Is A Mother
PV & Jamie
We’ve been best friends since college and are using a comparative lens to share how we are coming into our power after 40. We aren’t supposed to compare, right? Well, that is not realistic. We started this podcast when our boys were toddlers. They are growing fast! And we’ve been growing, too. The first few years of motherhood shook our lives and friendship like no other experience has, and by comparing and contrasting our evolution up to that point in our lives, and beyond, we have discovered the strongest threads of sisterhood yet. We don’t have all the answers and we sure have made some missteps. Follow along as we do our best to nurture our friendship and build an inclusive community while making one thousand tiny mama decisions in an unfair world.
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Top 10 Is A Mother Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Is A Mother episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Is A Mother for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Is A Mother episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Breast Cancer is a Mother
Is A Mother
10/29/24 • 36 min
Breast Cancer is a Mother! In honor of breast cancer awareness month, I (Jamie) had the pleasure of sitting down with my mother, a 3x breast cancer survivor herself, as we get vulnerable on how breast cancer has impacted our lives.
In episode 22 of ___ Is a Mother, we discuss how our breast cancer journey affected us as we were going through it, as well as having to watch the other one fight through it. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Our individual breast cancer journeys, from how we were diagnosed to our treatment plans and the ongoing measures we take to monitor our health.
- The importance of leaning on your community of family, friends, and your medical team as you navigate this journey.
- Leading with positivity while acknowledging and leaving space for all of the other emotions (fear, anger, uncertainty) that come up.
- Encouraging you to be proactive with your healthcare through regular screenings, self-exams, and genetic testing if possible.
As we close out Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to encourage you to be proactive with your health. Get your routine testing done and continue to do self-exams in between. You have nothing to lose but a life if you don’t do it.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please share on Instagram and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, we’re all ears. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED:
Limited Edition Maxine EMOVE Walking Shoes
Back to School is a Mother
Is A Mother
09/24/24 • 49 min
Back to school is a Mother! The start of a new school year can be a whirlwind of emotions for both parents and kids, especially when starting at a new school. We can spend all the time in the world planning and preparing, but the reality is that sometimes things don’t pan out the way we expected.
On episode 20 of ___ Is a Mother, we’re sharing how our boys are adjusting to their new schools, the tears and triumphs we’ve gone through thus far, and how we, as parents, are balancing our new routines while trying to maintain our own self-care. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- An update on how our little ones are adjusting to the transition into a new school.
- The challenges of making sure our kids are eating well and sleeping enough as they navigate their increased independence.
- Predictions we have for our kids by the end of the school year.
- How we as parents are managing our own routines and maintaining (or not maintaining) our self-care.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please share on Instagram and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, we’re all ears. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED:
Ep 18: Kindergarten Readiness is a Mother
Ep 13: Self-Care is a Mother
10 Questions to Ask Your Kid Instead of, “How was School?”
Family Culture is a Mother
Is A Mother
03/12/24 • 61 min
Family culture is a mother! And when we say culture we are not talking about race, gender, or ethnicity but rather an agreed-upon set of expectations of the social communities we exist in with our family units at the foundation. As we grow families of our own, it becomes a balancing act of integrating each parent’s respective cultural norms to create your core family’s unique culture.
In episode 12 of ___ Is a Mother, Jamie uses the foundations of the Intercultural Conflict Style (ICS) assessment with PV and Brett (married and co-parenting a 4.5-year-old) to illustrate how it can help us understand our authentic approach to communication and addressing conflict—key elements of any family’s culture. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- A set of questions to consider to ground into our respective cultural beliefs.
- How someone might perceive themselves vs. how others may perceive them depending on their communication styles.
- The way we naturally react to conflict is rooted in our cultural norms and upbringing.
- Our individual culture and conflict style balances with the style of our partners’ to guide how we parent our children and define our core family’s culture.
- How Jamie uses the ICS assessment to help organizations establish an inclusive culture by understanding everyone’s unique and individual communication and conflict resolution styles.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot of the episode to post and link in your stories and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED IN / RELEVANT TO THIS EPISODE:
Intercultural Conflict Style Assessment
Dr. Becky’s (parenting coach & clinical psychologist) TED talk on connection, modeling, and repair in parenting
Trauma psychologist Dr. Mariel Buqué’s book Break The Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma
Episode 10 Financial Planning is a Mother | www.karenholloway.nm.com
Managing Adult Friendships is a Mother
Is A Mother
02/27/24 • 51 min
Managing adult friendships is a Mother! The older we get, our packed schedules, geographical moves, and changing priorities can make it challenging to make and maintain friendships. In our current phase of life, we are mindful that some friendships come and go, while others continue to thrive year after year. And still, there can be room to develop new friendships, but it ain’t easy to do. . .
