the denmother podcast

Your most important partnership is your marriage - especially if you are raising kids. 

Today's guest went to hell and back through a contentious hate-filled divorce that ended up with reconciliation and a happily-ever-after and now she helps other couples do the same.  

Kameran Alareqi is a Gottman certified marriage coach, the host of The Married and Connected Podcast, and the founder of the Recognizing Potential Coaching Program. In this program, Kameran meets couples where they are to help them deepen connection, improve communication, and apply tools needed to create the healthy marriage they envision and desire. Her program isn’t just theory - she’s walked the road of divorce and reconciliation and is here to show couples how to build teamwork at home. 

You can learn more about Kameran on her website.

And follow her on Instagram or email her at [email protected]. 

Also, download the Married & Connected Podcast! 

1 in 4 Americans are currently a part of the "Sandwich Generation" - adults who are or will be simultaneously raising kids while caring for aging parents.

Our guest today is Nicole Hilgenkamp. Nicole spent 30 years fixing broken systems for Fortune 100 companies before turning that skill on the a system that constantly fails families - caregiving for aging parents. She founded of Your Parents Keeper to educate Family Caregivers and also to honor her mom, who she says she could have cared for better if she would have had better information. Today she’s here to talk to us moms who are in the Sandwich Generation about caring for aging parents while also raising young kids. 

You can learn more about Nicole's work at YourParentsKeeper.com. 

Sleep issues don't always stop at the newborn phase... but don't you worry. We are in this together. Gemma Reynolds is here to offer professional advice and get you and your little one on the road to sleep.

Gemma Reynolds is a Certified Child Sleep Specialist based in Nottinghamshire, UK but works with parents across the globe. She found sleep coaching after struggling with sleep with her own baby, and realized she had found her life’s work. She is passionate about helping exhausted parents find sleep for themselves and their little ones through gentle methods and sleep routines that can last a lifetime. 

Also, on today's episode - we are welcoming Guest Host Savvy Jardine! Savvy started her career in broadcasting as a producer and host of the lifestyle show, Good Things Utah, before leaving to pursue her next big adventure - being a mom! She now works in marketing for the luxury baby carrier brand, Mabē. 

You can get in touch with Gemma on Instagram or on her website - she has some free resources to get you started on your sleep journey!

And don't forget to follow along with all of Savvy's adventures on Instagram, too! 

ESPN was always the goal for Sports Reporter Lindsey Thiry, only that goal started to look different once she became a mom to two adorable boys. From being pregnant and "puffy" on the sideline to scheduling work around family and vice versa, Lindsey shares with us the fun and chaos of chasing (and achieving) your dreams as a mom. 

You can catch Lindsey on Sundays on Sunday NFL Countdown, and you can follow her on Instagram to see some sneak peeks behind the scenes. 

Also, we want to welcome the denmother podcast's first ever Guest Host Ryann Watkin! Ryann is a speaker, educator, podcaster and mom. You can listen to her podcast, Raising Wild Hearts, wherever you download your podcasts and follow her on Instagram as well! 

Ryann Watkin is a speaker, educator, podcaster and mom. She helps educators, parents and aspiring leaders feel happier at work and home through workshops, keynote talks and podcast interviews focusing on joy, resilience, and purpose. She’s here today to have an honest, soulful conversation with us about the identity shifts we experience throughout motherhood.

You can find Ryann on Instagram and LinkedIn...

And download the Raising Wild Hearts podcast or watch it on YouTube!   

Rebecca Stewart has staffed some of the most elite houses in Hollywood with childcare help. She shares the ins and outs of this glitzy, driven world and what some of the top-tier parents ask their potential childcare that we often don't. This is a fun, eye-opening episode you won't want to miss! 

To find out more about V.I.P. Nannies, click here.

And you can follow the agency on Instagram. 

Power struggles can make you feel powerless, frustrated and hopeless as a parent. But today's guest is here to offer guidance and hope! (And she even challenges me a little bit on my own parenting.)

Katherine Sellery is a three-time TEDx speaker, an Amazon Best-Selling author and founder of the Conscious Parenting Revolution. She is a trusted voice for parents seeking to create more connected, respectful, and empowered relationships with their kids. With over two decades of experience teaching tools that build trust and dismantle power struggles, Katherine is here to shift the conversation around how we communicate with our kids. She’s also a mom to two kids. 

You can learn more about Katherine at https://consciousparentingrevolution.com/  and get her FREE book here!

What does true joy look like? Does it look like a life free from suffering or pain? Or does it look like a fight to find and keep joy wherever we can?

Today's guest knows first-hand the realities of joy and the fight for it. 

Candace Payne is an author, speaker and a podcast host, but you may know her best as “The Chewbacca Mom” after her Facebook Live video trying on a Chewbacca Mask went viral in 2016, back before viral videos were as common as they are today. That single video sparked joy across the country and the world and went on to become the most-viewed Facebook Live video to date with over 164-million views at last count. Candace is also a mom of two. 

Today Candace shares with our denmother moms her experience with joy and some practical ways to incorporate a practice of joy into our lives and into our motherhood experiences. 

You can find all things Candace Payne at CandacePayne.fun and don't forget to grab her 7-day Jolt Your Joy interactive journal at the Candace Payne Store! You can also connect with Candace on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

The United States has the highest rate of children in single-parent homes in the world, with 80% of those homes led by women. 

In many cases, women find themselves in this situation unexpectedly due to death, divorce, military deployment or other factors. 

So how do you navigate and prepare for something like this? Today's guest has the answers. 

Julie Barth is a mother to six children. She is also the the CEO and founder of the Colin James Barth Outreach, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping women-led households with the resources and aid necessary to find security and stability in times of crisis. Julie twice found herself in an unexpected solo-parent situation, first after the death of her first husband and secondly after leaving an abusive relationship. 

Her mission is to use her experiences as caregiver, special needs parent, and trauma survivor to encourage women in similar situations to think resourcefully and always protect themselves without stigma or feelings of selfishness. Julie is also a professional writer whose work reflects a dedication to finding joy and meaning in every experience.

You can learn more about Julie on her website, JulieBarthAuthor.com

How do we know if our baby's and toddler's language is developing normally? And what, if anything, can we do to help develop their language and speech?

Page Maughan is a mom to two adorable girls. She is also a certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) who specializes in neuro rehabilitation. She works with children in schools and in the hospital setting and she’s here today to answer all our questions about speech - what’s normal, what needs to be addressed with our kids. This is something we don't talk about nearly enough as parents. Listen in!

Page shares some of her favorite resources here: 

https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones/

https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/index.html

https://autismnavigator.com/family-resources/

https://firstwordsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/16-Gestures-x16-Months.pdf

https://autismnavigator.learnercommunity.com/Files/Org/b7feabe6ed9e4713b02511fc0003214c/site/16-Early-Signs-of-Autism-by-16-Months-complete%20(2).pdf

If you have specific questions, you can e-mail her directly at: [email protected].