No One Told Us

By Rachael Shepard-Ohta

No One Told Us the truth about parenthood. WHY?!

Welcome to No One Told Us, the podcast where we uncover the raw, unfiltered truths about parenthood. I'm your host, Rachael Shepard-Ohta, mom of three ... more

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FAQs about No One Told Us:

How many episodes does No One Told Us have?

The podcast currently has 116 episodes available.

No One Told Us episodes:

October 30, 2025Rewind: In-Laws and Tricky Relationship Changes After Baby with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish ⁠⁠@drtracyd⁠⁠
Have you ever found yourself navigating a tricky situation with your in-laws? In this conversation, Rachael interviews Dr. Tracy, a psychologist and couples therapist, all about the topic of in-laws and how they can affect relationships with significant others. Dr. Tracy provides lots of tips for communication and speaking up in uncomfortable situations and how to handle challenging family dynamics with respect.

Inside this episode:
How in-law and family dynamics impact relationships

How to set and enforce healthy boundaries with in-laws and parents

The difference between requests vs. boundaries

Navigating relationship challenges as new parents

How to handle relationships with toxic family members and the option of going no contact

Help finding ways to nurture the connection with your partner

The power in trusting yourself and tuning out outside advice

And so much more!

Mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Tracy’s website: ⁠https://www.drtracyd.com/⁠

Dr. Tracy’s podcast: ⁠I’m Not Your Shrink⁠

Dr. Tracy’s instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/drtracyd/?hl=en⁠

Dr. Tracy’s Book: ⁠I Didn’t Sign Up for This ⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit⁠ heysleepybaby.com⁠ and follow⁠ @heysleepybaby⁠ on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of⁠ Hey, Sleepy Baby⁠, and the host of this podcast.

⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Tiktok⁠ | ⁠ Website⁠

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40min
October 23, 2025Rewind: Reimagining Boyhood with Ruth Whippman
What does it mean to raise boys in a world where masculinity feels impossible to get right? This week on No One Told Us, Rachael is joined by author and cultural critic Ruth Whippman to talk about her powerful new book, BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity.

We’re digging deep into the unspoken challenges of parenting boys today—gendered expectations that begin before birth, the emotional isolation of boys in our culture, and the ways that patriarchy harms everyone, not just women. Ruth brings a compassionate, sharp, and often funny lens to topics like toxic masculinity, feminism, screen time, school struggles, and why our young boys are struggling so much right now.

Inside this episode…..
Ruth’s own experience raising 3 boys as a feminist

Unhelpful stereotypes like “boys will be boys” and how they harm our children

Ruth’s opinion on Netflix’s show "Adolescence" and its portrayal of modern boyhood

Why today’s world is a “perfect storm” for young boys and men to be radicalized

How do we hold young men accountable without sending them into shame and shutdown?

How patriarchy harms both men and women, and Ruth’s recommendations for both #boymoms and #boydads

And what can we do—today—as parents, to change the story for our little boys?

Plus so much more!

This episode is for anyone raising boys, loving boys, or trying to understand them in a culture that so often gets masculinity wrong. 💙

Mentioned in this episode:
Ruth’s Book: ⁠BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity ⁠

Ruth’s Substack: ⁠I Blame Society ⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit⁠ heysleepybaby.com⁠ and follow⁠ @heysleepybaby⁠ on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of⁠ Hey, Sleepy Baby⁠, and the host of this podcast.

⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Tiktok⁠ | ⁠ Website⁠

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52min
October 16, 2025Rewind: We Have Good Reason to Be Angry with Yara Heary
Did you feel totally unprepared for just how angry you might feel after becoming a mom? You’re not alone. In this episode, Rachael sits down with psychologist Yara Heary to unpack why anger shows up so often in early motherhood and why it’s not something to feel ashamed of.
Together, they explore the identity shifts that happen postpartum, the strain on relationships, and the nervous system challenges that can leave us feeling triggered. Yara offers compassionate, practical tools to understand your anger, support yourself before it boils over, and move through motherhood with more ease and self-compassion.

Inside this episode:
Why anger is a normal and valid part of postpartum life

How shifting identities and relationship changes fuel resentment

The role of expectations in couples after a baby

Tools to support your nervous system before anger escalates

What to do when you feel triggered by your kids or partner

Practicing self-compassion and connecting with your inner child

How to assume the best of our children and others around us

Mentioned in this episode:
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Follow Yara on Instagram

Life After Birth with Yara Podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.

Instagram | Tiktok | Website

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43min
October 09, 2025Rewind: How to Fight for Your Rights at Work with Daphne Delvaux
In this episode, Rachael sits down with attorney and women’s rights advocate Daphne Delvaux to uncover what every working parent needs to know about their rights in the workplace. Known as The Mamattorney, Daphne has built her career fighting for fair treatment, equal pay, and family-friendly policies and she’s here to share the essential tools you need to advocate for yourself at work.
Together, they dive into pregnancy and postpartum protections, how to navigate discrimination, and why knowing your rights is one of the most empowering things you can do as a parent.

Inside this episode:
What to line up before and after announcing your pregnancy at work

How and when to share your pregnancy with your employer

Your legal rights around maternity leave, partner’s leave, and pumping accommodations

How to handle discrimination, unfair treatment, or wrongful termination

Negotiating family-friendly policies for better work-life balance

Tips for easing the transition back after maternity leave

Why knowledge is power when it comes to planning your family and your career

And so much more!

Mentioned in this episode:
The Mamattorney Academy membership

Employment Rights Guide

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.

Instagram | Tiktok | Website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
50min
October 02, 2025Rewind: Fostering a Secure Attachment with Michelle Charriere
Rachael chats with birth-to-five mental health specialist Michelle Charriere about what it really takes to build (and repair) a secure attachment with your child. They cover the four attachment styles, why repair matters more than perfection, and how to choose childcare that supports connection...plus real talk on daycare and sleep training without the internet drama.
And because they couldn’t resist, they end with a little Bravo TV fun, including Michelle’s pick for the best Housewives franchise to start with and a round of “F**k, Marry, Kill” (Bravo edition).

Inside this episode:
The four attachment styles (and why secure is the goal)

How repair builds trust after ruptures

Choosing childcare that supports emotional connection

Thoughts on daycare and sleep training

What to look for in a caregiver

Bravo TV picks and guilty pleasures
Mentioned in this episode:
@babiesandbrains

Parenting Through Attachment Course

Childcare & Preschool Guide

New Sibling Guide
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.

Instagram | Tiktok | Website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
42min
September 25, 2025Rewind: Maintaining Intimacy After Kids with Vanessa & Xander Marin
Maintaining Intimacy After Kids with Vanessa & Xander Marin

Parenthood changes a lot, including your relationship. In this episode, Rachael sits down with New York Times bestselling authors (and real-life couple) Vanessa and Xander Marin to talk about keeping intimacy alive after kids, the infamous “roommate phase,” and why honest conversations about sex matter more than you think.

Vanessa, a sex therapist with 20 years of experience, and Xander, her “regular dude” husband, share how they’ve navigated their own ups and downs while helping millions of couples do the same. They dive into the five conversations from their book Sex Talks, why emotional connection is the real foreplay, and what to do when one partner isn’t feeling ready for intimacy. Plus, they share how couples therapy, online courses, and even their own podcast have helped them, and can help you, build a more connected, playful, and passionate relationship.

Inside this episode:
The inspiration behind Sex Talks and the five key conversations couples need to have

How to break out of the “roommate phase” and reconnect

Tips for navigating mismatched readiness for intimacy

Why emotional connection is just as important as physical intimacy

The benefits of couples therapy (and other resources that work)

How to keep sex and pleasure on the table even when life is hectic

Mentioned in this episode:
Instagram: @vanessaandxander

Vanessa & Xander’s Online Courses

Rediscovering Us: Intimacy and Sex for Parents Course

Pillow Talks Podcast

Sex Talks Book

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.

Instagram | Tiktok | Website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
37min
September 18, 2025Rewind: Bridging Separation at Bedtime with Dr. Gordon Neufeld
Bridging Separation at Bedtime with Dr. Gordon Neufeld ⁠@neufeldinstitute⁠

This week Rachael has a very special guest, Dr. Gordon Neufeld, to discuss the importance of attachment and the challenges parents face when it comes to bedtime and sleep. Dr. Neufeld is a renowned authority on child development and you will learn so much in this powerful episode!

Here’s what they discuss inside this important episode:
How attachment is a fundamental aspect of child development

Learn all about Dr. Neufeld's Model of the Six Stages of Attachment

The crucial role parents play in providing the necessary conditions for children to grow up and develop their capacity to hold on when apart

Why is society so focused on independence?!

How quick-fix strategies often overlook the importance of preserving the connection between parents and children

Bedtime challenges and separation struggles

How parents can support their children by bridging the separation at bedtime

And so much more!

Dr. Neufeld has accumulated more than 40 years of experience as a clinical psychologist with children and youth and those responsible for them. A foremost authority on child development, Dr. Neufeld continues to be an international speaker, a best-selling author and a leading interpreter of the developmental paradigm. Dr. Neufeld has a widespread reputation for making sense of complex problems and for opening doors for change. While formerly involved in university teaching and private practice, he has devoted the best part of the last two decades to creating courses for parents, teachers and helping professionals. These courses are offered primarily through the Neufeld Institute – an online educational institute and world-wide charitable organization devoted to applying developmental science to the task of raising children. Dr. Neufeld’s life's work has been to help adults provide the conditions for children to flourish. He is a father of five and a grandfather to seven.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free resources from Dr. Gordon Neufeld:
⁠https://neufeldinstitute.org/resources/free/⁠

Online conference with Dr. Neufeld:
The Current Crisis of Well-Being: What's Happening to Our Kids? ⁠https://neufeldinstitute.org/conference-2024/⁠

See presentations and talks from Gordon Neufeld:
⁠https://www.youtube.com/@neufeldmedia⁠

Follow Dr. Gordon Neufeld's work on:
Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/NeufeldInstitute⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/neufeldinstitute/⁠

Dr. Neufeld’s Book: Hold Onto Your Kids
⁠https://neufeldinstitute.org/resources/hold-on-to-your-kids-book/⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit⁠ heysleepybaby.com⁠ and follow⁠ @heysleepybaby⁠ on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of⁠ Hey, Sleepy Baby⁠, and the host of this podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
43min
September 11, 2025Rewind: Challenging Our Individualistic Culture with Erin Spahr
Challenging Our Individualistic Culture with Erin Spahr ⁠@feminist.mom.therapist⁠

In this episode, Rachael interviews Erin Spahr, a licensed therapist, mother, and maternal mental health advocate. They discuss the intersection of feminism and motherhood, the lack of support and systemic oppression faced by women and parents, and the harmful effects of comparison and external validation on social media.

Here’s what they discuss in this episode:
The importance of self-compassion and self-trust in navigating motherhood

The need for inclusive and identity-affirming care for perinatal individuals

Lack of federal paid parental leave in the US and how it is a MAJOR issue for mothers

How harmful the societal ideology of individualism and the expectation that mothers should do it all without support is

All about the tradwife movement and how it glamorizes an unrealistic and oppressive view of motherhood.

Why does feminism have a negative connotation?

And so much more!

Mentioned in this episode:
Erin’s instagram: ⁠@feminist.mom.therapist⁠

Listen to The Feminist Mom Podcast ⁠here⁠

Inclusive Provider Directory website: ⁠https://www.inclusiveproviders.com/⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit⁠ heysleepybaby.com⁠ and follow⁠ @heysleepybaby⁠ on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of⁠ Hey, Sleepy Baby⁠, and the host of this podcast.
⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Tiktok⁠ | ⁠ Website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
39min
September 04, 2025Rewind: Feeding Toddlers: Finding Joy in Family Meals with Nita and Jessica of
Feeding Toddlers: Finding Joy in Family Meals with Nita and Jessica of ⁠@happyhealthyeaters⁠

Have you ever struggled with picky eating or stressful mealtimes? This is so common- feeding toddlers can be very challenging! In this episode, Rachael speaks with Jessica and Nita, co-founders of Happy Healthy Eaters, ALL about feeding toddlers to make mealtimes more enjoyable!

Here’s what they discuss inside this episode:
The different challenges of feeding toddlers including “picky” eating or selective eating

How and why it is important to trust your child’s eating preferences

How much food should your toddler actually eat?

Tips for keeping your child engaged and interested in mealtime

Guiding parents on allowing kids to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full

How valuable family meals can be for modeling eating behaviors and passing on cultural traditions

Ways to adapt meals to fit each family's schedule and preferences

Tips for adapting culturally appropriate meals for babies

Facts about the food supply in North America and it’s safety

When to seek support from professionals if a child's eating habits are severely challenging or interfering with their growth and development

Jessica and Nita are co-founders of Happy Healthy Eaters - a community dedicated to supporting parents in feeling relaxed and confident about feeding their child. They are both Registered Dietitians with a combined 25+ years of education and work. They started Happy Healthy Eaters in 2020 after Nita had her second baby with the hopes of supporting parents through these exciting milestones, minus ALL the misinformation. Their online course - Starting Solids Confidently- launched first and is widely popular and now they have a second course: Feeding Toddlers Confidently- which debuted after more than two years in the making!

Mentioned in this episode:
Happy Healthy Eaters Website: ⁠https://happyhealthyeaters.com/⁠

Happy Healthy Eaters instagram: ⁠@happyhealthyeaters ⁠

Feeding Toddlers Confidently Course ⁠here⁠ Code for No One Told Us Listeners: HHE15

⁠How to Keep Your Toddler at the Table⁠

Blog Post: ⁠How to Adapt Recipes to be BLW Friendly⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️

✨For sleep support and resources, visit⁠ heysleepybaby.com⁠ and follow⁠ @heysleepybaby⁠ on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨

Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of⁠ Hey, Sleepy Baby⁠, and the host of this podcast.
⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Tiktok⁠ | ⁠ Website⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
41min
August 28, 2025Rewind: Managing Sensory Overwhelm in Parenthood with Larissa Geleris
Disclaimer: This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please seek immediate care from your physician if you have any concerns about your health.

This week, Rachael sits down with occupational therapist Larissa Geleris of @steadyparents to explore a topic that hits home for so many parents: sensory overwhelm.
Picture this: you're cooking dinner, the oven fan is on, your baby is crying, your toddler is banging a toy, and your partner is asking you a question. You’re overstimulated, overwhelmed, maybe even raging. Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and this episode is for you.

Larissa breaks down what sensory overload really is, how common it is in parenthood, and why it's a completely normal response to an overstimulating environment. She shares her personal story as a pediatric OT who experienced sensory dysfunction after a concussion—and how that shifted her focus to supporting overwhelmed parents just like you.
Here’s what they discuss inside this episode:
What sensory overwhelm is (and why it’s common in parenting)

The “touched out” feeling—why it happens and what to do

Quick, practical sensory strategies to use in the moment

How to reduce the chances of overwhelm ahead of time

Why self-compassion is key to self-regulation

How to co-regulate with your child even when you’re dysregulated

Tools to help you feel more confident and steady in your day-to-day parenting

And so much more!

Mentioned in this episode:
Larissa’s Instagram: @steadyparents

Larissa’s program: Sensing Your Needs in Parenthood

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
...more
40min

FAQs about No One Told Us:

How many episodes does No One Told Us have?

The podcast currently has 116 episodes available.

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