About Progress

What if leaking, prolapse, and painful sex after babies aren't just "part of being a mom"? Dr. Sara Reardon, pelvic floor therapist of 20 years, joins Monica to break down what's really happening to your pelvic floor during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and why even the things we've been told are "normal" are actually signs your body needs support. From the surprising truth about Kegels (you'r...

You're doing the same workouts, eating the same way, but suddenly nothing is working. Your body composition is shifting, you're more tired, and you're wondering if your body is just . . . broken. It's not. It's changing. In this session, fitness and nutrition coach Amber Brueseke breaks down exactly what's happening hormonally during perimenopause and why the exercise approach that worked in your...

Everyone is asleep . . . but you. Again. Sleep specialist Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell has an important perspective on the "revenge bedtime procrastination" phenomenon: there's nothing wrong with wanting time that's just yours; the problem is where you're taking it from. In this session from the More For Moms Conference, Dr. Holliday-Bell (a physician and mom herself) unpacks why moms have been forgot...

You're exhausted. You're touched out. And the last thing on your mind is the thing that used to come naturally. If you've been silently wondering where your libido went (and whether something is wrong with you) this episode is the exhale you didn't know you needed. Sex educator and researcher Carlie Palmer-Webb breaks down exactly what's happening inside a mom's body and life after kids (hint: you...

We've all heard the saying: "A mom is only as happy as her saddest child." But is that actually true, or is it quietly sinking the moms who believe it most? Cheryl Cardall has spent over two decades raising five kids through mental health crises, neurodivergent diagnoses, and daily big emotions. She reached a point of burnout so deep she couldn't get out of bed—until her own kids noticed and she r...

Start the day with Monica and a "Moment for More," where she shares why that day's pillar matters for moms, and introduces the content from the day's rundown. Today's pillar: HABITS!   LINKS FOR YOU: UPGRADE to the All-Access pass for lifetime access, special bonuses, and a private, ad-free podcast feed PARTICIPATE in the private Facebook group (+vote for your daily favorite speaker) CHE...

What if the secret to fixing your finances isn't another budget spreadsheet—it's your happiness? In this episode, financial expert and founder of Fearless Finance, Lori Atwood, reveals the surprising truth: when there's a gap in your life, you fill it somehow. And for many moms, that "filling" is costing you real money. The late-night Amazon orders, the impulse buys, the little treats that add up...

You're not addicted to your phone; you're being manipulated. Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone and The Awesome Generation, joins the More for Moms Conference to reveal what the apps on your phone are really designed to do (hint: the same engineers studied slot machines). But this isn't another shame-fest about screen time. Catherine digs into why willpower alone never work...

You got the kids down. Now you're scrolling, overthinking, or squeezing in "one more thing," and your own sleep is the casualty. Sound familiar? In this conversation, sleep expert and 17-year clinical therapist, Chrissy Lawler (aka The Peaceful Sleeper), flips the script on the either/or trap moms fall into: either my kid gets rest, or I don't. She makes the bold case that the best thing you can b...

What if the secret to surviving the daily mom grind isn't more time off—it's making the ordinary feel special? Jess Massey is back at the More for Moms conference, and this time she's talking about something that sounds indulgent but is actually a survival tool: romanticizing your life. Not spa days or shopping sprees; think a candle you only light during your planning session, jazz in the car for...

What if the meanest person in your life . . . is you? You'd never talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself. And most of us wouldn't tolerate a boss who spoke to us so harshly; and yet, we let that voice run on repeat, 24/7, inside our own heads. In this session, coach Yashi Srivastava sits down with Monica Packer to unpack the inner critic—that harsh, relentless voice that shows up loudest in...

You've been told productivity means perfection—and perfection means burnout. Dr. Danielle McGeough says there's a better way: grit gently. In this session, Danielle flips the script on what it means to be productive. After grinding her way to a PhD and tenure through a "binge and crash" cycle, motherhood forced her to rethink everything. The result? A connection-driven approach to productivity bui...

A warm welcome to the More for Moms Conference! Listen to learn why this conference exists and what to expect. Thank you for being here! UPGRADE to the All-Access pass for lifetime access, special bonuses, and a private, ad-free podcast feed PARTICIPATE in the private Facebook group (+vote for your daily favorite speaker) CHECK OUT our Sponsors, who made 7 free days and an affordable All-Access pa...

