Follow along on our new Substack here: https://mightyasamother.substack.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mary Claire Haver — board-certified OB-GYN, certified menopause practitioner, founder of The Pause Life and Mary Claire Wellness, and one of the leading voices changing the conversation around perimenopause and menopause for women everywhere. Her bestselling book The New Menopause and upcoming book The New Perimenopause are helping women better understand what's happening in their bodies long before that one official day called menopause arrives.

Together, we unpack what perimenopause actually is, why it can begin earlier than many women expect, and how symptoms like sleep disruption, anxiety, brain fog, weight changes, palpitations, and feeling unlike yourself are too often dismissed as stress, motherhood, or burnout.

We also talk about the overlap between postpartum and perimenopause, why so many women spend months or years searching for answers, and what it looks like to advocate for yourself when your body is waving a flag and no one seems to be listening.

This is a conversation every woman needs — not just the ones having hot flashes. Because for many of us, this story starts much earlier, much quieter, and with symptoms we were never taught to connect to hormones in the first place.

Together, we talk candidly about:

• What perimenopause is — and why it's not the same thing as menopause

• Why women in their late 30s and early 40s may already be experiencing symptoms

• The overlap between postpartum, fertility journeys, and perimenopause

• Why so many women say, "I just don't feel like myself"

• The symptoms clinicians often miss, from sleep issues and anxiety to joint pain and dizziness

• How to advocate for yourself when your concerns are dismissed

• What hormone therapy actually is, and why fear around it has kept too many women from getting support

• The health habits that matter most for long-term strength, bone health, heart health, and aging well

• Why community, education, and honest conversations with other women matter so much in this season

Dr. Haver also shares her own evolution — from longtime OB-GYN in academic medicine to building a menopause-focused practice and global platform that is helping women feel seen, believed, and better equipped to care for themselves. She also discusses her work with Midi Health, a virtual care platform focused on menopause and midlife care.

This one is for the woman lying awake at 3:17 a.m., wondering why she can't sleep. For the woman who feels foggy, anxious, inflamed, or off — and keeps getting told it's just stress. For the woman trying to mother, lead, work, and hold it all together while quietly wondering what the hell is happening to her body.

You are not imagining it. And you are definitely not alone.

Links & Resources 👉 The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver 👉 The New Perimenopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver 👉 Mary Claire Wellness / The Pause Life (The 'Pause Wellness) 👉 Find a certified menopause practitioner through The Menopause Society (Menopause Practitioner) 👉 Learn more about Midi Health (Join Midi) 👉 Dr. Haver's Diary of a CEO conversation on menopause (YouTube)

For more honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn and Substack.

In a world where boys are told to "toughen up" before they even understand what they're feeling, how do we raise sons who stay connected to their hearts?

In this episode, we sit down with writer, editor, and media critic Joanna Schroeder to talk about what it really means to raise emotionally healthy boys today. Not perfect boys. Not "alpha" boys. Not fragile boys. But boys who can feel.

Together, we unpack what's often called the "boy crisis" — and move beyond headlines to the real, lived experiences happening in our homes. From emotional suppression to loneliness, from screen time to algorithm-driven messaging, we explore the cultural forces shaping our sons — and what we can actually do about it as parents.

This conversation isn't about fear. It's about awareness. And responsibility. And repair.

We talk candidly about:

• Why boys' mental health deserves our attention — without ignoring the bigger picture

• The subtle ways society teaches boys to disconnect from their emotions

• How to help boys regulate anger without shaming their feelings

• What emotional safety at home actually looks like (especially when we're dysregulated ourselves)

• How social media and online content shape boys' identity earlier than we think

• Practical boundaries around screen time, smartphones, and tech in the bedroom

• Why repair matters more than perfection in parenting

• How to raise boys who are both strong and soft

One of our favorite takeaways? You don't have to protect your son from the world entirely. But you can make your home the safest place for him to land.

This episode is for the moms raising sons. For the parents trying to break cycles. For anyone who has ever been told to "stop crying" and is determined to do it differently.

The goal isn't to raise boys who never struggle.

It's to raise boys who know they don't have to struggle alone.

Links & Resources 👉 Joanna's book Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men 👉 Talk To Your Boys website 👉 Joanna on Instagram 👉 2024 Recap Episode (where we talk about trying to do it all)

For more honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — and follow along on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast.

In a culture that still glorifies hustle and resilience, what happens when the very grit that built your success starts quietly depleting you?

