This time of year, there’s so much pressure to be better.

There’s a whole industry that capitalizes on personal growth and change, and in December, there’s so much focus on goal setting with this “new year, new you” idea.

Now, I’m not saying you should rest on your laurels and sit here indefinitely. But movement forward should be honoring you and your life, not driven through “shoulds” or comparisons.

That way, we’re INTENTIONAL about the choices we make and the goals we set instead of getting wrapped up in the pressure to make big changes during this holiday period.

Resources & Links

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

To be a mom and own a business, it takes a lot of trust.

We can’t do everything. We can’t be watching our kids 24/7 while also micromanaging every aspect of our work lives. To a point, we just have to have faith that the people around us will hold us up.

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Lindsay Dickerhoof, a hairstylist, makeup artist, Mary Kay consultant and owner of Harestream, a mobile wedding salon that travels via a beautiful Airstream van. She’s also the mom to two beautiful babies.

So much of our conversation has to do with trust, and how important it was for her to grow her business and be the mom she wanted to be.

It required trust in her faith; trust in herself; trust in her employees; and trust in the vision of what she wants her business and her life to look like.

Resources & Links

Learn more about Lindsay’s business, Harestream, on her Instagram page and website.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

Our family has had a week.

My wallet was stolen. My daughter got an ear infection. We tried and took a break from potty training. Recently, I got sick for the first time in YEARS – a head cold strong enough that I rescheduled some podcast interviews to give myself some rest.

Our society doesn’t support time for rest and healing from illness; there’s this belief instilled in us that we must power through anyway.

But it’s important to remember where these “beliefs” come from – personal lenses, sure, but also communal, generational lenses – and that we are only human.

So this episode is for the moms who feel they must “do it all” – and to let them know it’s OKAY to rest. In fact, resting might be the most productive thing they do today.

Resources & Links

Some books I reference in this episode: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez and Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier Between Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment by Valerie Rein.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

What if we put ourselves first on our list of priorities?

For some parents, this might be a crazy or even slightly controversial idea! But for today’s guest, Lindsay Roselle, it has made ALL the difference in her ability to give her best to her family, her work, and even herself.

Her reasoning? She and her partner are the ones who have to shoulder the load. If they’re not feeling strong, then the whole system won’t work. 

Lindsay is a growth and performance coach for high-achieving women looking to find harmony between their desire to succeed and their devotion to motherhood. She’s also the host of the MotherLoad Podcast and a mom to two little boys.

Lindsay and I talk about generational trauma (including how she was confronted with this at a plant medicine retreat); her morning journaling practice, the Dark Hour; and how prioritizing ourselves first can make all the difference in how our system works.

Resources & Links

You can learn about Lindsay’s Ayahuasca retreat and motherhood journey on her podcast, the MotherLoad Podcast and follow her on her personal Instagram and her podcast Instagram page.

Some of the books we mentioned: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer; Greenlights by by Matthew McConaughey; and Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment by Valerie Rein.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

It’s scary, traveling with kids. If you’ve done it, you know what I’m talking about!

But it can also be so worth it. In my last episode, I talked about my own personal tips and tricks for traveling with a toddler.

This week, we’re joined by special guest Brianne Hepworth, a mom to four kids and the founder of Mini Voyager, a company that curates travel kits for kids of all ages to help families feel more confident about traveling with their little ones.

I came across Mini Voyager through somebody else’s Instagram account, and I thought, finally, somebody’s done this. It’s about time I found it! What I love about these kits is they’re streamlined and compact. Children can even carry them themselves.

In today’s episode, Brianne and I talk about these life-changing kits; how sometimes there is no “balance” between work and parenting; and why traveling with your kids can be so worth it.

Resources & Links

Follow Brianne on Instagram and visit the Mini Voyager website to check out the travel kits, with different packages available for young babies to kids eight and older.

Need a place to start with planning your trip with your toddler? Check out my packing list freebie for all of my must-haves! 

