The UnMothered Podcast

The recent events that happened at Cornell University have reminded me of my own assault story. 

When do we start protecting our young women from this kind of act? I think the most important part of this story today is finding some answers, justice, and change in the way we look at rapes and assaults on women at college campuses.

More discussions need to be had, and we need to understand the mental struggle that these women go through after the fact. Let’s talk about it. 

If you need to talk to someone about this happening to you, or if this has happened to someone you love, please know you can call RAINN 1-800-656-4673 or visit https://rainn.org/.

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*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

When Spiritual Abuse becomes the norm in the church, we are missing the boat on what church is about. 

The documentary on Micah Miller has really sparked some good conversations about when we become blind mice in the eyes of a church gathering. The bible should be our final say, not what one pastor is telling you.

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

What happens when a woman enters motherhood without the support, guidance, or safety net of a mother of her own?

Motherhood can bring joy, but it can also bring us into some of the darkest and most vulnerable places of our lives. When we are struggling without a strong support system, those difficult places can become even harder to navigate. And sometimes, all it takes is one unhealthy person or circumstance entering our lives to deepen those struggles and leave us feeling like everything is falling apart.

In this episode, we explore the importance of surrounding struggling mothers with compassion, support, accountability, and practical help—especially women who may not have a mother or maternal figure nearby to lean on. What happens when a woman is trying to navigate motherhood while carrying the wounds of her own upbringing?

The death of Hayden Panettiere struck a chord with me, particularly as I reflected on the public conversations surrounding her complicated relationship with her mother and her own experience of motherhood. Her story raises difficult questions about how unresolved pain and generational dysfunction can influence the choices we make and the patterns we carry forward.

Generational dysfunction rarely begins with one person. It is often a series of wounds, experiences, relationships, and circumstances passed from one generation to the next.

But the cycle doesn't have to continue.

Let's explore how being unmothered can affect motherhood, why generational patterns can be so difficult to break, and—most importantly—how we can become the village that another woman may desperately need.

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

We are back with part 2 of our conversation with Kelly!

Kelly Miller is an author, health coach, marketing strategist, and lifelong believer that everything you want in life starts with your fork.

She’s the creator of Healthy Cooking 101 and The Eat, Dream, Do Guide, built from years of personal testing and teaching women how to make real food and healthy cooking fit into real life.

After navigating breast cancer in her 40s, Kelly’s belief that food is foundational became more than a philosophy. It became part of her toolkit for navigating life’s hardest seasons, reinforcing the importance of how we feed ourselves, make room for ourselves, and keep going after what matters.

Now, she’s bringing those worlds together through Our Rooted Kitchen, a new monthly mini-cookbook subscription and community for busy women, solopreneurs, and business owners who are ready to put themselves back on the to-do list and feed themselves well. It’s designed to help women put the Food First mindset into action, building the energy and capacity to feel good in their bodies while creating lives they’re excited to wake up to.

Her philosophy is simple: Eat first. Then dream. Then go do the dang thing. Simple, practical, and backed by science.

Connect with Kelly

Website: HealthCoachKel.com

Instagram: @HealthCoachKel

Facebook: @HealthCoachKel

YouTube: @HealthCoachKel

LinkedIn: Kelly Miller

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

Today we are talking with Kelly Miller! We are marking this a two-part episode, so stay tuned for part two coming next Monday.

Kelly is an author, health coach, marketing strategist, and lifelong believer that everything you want in life starts with your fork.

She’s the creator of Healthy Cooking 101 and The Eat, Dream, Do Guide, built from years of personal testing and teaching women how to make real food and healthy cooking fit into real life.

After navigating breast cancer in her 40s, Kelly’s belief that food is foundational became more than a philosophy. It became part of her toolkit for navigating life’s hardest seasons, reinforcing the importance of how we feed ourselves, make room for ourselves, and keep going after what matters.

Now, she’s bringing those worlds together through Our Rooted Kitchen, a new monthly mini-cookbook subscription and community for busy women, solopreneurs, and business owners who are ready to put themselves back on the to-do list and feed themselves well. It’s designed to help women put the Food First mindset into action, building the energy and capacity to feel good in their bodies while creating lives they’re excited to wake up to.

Her philosophy is simple: Eat first. Then dream. Then go do the dang thing. Simple, practical, and backed by science.

