BDA Baby (Before, During and After Baby)

In this episode, Dini Klein of Prep and Rally joined us to share so many great meal prep tips from her cookbook and beyond. Dini has so many great recipes for busy families that make meal prep easy. She also has great advice on how to keep prepped food fresh and keep meals exciting throughout the week. Juggling work, school, and extracurriculars can be a challenge, and Dini shares that meal preppi...

Jenna Johnson—professional dancer, Emmy nominee, and mom—joins me for a heartfelt conversation about motherhood, career, and what it really takes to do both. We talk about the chaotic beauty of raising a child while competing on Dancing With the Stars, how she and her husband Val navigate parenting as a team, and the real emotions that come with being a working mom—like mom guilt, comparison, and...

John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen joined us a few years back for this episode all about fatherhood. John shares his and his husband’s journey to fatherhood, and how they chose surrogacy. John and his husband eventually welcomed twins, and we walk through all the highs and lows that come along with parenting twin toddlers. We also get into how John balances work and family, and the joy of baking with k...

Radio and TV personality, author, and podcast host Tanya Rad joins for a deeply personal and refreshingly honest conversation about step-parenting—a role both of us have stepped into and are still learning to navigate.  Known for co-hosting On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM and podcast Scrubbing In, Tanya opens up about her journey as a stepmom to two boys after marrying her husband. She shares...

Simon Huck and Soraya Sutherland joined us in this episode to talk all about disaster preparedness. Be prepared for the worst is so important, especially with young children. However, it can be hard to find ways to talk through preparedness with our kids without feeling like we’re scaring them. Soraya’s book A Kids Book About Safety addresses this issue and helps parents have kid friendly conversa...

Like parenting, step-parenting doesn’t come with a manual—but unlike parenting, your role is much less defined. You’re not a parent, nanny, or assistant, but you might share responsibilities in those areas. At the end of the day, though, you’re none of those roles. I feel very lucky that I get to experience both step-parenting and parenting. One of the best decisions I’ve made was seeking out the...

Caitlin Slavens and Chelsea Bodie of Mama Psychologists joined us in this episode and shared great insights into balancing mental health with being a mom. Caitlin and Chelsea explain that mothers often carry a huge mental load, and it is important to emphasize self-care and open communication. We also get into managing mom guild, and how we can manage the complex emotions that come up around being...

This week’s episode is deeply personal and incredibly meaningful to me. I’m joined by Rebecca, an early childhood expert at Special Olympics, and Jennifer Pittman, a Special Olympics parent and manager of Healthy Families, for a conversation about the organization closest to my heart.    We talk about how Special Olympics is changing the game in early childhood development, providing crucial suppo...

In this episode, we sat down with Scarlett Lewis to discuss her Choose Love Movement. Scarlett founded the movement in honor of her son Jesse who was tragically lost in the Sandy Hook shooting. The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement promotes fostering nurturing, healing love. They also provide free programs for violence prevention and emotional wellbeing. Scarlett hopes that through her movement, mo...

This week, I’m joined by Laura and Kelly, the sister duo behind Tied Sunwear, the fashion-forward UPF clothing brand that’s changing the way we think about sun protection. What started as a deeply personal mission after their mom’s melanoma diagnosis turned into a full-blown business built on style, safety, and sisterhood.    We talk about why sun-protective clothing matters more than most people...

Jocelyn Delk Adams joined us for this episode alongside the release of her cookbook Everyday Grand, a cookbook that celebrates everyday moments through food. Jocelyn has such great insights in today’s episode on everything from balancing motherhood and career to cooking with children and bringing people together. She emphasizes that a supportive community helped her to realize both her professiona...

Jessica Woo joined us in this episode to share all about how to create cute, boxed lunches that kids will actually eat and enjoy. Jessica has built a following on social media sharing the bento boxes she makes for her kids, and today she gives us some tips and tricks to make similar meals for our own children. Presentation can really impact what our kids will eat, so quick easy ways to make mealti...

Catherine McCord joined us alongside the launch of her cookbook Meal Prep Magic . Catherine is a chef, entrepreneur, mom of three, and the founder of Weelicious. She creates kid friendly, nutritious recipes to help feed the whole family. Today we talk about how to meal prep for kids, and what kids of foods Catherine likes to keep on hand to make feeding her kids simpler. She also gives some great...

This week, I’m joined by Jenny Best, founder of Solid Starts and one of the most trusted voices in baby-led feeding, for a super informative and stress-reducing conversation about starting solids. Whether you’re a first-time parent or navigating food with baby #3, Jenny shares practical advice, research-backed insights, and personal stories to help you feel more confident and calm about this big m...

Paula Faris joined us alongside the release of her children’s book Who Do You Want to be When You Grow Up to share insights on how we should focus on more than just what our kids will be when they grow up. Paula explains that too often, kids are asked what they want to do when they grow up. Instead, we should be asking our children who they want to be when they grow up. Paula says that children sh...

This week, I’m joined by Dr. Sarah Reardon—better known as The Vagina Whisperer—for an important and empowering conversation about pelvic floor health. Dr. Reardon breaks down why understanding and caring for your pelvic floor is crucial through every season of life—from menstruation and pregnancy to postpartum recovery and menopause.    We talk about her new book Floored , why pelvic floor issues...

Lo Bosworth joins us today to chat all about gut health! After educating herself on the connection between gut health and all other facets of health, Lo was inspired to found Love Wellness. Love Wellness is a women’s wellness brand that focuses on vaginal, gut, and hormonal health. Lo tells us that one of the most overlooked parts of gut health is its connection to vaginal health. Believe it or no...

Many moms struggle with their mental health after giving birth. For some, this might be a sign of a more serious problem. In this episode, Sarah Wynter joined us to share her experience with post-partum psychosis. Sarah shares how her psychosis developed, and how some of her symptoms manifested. She also tells us the story of how she got help, and women who stood by her side to make sure she got t...

This week, I’m joined by Christina Perri — singer-songwriter, mom, and now children’s book author — for a truly special conversation.    We talk about how becoming a mother completely reshaped her life and career, the real work she’s done on her mental health, and what it’s been like turning her song “A Thousand Years” into a children’s book. Christina shares openly about the highs and lows of mot...

Jamie Kern Lima joins us this week to share all about her experience with surrogacy, and how why she chose surrogacy on her path to motherhood. Jamie tells us how she founded and sold IT Cosmetics while at the same time struggling with such an emotional fertility journey. Eventually, Jamie and her husband decided to pursue surrogacy, and today we walk through to whole process from selecting a surr...

This week, I’m joined by Dr. Morgan Cutlip—psychologist, author, and someone I absolutely love learning from—to talk about one of the most common and complicated parts of relationships after kids: the mental load. You know, the endless invisible checklist running through your head, the nagging feeling that you're doing more, and the challenge of keeping your relationship strong through it all.   W...

Having kids can be expensive, and this week Rachel Cruze joins us to give us all the tips on how to budget for babies and beyond. She starts with how to budget before the baby is here, and how to prioritize what you really need to spend the most money on when prepping for baby. We also cover how to save for the medical expenses that come along with having a baby, and when it might be worth it to p...

In this deeply honest episode, psychologist and author Dr. Jessica Zucker returns to BDA Baby to talk about her new book “Normalize It” and the personal experience that shaped her path. After experiencing a traumatic second-trimester miscarriage at home, Jessica made it her mission to break the silence around pregnancy loss and maternal mental health. We talk about how stigma, shame, and silence c...

Pregnancy can be hard enough without having to deal with the complexities of grief. Today, Hunter McGrady sat down with us to share some of her experience with losing her brother when she was seven months pregnant. She explains the confusing feelings she felt while trying to process her grief while also being excited to welcome her baby boy. Hunter says her faith and her family got her through. We...

In this episode, I’m joined by clinical psychologist and author Dr. Nikki Pensak to talk all about the postpartum brain—what’s really happening neurologically after birth, why it can feel so overwhelming, and how we can shift the narrative from “mom brain” to one of strength and growth. Dr. Nikki breaks down the science behind the brain’s transformation in motherhood, explains why this time can le...