Postpartum isn’t always newborn snuggles, happy tears, and “soaking it all in.”

In this episode, John joins me for one of our heavier conversations yet. We talk about postpartum depression, my own experience after becoming a mom, and what it looked like from the other side—both for John as my husband and as a firefighter/first responder who has seen mental-health crises through a very different lens.

We also talk about the heartbreaking stories surrounding Hayden Panettiere and Lindsay Clancy, and the common thread that made us want to have this conversation in the first place: postpartum mental health can become far more serious than people realize.

This isn't about diagnosing, excusing, or pretending two situations are the same. It's about asking why we're still so uncomfortable talking about what can happen to a mother's mental health after having a baby—and what partners and families should know before they're in the middle of it.

A heavier Chancla Collective episode, but an important one. 🩴🤍

Note: This episode discusses postpartum depression, postpartum mental-health crises, death, and harm involving children. Please listen with care.

Ever accomplish something you've worked so hard for...

...and somehow convince yourself you don't deserve it?

Same.

This week, I'm joined by my friend Giovanna for a completely unfiltered conversation about imposter syndrome, self-doubt, comparison, and the weird ways our brains try to convince us we're "not enough" even when the evidence says otherwise.

We talk about:
✨ Feeling behind
✨ Starting businesses while questioning yourself every five minutes
✨ Why confidence doesn't magically appear after success
✨ Social media comparison
✨ The stories we tell ourselves
✨ Learning to take up space anyway

Spoiler alert:
Neither of us has this figured out.

But maybe that's exactly the point.

Grab your coffee, hop in the car, fold your laundry, or pretend you're being productive with us for the next 45 minutes.

Welcome back to The Chancla Collective... where messy meets meaningful, and nobody pretends they've got it all together.

I felt so loved on my birthday… so why was my brain still stuck on the people who didn’t show up?

This bonus episode isn’t really about birthday texts. It’s about being the dependable one, the fixer, the person who always remembers, always helps, always answers, and what happens when you realize that same energy isn’t always coming back.

We’re talking reciprocity, self-abandonment, overgiving, and the uncomfortable realization that some people appreciate you… while others may have simply gotten used to you always being there.

Maybe this next chapter isn’t about loving people less. Maybe it’s about giving more of yourself to the people who actually pour back into you.

I almost didn’t post this.

A few days before my birthday, the excitement I had been carrying for months just… disappeared.

I’ve been telling everyone, “This is my year.” And I believed it.

Then came doctor’s appointments, talks of Adenomyosis, the possibility of a hysterectomy, and a kind of grief I wasn’t expecting.

Not because I necessarily wanted more children, but because I’m realizing that the place that carried my daughters, their very first home, might no longer be part of my story.

It’s a weird thing to mourn.

I’ve caught myself thinking, “Other people have it so much worse. Why is this affecting me so much?”

But grief isn’t a competition.

Maybe this season isn’t about losing something. Maybe it’s about releasing years of pain. Maybe healing sometimes asks us to let go before we can move forward.

I don’t have a neat ending for this one.

Just honesty.

If you’re in a season where the excitement has faded, where life feels heavier than expected, or where you’re grieving something that doesn’t make sense to anyone else… this one’s for you.

🎙️ Come sit with me for a few minutes. No advice. No pretending. Just real life.

What’s something you’re quietly grieving right now that no one really sees? 🤍

#TheJournalClubCollective #HealingOutLoud #AdenomyosisJourney #MentalHealthMatters #LifeUnfiltered

Every time I go on vacation, I become a completely different person.

One day I'm convinced I should move to South Florida. The next, I'm ready to buy a boat in the Keys. Give me one sunset and suddenly I'm browsing Zillow like I have unlimited money and zero responsibilities.

😂

But somewhere between Pembroke Pines, the Keys, Homestead, Orlando, and the seven-hour drive home, I realized something...

Maybe I'm not actually craving a different life.

Maybe I'm craving a different pace.

In this episode, I'm talking about why we romanticize "starting over," what travel can teach us about ourselves, how burnout convinces us the answer is always "somewhere else," and the simple things Vacation You does that you can bring home without changing your zip code.

If you've ever come home from a trip thinking, "Maybe I should just move here..." this one's for you.

Welcome back to Chancla Collective. Grab your coffee, hop in the passenger seat, and let's drive. 🚗✨

Have you ever felt like you’re always the one showing up?

The one who remembers birthdays, checks in first, answers the late-night phone call, brings the meal, and somehow ends up carrying everyone else’s emotional baggage.

In this episode, we’re talking about the resentment that quietly builds when we expect people to love us the way we love them and what happens when we realize they never signed up for the expectations we created in our own minds.

We’ll unpack why over-giving can leave us feeling unseen, the difference between generosity and self-abandonment, and why healthy boundaries might be one of the greatest forms of self-respect.

This isn’t about loving people less.

It’s about loving yourself enough to stop keeping score.

Grab your coffee… this one’s a little uncomfortable, but it might just change the way you look at your relationships.

If you’ve ever hidden in your car for five extra minutes of peace, started three new business ideas before finishing your coffee, wondered if you might have ADHD, or felt like everyone else got an instruction manual for adulthood except you… you’re in the right place.

In this first episode, I’m sharing why I started this podcast, who it’s for, and what you can expect from this beautifully chaotic corner of the internet.

We’ll talk about:
🩴 Why “The Chancla Collective”?
☕️ The mental load of adulthood
📝 Notes App confessions
💀 Why I think we’re all just winging it
✨ And why this podcast isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing you’re not the only one asking the questions.

This isn’t a self-help podcast.

It’s a “you’re not alone” podcast.

So grab your coffee, take a deep breath, and welcome to the collective.

~~~~

A chancla isn’t just footwear.
It’s discipline.
It’s culture.
It’s protection.
It’s don’t test me on a bad day energy.

This podcast is where women gather to talk about the stuff we don’t say out loud... without pretending we have it all together.

Welcome to The Chancla Collective.

The podcast where messy meets meaningful and nobody pretends they have their shit together.

I’m Alexis Fernandez — mom, firewife, serial entrepreneur, professional overthinker, and the kind of person who starts a podcast because apparently I needed one more thing on my plate.

This isn’t a self-help podcast.

It’s a real-life podcast.

We’re talking motherhood, marriage, ADHD brains, friendship, entrepreneurship, solo parenting, mental health, firewife life, identity crises, random Notes App thoughts, and all the things we usually text our best friends at 11 PM.

Some episodes will make you laugh.

Some might make you cry.

Most will probably make you feel a little less alone.

So whether you’re folding laundry, hiding in your car for five minutes of peace, or wondering if everyone else is secretly struggling too…

Welcome to the collective.

Pull up a chair. Grab your coffee.

Let’s figure out adulthood together.