289- Why Mental and Emotional Labor is Exhausting Modern Moms with Erica Djossa, MA

You're listening to Voices of Your Village. Today I get to share a conversation with you about why mental and emotional labor is exhausting modern moms. I got to hang out with my friend Erica Djossa. She's the CEO and founder of Momwell and a registered psychotherapist specializing in maternal mental health with over a decade of experience. As a mom of three rambunctious young boys, Erica understands first -hand the challenges of motherhood. Perfectionism, pressure, and loss of identity fueled her battle with postpartum depression, and she realized how difficult it is to seek care. She founded Momwell to set a standard of care for providers and has ensured mom -centered, specialized mental health support at any stage of motherhood. Erica has been featured in media publications including Time Magazine, USA Today, the Toronto star, Breakfast Television, and Scary Mommy. You can find more information about her company, Momwell, at momwell.com. Also, I highly recommend following them on Instagram, and she has a dope podcast that I am going to be on. Erica has an incredible book on this as well called Releasing the Mother Load, How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More. You can snag that bad boy wherever books are sold. It is out now. During the second half of the episode, Rachel and I break it down and share our real life experiences with our partners and kids, navigating the mental and emotional labor struggle. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Erica: Instagram: @momwell  Website: https://www.momwell.com/ Order the book: Releasing the Mother Load: How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More Podcast: Momwell Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village and today I get to hang out with Dr. Mona Amin. She is a board -certified general pediatrician, a lactation educator, parenting coach, and a mom. She's been featured on Parents .com, Good Morning America, ABC Nightly News, Romper, Condé Nast Traveler, Very Well Family, and NBC News, and we got to chat on the impact of focusing focusing on children's weight. I felt this conversation so deeply, and it's been interesting, I noted this in the conversation but Mila was born an almost 10 pound baby, and it has been so interesting to like hear the way people talk about her body right now as a baby and like oh she's so healthy and what they mean is like she's got rolls she's a chunky little peanut. And then as you get older, how that shifts. And when we see humans who have fat on their bodies, there's this belief that it means they're unhealthy and just wild, like how early these conversations start. And Dr. Mona and I got to dive into that huge impact that it can have on kids, and ways that you can be an advocate for them at the pediatric office. If this podcast is serving you, if it has been helpful for you in any capacity, please take a minute to rate and review it. It helps other folks find this podcast so that they can have access to free information to guide them on their journey as well. I'm so grateful for y 'all. I love this village so much and I'm jazzed that I get to hang out with you and have these really important conversations and that we get to bring incredible experts in to have these convos. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Dr. Mona: Instagram: @pedsdoctalk TikTok: @pedsdoctalk Website: https://pedsdoctalk.com/ Parenting Courses: https://pedsdoctalk.com/courses/ Podcast: Peds Doc Talk Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village. And in this episode, I got to dive in with Lori Sugarman-Li about how to raise kids who participate in taking care of the home. It's something that's been a challenge for me-- really looking at taking care of the home, doing dishes, all that jazz versus playing with Sage and just hanging out and doing all of those things when he's asleep. We got to have a real honest conversation about it. Lori believes deeply in the power of families. She's passionate about her work and the culture shift aiming to articulate the value and visibility of unpaid work. Her career is a communication strategist combined with a decade devoted to full -time care of her family, community, and children's charities worldwide, served as the inspirational backdrop for her professional relaunch as a coach, speaker, and author. She's dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations within families, encouraging them to contemplate how they care for one another in their shared space. I am so curious to hear your takeaways and what comes up for you as you're diving into this, and if this hits home head on out and snag her book, Our Home, out now and ready for you to dive into. Will you do me a favor? If you are enjoying this podcast, if it's serving you, please take a minute to rate and review the podcast it helps other folks find these free episodes so that they can dive into this work with us. All right folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Lori: Instagram: @ourhomeourpride Website: https://ourhomeourpride.com/ Order the book: Our Home: The Love, Work, and Heart of Family Coaching: Fair Play Certified Coach Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I have such a special guest for you. I got to hang out with Dr. Stephen Nowicki. He is a professor of psychology at Emory University, and he has served as the director of clinical training, head of the