Marisa Renee Lee on Overachieving, Grief, and Life After the White House

Ep584. Renee is joined by author, speaker, and former White House staffer Marisa Renee Lee for a conversation about grief, chronic illness, and the pressure of being an “overachiever.” Marisa shares how becoming a caregiver as a teenager for her mom shaped her drive, eventually leading her to Harvard, Wall Street, and the White House. They talk openly about loss, navigating long COVID while parenting a young child, and the pitfalls of tying your worth to productivity. Marisa also shares the inspiration behind her new book Waiting for Dawn, which explores how to live well and hold onto hope even in seasons of uncertainty.Find Marisa:Website: marisareneelee.comIG: @marisareneeleeSubstack: marisareneelee.substack.comBook: Waiting for Dawn - Out April 7!Thank you to our Sponsors!Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.Pique Life - Set your best health goals in motion. Access 20% off and begin your journey toward sustained wellness today at Piquelife.com/momroomSkims - Shop the SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you’re looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list - the SKIMS Holiday Shop is now open at SKIMS.com.Time4Learning - Curious if Time4Learning is right for your family? Visit time4learning.com to explore their curriculum and find the perfect plan for your student. You can get started with a monthly subscription to see just how much your kids enjoy learning on their own termsFirst Day - For a limited time only, our listeners are getting an insane deal. Use code MOMROOM to get up to 57% Off at FirstDay.com. That’s up to 57% Off and a Free Gift with code MOMROOM at FirstDay.com.Greater Than - Go to DrinkGT.com and try GREATER THAN for yourself.RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community YouTube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room PodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

March 5 2026: Welcome back to The Mom Room! Renee is giving you a classic random solo episode and talking about all the things! Health-related appointments she made herself make, her birthday plans, and Harry is back!! Enjoy!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep582. Renee sits down with attachment therapist and mom of 3 - Eli Harwood for a chat about raising emotionally secure kids without spiralling over every parenting decision. Eli shares her research-backed tools to connect with your kids, how to repair after inevitable parenting missteps, and why connection matters more than perfection. They talk through triggers, boundaries, co-regulation, and the pressure parents feel to “get it right". Eli's new book "How to Deal with Your (insert emotion) So Your Kids Don't Have To" hits shelves on April 14th, 2026. Find Eli:Website: attachmentnerd.comIG: @attachmentnerdFB: @attachmentnerdPodcast: How to DealThank you to our Sponsors!Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.Pique Life - Set your best health goals in motion. Access 20% off and begin your journey toward sustained wellness today at Piquelife.com/momroomSkims - Shop the SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you’re looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list - the SKIMS Holiday Shop is now open at SKIMS.com.Time4Learning - Curious if Time4Learning is right for your family? Visit time4learning.com to explore their curriculum and find the perfect plan for your student. You can get started with a monthly subscription to see just how much your kids enjoy learning on their own termsFirst Day - For a limited time only, our listeners are getting an insane deal. Use code MOMROOM to get up to 57% Off at FirstDay.com. That’s up to 57% Off and a Free Gift with code MOMROOM at FirstDay.com.Greater Than - Go to DrinkGT.com and try GREATER THAN for yourself.RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community YouTube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room PodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP581. Jimmy Knowles, the creator behind the wildly popular TikTok and Instagram account Jimmy on Relationships, joins me for a conversation that is honest, uncomfortable, and incredibly important.Jimmy opens up about the affair that nearly ended his marriage, how he and his wife chose to rebuild instead of walk away, and why that experience became the catalyst for his deep dive into what actually makes relationships work.We talk about default parenting, the mental load, emotional labor, and the tools so many men were never taught, but desperately need, to show up as true partners. This is not a “men are trash” episode. It’s a real conversation about growth, accountability, and what it takes to create a partnership where both people feel seen and supported.If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying too much at home… or wished your partner understood what it’s really like in your brain… this one will hit.And yes, you’ll probably be sending this one to your partner.