Mommyhood Unscripted

Have you started saving for your child's college education yet -- or are you overwhelmed with where and how to start? Well, you are NOT alone. You may have heard about '529 plans'... Is it the right path to take? Are there some things you can do to maximize savings for your child? Do taxes come into play? Nicole gets all the information and answers you need on this topic with Mark Kantrowitz. He's one of the national experts on college savings, education tax benefits, student financial aid, scholarships, and student loans. (Mark has even testified before Congress and federal/state agencies about student aid on several occasions too!) So, whether your child was just born or has a year left of high school, or if you're a grandparent who wants to help contribute to your grandchildren's future -- don't let this informative conversation pass you by! 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Mark Kantrowitz

http://www.kantrowitz.com/kantrowitz/mark.html

Have you heard? The SATs have gone digital! This is BIG news -- especially considering how the SAT plays such an instrumental role when it comes to the college admissions process. So, what do you and your kids need to know about this change? What can your student expect? How do they prepare? And why is it important to take the SATs? Nicole helps you answer all those questions with Priscilla Rodriguez, the Senior Vice President of College Readiness Assessments at The College Board. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Priscilla Rodriguez

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat 

In this month's 'Mommy Profile', Nicole chats with children's book author and illustrator, Stefania Munzi. This Connecticut artist is a mom of two boys--one of whom is special needs. Stefania takes us through her journey of what it's like to receive an unexpected diagnosis about your child, how she was able to utilize her talents to raise awareness about her son's rare condition, and what it's like navigating life as a single parent to her two boys. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Stefania Munzi

https://www.stefaniamunzi-logus.com/

Did you know that practicing mindfulness can actually help you when it comes to money? It's true! And not only can it help you in the present and future, but it can also help your children by extension. Financial Advisor and author, Sylvia Guinan is back chatting with Nicole about what we can do to tune into ourselves and what we truly want when it comes to finances and how to teach our children to also be mindful about the dollar. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Sylvia Guinan

Instagram: @sylviaguinan

https://sylviaguinan.com/

What does it take to become a 'mom influencer' and a successful one? Nicole chats with four well-known mom influencers who you may recognize: Kallie Branciforte of "But First, Coffee!", Charlotte Smith of "At Charlotte's House", Megan Schinella of "CampbyMama" and Caitlin Houston who's behind the self-titled, "Caitlin Houston Blog". Not only do they chat about how they got to where they are, but you learn how these four moms from Connecticut became friends and came together to create a new podcast called, "Room 4 Four". This is one of those episodes in which you're going to walk away feeling like you just hung out with a group of down-to-earth mom friends for half an hour! 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guests: Kallie Branciforte, Caitlin Houston, Megan Schinella and Charlotte Smith

Instagram: @room4fourpodcast, @kallie_branciforte, @caitlinhoustonblog, @campbymama, @atcharlotteshouse

Website: https//room4four.com

Every so often Nicole will be profiling a mom and journey through her unique story in an episode. Our first "Mommy Profile" is: Dr. Emily Thomas of Consumer Reports. This mom of two boys is all about helping other moms keep their babies safe. Dr. Thomas, who manages the Auto Safety at Consumer Report's Auto Test Center, leads the occupant protection and vulnerable road user safety programs -- which includes the child car seat program. She also leads the rear-seat safety evaluations for all of Consumer Reports’ new test vehicles, and is instrumental in assessing how well each car-seat model performs.

Dr. Thomas is also a first-generation college grad. As you'll hear, the motivation she held from a young age paid-off and her hard work put her on the path to go after a  B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, an M.S. in Forensic Science a Ph.D. in pediatric injury biomechanics from Drexel University and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Dr. Emily Thomas

'X': @emathmsphd

Website: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/about-us/our-people/our-experts/emily-thomas/index.htm

Have you ever heard of a sleep consultant or wondered what it is they do? These days, it's much more than the 'cry it out' method that your pediatrician or your grandmother may recommend... It's a much more tailored approach and focuses on the individual child. Nicole sits down with Heather Cartier -- a pediatric sleep consultant who provides virtual sleep support across the country to families with infants, toddlers and big kids who struggle with sleep challenges. She breaks down common misconceptions, common sleep regressions ages, sleep recommendations and her "million-dollar advice" piece of advice when it comes to helping your child. Listen to this episode and gear up for a good night's sleep -- because it's going to help you and your little one(s)! 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Heather Cartier, MA OTR

Instagram: @nightnightsleepconsulting

Website: https://www.heathercartier.com

Grief can look different for everyone and take on many different forms. Most people don’t even know how to begin the healing journey – especially after the loss of a child. Nicole sat down with Jenny Hubbard who lost her 6-year-old daughter Catherine at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Catherine was a kind and compassionate animal lover who dreamt of someday working with and caring for animals. To honor her daughter’s memory and pay tribute to Catherine’s spirit of kindness towards all living things, Jenny created the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. This non-profit organization promotes compassion and healing through human-animal connection. Jenny walks Nicole through how she was able to turn her grief into this beautiful mission and speaks about how important it is to chase down your dreams. Be prepared to be inspired to make a difference in your own world after hearing this convo!

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Jenny Hubbard

Instagram: @cvhanimalsanctuary

Website: https://www.cvhfoundation.org/

Having a baby is NO JOKE. Did you know it takes a full year for a woman to recover from childbirth? Also, 85% of women experience baby blues due to immediate postpartum hormone shifts. Sadly, postpartum recovery is one of the most CHALLENGING phases in a woman's life -- yet there is still SO much we don't talk about or even know about when it comes to this stage. That's why Nicole is sitting down with Dr. Katrina Furey to help shed a light on what you may or may not know about postpartum. 

Dr. Furey is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who specializes in women's mental health and reproductive psychiatry. She completed a 4-year residency in adult psychiatry at Yale University -- where she remains on staff as a voluntary clinical instructor in the Dept. of Psychiatry. Dr. Furey has a private practice in Guilford, Connecticut and is one of the only psychiatrists in that state offering both psychotherapy and medication management for women coping with a number of disorders and conditions. She also works as a consultant for Connecticut’s Access Mental Health for Moms hotline which offers expert consultation to medical providers treating women for mental health and substance use conditions during pregnancy, and up to one year after delivery. 

Dr. Furey has been featured as a perinatal expert in CNN, Newsweek, and Yahoo News, among other publications. And listen to this! She’s also the co-created and co-host of “Analyze Scripts” — a weekly podcast analyzing the depiction of mental health in fictional television shows and film. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Dr. Katrina Furey 

Instagram & TikTok: @drkatrinafurey & @analyzescriptspodcast

Website: https://www.sound-psychiatry.com/

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqpLbVNWFrK30G-MuVNNzmw

In many 'traditional' households, women have financially relied on men when it comes to their future. But if you go through a major life transition such as: a divorce, a career change, retirement or even widowhood -- your financial confidence can strain. So how prepared are you? How much do you understand when it comes to your financial security and your future? That's where Sylvia Guinan comes in. She is a Financial Advisor, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, the author of "The Richness of Divorce: 7 Steps to unwind your Marriage with Love and Grace", and a mother of three who has been guiding families to their best selves as their navigate those aforementioned major life transitions. Nicole chats with her about how one can shift from fear of the unknown to a new vision of their life with an empowered beginning. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Host: Nicole Nalepa | @NicoleNalepaTV

Guest: Sylvia Guinan

Instagram: @sylviaguinan
https://sylviaguinan.com/