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They say it takes a village to raise a child.
But what happens when the village isn't there?
In this episode of Roots & Rhythm Podcast, Vlad and Angie sit down with Chantell Ford, founder of HomeTRYB, for an honest conversation about parenting, isolation, marriage, boundaries, mental health, and why so many parents are trying to do something that was never meant to be done alone.
After experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety while becoming a mother during COVID, Chantell began to recognize just how isolating parenthood can become. That experience eventually inspired her to create HomeTRYB, a platform designed to help parents and caregivers organize their support systems and make it easier to actually ask for—and receive—the help they need.
The conversation gets REAL.
Why does asking someone to watch your child feel like such a burden?
Why are so many parents surrounded by people but still feel like they don't have a village?
And what happens to your marriage, identity, and mental health when you're Mom or Dad 24/7 with no opportunity to simply be yourself?
Chantell shares how she and her husband reached a point where isolation, working from home, homeschooling, and years without a real date night forced them to make a major decision: sell their home, move closer to family, and rebuild their lives around having support.
We also get into parenting boundaries, judgmental relatives, social media parenting groups, overstimulation, co-sleeping, ridiculously early bedtimes (6:30 PM?! 👀), finding parent friends as an adult, and learning that protecting your peace sometimes means becoming comfortable saying NO.
Because maybe the problem isn't that the village disappeared.
Maybe we've forgotten how to build one—and how to let it help us.
🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 — Welcome to Roots & Rhythm
03:15 — Meet Chantell Ford & the mission behind HomTRYB
04:27 — Postpartum depression, anxiety & becoming a mother during COVID
08:48 — What happened to “the village”?
17:38 — Finding parent friends you actually connect with
18:46 — A real village helps—it doesn't judge
19:37 — When family members disturb your peace
21:30 — Parenthood taught Chantell how to set boundaries
24:40 — When parenting puts your marriage on autopilot
25:43 — Four or five YEARS without a date night
26:29 — Selling their home and moving closer to family
27:50 — The controversial 6:30 PM bedtime 👀
31:55 — Why Chantell refuses to co-sleep
33:45 — Parenting advice nobody asked for
35:57 — Are online parenting communities actually making things worse?
42:38 — What parents say they need most: “Give me a break.”
43:23 — How HomTRYB makes asking for help easier
45:35 — The village isn't just for mothers
53:14 — Protecting your mental health by letting things go
59:27 — How where you live can change your parenting experience
1:06:43 — Your village should change with your needs
1:07:39 — Setting boundaries with family and in-laws
1:10:12 — How to start building a village when you don't have one
1:11:12 — Your village doesn't have to live nearby
1:14:59 — Why accepting help can feel uncomfortable
1:16:45 — What Chantell hopes her children learn about asking for help
1:18:39 — Connect with Chantell & HomTRYB
1:21:12 — The mission: parents shouldn't have to do this alone
👤 ABOUT OUR GUEST — CHANTELL FORD
Chantell Ford is the founder and CEO of HomeTRYB, a parent-support platform created to make it easier for parents and caregivers to organize their village and communicate what they actually need.
Her mission grew directly from her own experience with postpartum depression, anxiety, isolation, and the realization that parents often reach their breaking point before asking for help.
HomeTRYB is designed around a simple idea: instead of repeatedly reaching out to individual people and wondering who is available, parents can communicate their needs to their support network and allow the people who are able to help to step forward.
📸 Follow Chantell / HomeTRYB on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hometryb/
💭 THE BIG QUESTION
Who is actually in your village—and when was the last time you allowed them to help you?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. We want to hear from the parents, grandparents, caregivers, aunties, uncles and friends who have lived this.
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Are you ready to embrace your best life? In The Embrace Method, Vladimir Louissaint shares a powerful roadmap to transform pain into purpose. Through raw storytelling, practical exercises, and hard-won insights, he shows how to turn trauma into a stepping stone toward healing, resilience, and leadership. This book is a beacon of hope for anyone ready to rise above adversity and unlock their fullest potential.
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Roots & Rhythm Podcast is where culture, healing, and real-life conversations meet. Hosted by Vlad Louissaint and Angie, the podcast explores healthy relationships, healing childhood trauma, identity, parenting, spiritual growth, social commentary, and generational healing—through an Afro-Caribbean and lived-experience lens.
Tagline: Where we explore the rhythms of life, one beat at a time.
New episodes drop weekly on all major platforms.
🔗 LISTEN & CONNECT
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📘 RESOURCES & SUPPORT
📖 The Embrace Method (Second Edition) by Vladimir Louissaint
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👉 https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Method-leverage-trauma-dreams/dp/B0CM3V2K5X
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Use code STAYROOTED
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