Self-love isn’t always soft.
It isn’t always aesthetic.
And it definitely isn’t always easy.

In this episode, I’m talking about the honest side of self-love — the kind that comes from lived experience, not curated routines. We dive into healing childhood wounds of feeling unseen, redefining self-love beyond candles and affirmations, and learning how to show up for yourself in seasons where life feels heavy, busy, or unfinished.

I also reflect on why loving your own work, enjoying your own voice, and being your biggest supporter isn’t narcissistic — it’s necessary. Especially when you’re building a life you want, healing while parenting, and learning to trust yourself again.

This conversation is for anyone who’s learning how to love themselves in real time — imperfectly, quietly, and honestly.

✨ Topics covered:

• Healing childhood wounds & feeling unseen

• Redefining self-love beyond aesthetics

• Confidence vs. narcissism

• Creativity, expression, and self-trust

• Motherhood, productivity, and honoring your season

• Loving yourself while you’re still becoming

If this episode resonates, take a deep breath — you’re not behind. You’re human.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it means to keep living — fully and honestly — after loss.

Last week’s episode was released around my son’s birthday. He would have turned four. I needed time and space before sharing it, because grief doesn’t move on a schedule. That episode held a lot of love, remembrance, and truth.

This week, I’m talking about what comes after that acknowledgment — permission.

Permission to feel joy again.
Permission to create again.
Permission to dream without guilt.

After losing my son, losing my mother, and living through seasons of deep trauma, I’ve learned that grief doesn’t end love — it reshapes it. Creating has become one of the ways I process, heal, and stay connected to purpose.

I also share the heart behind the soft launch of Dearly Departed, a collection created to honor love that lives on. The first piece carries the message “Grief Is Love Remembered,” because that truth has carried me through some of my darkest moments.

This episode is an invitation — not to rush healing, but to remember that you’re allowed to build a life that feels good to you. Even after loss. Even after pain. Even if no one fully understands your journey.

As long as you’re still breathing, there is purpose.
As long as you’re still here, there is more ahead.

Thank you for sitting with me.

Today is my son’s birthday. He would have been four years old.

This episode is slower and more personal than usual. I’m sitting with the mixed emotions that come with grief—missing him deeply while also feeling proud of myself for surviving something I once thought would end me.

I talk honestly about child loss, the guilt that often comes with it, and what it means to carry love after loss. Not in a polished or inspirational way—but in a real, human one.

This episode is for anyone who has lost a child, a loved one, a dream, or a version of themselves they can’t return to. It’s a reminder that grief is not the opposite of love—it’s proof of it.

If today feels heavy for you, you’re not alone.
Please listen gently.

Self-development isn’t always about motivation, routines, or becoming “better.”
Sometimes it’s about showing up — even when you’re tired, healing, grieving, and carrying more than you thought you could.

In this episode, I’m sharing what self-development looks like in my real life right now — balancing motherhood to a baby and a toddler, building Crafty Grove, stepping into content creation, and moving through grief during my son’s birthday month.

This conversation is about growing in the in-between season.
About honoring your purpose without rushing your healing.
About creating something meaningful even when your body is tired, and your heart feels heavy.

If you’re in a season where you’re still showing up — not perfectly, but honestly — this episode is for you.

There comes a point when the version of you that once kept you safe no longer fits the life you’re living now.

In this episode, I’m talking about what it means to release old identities shaped by fear, survival, and bracing for what might go wrong — especially as a mother who’s been changed by loss and growth.

This isn’t about fixing yourself or rushing into a new version of you.
It’s about honoring who you were, while permitting yourself to evolve without guilt.

If you’ve felt stuck between who you used to be and who you’re becoming, this conversation is a gentle reminder: you’re allowed to grow differently now.

A new year often comes with pressure — to change, to fix, to become more.

In this episode, I’m sharing a gentler way to enter 2026. One rooted in honesty, alignment, and self-compassion rather than urgency or hustle.

This conversation is for anyone who feels tired, behind, or unsure of where they’re headed. It’s a reminder that growth doesn’t always look like doing more — sometimes it looks like slowing down, listening, and allowing who you are right now to be enough.

You are not late to your life. You’re becoming — at the pace your life allows.

Welcome to 2026, exactly as you are.

Merry Christmas, love. 🎄✨

Welcome back to another episode of Motherhood and Mindfulness — and today is extra special.
Not only is it Christmas Day, but this episode marks almost exactly one year since I started this podcast. One year of healing out loud, one year of returning after the pauses, one year of choosing growth even when life felt heavy.

In this episode, I reflect on:

✨ The random Best Buy moment that started this podcast
✨ The healing that came from speaking my truth
✨ The lessons motherhood, grief, and year one taught me
✨ Why I’m grateful for my small, meaningful audience
✨ A soft Christmas message for anyone hurting or healing
✨ What I’m stepping into as I enter year two

Whether today feels joyful, heavy, quiet, or complicated — I hope this episode brings you peace, reflection, and warmth.

If this podcast has touched you in any way, thank you for being here. Your presence matters more than you know.

Merry Christmas, and here’s to year two.
Stay mindful, stay soft, stay grounded. 🌿

— April
Motherhood and Mindfulness

This week, we’re talking about something so many people feel but rarely say out loud:
The holidays can be hard… especially when grief sits quietly beside you.

In this tender episode, I share what it’s like to navigate December after losing my first son, the guilt so many of us carry this time of year, and why you don’t have to force yourself to be merry to be worthy.

We breathe through the heaviness together.
We honor the empty chairs, the old memories, the versions of ourselves we miss.
And we talk about gentle practices that help you move through the season with softness, not pressure.

If the holidays feel different now… if you’re balancing joy and grief… if you just need a moment of comfort — this one is for you.

Take a deep breath.
You’re not alone here.
🕯️💛

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about something so many of us struggle with — resting without guilt.
Not resting because you “earned it,” not collapsing from exhaustion… but choosing rest on purpose.

We’re unpacking why rest feels uncomfortable, why slowing down feels rebellious, and how survival mode teaches us to push ourselves past our limits. This is your reminder that rest isn’t optional, it isn’t a reward, and it isn’t something you need permission for — it’s a need.

Tap into this episode anytime you feel tired, overwhelmed, or stuck in the pressure to do more.
Here’s your softness for the week.
Here’s your breath.
Here’s your permission to rest. 🤍

December is here, and this month we’re choosing softness.
We’re choosing reflection.
We’re choosing to come home to ourselves.

In today’s episode, I open up a comforting and deeply honest conversation about what it really feels like to slow down when life won’t stop moving. If you’ve been stretched thin, overwhelmed, or feeling guilty for resting — this is your reminder that you’re not alone.

We talk about:
• Why rest feels uncomfortable
• the signals your body sends before your mind catches up
• the guilt that comes with slowing down
• creating micro-moments of stillness in a busy life
• learning to hear yourself again

This isn’t an episode about doing more — it’s about doing less so you can finally breathe.

Let this be your gentle reset for the month.
Take a breath, settle in, and come home to yourself.

Next week: “Learning to Rest Without Guilt.”