Personal Story: Black Maternal Mental Health Week Guest Kay Matthews

Tracy Litt is a Mother, Rapid Transformational Therapist, Certified Mindset Coach and Founder of The Litt Factor. Kristen fell in love with Tracy and tracked her down after reading her book "Worthy Human", only to become more deeply obsessed with her after this conversation. Kristen and Tracy discuss self-worth and how our belief of our own deserving and wholeness is at the root of all of our problems. Tracy chronicles step by step how to take your power back, meaning/meaninglessness & the mind, the art of change, reprogramming your nervous system and how to take radical personal responsibility in motherhood and beyond. They discuss guilt, fear, how women have been duped by society and Tracy's piece on "expander parenting" (via Forbes linked below) which empowers mothers to embody the truest, strongest and most fulfilled version of themselves. Tracy's passion for personal development infuses everything she does and her positive energy is powerful and contagious - Enjoy! Tracy Litt Links: The Litt Factor TEDxtalk on Fear Forbes Article, Expander Parenting

Chelsea Bodie is one half of the wildly popular @MamaPsychologists. She and her best friend Caitlin started sharing resources with moms after they each experienced their own struggles in early motherhood. The two registered psychologists now work to help mothers everywhere transform from "exhausted and angry to calm and empowered" by sharing their wisdom and encouragement with nearly half a million fellow moms on social media. Kristen and Chelsea discuss the most common issues moms are facing today and how to combat them. They dive deep into burnout, anxiety, anger, rage, values, boundaries and practical ways to care for your mental health while you're caring for littles. Chelsea's expertise and calm demeanor assures us that all of our emotions are valid, there are many ways to be a good mom and none of us is alone. You can find more information on The Mama Psychologists and purchase their book Not Your Mother’s Postpartum Book: Normalizing Post-Baby Mental Health Struggles, Navigating #MOMLife, and Finding Strength Amid the Chaos here: https://www.mamapsychologists.ca/

This episode of Mom School, originally recorded in 2021, is dedicated to Black Maternal Mental Health Week featuring guest Kay Matthews. Kay delivered her daughter stillborn in 2013 after being rushed to the hospital at 9 months pregnant. She was given no answers and no resources to cope with her trauma post delivery. She candidly shares her personal birth story with the hope of continuing to break down cultural barriers in maternal mental health. Kay has spent the years since advocating for women through The Shades of Blue Project. Learn more at: https://blackmamasmatter.org/2023-black-maternal-health-week/

Parenting is both the most rewarding and difficult work we will ever do. Myla Leinweber, M. Ed, B. Ed, PCI Certified Parent Coach, Founder of The Joyful Parenting Collective and mother of two is passionately dedicated to teaching parents how to extract more joy from our experience. From gentling our expectations, living in the "both/and" space, concepts and frameworks like 'needs boxes' and 'marble jars' for emotional & nervous system regulation to the exact move to take when all hell is breaking loose. Kristen and Myla discuss the beauty and importance of co-regulation, 'spicy kids' and how to call on the 'best parenting part of yourself' during those really hard moments. Myla candidly shares the one mistake she made during a melt-down, the detriment to being a 'perfect parent' and the benefits to not getting it right all the time. Myla is a treasure trove of information delivered in the most non-judgmental, comforting way. Her tone and approach give parents more hope, more peace and fittingly, more joy. You can connect with her at the links below and be sure to rate and subscribe to Mom School wherever you get your podcasts! Myla Leinweber Website Myla Leinweber Instagram

Rachel Pally: Fashion Designer and Mother. If you've ever dreamt of starting your own fashion label, Mom School's chat with Rachel Pally is a must listen. Right out of college Rachel founded her namesake brand @rachelpally and soon found her designs splashed all over the 'Best Dressed' lists of the most noted style magazines. While managing her skyrocketing business she and her husband also welcomed their two sons Tao and Luca. Our chat is a candid exploration of new motherhood as a passionate designer and entrepreneur - we talk in depth about her entrepreneur journey, balancing new motherhood, guilt, privilege, emotional labor and needing more than what's under your roof to fulfill you as a woman. Rachel is honest, blunt, fiercely ambitious and unapologetically herself. Thank you @rachelpally - Listen with link in bio: Rachel Pally Collection SHOP: Ethical & Feminine. Made in LA, (recorded in late 2020.)

