Mother Plus Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

1. Being a woman writing memoir is scary and can bring up fears that writing about your own life is self-absorbed or navel-gazing. Why do so many women feel the need to apologize for their work or offer disclaimers that diminish the value of their stories? 
2. Mother-plussers can be a bundle of contradictions: Steph describes herself as unapologetically apologetic, a nice girl who hates being nice, and an approval-seeker who rails against the systems that cause women to seek approval. 
3. Steph shares her latest advice for her daughters when they are confronted with a hurtful remark or opinion they don't value: "Do you want to put this in your suitcase and carry it around with you, or would you rather throw it in the garbage?"
4. Women are so conditioned to be people pleasers that it's easy to water down our viewpoints and minimize our voices by playing for all sides, rather than unapologetically claiming our own narratives. 
5. Steph's current goal is accepting that she isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. That can be a tough one to (pardon the pun) swallow when you're used to trying to make everyone comfortable. 

In this solo episode, Steph reads an excerpt from her memoir, a piece titled "Gaze At My Navel." She explores her own discomfort with writing memoir, and how she uses disclaimers to integrate self-deprecation into her storytelling to ensure that readers don't think she's taking herself too seriously. She shares her process of becoming more confident when writing about her life, and how hard this has been as a Midwest Nice people-pleaser.

Follow along with her memoir project on her Substack here: http://stephsprenger.substack.com

**For Tickets To The Mother Plus Mini Retreat, Click Here: https://www.motherplusser.com/mini-retreat**

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Stacey gets the honor of interviewing one of her business mentors, Allie Casazza. She is a #1 best-selling author, a podcast chart topper, and thought leader when it comes to minimalism -- not just in your home, but in your life. 
 
 Today, we talk motherhood + business. We cover:

• The power of changing your mind in your life and in business
• Being unapologetic about who you are
• How much better a mom you can be when you follow your passions and creativity
• Mom guilt - the event that happened that uprooted her deeply conditioned mom guilt
• What would you do if you had to start all over again today? 
• Being a Type B mother + entrepreneur - how she uses it to her advantage
• And so much more

This episode is chock-full of business advice.  So if you're a mother + entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, you're going to want to listen to this one over and over again. Find everything you need to know about Allie at AllieCasazza.com.

Also, The Mother Plus Mini Retreat is HERE. It's happening on September 23, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. 

• Connect with like-minded women 
• Meditate and ground yourself
• Spoil yourself in spa treatments with Farm to table foods
• Create and ideate on that thing that you’ve pushed aside for far too long 

Book before September 1st to get the Early Bird Discount!
https://www.motherplusser.com/mini-retreat

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode...

• Stace and Steph share our obsession with the word "container," and why we think it's exactly what women need right now. 
• Moms are always giving and giving, and we we do have downtime, we often bombard ourselves with new information and trying to "better" ourselves, which isn't always what we need. Sometimes when we over-consume, we fill ourselves with things we don't actually need. 
• Stace and Steph think what women really need is to give themselves permission to show up exactly as they are and express themselves authentically—that's what we need to be filling up on. 
• So how does this relate to containers? Imagine an empty vessel, and instead of filling it up with self-improvement and how-tos and information, you filled it up with YOU. Just you—your beautiful self. Nothing else. 
• Let's talk about the beauty of mothers coming together in community. Women have a unique opportunity to provide each other deep connection within the sacred space of a container we fill with just ourselves and each other, in which we can remember who we are, set intentions, and get back in touch with our intuition. 
• Stace and Steph think we've lost touch with our need to be in authentic community with other women—we used to prioritize it during our youth and pre-mom lives, and we've forgotten how much we need each other to be our truest selves. 
• Presenting our big idea! Our first ever mini-retreat will provide YOU with the container we think you desperately need. We'll carve out time and space, and you fill it with your creativity, your presence, your intention. We'll get to connect, create, collaborate, RELAX and recharge, all within the beautiful container of Nurture Wellcare Marketplace. 

In this Stace and Steph episode, we share our new favorite word—container—and why we think it's the best gift women can give each other. We talk about the importance of ditching the self-improvement and information overload in favor of getting back in touch with our truest selves. That's when the magic happens—the community, the creation, and the connection. Learn about our very first in-person event: a 4-hour  mini retreat on September 23rd at Nurture Wellcare Marketplace here:

The Mother Plus Mini Retreat
https://www.motherplusser.com/offers/3AL55MUq/checkout

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

The Mother Plus Mini* Retreat is HERE!!!
An afternoon away from your kids that is so life-giving, it feels like a weekend retreat.
Get in on it here: https://www.motherplusser.com/offers/3AL55MUq
*We're talking 4.5 hours away. You can take 4.5 hours.

In this episode:

1. Steph shares the balance of writing the "inner story" and "outer story" of her memoir. 
2. Follow along with her Midwest explorations as she spent two weeks on the road to visit all her childhood and adolescent homes. 
3. Steph talks about the incredible experience of visiting places you used to live, inhabiting old spaces but with your current adult body and mind, and how healing it can be. 
4. This trip was the ultimate "Remember her?" moment for Steph, as she really was able to remember what it was that made this time in her life so special, and what it is that makes HER so special. 
5. Steph got the gift of remembering what it feels like to share daily life with best friends, as her college bestie accompanied her for multiple slumber parties on this road trip. This is something we are desperately lacking in our modern lives as mothers, and something that could be recaptured for more joy and connection. 
6. Going "back in time" reminded Steph that sometimes we really DO know who we are when we are young, and remembering the people and places and years that make up that younger self can be important in reclaiming who we really are as mother plussers.

In this solo episode, Steph takes us along on her back-to-back trips to visit her old homes in the Midwest as part of her memoir writing process. She shares where she went, who she saw, and what she learned. You can follow along with her writing and book process on her Substack, and subscribe to her weekly newsletter here: https://stephsprenger.substack.com/

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

1. What, exactly, does "woo-woo" mean? Stacey reads us the official Merriam-Webster and Steph shares her take. 
2. Steph shares why she thinks people seek out these kinds of experiences, rituals, and practices: to feel more connected to ourselves, and to feel more connected to something greater than ourselves. 
3. Why do people hate this stuff so much? We explore the intersection of religion, science, and the esoteric, and Steph shares all the obnoxious things the "super-woo" folks out there have done to damage the reputation of all things metaphysical.
4. All this talk about our "energy" and "getting grounded" can be confusing—basically, we want to find practices that help calm/energize and regulate our nervous systems and make us feel connected to our highest, best selves.
5. Rituals are where it's at! Steph shares the morning and evening rituals she practices daily and what she gets out of them. Hint: finding little moments to really focus inward and be in the present moment is really all it takes!
6. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: when you are overwhelmed with parenting and life in general, every tiny small step back to yourself counts! It doesn't need to be a weekend retreat or half-hour meditation or expensive bodywork treatment to count. If the only opportunity you have to connect with yourself is five minutes in the car, DO IT! Small steps are the key. 

In this Stace and Steph episode, we dive into the realm of the esoteric, and we discuss all things "woo-woo." Steph shares her favorite rituals, tips, and places that help her find more balance—body, mind, and soul. We talk about everything from crystals to body work to meditation and dissect why exactly people find this type of stuff to be so off-putting. 

Links: 

Chani app https://chani.com/

Insight timer app https://insighttimer.com/individuals

Michele—yoga/massage Insta @vibrantyogini

Stef—acupuncture: http://acupunctureforwellbeing.com

Ritualkravt: https://www.ritualcravt.com/

Amy Reflexology https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/TRLG3K

Jamie DeLuccio astrologer: https://www.jamiedeluccioastrology.com/

MOTHER PLUS MINI RETREAT:
https://www.motherplusser.com/mother-plus-container-retreat 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

Hey Mom Friend - Need some time alone? (But with other women)

Exhausted after a summer of giving and giving and giving to your kids? 

Can’t stop thinking about that class you want to take or that idea you want to work on or that book you want to write?

Carve out a sliver of time for yourself this September at the Mother + Mini Retreat.

Stace and Steph are joining you at the ever-indulgent Nurture WellCare marketplace in Denver for a dreamy (but doable) four hours so we can re-light your fire. 

• Reconnect with yourself and other like-minded mother + women
• Focus on whatever creative project is currently setting your heart on fire (we’re giving you full permission and a sounding board to work ideas off of)
• Recharge after months of being home with the kids for summer break 
• Meditate and ground together while we ignite all your senses
• Set intentions for the school year ahead - it’s your time! 
• Lay back and enjoy amazing holistic treatments from the highly rated Fuzz Off spa (formerly Haute Mess). Seriously, their reviews are stellar. 
• Indulge in farm to table food and drinks at Denver’s self-care Mecca 

We’re not talking about an entire week away in Mexico (yet) or even a weekend. We’re talking four hours of time just for you. You owe that to yourself, and you know it. 

Intrigued? Sign up here for our interest list:
https://www.motherplusser.com/mother-plus-container-retreat

Note: we are capping the event at 20 people so you’ll want to get in on this early before it sells out! 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we cover:

1. "And then I took a stand-up class and it changed my whole life." Find out how Zoe Rogers went from actress to SAHM to thriving stand-up comic.
2. When Zoe began performing stand-up comedy, she noticed a glaringly obvious lack of women: "How am I supposed to get good at this if I can't get booked?"
3. "Can't we all just fall apart with each other?" Zoe found an outlet with stand-up comedy when motherhood felt very overwhelming, isolating, and laced with judgment. 
4. Zoe's superpower is connecting with people via comedy + honesty and vulnerability—"Does anybody else have no idea what they are doing?"
5. "Well, it's not ladies' night." Learn how Zoe tackled the sexism of the comedy industry and made it her mission to feature diverse comics, and how it led to her creation of the Boulder Comedy Festival. 
6. How having comedy made Zoe a better mom—the external validation is essential when your family members may not be giving you the recognition and gratitude you need. 
7. Get an impromptu sneak peek at the big idea we've been cooking up behind the scenes! 

Meet Zoe Rogers. Mother + Stand-Up Comic. Zoe gets inspiration and sleep deprivation from her three awesome kids who make sure life is never dull or quiet. She has been featured on Nickmom, Disney Babble Up Late, Edinburgh Fringe, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club in Las Vegas and was recently chosen to MC and perform in the CSCLA Gilda Gala. She is the founder of Boulder Comedy Festival, that highlights diversity and women in comedy.

Where you can find her:
https://www.zoerogerscomedy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ZoeRogersComedy/
https://www.instagram.com/redzoecomedy/
https://www.youtube.com/user/redzoetr
Boulder Comedy Festival: https://www.bouldercomedyfestival.com/

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

Question: What is the one thing that women do A LOT that kills their confidence? 

The answer to this question is so compelling, so relatable, that since answering this question, I have talked about it on stage in front of over 500 people, and gone viral-ish on Instagram for speaking on the subject matter. And finally, today, I get to bring it to you. 

Hi. I’m Stacey Hutson, and this is the Mother Plus Podcast. Today I’m going to talk about women and apologizing. I’m sorry, OVER-Apologizing. See what I did there? Over-apologizing, and what it does to us, and our children — especially our daughters — when we do.

I’m going to plant a bug in your head, that once it’s there, you won’t be able to shake it. And that’s a good thing. That’s what I want. 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we cover:

1. Buckle up—it's summer vacation. Regardless of whether you're staying home with kids, juggle working at home with kids home from school, or are a full-time working mom, the transition to summer brings undeniable challenges. 
2. But don't despair! We have ideas to help. But it will take just a tiny bit of organization and planning. You can do it!
3. Get your kids involved in planning to make summer vacation successful and call a family meeting to brainstorm. All hands on deck will lead to success!
4. Scheduling in "leave Mommy alone" time is an absolute must every day. Screen time does not need to be the devil when used in moderation!
5. Introducing "maternal hedonism vines." You have to give yourself something to look forward to! Create pleasure vines to grab— things like a cup of coffee, date night, a babysitter, or a kid-free weekend—little ones every day, big ones throughout the summer. 
6. Plan your day out the night before so you aren't tempted to slide back into chaos. Even better, have an accountability partner so you can make sure the other is on track with scheduling days that aren't miserable for everyone. 
7. Let yourself enjoy the things that are positive about this change of pace—like less rushing!

In this Stace and Steph episode, we tackle the looming reality that school is almost out for the summer. Don't panic—we've got you covered. For many moms, increased togetherness can be extremely stressful. Our veteran host Steph, whose kids are 11 and almost 17, gives Stace all her best tips for surviving the summer without losing your damn mind. 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger

Send us Fan Mail

Suzanne is a former actor and Miss Arab USA turned writer. Her personal experience with postpartum depression and anxiety left her feeling alone and confused. 

In her book Post Pardon Me, she addresses the dark thoughts that so many mothers have but are too scared to say out loud. She's thrilled to get this book into the hands of mothers who may be struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety.

Though we do talk about postpartum depression on this episode, our conversation here is so much more than that. It is well worth tuning in even if you have never been diagnosed with PPD, or never even considered that you had it. 

Among other things, we cover:

• How difficult it is when your pre-mom life was a really good life
• How different pospartum depression can look like person to person
• "You get to be all the things." How powerful it is to accept this, even after you've become a mother.
• Let's talk about that comment: Enjoy every moment.
• Postpartum resentment towards husbands

Where to find Suzanne and her book:

Website: https://www.suzanneyatimaslam.com/
Her book: Post Pardon Me
Her Insta: https://www.instagram.com/suzyatimaslam/

Listen To Your Mother (The transformative, magical live stage show that gives motherhood a microphone) tickets are available here: https://www.z2ent.com/events/detail/listen-to-your-mother-1/ 

WHERE TO FIND US NOW

Connect with Stacey

• 🎧 The Next Phase Podcast —  
• on Apple & Spotify 
• 📸 Instagram: @stacehutson

Connect with Steph

• 🎧 The Peri-Normal Podcast
  on Apple and Spotify
• ✍️ The Reclamation Era
  on Substack
• 📝 MidCircle
  — a writing community for midlife women
• 📸 Instagram: @stephsprenger