Sam Kelly on The Mental Load of Motherhood + Breaking Family Cycles

Sam Kelly shares how to stop carrying the entire mental load of motherhood by teaching your children to notice and do.Sam Kelly, creator and author of Notice and Do, joins Renee to dismantle the cycle of unequal domestic labor. They discuss the frustration of acting as the family's default manager and why waiting for a partner to notice needs is not a sustainable long-term solution. Instead of continuing to carry the invisible workload, Sam outlines a practical framework for empowering children to own their household responsibilities. From noticing garbage on the floor to managing laundry cycles, Sam explains how even young toddlers can learn to see what needs to be done. They discuss why this is a direct path to raising empathetic, capable children and how to initiate these shifts when you are already feeling burned out and overwhelmed.Pre-order Sam's new book Notice and Do wherever you buy your books and follow her at @samkelly_world.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3's, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Cozy Earth: Head to https://cozyearth.com and use my code MOMROOM for an exclusive 20% off home and sleepwear.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Oak Essentials: Use code MOMROOM at oakessentials.com to get 15% OFF your first purchase!Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims Undergarments: Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at http://www.skims.com/momroom #skimspartnerWayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.Zenni: Go to zenni.com/PODCAST and use code PODCAST15 for 15% OFF your first order, plus free shipping on all US orders over $65.RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listener Favourite Replay: Mom Rage, Parenting Guilt, and RepairHave you ever completely lost your patience with your kids, reacted in a way you immediately regretted, and then spent the rest of the day feeling like the worst mom in the world?You're definitely not alone.In this listener favourite episode of The Mom Room, Renee revisits one of the most relatable and least talked about experiences in motherhood: mom rage.Inspired by the book Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood by Minna Dubin, Renee breaks down the five phases of the mom rage cycle, from the slow buildup of frustration and overwhelm to the emotional explosion, the shame that follows, and the importance of repairing with our children.She also shares a very personal experience involving a bedtime battle with Milo that left her feeling overwhelmed, angry, and incredibly guilty the following morning.Why do moms sometimes feel an anger they've never experienced before having children? Why can we handle the exact same parenting situation calmly one day and completely lose it the next? And why are we so quick to focus on the moments we lose our patience while forgetting the hundreds of times we managed to keep it together?This episode is an honest conversation about the mental load of motherhood, emotional regulation, parenting triggers, maternal anger, mom guilt, and why repairing with our children matters so much.Because being a good mom doesn't mean never getting angry. It means recognizing our emotions, taking responsibility for our reactions, and continuing to learn and grow.If you've ever lost your temper with your kids and felt terrible afterward, this episode is for you.Listen, share it with a mom who needs to hear it, and remember that these are conversations worth having.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Craig Conover, Southern Charm star and now children’s book author, joins The Mom Room this week to talk about his new book Patch Work! Craig was bullied pretty horribly as a kid, and his book follows little Craig, who just wants to sew for the school talent show.Renee and Craig discuss why so many kids carry bullying alone instead of telling their parents, how to be the safe space your child actually opens up to, and what to teach the kids who see bullying happen and aren’t sure what to do. Craig also shares how being bullied shaped him as an adult, from feeling misunderstood to dealing with online hate as a reality TV star, and why he believes happy people don’t write mean things on the internet.Grab a copy of Patch Work: Bee Brave. Bee Kind. Bee You. https://a.co/d/08C3sGYL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3's, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Cozy Earth: Head to https://cozyearth.com and use my code MOMROOM for an exclusive 20% off home and sleepwear.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Oak Essentials: Use code MOMROOM at oakessentials.com to get 15% OFF your first purchase!Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims Undergarments: Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at http://www.skims.com/momroom #skimspartnerWayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.Zenni: Go to zenni.com/PODCAST and use code PODCAST15 for 15% OFF your first order, plus free shipping on all US orders over $65.RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

