Mighty As A Mother

It’s Stress Awareness Month and we dive head first into the complexities of maternal stress with fellow mom and PhD, Molly Dickens. As a scientist, writer, advocate, and founder, Molly has the fascinating insights to share around the physiological and psychological impacts of chronic stress on mothers, along with personal lessons learned throughout her career journey from academia to maternal health advocacy, and her latest initiative, The Maternal Stress Project.

In this episode you will learn:

• What is “The Maternal Stress Project”? - Molly maps the stressors related to modern American motherhood in a way we’ve never seen before with the goal of better understanding and supporting the health and wellbeing of women and working caregivers around the country.
• What is “Maternal Stress” and what are the societal acceptances of maternal stress and its impact on health outcomes, with an emphasis on the need for targeted interventions that actually help!
• The physiological and psychological impacts of chronic stress. Spoiler alert: they each have significant effects on both the body and mind of mothers, influencing our overall wellbeing and health.
• Coping strategies to help manage your day to day life, emphasizing the importance of taking care of your body and mind, while identifying and leaning on support as often as you can.
• What is needed from a policy and domestic initiative perspective to better support us mamas in managing stress and advocating for systemic changes.

We took away tons of actionable insights from this conversation and hope you love it, too!

Links:

• Maternal Stress Project Substack
• Maternal Stress Project LinkedIn
• Molly’s LinkedIn

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Today's episode is heating up with the topic of hormonal shifts! Whether you're knee-deep in motherhood or just beginning, the menopausal and perimenopausal phases are closer than you think. Join us as we delve into this vital conversation with an esteemed guest — Midi Health Co-Founder and CEO Joanna Strober. As someone who has spent her career building businesses that unlock the potential of women and their families, Joanna has a visionary approach to transforming women's healthcare, particularly in addressing the challenges of menopause. It’s no surprise she created the first and only virtual-care platform for women experiencing this significant life change.

Join us as we discuss:

The Evolution of Working Parenthood: Reflecting on her book "Getting to 50/50," Joanna discusses changes in the landscape of working parents and partnerships over the past 15 years.

Lessons from a Decades-Long Career: Joanna imparts wisdom gained from her extensive career in business, highlighting key lessons learned along the way.

Understanding Menopause and Perimenopause: Joanna provides definitions and age ranges for menopause and perimenopause, plus common symptoms experienced during these phases. We discuss empowering women to educate themselves, particularly in their early to mid-thirties.

The Role of Midi Health: Explore how Midi Health supports women in aging their best and managing menopausal symptoms with dignity and ease.

The Economic Impact of Menopause: Discussing the significant economic impact of menopause and its implications for consumers in the coming years.

Grab a pen and paper and an open mind. Together with Joanna, we’re ready to help you navigate these inevitable hormonal shifts with confidence and grace.

Links:

• Midi Health
• Joanna on LinkedIn
• Getting to 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All by Joanna Strober and Sharon Meers

For more authentic and honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother:

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Join in on the conversation and follow along with us on Instagram: ⁠@mightyasamotherpodcast⁠!

Marriage is a living thing. Early on in our relationships, we shower our partners with love and attention (obviously, we want them to want to marry us!) Yet once kids enter the scene, it’s not uncommon for partners to begin living parallel lives, with passion and deep connection unintentionally falling by the wayside (hello sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and packed schedules!).

In today’s episode, we sat down for part two of our compelling conversation with expert Dr. Molly Millwood to unpack just how everyone - parents included - long for a sense of attachment.

When we reach out to our partners, we want to know that they’ll be there.

We want answers to the questions: Will you be there for me? Can I count on you? Do you have my back? Do I still matter to you?

If you’ve ever wondered the answer to those questions, dreamed of rekindling the connection you had pre-kids, or are looking to establish some technology-free ways to connect with your partner, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.

Molly breaks down the ways in which we can approach sex, intimacy, emotional attunement, while also challenging ourselves to manage our expectations based upon the season of life your relationship is in.

Join us for part two of this important conversation to ensure you’re properly investing in your marriage, knowing what it is you’re fighting for, and creating small, shared experiences with your partner to ensure you’re set up for a joy-filled, healthy marriage to last the long haul.

Links:

1. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain
2. Happily Date Box

For more authentic and honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother:

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Join in on the conversation and follow along with us on Instagram: ⁠@mightyasamotherpodcast⁠!

Becoming a mother is such a fundamental shift in our identity, and one of the most significant physical and psychological changes a woman will ever experience. On today’s show, we have Lauren and Megan — the founders of The Matrescence. The Matrescence was born out of a desire to help other women navigate their personal experiences with motherhood while providing a community to support, uplift, and empower one another.

They have a desire to sift through the overwhelming opinions of today’s digital world and curate an intimate and personalized experience for each woman who comes to this space with a promise that all guides and support will come directly from experts.

And this is personal for both of them. After experiencing bouts of anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and rage, Lauren and Megan felt called to create a digital community to connect and educate women, grounded in the belief that mental health and wellness should be a priority for women who too often put themselves last.

Join us for today’s conversation as we discuss:

• Loving our kiddos, but not loving motherhood all the time.
• How to find a sense of community in motherhood.
• Understanding postpartum depression (PPD) and how to know if you have it. And if you do, what to do next.
• Evidence-based exercises and activities to build resilience and make space for more joy in motherhood.

Links:

1. The Matrescence
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/well/family/the-birth-of-a-mother.html?_r=1
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9765384/#CR31
4. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300076523/the-cultural-contradictions-of-motherhood/

For more authentic and honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother:

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Join in on the conversation and follow along with us on Instagram: ⁠@mightyasamotherpodcast⁠!

If you’ve ever been forced to return to work so soon after welcoming a child, or taken unpaid maternity leave, or wondered how you’d juggle your career and caring for a human, we see you.

Frankly, American societal infrastructure is stacked against mothers and caregivers, which is why we sat down with esteemed author, columnist, and fellow mom Jess Grose to discuss why it feels so hard to be a mother in America. Jess is an opinion writer at The New York Times who often writes about women, parenting, and culture. She was named a Glamour Game Changer for her realistic coverage of parenting during the pandemic and is the author of several books including Sad Desk Salad, Soulmates, and Love, Mom, and most recently a book appropriately titled Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood - which was voted by People Magazine as one of the best books of 2023.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Jess’ own motherhood journey and the motivation behind her column and best-selling book
• The history behind American parenthood, and how we are now in a modern world with an antiquated infrastructure that leaves working parents and caregivers hanging
• How to embrace being a “good enough” mom and avoid feelings of failure

Jess is kind, humble, and brilliant. This episode on motherhood is one you surely won’t want to miss!

Links:

• Screaming On The Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood by Jess Grose
• https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/next-question-with-katie-couri-131117/episodes/the-parenting-deep-dive-part-1-156582216/transcript
• https://www.nytimes.com/by/jessica-grose
• https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/opinion/women-men-work.html

For more authentic and honest motherhood conversation, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Join in on the conversation and follow along with us on Instagram: ⁠@mightyasamotherpodcast⁠!