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep580. Renee is joined by author, and registered dietician Rachael DeVaux for a chat about fitness, fueling your body, and letting go of postpartum pressure. Rachael shares how her approach to movement and nutrition has evolved through motherhood, offers quick, practical meal tips for busy parents who don’t have time for complicated recipes, and talks about building sustainable habits that actually fit into real life! She also gives a sneak peek into her upcoming book "The High Protein Plate" - a recipe book that takes a practical and researched approach to meals - adding that the more protein you eat, the more satisfied, energized, and resilient you’ll feel.Find Rachael:IG: @rachaelsgoodeatsWebsite: https://rachaelsgoodeats.comSponsors:Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.Pique Life - Set your best health goals in motion. Access 20% off and begin your journey toward sustained wellness today at Piquelife.com/momroomSkims - Shop the SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you’re looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list - the SKIMS Holiday Shop is now open at SKIMS.com.Olive & June - Visit OliveandJune.com/MOMROOM for 20% off your first System.Little Spoon - Get 30% off your first online order at littlespoon.com/momroom30 with code MOMROOM30Time4Learning - Curious if Time4Learning is right for your family? Visit time4learning.com to explore their curriculum and find the perfect plan for your student. You can get started with a monthly subscription to see just how much your kids enjoy learning on their own termsFirst Day - For a limited time only, our listeners are getting an insane deal. Use code MOMROOM to get up to 57% Off at FirstDay.com. That’s up to 57% Off and a Free Gift with code MOMROOM at FirstDay.com.RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community YouTube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room PodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP579: Please enjoy this vintage episode of Insufferable because Renee recorded a whole solo episode and then the program crashed and she lost it! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP578. This morning I saw a post by @alessandro_frosali about the mental load in the 80s and 90s vs. today, and it sent me spiralling (in the best way).Were moms back then more resilient? Or were they just carrying it all without language, support, or permission to talk about it?In this solo episode, I unpack how the mental load has evolved, from managing a household without Google or group chats… to today’s invisible expectations of being the default parent, the memory keeper, the scheduler, the emotional regulator, the career woman, the present mom, the healthy meal planner, the screen-time police, and somehow also hot and well-rested.This isn’t about glorifying burnout or minimizing what women carried before us. It’s about understanding how the mental load has shifted, and how we can build something better.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re just “not as strong” as the women who came before you… this conversation is for you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP577. Confidence isn’t about being louder, bolder, or more motivated, it’s about being less driven by everything outside of you.In this solo episode, Renee breaks down why so many women (especially moms) feel stuck, burnt out, and second-guessing themselves, and how living life motivated by approval, guilt, comparison, and external pressure quietly erodes confidence over time.Renee shares tangible, real-life shifts you can start implementing right now to build self-trust, stop over-explaining, and move through life with more calm, clarity, and confidence, even in the chaos of motherhood. This episode isn’t about doing more or becoming someone new. It’s about unlearning what’s keeping you disconnected from yourself.If you’re tired of chasing validation, managing everyone else’s expectations, or feeling like your confidence depends on how you’re perceived, this conversation is for you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP576. In this solo episode, I’m telling a story about walking away from a friend group that no longer felt genuine, supportive, or healthy. Story time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EP575. Is it ADHD… or is it perimenopause? Or is it both showing up at the same time to completely derail your nervous system?In this solo episode of The Mom Room, Renee gets real about her experience with ADHD, taking Vyvanse, and navigating perimenopause in her late 30s and early 40s. After a conversation with an OBGYN that stopped her in her tracks, Renee explores why so many women feel like their brains and bodies suddenly stop working, and why the overlap between ADHD symptoms and perimenopause symptoms is so often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed.Renee breaks down common ADHD symptoms in women, common perimenopause symptoms, where they overlap, and why medications like Vyvanse are helping some women function better during this stage of life. She also shares her personal experience starting birth control to manage perimenopause symptoms, why it helped, why it eventually won’t be enough, and what modern hormone replacement therapy (HRT) actually looks like in 2026.This episode is equal parts educational, validating, and rage-inducing (in the best way). If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, foggy, irritable, exhausted, or like you’re “failing at adulting,” this conversation will make one thing very clear: you are not broken, you are under-supported.Women deserve real information, real treatment, and real quality of life. And we’re finally starting to talk about it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.