Message From Mom

On this episode of Message from Mom, Whitney chats with Lanning Ardente, founder of Sorette, a platform created to help moms find safe, trusted products through all stages of motherhood. From her background in consumer goods to her own experiences as a mom, Lanning shares what led her to launch Sorette, and why product transparency is so important for mothers today. Together, they dive into the mental load of modern motherhood, how Sorette is bridging the gap for safe product choices, and the future of this empowering platform. Join us for a conversation on building community, motherhood, and the path to creating safer options for all.

In this episode of Message from Mom, we sit down with Liz Swail, co-founder of Alive & Well, a wellness center with locations in Austin, Dallas, and Boulder. Liz shares her inspiring journey from dealing with chronic health issues to becoming a wellness advocate focused on functional health solutions. We discuss the importance of gut health, hormone balance, and the power of making small lifestyle changes that have big impacts on overall well-being. Liz offers invaluable insights on how moms can prioritize their health, manage stress, and create more balanced lives while still juggling the demands of motherhood. Tune in to hear Liz’s powerful 'pain to purpose' story and discover practical tips to feel your best every day!

In this episode, Whitney chats with Brooke Boruff, a pediatric occupational therapist and mom of two, about her journey into motherhood and how it led her to create Infant Insights. Brooke shares how personal challenges, like her son’s developmental delays, inspired her to offer expert resources to help parents navigate baby development and postpartum recovery.

She introduces the Bloom Membership, a new platform that launched this September. The membership offers guidance from experts on baby milestones, mental health, lactation support, and more. Brooke’s goal is to empower moms with the tools they need to feel confident during the early stages of parenthood.

Click here to sign-up for a 7-day free trial of the Bloom Membership program!

In this episode, we have asked our first male guest EVER to join us! Meet, Kevin Lavelle, the founder of Mizzen + Main, a father of two, and now the brains behind Harbor, a groundbreaking platform set to revolutionize the baby monitor industry. Harbor's mission is to provide innovative sleep solutions for families, emphasizing its focus on safety, convenience, and enhancing the parenting experience. Kevin talks about how he is using the Harbor platform to give parents the tools they need to feel supported in early parenthood.  You can now reserve your spot on the waitlist to experience Harbor first, by signing up at Harbor.co.

Message from Mom partnered with Headfirst Mental Health Initiative to launch a new series where moms and mental health experts gather together to have an open conversation about topics relevant to our lives and our culture at this very moment in time. The topic of the conversation was Forging Your Own Parenting Path. We asked Dr. LaKaavia Taylor, a PhD clincial professor at Southern Methodist University to join us to offer her insight. In this episode, you will hear a conversation that took place in a home in Dallas on Thursday, September 7th. We discussed the rising trend of anxiety in very young children and how to recognize what is normal and what isn't. We talked about the influence parents have on their children's behavior and the challenge of balancing control with independence in a world filled with information overload. The conversation also delved into the significance of breaking the cycle of generational trauma, advocating for self-compassion and the willingness to adapt and improve parenting approaches. A special thank you to our guest, Dr. LaKaavia Taylor and our hosts Laura Mclaughlin, founder of Headfirst Counseling and founder of Headfirst Mental Health Initiative, and Tazim Salehani, a board member of Headfirst Mental Health Initiative and founder of 360 to 180. 

Katie Beal Brown is known as the trailblazer behind Lone River Beverage Company, the hard seltzer company inspired by her West Texas roots. Just 11 months after launch, Lone River Beverage Company was acquired by the world's leading alcoholic beverage company, Diageo. But behind the brand, is the inspiring story of Katie. In this episode, Katie talks about how she launched Lone River Beverage Company in NYC at the start of COVID. She then describes how a planned two-week photoshoot in West Texas turned into a year and a half stay due to the pandemic, and how this unexpected time with family supported her business growth. Katie emphasizes the importance of a clear business vision, authentic branding, and connecting with consumers. Her story touches on adapting to unexpected changes, integrating motherhood with entrepreneurship, and finding balance amid life-altering events. You can find Katie on Instagram @katiebealbrown and her company at loneriverbevco.com. 

Annie Stull and Emily Johnson, the co-founders behind the artist-illustrated table linen brand, Fenwick Fields, sit down with us to chat about their journey of building a brand while raising young babies, navigating challenges, and adapting their strategies to create a successful and sustainable business.

We get into the nitty gritty about why they make it a priority to be directly involved in every aspect of their business, from fulfillment and marketing, to collaborations and pop-up events. 

We learn how Fenwick Fields' success stems from Annie and Emily focusing on their core product and perfecting it before branching out, as well as being attuned to the needs of their market and making adjustments accordingly.

You can find Fenwick Fields online at www.fenwickfields.com or follow along on Instagram @fenwickfields

Today I'm chatting with Annie Schmidt. If you are in the Dallas area or love following home design or Dallas based influencers on Instagram, you've probably seen her business, it's SOS Home Organization.  In this episode, Annie talks about how she left her corporates sales job to stay home with her young children, eventually discovered a knack for organization during COVID, and the steps she took to successfully launch and scale the successful luxury home organization business she runs full time today.

You can find Annie on Instagram @soshomeorganization. Her website is www.sosohomeorg.com,

I'm so excited to introduce you to Catherine Cartie as the first interview in our 6-part mini-series featuring mompreneurs that have turned their side-hustle into a thriving business! Catherine's story is unique because she's always been creative, but she didn't really have the idea to start a business of her own until after she had her first child. As a new stay-at-home mom, Catherine decided to take a calligraphy class in Dallas and after taking that class a love for calligraphy was born. From there, Catherine taught herself how to watercolor and then took online courses, eventually launching the incredible design business that she runs full time today. Catherine gets candid about how she has grown her business organically and what she has done to successfully grow her business while simultaneously growing her family. You can find Catherine on Instagram @CatherineCartieCalligraphy  and her website is catherinecartiecalligraphy.com. 

Today, I'm sharing the story behind Miracle Milkookies in light of the fact that we are celebrating our fifth birthday, this August. Something that I get asked a lot is, how did I come up with the idea to make cookies to help moms boost their milk supply? And how do you run a business while also raising a family? These are questions I often ask my podcast guests when they come on because as an entrepreneur and as a mom, I'm so curious how other people do it. In this episode, I'm sharing all of the steps I took to grow Miracle Milkookies from the ground up through word of mouth, grassroots marketing, and a lot of hustle! You'll hear why I'm so passionate about not throwing money at an idea until you know it works and why the mission behind my company is the driving force behind everything we do. You can find my company at www.miraclemilkookies.com or follow us on Instagram @miraclemilkookies