Torn: Finding a Mom Life Balance

Summer is over, routines are back—and somehow we’re already overwhelmed. This week, Athena and Mims kick off a new series about navigating fall overwhelm. From school schedules, extracurriculars, work responsibilities, family celebrations, holidays, finances, and the everyday mental load, this season can quickly become a whole lot of more . And if you're feeling it, you're not alone. Inste...

School just started, so why are we already talking about summer camp and childcare? Because your opportunity to financially plan for next summer may happen months before summer arrives. This week, Athena and Mims are talking about Dependent Care elections—a benefit many working parents may have available through their employers but may not fully understand or plan for in time. Mims shares how diff...

The pencils are sharpened, the backpacks are packed, and the calendars are already overflowing—but what about the things that aren’t on the school supply list? This week, Athena and Mims talk about creating the real back-to-school checklist: the people, systems, boundaries, and communication that help a family navigate the school year without one person carrying it all. From carpools and shared ca...

Why is asking for help sometimes harder than doing everything ourselves? This week, we unpack what keeps us from making the ask- from fear of rejection and inconveniencing others to vulnerability, trust, and the pressure to keep all the plates spinning. We reflect on knowing our people, recognizing our limits before we hit overwhelm, and remembering that accepting help can actually deepen our rela...

Summer learning doesn't have to look like worksheets. The best lessons often happen through curiosity, play, and everyday life. This week, Athena and Mims share creative ways to keep reading and math alive over summer break—without turning them into chores. From researching the perfect family dog and budgeting expenses to board games, baking, geography, libraries, and following your child'...

Summer break brings freedom, flexibility… and bedtime battles. This week, Athena and Mims unpack the challenge of balancing late summer nights with the routines everyone needs to thrive. From teenagers staying up until 1:00 a.m. to younger kids catching a “second wind,” they explore how every family can find a rhythm that works without letting comparison steal the joy of summer. The sisters discus...

Revisiting a previous episode from May 2025! In Episode 160 of Torn: Finding a Mom-Life Balance , Athena and Mims return for the second installment of their summer planning series, equipping the Torn Tribe with a practical and heartfelt Summer Toolkit designed to support families in three core areas: Supplies, Sanity, and Structure. 🧠 Torn Thought: “Preparedness brings presence. Let’s enjoy the s...

Legacy comes alive when we ask questions, listen closely, and make space for the stories our elders carry. In this special episode, Zeke and Sophie Grace join Torn for a legacy interview after speaking with their grandpas. From childhood memories in Jamaica and Chicago to hard work, patience, perseverance, retirement, karate, family businesses, and life lessons, their conversations remind us that...

Legacy is not just something we leave behind—it is something we build every day through our stories, values, relationships, traditions, and the way we show up for one another. In this episode, Athena and Mims reflect on the legacies that shaped them, from the strength of abuelas to the family stories, cultural traditions, faith, food, and lessons that continue to ground them. Inspired by themes fr...

What happens when life is filled with so much goodness that you can no longer keep up with it? After an intentional break from the podcast, Athena and Mims return to share the real reason behind their pause. Between milestones, caregiving, work, celebrations, leadership, and everyday responsibilities, they realized something important: sometimes our bodies arrive before our spirits do. In this hon...

🎙️  Episode Summary: Are you overwhelmed—or truly burnt out? In this episode, we break down the difference between normal stress and burnout, and how to recognize when your tank is truly empty. Busy vs. Burnout The invisible pressure of modern life. How burnout slowly creeps in ⚖️ Busy vs. Burnout Busy: Temporary stress, still motivated, rest helps Burnout: Constant depletion, no motivation, rest...

🎙️ Show Notes:   In this episode, we we kickoff a series on stress by unpacking the invisible mental load of parenting, the pressure to “do it all,” and the societal systems that make it harder than it should be. From school schedules to work demands to self-imposed expectations—we’re naming it all and finding a path back to peace. 🔥 What We’re Talking About The invisible mental load parents carr...

✨ Episode Summary This week on Torn: Finding a Mom-Life Balance, we continue our bullying series with special guest Tom Ramsey, a conflict resolution specialist and author of Slaying the Giants: The ABCs to Stop A Bully. Through personal stories and practical tools, we unpack how bullying impacts both children and adults—and how building confidence, awareness, and communication can change everyth...

Bullying does not just affect the child in the moment. It stirs up a whole wave of emotions for everyone involved — denial, disbelief, anger, sadness, guilt, and even confusion. In this episode, Athena and Mims continue the bullying series by unpacking the mixed feelings that surface when bullying hits close to home. They reflect on how bullying can show up in schools, workplaces, families, and ev...

Bullying wasn’t top of mind… until it suddenly was. In this kickoff episode of our bullying series, Athena and Mims open an honest conversation about what bullying looks like today — and why awareness matters more than ever. From classroom dynamics and social media anonymity to leadership pressures and everyday friend interactions, this episode explores how bullying can show up in subtle ways we d...

Journaling can start as a locked diary with a tiny key… and grow into a lifeline. In this episode, Mimi and Athena reflect on how journaling has evolved from childhood “spill your guts” pages to a powerful practice for processing, creating, praying, and staying grounded—especially in motherhood when uninterrupted thoughts feel rare. We talk about: First journal memories: glittery diaries, pressed...

No pressure, Torn Tribe—this isn’t the kind of book club where you pretend you read the book. 😅 In this episode, Mimi and Athena share how a family “book club” can be a simple, organic way to build curiosity, connection, and conversation —without adding another assignment to your plate. Torn Thought: What’s something your family is curious about right now—and how can you make space for it during...

Happy New Year, Torn Tribe—and welcome to 2026 🎉 In this episode, Athena and Mims slow things down to do what we rarely make time for: reflect . Torn Thought : Take stock in the year that ended; do not leave it all behind Together, they walk through a family-friendly “taking stock” conversation —looking back on the year that ended so we don’t rush into the new one on autopilot. From traditions th...

As the year comes to a close, Athena and Mims reflect on the words we speak—intentionally and unintentionally—over our homes. In this episode, they explore how family mantras, morning routines, shared symbols, and spoken affirmations shape the tone, culture, and identity of a family. They discuss: How words set the emotional climate of your home Morning and evening practices that speak life (even...

In the final episode of The Feedback Mirror series, Athena and Mims reflect on what happens after feedback becomes a healthy, two-way practice in your home. From open communication to safer emotional spaces, they unpack the real results parents should expect when feedback is rooted in connection—not criticism. In This Episode, You’ll Hear About: 🚪 Open doors for communication How healthy feedback...

Before we sit our kids down for a “we need to talk” moment, there’s a lot to sort through in our own heads and hearts. In this episode, Athena and Mims get real about why timing, tone, and intent matter just as much as the actual words we say. Drawing from work performance cycles, adoption and bonus-parenting journeys, and sideline moments as sports moms, they unpack how to plan feedback that buil...

This week, Athena & Mims kick off a new mini-series, The Feedback Mirror —how to give, receive, and use feedback at home without turning it into criticism or performance reviews. They unpack why feedback matters (growth over perfection), share real-life wins and flops from rushed mornings, and offer simple ways to invite your kids’ voices—think quick car-ride reflections and the “paper-plate q...

“I’m boooored!” Sound familiar? Athena and Mims unpack why boredom isn’t a problem to solve—it’s a skill to practice. From resisting the quick-fix screen handoff to nudging kids toward self-directed play, they dive into how unfilled moments spark creativity, problem-solving, time management, and real conversation (yes, even about why they’re “bored”). Expect candid mom-moments, basement-play nosta...

In this episode, Athena and Mims dig into what screen time really does to kids’ language, learning, and emotional health—and how content + context matter as much as minutes. From co-viewing and pausing for real interaction to tone-checks, time-outs, and faith-framed routines, they share what’s worked, what flopped, and how they’re setting guardrails for digital natives (while checking their own ha...

In this kickoff to our “Behind the Screens” series, Athena and Mims unpack the messy middle of modern screen life—starting with the why. Do families need time limits, or is the bigger issue content and context? From Athena’s humbling phone-use self-audit to Mims’ reflections on social media’s psychological pull, they begin to explore boredom as a brain booster, the dopamine loop of games, and how...