psychological center, and head of the counseling center. Dr. Nowicki remains in active clinical practice as a diplomat in psychology, and let me tell you, he is a gem. His latest book, Raising a Socially Successful Child, teaching kids the non -verbal language they need to communicate, connect, and thrive, is so good, and we had such a rich discussion. Honestly, the only thing I wish I had was more time. I could have talked to him for so long, and he's one of those humans that makes you feel when you're with him like you're the only thing that matters in that moment, that he's so present. It was really cool to see him kind of put this into practice, the social skills here into practice that he's teaching us about. I had some hesitation going into this and brought up some things that just from the title of the book had stood out to me that I was nervous about, and he so beautifully engaged in conversation with me and delicately and mindfully, and I'm really excited to get this episode in your earbuds. If this podcast has been helpful for you, can you take a moment please to rate and review it? It makes this podcast accessible to even more humans who are looking for free support in raising emotionally intelligent kids. We don't have to do this alone and every time you rate or review or update your review or rating, it helps more folks find us. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful for you. All right, let's dive in.  Connect with Dr. Nowicki: Website: https://www.stephennowicki.com/ Order the book: Raising a Socially Successful Child: Teaching Kids the Nonverbal Language They Need to Communicate, Connect, and Thrive Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound If you think you might be struggling with postpartum depression, please reach out to your doctor or pediatrician for support. Resources are also available at Postpartum Support International, or text “HELP” to 800-944-4773. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Voices of Your Village, and today I got to hang out with Lisa Myers. She's the inventor and founding mama of Ceres Chill, a breast milk storage company that replaces the 1970s bulky cooler technology that had been holding people back for decades. She got down to work inventing a solution to solve the problem simply, elegantly, and affordably. She filed for a patent and began working with an amazing team of friends to make Ceres Chill available to any parent in search of a better way to achieve their breastfeeding goals while continuing to be a great professional success. Now, Lisa dedicates herself and her company to innovating and advocating for pumping parents. Y 'all, I have the Ceres Chill, am a lover of the Ceres Chill, which is what led me to Lisa and am so jazzed to get to share this conversation with you because it's a genuinely a product that I wish I had known about for Sage and use so much for Mila. If this podcast is serving you, if you're feeling supported by it, please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. It helps other folks find Voices of Your Village so they can have access to free support on their journey as well. Thank you so much. I love being in your village and having you here. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Lisa: Instagram: @cereschill  Website: https://www.cereschill.com/ Order the Chiller: Breastmilk Chiller Order the Milkstache: Milkstache 2.0 Pumping resources:  Pumping survival tips and the Pump Act How to talk to your employer about pumping at work Starting the conversation email draft Email Lisa your good/bad/horrific pumping stories! [email protected] Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village. And today I get to dive into punishment -free parenting with Jon Fogel. He's a parenting educator and soon -to -be author who operates under the moniker Whole Parent on social media where he has over 1 million followers across multiple platforms. As Whole Parent, Jon offers a unique perspective on parenting grounded in evidence -based research in areas of child development, adolescent psychology, and basic neuroscience, which synthesizes strategies from the worlds of cognitive behavioral therapy, general counseling, and even contemplative meditation to help parents manage problematic behaviors and grow deeper in their relationship with their children, their partner, and themselves. You'll hear me dance a little bit with Jon in this episode. I gave a little pushback on some things, and we had such a fun, lively conversation. At the end, Rachel and I got pretty deep into what punishment-free parenting looks like in our homes, and how we navigate what to do, instead of punishing, and how to repair when we mess up. There's also a BIG announcement that we drop right at the end- don't miss it! If this podcast is serving you, please take a minute to rate the podcast and leave a review. It helps other folks find us so that we can continue to provide free support in an ongoing fashion for folks all around the globe who want to raise emotionally intelligent humans. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Jon: Instagram: @wholeparent  Website: https://www.wholeparentacademy.com/ Podcast: Whole Parent Podcast Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Voices of Your Village and I got to hang out and chat about play. Ya'll, play is wildly important and underrated and we get to dive into why it's so important, what it does and also frankly, how it can make your life so much easier as a parent, as a teacher, as a caregiver. It's your classic win -win. I got to hang out with Dr. Jacqueline Harding. She is an international child development and education expert. She's recognized for her work advising government, practitioners, and parents. Dr. Harding is an honorary visiting research fellow at Middlesex University. Her qualifications include a PhD in child development, master's in education, and advanced studies in neurophysiology. She also represented the UK in developing essential digital criteria and establishing best practice for broadcasters, parents, and teachers across Europe. Her latest book is called The Brain That Loves to Play. It was so fun to get to hang out with her, to get to chat about play, and at the end of the episode, Rachel and I break it down and talk about the practical aspects of bringing this into our day to day parenting. Alright folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Dr. Jacqueline Harding: Website: https://www.drjacquelineharding.com/ LinkedIn: Dr. Jaqueline Harding- Vallance  Instagram: DrJacqueline.harding Order the book: The Brain that Loves to Play: A Visual Guide to Child Development, Play, and Brain Growth  Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Voices of Your Village! I got to hang out with Kelley Coleman. She is the author of Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child. Kelley is a feature film development executive turned author and a passionate advocate for parents and caregivers and individuals with disabilities. She is the parent of two amazing boys, one of whom has multiple disabilities, and her book, Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child draws upon over a decade of advocacy with candor, humor, and relatability earned in her prior career of writing and developing talking animal movies. She was recently named best mom ever by her two discerning children and received a congratulatory mug. I had a blast hanging out and chatting with Kelley. There are a lot of nuances in the conversation and think that this is really key for all humans. Whether you are parenting a disabled child or not, there's so much learning for us all to do as a community about systems and support and the worth of every human on the planet. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Kelley: Instagram: @hellokelleycoleman Website: https://www.kelleycoleman.com/ Order the book: Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child: Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports  Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Voices of Your Village, and in this episode, I got to hang out with our very own Rachel Lounder to chat about transitioning from one to two kids. We chatted about our own personal journeys and different things we hear from the outside world about, oh, what second kids are supposed to be like and all that jazz. We talked about triggers, things that worked for us, things that didn't, and we had very different experiences. My second born has similar sensory systems to her first born, and then vice versa for her second born has similar sensory systems to my first born. And so we got to chat about what that looked like and how it showed up and how it affected our transitions from one to two. I would love to hear your stories and what your transitions have looked like, or what you're thinking about, maybe you're pregnant or in the process of transitioning from one to two kids or adding a child to your family. What are you nervous about? What are you excited about? What questions do you have? Come on over to Instagram and let's chat. We have a post that'll go up for this episode and I wanna continue the conversation there. So come on over to @seed.and.sew and let's chat. If you are finding value in this podcast, if it's helping you on your journey, please take a minute to rate and leave a review. I love reading the reviews. I love hearing like what resonates with you and how this is hitting home for you. And it's huge for the podcast world. It helps other folks find our podcast so that we can continue to serve more and more humans who would like to raise emotionally intelligent kids. And, there's an exciting announcement at the end of the episode- don't miss it! All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I get to share one of the funniest humans on the internet with you, Taylor Wolfe. You might know her as The Daily Tay. We got to dive into what it looks like to learn how to be a mom while grieving a huge loss. Taylor shares so vulnerably and openly about losing her dog Harlow, who she was so connected to and attuned to and attached to, at the same time that she was entering into motherhood. And we got to look at what does it look like to incorporate grief as a part of our life and in all of these different moments and experiences. Taylor brings so much humor to her work all the time and is one of my favorite humans to follow on the internet. So if you're not already following, head on over to The Daily Tay and snag her book, Birdie and Harlow. All right, folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Taylor: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheDailyTay/ Order the book: Birdie & Harlow: Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (…Until I Did) Connect with us: Instagram: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions (@seed.and.sew) Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Music by: Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices