Understanding infertility and processing grief with Jessi Wallace

Today is the NEW EPISODE launch of the first of the series UNEXPECTED. The UNEXPECTED Series is all about highlighting the hard stories... And giving moms a chance to talk thru their journey and what it's meant on the other side. Today we hear from Molly. Molly is a mom of three and after unexpectedly losing her Dad, she entered some hard seasons which ultimately led to difficult chapters of emotional and verbal abuse, making hard choices for her kids, financial hardship and ultimately leading to single mom life. I hope you'll listen to Molly's story and be encouraged that the hard choice may still be the right one. #momlife #podcastsformamas #minivanlife #overcomingabuse #emotionallyabusivemen #relationshipabuse #singlemom #singlemomlife #hardstoriesofmotherhood #seasonsofhard #workingmomlife #overcominghard #minivanmom #momofthree

I don't know how you felt about your grandma, but I was really close with my grandmother on my Dad's side. I spent a week with her every summer, we wrote each other letters and she even came and stayed with my at my college apartment and went to the football game with me and a bunch of my sorority sisters. She was one of my favorite people, and I gave the eulogy at her funeral. Today I got to spend some time with Lori Gordon, a grandma who I recently connected with who wanted to take the opportunity to remind younger mamas about the things that matter and the lessons she learned. I loved our chat and I know you will too. Thanks for hanging with me these past few weeks as I've been pretty sick... I'm excited to be back and sharing more Memoirs from the MINIVAN with you!

I had the chance to recently be part of a zoom call with like some of the most incredible women I've had the pleasure of being mentored by. It was just so good!! We CAN chase dreams AND chase our sweet little ones. It blessed my pants off and I just wanted to share my big takeaways with you!!

Megan and her husband always wanted to adopt, but they didn't expect that to happen so quickly or be the option God allowed for their lives. But having planned to make this a part of their story, Megan shares about their incredible adoptions from Ethiopia and China and her two beautiful girls and all the blessings, challenges and surprises that this chapter brought into their lives. She also shares about her work with Noon Day as she works to support mamas in other countries use their skills and talents to provide for their family.

Kacey experienced horrible tragedy when she lost her dad early in her college career. During that time she felt alone and was angry at everyone, including God. In the midst of being from a small town where everyone knew everyone, grief ended up putting her at odds with her own mom and sister and was a source of darkness for a season as the three of them tried to figure out how to move on without her dad. But as they say, God never wastes a hurt. Kacey found herself in new chapters, experiencing waves of grief even now, but found her way to marrying her husband Wade, and then becoming a mama to her three kiddos. From her dark chapters came her love of people and her compassion towards those who feel lost in the dark. A fiery woman, an incredible friend, and the biggest heart for helping others, she and her husband now find themselves called to be missionaries in the Dominican Republic. I hope you'll join me on today's episode as we unpack Kacey's story to see the light of redemption in a powerful way.

Shontel is a southern mama to three sweet babies, but experienced 6 losses as she desperately tried to start and grow their family. Shontel spent a number of years as a child growing up on the mission field in Africa, which impacted her view of life and faith and just the privileges that we often take for granted. We talk about motherhood as a working mama in the home and how she felt very unprepared to run her home well. So she shares her helpful lessons about what keeps her sane navigating life with three littles, homeschooling and the keeping of all the things. I hope you'll join in on our chat today!

Kelly is a working mama in a beautifully blended family of five. She and her husband live in Illinois where she recently stepped out in faith and fear and started her own business. Kelly describes her journey in stages... 1.0 after the loss of her first husband, 2.0 in the next chapter and now to 3.0 where she's pursuing something different, more meaningful and on her terms in pursuit of helping others. She shares her vulnerable journey of life and learning in motherhood, career changes and pursuing something more.

My sweet friend Nikki shares her heart in this beautiful episode about hurt and healing... 2020 not only took her beloved business of hair styling away from her for two months, but her marriage of 12 years faded away from her and ultimately ended in divorce. She shares her journey thru counseling and grief and navigating her role as a mom in the midst of the pain her son was also dealing with. She shares the incredible guidance of scripture and the book that she says impacted her the most outside of the Bible, It's Not Supposed to be this Way by Lisa TerKeurst. At the end of the episode she reads from the book and it's so incredible, just make sure you have your tissues nearby. Full of hope and real with hurt, this episode truly is beautiful. I hope you'll grab a cup of tea or coffee and join us. ❤️

Jessi and her husband Glenn have endured so much as parents. Their journey, which brought them to parenthood, also took them thru a lot of grief and hardship that made it difficult to understand where God was in some of those painful moments. Having experienced multiple miscarriages and failed embryo adoption, Jessi candidly shares her story. We talk about grief, moving forward and how to offer support when you find yourself not knowing what to say to someone experiencing loss. I hope you'll join me in this brave conversation about hurt, hope and healing.

Candace has spent years in the child care and social work profession and now works at a large child care facility in Nashville Tennessee. Candace is a mom of three and wife to her sweetheart, Kevin. They've been married for thirteen years. Candace and I chat about the daycare search and what you would want to look for and be aware of as a parent. We also talk about her major take aways from the 2020 pandemic and what she learned. And we wrap up talking about raising daughters and how we can help them navigate the world around them. I hope you'll join us for this week's chat with Candace on the Memoirs from the MINIVAN podcast.