In this episode, Jenn sits down with Amanda Goetz—two-time founder, four-time CMO, mom of three, and author of Toxic Grit—for a conversation that feels like a deep exhale for ambitious women everywhere. Amanda has built brands, raised millions, navigated divorce, and reinvented herself more than once. And somewhere along the way, she realized that the same grit that fueled her rise was also quietly burning her out.

Her book, Toxic Grit: How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have, is already resonating with thousands of women questioning hustle culture and craving something more sustainable. Today, we go there with her.

Together, we talk candidly about:

• The difference between healthy ambition and "toxic grit"—and how to know when you've crossed the line

• Why "alignment" can feel impossible when you're juggling multiple identities at once

• Amanda's Character Theory and how naming the different parts of yourself can reduce guilt and increase presence

• The concept of "spin cycles" and why intentional resets—both daily and seasonally—are essential for ambitious women

• How to set an "enoughness line" so you can push in one season without losing yourself in the process

• The seasonality of ambition—blooming, going back into the dirt, and trusting the cycle

We also dive into practical rituals for transitioning between roles (from CEO to caregiver to partner to solo human), and how even small boundaries—like a commute bath or a 20-minute phone-free walk—can radically shift how you show up.

This conversation is for the woman who's been praised for her grit. The steady one at home. The overachiever at work. The one who "just gets it done," even when she's running on fumes. It's for anyone who has quietly wondered why doing it all still doesn't feel like enough—and who is brave enough to imagine something different.

Amanda reminds us that ambition isn't the enemy. But unchecked ambition without reflection, rest, and recalibration? That's where it gets dangerous. Balance, she argues, isn't about every day feeling even. It's about zooming out and honoring the macro rhythms of your life.

If you've been living in hustle mode for longer than you'd like to admit, this episode might just be the permission slip you didn't know you needed.

Links & Resources 👉 Toxic Grit: How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have by Amanda Goetz 👉 Amanda's newsletter, Life's a Game 👉 Toxic Grit Workbook

For more honest conversation at the intersection of motherhood, ambition, and identity, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and follow along on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast

What does burnout really look like for high-functioning women and mothers?

In this powerful episode of Mighty as a Mother, we sit down with clinical psychologist and maternal mental health expert Dr. Lilit to unpack the emotional and physical toll of modern motherhood. Together, we explore why so many women feel exhausted, disconnected, and stretched too thin—and why those feelings often go unnamed and untreated.

If you've ever asked yourself, Why am I so tired even after I sleep? Why do I feel like I'm falling apart even when things look fine?, this conversation is for you.

Dr. Lilit brings both professional expertise and lived experience to our dialogue, offering real-world insight into how stress manifests in the body, why so many mothers struggle with identity loss, and what we can do—practically and compassionately—to feel more like ourselves again.

In this episode, we explore:

• Signs of maternal burnout and chronic stress that often go unnoticed

• How emotional overload shows up in the body (think: shoulder pain, tight chest, irritability)

• The difference between functioning and feeling well

• How to create micro-moments of nervous system regulation, even in a packed day

• The importance of self-repair and modeling emotional honesty for our kids

• Why many moms carry guilt for simply needing a break—and how to release it

Key topics we cover: maternal mental health support, burnout in motherhood, nervous system tools, mental load of parenting, working mom wellness, somatic signs of stress, how to set emotional boundaries, postpartum mental health, emotional regulation for moms

Links & Resources

👉 The CDC on connected playtime and child development: Link 👉 Follow Dr. Lilit on Instagram: @dr.lilit 👉 Learn more about her practice: www.drlilit.com 👉 Jenn's favorite mindfulness tool: Calm App 👉 Our most-downloaded episodes on burnout:

🎧 E39: Boundary Setting, Beating Burnout, and Reclaiming Yourself – Part 1 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e39-boundary-setting-beating-burnout-and-reclaiming/id1687678053?i=1000679065346 (podcasts.apple.com)

🎧 E40: Boundary Setting, Beating Burnout, and Reclaiming Yourself – Part 2 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/vn/podcast/e40-boundary-setting-beating-burnout-and-reclaiming/id1687678053?i=1000680685965 (podcasts.apple.com)

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For more conversations on motherhood, identity, and mental health, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast for more honest reflections on modern motherhood.

In a world that rewards busyness and glorifies the grind, it's no wonder so many of us feel chronically behind—on time, on rest, on joy.

