Lacey is a supermom. She won't tell you that, but she is. Knowing she wanted to be a mother, and realizing at 25 that she might not be on a traditional route to motherhood, Lacey decided to explore foster parenting. After completing the training, Lacey received a call at four in the morning that changed her life. She is now the mother of six girls …

Kaitlin is raising her son Oliver and navigating a co-parenting relationship with her ex-wife. Kaitlin admits that although after five years of marriage she thought that they both wanted to have a baby, however in hindsight feels as though her ex-wife wasn't fully prepared to make such a major life change. Now the two navigate a co-parenting relati…

Ingrid and her partner have one son and live in Canada. Ingrid admits that she never really thought she wanted to be a mother, but when the feeling hit she couldn't think of anything else. Their journey to parenthood is its own great story and makes the bonds of a family even more special. Giving birth in Canada, Ingrid says that through their publ…

Melissa and her husband have always had a love of the outdoors. As avid climbers, hikers, bikers, skiers, and campers, they are now raising a daughter to love these activities as much as they do. Even though Melissa admits they can't be as extreme as they were before children, they are giving their daughter every opportunity to cultivate her own lo…

Fern is the mother two boys, one of whom has autism. Fern admits that because her son didn't fit into a typical autism mold - he made eye contact, loved to cuddle - she didn't believe that he could be autistic. However, as months passed and doctors, friends, and family asked more questions, Fern had a long conversation with herself and realized tha…

Veronica is the mother of two sons and has been sober from alcohol and drugs for over 17 years. As a licensed therapist and recovery coach, Veronica has spent most of her adult life working with others to maintain their sobriety. Veronica has written two popular books on the subject - Why You Drink And How To Stop: Journey To Freedom and Get Sober …

Melissa and her husband have one son, Miles, and have decided that they are a one-child family. What makes her choice to have one child interesting is that Melissa is one of six sisters - born eight and a half years apart. Melissa and her sisters have always had a unique bond - and even though they live all over the country, they have stayed the be…

Katie and her husband are raising two children, and have spent their careers are professional classical working musicians. Meeting in college, they both knew that they would be moving and traveling as part of their work. Now that they are raising children, she feels fortunate to surround the kids with classical music and talented musicians but know…

Mia is an employee of her communities school system and the mother of a six-year-old daughter. Mia has spent her career working with schools and seeing what they can offer children - but when it was time to enroll her own daughter, she admits the process was daunting. Her daughter was academically ahead during preschool, and although she has a late…

Jan is the ultimate "Mother of Boys" - she raised six of them. With six boys spread ten years apart, she says life was as full of joy as it was rambunctious. Now a grandmother, she says she is proud of the men they have become and of the friendships and bond they share between them. She offers her advice for raising independent men and living in a …

Catherine and her husband are currently raising their one-year-old son Jack. Catherine is American and her husband is British, and the couple has lived on "both sides of the pond." After agreeing through most of their relationship that they did not want children, a pregnancy scare forced Catherine to rethink her decision. After a lot of thought and…

Leah is a mother of two boys living on a farm in West Virginia. She and her husband are "theater people" and have had to carve out professions piecing together jobs in their rural community. They spend their days hiking and being boys, but she has always been aware of the need to have her children understand and express their emotions. We talk abou…

Mark is the other half of the parenting/business/success team of our last guest, Kendall. When Kendall brought Mark the idea of moving back to his rural hometown, it took a minute to believe she was serious. He had a full-time job in the city, they had friends and social obligations, but he had always longed for his daughters to have a connection t…

Kendall is the mother of two girls, and is one of the bravest boss women I know. Before becoming a mother, Kendall decided that instead of working for a company, she wanted to start her own graphic design business. So she took business classes, got mentors, networked, and taught herself how to become an entrepreneur. Ten years later, she and her hu…

April and her husband have two children, ages 11 and 8, and they are a military family. April spends much of the year away from her husband while he is off with the special forces, and she navigates her way through parenting solo. Even though they talk nearly every day, the family still faces parenting challenges when he does come home, and they wo…

Alex is the mother of two children and a step-mother of three children. Alex and her husband met while serving their country in Iraq, and with both parents being in active military service the family is always thinking about what they will do if both parents are called up to duty. Alex came into the relationship knowing about her husband's children…

Amanda is a single mother to two pre-teen girls, and the journey through divorce and co-parenting have not been easy. During the separation and divorce, Amanda had to work through lawyers and even spoke only through email as the communication of last resort. Things have gotten easier for her, but only because of her willingness to put her children …