Start the day with Monica and a "Moment for More," where she shares why that day's pillar matters for moms, and introduces the content from the day's rundown. Today's pillar: HAPPINESS!   LINKS FOR YOU: UPGRADE to the All-Access pass for lifetime access, special bonuses, and a private, ad-free podcast feed CHECK OUT⁠ our Sponsors, who made 7 free days and an affordable All-Access pass po...

She had a degree in opera, a dream of performing on international stages, but then suddenly--five kids under her roof. One day, a familiar aria came on the car radio and she couldn't stop crying. That was the moment Vanessa Quigley—co-founder of Chatbooks and mom of seven—realized she'd disappeared into motherhood. In this conversation with Monica Packer, Vanessa gets honest about what happens whe...

You know that voice that says, "I should be over this by now"? Nina Spears has worked with over 800 families as a birthing and postpartum doula, and she has a message for that voice when it comes to postpartum healing: STOP. In this session, Nina unpacks why postpartum recovery isn't about returning to who you were—it's about becoming who you're meant to be. We talk matrescence, the myth of the si...

If you've ever thought "making friends as a mom shouldn't be this hard," or feel like you're the only one struggling with friends, this conversation is for you. Catie Borland unpacks why mom loneliness is so real, and how the picture-perfect friendship expectations we carry are quietly disqualifying the real connections sitting right in front of us. Catie shares practical, do-it-today advice, plus...

Do you feel lonely in your marriage? Marriage and family therapist, Nikki Harmon, explains how loneliness typically creeps into a partnership not through one big event, but through "a thousand little misses" over time: the bids for connection you were too distracted to notice, the resentment that simmers when you're doing the dishes and he's resting, the arguments about the dishwasher that were ne...

If you've ever lain awake wondering if your best years are behind you, Chrissi Harris, host of Found at 40, joins the More for Moms Conference to flip that script. After her own late-night doom spiral about becoming "obsolete," Chrissi discovered Carl Jung's reframe: life begins at 40; everything before that is just research. Now Chrissi helps moms see midlife not as the beginning of the end, but...

"Just stop feeling guilty." If only it were that easy. In this episode, JoAnn Crohn, founder of No Guilt Mom and author of The Best Mom Is a Happy Mom, breaks down where mom guilt actually comes from (hint: it's your expectations, not your reality), why prioritizing your own happiness makes you a better mom, and how to quiet the inner critic she calls "Bob." From a life-changing therapist appointm...

When was the last time you bought yourself a new bra? Or made your own dentist appointment as quickly as you make your kids'? In this clip, Nicole Walters gets honest about what happens when a mom gives and gives until there's nothing left, and how her body finally made her stop. She talks about the stretch when everything looked okay on paper and she still couldn't get out of bed, and what it loo...

In this episode, I open the 2024 time capsule — my "make it or break it" year for the podcast. I revisit a world of elections, the Paris Olympics, and "very demure, very mindful," then get personal: I almost walked away from the show, threw spaghetti at the wall with the Supporters Club and one-on-one coaching, navigated a new ADHD diagnosis and speech delays with my kids, and discovered enough st...

Have you ever been made to feel like you're too much and not enough at the same time? Sharon McMahon is back to talk about the women throughout history who refused to shrink themselves — women like María de López, Ida B. Wells, and Claudette Colvin — even when their own communities told them to sit down and shut up. We explore what we can learn from these women right now: that courage isn't about...

We don't always clock it, but the things sitting in our closet can quietly shape how we feel about ourselves — especially in seasons when everything else feels like it's shifting. In this clip, stylist Jenny Eversole walks through her simple, soul-searching approach to rediscovering your personal style, while Monica opens up about the very real "who am I?" moment she hit postpartum, wondering if s...

Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of the wild but wonderful journey to the Sticky Habits book cover—from my very first DIY mock-up to the unexpected title change to the final holographic pink and gold cover I absolutely love. I was nervous about having any say at all, and I probably pushed the limits by sending my publisher a whole vision board. But I'm so glad I did, because the Wiley team m...