This episode is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. They believe in doing the right thing, and to them, the right thing is making sure their clients won’t have to worry about their finances. Northwestern Mutual recommends financial strategies based on each client’s life and priorities, designed to help them reach their unique goals. For more information, please visit www.karenholloway.nm.com
In episode 11 of ___ Is a Mother, we discuss our experiences making and maintaining friendships as we move through different phases of our lives, and recognizing when someone is your friend for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Low-maintenance, or flexible, friendships become more and more valuable the more chaotic our lives become.
- Managing expectations around how you show up as a friend vs. how others show up for you.
- Re-evaluating friendships over time, and setting boundaries that prioritize mutually beneficial relationships.
- Motherhood and other major life shifts will likely change friendship dynamics—either positively or negatively.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
01/23/24 • 73 min
Financial Planning is a Mother. If you’re like us, you were taught only the basics of financial management. But there are so many tools and resources available to us that can truly set us up to achieve financial health and protect our future.
In episode 10 of ___ Is a Mother, we are joined by Karen Holloway to discuss the financial elements every family should have in place and lay out the options that are available to you so you can start making strategic financial decisions that align with your goals. Be sure to grab a notebook because Karen drops some incredible knowledge in this episode.
This episode is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. They believe in doing the right thing, and to them, the right thing is making sure their clients won’t have to worry about their finances. Northwestern Mutual recommends financial strategies based on each client’s life and priorities, designed to help them reach their unique goals. For more information, please visit www.karenholloway.nm.com
Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Breaking down the four buckets of financial planning.
- The difference between whole and term life insurance and how to decide which may be right for you.
- Education savings funds available to you and the pros and cons of each option.
- How to approach asking family and friends to invest in your child’s future instead of buying physical presents for life events.
- A unique way for entrepreneurs to kickstart their child’s financial future with a Roth IRA.
- How Traditional and Roth IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts) stack up against other investment funds.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways! If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH KAREN HOLLOWAY:
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
01/09/24 • 60 min
Labeling kids is a mother! For both children and adults, there can be a stigma around behavioral disorders, mental health issues, learning disabilities, etc., and individuals go undiagnosed and untreated for too long. On the flip side, sometimes children are incorrectly categorized or labeled in an innocent attempt to help, which leads to other concerns.
In episode 09 of ___ Is a Mother, we are joined by psychologist Dr. Nekeshia Hammond to discuss the importance of intervening early when your parenting instinct is telling you something isn’t right, and how you can advocate for your children, as well as your family unit. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Signs that a toddler might be struggling and require additional support.
- The pros and cons of “labeling” or diagnosing our children with behavioral disorders and/or learning disabilities.
- Tips for communicating parenting and discipline boundaries, and connection and support needs with family and friends.
- Fielding unsolicited (yet well-intended) parenting advice.
- Creating cultural norms within your family unit by blending aspects from each parent’s upbringing, while adding new parenting styles into the mix.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways! If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH DR. HAMMOND:
ADHD Explained: What Every Parent Needs to Know
OTHER RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
2023 is a Mother
Is A Mother
12/26/23 • 55 min
Since the pandemic, we, like many people, have found ourselves saying that each year is the worst to date. And DANG! We can confidently say that 2023 was the mother of all mothers. This past year has by far been the most challenging year for both of our families in many ways.
In episode 08 of ___ Is a Mother, we take time to reflect on the past year: the good, the bad, and the ugly, while finding the silver linings during even the toughest periods. Here are some teasers:
- The most ridiculous and adventurous things we experienced in 2023.
- Choices we wish we would have made differently.
- Things we hope to leave behind as we enter the new year.
- Ways we have grown and come into a deeper sense of self-awareness as women, moms, and people.
- Cherished moments from the year that prove to us that even when times are hard, there is so much love, joy, and beauty too.
Thank you so much for being part of our journey and allowing us to be a part of yours. We’re excited to enter the new year with ya!
Thank you for listening! What are your 2023 reflections? If you enjoyed this episode, please share it in your stories and tag us! And/or send it directly to a friend who can relate. Please follow, rate and review the podcast and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, let us know! Thanks for being part of our inner circle, we’re thrilled to have you part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Traveling with a Toddler is a Mother
Is A Mother
12/12/23 • 60 min
Traveling with a toddler is a mother, especially when you’re traveling to stay in someone else's home who may have different cultural norms and parenting styles as you and you’re struggling to find the balance.