October 8th, 2026: Why are we measuring a good family vacation by how many nights we get for our money? And why did nobody warn us about the itchy ears?!In this solo episode of The Mom Room, Renee shares the symptoms she’s been experiencing that she associates with perimenopause, from dry eyes and itchy ears to ringing ears, night sweats, and increasingly sensitive skin. She also chats about her struggles with dermatitis around her mouth, the skincare product she’s been loving, and why switching up her shampoo has left her regretting her choices.Then, Renee gets into an epiphany that’s changing how she thinks about family travel. When a short trip to New York costs as much as several nights at an all-inclusive, it’s easy to choose the longer vacation. But are more nights away always more valuable than a new experience your family is genuinely excited about?From wanting to take Milo to see Aladdin on Broadway to planning a tennis-filled trip to Palm Springs, Renee talks about choosing vacations around your family’s interests, making meaningful memories, and looking beyond the usual “more bang for your buck” calculation. Plus, the desert discovery that quickly made her rethink an Airbnb.A candid conversation about perimenopause, life at 41, and figuring out what we actually want from our time away.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

October 6th, 2026: A missing service dog, an emotional roller coaster, and an unexpected lesson in speaking up and doing the right thing... this solo episode of The Mom Room covers a LOT.Renee shares what happened when her sister’s service dog, Van, went missing in North Bay, Ontario, and how she helped from hours away. From targeted Instagram ads and local news outreach to missing dog posters and community groups, she breaks down the ways she rallied support, and why the tears really started AFTER Van was found safe.Then, a scary encounter with a reckless driver while Milo was in the car leads to a call to the police and a conversation about doing the right thing. How do we teach our kids to speak up when someone is putting others in danger or being bullied? Sometimes, those parenting conversations happen when we least expect them.Plus: Renee reveals her Disney Halloween costume, reminisces about her favourite sitcoms, and gets distracted by Backstreet Boys tickets. Just a regular day in The Mom Room.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

October 1st, 2026: TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussion of alleged rape and sexual assault, drugging, consent, pornography, and sexual violence. This episode is not appropriate for children and may be difficult or triggering for some listeners.In this solo episode of The Mom Room, Renee is talking about the story commonly being referred to online as the “Cornell 7” allegations involving a female Cornell student and multiple male students and why she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it.But this episode isn’t just about what allegedly happened at Cornell. It’s about the much bigger question the story has raised for Renee as the mom of an eight-year-old boy: How do we raise boys who grow into men who would never participate in something like this, or stand by while it happens?After recently reading Raising Conscious Sons by Dr. Shefali, Renee has been thinking a lot about the conversations parents have with boys, and, maybe more importantly, the ones we avoid because they make us uncomfortable.Consent. Sex. Pornography. Masturbation. Respect. Sexual urges. How you treat girls and women. What you do when your friends are doing something wrong. And why leaving boys to figure all of this out on their own is not good enough.Renee talks about her anger over the allegations and institutional response, the questions the story has raised for her as a parent, and why she believes parents of young boys need to start having uncomfortable conversations long before their sons become teenagers or young men.There are no easy answers in this episode. It’s an emotional, unfiltered conversation from a mom trying to figure out what we can do differently, because simply hoping we’re raising “good boys” isn’t enough.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3’s, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/MOMROOM and using code MOMROOM at checkout.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Merit Beauty: Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag FREE with your first order at meritbeauty.com.Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims: Shop SKIMS Cotton, and all of my favorite pieces, at https://skims.com/momroom.Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.  RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bloating after you eat is common, but it isn't normal, and your gut health is tied to far more than digestion.Tina Anderson, co-founder of Just Thrive, mom of three and brand new grandmother, joins The Mom Room to share how she went from litigation to the pharmaceutical world to building a probiotic company focused on root causes instead of symptoms.Renee and Tina get into what spore-based probiotics are and how they differ from what's on the grocery store shelf, why Tina says not to get caught up in CFU numbers, and how stress, antibiotics and ultra-processed foods affect the gut. They also cover gut health on a GLP-1, the new Just Thrive Digestive Bitters, the gut and perimenopause connection, and Renee's very relatable September stress spiral.This episode is in partnership with Just Thrive. Start a 90-day Just Thrive probiotic subscription and get a free 90-day supply of their new Digestive Bitters (a $90 value). Claim it at justthrivehealth.com/momroom. Every order is backed by Just Thrive's 100% money-back guarantee.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3’s, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/MOMROOM and using code MOMROOM at checkout.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Merit Beauty: Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag FREE with your first order at meritbeauty.com.Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims: Shop SKIMS Cotton, and all of my favorite pieces, at https://skims.com/momroom.Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.  RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

September 24, 2026: The way we raise kids today may be making it harder for them to thrive, especially boys. Renee shares the parenting shifts that are changing how she sees screens, physical activity, and what it really means to help a child grow into a confident, capable young person. Inspired by Dr. Shefali’s new book, Raising Conscious Sons, Renee breaks down the ideas that hit hardest as a boy mom and why this book feels especially urgent now that her son is getting older. Why boys may need far more movement than modern schedules allow.How screens don’t just take up time, they replace boredom, creativity, and independence.Why letting kids feel useful and needed matters more than doing everything for them.The difference between structured activities and the kind of free play many kids are missing.Simple ways to replace screen time with real connection, responsibility, and physical play.If you’re a parent, especially of a boy, or you’ve ever wondered whether modern childhood is giving kids what they truly need, this episode will leave you thinking differently about everything from after-school routines to the role of boredom.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mental health is health, and sometimes our kids need support that we simply cannot provide on our own. Which is why The Mom Room is partnering with Family of Support: Child & Youth Mental Health Initiative, led by the Empire Family of Brands, The Sobey Foundation and Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations.Renee is joined by Jenna Kedy, a 22 year old National Patient Youth Ambassador who has navigated anxiety, arthritis, depression and an eating disorder, and by Renée Hopfner, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Empire. Jenna shares her experience with mental health, including the signs adults missed, the "bad kid" label that gets stuck on struggling kids, and why health class taught her about the wrong illnesses. Renée explains why families wait so long, and why early intervention is so important. We hope this conversation gives you some information, some perspective, and most importantly, some hope."You can be so close to your child and still not know." - Jenna Kedy on youth mental health.HOW TO SUPPORT The Family of Support in store giving campaign runs September 17 to October 4 in English Canada, and September 17 to October 7 in Quebec. You can contribute at your local Sobeys, FreshCo, Safeway, Thrifty Foods or Foodland, or donate any time at FamilyofSupport.com. 100% of every donation stays local and supports your local children's hospital.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3’s, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/MOMROOM and using code MOMROOM at checkout.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Merit Beauty: Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag FREE with your first order at meritbeauty.com.Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims: Shop SKIMS Cotton, and all of my favorite pieces, at https://skims.com/momroom.Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.  RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

September 17th, 2026: Has motherhood become performative?In Part 2 of this conversation, Renee continues exploring how social media has changed motherhood, and the way we actually experience our lives as moms.Are we enjoying the moment, or are we thinking about how the moment will look in a photo? Are we creating memories for our kids, or unconsciously thinking about how those memories will translate to social media?Renee talks about how motherhood has increasingly become performative, how documenting everything can pull us out of actually experiencing it, and why social media can leave moms feeling like their lives, homes, routines, and parenting are never quite enough.She also dives into the constant stream of parenting clickbait: the videos and posts that introduce us to problems we didn't even know we were supposed to worry about. Suddenly we're questioning the way our kids sleep, eat, play, learn, behave, socialize, and develop, and researching decisions we may never have thought twice about before.With unlimited parenting advice at our fingertips, are we becoming more informed… or are we becoming disconnected from our own parenting instincts?Ultimately, social media is supposed to be the thing we turn to when we want a break from the overwhelm of motherhood. But what happens when our escape becomes one of the biggest sources of our overwhelm?This episode is a conversation about social media and motherhood, performative parenting, mom guilt, parenting anxiety, comparison, mental load, parenting instincts, clickbait, perfectionism, being present with our kids, and why modern motherhood can feel so overwhelming.SPONSORS:AquaOmega: For your daily dose of Omega-3’s, go to myaquaomega.com/MOMROOM and use code MOMROOM for 20% off.Fatty15: Get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/MOMROOM and using code MOMROOM at checkout.Freestyle: Get 30% off your first 3 months of a Freestyle diaper subscription at freestyle.world/MOMROOM with code MOMROOM. That's a full month of premium diapers delivered to your door for just $49/month for your first 3 months.HIYA: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/MOMROOM.Merit Beauty: Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag FREE with your first order at meritbeauty.com.Quince: Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/MOMROOM. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.Skims: Shop SKIMS Cotton, and all of my favorite pieces, at https://skims.com/momroom.Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things home.  RENEE REINA  Instagram: @themomroom | @thereneereina  TikTok: @thereneereina  Facebook Community - The Mom Room Community Youtube: Renee Reina - The Mom Room Podcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.