—and I hope this conversation helps you feel a little less alone in your own journey.

Because sometimes, you can love your life and still be searching for yourself inside it

Episode 1: Long Days, Big Love
In the very first episode of Long Days, Big Love, Audrey opens the door to the beautifully messy reality of motherhood, marriage, and life after 40. She shares what it means to live in the space between deep love and daily exhaustion—raising four children, including a son with complex special needs, balancing marriage, career shifts, caregiving, and the constant pressure to “hold it all together.”
This episode is an honest conversation about letting go of perfection, grieving the life you thought motherhood would look like, and learning to create your own version of success. Audrey reflects on parenting a child with epilepsy, autism, and high support needs, while also navigating the emotional weight of being the mom, the wife, the caregiver, the professional, and still trying to remember herself in all of it.
Long Days, Big Love is for the women sitting at the baseball field, the football practice, the school pickup line—quietly carrying more than anyone knows. It’s a reminder that two things can be true at once: life can be hard, and life can still be full of love.
Because the days are long… but the love is always big.