The Woman Within

In this third installment of our toddlerhood series, we’re getting into two of the biggest—and often most charged—parts of toddlerhood: potty training and sleep.

In this episode of The Woman Within Podcast, we share our very different experiences with potty training, including regressions, accidents, pull-ups, training underwear, bodily awareness, and learning to meet our kids where they are instead of forcing a timeline. We talk about autonomy, temperament, learning through failure, and the ways potty training has taught us more about how our individual children learn.

Then we dive deep into toddler sleep—co-sleeping, sleep training, night waking, sleep regressions, breastfeeding, night weaning, and the anxiety and pressure that can surround how our children sleep. We get honest about the seasons when sleep felt all-consuming, the decisions that eventually helped, and how our perspectives have shifted from trying to “fix” sleep to understanding what our kids—and we as mothers—actually need.

At the heart of both conversations is the same lesson: there isn’t one timeline, one method, or one right way to do this. Sometimes parenting means pushing forward, sometimes it means taking a break, and sometimes it means releasing control and trusting that our kids will get there in their own time.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Toddler potty training
• Potty training regressions & accidents
• Bodily awareness & autonomy
• Potty training timelines & expectations
• Training underwear vs. pull-ups
• Learning through failure
• Toddler temperament & individual differences
• Toddler sleep & sleep regressions
• Co-sleeping & sleep training
• Night waking & split nights
• Breastfeeding & night weaning
• Sleep anxiety & parental pressure
• Co-regulation & independence
• Letting go of control
• Trusting your child’s unique timeline

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Two months later, we’re back in the thick of toddlerhood—and realizing just how much there is still to learn.

In this episode of The Woman Within Podcast, we get honest about intense toddler tantrums, big emotions, boundary-pushing, and the moments when our parenting philosophies get put to the test. We talk about holding space for our children’s emotions while still holding firm boundaries, and how to know what your child actually needs in the moment.

We dive into emotional regulation, co-regulation, conscious parenting, authoritative parenting, and adaptive parenting—learning to respond to the individual child and the situation rather than following a rigid parenting philosophy. We also get vulnerable about parental rage, frustration, guilt, and repair, including what it looks like to come back to our children when we lose our patience.

And of course, we get practical: navigating tantrums, transitions, car-seat battles, temperament differences, playfulness, distraction, and finding ways to hold boundaries without losing connection.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Toddler tantrums & big emotions
• Emotional regulation & co-regulation
• Firm, healthy boundaries
• Gentle, authoritative & conscious parenting
• Adaptive parenting
• Staying regulated when your toddler is dysregulated
• Parental frustration, rage & triggers
• Repairing after we lose our patience
• Raising emotionally resilient kids
• Understanding your child’s temperament
• Playfulness, distraction & connection
• Navigating transitions & car-seat battles
• Learning to parent the child in front of you

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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What if the “terrible twos” aren’t actually terrible? In this episode of The Woman Within Podcast, we’re getting honest about the beautiful, messy, confronting world of raising toddlers—and the ways toddlerhood asks us to grow right alongside our children.

We talk about tantrums, boundaries, self-regulation, co-regulation, and the constant trial and error of figuring out what works for your individual child. We explore how toddlers mirror us, why their behavior can be so triggering, and the difference between responding with intention versus reacting from our own dysregulation.

We also dive into a bigger question: Are we trying to make our children well-behaved, or are we helping them become who they are? We share how we're learning to nurture our kids' individual strengths, autonomy, curiosity, and natural interests while still giving them the boundaries and framework they need to move through the world.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Reframing the “terrible twos”
• Toddler tantrums and big emotions
• Self-regulation & co-regulation
• Boundaries without fear or punishment
• Responding vs. reacting
• Repairing after we mess up
• Parenting as a mirror for our own growth
• Nurturing your child’s individual strengths
• Autonomy and independence
• Teaching toddlers how to navigate the world
• Respect vs. obedience
• Modeling the behavior we want to see
• Giving ourselves grace as parents

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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What if the conversation around postpartum mental health needs to start long before a mother reaches a crisis point?

In this episode, we take a wider look at maternal mental health, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and the emotional transition into motherhood. We explore the identity shift that comes with becoming a mother, the difficulty of knowing what’s “normal” postpartum, and how sleep deprivation, anxiety, rage, nutrition, and lack of support can impact a mother’s mental and emotional well-being.

We also talk about the importance of building a village, postpartum doulas, midwifery care, extended family, bodywork, rest, and creating more intentional support for mothers. Looking at postpartum traditions in other cultures, we question why Western culture often expects women to quickly return to “normal” instead of recognizing that becoming a mother is a profound physical, psychological, and emotional transition.

