In this mini-episode, Leah and Melissa announce their plans to take a break from podcast production for the month of October, and explore the benefits of taking time and space away from even the most exciting and enjoyable projects.The Book Blurb in this episode comes from Casper Ter Kuile’s book, The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices.  For more on Ter Kuile, visit his website.  To listen to his podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, visit www.harrypottersacredtext.com.One other noteworthy mention is this blog post about what to do when you’re feeling “Creatively Flat and Uninspired.”

In this episode, Leah and Melissa welcome physical therapist and pelvic health expert, Dr. Kamaria Washington to the podcast.  Dr. Washington begins by telling about her educational background and her love of travel, which she uses as a means for practicing self-care and maintaining a sense of identity beyond her career.  She then shares her wealth of knowledge regarding pelvic health and physical therapy, specifically as it pertains to pregnant or postpartum moms.  Dr. Washington is also an advocate for Black mothers and discusses the many factors that impact the United States’ despicably high maternal mortality rate among Black mothers.The Book Blurb in this episode is from Kathy Wang’s recent novel, Imposter Syndrome.  For more about this author and her work, visit www.bykathywang.com.A few other noteworthy mentions include the MOMMIES Act (Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Service Act), spearheaded by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Cory Booker, and this information from the CDC about reproductive health and maternal mortality.  Make sure to follow Dr. Washington on Instagram to see all of her incredible content on pelvic health and physical therapy.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram!

Warning: This episode contains conversation about eating disorders.  We recommend skipping this episode if such content is likely to be problematic for a listener's mental or physical health.In this episode, Leah and Melissa tackle an issue that many women (and people of every gender) face, including moms: body image. The way we're trained to view our bodies as young people translates into adulthood, and often stems from the way we heard other women talking about their bodies. Both Moms share their individual experiences, anxieties, relationships with their appearances, the messages they received as adolescent girls, and how their own body image has changed after having children.The Book Blurb in this episode is from Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle.  For more about Doyle's work, visit her Simon and Schuster page.One other noteworthy mention is previous Momversation Podcast episode, Thriving in the 4th Trimester: How Postpartum Doulas Support New Moms with Ali Batwin.

In this episode, The Moms cover a topic that's inevitable when raising kids, regardless of our attempts to negate it: chaos. We've all experienced it. Whether it's the chaos on the playroom floor after a day at home, the chaos of packing, planning, supervising, and recovering from an adventurous outing with kids, or our own internal chaos, when it comes to motherhood, chaos is a given. This particular Momversation is all about when to lean into chaos, when to manage it, and how these Moms' responses to chaotic environments or emotions differs from their husbands' responses.The Book Blurb in this episode comes from book six of the timeless Young Adult fantasy series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling.  One noteworthy mention is an episode of Glennon Doyle's podcast, We Can Do Hard Things, on Overwhelm.

In this episode, the hosts get together for a lighthearted chat about friendships.  Making friends and maintaining friendships can be so challenging as an adult, especially after the massive identity shift that comes with becoming a mother.  Mom friends, the changing tides of friendships with those who knew us pre-motherhood, the “Mom coaches” in our lives, and the friends who share similar hobbies all come up as points of discussion in this episode.  The Book Blurb in this episode is a Yung Pueblo poem called “an irreplaceable friend is someone who.”  For more on the poet, visit his website or Instagram account.A few noteworthy mentions include previous Momversation Podcast episodes, Evelyn and Jourdy: Birth and Postpartum Stories from Laura LaBeau, Sacred Spaces: Observing and Attending Birth with Tiana Johnson, and Just for the Fun of It: Considering the Role of Leisure in Parenting, Relationships, and Womanhood.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram!

In this episode, the Moms welcome Lauren Raymond, mother of two and lifelong educator, to speak about joy in parenthood.  Though children feel joy deeply, freely, and often, it's an emotion that many adults forget to keep in touch with.  Lauren suggests that the best way to practice joy daily is to consider the patterns in our lives that hinder joy, and then to shift those patterns to intentionally make space for joyful experiences with our families.  Dance parties, hugs and snuggles, or friendly competition among siblings can all be ways to ignite joy in our homes.The Book Blurb in this episode, "Remembering Childhood Joys," was written by  Madisyn Taylor.Be sure to check out Lauren's business, Daily Joy as well as her Instagram account and Facebook group.

In this episode, The Momversation Podcast's own co-host, Melissa Statler, shares her second birth story.   After several days of prodromal labor, a six mile walk with her mother-in-law, and one round of golf for her husband, Melissa decided it was officially time to head to the hospital, where she was met with doubt from the nursing staff.  Thankfully, she was admitted, but struggled through her labor as fear took over and a messy, primal, far-from-bougey event ensued with her midwife walking in just in time to catch the baby as he arrived.  Melissa notes how very different her two birth experiences were, and how her second delivery shaped her perspective on the diversity of motherhood experiences. The Book Blurb in this episode, "Birth is Not Bougey" is from an Instagram caption by Karen Welton.  To view the mentioned post, click here.One other noteworthy mention includes Melissa's previous birth story, Claire Leanne: Birth Preparation and Labor Stories with Melissa Statler.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram!

In this episode, Leah and Melissa are joined by Texas mother of ten, Laura Hernandez.  Like many mothers, Laura was frequently finding herself in need of simpler household management strategies.  After discovering many ways to create a more structured and peaceful home, Laura decided to share her expertise with others.  Thus, she created Mama Systems, a customized coaching service for moms in need of help creating routines and expectations within their families and their homes.  Laura’s description of her own family’s routines and rhythms puts systems into a new perspective, including schedules, emotional regulation, household duties, spatial organization, and managing the needs of children with disabilities. The Book Blurb in this episode comes from Thinking in Systems by environmental scientist, Donella H. Meadows.  For more on this author, visit The Donella Meadows Project.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram!

In this episode, expert guest, Kimberly Harris, joins the Moms to share about her unique career: potty training consultant.  Experience in early childhood education, public school teaching, and homeschooling/mothering seven children led Kimberly to consider the needs of parents and how she could help meet that need by supporting both children and parents.  Kimberly serves parents of potty training children by providing individualized support to better facilitate the needs of each family and each child.  Hers is the voice of expertise for parents navigating a difficult developmental stage in their children’s lives. The Book Blurb in this episode is from Kimberly’s own children’s book, Where’s the Potty?   To find more of Kimberly’s books and other merchandise, visit her website.If you have the means, The Momversation Podcast would like to encourage listeners to contribute to the Potty People Stop’s campaign to launch a 24-hour potty training helpline.  This is a service that will not only provide jobs for moms in need of flexible employment, but will provide additional support for parents who are potty training their kiddos.  To help out with this launch, click here.