In this first episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the heart behind the podcast: parenting tiny humans with empathy, humor, curiosity, and a lot of “we are doing our best” energy.

I talk about why I started the show, how motherhood shifted the way I see kids, and why my parenting style is less about a label and more about humanizing children.

This is not expert advice. It’s lived experience from a mom learning out loud about big feelings, giving kids a voice, and becoming the kind of parent who repairs, reflects, and keeps trying.

00:00 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda

02:42 Recording From the Closet

03:39 Meet Amanda’s Tiny Humans

04:02 No Parenting Books Prepared Me

06:02 Bringing Home a Real Baby

07:00 I Wasn’t Always This Parent

09:02 The Night Everything Shifted

11:06 Learning From Daniel Tiger

12:32 Realizing Something Had to Change

14:27 Humanizing Kids

16:04 Giving Kids a Voice

17:13 The Starbucks Bagel Story

20:47 Parenting Without the Hierarchy

23:43 Raising Tiny World Changers

25:02 Motherhood and Identity

28:22 Giving Kids Tools for Big Feelings