The Running Wine Mom

Dr. Shainna Ali: mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and bestselling author of The Self-Love Workbook — joins Samantha to talk about her newest book, Generational Healing: Shifting Patterns, Creating Change.

In this conversation, Dr. Shainna shares the real clinical definition of self-love ("the practice of accepting, caring for, and intending to yourself"), why parenthood reawakens generational patterns and why that isn't backsliding, her own story of living with undiagnosed childhood anxiety, and the rushing pattern she traced back through her Guyanese heritage — and how she now answers it with "I am safe now."

They also get into the practical stuff: what to do when you have zero bandwidth (surviving is the healing), why boundaries are gates with key codes rather than walls, why the book never asks anyone to forgive or reconcile, what it means that you are already an ancestor, how to reparent yourself while actively parenting your kids, and how to tell mom burnout apart from just being tired. She closes with the book's final line — "the radiance was always within you" — and one thing to do differently at the dinner table tonight.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Shainna Ali's website: https://drshainna.com/
• Pre-order Generational Healing: Shifting Patterns, Creating Change on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1646048989/ref=as_li_ss_tl
• The Mental Wellness Practice Podcast: https://drshainna.com/thementalwellnesspracticepodcast
• Follow Dr. Shainna on Instagram: @drshainna

New episodes of The Running Wine Mom drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

What makes people remember a local business?

It’s not just a great product, a polished Instagram feed, or the perfect logo. It’s the story—and the person behind it.

On this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha Cieslinski sits down with Danielle Gannon, the storyteller and entrepreneur behind Local Spotlight with Danielle and DG Media Relations, to talk about what it really takes to make a business—and the people behind it—feel seen.

Danielle’s career didn’t follow a straight line. After spending more than a decade co-owning a natural food market, she discovered how much she loved meeting local business owners, visiting their spaces, and sharing their stories. When the world shut down in 2020, she took Local Spotlight on the road, highlighting businesses that needed visibility and community support. What began as a passion project eventually evolved into PR, marketing, branding, social media, event planning, and DG Media Relations. 

But this conversation goes far beyond marketing.

Samantha and Danielle talk about why relationships still matter in an increasingly digital world, and why Danielle believes face-to-face connection can create something that a perfectly curated online presence simply can’t replicate.

They also get into the pressure so many women and entrepreneurs put on themselves to do everything. Danielle shares why knowing your strengths—and paying someone else to handle the things outside those strengths—can be one of the smartest decisions you make in business and life. The same lesson applies to motherhood: sometimes outsourcing the groceries, cleaning, or another task is exactly what creates room for what matters most. 

And in a world increasingly filled with AI-generated content? Danielle believes authenticity becomes even more valuable. She and Samantha discuss using AI as a tool without allowing efficiency to replace creativity, personality, and real human connection. Magic-episode-01 (4)

In this episode:

• How Local Spotlight with Danielle began
• Danielle’s transition from business owner to media and PR entrepreneur
• Why every local business has a story worth telling
• The biggest storytelling mistake small business owners make
• How to identify what makes your brand different
• Why business owners shouldn’t try to do everything themselves
• Motherhood, entrepreneurship, and learning to outsource
• Why in-person connection still matters
• Reinventing yourself and trusting your gut
• Taking action before you feel completely ready
• AI, authenticity, and the future of content
• Preventing burnout when you’re always “on”
• Why Danielle believes Bucks County is such a special place for entrepreneurs
• Her advice for women afraid to pursue an idea

Danielle’s approach to storytelling comes down to something beautifully simple: people want to be heard and recognized. Every business has a unique story, and finding the right way to tell it can help attract the people it was meant to reach. 

And for the woman who has been sitting on an idea because she’s afraid to begin? Danielle’s message is to go for it. You won’t know where an idea can take you unless you’re willing to start. 

Connect with Danielle:
Instagram: @localspotlightwithdanielle

Connect with Samantha:
Instagram: @therunningwinemom_

Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with a woman, entrepreneur, or small business owner who needs a reminder that their story deserves to be seen.

Cathy Pedrayes, TikTok’s “Mom Friend” and author of The Mom Friend Guide to Everyday Safety and Security, returns to The Running Wine Mom with practical back-to-school safety tips every parent can use without adding more fear to the school-year chaos.