Drawing from our own postpartum experiences, we get honest about sleep deprivation, anxiety, breastfeeding, identity, receiving care, and finding our way back to ourselves after birth—and ask what we can do individually and collectively to create a healthier postpartum experience for mothers.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Maternal & postpartum mental health
• Postpartum depression, anxiety, and rage
• The identity shift into motherhood
• Sleep deprivation, nutrition, and nervous system regulation
• Building a postpartum village
• Postpartum doulas and midwifery care
• Cultural differences in postpartum recovery
• The six-week postpartum expectation
• Learning how to receive support
• Our own postpartum experiences
• How we can show up differently for new mothers

Books we mentioned:

• The First Forty Days: https://a.co/d/0cTiRL7H

• The Body Keeps The Score: https://a.co/d/044TJizF

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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Our last conversation about sex after having a baby sparked thousands of comments—and made us realize there was another side of the conversation we hadn't fully explored.

In Part 2, we’re widening the lens to include both the woman’s and the man’s experience of postpartum intimacy. What happens when a woman is touched out, exhausted, healing from birth, navigating hormonal and neurological changes, and struggling to access her sexual self—while her partner may be craving physical connection and feeling rejected or forgotten?

We talk about postpartum sex, libido, matrescence, emotional connection, resentment, sexual desire, boundaries, touch, and the complicated transition into parenthood. We explore why the same touch can feel loving to one person and violating to another, how couples can communicate their needs without making each other wrong, and what it means for both partners to take ownership of rebuilding intimacy.

We also get into the dynamics that can develop around chores, motherhood, “mothering” your husband, masculine and feminine polarity, and the ways resentment can affect sexual connection.

Ultimately, this isn't a conversation about who is right. It's about understanding that both people are going through a massive transition—and figuring out how to find your way back to each other.

Because postpartum intimacy isn't necessarily about getting back to the sex you used to have. It's about discovering intimacy, desire, and connection as the new versions of yourselves.

In this episode of The Woman Within Podcast, we discuss:

• Sex after having a baby and why intimacy can change so dramatically
• Postpartum libido and why desire may look different for women and men
• Matrescence and the physical, hormonal, and neurological changes of motherhood
• Why women can feel “touched out” while men may feel sexually disconnected
• The difference between sexual touch and touch as an expression of love
• Emotional connection as a pathway to physical intimacy
• How sleep deprivation, stress, postpartum anxiety, and hypervigilance affect desire
• Restraint, patience, and giving each other space during early parenthood
• Finding other forms of physical intimacy when sex isn't available
• Resentment, household responsibilities, and how “mothering” your partner can affect attraction
• Taking ownership of your own desire and learning what helps you get back into your body
• Letting go of expectations about who your partner used to be
• Rebuilding intimacy and finding your way back to each other after having a baby
• Why good sex isn't about looking sexy—it's about being embodied, connected, and present

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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Our relationship with movement changes throughout our lives—and pregnancy and motherhood can completely redefine it.

In this episode of the Woman Within Podcast, we take a deep dive into our personal histories with movement, exercise, fitness, dance, gymnastics, strength training, and yoga, and explore how the way we move has evolved as we've grown, become mothers, and moved through pregnancy and postpartum.

We talk about the difference between moving for performance, appearance, and achievement versus moving for connection, mental health, strength, mobility, nervous system regulation, and simply feeling at home in your body. We also get into how pregnancy can be an invitation to slow down, listen to your intuition, and let go of expectations about what your workouts “should” look like.

Then we explore postpartum movement and recovery—rebuilding your relationship with your core and pelvic floor, reconnecting with your body after birth, and learning to move again alongside your baby rather than feeling like you need to “get your body back.”

Ultimately, this is a conversation about moving with your body rather than against it, and allowing your relationship with movement to change as you change.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Our childhood relationships with movement, gymnastics, swimming, and dance
• How competitive fitness shaped our relationships with our bodies
• Moving from performance and achievement toward embodiment and connection
• Our journeys through strength training, CrossFit, yoga, and functional movement
• How pregnancy changes your body, nervous system, and relationship with exercise
• Why pregnancy may be an invitation to slow down and soften
• Movement during pregnancy and preparing the body for birth
• Postpartum recovery, core and pelvic floor rehabilitation
• Reconnecting with your body after pregnancy and birth
• Body image and the pressure to “get your body back”
• Moving as a way to connect with your baby
• How movement can support nervous system regulation and mental health
• Learning to trust your intuition and meet your body where it is

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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What happens when a close friendship changes because your lives suddenly take very different paths?

