Mama Making Podcast

Second pregnancies are supposed to be easier, right? Not always. 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with returning guest Mariela De Santiago for a candid, practical, and deeply relatable conversation about what it actually looks like to prepare for baby number two. From a harder pregnancy than expected to a planned C-section, from sibling prep to postpartum non-negotiables, Mariela shares exactly what she did differently — and what she wishes she had known the first time around. Whether you're expecting your second or just dreaming about it, this one is packed with real talk and real recommendations.

MAIN TOPICS COVERED

• How Mariela's second pregnancy compared to her first — and why it was so much harder
• Slowing down, self-care, and giving herself permission to not push through
• Preparing a toddler for a new sibling — books, buy-in, and big brother involvement
• Why Mariela chose a planned C-section for her second birth and how different the experience was
• Postpartum recovery — the cart setup, mini fridge hack, comfortable clothes, and what actually helped
• The top five things Mariela did differently the second time around
• Postpartum doula, house cleaner, meal delivery, newborn photos, and having a hairstylist come to her
• Staying aligned with your partner on visitors, routines, and the division of care
• Freeze-drying breast milk with Milk by Mom — and why it's a game changer
• Keeping older children's routines consistent when a new baby arrives
• Having a provider resource list ready before you need it
• What Jessica is planning to do differently for her own second baby

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Milk by Mom — freeze-dried breast milk service (Mariela has a discount code — check show notes)
• Purple Carrot — plant-based meal delivery kit used during Mariela's postpartum
• Kindred Bravely — nursing bras and postpartum pajamas mentioned by Mariela
• Postpartum doula — highest recommendation from both Mariela and Jessica
• Bottle dishwasher — baby bottle-specific tabletop dishwashers (brands TBD — check show notes for links)

HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

• Instagram: @newmomtalk.podcast
• Podcast: New Mom Talk Podcast
• Carlsbad Mom Crew

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What if the hardest parts of motherhood weren't signs that you're failing — but invitations to finally understand yourself? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Angele Close, clinical psychologist, motherhood coach, and author of Unburdening Motherhood, for a deeply honest conversation about matrescence, the Internal Family Systems model, and what it really means to heal inside of motherhood. From mom guilt and perfectionism myths to the parts of us that get triggered every single day, this conversation is the one every mother deserves to hear — and probably didn't know she needed.

MAIN TOPICS COVERED

• Dr. Angele's personal story — from general practitioner to motherhood coach
• What matrescence is, where the term came from, and why it changes everything
• How every element of your identity shifts when you become a mother — physically, emotionally, neurologically, spiritually, and financially
• Why unhealed childhood wounds resurface alongside parenting
• The myths and cultural messages about "good motherhood" we absorb without realizing it
• The "good enough mother" research by Dr. Donald Winnicott — and why perfection actually harms our kids
• What Internal Family Systems (IFS) is and how it works
• The difference between manager parts, firefighter parts, and exiled parts
• What it looks like to parent from your parts vs. parenting from self-energy
• Practical ways to start working with IFS on your own
• Unburdening Motherhood — what's in it and who it's for

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Unburdening Motherhood: A Guide to Breaking Cycles, Healing Trauma and Becoming a Self-Led Mom by Dr. Angele Close 
  • Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major retailers
  • Website: drangelclose.com
• Internal Family Systems model — developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz
• The Happy Mama Movement podcast by Amy Taylor Cabez (referenced by Dr. Angele as where she first discovered matrescence)
• Dr. Donald Winnicott's "Good Enough Mother" 

HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

• Website: drangelclose.com
• Unburdening Motherhood available wherever books are sold

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

Sometimes the universe pushes you before you're ready. 

In this solo episode, Jessica gets honest about her business ownership journey — from a career she loved in nonprofit fundraising, to a corporate pivot, to an unexpected layoff that became the unlikely catalyst for everything. She talks about the messy middle of entrepreneurial growth, the imposter syndrome that comes with it, the therapy session that reframed everything, and what it really feels like to be a mom, a business owner, and a podcaster all at once — when none of it was exactly the plan. This one is for every woman who's figuring it out in real time.

