Not Quite Grownup

Send Caitlin a Text!

Caitlin and her best friend almost ghosted each other for their monthly standing dinner date, and the panic that followed turned into a real revelation about why adult friendships that felt effortless all summer suddenly take so much more work once fall hits.

• Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.

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Who Should Listen...

• Moms who've realized their adult friendships ran almost entirely on summer proximity—pool days, camp pickup, kids colliding at the park
• Anyone who's had that gut-drop moment of almost missing time with a close friend
• Listeners who feel like they're "complaining a lot lately" and need the reminder that naming what's hard isn't the same as failing at life
• Fans of Caitlin and Jenny's friendship who want an update

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What You Get In This Episode

• Why adult friendships often depend more on built-in summer structure (pool days, camp pickup, kid overlap) than people realize
• The moment Caitlin and her best friend Jenny each texted the other asking "did I stand you up?" — and what that panic revealed
• A concrete, low-effort fix: picking a date, adding it to shared calendars, booking the reservation, and setting multiple reminders
• A recap tying together the last few episodes' themes — none of it is a personal failing, it's just what happens inside systems she didn't build

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

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Sources & Mentions

• Jenny: Caitlin's best friend and former co-host, referenced throughout for their standing monthly dinner date
• The Grove (Austin area): the restaurant where Caitlin and Jenny have their standing date
• Gossiping at The Grove: a candle from a local shop, a gift from Jenny referencing their tradition
• Threads: @not_quite_grownup: where listeners can reach out with episode topic ideas
• Text link at the top of the show notes: another way for you to send in topic requests
• Callbacks to recent episodes: the day-four back-to-school routine episode, the mental load / $600 episode, and the fall vibes crochet pumpkin episode

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
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• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

It's still over 90 degrees out, but Caitlin has already crocheted five pumpkins, one fall leaf, and fully committed to a Halloween playlist she started listening to in July. This episode is a fully unhinged, very funny confession about why fall is more than a season for her—it's a mood she has to manufacture by force.

📧 Sign up for Caitlin's email list to get the crocheted pumpkin photos sent straight to your inbox. And Fall Girlies: Answer the poll in the blog post for this episode to let Caitlin know you're listening!

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Who Should Listen...

• Anyone who's ever gotten irrationally mad at Halloween candy showing up in stores in August
• "Fall girlies" who start decorating before the weather cooperates
• Listeners who want something light, funny, and low-stakes after some heavier recent episodes
• All y’all who cope with an unbearable season by throwing youreselves into a project (craft or otherwise)

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What You Get In This Episode

• A very honest confession: fall isn't just a season for Caitlin, it's a mood she has to manufacture herself for her mental health
• The real epiphany: she was never actually mad at Halloween candy showing up early—she's mad that summer refuses to end
• Her current fall arsenal: one crocheted leaf, five crocheted pumpkins, three real pumpkins, and zero regrets
• A reminder that sometimes coping with a season you can't control looks like a completely ridiculous craft project, and that's fine

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

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Sources & Mentions

• H-E-B—referenced for its early seasonal displays (Halloween candy, Día de los Muertos decor) and, lovingly, for "doing the Lord's work"
• Caitlin's favorite Halloween Party playlist, including "Werewolves of London" and "Thriller," (started playing this in July)
• Black Panther—mentioned as background viewing during a crochet session
• Email list signup—link at the top of the show notes for anyone who wants to see those famous crocheted pumpkins

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

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My Back-to-School Overwhelm Cost Me $600

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A triple-charged PTA fee, an unread dentist appointment reminder, and 9 unopened school emails on Labor Day morning—Caitlin's mental load hit a breaking point before fall even really started. This episode is about why that "admin crap" always seems to land on one parent, and why missing something doesn't mean you're failing.

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You Need This Episode If...