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

We’ve traveled quite a lot with our daughter Olive: Hawaii, the East Coast, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Florida, with more coming up around the holidays.

My husband’s family lives here in San Diego, but my family’s all over the country. Video chats only go so far, and it’s important to me that we travel so she can see them.

For each adventure, I start with a basic packing list and add to that based on what worked for us last time, where we’re going, and who we’re seeing. The list is different each time depending on these factors, and our daughter, who is obviously older for each one.

For today’s episode, I’m going to cover some tips and tricks that my husband and I have learned while traveling with Olive, plus you can download my free packing list to get you started! Traveling with a toddler may not be easy, but, trust me, it’ll be so worth it if you do.

Resources & Links

Need a place to start with planning your trip with your toddler? Check out my packing list freebie! 

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

Fear can have such a strong hold on us, preventing us from taking risks and forcing us to dwell on all the things that could go wrong.

And yet, as today’s guest Meg Marie McMillan points out, fear will always be there. We CAN be aware of fear and still move forward. What if instead we imagine everything going RIGHT? What if we shift our mindsets and trust the future COULD hold some AMAZING things for us?

Meg is a brand photographer based out of San Diego who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, ensuring they feel confident on and off camera. She’s also a photography coach and mom of two adorable boys.

In this episode, Meg and I discuss all things momming and business, including moving forward in the face of fear; simplifying and outsourcing our work inside and outside the home; and keeping our eyes on the big picture.

Resources & Links

Follow Meg Marie McMillan on Instagram and her website.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

Imagine a place where you can receive self-care – drink a coffee, take a workshop, or even get a manicure – WHILE your little one is happily occupied in a play gym within the same vicinity.

This is the concept behind The Lullabar, a wellness cafe in North Country, San Diego, which is set to open around the corner from me early 2023.

Where I live, The Lullabar is getting all kinds of buzz in motherhood circles. When I heard about it, my immediate reactions were, it’s about TIME! And also, why hasn’t anyone done this before?! I personally am so excited about this space, and I know I’m not alone. 

Today’s guests are the cofounders and mothers behind The Lullabar: Stephanie Issa and Christine Ong Forsythe. In this episode, we discuss all things motherhood, business, and the idea to create a space where moms can just feel like themselves for a few hours – no childcare coordination necessary.

Resources & Links

Follow the journey of The Lullabar on Instagram.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

Today’s guest is Nancy Nguyen, a wife and mom to a two-year-old daughter. Nancy is also a Chinese-American lifestyle and motherhood content creator from San Diego. She’s the creator of the YouTube channel Happily Ever Nancy and the podcast Hey Mama Memos. 

Like me, Nancy had her daughter in the midst of the pandemic, and in this episode, we chat about how we combat dreaded mom guilt in all its iterations – in pandemics, at work, while pursuing new, creative passions (that may or not make money) – and how finding our WHY can make all the difference.

Resources & Links

You can find Nancy on her website, her YouTube channel (Happily Ever Nancy), her podcast (Hey Mama Memos) and her Instagram page.

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected]. 

It’s remarkable to think about the ways motherhood forces us to grow and reflect on how we imagined motherhood to be.

Was it a childhood fantasy? Was it even something we thought about? What role do our own mothers play in how we navigate this world of parenthood?

Today’s guest is Briana Ellis Hoag, a licensed architect, interior designer and owner of Ritual Architecture. Briana is also pregnant with a baby girl – which means this is our first guest who is in the pregnancy stage of motherhood!

In this episode, Briana shares everything her pregnancy is bringing up: the reality vs. what she expected; navigating work-family balance; and how she’s working through the void of her late mother, who passed in 2016.

Resources & Links

Find Briana on the Ritual Architecture website and Instagram page (and be sure to keep an eye out for her new Instagram account she’s launching).

Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.

Do you want to share your motherhood journey on the podcast? Email me at [email protected].