Become A Calm Mama

Summer Break can somehow be both easier and more stressful for parents. Create a rhythm and make sure your kid’s (and your) needs are met with these 7 family essentials this summer. You’ll Learn: The 7 essential ingredients every family needs to thrive Why boredom is super important and how to deal with it How to troubleshoot when your kid is complaining, grumpy and over-tired What to do to calm a...

On today’s episode, we’re talking about child-led versus values-led parenting. Last week, I walked you through how to define your family values, and this week we’re putting them into practice - letting them be your guide in parenting.  You’ll Learn: The difference between child-led and values-led parenting How to be compassionate while still holding your limits Examples of value-based limits...

To have a stress-free summer (or at least something close to it), you’ve got to create the right mindset.  And that’s exactly what I’m teaching you to do in this encore episode of the Become A Calm Mama podcast.  You’ll Learn: How to design an ideal summer day How to create your summer bucket list 5 new thoughts to practice this summer How to shift out of a grumpy mood  This can be...

What decides the direction of your family? Today starts a two-part series on defining your family values and how you can make decisions based on the things that are most important to you.  You’ll Learn: How my husband responded when I asked him (out of the blue) about his biggest personal value How to figure out your family’s core values Some of our family values and what they look like in re...

My son recently sent me a text with a big question about how to live an intentional life. As moms, we’re all trying to figure out how to make the most of this experience. How to balance  all of the different stressors and demands while also enjoying the process.  You’ll Learn: The big question my son asked me (and what I told him) Some of the goals and feelings I’ve chased over the years...

Today, I've invited my friend and fellow coach, Jennifer Delliquadri, to come talk with me about midlife, post-motherhood, and being a woman at this time in our lives.  You’ll Learn: Why it’s natural for transformation to be messy Times when Jennifer and I have experienced dissatisfaction in our own lives, and some of the shifts we made Pandemic challenges we’re still working through when it...

If you have kids under the age of 7, you’re going to love this episode! I’ve invited Kelsey Cook, founder of Learning with Kelsey, to share easy ways to entertain little kids.  You’ll Learn: Why you don’t have to be involved in everything your kid does How to feel more playful and fun as a mom  4 ways to encourage play (and make it easy) My hide-and-seek hack for when you need a quiet mo...

Today, I’ve invited occupational therapist Alisha Grogan on the podcast to share simple sensory activities for kids to help them become calmer and more regulated.  You’ll Learn: What’s actually happening when you think your kid is manipulating you 3 “hidden” senses that we all have  The 2 main types of sensory sensitivities LOTS of simple strategies you can try to help soothe your child’...

Jill and Mary of Girls Mentorship are back! We’re continuing our conversation and talking about specific tools and strategies for supporting and raising teen and tween girls. (If you missed part 1 , be sure to check it out.) And even though Jill and Mary focus their work on girls, these are great tips no matter the gender of your child. You’ll Learn: The pitfalls of labeling all negative interacti...

Why do women in mid-life give less f*cks? It's all about the estrogen crash. On this episode Darlynn and her friend Jennifer Delliquadri talk all about how estrogen plays a role in why moms are biologically wired to worry about their kids and the profound shift that happens when our estrogen crashes. Plus, you'll hear how Darlynn spiraled deep into a "I'm not good enough" self-worth crisis and how...

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Jill and Mary, founders of Girls Mentorship. We’re diving into what teen and tween girls need and what they’re going through at this stage of life.  You’ll Learn: What makes teen & tween girls so awesome! Benefits and pitfalls of greater emotional awareness in this generation of kids How small shifts can make a big difference in identity and self-esteem...

Today, I've invited Jessica Koosed Etting onto the podcast for a conversation about family life, the mental load on moms, and how we can make things a little bit simpler and easier.  You’ll Learn: Why motherhood feels so overwhelming (it’s not just you!) Why your own parents might not be able to relate to your mental load How to reduce your mental load, involve your family, and feel more calm...

Over the past 5 weeks, I’ve walked you through the hierarchy of healing and how to go through the phases of healing I call radical self-love , self-trust , honesty , listening , and acceptance . Today, we finish the series with radical action - the part where we DO the things that actually improve our lives and create the lives that we want. You’ll Learn: How to hold both contentment and a desire...

When we set out to create positive change and healing in our lives, those actions must come from a place of love and trust in ourselves. The key is practicing radical acceptance of ourselves and our circumstances.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why we struggle to accept reality The truth about acceptance and taking action Real life examples of challenging circumstances and how we can be more...

My healing journey began as a 19 year old, wandering drunk and alone on a beach in San Felipe, Mexico. This is the story of my first attempt at healing and what I learned early on.

Welcome to part 4 of the How To Heal series. In this episode about radical listening, you’ll learn strategies for listening more carefully and trusting your intuition and inner wisdom so that you can build a better relationship with your core self. You’ll Learn: How to practice radical listening with compassion  The 4 parts within you that you are listening to Examples of patterns that might...

In this third installment of the How to Heal series, I’m talking about radical honesty - why it’s important, what happens when we’re not honest with ourselves, and how to get more honest. You’ll Learn: What it means to be radically honest  Why it’s so hard for us to be honest with ourselves Signs that you might have some healing to do 4 strategies to increase your self-awareness and honesty Y...

This is part two in my How to Heal series. Today, we’re talking about radical self trust and how to build more confidence and trust in yourself.  You’ll Learn: How past emotional wounds show up in the present Why building radical self trust is so important for healing and creating positive change How to be your own grown up 3 strategies for building radical self trust When I think about trust...

A conversation with Kristin Lafontaine about a time I almost died in the ocean, how Shrek is my life coach, and our messy kitchens

Today’s episode is the start of the How To Heal series here on the podcast. We’re starting with the foundation of it all - radical self love . A person who experiences self love and demonstrates self compassion has less depression, less anxiety, less stress, and less shame. Isn’t that what we all want? You’ll Learn: A mantra to help you practice radical self love How insecurity shows up for me and...

As we approach Valentine's Day and my upcoming series on radical self-love, you are getting a love letter from two life coaches that I recently recorded on accident. What you’ll hear today is a conversation between me and my coach and friend, Kristin Lafontaine, as we talked about what it means to heal yourself from pain, how to regulate your emotions and process hard things.  We are two life...

In last week’s episode, I talked about how to forgive yourself when you yell, shame, hurt, or otherwise show up in a way you don’t love as a parent. Today, we’re talking about what comes next - saying “I’m sorry” and having a repair conversation with your child.  You’ll Learn: Why saying “I’m sorry” is so important (and why it’s only one piece of repair) 4-step formula for a repair conversati...

Darlynn shares the story of a big ol' fight she had with Kevin on Thanksgiving. Who knew how bad things could get just by asking "What do you want for thanksgiving dinner?"

A shopping ban?? What!? Yep, this year I'm committed to buying only essentials and not buying stuff online. I'm especially avoiding Amazon! On this episode of Confessions, Danielle Walsmith dive deep into the REASON I'm doing this and all the 'rules' I've created for the shopping ban.

I'm the host of the Become a Calm Mama podcast, which is a podcast that is all about parenting and mama mindset and how to get calm and how to get your kids to listen and how to stop feeling like a piece of crap parent.  I love that podcast! And I'm going to keep teaching you how to parent and show up as the mom that you want to be week after week. As much as I love talking about parenting, I...