This week's guest is STL Veg Girl.

If you live in the St. Louis area, you’re bound to know or have heard of Caryn Dugan, A.K.A. STL Veg Girl.

Caryn lost her Dad to cancer in 2008 and 10 weeks after his passing, she was diagnosed with cancer.  She decided to take matters into her own hands and research immune boosting diets and cancer prevention tips.  All searches led to a plant-based diet.  Fast forward, those searches lead to Caryn opening up the Nation’s first ever Center for Plant-based Living!

In this week’s episode, Jill Devine and Caryn talked about the journey from cancer scare to entrepreneur.  They also discussed how Caryn doesn’t have children and she often felt left out among her Mommy friends, but now she understands her Mommy friends a little bit more because her child is in the form of a brick and mortar.  

The biggest compliment Jill Devine can receive about this podcast is hearing about women talking to other women about how much they love this podcast and how much they can relate to it. 

This week’s guest is one of “those” women.  Arlene Browne is friends with Rachel Sauter (a guest in Season 1, Episode 9).  Rachel told Jill how much Arlene loved the podcast and she would be a perfect guest to have on.  She explained that Arlene is a business owner, a mom to two kiddos, and so much more.

This episode served as a therapy session for Arlene.  She was able to let some things off her chest and Jill was able to reinforce how good of a mom she is.  Chances are you will nod in agreement when you listen to this episode.   

Michelle Lynchard sent an email to Jill Devine, proposing being a guest on the podcast.  Here’s some of that email:

I recently discovered your podcast and I am officially your new fan. :)  I especially loved your episode with Allie Corey and Dana Dean (episode 22).  I love the way you spread the message of “we’re all in this together” instead of “let’s judge other Moms.”

I am a Life Coach here in St. Louis. I specialize in helping overwhelmed, busy Moms bring more calm to their lives.

Would you be interested in doing an episode like “A Mom's Guide to a Calm Holiday Season”?

I’d love to work with you. Thanks for the good, positive Mom energy you’re putting out into the world. 

Jill thought, “a calm holiday season”?  100%, YES!  This episode taught Jill much more than how to create a calm holiday season.  It was a very therapeutic episode and you will more than likely feel the same after you listen. 

In the episode, Michelle refers to the holiday guide to help with your calm Holiday season.  Here is the link for the holiday guide: http://bit.ly/mlholiday

Tony Colombo had a very different idea of what he was going to talk to Jill Devine about in this week’s episode.  He thought Jill wanted to talk about the crazy labor & delivery stories with his three children, but Jill had other thoughts in mind.

Jill wanted to talk to Tony about the difference of having children in your early twenties vs. having children in your early forties.  She wondered if you're more patient the older you get, if you have stricter rules, if it's easier, etc.  In addition to those thoughts, through a mutual friend, Jill found out Tony and his wife co-sleep with their youngest and Jill HAD to talk to him about it because … well, take a listen to find out why.

What should we do today?  Parents ask that very popular question on a daily basis.  Thank goodness for Jen Cowan because she has an answer for that question. 

Most know Jen as “And Hattie Makes Three”.  She is a lifestyle blogger and has all the tips on what to do in the St. Louis area. 

Of course, we talked a lot about Hattie, her five-year-old daughter, on this week’s episode, along with what led her to become a lifestyle blogger and the things she loves about the city she lives in. 

Get ready to laugh (and maybe pee your pants a little bit) during this week’s episode of Two Kids and A Career, as Cat & Nat are Jill Devine's guests.  Jill loves their mission “… to bring laughter and a sense of community to women and moms.”

Cat & Nat know a thing or two about motherhood; between the two of them, they have seven kids.  They’ve experienced the loneliness of motherhood and unrealistic portrayals of motherhood, so they decided to do something about it … insert #MOMTRUTHS here.  #MOMTRUTHS bring humor to topics that some moms are afraid to talk about and some of those topics are discussed in this week’s episode.

Cat & Nat and Jill also talked about the #MOMTRUTHS Live tour, which Cat & Nat are bringing to the River City Casino on Friday, November 8th.  You deserve a night out where you can laugh alongside other moms.  PLUS, there are professional male dancers! 

“Have a meal with your family.”  A simple, but very important statement made by Chef Liz of Tenacious Eats. 

On this week’s episode, Chef Liz gave Jill Devine some great advice on getting Jill’s girls interested in all types of food and the importance of cooking with them.  Chef Liz and Jill also talked about the mom guilt Chef Liz felt while she was a restaurant chef and having to work nights.  So, she figured out how to make a living still cooking, but on her own terms. 

Oh, and you would think a chef would like to watch Food Network, right?  She doesn’t because it’s unrealistic.  Another reason not to assume!

There are people who come in your life based on the season you are living.  Some of those people could become lifelong friends and some will go away once the season is over. 

Out of Jill Devine’s best friends, she was the last one to get married and the last one to have kids.  She learned a lot about herself and about her friends during those very important seasons. 

Katie Fitzpatrick is living the opposite life as Jill.  She is the first to get married among her group of best friends and she is having some challenging times with those friendships.  Jill did her best to give Katie advice from a late bloomers perspective. 

Allie Corey and Dana Dean are TV personalities on KSDK News Channel 5, a NBC affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri.  They both agree they knew what they signed up for when they chose television as their career, which comes with good and bad opinions by viewers.  Most often, it is bad opinions.  

Both women are moms and both have faced scrutiny of viewers for their looks and actions as mothers.  Allie and Dana discussed their feelings about the scrutiny with Jill Devine.  They also talked about a VERY debatable topic, one that has never been discussed on this podcast before. 

Travel does the mind and body good, right?  According to Forbes Travel Guide, women who go on trips more frequently are less likely to become tense, depressed or tired and are happier with their marriages.  Vacationing improves your mood and reduces stress. It also can temporarily help boost productivity. 

Lauren Pronger can attest to all of the above.  Inspired by her father’s wellness-through-travel journey, Lauren witnessed the positive impact travel has on health from a very young age.  Along with her husband, NHL Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, the couple have launched Well Inspired Travels.   

Well Inspired Travels is a place to book health-centric vacations and explore healthy recipes, fitness tutorials, nutrition, beauty, health, and various travel products. 

I talked to Lauren and Chris about their new venture ... and a whole lot more, like how they met ;) ... on this week’s episode.