• You’re a mom carrying the bulk of household and school administrative tasks, even if you’re in a relationship with a genuinely helpful partner
• Anyone who's missed a form, a fee, or a deadline and spiraled into shame about it
• Parents feeling the fall administrative overwhelm hit before the season's even really underway
• Listeners who assume they're just "bad at tracking things" when the real issue is structural

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What You'll Get

• Why the mental load of school admin defaults to one parent—even in households with genuinely equal partners
• A reframe: missing something isn't a personal failing, it's evidence of a workload that was never built for one person to carry
• Why "8 productivity hacks to stop missing things" isn't the answer, and what to focus on instead
• Real, small ways Caitlin's distributing the load: writing things down immediately, handing off specific tasks to her husband, scheduling reminders instead of relying on memory
• An invitation to share your own "unset dentist appointment" story for solidarity

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

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Programming Note

Caitlin's moving from weekly to biweekly episodes going forward, to give her the space to do this show well.

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Sources & Mentions

• Ali Wong's comedy special Don Wong—referenced for her line about how much more successful she'd be with a wife
• The Help—referenced briefly regarding the historical unpaid labor of Black women managing households for white women
• Smash Mouth's "All Star"—referenced/paraphrased ("the tasks keep coming and they don't stop coming")

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

It's day four of school, the bus comes in six minutes, and Caitlin's carefully planned back-to-school systems have already fallen apart. This episode is about what happened when trying harder wasn't the answer, and the one new thing that actually stuck in this year's routine.

• Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.

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Who Should Listen

• Moms whose back-to-school routines are already falling apart, even after real planning
• Anyone who's bought the new planner, the color-coded pens, or the habit tracker app that died by day four
• Parents who feel like they're failing at their own advice
• Listeners who need to hear that it's okay if the "right" systems just don't work for your family

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What You'll Get

• Why a system can work perfectly over the summer and still collapse by day four of the school year
• The real problem: it's not laziness or lack of effort; it's building routines for a family that doesn't actually exist in your house
• Why the "new planner, new me" trap rarely works, and why that's not a personal failing
• The one small change Caitlin's keeping (four words: teeth, socks, shoes, backpack) and why it's working where everything else didn't
• A reminder that the routine or system that'll actually stick is probably already in your house—it's just not the shiny new one

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

—

Sources & Mentions

• School Morning Rules for Moms Who Hate Mornings by @rosettewilson_ on Threads
• Next episode teaser: the avalanche of back-to-school paperwork and forms

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

Your Favorite Summer Habits Don't Have to Retire in September

Just as I finally settle into summer ease, the back-to-school countdown starts creeping back in. In the finale of the Sane Mom Summer series, I ask the question that matters most as fall approaches: does the joy have to end just because summer does? (Spoiler: duh, no.)

• Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.

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Who Should Listen

• Moms who feel that familiar anxiety creeping back in as summer winds down
• Parents who tend to let self-care slide the second the school year starts
• Moms looking for a simple, doable way to protect the good parts of summer through fall
• Anyone who's followed the Sane Mom Summer series and wants the wrap-up

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What You'll Get

• Why summer joy tends to disappear the second school starts
• Heather Moulder's self-care equation, and why "self-care" belongs above the to-do list instead of buried at the bottom of it
• A simple exercise: naming three specific things from summer that genuinely made you feel like yourself
• How to actually protect that time with one bigger, calendar-worthy ritual and one small, recurring one
• The throughline for the whole Sane Mom Summer series: you get to notice what works for you and build around it

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

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Sources & Mentions

• Heather Moulder's self-care equation (work + family + chores + other — with "other" including self-care), referenced as the framework for prioritizing self-care in the epsiode 
  • How To Stop Feeling Guilty About Taking Care Of Yourself | Heather Moulder
  • How To Say No Without Feeling Guilt (Step-By-Step Instructions) | Heather Moulder
• Sane Mom Summer series: 
  • Episode 205: Lowering the standard for a less “picture perfect” summer
  • Episode 206: Confidence
  • Episode 207: Not letting the internet dictate your summer
  • Episode 208: ADHD in summer mode
  • Episode 209: Making the B2S transition more manageable

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

A back-to-school commercial ruined Caitlin's day—and made her realize why the whole season feels like a giant mom-run group project. In this episode, she breaks down why back-to-school hits so hard, and shares real (borrowed, stolen, and tested) tips to make the transition feel manageable.

Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.

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Who Should Listen

• Moms feeling that tight-chest anxiety just thinking about back-to-school
• Parents managing the shift from loose summer routines back into school-year logistics
• Parents of kids having big feelings about a grade-level milestone (last year of elementary, etc.)
• Anyone in the Sane Mom Summer series looking to carry that "easier on yourself" energy into fall

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What You Get In This Episode

• Why back-to-school hits so much harder than it should: (because it's more than a logistics checklist, it’s a full family transition)
• A reframe that makes it manageable: Change “let’s have the perfect first day” to “what actually matters right now?”
• Four practical resets: reset sleep/wake times early, simplify the first week, use visual supports, and talk openly with your kid about the transition
• A grab bag of extra tips—practicing the school drive, tax-free shopping weekends, the lunchbox leftovers talk, and a genius trick for back-to-school clothes shopping
• A reminder that it’s okay for the first two to three weeks to be a little bumpy!

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Host Bio

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

Sources & Mentions

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• Episode 77 — "Back to School Prep: Two Teachers and Moms Help You Start the School Year Right" (with former co-host Jenny), for additional back-to-school tips
• Sane Mom Summer series recap: Episode 1 (lowering the bar), Episode 2 (confidence), Episode 3 (not letting the internet run your nervous system), Episode 4 (ADHD in summer mode)
• Tax-free weekend / state sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping in Texas: Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 9, 2026
• Next episode teaser: wrapping the Sane Mom Summer series by carrying summer's ease into the school year

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
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• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

How Summer Secretly Wrecks Your ADHD Brain

School's out, routines are gone, and if your ADHD brain feels extra chaotic right now, you're not lazy — you're just missing the structure summer quietly stole from you. In this episode of the Sane Mom Summer series, Caitlin breaks down why ADHD symptoms intensify in summer and shares real, low-effort supports that actually help.

• Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.

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Who Should Listen

• Moms with ADHD (diagnosed or self-suspected) who feel more scattered, emotional, or overstimulated once summer hits
• Parents managing shifting routines, camp schedules, and loosened structure
• Anyone in the Not Quite Grown Up "Sane Mom Summer" series looking for practical, non-glamorous coping tools
• Listeners who feel shame around not "enjoying summer enough"

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What You Get in This Episode

• A reframe for ADHD shame: scattered ≠ lazy — it means your brain needs different supports, not more willpower
• Why summer specifically wrecks ADHD coping mechanisms (hint: it's the missing structure, not you)
• The "acceptance before action" mindset, borrowed from an unexpected source (Amanda Knox)
• Five concrete, unglamorous tools: visible reminders, external structure, task-shrinking, action-before-motivation, and low-stakes systems (baskets, checklists, snack bins, alarms)
• Permission to stop chasing motivation and just start the smallest possible step

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Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood. Diagnosed with ADHD at 38, she brings that lens to episodes like this one, talking openly about what actually helps rather than what's supposed to.

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Sources & Mentions

• Sane Mom Summer series: 
  • Episode 205 — Lowering the standard for summer
  • Episode 206 — Confidence
  • Episode 207 — Not letting the internet dictate your summer
  • Episode 208 (this one) — ADHD in summer mode

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What’s Next

Back-to-school without the mommy meltdown

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

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Send Caitlin a Text!

You started summer with one goal: keep life calmer, lighter, less chaotic. Then you scrolled for two minutes and suddenly your summer looks underwhelming compared to someone else's perfectly curated highlights. Your nervous system is dysregulated, your confidence is shaken, and you're convinced everyone else has figured something out that you missed. Let’s fix that.

• Click here for this episode’s blog post with links to sources and even more content.
• Stay connected: Get reminder emails!

Summary

Your real life matters more than content, even when it doesn't photograph well. A meaningful summer doesn't require a curated feed. It requires protecting your attention and refusing to absorb other people's chaos as your own. This episode shows you how.

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You Need This Episode If...

• You feel tense, anxious, or "behind" after scrolling
• You're scrolling for relief when you're tired but ending up more fried
• Your feed makes you feel like you’re sucking at summer

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What You'll Get

• Why your brain reaches for social media when tired (and why it backfires)
• How algorithms actually work—dwell time is the algo-impact you didn't know about
• Clear signs your feed is dysregulating you
• 4 practical boundaries that fit real mom life (ex: “shower before screens”)
• A self-check question to stop spiraling and return to what's actually real

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Your Host

Caitlin is the host of Not Quite Grownup and a content marketer who knows her way around an algorithm. She's also the woman who will pry Threads from her cold, dead hands, so this isn't about quitting social media—it's about protecting your peace within it.

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

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• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

You're allowed to quit the gym without explaining why.

You're allowed to say no without an explainer paragraph.

You're allowed to let someone else sit with their discomfort while you trust your decision.

This episode is about what real confidence looks like, and it doesn't require you to be loud, polished, or certain.

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You Need This Episode If:

• You find yourself overexplaining every decision you make
• You've been managing everyone else's feelings instead of trusting your own
• You’re looking for a way to build the kind of confidence that spills into other areas of your life

What You'll Get:

• A realistic definition of confidence that actually works for moms
• Why overexplaining kills your confidence (and how it opens the door for pushback)
• The gym cancellation story that changes everything about how you see boundaries
• Practical ways to build self-trust with small choices
• Why silence is one of your most powerful tools

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Your Host:

Caitlin is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms who are trying to keep it together with their watered-down iced coffee and realistic expectations. She's figuring this out in real time, right alongside you.

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Bottom Line:

Real confidence isn't about being loud or having it all figured out. It's about knowing what you want, trusting your decisions, and being willing to let things be a little awkward, one small choice at a time.

• Click here for this episode’s blog post with links to sources and even more content.
• Stay connected with Not Quite Grownup

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.

Send Caitlin a Text!

Summer is supposed to be relaxing. Barefoot kids, popsicles, pool days, sleeping in. So why does it make you feel like you're barely holding it together?

The answer isn't that you're doing something wrong. Summer genuinely breaks moms—not because you're weak, but because the structure you've been relying on all year suddenly disappears and gets replaced with a thousand tiny decisions you have to make every single day.

This episode is about why that happens, what it actually costs you, and how to get through summer without completely losing your sh*t.

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You Need This Episode If...

• Summer has you making decisions from 6 AM to bedtime with no breaks
• You're feeling guilty for not making summer "special" enough
• You're exhausted by the constant "what should we do today?" questions
• You want practical ways to protect your sanity (not add more to your plate)

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What You'll Get

Why summer breaks moms:

• The decision fatigue that comes from losing routine
• How the pressure to make summer "magical" actually works against you
• What your nervous system actually needs during unstructured months

What "sane" actually looks like:

• Four realistic weekly goals
• Permission to lower the bar without guilt
• Real talk about what your kids actually remember

Practical ways to cope:

• How to pre-decide choices so you're not deciding the same thing every day
• Building tiny rituals that protect your peace
• Protecting your evenings (and why it matters)
• Setting boundaries around the pressure to perform in the summer

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Your Host

Caitlin is a former teacher, current mom, someone who is already losing her mind in June, and someone who’s learning that surviving summer break with your sanity intact is the real win this season.

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Summer doesn't need to be amazing. It needs to be survivable in a way that leaves you still liking yourself and your kids at the end of August.

Give yourself permission to lower the bar. It’s enough to just get through it.

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Sources & Mentions

Read the blog post →

Subscribe so you never miss an episode →

Have a topic you want me to cover? Send me a text using the link at the top of the show notes.

Love you, mean it.

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Next episode: Building real confidence, bathing suit season aside.

Welcome to Not Quite Grownup. Let's do this. 

• Subscribe to join other Not Quite Grownups here >>>
• Follow on Instagram and Threads @not_quite_grownup.
• Please, rate, review, and subscribe for more Not Quite Grownup stories. 
• Love you, mean it. 

Support the show

Visit notquitegrownup.com for more content and the latest updates. Or connect on social media @not_quite_grownup on Instagram and Threads.