This week I attended the Mom 2.0 Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. I walked away feeling invigorated and inspired and wanted to share some of that energy with my podcast audience. This episode spans an array of topics including three tips from Jen Hatmaker, encouraging news about the pelvic floor, my new love for cacti, why moms need help with the "invisible load," and much more! Also, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. It's not an easy holiday for everyone and for those of you who struggle on Mother's Day for one reason or another, I'm sending you so much love.

Today's teens are struggling more than ever, and girls seem to be more troubled than boys. Further, there are some things modern parents are doing we think are helping but could actually be hurting. In today's episode, I share recent statistics regarding adolescents and teens as well as some changes we adults can make to help and encourage them.

This month was a bit brighter than March, and I'm so grateful for that. With that being said, last month reminded me of something Glennon Doyle said, which was, "Being fully human isn't about feeling happy. It's about feeling everything." The range of emotion we experience is what makes human beings such a unique species. I enjoy creating the '5 Things to Smile About' episodes because they encourage me to think of at least five things that made me smile during a month. It's a type of gratitude practice and any gratitude we can add to our lives offers joy and builds us up. Once you listen to this, I encourage you to partake in the practice and notice how it offers light to your life.

The world can seem like a very dark place, but we have the power to change our experience and perception of it. In today's episode, I discuss several ways to offer more light into the universe. It's not as challenging as you may think. I recently completed a guided meditation with Gabby Bernstein about being a light worker. This powerful meditation inspired this podcast episode. Imagine how much brighter the world would be if every person tried to offer a little more light.

On today's episode, I welcome back the amazing Beth Sanderson Hooper. She was a guest on episode 7 when we talked about health and wellness as it pertains to body image. Beth and I have a lot of common interests and two of those are releasing limiting beliefs and regulating our nervous systems. We discuss the two topics and offer some helpful tips for you all to get to a more consistent place of joy and relaxation.

This week we've been in New York City for spring break. On today's podcast episode, I offer quick daily recaps of our adventures in the Big Apple. If you love NYC, I hope you have fun listening to our springtime adventures in the city, or if you're planning a trip to New York yourself, I think this episode will offer you some ideas.

This week I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the things. On today’s podcast episode, I offer several suggestions to help with the feeling of overwhelm. I am not an expert on this and am still working on it myself, but these strategies help calm things down and get back to a place of balance. I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Easter!

Back by popular demand, my other half, Matthew, joined me on today’s podcast episode. The last episode we recorded together was very well received. We each came up with five questions (for a total of 10) and answered them on air. Our goal with these episodes is to learn more about one another and encourage other couples to step back from the heaviness of life and reconnect through fun and authentic conversation. Some of the questions include --> Who was your celebrity crush when you were younger? What music did you like in high school? What was your most embarrassment moment? What about me makes you smile?

It's hard to believe March is already coming to a close. If you think of the year in quarters, we are rounding out Q1. I hope you've had a lovely and productive Q1. It's been a bit of a doozy of a month for me, but as always, I'm working hard to find the light in the darkness. Today I share 5 things that made me smile this month. After listening to my list, I hope you take time to do this activity for yourself. It's truly uplifting.

I get pretty vulnerable in this episode because it’s been an emotional week. Since my mom passed away almost seven years ago, my dad has been struggling emotionally and physically. Worrying about and caring for him while taking care of my own children puts me in a group called the sandwich generation. We are people in our 30s, 40s, or 50s, who are sandwiched in the middle of two generations. Last Friday my 78-year old dad fell and broke his neck. He's doing well and there are no additional complications. He should be transferring to some type of rehabilitation facility soon. Over the past week, I've been driving back and forth to a hospital 35 miles away to sit with him and talk to doctors and nurses while also taking care of my kids and working. This experience has shown me what it feels like to truly be sandwiched. In today's episode, I tell the story of how I came to be in this place and the lessons I've learned along the way with the goal of inspiring those of you in a similar situation. And if you're not yet in this phase, I also offer advice to ensure you are fully appreciating the stage of life when your kids are young and you're parents are still healthy. What a gift that is! Lastly, I discuss how our parents’ unresolved trauma affects how they parented us and how our unresolved emotions affect our children and what we can do about it.