Alyse is a mother with a lot on her plate. With four children under the age of six, Alyse and her husband spent the first part of their marriage as a military family. She knew when her first child was six months old that something was not "normal" and spent five years working with a host of doctors and specialists to finally get a proper diagnosis.…

Aki is the mother of a twelve-year-old daughter and is also a life coach for parents. Aki got into this particular line of work after having her own daughter and quickly realizing that she didn't have all the answers. She works with parents to help them find confidence and connection so that they can enjoy their families. She admits, however, that …

James and his wife Stacy are the parents of one-year-old Ozzy, and are about ready to give birth to another child any day. James is true punk rock - eight-inch purple mohawk, ear stretchers, he has played in a band, and his career is working at a high-end guitar factory. We talk all about peoples perceptions of him - with and without his daughter -…

Staci and her husband have a beautiful rambunctious daughter and are preparing to welcome their second child in the next few weeks. When we recorded the interview, the couple hadn't told anyone but family that they were expecting their second child, and we talked about the craziness that is the second pregnancy. Staci and her husband decided when t…

Today's episode features our very first couple - Pat and Cristina! The couple are parenting two beautiful daughters, live on the West Coast, and try to foster a love of the outdoors in both girls. Pat is from the east coast and Cristina is from the west coast - and after living in coastal California and New York City, the two decided to settle on t…

Laura is the mother of one beautiful toddler and her story is not unlike many of ours. Laura and her husband were not even sure for many years that they wanted children, so when they decided to get pregnant they knew early on that they would only have one child. What they did not bargain for was a difficult labor and delivery that took many hours a…

Brandi is the mother of a beautiful toddler, Asher, and has always been very frank and open about her struggles with motherhood. After thinking that she did not want to breastfeed, Brandi decided during her pregnancy that she would try it and it all started perfectly. However, after her son developed a bout of colic, Brandi started to feel like a s…

Jen is a mother to six children and a Women's Happiness Expert. After earning a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies in 2003, spent time as a stay-at-home mom. However, after trying to be the perfect mother, wife, and bread baker, Jen took a good look at her life and decided she was going to work every day at being happy. So that's just wh…

Dana is the mother of two boys from a previous marriage and is now the step-mother to two more sons with her husband. Dana and her husband knew when they began their relationship that they needed to make sure everyone was comfortable as they progressed, and they understood that they needed to be on the same page about parenting before making it off…

Chaz is the mother of a very precocious four-year-old, and a labor and delivery nurse. She has witnessed so many of us become parents, and she says it is the greatest job in the world. As the mother of a child, she knows how hard the transition is from regular old human to parent, and she tells her new parents that this huge life change takes more …

Becky is the mother of two children. She is in the unique position of having a child with autism while also being a special education teacher. Becky talks about what it is like trying to understand her son's autism and being able to see both perspectives as a teacher and as a parent. We also talk about finding the right school to help him learn, an…

Bobbie is the mother of two children. Bobbie was raised in a rural area, and the prevailing thought in her family was that women should marry and not continue an education. However, her mother always wanted Bobbie to further her education and be able to provide for herself; something her mother was not allowed to do. Bobbie was able to complete her…

Megan is the mother of four children, including twins. Megan is also a widow. Her husband Dennis died in 2014. Megan has been navigating her way through her pain by taking strength from her children, going to therapy, and a strong support system. We talk about what her early days were like, how she has moved forward raising her children, and what b…

Elizabeth is raising three children in the mountains of West Virginia, and doing it while piecing together a career in the arts. As a voice instructor with a masters degree from the Boston Conservatory, she knew moving to a rural area would mean finding a different career path than if she stayed in the city. However, with grit and determination, sh…

Michelle is the mother of three boys who was working a typical desk job but knew she had bigger career dreams. A fitness enthusiast and former dancer, Michelle knew when she saw her gym advertising a yoga instructor training that she wanted to make a change. Changing careers and following your dreams is easier when you don't have children, but how …

Sam is a mother of two girls who was diagnosed in her formative years with an anxiety disorder. Managing her disorder through medication, Sam decided when she became pregnant to stop taking her medicine because of the risks to her children. As a superstar career mother and wife, Sam admits that even though she's outgoing and personable, it takes al…

