Jennifer Collins shares how to navigate the emotional ups and downs of kids leaving home, practical ways to redefine your identity, and how to approach this new stage of motherhood as a time of growth (while still embracing the grief).

Whether your child is heading off to college, starting a job, or simply moving out, this episode offers compassionate, practical wisdom and encouragement for every mom learning to let go while still loving big.

💡 In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The emotional and spiritual side of launching your kids into adulthood

• How to confidently navigate the empty nest transition

• Redefining purpose and identity after the kids leave home

• What healthy letting go looks like and why it’s an act of love

• Finding connection and joy in your next season of motherhood

🔗 Connect with Jennifer Collins

Website: TheSmallJar.com

Podcast: The Almost Empty Nest

📲 Episode Keywords (for SEO):

empty nest advice for moms, launching kids into adulthood, kids leaving for college, how to handle empty nest syndrome, life after kids leave home, rediscovering yourself after motherhood, how to let go as a mom, confident empty nest transition, empty nest encouragement, motherhood identity after kids

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Want to be a guest on The Motherhood Experience? Send Val Kleppen a message on PodMatch, here:  https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1758742098661627c9cc46f40

How do you manage a home full of kids and lead multiple successful businesses without losing your peace or purpose? In this episode, Val sits down with Aimee Rickabus, author of The Manage Her, to talk about the powerful connection between managing a home and managing a business.

Aimee is a homeschooling mom of six and a serial entrepreneur behind several multi-million-dollar companies. She shares how the same principles that bring order, intention, and success to her businesses are the very ones that keep her home running smoothly, and how embracing her God-given gifts as a manager has allowed her to lead both with grace.

You’ll hear about:

• How Aimee applies business structure to family life (and why it works)

• The rhythms and routines that make her days flow with six kids

• How to embrace the gift of being both a mom and a leader

• What “managing” really means in light of faith, stewardship, and calling

• Practical takeaways from The Manage Her that every mom can use

This episode is a must-listen for moms balancing home life and ambition, entrepreneurs seeking peace in productivity, and anyone who wants to lead with both heart and purpose.

🔗 Connect with Aimee Rickabus at The Manage Her

📘 Grab her book: The Manage Her

📱 Instagram @themanageher

The Manage Her Podcast

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Want to be a guest on The Motherhood Experience? Send Val Kleppen a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1758742098661627c9cc46f40

If bedtime has become the hardest part of your day, you’re not alone. In this episode, host Val Kleppen sits down with Allison Egidi, certified childhood sleep coach and founder of sleepandwellnesscoach.com, to talk about why your kids are fighting sleep and what you can do to bring peace back to your household.

From grumpy mornings to late-night second winds, Allison helps moms understand what’s really behind bedtime battles. She shares practical, grounded guidance for creating calmer routines, supporting your child’s emotional needs, and helping the whole family get the rest they need.

Whether you’re dealing with bedtime tantrums, frequent night wakings, or simply feeling drained by the nightly chaos, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, encouraged, and equipped with simple strategies to make sleep less stressful.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The hidden reasons kids resist sleep

• How to break the cycle of bedtime battles

• The connection between emotions, security, and sleep

• Practical encouragement for weary moms

• Realistic steps to help everyone rest better

  
  

✨ Connect with Allison Egidi:
Allison's Podcast & Website: sleepandwellnesscoach.com
Facebook: Sleep Wellness CoachInstagram: @sleepandwellnesscoach

🎧 Tune in for a reminder that you’re not a “bad mom” because bedtime is hard. There’s a reason behind the struggle, and hope for peaceful nights ahead.

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Want to be a guest on The Motherhood Experience? Send Val Kleppen a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1758742098661627c9cc46f40

In this lively, laughter-filled episode of The Motherhood Experience, host Val Kleppen sits down with Colleen Souza, author of the newly released book Living by the Mantras. Colleen shares her passion for creating special memories, embracing spontaneous fun, and building a home that feels safe, not only for your kids but for their friends, too.

Together, Val and Colleen dive into the beauty of living with intention and joy, guided by faith, family values, and the “mantras” that shape our days. From practical ways to strengthen your family’s foundation to simple ideas for adding fun and connection into everyday moments, this conversation will leave you smiling, inspired, and ready to live by your own life-giving mantras.

Want to be a guest on The Motherhood Experience? Send Val Kleppen a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1758742098661627c9cc46f40

Resources:

• Visit Colleen’s website: ⁠⁠livingbythemantras.com⁠⁠

• Follow The Motherhood Experience for more faith-filled, real-life conversations about motherhood

  
  

In This Episode You'll Hear:

• What inspired Colleen’s new book Living by the Mantras

• How to create meaningful, spontaneous fun as a family

• Ways to become a safe home for your kids and their friends

• How your core beliefs and values can strengthen your family

• Encouragement for moms to lead with faith, presence, and joy

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, TME host Val sits down with her good friend and fellow loss mom Sara Schultz, a mother of four living children and one precious daughter in heaven, Ruby, who was diagnosed with Trisomy 18.

Sara shares her family’s story with raw honesty and grace, from learning Ruby’s diagnosis to the heartbreak of her preterm delivery and passing.

Together, we explore what it means to hold both joy and sorrow in motherhood, how grief reshapes a mother’s heart, and why connection with other loss moms can bring profound comfort and healing.

This episode offers a safe, tender space for any mom navigating pregnancy loss, infant loss, or life after loss. Sara reminds us that even in grief, there is beauty, community, and grace.

🎧 You’ll hear about:

• Navigating a Trisomy 18 diagnosis and preparing for loss

• The tension of joy and grief coexisting in motherhood

• The power of shared stories and community in healing

• How to support a friend walking through pregnancy or infant loss

• Finding purpose and peace after unimaginable heartache

💗 Whether you’re a grieving mom yourself or someone who wants to understand and support those who are, this episode is a heartfelt reminder: you are not alone.

🔗 Resources:

• Sara's email address: [email protected]

• Learn more about Trisomy 18 at trisomy18.org

• Find community and support through Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support

  
  

  Want to be a guest on The Motherhood Experience? Send Val Kleppen a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1758742098661627c9cc46f40

  
  

Sue Becker (Bread Beckers) is a woman who has changed the lives of thousands of people, myself included.

When I heard her share about the history of white flour, the diseases that followed suit, and her inspiring journey of fresh-milled grains, I changed my own tune about what I was feeding my family and my commitment to eating foods the way God designed them to be made.

Sue is a mom to 9, grandmother to 19, great grandmother to 1, business owner, teacher, and an advocate for healthy eating the way God intended.

You will be encouraged, inspired, and you may even want to road trip to Georgia after this episode!

More from Sue:

Website: https://www.breadbeckers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreadBeckers

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5IfHB2yQzvYDU8q3PqcNYp?si=4da65f72fca84ea3

Social: https://www.instagram.com/breadbeckers/

In this episode of The Motherhood Experience, I sit down with Nikki McPhetridge, first-time author and mom to Maya, to talk about the inspiration behind her new children’s book, Maya’s Birthday Wish. Nikki shares the story of her faith journey, the struggles she faced during pregnancy, and how those challenges deepened her perspective on motherhood.

We also dive into conversations about materialism in today’s culture, the importance of intentional parenting, and the legacies we hope to leave for our children. Nikki’s gentle wisdom and personal experiences remind us that motherhood is about more than the day-to-day; it’s about shaping hearts, nurturing faith, and creating lasting stories for future generations.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions of faith, or wondered how to raise children with grounded values in a fast-paced world, this episode will encourage and inspire you.

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Learn more about Nikki and her book: mayastoryland.com

• Maya’s Birthday Wish Available now wherever books are sold

• Connect with Nikki on social media: @mayastoryland

When Elena got married, she said she felt like that was the instant her husband transformed into a different person. She hadn't known or realized he struggled with addiction, and her marriage became nightmarish quickly.

And Elena didn't tell anyone until she absolutely had to.

Hear how she is now a single mother to her two daughters and what she is learning along the way.

elenahuggins.com

I combined episodes 6 and 7 into one file for your listening/viewing pleasure! Not only was this a fantastic story of faith, but I needed to pull one from the archives this week as I've been under the weather.

This was such a rich conversation with Jacque, and I know it will bless you this week!

This is me, Val Kleppen, sitting across from you for a conversation I probably should have started before today.

If you're wondering how we (the world) got to this place of chaos, or if you're wondering how to navigate as a mother through it, I touch on those things.

You're invited to sit with me in the thoughts of it all.