In this episode of Moms of the Lou, Rebekah sits down with Kira Andersen, a St. Louis mom and health and wellness coach. Kira shares her family's journey with her husband Kyle's stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis in October 2021. Despite initial misdiagnoses and a dire prognosis, Kira relentlessly advocated for advanced treatments. She raised funds to access a promising drug in order to help her husband. Kyle underwent treatment, including chemo and immunotherapy, but faced numerous challenges, including hospitalizations and blood transfusions. Kira's story highlights the importance of being a health advocate for your family and the complexities of accessing innovative cancer treatments. To learn more about Kira and her work, you can visit her website at https://www.kiraandersen.com/.

Kira is a devoted mom to three young children, all under the age of 7. As a health and wellness coach and podcast host, she is passionate about inspiring growth—mentally, physically, and spiritually—in both her clients and herself. After losing her spouse to pancreatic cancer, Kira has embraced the role of a solo parent with strength and determination. She is deeply committed to raising awareness and critical funds for cancer research. Guided by a positive outlook, Kira strives each day to be the best mom, friend, and individual she can be.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

In the final episode of the Moms of the Lou podcast for 2024, Rebekah Coste chats with Meg Smidt, a champion, coach, and consultant for small businesses. They discuss the importance of shopping local in St. Louis this holiday season! Meg, who has worked in retail and as a business coach, emphasizes the significant impact of supporting local businesses, which are crucial for community vibrancy and the livelihoods of their owners. Rebekah & Meg highlight various local shops and products in Webster Groves, Clayton, and beyond. Meg also shares insights into the life of a small business owner, stressing the passion and dedication required to succeed. Meg & Rebekah remind us of the unique experiences and personal connections that local businesses offer, which often surpass those of large corporations. Check out St. Louis Mom’s Holiday Guide for more local shops to support this holiday season!

Meg Smidt is a confetti-throwing life and business coach, mother, grandmother, sister, devoted friend and love-spreader. She is super passionate about helping driven and compassionate women create balanced, joy-filled, intentional lives that they love (and that love them back). She spends her days strategizing with and encouraging women all over the world to be their very best. YourCoach Meg lives in Benton Park/ St Louis with her husband, one of her five adult kids and 2 silly dogs. Connect with Meg on her website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Rebekah Coste is back to host the Moms of the Lou podcast! In this episode, Rebekah welcomes Diana Waldman, a St. Louis native and mother of three, to discuss the holiday season. Diana shares her love for the holidays, highlighting traditions like attending the Nutcracker and making cinnamon cookies. They discuss various holiday activities in St. Louis, including Zoo Lights, Winter Wonderland, and the Missouri Botanical Garden's Glow. Diana emphasizes the importance of having mom friends and balancing holiday activities with rest of family life. Check out St. Louis Mom’s Holiday Guide and don’t forget to check out St. Louis Mom's annual Donuts with Santa event!

A native St. Louisan, Diana lives in Clayton with her husband, young son, two daughters, and two dogs. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, which she uses as an excuse to be nosy regarding other people’s lives. She left a career in legal marketing to work part-time from home and focus on her babies (furry and otherwise). Her current parenting mantras are: “I can do it all, just not all at once,” and “It will probably be fine?” Diana gets her kicks by going for long runs, reading a mix of high-brow and low-brow literature, and seeking out activities her whole family (including the puppies!) can enjoy around town.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

In this episode of the Moms of the Lou podcast, Trina Harger, the podcast manager, sits down with Angelica Mitchell and discusses her journey from Southern California to St. Louis. Angelica - a teacher for over 25 years, works at the International Welcome Center in the Ritenour School District and supports new students adjusting to life in the United States. In this episode, Angelica reflects on the challenges and rewards of raising her two children, now 20 and 17, through the empty nesting phase. She emphasizes the importance of presence and intentionality in parenting older children, the complexities of the college search process, and the emotional dynamics of having children who are becoming independent adults. Check out Angelica’s blog post about “Mommy Get-Tos.”

Wife. Mom. Educator. Explorer. Angelica is an L.A. born girl who embraces the slower rhythms of the Midwest. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from DePauw University and a master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She moved to St. Charles, Missouri, in June 2016 with her college sweetheart, Milton Mitchell, and her two children, Lea, 20, and Benji, 17. Angelica loves people and has a heart for healthy connections and community. Her desire is to be a safe space for other women and to share the joys and complexities of this life journey.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month! In this episode of Moms of the Lou, Trina sits down with Caitlin Ladd, a contributing writer for St. Louis Mom since 2020. They discuss their shared experience with type one diabetes. Caitlin’s husband was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 17, and their son, Harrison, was diagnosed at 2.5 years old. Caitlin emphasizes the importance of mental health and community support, particularly through organizations like JDRF. She details the daily challenges of managing Harrison's diabetes, including balancing blood sugars, packing supplies, and dealing with the anxiety and responsibility it brings. Check out Caitlin’s blog post to learn more about type one diabetes.

Caitlin Ladd is mom to two boys, Harrison (2014) and Anderson (2019) and wife to George living in St. Charles, Mo. A St. Louis transplant who came to the area for college and never left, Caitlin is continuously busy exploring community philanthropic and cultural diversity efforts which has truly made St. Louis her hometown. As a working mom, she’s eager to discuss balance, embracing a full life in this mommin’ season and what it means to “have it all.” With that, she tries to layer in opportunities for self-care, sanity checks, some Shiraz and most importantly, SLEEP as a mom of two littles.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Get ready for Halloween! In this episode, Trina sits down with Kristi Denner, the sales director of St. Louis Mom and they chat about all the fun Halloween activities in St. Louis. Kristi talks about her family’s low-key Halloween traditions, such as making chili, s'mores, and doing fun Halloween STEM activities. Trina and Kristi mention local Halloween events like Boo at the Zoo and Union Station's Halloween activities. Kristi explains the local tradition of telling a joke to get candy while trick-or-treating. Trina and Kristi both share their favorite jokes to get ready for Halloween. Check out St. Louis Mom’s Fall Season Guide for all the fun Halloween activities!

Kristi, a small-town IL farm girl, finally feels she can call St. Louis “home” after 12 years. She and her husband Dan have four boys – Carson, Harrison (who happens to be rocking an extra chromosome), Nelson, and Dawson. A former Parkway teacher, Kristi now stays home with her boys and leads a local MOPS group. A ripple of life changes quickly taught her that adapting and pivoting is the name of the game: starting over in a new state, full-time working mom to stay-at-home mom, battling PPD, navigating Down syndrome and Autism diagnoses, and most recently walking the painful road of grief after the loss of her brother. Her faith roots have been her lifeline, and she always seeks to be a voice of truth, compassion and hope, especially in the messy. 

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Trina Harger, podcast manager of the Moms of the Lou Podcast, sits down with Anna Beck to discuss the importance of getting to know neighbors. Anna, a part-time attorney and blogger, shares her experiences of connecting with her neighborhood through casual conversations, spontaneous gatherings, and creating a private Facebook group for local women to connect. She emphasizes the value of involving children in neighborhood activities and the significance of intergenerational connections. Anna also highlights the challenges of busyness and the importance of making time for neighborly interactions, which can foster a sense of community and support. Check out Anna’s blog post on How to Form a Mom Community in Your Own Neighborhood for more ways to get connected.

Anna Beck lives in University City with her three young children and husband. She is an attorney and journalist and maintains the blog, urbanapronblog.com. Anna loves visiting kid-friendly spots around the city and can also be found baking in her kitchen with her toddlers. She loves connecting with other moms around St. Louis and talking about motherhood, work-life balance, and healthy living.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

In this episode of the Moms of the Lou podcast, Rebekah talks about all the fun fall activities in St. Louis with contributing writer and content creator, Candice Meyer. Candice, a mom of two, shares her journey with St. Louis Mom and her family life, highlighting the challenges and joys of parenting children in the “middle” season of childhood. She recommends top fall activities in St. Louis, such as visiting Art Hill, City Garden, and Castlewood State Park for the best autumn leaves, and mentions her favorite apple and pumpkin picking spots like Eckert’s Family Farms and Braeutigam's Orchards. Candice also suggests fall festivals like Legends & Lanterns and Ghouls in the Garden, and recommends day trips to Shawnee National Forest and Elephant Rocks State Park. Want to follow more adventures Candice recommends? Go give her a follow over on Instagram. And don’t forget to check out our St. Louis Mom Fall Season Guide for more fall fun. 

Candice is a St. Louis native and loves exploring the amazing parks, museums, and restaurants that the city has to offer. She is married to her college sweetheart, and they have two children, Olivia and Ryan. Her passions include all things arts and crafts, planning special events, hiking trails sprinkled throughout the area, and documenting the beauty of everyday adventures with her family. In between shuffling her kids to school and various activities, you will likely find her drinking a cup of coffee, gathering ideas on Pinterest, researching destinations for their next family trip, listening to parenting podcasts, or dreaming up her next design project!

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Rebekah sits down with Danielle Sawyer as they discuss IEPs (Individual Education Plans) for students in St. Louis. Danielle, a special education teacher for 14 years, emphasizes the importance of open communication between parents and teachers and the role of advocates in IEP meetings. Danielle shares her personal experience with her son, who has hearing aids and other medical concerns, and highlights the importance of celebrating all the progress a child makes in their IEP journey. To learn more about IEPs, check out Danielle’s blog post IEP 101: How to Prepare and Be Ready to Advocate.

Here are local resources for families in the St. Louis area: Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, State of Missouri Disability Portal, Missouri Department of Mental Health, Easterseals, and VarietySTL. You can also go to your local school district for further resources.

Danielle resides in O’Fallon with her husband Devon, two boys, Harrison and Nolan, and three dogs! Danielle is a local Autism Teacher, who advocates for all abilities. Danielle and her son are both deaf/ hard of hearing— they’re a hearing aid/ cochlear implant household. Danielle’s hobbies include baking, riding four wheelers, exploring their property, sitting around a campfire, board games, and pinteresting crafts she most likely will never do! You can find The Sawyers at some of their favorite spots: Magic House, Big Joel’s Safari, and Indian Camp Creek!

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

In today’s episode, Rebekah chats with Jen Cowan, writer of the blog And Hattie Makes Three! They discuss the joys and challenges of motherhood in the digital age and the exciting evolution of the blogging scene in St. Louis. Both share their experiences and insights, emphasizing the importance of striking a balance between technology use and spending quality time as a family, staying up-to-date with digital trends, while also prioritizing health and emotional well-being. 

We are so grateful to Siteman Cancer Center for sponsoring this episode. Listen to the stories of cancer survivors in season 3 of their "This is Cancer" podcast, available on all platforms. It will be sure to inform, uplift, and inspire you!

Jen Cowan is the owner and founder of And Hattie Makes Three. It has always been her vision as a mom to help make long-lasting memories. She grew up in St. Louis and graduated from St. Louis University with a degree in Marketing. After graduating in ’04, she spent her time around the St. Louis Metro area in a recruitment capacity for a few Fortune 500 Companies. In 2012, she was recruited away to her dream job, to manage the Internship Program for MasterCard. She had so much fun building a strong program and becoming an employer of choice at Universities. So now, instead of lunch meetings and quick flights out to colleges, she spends her time as a part-time Girl Scout Leader, PTO Parent, Cheer Mom and focusing on Miss H. Her family has a pretty action-packed social calendar so she created this blog to document life and what they do, where they go, new things they try and what they love. 

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! 

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.