Abigail is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Pediatric Behavioral Therapist and works with children on the Autism Spectrum. She knew early in her college career that she wanted to make a difference in children's lives, and has recently become officially nationally board certified. I asked Abigail to be a guest on the show to talk about what pa…

Laurie and her husband Dan are both working parents. Laurie, an engineer, has always been a boss lady. However, after her company relocated, she was able to spend some quality time with her young boys while looking for a new job. After she found a new position located over an hour away, her and her husband had to shift family roles and responsibili…

Monica has spent the majority of her adult life as a wife to a professional rock band trombone player. As a member of the band Reel Big Fish, Monica has watched her husband go from trombone player in a local ska band to playing packed arenas, being a regular on MTV and featured in movies like "BASEketball." However, it wasn't all rock and roll. Whe…

When Barbara married her husband, David, she became a step-mother to a then three year old daughter, Michelle. Through various circumstances, Barbara and David received full custody of Michelle while raising their second daughter Jaime. Barbara has always had a very special bond with Michelle. Growing up not having the relationship with her own mot…

Lori is a mother of a son about to start kindergarten, as well as a successful blogger, HuffPo Contributor, and Declutter Coach. When her son was diagnosed with a speech delay, Lori says that the initial assessment and testing threw her for a loop, but they have been working hard on getting him on track to start kindergarten. Lori and I talk all ab…

Karlo is a successful photographer who built his business from the ground up, becoming a premiere wedding and commercial photographer in the Mid-Atlantic region. While he built his business, he met and married the love of his life, Amanda. Amanda had a young daughter when the two met, and Karlo worked hard to blend the family and put the well-being…

Alie has spent the last 13 years sober. She realized in her mid-twenties that she was powerless to alcohol, and decided to stop drinking completely in order to have a fulfilling life. She got married sober and her children have never seen her drink. In this episode, Alie and I talk about finding sobriety early in life, and how grateful we are that …

In honor of Mother's Day, I sat down with my mom Jane to talk about what it was like to raise me and my siblings. Growing up poor in Appalachia, my mother showed us through her actions how important family and education were. As the wife of a career police officer, my mother was able to get her master's degree while raising three children and carin…

SPECIAL EPISODE. Today's show features Jen, a mother who has a disabled son. Her and her husband found out during her mid-pregnancy ultrasound that their son would have major facial deformities, and after consulting experts in the field, had James at a facility three hours from their home to ensure he would live. James has to be hooked up to a vent…

Jenny and her husband have two beautiful boys, but there have been bumps on their parenthood journey. Jenny suffered a miscarriage in her first pregnancy, and felt as though she was not supposed to talk about her loss or even have feelings. Through her second pregnancy, she hoped for a natural childbirth at a birthing enter, but after more than twe…

Maria and her husband are the parents of four children. A military family, they decided early on in their marriage to pursue adoption when they had retired. After months of paperwork and investigation, the family welcomed a baby boy into their home from China. Born with a cleft palate, Maria faced a unique set of challenges bringing him home. As co…

How do you build your life back after making the biggest mistake you've ever made? How do you do it while being a parent? Rocki is the ultimate tale of redemption. After spending two years in federal prison, Rocki regained custody of her children and built her life back out of the ashes. She met other mothers in prison and shared their love and gri…

Suzanne and her husband raised four artistic, creative, independent children and were preparing to enjoy retirement when they received a phone call that changed their lives. They became foster parents and legal guardians to their three granddaughters while their daughter and son-in-law sought treatment for addiction. The children came to live with …

Nicole has always felt a strong sense of community and helping those in need. As a member of many boards, a volunteer for many causes, and a champion of people with disabilities, prominent members of the community began asking her to run for elected office. So that's just what she did. While serving her community as a city council member, Nicole fo…

Kristin and her daughter we a team of two until she met and married her husband and the family dynamic changed. She was also determined to get her undergraduate degree and then her masters degree even while being giving birth and raising two more daughters. Now a teacher, Kristin is facing the looming responsibility of sending her oldest off to col…

Lauren had no intention of ever becoming a parent. A successful business owner, she decided early not to have children. Then she met and eventually fell in love with a man who had full custody of his three kids. Wanting to make sure they "did it right," Lauren and her husband took it slow and formed meaningful relationships with his children. Then …

There are so many paths to becoming a parent. Bre and her husband have been able to become parents thanks to in vitro fertilization. The mother to a daughter and a son, Bre explored IVF after her and her husband went through testing to determine their fertility. Bre has become an advocate for parents who are traveling the road of IVF. She also wrot…