Host Samantha Cieslinski and Cathy talk about safer first-day photos, personalized backpacks, school data privacy, cyberattacks, phishing attempts, group chats, Snapchat, location sharing, and the one habit Cathy says matters most: keeping honest conversations open with your kids.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What not to reveal in first-day-of-school photos, including names, schools, birthdays, and other identifying details.
• How to think about personalized backpacks and lunchboxes based on your child’s age, routine, and level of supervision.
• What parents should know about school apps, portals, school-issued devices, passwords, and two-factor authentication.
• How school cyberattacks can create follow-up phishing risks for families, and why unexpected school texts and links deserve a second look.
• Why every additional app can create new privacy, security, and social risks for kids.
• How a “no trouble for telling the truth and asking for help” approach can keep kids talking when something goes wrong online.

Episode chapters

• 00:00 ,  Welcome back, Cathy Pedrayes
• 00:59 ,  First-day-of-school photos: what not to post online
• 03:47 ,  Are personalized backpacks with kids’ names safe?
• 05:34 ,  School data privacy: apps, portals, and school-issued devices
• 07:21 ,  School cyberattacks and ransomware: what parents should do
• 11:55 ,  School group chats, Snapchat, and location sharing
• 16:25 ,  Cathy’s most important back-to-school safety takeaway
• 19:07 ,  Where to find Cathy

Links and resources

• Cathy Pedrayes: Follow @cathypedrayes on TikTok and Instagram.
• The Mom Friend Guide to Everyday Safety and Security
• CISA K–12 Cybersecurity Foundations Resource Package
• Episode 75: How to Stay Safe Online in a Digital World
• The Running Wine Mom on Apple Podcasts
• Samantha Cieslinski: Follow @therunningwinemom_ on Instagram.

If this episode helped you, share it with a mom who needs to hear it, subscribe to The Running Wine Mom, and leave a review. You are strong, you are capable, and you are amazing. Cheers!

Motherhood can be beautiful, hilarious, lonely, exhausting—and sometimes all of those things before breakfast.

In this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha Cieslinski sits down with Caitlin Murray, creator of Big Time Adulting, for a funny and refreshingly real conversation about what motherhood actually looks like when you stop trying to make it look perfect.

Caitlin shares how Big Time Adulting began during one of the hardest seasons of her life, when her oldest son was undergoing treatment for leukemia while she was raising a toddler and pregnant with her third child. Writing became an outlet, humor became a coping mechanism, and eventually her willingness to say the things mothers weren't always saying publicly became a community of more than a million followers. 

Samantha and Caitlin dig into the loneliness of early motherhood...even when you're never physically alone, and why the demands don't necessarily disappear as kids get older. The sleepless baby years may end, but they're often replaced by activity schedules, youth sports, decision fatigue, and the feeling that family life has become one endless sprint. 

They also talk about mom guilt, social media's influence on parenting, the pressure to create a picture-perfect childhood, and why Caitlin tries to tune out the competitive side of modern parenting.

And, of course, there are plenty of laughs along the way: from aggressively shaken margaritas and considering "leaving your family" during a meltdown to the unexpected luxury of simply sitting down.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

•  How Caitlin Murray created Big Time Adulting 
•  Her son's leukemia diagnosis and the role writing played during treatment 
•  Why humor can be such a powerful coping mechanism 
•  The loneliness and isolation of early motherhood 
•  Why motherhood can feel like living life on autopilot 
•  Mom guilt and learning to trust yourself as a parent 
•  Instagram, Pinterest and the pressure to make motherhood look perfect 
•  The mental load and never-ending "open tabs" in a mom's brain 
•  Youth sports, overscheduling and the pressure to optimize childhood 
•  What changes as kids move from babies and toddlers into the tween years 
•  Caitlin's experience becoming recognizable in public 
•  Why sitting down now qualifies as a luxury 
•  What it means to live a life that's "well-adulted" 

One of Caitlin's most meaningful reminders from the conversation? Even though every parent gets things wrong, you know your children better than anyone else-and you're the parent they need. 

Connect with Caitlin Murray

Follow Caitlin on Instagram — @bigtimeadulting

Read more from Big Time Adulting

Listen to Big Time Adulting Podcast

Connect with The Running Wine Mom

Follow Samantha on Instagram — @therunningwinemom_

Visit The Running Wine Mom

If this episode made you feel seen, send it to another mom who needs the reminder that she isn't the only one trying to keep all those tabs open.

Financial Wellness for Women: Money, Marriage & Building Wealth with Hayley Dickson, CFP®

What if financial freedom has less to do with hitting a magic number—and more about finally feeling clear and confident about your money?

This week on The Running Wine Mom, Samantha Cieslinski sits down with Hayley Dickson, CFP, CEO and Founder of RIPPL Wealth Management, for a refreshingly honest conversation about money, financial wellness, marriage, motherhood, and building a life you actually want to live.

Hayley shares how she walked away from a successful six-figure career in entertainment, trusted her intuition, and ultimately became the fastest-growing advisor in Northwestern Mutual’s history before launching RIPPL Wealth Management.

But this isn't your typical conversation about cutting lattes and sticking to a monthly budget. In fact, Hayley hates monthly budgets.

Instead, she introduces her concept of a “planning budget”—deciding how much of your annual income will go toward growing your net worth and achieving your goals first, then giving yourself permission to enjoy what’s left.

Samantha and Hayley also get into the emotional side of money: why successful women can still feel embarrassed about what they don't know, why financial wellness belongs in the same conversation as physical and mental health, and why women—especially stay-at-home moms—need to understand their household finances even when their partner traditionally handles the money.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Hayley left a successful entertainment career to completely reinvent herself in finance
• Why money remains one of our biggest cultural taboos
• The shame and comparison that keep women from asking financial questions
• What being a “financial life designer” actually means
• Why financial wellness can affect our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being
• Financial independence for women and stay-at-home parents
• Why Hayley prefers the idea of becoming “work optional” instead of simply retiring
• Estate planning, life insurance, 529 plans, and preparing financially for your family
• Tax diversification and the difference between pre-tax and Roth retirement savings
• How sophisticated investment strategies are becoming more accessible to everyday wealth builders
• Prenups, postnups, marriage, and protecting yourself financially
• Whether couples should combine finances or use a “yours, mine, and ours” system
• Why having a shared financial vision matters more than exactly how your bank accounts are structured
• The “middle bucket” Hayley often sees missing from people's financial lives
• Why Hayley hates traditional monthly budgets
• Her planning budget approach to saving, investing, and spending without guilt
• Why travel is the money splurge Hayley will never regret

Hayley defines financial freedom as having clarity, confidence, and peace in your money choices. And perhaps the biggest takeaway from this conversation is that you don't need to wait until you're wealthy to start feeling financially empowered.

You just have to start.

Hayley is offering listeners a complimentary 30-minute one-on-one Life Design & Wealth Strategy Session (a $500 value). Simply mention this episode when you reach out to [email protected] to reserve your spot. Learn more about Hayley and how she can help elevate your finances on rippl.nm.com.

Connect with Hayley Dickson

RIPPL Wealth Management: https://rippl.nm.com/

Hayley Dickson on Instagram: @hayleywdickson

Hayley Dickson on LinkedIn: Search Hayley Dickson, CFP®

Connect with The Running Wine Mom

Follow Samantha on Instagram: @therunningwinemom_

Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts, and if this episode made you think differently about money, send it to a friend who needs to hear it.

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.

What happens when the world thinks it knows who you are before you’ve had the chance to define yourself?

This week, Samantha sits down with Chanel Valentine Haynes—entrepreneur, creator, mother, founder of Mom for Life, and daughter of hip-hop icon Nelly—for an honest conversation about identity, motherhood, relationships, ambition, and becoming the woman you were always meant to be.

Chanel opens up about growing up in the public eye and the pressure that came with having a famous last name. She shares how navigating a private school environment where she often felt different shaped her confidence and sense of self., why motherhood completely shifted her perspective on relationships, and what she’s learned about giving both herself and the people she loves room to grow.

They also get into something so many women wrestle with: Can we be ambitious and independent while still wanting softness, love, luxury, family, and support?

For Chanel, the answer is yes—but she’s also learning that having it all doesn’t mean doing it all.

In this episode:

• Growing up as Nelly’s daughter and building her legacy
• The unexpected impact of fame and visibility on Chanel’s self-esteem
• Dating when you have to question someone’s intentions
• Why Chanel’s views on relationships changed after motherhood
• The difference between “settling” and allowing your partner room to grow
• How motherhood helped Chanel slow down and become more intentional
• Entrepreneurship, ambition, and avoiding burnout
• Why women shouldn’t have to choose between softness and success
• Learning to accept help instead of always doing everything yourself
• The childhood experiences that shaped Chanel’s instinct to nurture
• Why she created the Mom for Life platform
• Giving our parents grace when we finally understand how young they were
• What Chanel hopes her younger self would think of the woman she is today

Chanel’s story is a reminder that you can appreciate where you came from without allowing it to define where you’re going.

You can be a mother and an entrepreneur. Soft and ambitious. Independent and supported. You can evolve without apologizing for the woman you’re becoming.

Connect with Chanel

Instagram: @thelifeofvalentine_
Mom for Life Podcast on Instagram: @momforlifepodcast
Facebook: The Life of Valentine

Connect with Samantha

Instagram: @therunningwinemom_
Website: The Running Wine Mom

Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts, and if this conversation resonated with you, share it with another woman who needs the reminder that she doesn’t have to fit into just one box.

What if preparing for birth isn’t just about creating the perfect birth plan—but knowing how to advocate for yourself when the plan changes?

In this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha sits down with Mama Nurse Tina, labor and delivery nurse, mom of four, certified breastfeeding specialist, and the hilarious, unfiltered voice behind a community of more than 1.5 million people.

After beginning her nursing career in emergency medicine, Tina found her calling in labor and delivery. Now, she uses her experience inside the delivery room to help parents feel informed, empowered, and a little less terrified about birth and postpartum life.

Tina explains why birth trauma isn’t always connected to a major medical emergency. Sometimes, it comes from feeling left out of decisions, unheard, or like birth happened to you instead of with you.

Samantha and Tina also dig into the misinformation expecting parents encounter online—from vitamin K to gestational diabetes testing—and why your social media feed shouldn’t replace conversations with a trusted healthcare provider.

Then there’s postpartum.

Tina believes parents should prepare for postpartum just as much—if not more—than they prepare for birth. They talk honestly about breastfeeding struggles, accepting help, mesh underwear, peri bottles, sore nipples, hospital bags, sleepless nights, and why motherhood rarely looks like the curated version we see online.

And because this is The Running Wine Mom, there are plenty of laughs along the way.

In This Episode:

• Why Tina left emergency nursing for labor and delivery
• How humor can help during stressful medical experiences
• Why rigid birth plans can sometimes contribute to disappointment or trauma
• The connection between communication and birth trauma
• How to advocate for yourself during labor and delivery
• Why your birth support person matters
• Pregnancy misinformation on social media
• Vitamin K and gestational diabetes testing misinformation
• The realities of an overwhelmed maternity healthcare system
• Why postpartum deserves as much preparation as childbirth
• How to actually help a new mom
• Why breastfeeding being “natural” doesn’t mean it’s easy
• The breastfeeding expectations that leave new moms feeling defeated
• Why we need to talk about the messy physical realities of postpartum recovery
• Tina’s must-have hospital bag item
• What your perineum deserves after childbirth
• The one book Tina recommends to expecting parents
• And yes… what really happens to your body during labor

One of the Biggest Takeaways

You don’t need to control every detail of your birth to feel empowered by it.

Information matters. Communication matters. Having people around you who understand your wishes matters.

And when postpartum arrives? Let people help you.

If someone asks what coffee you want, give them the order. If they offer to hold the baby while you sleep, hand over the baby. You were never supposed to do all of this alone.

Connect With Mama Nurse Tina

Find Tina and her pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum resources at Bump to Latch.

Follow her on social media: @mama_nurse_tina

Connect With The Running Wine Mom

Follow The Running Wine Mom on Instagram: @therunningwinemom_

Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts and share this episode with an expecting parent, new mom, or anyone who needs a reminder that the messy parts of motherhood deserve to be talked about, too.

Medical note: This episode is for education and conversation and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about questions related to your pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, or your baby’s care.

Every parent knows the feeling. It's 5:30 PM, everyone wants something different for dinner, and you're already exhausted from the day.

In this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha sits down with Courtney Lawrie, Chief Operating Officer at Wonder, to explore how one company is reimagining family mealtime. From her years helping build Wayfair into a household name to now leading operations at one of the fastest-growing food technology companies, Courtney shares why dinner has become one of the biggest sources of stress for families—and how Wonder hopes to change that. 

The conversation dives into the psychology behind dinner decisions, the mental load moms carry every evening, Wonder's expansion into Yardley, PA, and why convenience doesn't have to mean sacrificing quality or family connection.

Whether you're a busy parent, a foodie, or simply curious about the future of dining, this episode offers an inside look at the company changing how families gather around the table.

In This Episode You'll Learn

•  What Wonder is—and why it's much more than another food delivery app 
•  How Wonder lets families order from multiple restaurants in one delivery 
•  Why Courtney left Wayfair to help build Wonder 
•  The hidden mental load behind planning dinner every night 
•  How Wonder selected Yardley for expansion 
•  The role celebrity chefs play in suburban dining 
•  Why convenience can actually create more family connection 
•  Marc Lore's leadership advice that changed Courtney's career 
•  How Wonder uses customer psychology to shape the dining experience 
•  Courtney's favorite Wonder meals (including a surprising dessert!) 
•  The future of food delivery and the "Super App for Mealtime" 

Mentioned in This Episode

•  Wonder 
•  Yardley, Pennsylvania 
•  Bobby Flay Steak 
•  Michael Symon 
•  Marc Lore 
•  Wayfair 

Connect with Courtney Lawrie

•  LinkedIn 
•  Wonder on Instagram 
•  Wonder App 

Connect with Samantha

🌐 Website: https://therunningwinemom.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningwinemom_

🎙️ Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts.