In episode 7 of ___ Is a Mother, we recap the trip that led to tension in our friendship based on our parenting and cultural differences and how the conversations we had to address that tension ultimately led to the creation of this podcast. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- PV’s traumatic experience flying with her toddler who was, unknowingly to them at the time, experiencing a night terror.
- Finding the balance between setting boundaries for your toddler and giving them the space to make and learn from their mistakes.
- The prep and conversations that need to happen before, during, and after traveling to and staying in someone else's home with a toddler.
- Being aware of and sensitive to cultural norms of raising and parenting children while traveling.
- Lessons we’ve learned from traveling with our toddlers.
Remember to give yourself and your toddler some grace. While your toddler is still learning how to navigate life, you’re learning how to navigate parenting in different environments.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell us your key takeaways! If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle, we’re thrilled to have you part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
Body Image is a Mother
Is A Mother
11/28/23 • 55 min
Body image is a mother! No matter what your shape or size or features, society presents unrealistic and unattainable goals for how we “should” look. These unhealthy images are compounded by external opinions, comments, and comparisons in life, at work, and on social media. In reality, feeling our best, healthiest selves has less to do with how our bodies look and more with the people we surround ourselves with and the life experiences we have.
In episode 06 of ___ Is a Mother, we discuss how our relationship with our bodies has evolved throughout the course of our lives and how we have learned to give ourselves grace and appreciate and love our whole selves.
Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Update on Jamie’s double mastectomy and trying for baby #2.
- Separating mental and physical perceptions of our bodies.
- The relationship between weight and health (hint: it’s not linear).
- Cultural differences of a healthy body image.
- How health and fitness goals change as we age (strength >>> cardio over 40).
- Thoughts on aging gracefully and naturally.
- Uninvited commentary on what your body should look like.
- Times we feel our best selves (spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with how our bodies look).
- The impact social media has on us as grown adults let alone impressional young people.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell us your key takeaways. If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle, we’re thrilled to have you part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
06/25/24 • 72 min
AI is a mother! Although it feels like AI is this new thing that popped up on the scene in recent years, it has been integrated into our daily lives through the products and services we have used for many years.
Much of the information and resources for chatbot-based AI platforms focus on how business owners and creators can leverage this technology to streamline their tasks and uplevel their strategies. However, there hasn’t been anything specifically for moms desperately needing a reprieve from their growing mental (and physical) workload. Until now! In Episode 17 of ___ is a Mother, Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey joins us to discuss how she set out to change this with Mother AI, sharing tools, prompts, and ideas that parents can implement to make their lives easier and lessen their “invisible load”, as well as responsibility guiding their kids’ tech journeys. Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:
- Creative ways AI can be used to help kids with homework, explain complex topics in an age-appropriate way, plan meals, maintain the home, and streamline life.
- AI is not here to stifle creativity, but rather to change how we spark creative expression and bring it to life.
- While AI is changing the landscape of many jobs, workers can gain new skills with or related to AI to transition to new opportunities and adapt as technology evolves.
- Further development in these tools is necessary to address potential bias in language models and decision-making tools.
If we use AI to help tackle 80% of the things on our plates, we can focus our remaining energy on the 20% of what is truly the most important.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us! Follow, rate, and review the podcast, and tell us your key takeaways! If there are topics you would like us to discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Thanks for being part of our inner circle and an important part of this community. Go call your best friend!
CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:
Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey’s website, and sign up for the Mother AI LinkedIn newsletter
Join the Waitlist for the Mother AI 101 webinar, and join the AI revolution!
CONNECT WITH US:
@_IsAMotherpodcast on Instagram
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Level Leaders Website
IG: @LetsLevel
ChatGPT
Erin Reddick LinkedIn- creator of Chat Black GPT
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FAQ
How many episodes does Is A Mother have?
Is A Mother currently has 23 episodes available.
What topics does Is A Mother cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Parenting, Kids & Family, Podcasts and Relationships.
What is the most popular episode on Is A Mother?
The episode title 'Managing Adult Friendships is a Mother' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Is A Mother?
The average episode length on Is A Mother is 57 minutes.
How often are episodes of Is A Mother released?
Episodes of Is A Mother are typically released every 21 days.
When was the first episode of Is A Mother?
The first episode of Is A Mother was released on Jul 24, 2023.
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