Welcome back and Happy New Year!! In this solo pod we catch up from the holidays and I lay out some exciting things for MomReal and what you can expect this year. The best is yet to come and I am grateful you all are here!

Ending this first season of MomReal with a final solo pod on Gifting Purposefully this holiday season and our approach to it. I also share some of my heart as I reflect back upon this year, this podcast, and as I look ahead to what's to come. May the rest of this year be filled with joy and peace. See you in the new year!

Back with another solo episode and in this episode I talk through why we are choosing not to traditionally do Santa this year and for years to come. I share our two biggest reasons and the second one may surprise you! Just a reminder, there is no shame in how you choose to do Santa with your family. I am just sharing what we are choosing to do for our family and our why behind it!

In this solo episode I take you through my personal birth story bringing Liam into the world! I talk through the details from before the hospital, during the birth, and after. I'll also answer some of your questions about my birth as well! This episode is so special to me and I even got a little emotional throughout it just thinking back to that time. Birth is truly amazing and I want to encourage you all that no matter how you birth, it is beautiful!

In this episode we hear from my friend, Quinn Clayton, as we talk about all things movement postpartum, rejecting bounce-back culture, and cycle syncing. If you want to learn more about all of this, I suggest giving Quinn a follow on Instagram for all the movement, cycle syncing, and hormone-healing things! @quinnclayton_ 

In this episode we hear from my doula, Kaylyn, the second half of my amazing birth team! She shares what a doula is and why have one! You don’t have to just want an unmedicated birth to have one! This episode further solidified to me the value of birth work and how valuable doula’s everywhere are! 

In this highly requested episode, I sit down with my personal midwife, Ashli Randolph, and talk about the differences between midwifery care versus traditional doctors. There are so many common misconceptions about midwifery care and we talk through them all! 

Finishing the discussion, Emily and I discuss the hope of tomorrow and she shares both an emotional and practical thing you can do if you have or are currently navigating miscarriage. I hope through these two episodes you feel seen, supported, and also receive a fresh hope. There is purpose in the pain.

October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month and I wanted to use this episode to showcase the pregnancy loss side. This is mom real and even if your baby is not in your arms does not make you any less of a mom. I know that statistics show 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage and I want you to know you are loved & so is your baby. In this episode Emily Alba shares her story of going through multiple miscarriages, wrestling with the grief, and yet having the hope of tomorrow. This episode is deep and rich and is only Part 1 of a heavy & hope-filled discussion.

Mental Health is a topic I am extremely passionate about and especially since becoming a mother! This episode focuses specifically on postpartum mental health with my friend, Ashley Herod. Ashley is the founder of a nonprofit that seeks to bring awareness to mental health struggles and share resources to help. This episode brings light to the struggles so many of us face and shares ways you can help yourself or help others struggling. You are not alone!