Connect with Kelly

Website: HealthCoachKel.com

Instagram: @HealthCoachKel

Facebook: @HealthCoachKel

YouTube: @HealthCoachKel

LinkedIn: Kelly Miller

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

Let’s dive into a great conversation around forgiveness and healing with Amy Smyth Miller. Amy is a nationally recognized educator with a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s in counseling. She recently retired after a 30-year career in public education and lives in northern Washington State with her husband, “Captain Crusty,” her adult son with special needs, and her rescue dachshund, Oscar.

Her essays and poetry have appeared in The Muleskinner Journal, Women on Writing, Persimmon Tree, The Healing and CPTSD Chronicles, As It Ought to Be Digital Magazine, and Whatcom Writes Anthology: Legacies.

Her forthcoming memoir, HOME: A Memoir of Family Forgiveness, and Healing from Complex PTSD will be released on September 15th, 2026 and is available for presale wherever books are sold.

You can visit her via the web:

Website: www.amysmythmiller.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amysmythmiller

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_smyth_miller/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amy_smyth_miller

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

You deserve to have a happy, stable relationship with someone who honors your worth. But, do you have a fractured idea of what you deserve from a relationship because you witnessed your mom in her relationships? 

Picking the wrong partner has a lot to do with how you witnessed your single mom (or dad) relate in their own dating life. The topic is an important subject if you are a single woman currently in the dating pool of life! 

Let’s find out how to change the bad habits or advice you may have learned from your toxic mom. 

My book, ‘UnMothered No More’ is now live on Amazon! Go check it out today: https://a.co/d/06GruRTZ

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

How does a mom talk about the child she had lost? This can be a touchy subject, but it is near to my heart since I've lost a child. I wanted to share with you how I navigated it with my girls.

What happens when you haven’t talked about it and now your adult children have questions? Or have they written their own story around it?

Only a mom who has lost a child knows this ache and can understand, but we can address it with empathy and compassion and honesty if we are ready.

My book, ‘UnMothered No More’ is now live on Amazon! Go check it out today: https://a.co/d/06GruRTZ

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

We are still on our summer break! Stay tuned for new episodes coming back next Monday. Chat more soon, peeps!

Check out my latest book:  ‘UnMothered No More’ is now live on Amazon! Go check it out today: https://a.co/d/06GruRTZ

Over the past few years, I’ve been studying the different types of toxic moms. Imagine my surprise when I started studying about toxic parenting and realized my mom was emotionally immature AND narcissistic! 

I never knew what to expect from my mom from one day to the next. It was exhausting trying to figure it all out. It made so much sense, but also it hurt to see that her characteristics were so manipulative. 

As I look through each of these problems, I have a story to match each of them. I bet you do too. I pray you find a way to keep working through this and start making change worthy behaviors where you don’t get bogged down with your mom’s immature, toxic behavior. 

Know that immature parents have been raised by immature parents. This has to stop with you! You must be the chainbreaker in your family! God has given you this assignment, do it well and show the family you raise that those kinds of behaviors will NOT happen in your home.

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.

We are still on our summer break! Stay tuned for new episodes coming back in August. Chat more soon, peeps!

Check out my latest book:  ‘UnMothered No More’ is now live on Amazon! Go check it out today: https://a.co/d/06GruRTZ

How do you define the black sheep in the family?

Has this label been placed on you because you don’t abide by the dysfunction in your family?

There is a difference between being the troublemaker or the truth-teller. If you are just trying to survive in a highly abusive family situation, you learn to fight and stand on your own. 

Do you always make the right decisions? Not always, but who does when they are young? When I think about how we get labeled as troubled or a hard child, I think we should look deeper into the family dynamics instead of automatically blaming the child.

So what can we do if we are the one that has always been labeled in this way?

As I’ve said before, journal out any thoughts or struggles you still may have regarding this issue. You might be surprised at how much stuff comes up. Remember, you are not what other people tell you; you are who God has said you are. 

He has a purpose and a plan for you, even if you have to walk through rough waters to get there.

Follow me on IG: The UnMothered Podcast https://www.instagram.com/theunmotheredpodcast/

Phylis Mantelli’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/phylismantelli/

Join the conversation in my private community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnmotheredCommunity

Like to watch your podcasts? We are on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@phylismantelli/podcasts

💖 If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to leave a review—it helps more people find this podcast!

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor.