The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast | Matrescence | Relationship after baby | Motherhood life

Today's episode is another coaching session, where we discuss how to mentally prepare for motherhood and the arrival of a new family member.

Whether you're about to become a new parent or are already navigating the world of step-parenting, this episode is for you!

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

🌈 How to cultivate a flexible and positive mindset

👨‍👩‍👧 Tips for managing blended family dynamics

🤔 Ways to address self-sacrifice and set boundaries

📅 Tips for preparing for motherhood

🧠 Mindfulness practices to reduce anxiety

💬 Open communication and family therapy benefits

💡 Realistic expectations when juggling multiple roles

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Lexi's Bio and Links

https://poster.pages.teachertransformers.com/free-guide-1-3232

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Journaling Exercise

To reflect on this and find balance in your own life, here is a journaling prompt:

Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Feeling disconnected in your relationship after having kids? You’re not alone.

In this episode, we get real about the communication struggles that many couples face after becoming parents. Parenthood brings new challenges, and it’s common for communication issues to arise, but they don’t have to drive a wedge between you and your partner.

We explore the 3 most common communication mistakes couples make after kids, and most importantly, how to fix them. Discover practical ways to reconnect with your partner, establish healthy communication, and create a more harmonious family dynamic.

Join me to uncover how parenthood shifts the way we communicate and learn simple, effective strategies to rebuild that bond and strengthen your relationship.

Here’s the truth: You and your partner can still have a connected, thriving relationship, even in the chaos of parenthood.

My tools will help you enhance your communication and create a stronger, more connected family unit.

Today We Find Out:

🧠 3 common communication mistakes that couples make after kids

This episode will leave you feeling ready to tackle your communication challenges and bring more balance and understanding into your relationship.

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Referenced Links

Couple’s Communication Checklist

Couple’s Communication Workshop

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Journaling Exercise

As your journaling exercise this week, pick one of the strategies discussed in the episode and put it into practice.

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

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🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Feeling lost in motherhood / fatherhood? You’re not alone.

Today We Find Out:

• 🧠 What it means to lose yourself in parenthood

• 🔍 How to recognize signs of identity loss

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Referenced Links

1. Episode 25 - Coaching session with Devan:
   

1. FREE Self-Connect Calendar

markellakaplani.com/selfconnectcalendar

1. Couple’s Communication Checklist

markellakaplani.com/coupleschecklist

(Send me a screenshot of your Apple review at [email protected] and get it for FREE)

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DOWNLOAD THE FREE MINI VIDEO SERIES ON HOW MOTHERHOOD CHANGES US

Take some time to reflect on these questions to reconnect with yourself:

1. How am I feeling right now? Write honestly about your emotions, both positive and negative.

This exercise can help you start the journey of rediscovering yourself while embracing your role as a parent.

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

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🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Have you ever felt unsupported as a mom?

Motherhood is tough, but what makes it even harder is when societal expectations are disguised as support.

Where do these expectations come from, and how can we start recognizing when advice is more about the other person’s comfort than actual help?

🎧 In today’s episode, we explore:

• The emotional toll of societal pressure and how it fuels mom guilt

If you’ve ever struggled with feeling guilty or unsure whether you're receiving true support, this episode is for you.

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DOWNLOAD THE FREE MINI VIDEO SERIES ON HOW MOTHERHOOD CHANGES US

Think about a recent situation where you felt unsupported, judged, or dismissed. Reflect on how the interaction made you feel. Did you second-guess your emotions or decisions? Ask yourself: Were my feelings invalidated, or was I told I was overreacting? How do I usually respond in moments like these, and what impact does it have on my confidence as a mother?

Write down your thoughts and ask yourself:

• "What do I need in moments like this to feel truly supported?"

Reflect on a recent time when you gave advice or support to a mom in your life. Was my advice really what she needed, or did it reflect my own unresolved experiences and fears? Was I trying to validate my own choices by encouraging her to follow my path? How can I better tune into her needs and offer support that honors her journey, not mine?

Write down your thoughts and explore:

• "Am I projecting any of my past struggles or unmet needs onto others?"

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

In this heart-opening episode, you’ll witness a live coaching session with Devan, a mother of two young children, who vulnerably shares her struggles around juggling motherhood, work, and personal fulfillment (see her bio below!).

Together, we explore Devan’s conflicting identities: the loving mom she wants to be, showing up in every way possible and the business she strives to keep on scaling.

Will she find the balance she yearns for, or is there more to the concept of "enough"? Join us on this exploration of self-sacrifice, generational expectations, and redefining success as a parent.

