Today on Mommywood, I’m joined by actor and mom Tristan Cunningham — and this conversation covers everything we don’t usually hear about.

Tristan shares her journey from growing up in Vermont and performing in a traveling youth circus, to building a career in theater and television — and what it really looks like to be a “working actor” in the in-between.

We talk about:

• Building a career through co-stars, rejection, and learning to “serve the story”
• The moment she booked Reasonable Doubt — and why she thought she wasn’t ready
• Finding out she was pregnant at the same time her career was gaining momentum
• Choosing to become a single mom when her child’s father wasn’t involved
• The fear of telling production she was pregnant… and expecting to lose the job
• Shooting while pregnant, flying home days before giving birth, and returning to set with her baby
• How motherhood changed her acting, her preparation, and her perspective

From circus training to juggling self-tapes with a toddler, Tristan’s story is honest, layered, and deeply real.

This episode is about more than acting — it’s about identity, resilience, and learning to trust yourself when nothing goes according to plan.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right… and still wondering if it’s enough — this one’s for you.

What happens when you’ve already done everything in this industry… and then become a mom?

This week on Mommywood, I’m talking to writer, producer, actress, author, and multi–award-winning creative Alisha Gaddis — and when I say she’s done it all, I mean it. Emmys. Latin Grammys. TV shows. Books. Touring internationally. Building a creative career across every lane.

But this conversation goes way deeper than credits.

We talk about:

• Choosing to homeschool her neurodivergent daughter — and trusting her instincts over the system
• The reality of being a fully self-made creative (no clocking in, no safety net)
• Why “women can do everything” is actually a lie
• Mourning the career you thought you’d have… and realizing your life might be even better
• The pressure to keep achieving — even after you’ve already “made it”
• And how motherhood reshapes ambition, identity, and success

This episode is honest, emotional, and incredibly validating for anyone navigating creativity, motherhood, and the in-between

Today on Mommywood, we’re switching perspectives and bringing in a dad.

I’m joined by actor and creator CK Bolado, who’s navigating the early days of fatherhood while building a career in an industry that doesn’t exactly slow down for life changes. We talk about what surprised him most about becoming a dad, how it’s shifted his identity as an actor, and what it really looks like trying to be present at home while still chasing your dreams.

CK also shares what inspired him to start posting parenting content, how he decides what to keep private, and the reality of showing up online without pretending to have it all figured out.

This conversation is honest, grounded, and a refreshing look at fatherhood from a perspective we don’t hear enough.

Whether you’re a parent, about to be one, or just trying to balance ambition with real life — this one’s for you.

This episode is sponsored by Olive and June!

Use code Mommywood for 20% off

Motherhood and creativity collide in this candid conversation with composer, producer, and Mamas in Music co-founder, Tiff Randlo. We dive into the realities of raising kids while navigating a creative career—identity shifts, managing schedules, and building community for mothers in the music industry. Tiff opens up about creating her nonprofit, balancing her marriage with a director, homeschooling, and stepping into her own boundaries and priorities. This episode is about ambition, logistics, partnership, and redefining success while raising kids in industries that never slow down.

Isolation (Instrumental Album)
Listen: https://orcd.co/pb6lqzn
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtFbQJfdwzY
Upcoming Release — IAMEVE
Stardust Apocalypse (single out March 27)
Part of the album Legacy releasing in May
Pre-save: https://vyd.co/StardustApocalypse

On this episode of Mommywood, I’m talking to Lilan Bowden — and this one goes way beyond the usual actor interview.

We get into what it actually feels like to be in the middle of a career while raising a toddler. The constant rushing. The mental load. The moments you realize… maybe you’re the one making it harder.

Lilan opens up about:– why “don’t stress” is harder than it sounds– how motherhood changes the way you work (and think)– letting your kid slow you down… even when you don’t want to– and why your child might be the only “parenting book” you actually need

We also talk about her new podcast, Pondersations, which is basically the kind of conversations you only have when you finally drop the surface-level stuff.

This one is honest, funny, and a little bit of a reality check (in the best way).

Lang Fisher is a powerhouse writer, producer, and showrunner — but in this episode of Mommywood, we talk about way more than Hollywood success.

Lang opens up about becoming a single mom by choice, having her son with her gay best friend, and how that beautifully modern co-parenting setup came to be. She shares how what started as a joke in a writers’ room became one of the best decisions of her life, and why the unusual path to parenthood forced conversations most couples never even think to have.

We also get into what it actually means to be a showrunner, how she worked her way up from 30 Rock to running Never Have I Ever, what makes a great writers’ room, and how becoming a mom changed the way she works, leads, and tells stories.

This is a conversation about ambition, identity, modern motherhood, imposter syndrome, and building a life that doesn’t have to look traditional to be absolutely right.

Katie Webber is a working Broadway performer, bestselling cookbook author, certified holistic nutritionist — and a mom to a spirited nine-year-old daughter. And yes: she does eight shows a week.

In this episode, Katie breaks down what a real performance day looks like as a parent (subway school drop-off, homework, then straight to a 7pm show), why “the job is the break” compared to the mental load of motherhood, and how co-parenting and a blended family make the Broadway schedule even remotely possible.

We also get into body image and aging in an industry obsessed with “young and fit,” raising a daughter with a sane relationship to food, and Katie’s refreshingly honest take on beauty, Botox, and doing what makes you feel good — without shame. Plus: the moment her daughter made her Broadway debut at four (yes, FOUR), and why Waitress is basically required viewing for moms.

Did I mention she also has an amazing wine! Give Mama Rose a try!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mommy Wood and Guest Introduction

02:04 Navigating Motherhood and Performance

10:04 The Challenges of a Broadway Schedule

15:55 The Mental Load of Motherhood vs. Performance

21:47 Embracing Change: Motherhood and Identity

28:43 Nutrition and Holistic Living as a Mom

36:49 Empowering Choices in Nutrition

38:53 Fostering Creativity in Children

40:34 The Joys and Challenges of Broadway Parenting

45:41 Navigating Childcare in the Arts

48:37 The Reality of Broadway Life

53:54 Dreams of a Different Life

56:01 Honesty in Beauty and Skincare

01:04:23 Balancing Motherhood and Career

01:09:12 Embracing Femininity at Any Age

This Mommywood recut might be one of the most honest conversations we’ve had.

Actor and EmotionAL Support podcast host Alessandra Torresani and I actually met while walking our babies in the neighborhood — and quickly realized we were in the exact same stage of new motherhood.

In this episode we talk about:• postpartum recovery and mental health
• birth stories and expectations vs reality• auditioning during pregnancy and weeks after giving birth• self tapes with a baby at home• pressure on women in the entertainment industry to “time” a family• why finding other moms is essential• learning to let go of perfection

Funny, vulnerable, and reassuring, this conversation is for anyone trying to balance a creative career and motherhood — or just trying to survive the newborn phase.

This is a special Mommywood recut — and honestly, one that hits differently now.

When this conversation was first recorded, my daughter was only ten weeks old and I was deep in new-mom survival mode, trying to figure out how acting and motherhood were supposed to exist in the same life. Meanwhile, Hannah Hines was already navigating the preschool years, self-tapes, childcare logistics, and the reality of keeping a creative career going after becoming a parent.

In this episode we talk about:
• how actors actually schedule auditions with a baby
• building a “village” when you don’t have family nearby
• the identity shift that comes with motherhood
• pandemic isolation with a toddler
• day jobs and financial survival as an actor parent
• returning to work postpartum
• and Hannah’s unexpected career pivot into screenwriting

Since recording, Hannah and I have actually become real-life friends (yes, even a book club together), which makes this conversation feel even more special.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you can still pursue acting after having a child — this episode is for you.

Mommywood Recut: Past Episode, Present Moment

This week I’m revisiting one of the conversations that means more to me now than it did when we first recorded it.

When I originally sat down with Marla Sokoloff, I was a brand-new mom trying to figure out how motherhood and acting could possibly coexist. Marla was already living it — raising three daughters while navigating a long career in Hollywood and shifting from acting into directing and creating her own work.

In this edited highlight episode, we talk about the part of motherhood creative women don’t say out loud enough: losing momentum, redefining success, the guilt of being away from your kids, and the mental load of trying to be present at home while still holding onto your identity.

We also get honest about body image after pregnancy, the pressure around breastfeeding, and why sometimes the career you planned isn’t the one that ultimately fits your life.

If you’ve ever worried that becoming a parent might erase the version of yourself you worked so hard to build — this conversation is for you.