Haven!

I was driving with my friend Gaia, who works as an in-house middle school therapist, as she breezed through some girl drama she helped some kids navigate that week. In the middle of her recap she said, almost offhand, “Well, you know...everything falls apart in seventh grade.” I looked at her and said, “Gaia, that is your book title!!!" We all can relate to having felt that way. Seventh grade shak...

Are we actually friends or are we just sharing Slack threads and the same calendar invites? This week we dive into that in between space of coworker relationships and genuine friendship—where you might spend forty hours a week together yet still wonder if you would ever hang out outside the office. I bring in my business partner and closest colleague, Kyle Walbrun. We’ve been through some wild sea...

How do you talk to your kids about sex? And at what age do you start? The “birds and bees” conversation has evolved, especially in a world where most kids encounter digital content long before they’re ready for it. In this episode we start with my own awkward, memorable introduction to “the talk” which has been the norm for the last few decades when it comes to educating our kids about sex. Then s...

Perhaps a surprise to no one but my husband Aaron is neurodivergent :) When he was diagnosed later in life, it explained a lot... and raised even more questions. There’s plenty of conversation online about understanding neurodivergence itself, but far less about how it shapes relationships, especially marriage. In this episode, we talk openly about what it’s like to be married to someone who doesn...

Memory Monday! This throwback was my very first podcast episode. I was winging it (still am, in many ways) and decided to start with a topic that kept coming up in every conversation with my friends who are also in our 30s: “Do we do Botox? Is it preventative? Should we have already started? Are we too late??” In this episode, I unpack the deeper questions behind those conversations. Why do we mak...

Big Sis / Lil Sis Mentorship: When You’re Still Learning but They’re Looking Up to You What does it look like to mentor someone just a step behind you while you’re still figuring life out yourself? In this episode we explore what I've come to call a “big sis / lil sis” dynamic. Kind of like you're in your Senior year and they are a Freshman - it’s not really a polished "figured it all out and am o...

In this episode, I get to sit down with two of my favorite voices in the parenting space, Sissy Goff and David Thomas. Sissy wrote The Worry-Free Parent and Raising Worry-Free Girls, and David wrote Raising Emotionally Strong Boys. Their books have been such a gift to me in my own friend circle / mom book club, and this conversation felt like talking to two friends. Instead of piling on more “fix...

We may think we know who we are marrying - but do we really KNOW the family they come from? In-laws can be one of the most layered and unspoken dynamics in marriage. When two people say “I do,” they aren’t just joining lives, they’re also stepping into entire family ecosystems with their own histories, expectations, rhythms, and quirks. Sometimes that looks like open arms and instant belonging, an...

In part two of my conversation with my friend Albert, we go deeper into what being a “good dad” truly means to him as shares the small but powerful & super intentional ways he stays connected to his family throughout each season. In this episode we talk about: 💬 How you can define a “good dad” 🤗 Why he never lets go first in a hug with his daughter 📸 The meaning behind taking a photo when his s...

Are You A Good Dad? This one’s been sitting with me for a while. I often hear moms wondering aloud, “Am I a good mom?” And what the parenting experts say is that the moms who even ask that question are usually the ones who care enough to be doing a pretty great job. But when it comes to dads... it’s different. I don’t hear that same level of wondering or reflection as often. With fatherhood - how...

In this episode we explore the emotional complexity of sustaining friendship from girlhood into adulthood. What happens when life pulls you and your closest childhood friends in different directions? From cross-country moves to evolving values, distance, and even unspoken grief over friendships that fade without a fight. I’m joined by my lifelong friend Rachel Clark (technically Passantino but in...

Memory Monday!! Originally aired last season, I’m bringing back one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had a two-part series with my very first and most formative relationship: my mom. After a short clip of me reading her parenting feedback went viral (over 4 million views!), so many of you reached out wanting to hear more from her - and this is that more. If you’re new here and haven’t exp...

We hear a lot about toxic masculinity — in viral clips, cultural commentary, and even our personal lives. But it got me wondering: Can femininity become toxic too? If masculinity becomes harmful when it’s distorted or out of balance, could the same be true for traits we associate with femininity? In this episode, I’m joined by Abby (whose recent take on Proverbs 31 made me revisit a chapter that r...

In this vulnerable and practical follow-up to our pregnancy episode, I’m joined again by Tess to unpack everything we wish we knew before entering the wild, beautiful, disorienting season of postpartum—also known as the 4th trimester. Postpartum isn’t just “after having a baby.” It’s its own stage of life. And it deserves its own conversation. We talk about what no one tells you about preparing fo...

How do you know when you're actually ready to have kids? And once you are… why does no one tell you how complicated, emotional, vulnerable and confusing the road to pregnancy can be? In this episode we’re kicking off a two-part series starting with "What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Pregnant" and Part 1 is all about the season before baby. (Part 2 will be What I Wish I Knew Before I was Postpartum.....

Ever been asked where the birthday candles are—or when your kid last went to the dentist—and realized YOU are the walking, talking family database? In this episode, we unpack the invisible, often unspoken labor of running a household and raising children: the mental load. We define what it actually is: not just doing the chores, but thinking about them, planning them, and carrying the responsibili...

The #1 topic request I’ve received on this podcast has been marriage. So we're bringing back a favorite: my two-part series with none other than the LOML — Aaron Weits, my husband of nearly 12 years, lover for 17, and best friend for 20. I realized I have a lot of new listeners who may not have heard this gem from Season 1 so we're doing something new & special called "Memory Mondays" where I'll p...

“Can marriages even last anymore?” “It’s just a piece of paper.” “Why even get married at all?” These are the questions I hear all the time. And honestly? I get it. In this episode, I’m diving into the real, raw, and often unspoken fears my generation carries about marriage. As a millennial, I’m part of a demographic where only 44% of us are married—compared to 81% of previous generations. Many of...

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything quite as life-changing as having kids. It’s the kind of shift you can’t fully prepare for—yet somehow, we expect ourselves to know exactly what to do. In this episode, Aaron joins me as we talk about what we wish someone had told us before we became parents. From the shock of being sent home with a newborn (and a mom in diapers!) to the way everything s...

There are so many things you can’t fully understand about marriage until you’re in it. Like how some seasons will feel 10/90 instead of 50/50. Or how your spouse will do things completely differently than you—and that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Or that even though you live together, you still need date nights outside the house. In this episode, Aaron joins me as we dive into the things we wish someo...

For a long time, marriage counseling was seen as a last-ditch effort—something couples did when they were already on the brink of divorce. While that stigma has lessened, many couples still wait way too long before seeking help—statistically, an average of seven years after problems first begin. In this episode, Aaron and I get real about our own journey with marriage counseling and introduce you...

Hi, I’m Haven. For as long as I can remember I’ve had thoughts, ideas and questions inside of me that I love to talk about with friends and, usually over a tasty vanilla oat latte, together we pull the thread of those curiosities to explore them in a safe context. But I now have a more demanding job, I’m a mom to two little kids, I still want to have some semblance of a social life and oh yeah nur...

Welcome to Season 3!!!!! This new season is all about relationships. I took a poll a few months ago asking why you're listening to this podcast and the topics that rose to the top were marriage, parenting, & friendships. So with as our first topic... let’s get into some conflict. What’s your favorite fight you’ve ever had? How do you win an argument? What happens in your body during an argument? A...

What do you do after you crash & burn from burnout?  I was talking with a girlfriend the other morning over coffee and we realized it’s not “have you experienced burnout” it’s “what did it look like?” When I look back at the time I've run into that issue I can point back to being either hurt, depleted of energy, giving more than I really had to give OR I’m giving something my all and things don’t...

How Accurate Is A Mother’s Intuition? A mother's intuition is a deep, often instinctual sense of knowing that many mothers feel when it comes to their children. It can be hard to explain or measure, but it's widely acknowledged by many moms as a guiding force in decision-making, nurturing, and protecting their kids.  Most of us parents can recall a moment when we had a strong gut feeling about our...