Can wine teach us something about parenting—and about life?

This week on The Running Wine Mom, Samantha sits down with author, former Hollywood publicist, and Moët Hennessy executive Danielle Frank to discuss career pivots, resilience, luxury branding, and why humor might be one of the greatest parenting tools of all.

Although Danielle isn't a parent herself, her bestselling book, A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting, offers a refreshingly funny and surprisingly insightful perspective on raising kind, resilient children. Drawing from years in the wine industry and her experience as the beloved "Aunt Danielle," she explores how wine terminology can become memorable lessons for parenting—and for life.

The conversation also dives into Danielle's remarkable career journey from Miramax to Moët Hennessy, leaving behind a toxic work environment, embracing life's unexpected pivots, and learning that success isn't about perfection—it's about finding alignment.

Whether you're a wine lover, a parent, or simply someone navigating change, this episode is filled with humor, wisdom, and practical life lessons you'll want to savor. 

In This Episode

🍷 Danielle's favorite wine from a recent trip to Spain

🎬 What Hollywood taught her about storytelling

🍾 The surprising similarities between luxury brands and parenting

❤️ Why leaving the "wrong" relationship changed her life

📖 The inspiration behind A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting

💼 Transitioning from Miramax to a 22-year career in wine

🥂 Working behind the scenes at Moët Hennessy

✨ Why pivots often lead us where we're meant to be

😂 The hilarious parenting lessons hidden inside wine terminology

🍇 Why humor can help parents survive the hardest days

Memorable Quotes

Mentioned in This Episode

• A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting
• Moët Hennessy
• Miramax
• Bacardi

Connect with Danielle Frank

•  Website: https://daniellefrankauthor.com
•  Instagram: @createthegreatstory 
•  Book: A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting

Connect with Samantha

🌐 Website: The Running Wine Mom

📸 Instagram: @therunningwinemom_

🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday

If You Loved This Episode...

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another parent (or wine lover!) who could use a reminder that life doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful.

Cheers! 🍷

From Filmmaker to Honest Mum: How Vicki Broadbent Built a Global Brand While Raising Three Kids

What happens when an award-winning filmmaker becomes one of the world's first parenting bloggers?

In this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha sits down with Vicki Broadbent, creator of Honest Mum, author of The Working Mom (formerly Mumboss in the UK), television personality, and advocate for maternal rights.

Vicki shares her journey from directing films and television to becoming one of the UK's original digital creators. Together, they discuss the realities of motherhood, imposter syndrome, birth trauma, work-life balance, content creation, and why women need to stop waiting for permission to pursue their dreams.

Vicki also opens up about raising three children with a large age gap, recovering from a serious back injury, navigating confidence after motherhood, and writing her newest children's book, Greek Myths: Folktales and Legends.

Whether you're a parent, entrepreneur, creator, or simply someone trying to juggle life's many roles, this conversation is packed with wisdom, honesty, and encouragement. 

In This Episode

•  How motherhood changed Vicki's career trajectory 
•  Why going from zero to one child was the hardest transition 
•  Recovering from a severe back injury while parenting three children 
•  The truth about imposter syndrome and confidence 
•  Why Vicki dislikes the term "mompreneur" 
•  Growing Honest Mum into a globally recognized brand 
•  Building a career during the early days of blogging 
•  The importance of therapy, healing, and self-care 
•  Content creation tips directly from Meta's Creator Program 
•  Social media growth strategies that actually work 
•  Why consistency matters more than perfection 
•  The inspiration behind Greek Myths: Folktales and Legends
•  The myth of Persephone and why it resonates with mothers 
•  Raising confident children while pursuing ambitious goals 
•  Advice for moms who feel overwhelmed and behind 

Memorable Quotes

Connect with Vicki Broadbent

Honest Mum

Honest Mum

Instagram

Instagram @honestmum

Book: Greek Myths, Folktales & Legends

Greek Myths, Folktales & Legends

Connect with The Running Wine Mom

Website

The Running Wine Mom

Instagram

Instagram @therunningwinemom_