In this episode, we sit down with Cassie Holmes, chaired professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management and bestselling author of Happier Hour, for a deeply grounding conversation about why time always feels scarce—and what actually helps.

Cassie doesn't just study happiness and time poverty. She's lived it. As a working mom navigating the seasons from toddlers to teens, she brings both data and deep empathy to the question so many women are asking: Why does it feel like there's never enough time—and how do we stop feeling so depleted by it?

Together, we talk candidly about:

• What time poverty really is—and why women and mothers feel it most acutely

• Why busyness has become a badge of honor (and how it quietly erodes our happiness)

• The surprising research behind giving time to get time

• How small mindset shifts—like "less doing, more being"—can radically change how our days feel

• Why connection, not productivity, is often the missing ingredient

• The myth of needing more time—and the reality of finding joy inside the time you already have

• How to "time craft" your days and weekends so they feel more spacious and meaningful

• Why happiness isn't selfish—and how it actually makes us better partners, parents, and leaders

This conversation is full of permission slips: to stop racing the clock, to stop saving joy for "someday," and to notice the ordinary moments that won't always be there—bedtime cuddles, slow mornings, shared chairs at the beach.

Links & Resources 👉 Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes

👉 Research on time poverty, happiness, and well-being

👉 Cassie's website

For more conversations like this one, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In a world that tells moms we can "have it all," most of us are sitting there like… cool, can I also have five uninterrupted minutes and a hot cup of coffee?

In this episode, we sit down with journalist-turned-health-tech insider Christina (Chrissy) Farr to talk about the career moves that actually matter after becoming a mother—because postpartum isn't just a physical recovery. It's a full identity recalibration.

Chrissy has built a rare career at the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and healthcare innovation—and she's refreshingly blunt about what changed for her once kids entered the picture: her relationship with time, the power of boundaries, and the shift from doing everything to doing the right things.

Together, we unpack:

• Why motherhood makes you stop working "for exposure" (and start pricing your time like the precious resource it is)

• Chrissy's "high-visibility vs. low-visibility work" framework—and why it's a game changer when your life has daycare pickup baked into it

• The honest shift many women feel after having kids: wanting purpose and financial security (and not apologizing for either)

• Why women need to talk about money more—without shame, secrecy, or pretending we're "above it"

• How to model ambition and integration for our kids without turning our lives into a burnout highlight reel

• The reminder so many of us need: you don't need perfect timing to start—your life will expand around what matters

This conversation is for the mom who's quietly renegotiating everything: her ambition, her calendar, her tolerance for unpaid labor, and what "success" even means now.

👉 Chrissy's newsletter, Second Opinion: https://secondopinion.media/ 👉 Chrissy's podcast, Lifers (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifers-with-christina-farr/id1759267211 (Apple Podcasts) 👉 Scrub Capital: https://scrubcapital.com/ 👉 Chrissy's book, The Storyteller's Advantage: 👉 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr

Subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mighty-as-a-mother/id1687678053

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rbxeBmjXSRFWXPkIoPcnb

Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mightyasamotherpodcast/?hl=en Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mighty-as-a-mother-podcast/

What if your leadership didn't start with a strategy—but with your nervous system?

This week, we're joined by Dr. Natalie Underdown, organizational psychologist, executive coach, and founder of The Nu Company, for a conversation that flips the script on what it means to lead, evolve, and truly care for ourselves in high-stakes seasons of life.

Natalie brings a whole-person approach to executive coaching—one that fuses neuroscience, trauma healing, identity work, and performance psychology. After burning out in corporate and navigating a health crisis rooted in toxic mold exposure, she redefined her own path. Now, she helps other ambitious women do the same—from the inside out.

Together, we get real about:

• Why burnout isn't a badge—and how it often masks deeper misalignment
• How whole-person coaching helps you unlearn performance-based identity and reconnect with who you actually are
• What nervous system regulation has to do with emotional resilience, leadership, and even parenting
• The practical magic of shaking off stress (literally) and embracing somatic tools that work in real life—not just retreats
• Human Design as a tool for self-understanding and why it might explain your decision fatigue or energy dips

If you're sitting at the edge of reinvention, or just trying to lead with more integrity and less adrenaline, this episode is your invitation to pause, breathe, and get curious about the stories you're still telling yourself.