'The Medicated Mommy' aka Jen Schwartz is the CEO and Founder of Motherhood Understood, a community organization dedicated to shining light on the darkest areas of motherhood and providing women with the education and support needed to heal from Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs). In this episode, Jen shares her first hand account of crippling PPD and the steps she took to become whole again. If you are a PMAD sufferer, survivor or expecting and looking to put guardrails in place to protect your mental health postpartum, her story is one of hope, strength and the remarkable good that can come on the other side of depression. Motherhood Understood:  https://www.motherhood-understood.com Maternal Mental Health Minutes:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RhSxNGKnJmQ-VtHcfK7Lg?view_as=subscriber Become a Patreon of Motherhood Understood:  https://www.patreon.com/motherhoodunderstood The Motherhood Understood Postpartum Planning Guide:  https://www.motherhood-understood.com/postpartum-planning/p/the-motherhood-understood-postpartum-planning-guide Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodunderstood/   Jen Schwartz Bio: Jen Schwartz, also known as “the medicated mommy,” is the founder and CEO of Motherhood Understood, a platform, community, and story-sharing hub for women affected by pregnancy and postpartum mental health issues that she created after surviving postpartum depression and anxiety with the birth of her son, and realizing just how many mothers suffer in silence like she did. She built Motherhood Understood to provide women and their families with education, resources, connection, and support so that no mother has to experience a mental health illness in isolation and all mothers get the help they need to feel well and thrive in motherhood. Jen is a professional speaker, writer, moderator, consultant, spokesperson, and thought-leader committed to shining the light on the darkest of places, where maternal mental health taboos have been hiding out, trying to make mothers believe they are not enough and all alone. In addition to running Motherhood Understood, a highly-engaged community of over 85,000 women, Jen recently launched Maternal Mental Health in Minutes, an educational video library breaking down pregnancy and postpartum mental health illnesses and their treatments, and her work and expert commentary can be found all over the mommy blogosphere and on popular websites such as Forbes, Healthline, The Mighty, Romper, Motherly, The Bump, Happiest Baby, and more.

Only rarely do you find a woman who is so open and honest about their struggles in an effort to make it easier for the next woman. Jana and her husband Mike have been through their fair share of ups and downs, and unlike those of us who want to suffocate their husband with a pillow while they sleep but then post a gushy lovey #husbandgoals! Instagram the next morning - Jana and Mike keep it real. I read Jana and Mike’s book The Good Fight and felt like I had been on a cleansing couple’s therapy retreat. In one of the first pages Jana mentions that when she first met Mike she wondered what in the world they would ever fight about - they were so in love and life was perfect. As any of us in a marriage or any partnership know - there is a honeymoon phase and then reality sets in. Life happens. Shit goes down and stress levels go up. To maintain a marriage you have to work at it every single day. There are good days and there are bad days. There are days when every little thing makes you want to slap the person upside the head and there are days where you’re overflowing with gratitude that God led you to this person. Jana says people are so quick to “eject” from a relationship these days, but unless you own your part in the trouble, then your next relationship will be the same story - just with a different cast of characters. This isn’t to say if you split ✂️ it’s wrong or you’ve failed - not at all - I think there are many cases where leaving is the move - I also think we live in a grass is greener / shiny object chasing society and taking a good look in the mirror and a healthy dose of empathy can do any couple good. We all read tabloids and think and judge and create ill informed-opinions, and that sucks for people in the spotlight (who are human beings... with feelings...FYI) but for the record - it is admirable and refreshing that after everything this couple has suffered through, they are CHOOSING to day in and day out work on themselves, learn about their partner, better their relationship and fighting The Good Fight.

Meredith Masony is the founder of the wildly popular mommy blog "That's Inappropriate". The Mom of 3 is an unfiltered, ridiculously hilarious YouTube/social media star who just released a new book, "Ask Me What's for Dinner One More Time." I NEVER read comedy books - I am strictly a self-help, murder-mystery person, but I flew through this book so fast. Meredith had me in stitches laughing (and then I cried towards the end and woke my son up from his nap just to hug him - so, clearly this book is powerful). During our chat we talk about mommy martyrdom, pandemic parenting, the cancer scare that changed her perspective on just about everything, marriage and not caring what anyone thinks about how you do you. Check Meredith out on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and go get her book, hide from your kids, pour a glass of whatever you want and laugh your ass off.

Liz Vaccariello is the current Editor in Chief of Real Simple and former EiC of Parents Magazine. I met Liz while shooting an episode of People Magazine's show People Now and quickly realized this woman was a force to be reckoned with. During our episode she shares how she climbed the ranks in her career eventually landing in the top seat all while raising identical twin girls. She opens up about her struggles, the trade-offs and the mindset/mental shifts she needed to make in order to succeed. Liz's stance on government mandated childcare and her prophecy for working families post-pandemic is a must-listen. Liz is grounded, honest and unapologetic about her journey. She is the mentor mama we all need as she is living proof that a woman can be an incredible mother and wife while being a badass career woman.

Molly Sims is a supermodel, actress, wife and mother to 3. During this episode of Mom School she chronicles her unconventional route to motherhood: IVF, egg freezing, thyroid cancer scare, severe postpartum anxiety, struggles breastfeeding and the recent loss of her beloved mother. Molly is candid, open, honest, real and says the things many of us think but are hesitant to share. Molly is relaunching her website https://www.mollysims.com/ and has a new show and podcast releasing soon. She is also our very favorite Instagram follow @ https://www.instagram.com/mollybsims/