In this deeply honest conversation on The Woman Within podcast, we explore female friendship, changing friendships, pregnancy loss, jealousy, grief, boundaries, and emotional vulnerability. After Nicole experiences a pregnancy loss while her close friend continues into pregnancy, the two are forced to navigate emotions neither expected—and confront what it really means to stay connected when your lives no longer look the same.

We talk about friendship differentiation, when friendships naturally fade versus when they have the potential to grow deeper, how to communicate difficult emotions without blaming the other person, and why healthy friendships require both reciprocity and the ability to give each other space.

A conversation about what it takes to keep loving someone when life takes you down different roads.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Navigating friendship through major life changes
• Pregnancy loss and complicated emotions like jealousy and grief
• When friendships fade vs. when they deepen
• Boundaries, space, and emotional safety
• Reciprocity and managing expectations in friendship
• Vulnerability and communicating your needs
• How to stay connected when your lives stop matching
• Building deeper, healthier female friendships

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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What happens to intimacy after you have a baby?

In this episode of The Woman Within, we’re getting really honest about sex, desire, and intimacy after motherhood. We talk about finding your way back into your sexual body, navigating postpartum body changes, breastfeeding, hormones, limited time and privacy, and the mental load that can make it difficult to simply “drop in” and connect with your partner.

We also get into the harder parts: what happens when sex becomes infrequent, how resentment and disconnection can build, the importance of actually talking about what you need, and how intimacy can evolve as you and your relationship move through different seasons.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Finding your sexual self after having a baby
• Postpartum sex, desire, and changing needs
• Breastfeeding, hormones, and weaning
• Body image and learning to love your postpartum body
• Making space for intimacy with little ones around
• Communicating your needs with your partner
• Resentment, disconnection, and becoming “roommates”
• Rebuilding intimacy and connection in a new season of life
• Redefining what sex and intimacy can look like after baby

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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What if aging isn't something to fight—but something to embrace?

In this episode of The Woman Within Podcast, we're diving into beauty standards, natural aging, Botox, cosmetic procedures, body image, and the messages women receive about staying young. From childhood influences and social media to motherhood and the beauty industry, we're exploring how our relationship with appearance is shaped—and what it looks like to choose a different path.

We share our own experiences with makeup, skincare, cosmetic treatments, wedding pressures, body image after breastfeeding, and the subtle ways comparison can creep into our lives. Rather than telling women what they should or shouldn't do, we're inviting a deeper conversation: Where are our choices coming from? Fear? Insecurity? Self-expression? Curiosity? Self-love?

We also talk about the beauty we see in growing older—the wisdom, confidence, freedom, and deeper sense of self that can come with age. Our hope is that this conversation encourages you to define beauty on your own terms and to approach aging with more curiosity, compassion, and self-acceptance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Beauty standards and the pressure to stay young
• Natural aging vs. cosmetic procedures, Botox, and fillers
• Social media's influence on body image and beauty ideals
• Childhood experiences that shape our relationship with appearance
• The difference between self-expression and seeking external validation
• Wedding culture, skincare, and wanting to "look your best"
• Body image after pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Sunscreen, skincare, and differing philosophies on caring for our skin
• Why wrinkles can represent wisdom, joy, and a life well lived
• Learning to accept change instead of trying to erase it
• Holding space for different choices without judgment
• Redefining beauty through self-acceptance, purpose, and authenticity

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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They say it takes a village—but what does that actually look like in today's world?

In this episode, we're exploring what it means to build meaningful community as mothers, partners, and women living in a culture that often leaves us feeling isolated, overstimulated, and expected to do it all. We share how our perspectives on village have evolved over the past two years, the ways we're intentionally creating support in this season of motherhood, and why we've realized that having a village starts with becoming a villager.

We also dive into the realities of asking for help, navigating mom guilt, finding childcare that aligns with your family's values, and allowing our children to form secure relationships with other trusted adults. From grandparents and mentors to chiropractors, friends, and "mother's helpers," this conversation is an invitation to rethink what support can look like—and to remember that we were never meant to do motherhood alone.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why building a village starts with being a villager
• The difference between modern life and the villages we evolved in
• Defining family values before building community
• Mom guilt, asking for help, and becoming more resourced
• The many forms a village can take beyond childcare
• The importance of grandparents, mentors, and intergenerational relationships
• How friendships change after becoming a parent
• Creating community through everyday places and shared interests
• Mother's helpers, babysitters, Montessori, and finding aligned caregivers
• Following your child's unique temperament instead of comparing them to others
• Grieving the transitions of motherhood while embracing your child's growing independence
• Social media, unrealistic expectations, and releasing the pressure to "do it all"
• Giving ourselves permission to receive support and raise children in community

New Episodes drop every Monday!

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Thank you so much for listening!