Links & Resources 👉 Dr. Natalie Underdown's Website – The Nu Company 👉 Follow Natalie on Instagram 👉 Our episode with Human Design expert Erin Claire Jones 👉 Book rec: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

For more conversations like this one, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Today, we sit down with Anna Goldfarb—friendship journalist, author, and voice of wisdom on the quiet complexity of adult relationships. Together, we're unpacking why maintaining female friendships feels harder than ever, especially in motherhood, and what it actually takes to nurture the ones that matter most.

Through honest stories and thoughtful research, Anna helps us reframe what healthy adult friendship looks like today. They talk about the grief of friendships that drift, the courage it takes to initiate hard conversations, and why effort (not just history) is what keeps connection alive.

If you've ever found yourself missing someone who used to be in your daily life—or wondering how to deepen the friendships you still have—this conversation is a balm and a roadmap.

You'll Learn:

• Why nearly half of adults report shrinking social networks—and what that really means

• How motherhood reshapes our friendships, sometimes painfully

• The power of desire: why it matters that you want to show up

• What to consider before giving feedback in a friendship

• How to know when it's time to let go—and how to grieve a friendship breakup

• Why small gestures (a text, a meme, a voice note) are never really small

• What it means to treat friendship as a privilege, not a given

• How to reconnect with the people who make you feel most like yourself

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Anna Goldfarb's website and writing: www.annagoldfarb.com

• Anna's book: Modern Friendship

• Related episode: Finding and Maintaining Meaningful Friendships During This Busy Season – E3

• HBR article: The Power of Work Friends

For more authentic and honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

In a world reshaping itself around how, where, and why we work, what does leadership actually look like—especially when you're also navigating motherhood?

In this episode, we sit down with Anna Squires-Levine, President of Industrious (and mama of three), to explore that question and more. Anna joined Industrious nearly a decade ago when it was just a few co-working spaces—and helped scale it to 300+ locations across 10 countries. Now, she's guiding the company into a new era after its acquisition by CBRE, all while welcoming her third baby.

Together, we talk candidly about:

• How to lead during life's most chaotic transitions

• The myth of balance and the radical act of choosing your kind of hard

• Why human-centered workspaces are more critical than ever—and how Industrious is redefining what it means to "go to work"

• The honest truth about ambition, identity shifts, and the emotional tug-of-war working moms face daily

• Practical questions to ask yourself when you're standing at a career crossroads

This one's for the moms holding it all—the dream, the diapers, the deadline. Anna's wisdom is both grounding and galvanizing, reminding us that the future of work isn't just flexible. It's human.

Links & Resources 👉 Learn more about Industrious 👉 Follow Anna on LinkedIn 👉 Jenn's essay on hustle culture: "My Career is My Refuge" 👉 Book rec: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

For more honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and follow along on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast.

If you've ever wondered, "Why does work still feel like it wasn't built for women—or mothers?" — this one's for you.

In today's episode, we're joined by Kristi Rible—global leadership expert, mom of two, and founder of The Huuman Group™—to talk about how AI is reshaping work, and why the future needs more than automation. It needs humanity. It needs mothers.

Kristi brings her 25+ years of leadership across continents and industries to help us understand what's really changing in today's workplaces—and how empathy, flexibility, and curiosity are becoming non-negotiable leadership skills. She also teaches the groundbreaking Stanford course Motherhood and Work, where she challenges outdated narratives and empowers the next generation to lead with care and courage.

This isn't a tech episode—it's a call to action for women who want to lead, live, and mother in ways the old systems never made space for.

You'll hear:

• Why "human skills" like empathy, trust, and communication are not soft—they're essential in the AI age

• What the "motherhood penalty" is, and why the system isn't broken—it was just never built for us

• How Kristi's divorce sparked her mission to redesign leadership around care, not just capital

• The story behind her Stanford course—and why no men have ever taken it

• Why Gen Z gives Kristi hope for the future of caregiving, equity, and leadership

• How to use AI without losing your own cognitive or emotional intelligence

• What flexibility really looks like—and why it's the #1 issue shaping women's careers today

Whether you're a leader, a caregiver, or both—this episode will help you see the workplace (and yourself) with fresh eyes.

Links + Resources:

• Learn more about Kristi's work: The Huuman Group™

• Kristi's Stanford course: Motherhood and Work: Challenges and Opportunities for Positive Change

• McKinsey Report mentioned in this episode: Superagency in the Workplace

• Follow Kristi on LinkedIn: @kristirible

For more honest, empowering conversations about motherhood, leadership, identity, and AI, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother wherever you get your podcasts—and follow us on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast.