De-Stress the Nest

Hannah Morgan sits down with Kristina Molinaro, co-founder of Twenty Five and Pine, a handmade furniture company she runs with her husband, Nick. After their son was born, they shifted toward kids' furniture designed to grow with the whole family. Kristina shares how she protects her work time as a mom entrepreneur: daycare days for woodworking, nap time for computer work, and mornings for her son...

Hannah Morgan sits down with Breanna "Bre" Cain, founder of the VA Leadership Academy, to talk about why doing it all leads to burnout and how support changes both your business and your home. Bre shares how she hired her first VA in her first month, then built a team that lets her focus on her highest-leverage work. They discuss the invisible mental load moms carry, what to look for in a great hi...

When your kids push every button, the urge to react is strong, and so is the regret. Hannah talks with neuroscience-trained consultant Dr. Michelle Machado about the 90-second pause: how one frustrated thought can fuel a loop of more, and how stepping back for a moment breaks it. They cover modeling this for kids, why "calm down" never works mid-meltdown, and how knowing your triggers helps you st...

Saying "no" to technology often feels like a battlefield, leaving parents stressed and kids feeling untrusted. In this episode, digital media expert Sarah Trombley from Digital Mom Media joins host Hannah Morgan to share a game-changing framework for navigating screen time and social media conversations with your children. Key Takeaways The Power of "We": Shift boundary conversations from "Me vs....

Summary When you’re a working parent, disruptions are inevitable: a sick kid, a canceled school day, an unavailable partner, a car problem, or a crisis at work. The goal isn’t to become the perfectly calm person who can handle everything—it’s to build the resilience to adapt when life inevitably throws you a curveball. In this episode, Hannah Morgan shares practical ways to prepare for the unexpec...

In this episode, Hannah talks with  Sarah Dooley, founder of AI Empowered Mom , about the do’s and don’ts of AI with children. Sarah shares why parents shouldn't wait to start talking about AI, how to explain that AI isn't a person or a friend, why AI literacy starts with parents themselves, and which emerging AI tools she considers off-limits for her own family. AI is already embedded in many of...

6 Home Systems That Actually Lighten Your Mental Load Back-to-school season brings a fresh wave of schedules, activities, paperwork, meals, laundry, and household logistics, which means it's the perfect time to put a few simple systems in place. In this episode of  De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan shares six practical home systems designed to reduce decision fatigue, clarify responsibilities, an...

Episode 96: 5 Tips for Maximizing Your Focus with Bri Pollard Feeling distracted or overwhelmed by everything on your to-do list? In this episode, Hannah welcomes Heron House Management Operations Manager Bri Pollard to share five practical strategies for staying focused in a distraction-filled world. Bri breaks down simple ways to create a clear finish line, protect your focus time, reduce digita...

Creating Equity at Home with Caroline Dilbeck What if creating more equity at home isn’t about getting your partner to “help” more—but about actually transferring ownership? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Caroline Dilbeck, founder of Home Team Playbooks, about using clarity and household systems to make true ownership possible. Caroline explains why so many delega...

How do you build a business without allowing work to take over every available moment? Kristina Molinaro, co-founder of the furniture company 25 and Pine, joins Hannah to share the boundaries and planning systems that help her balance entrepreneurship with raising her young son. Kristina explains how she protects nap time as a dedicated work container, chooses different tasks for childcare days, a...

What if one of the best ways to take care of your family was taking care of yourself first? Therapy is often misunderstood as something reserved for moments of crisis, but in reality, it can be one of the healthiest forms of self-care. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan sits down with entrepreneur, content creator, and City Mouse founder Alex Rutkay to discuss why therapy deserv...

Meal planning is great…until life happens. This week on De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Sarah Dooley , founder of AI Empowered Mom, about how AI can rescue busy parents when dinner plans fall apart. Learn how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot can help you create meals using what's already in your fridge, reduce food waste, and take some of the mental load off your plate...

Self-care isn't about bubble baths—it's about making sure you have the capacity to care for yourself before burnout takes over. This week, Hannah sits down with Ajantha Suriyanarayanan , founder of Mental Load, to discuss why self-care falls to the bottom of the list for so many parents and how intentional systems can help change that. ✨ Key Takeaways Self-care is different for everyone—a...

What if the first few minutes of your morning could change the way you show up for the rest of your day? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Dr. Michelle Machado, speaker, author, and mom of two, about creating a “sacred morning” before the house wakes up. Michelle shares how starting the day with reflection, prayer, meditation, and nervous system regulation helps her...

Family logistics can quickly become overwhelming when appointments, activities, school schedules, and household tasks are all competing for attention. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest, Hannah Morgan talks with Amy Briggs , founder and CEO of Aviva, about practical ways families can simplify scheduling, reduce mental load, and create systems that make everyday life easier. Amy shares why recur...

Movement isn't just about physical health. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with entrepreneur and City Mouse founder Alex Rutkay about how movement helped her navigate grief, build resilience, and prioritize her mental health during difficult seasons. Alex shares how exercise became a powerful tool for processing life's challenges and why even a few minutes of mo...

Think delegation means giving up control? Think again. In this solo episode, Hannah Morgan shares the delegation framework she uses as a working mom of three and founder of Heron House Management. Learn how to identify what should stay on your plate, what should come off, and how systems can help you reduce mental load while creating more time for what matters most. 🔑 Key Takeaways Focus on what...

Living abroad gets plenty of attention. Coming home? Not so much. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan welcomes back David Schnurman , author of Eleven Suitcases , to discuss the unexpected realities of returning to the United States after spending several years living in Barcelona with his family. David shares lessons learned from reverse culture shock, reconnecting with communit...

Childcare and paid leave aren’t “nice to have” benefits. They are essential supports for working families. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest, Hannah Morgan talks with Paige Connell, content creator and advocate in the motherhood space, about the childcare affordability crisis, the lack of paid parental leave in the U.S., and how both issues disproportionately impact women and working parents....

If you’ve ever spent hours organizing your kids’ rooms only for them to explode again by the next afternoon… this episode is for you. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize365, about why so many parents are pouring energy into organizing the wrong spaces in their homes — and how shifting your focus can dramatically reduce stress and crea...

Episode 83 – Naming the Heavy Expectations with Amy Bonsall So much of what feels heavy… isn’t actually the workload. It’s the expectations we’re carrying—often without even realizing it. In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Amy Bonsall , founder of Light Actions, about what it means to name the heavy expectations out loud —and why doing so can immediately reduce their...

Episode 82 – Using Your Systems to Create Rest (Not Just More Work) with Caroline Dilbeck Systems are supposed to make life easier, but what happens when the space they create just gets filled with more work? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan talks with Caroline Dilbeck, founder of Home Team Playbooks, about using systems to create real margin and restorative rest. Caroline sha...

Episode 81 – Leaning on Your Village with Alex Rutkay Most of us say we want a village… but are we actually using it? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan is joined by Alex Rutkay , founder of City Mouse, to talk about what it really means to lean on your village — not just build one. Alex shares her personal experience navigating early motherhood, health challenges, and life with...

Episode 80 – The Importance (and Reality!) of Building a Village as Working Parents with Hannah Morgan We all say we want a village… but how do you actually build one? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan dives into the reality of building community as a working parent — why it matters more than ever, and how to actually make it happen in real life. From neighbors and school picku...

Episode 79 – The Good Enough Standard with Steph Koenig What if “doing it all” isn’t the goal? In this episode of De-Stress the Nest , Hannah Morgan is joined by Steph Koenig to talk about embracing the good enough standard — and why letting go of perfection can actually reduce stress, improve your systems, and make life feel more manageable. Steph shares how many parents get stuck chasing unreali...