MAIN TOPICS COVERED

• Jessica's background in nonprofit fundraising and why she walked away
• The pivot to project management and how it created space for the podcast
• Getting laid off — and why it was the push she didn't know she needed
• Starting Collabs Creative with her collaborator Maria
• Going from freelance side projects to full-on entrepreneurship
• The overwhelming reality of an unexpected growth phase
• Imposter syndrome, identity shifts, and the feeling of failing at everything
• What her therapist said that reframed it all
• Comparing the entrepreneurial growth phase to the first year of motherhood
• Trusting your gut, choosing alignment, and leading by example
• What's coming next: a new podcast season focused on women making impact

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Collabs Creative (Jessica's business) — collabscreative.com
• The Mama Making Podcast  — themamamakingpodcast.com

HOW TO CONNECT WITH JESSICA

• Podcast website: themamamakingpodcast.com
• Subscribe on YouTube: @themamamakingpodcast
• Join the newsletter: themamamakingpodcast.com

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What happens when the feeding journey you planned isn't the one you get? In this episode, Jessica sits down with Mallory Whitmore — founder of The Formula Mom, infant feeding technician, and author of Bottle Service — for an honest, judgment-free conversation about formula feeding. From debunking the biggest formula myths to navigating the guilt and grief that can come with changing course, Mallory brings the research, the real talk, and the reassurance that fed truly is best. Whether you're formula feeding by choice, by necessity, or somewhere in between — this one's for you.

MAIN TOPICS COVERED

• How The Formula Mom was born out of Mallory's own feeding struggles in 2016
• The 2022 formula shortage — what happened, why it mattered, and what changed
• Common formula myths and how to evaluate fear-based statistics with context
• Social media pressure and the culture of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding
• Combo feeding: why it's more common than we think (and why no one talks about it)
• The grief and guilt of a feeding journey that doesn't go as planned
• How navigating feeding challenges builds a muscle you'll use for the rest of your parenting life
• How to choose a formula that fits your baby's needs and your family's values
• International formula imports — the "black market" before 2022, the enforcement discretion pathway, and what it means now
• Bottle Service: the book, what's in it, and why Mallory wrote it

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Bottle Service: Education and Encouragement for Guilt-Free and Successful Formula Feeding by Mallory Whitmore 
  • Available at: bottleservicebook.com
  • Also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and local independent bookstores
• The Formula Mom on social media: @theformulamom (all platforms)
• CDC Breastfeeding Report Card (referenced in conversation)

HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

• Instagram / TikTok / all social platforms: @theformulamom
• Website & book info: bottleservicebook.com

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What happens when you launch a business two weeks before giving birth?

In this episode of The Mama Making Podcast, I sit down with pharmacist, functional medicine consultant, podcast host, and new mom Dr. Kelly Moline to talk about building a business in the early days of motherhood — and redefining success along the way.

Kelly shares how her curiosity inside traditional pharmacy practice led her into functional medicine, root-cause wellness, and supporting women through hormones, gut health, cortisol regulation, and sustainable weight loss. We also talk about GLP-1 medications, the “crunchy mom” spectrum, NICU stays, miscarriage, podcasting vulnerability, and what it really looks like to build something meaningful while raising a baby.

We talk about:

• Starting an LLC weeks before going into labor
• Transitioning from traditional pharmacy to functional medicine
• Root-cause wellness vs. symptom management
• GLP-1 medications and weight loss conversations
• Hormones, cortisol, thyroid, and gut health
• Postpartum identity and ambition
• Miscarriage and NICU experiences
• Crunchy motherhood and holistic parenting
• Podcasting as connection and community

This episode is for the mom who wants to understand her body better, build something meaningful, and redefine what success looks like in this season.

Main Topics Covered

• Functional medicine and root-cause wellness
• Weight loss coaching beyond medication
• Comprehensive hormone testing (including DUTCH testing)
• The role of GLP-1 medications and lifestyle support
• Balancing entrepreneurship and new motherhood
• Rethinking hustle culture
• Slow-burn business growth
• Miscarriage and fertility conversations
• NICU stays and hospital transfers
• “Crunchy mom” philosophy and holistic parenting
• Podcasting vulnerability and community building

Resources Mentioned

• DUTCH Test (Dried Urine Testing for Comprehensive Hormones)
• Functional medicine lab testing (hormones, cortisol, gut health, thyroid)
• GLP-1 medications (as a weight loss tool)
• Moleen Method — https://moleenmethod.com

How to Connect with Dr. Kelly Moline

Instagram: @functionalmedicineformoms
Website: https://moleenmethod.com

Kelly offers health analysis appointments, functional lab testing, and personalized protocols focused on optimizing health naturally.

How to Connect with Jessica

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads: @themamamakingpodcast
Website: https://themamamakingpodcast.com
YouTube: The Mama Making Podcast

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a solo episode — and there’s a lot happening.

In this honest check-in, I’m sharing podcast updates, business growth, big pivots for the next season, and some personal reflections on alignment, ambition, and expanding our family.

After five years of podcasting, this past year brought the most growth The Mama Making Podcast has ever seen — and it’s pushing me to think bigger. Bigger guests. Bigger impact. Bigger opportunities. And less holding back.

We talk about:

• The major listener growth from this past year
• The shift toward a “Moms Making Impact” focus
• Finally pitching the “big” guests
• Opening the door to aligned sponsorships
• The growth of Collabs Creative
• Hiring contractors and building processes in real time
• Choosing alignment over overcommitment
• Expanding our family and what that might look like

This episode is about shooting your shot, getting out of your own way, and redefining what’s possible — in motherhood, in business, and in life.

Main Topics Covered

• Five years of podcasting and recent growth
• Re-centering the podcast around impact
• Moms making impact beyond entrepreneurship
• Overcoming fear of pitching big guests
• Opening sponsorship opportunities intentionally
• Growing Collabs Creative
• Onboarding clients and contractors
• The messy middle of building systems
• Time alignment and overcommitment
• Hunkering down and choosing quality over quantity
• Expanding family hopes and future intentions

Resources Mentioned

• Collabs Creative — www.collabscreative.com
• Join The Mama Making Podcast email list
  
  

How to Connect with Jessica

Podcast: The Mama Making Podcast
Website: https://themamamakingpodcast.com

Business: https://collabscreative.com
Email: [email protected]

Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What if the life you planned doesn’t unfold the way you imagined — but something equally powerful emerges in its place?

In this episode of The Mama Making Podcast, I sit down with author, speaker, and founder of Cheri’s Choice, Cheri Bergeron, to talk about infertility, IVF after 40, egg donation, and ultimately choosing solo motherhood.

Cheri shares her journey from building a successful career in Silicon Valley to realizing that the timeline she assumed she had for motherhood wasn’t guaranteed. We talk about the emotional weight of fertility treatments, the decision to use an egg donor, grieving the traditional two-parent fairy tale, and the strength it takes to build a family on your own terms.

We also discuss the legal challenges Cheri faced when outdated laws collided with modern reproductive technology — and how her fight reshaped her understanding of autonomy and empowerment.

This episode is for any woman navigating infertility, reconsidering her timeline, or redefining what family can look like.

Main Topics Covered

• Career-first identity and delayed motherhood
• Fertility awareness and the realities of aging
• The emotional impact of IVF
• Choosing egg donation
• Becoming a single mother by choice
• Letting go of the traditional family narrative
• Legal challenges surrounding assisted reproductive technology
• Redefining empowerment through reproductive planning

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Mission Motherhood by Cheri Bergeron
• Cheri’s Choice nonprofit

How to Connect with Cheri

Website: https://cheribergeron.com
Nonprofit: https://cherieschoice.com
Instagram: @cheribergeron
LinkedIn: Cheri Bergeron

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What if success didn’t mean more — but meant peace?

In this episode of The Mama Making Podcast, Jessica sits down with Kate Scholtes — founder of Your Behind-the-Scenes BFF — to talk about building businesses that support motherhood instead of competing with it.

Kate shares her journey from classroom teacher to network marketing to virtual assistant mentor — and how becoming a mom completely reshaped what ambition, alignment, and success look like for her.

They unpack:

• Letting go of hustle culture
• The evolution of identity through motherhood
• Setting real client boundaries
• Social media and “forced authenticity”
• The power of permission — to pivot, to change your mind, to redefine the dream

If you’ve ever felt like your goals shifted after becoming a mom — or wondered if it’s okay to want something different than you used to — this conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

Main Topics Covered

• Leaving teaching and starting in network marketing
• Becoming a mom and experiencing a complete identity shift
• Alignment vs. hustle culture
• Moving from accolades to peace as a success metric
• Building a VA business during pregnancy
• Setting client boundaries that protect family life
• Social media burnout + intentional stepping away
• “Forced authenticity” vs. real authenticity
• The flexibility myth in entrepreneurship
• Giving yourself permission to pivot
• Why changing your mind isn’t failure

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Course: Beginner to Booked VA

How to Connect with Kate

• Instagram: @yourbffkate
• Podcast: The Virtual Assistant School Podcast
• Website: https://yourbtsbff.com

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What happens when the career you worked your entire life for suddenly disappears — right in the middle of pregnancy?

In this episode of The Mama Making Podcast, Jessica sits down with email marketing strategist and mom of two Allison Hardy to talk about building a multi-six-figure business that actually supports motherhood — not one that drains it.

Allison shares her journey from college art professor to accidental entrepreneur, how postpartum depression forced her to rethink hustle culture, and why creating systems that work in the background changed everything. Together, they unpack identity shifts, redefining balance, getting your time back, and what it looks like to build a business that moves with the seasons of motherhood.

This is a grounded, honest conversation about letting go of pressure, honoring energy, and building something sustainable — in business and at home.

Main Topics Covered

• Losing a “dream career” and rebuilding identity after motherhood
• Entrepreneurship out of necessity vs. intention
• Postpartum depression and creating systems that reduce stress
• Selling daily without constant launching
• Email funnels as nervous-system support
• Why balance isn’t real — and what works instead
• Getting time back through systems at home and in business
• Teaching kids about work, leadership, and flexibility
• Modeling entrepreneurship through everyday life
• The power of not giving up when things feel messy

Resources Mentioned

• Email funnels & automated email marketing
• Lead magnets and evergreen content systems
• Collaborations, bundles, and private podcast series
• Pinterest, podcasting, and ads as long-term lead drivers
• AI tools for business systems (and kid-friendly creativity!)

How to Connect with Allison Hardy

• Website: https://www.allisonhardy.com
• Membership: Emails That Sell
• Podcast: Email Empires

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!

What if preparing for another baby started with preparing you? In this thoughtful conversation, Ayurvedic doctor and functional hormone specialist Madison Waggoner shares her personal journey through motherhood, healing, and surrender—and how it’s shaped the way she supports women preparing for pregnancy. From digestive fire to emotional digestion, Madison offers a fresh perspective on preconception care and why the second baby journey often looks different.

Whether you’re actively trying or just starting to think about baby #2, this episode invites you to slow down, listen in, and reclaim your sense of agency along the way.

Main Topics Covered

• Madison’s personal story of postpartum healing and identity shifts
• How Ayurveda helps support digestion, hormones, and fertility
• Creating space emotionally and physically before trying to conceive again
• The difference between "trying" and consciously preparing
• How small daily rituals can restore energy and vitality
• Addressing fear, surrender, and nervous system regulation in motherhood

Resources Mentioned

• Banyan Botanicals
  (Ayurveda resource)
• Ayurvedic digestion term: Agni
• Free fertility-type quiz: Available at shriwellness.com
  
  

Connect with Madison Waggoner

Website: shriwellness.com
Instagram: @shriwellness
Programs: Preconception & fertility prep for moms thinking about baby #2

This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story.

Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook!
Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link
Watch on YouTube: Click here!