In this episode, you’ll gain:

👉 Insight into the emotional struggles of balancing motherhood and career

With love, vulnerability, and compassion, this episode is sure to resonate with parents navigating the complexity of modern motherhood.

#MomGuilt #ParentingBalance #WorkingMomStruggles #HealingGenerations #MomBurnout #MotherhoodJourney

DOWNLOAD THE FREE MINI VIDEO SERIES ON HOW MOTHERHOOD CHANGES US

Take some time to reflect on the emotions that surfaced while listening to this episode. 

• How do you relate to the experiences of balancing motherhood, career, and personal identity? 

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After working with and supporting others in their grief, Devan felt called to help create a better experience for grievers before life-altering losses. She created The Grief Kit, and Gather Before Goodbye, an online guide to collecting as much as possible about your loved ones before they die. A four-step collection method to memorialize and celebrate a loved one’s life in advance of their death.

https://devanceciliacounselling.com/

Podcast guest links:

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into the fascinating topic of the 'othering' of mothers, exploring how motherhood often creates a distinct separation from womanhood and even fatherhood.

Inspired by a conversation I recently had with Jennifer Peterkin on her podcast The Human Experience, I question why society separates moms from other women and why similar spaces for dads are rare.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE MINI VIDEO SERIES ON HOW MOTHERHOOD CHANGES US

Reflect on Your Identity in Parenthood

• How has parenthood shaped your identity?
  

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

In this heartwarming episode, I welcome special guest Holly Logan, a master’s prepared nurse and family nurse practitioner, to explore the vital topic of nervous system regulation in parenthood.

Holly dives deep into how personal and generational trauma affects our parenting styles, offering practical tips for regulating the nervous system and balancing mental and physical wellness in daily life.

Key discussion points include 

• trauma, 

Sometimes, developing greater self-awareness requires consistent practice and thoughtful reflection. For those of you who may be struggling to recognize patterns in how stress or triggers affect your day-to-day life, I’d like to offer a practical journaling exercise. Take a few days to simply observe yourself. Pay attention to the physical, emotional, and cognitive cues that may lead to feelings of frustration, overwhelm, or emotional withdrawal.

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

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Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Join me in this episode as we discuss how we can establish healthy family dynamics based on sturdy and explicit family values.

• The benefits of compassionate parenting

So tune in to Episode 22 id you’d like a guide to raising a happy, emotionally healthy family while overcoming the common struggles of modern parenting.

1. Consider how it is that you want to foster compassion in your family culture. 

• What values it is that you and your partner share and that you want to instill in your children?

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Related Resources and Links

*Love Language Quiz: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar

Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Do you ever wonder how to teach your child to be more compassionate and kind?

In this episode, we dive into the heart of raising empathetic children by exploring the powerful role modeling plays in their development.

Using relatable stories, we’ll look at how even small acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Here’s a quick peek at what we’ll cover:

🌟 Why modeling compassion is more powerful than simply teaching it

Whether you're trying to teach your child good manners or wondering how to encourage kindness and empathy, this episode is packed with insights to help you on your parenting journey.

1. Reflect on a Recent Moment:

• Think of a recent time when either you or your child showed kindness or compassion. Write one or two sentences about what happened.

• Jot down a word or two about how that moment made you feel.

• Write one small way you can encourage or model compassion in your family this week.

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Related Resources and Links

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar|

Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.

Do you ever feel like parenthood has impacted how you connect with your partner? 

Get it for FREE by leaving an Apple Podacst review and sending me a screenshot HERE.

Go to your journal and think about one thing that you want to discuss with your partner. Don't pick the most difficult one. Don't pick one that is going to create a lot of tension. Pick something lighter that you think is not resolved that you still think needs a little bit of work. And as a first step, just write it down in your journal. Write down the emotions that you feel and how you would turn the conversation into I statements. 

Then, you can go and download my communications checklist for couples, review it a little bit, and see how you can incorporate those I statements that you have in your journal into a conversation that you can have with your partner.

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Resources and Links Mentioned

> FREE Self-Connect Calendar|

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JOURNALING EXERCISE:

Pick one of the suggestions that I made, whether that be the self-connect calendar (markellakaplani.com/selfconnectcalendar), whether it be a meditation with a body scan or mindful breathing, whether it's taking a walk, practicing self-forgiveness, etc… take one of these and write how you're going to be implementing it in your journal.

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Find the full transcript HERE.

🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world!

Markella Kaplani, M.A.