The Mental Toll of Hockey with Maggie Kestner

Natalie Miller, wife of JT Miller who plays for the Vancouver Canucks, joins me on Breaking the Ice Podcast today. If there's one episode that will make you laugh, this one is it.   In this episode we talk about: Long Distance, Call Ups + Send Downs Being A Mom Away from Home + Postpartum  Losing a Parent During the Hockey Season and Signs She Has Received from Her Mom Since She's Passed How Getting Traded + Leaving the House She Built and Designed Led Her to Find Her Passion Tips on How to Follow Your Dreams + Start a Career (while also supporting your significant other) How to Have A More Inclusive Hockey Season What a NHL Wives Fund Is How to Get More Involved in the Community    Follow Breaking the Ice on IG  Get $15 off Your Zoe Stroller!  Use the code ICE10 for 10% off your Aircot!  Follow Natalie on Instagram Hire Natalie for Interior Design (for 2025 ;)) 

Sarah Bross, wife of Zack Bross, who finished his last season in the Del3, joins me on Breaking the Ice Today! In this episode, we chat about:  Long Distance in college and what she would go back and tell her younger self What made them take the leap to Europe The importance of getting things in writing + doing your due diligence Culture Shock Recognizing the positives of this lifestyle while you're in it Instagram v. Reality and the biggest misconceptions  Tips for traveling in Europe on a budget and her favorite place she's ever traveled in Europe What she doesn't recommend bringing to Europe and how she packed lightly for the season Follow me on Instagram Get $15 off your Zoe Stroller  Follow Sarah on Instagram   

Emmeli Rakell, wife of Rickard Rakell, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, joins me this week on Breaking the Ice! Emmeli and her husband are Swedish and have spent a portion of their lives living in the US, while Rickard plays in the NHL.   In this episode we talk about:   What it was like for Emmeli moving to the US, while hardly speaking English   How isolating it can be to not have other people around who speak the same language as you   What it has been like for her experiencing a new culture + new friends   How she has changed her mindset in regards to this lifestyle   Having a baby in the USA, as a Swede, and how things changed for her once she had kids in this lifestyle    Driving differences between USA + Europe and other hilarious culture differences between Europeans and Americans and so much more!   Follow the podcast on Instagram!  Follow Emmeli on Instagram! Be a guest on Breaking the Ice Get $15 off your Zoe Stroller!  Get 15% off your Nemah Order!

Haley Palve, wife of Oula Palve, who plays hockey in Tampere Finland, joins me on BTI and shares her personal journey with infertility and IVF with me. Throughout this episode, we dive into: What it was like experiencing infertility + how it affected her mental health What led her to choose the IVF route and the steps that she took to get there What she wishes she knew about IVF before she started the process Advice on how to support someone through IVF and what NOT to say to someone experiencing infertility Finding success with IVF + how she told her partner (via long distance!) Her pregnancy + how the healthcare has been in Finland!   Follow the podcast on Instagram!  Be a guest on Breaking the Ice Get $15 off your Zoe Stroller!  Haley's First Episode on BTI Follow Haley on IG   Other BTI episodes on IVF: Her Journey with IVF with Sandra Szczechura Our Fertility Journey: Miscarriages, IVF and Surrogacy with Terra O'Reilly Never Give Up, a journey to motherhood with Jamie Machacek   Helpful Podcasts + Accounts to Follow! Podcast: The Egg Whisperer Show Accounts: @the.fertilitydietitian @infertilityschool  

Join me in this episode of real, authentic conversation with Laura Caggiula, wife of Drake Caggiula, who plays in the AHL for the Bakersfield Condors. If you're a mom or just curious about the challenges of motherhood in the hockey lifestyle with two children under two, this episode is just for you! Laura and I share our experiences of raising two children under two in an open and honest dialogue. Here are some highlights from our conversation The realities of motherhood and how to balance responsibilities Strategies for managing stress and self-care Our experiences with raising children in a fast-paced lifestyle The importance of community support and building a network  Nervous System Dysregulation Latching onto Schedules because it's the one thing we have control over Resentment  Hockey culture + how it shifts after having kids Game Day Routines with Two Under Two    Follow me on Instagram!  Be a Guest on BTI!  Support my Online Children's Shop! Shop my MUST HAVE baby items! Follow Laura on Instagram

Megan McIlvane, wife of Matt McIlvane, who is the head coach for the San Diego Gulls, joins me on the pod today for a much anticipated coach's wife episode!   In this episode we talk about SO much but to name a few:  Leaving her passion and career to move to Europe with her now husband Her take on whether coach's wives and player's wives should be friends The time commitment of a coach's wife A positive perspective on schedule of a hockey player The grey area of what the code is for including coach's wives How she would handle an iffy situation if one came about AND BEYOND MORE! This conversation was so much fun to have and I hope you all enjoy!   Megan sits on the board of directors for a non-profit called Megan's Mission, named after an unbelievable girl who fought childhood cancer fearlessly. They are 100% volunteer based and have raised over 2 million for more up to date treatments and cures for childhood cancers. The hockey community is so great and any support would be greatly appreciated! Click here! www.instagram.com/megansmission

Dana Oleksuk, wife of Travis Oleksuk, who finished last season in Rosenheim in the Del3, joins me on the podcast for the third time! Our husbands played together in Austria for two hockey seasons and in this episode we caught up and updated each other on our lives. In this episode we talk about:  Not having a contract this late in the year and what that looks like for each of us The possibility of retirement and how we each feel about it The day to day challenges of this position (living with family, lack of stability or not being able to plan anything) How we each would get our stuff back from overseas if we didn't go over Mental energy and how it takes so much out of you to have these same conversations every year with your significant other Regardless of whether you have a contract or not, you will definitely be able to relate to this episode and I hope it brings some light into your week that you are not alone!   EPISODES WILL BE OUT TWICE A MONTH! Follow my page on Instagram! Shop my kids boutique and get 15% off with the code ice Private FB Group for Coach's Wives/Staff Here   Follow Dana on Instagram! Use the code ICE15 for 15% off their first month or if you sign up for the 6-month/annual subscription payment you can get 15% off the whole plan!   Dana's Website:   www.dofitnessco.com www.dofitnessco.com/membership     

Hi guys! I hope you all are having a nice summer at home. As always, I wanted to be open with you about some of the things that I have been struggling with postpartum this time around. I am so grateful that I have this safe space to share about my life and hope that I can help someone with this episode.   How I was diagnosed with Postpartum OCD + Anxiety I talk about some of my triggers and how I have experienced "impending doom" and ruminating thoughts How my hypochondria has sky rocketed this time around and how I am overcoming it How I found a therapist that I LOVE How you're not crazy, it's the hormones   Some things that have helped me: This podcast + this Instagram account has thoroughly helped me with this journey https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-hard-things/id1526993843   This episode specifically: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-hard-things/id1526993843?i=1000577362483 

Carli Husson is a spirit baby medium and energy healer that I had a session with a couple months before I conceived my daughter. I loved our session so much that I knew I HAD to have her on the podcast so here we are!   In this episode we chat about: What a spirit baby is How she started with this work and how her spiritual journey began  How she prepares for a reading  Signs from our spirit babies  Gender disappointment and how we should normalize it How everything is energy  How you can start the journey of connecting with your spirit baby  A mini spirit baby reading on me where Carli connects and tells me the gender of my last baby in the future!   Follow Carli on Instagram @matrescent.mama   Full list of offerings & to book a session: https://www.matrescentmama.com/offerings   More on SIGN, a 5-week Spirit Baby Group Immersion: https://www.matrescentmama.com/sign  

Cheers to ONE HUNDRED Episodes of Breaking the Ice! It has been my absolute honor to be the host of this podcast and communicate with the amazing women in this community daily. In this episode I talk about:   100th episode + how there has been EIGHTY THOUSAND downloads since I started! Winning the championship + what the experience was like witnessing it in person How the starts aligned on the day of Game Six  Bridging the gap between coaches SO's + players SO's and how it leads to one word: Communication (and preferably at the beginning of the season!) Inclusion on Teams + Why this makes such a difference in your overall well being during the season + more! Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE + REVIEW if you LOVE Breaking the Ice! It's the best way to show your support for my show!