Happy, Holy Mama

Episode 200 of the Happy, Holy Mama Podcast is a milestone I  never could have reached without the steady support of my husband, Lucas. So for this special milestone episode, I invited Lucas back on the podcast for a candid, real-life conversation about what happens when one spouse goes first in the inner work, and the other decides to join in. We share what it looked like inside our actual marria...

As a mom, I crave guidance and a structure of my day. Most moms I know do too, to some extent! What I've been reflecting on lately is why I prefer structure, and I've realized that when I have structure, my heart and mind are more orientated toward God. When there is less structure, my mind is constantly troubleshooting and reacting. Which can sometimes make it feel like I'm less connected to God...

In this final part of our three-part series, I'm diving into the struggle that every single homeschooling mom deals with: your own fears, anxieties, and the sneaky belief that you are not enough.  I'm unpacking, what I call, the Litany of Not Enough that so many of us carry every day, how it's impacting your relationships, and your homeschooling, and why doing more will never heal it. Today, I'm t...

Merry Christmas, my beautiful sister in Christ!!  Today I'm making a bold claim: that most homeschool issues are not academic issues at all, but parenting and behavior issues.  Even when learning challenges are present, what feels most painful day to day is often the behavior that feels out of your control. I share why unwanted behavior can pull us into a blame-shame cycle, how it impacts your hea...

BIG NEWS!! Happy, Holy Mama's Annual Membership tier is now available to the public for the first time ever! Get an entire year of Catholic life coaching support for your mama's heart, mindset, time management, emotional regulation, behavior management, and SO much more for just $297! Click here to take advantage of this limited time offer HERE! ***** There are three major areas of life that seem...

Every year on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, I'm drawn back to the day I entrusted my life, and then years after that, my business to Jesus through Mary. That simple offering has shaped the way I understand love as the foundation of a peaceful, joy-filled life, especially in the daily moments that feel anything but peaceful. In this episode, I share the lessons I've learned from stayi...

As we step into Advent and the first days of a new liturgical year, I've been reflecting on how this season invites us to slow down, simplify, and refocus on the Lord.  Stepping into this season also brings up something I see constantly in coaching and in my own home: distraction.  Our kids wander off, lose focus, read a book instead of doing chores, or get sucked into the chat box during an onlin...

As we head into a season full of special occasions, extended family dynamics, and old patterns, I've been thinking a lot about boundaries, forgiveness, reconciliation, and what it actually means to be self-sacrificing.  We all need better boundaries, especially with the people outside our immediate home during the holidays, because boundaries are vital for protecting our peace.  But so often, boun...

You know those seasons when you know you should be grateful, but you can't quite feel it?  Like when life feels heavy, when the house is loud, and your heart just can't catch its breath? In today's episode, I talk about why gratitude can feel so hard, especially when you're overwhelmed, when blessings don't look the way we expected, or when fear and unworthiness sneak in.  Listen, there's nothing...

You're having a bad day, a bad week, maybe even a bad semester, and you start to think…maybe it's me. Listen, there's nothing wrong with you, your family isn't broken, you're not awful at time management, and you're honestly the best homeschooling mom for your family on the planet. You're just stuck in the negative emotions of life and don't know how to move forward, let alone grow through them. ...

This past week my whole family (myself included!) has been fighting a cold. It got me thinking about what we do as homeschool moms when  we get sick and how hard it can be to actually give ourselves permission to rest and recuperate. So I'm keeping this episode short and sweet and giving you some really practical ideas for how to take a sick day! We'll talk about how to do things a little differen...

We do this as moms all the time: we think it'll be better when. When the kids are older.  When it's the weekend.  When the semester is over.  When Christmas finally comes. But the truth is, there's no such thing as "over there." There's only here, this present moment, which is the culmination of all the little moments that led you here. In this episode, we're talking about the Arrival Fallacy, tha...

So often, we feel torn between caring for ourselves and serving our families, wondering if self-care and self-sacrifice can truly coexist.  It happens all year long, but it really can become a problem during the holidays, if you're not intentional about how you balance the two during the ordinary seasons of life. I want to help you see that they not only can — they must — if we're going to love fr...

I want to invite you to pause for a moment and take a deep breath. Now ask yourself this gentle question: Do I believe my child is capable? Not just when they're doing well… but when they're struggling, when they're distracted, when they roll their eyes, or when they say "I can't"? It's easy to believe in our kids when they're showing us proof. But the real work of motherhood — the holy work — is...

Have you ever wondered how to actually teach your kids to study, without turning it into one more lesson plan?  Over coffee with a friend, I realized I'd never sat down and created "study lessons" for my children.  Instead, what we've done has been years of practicing, trying, failing, and repeating small, doable habits that slowly grew into something powerful. In this week's episode, I share the...

I can't tell you how often I get frustrated when things don't go the way I want them to.  It's super frustrating!  Whether it's kids fighting, everyone interrupting me at once, or a lesson that just isn't sinking in, it can feel like pressure building up inside that just has to burst. And in those moments, it feels urgent—like the house is on fire and I need to fix it right now. But one of the coo...

When I first started homeschooling, I can't tell you how many times I found myself erasing and rewriting plans in my planner every time something didn't go the way I thought it would.  Someone would get sick, or we'd want to linger longer on a subject, or a new documentary would pull us down a rabbit trail—and suddenly all my careful planning for the year felt ruined. Then I discovered a new, simp...

What should we do when headlines and heartbreak feel like too much—especially when you're trying to homeschool.  It's important to name the reality of evil without letting it hijack your home and your heart. In the episode you'll hear: A simple discernment check. How to guard your heart from doom-scrolling and fear-thinking. A prayer process when things feel hard. Permission to set lessons down in...

Today the Church celebrates the birth of Our Lady and it has me reflecting on my own beginnings as a Catholic life coach and podcaster. When I first sat down to record, I was nervous, uncertain, and honestly a little scared.  Who would want to listen to me?! But like Mary, I knew God was inviting me to say "yes," even when I didn't understand what He was going to do with it. Just three years and o...

Do you ever end the day feeling guilty for yelling, wishing you could take back the words you said in frustration?  You're not alone.  That was me, and it's so many Catholic moms who struggle with overreacting, losing patience, and feeling disconnected from the very people we love most. Now, as a life coach I'm on a mission to help as many Catholic homeschooling moms as possible calm down and enjo...

When my third oldest son was little he was a screamer.  Like multiple times a day for at least 20 minutes at a time and we spent years trying to figure him out.  We tried parenting trick after parenting trick, with very little success. Ultimately, you know what worked? Patience, love, compassion, and a willingness to be in the hard part with him, instead of wishing it was over. That's what helped...

When I first became a mom, I longed to have Mama Mary by my side in every moment of my motherhood. I didn't yet know about consecrations, so in my desperation, I went for something bold—a miraculous medal tattoo on my ankle. (Spoiler: consecrations are easier and far less painful!) In this episode, I share my journey of learning what true meekness looks like—not weakness, but the gentle strength M...

If you were a teacher in a brick-and-mortar school or professor in college you would have designated time when you would prep your day, prepare the rest of your week, do research, grade papers, and receive students' questions either via email or in person.  However, as homeschoolers we have the added obstacles of toddlers and babies underfoot, laundry that needs to be changed over, meals that need...

Homeschool mamas have the best of intentions this time of year.  Whether you love hitting the ground running with all the subjects or you prefer easing in gently, there's no one right way to start your homeschool year.  But today, I'm making the case for taking it slow on purpose. Why? Because starting with just a few key subjects (or skills) can help you build momentum, create muscle memory, and...

You're staring at the homeschool plans you once felt so excited about… but now they just feel overwhelming. Your house is a mess, the kids are wild, and the doubt starts to creep in: "Why can't I keep up?" "This isn't good enough." "I'm not good enough." "Maybe they were right, I can't do this." If your daily thoughts sound more like criticism than compassion, if you've ever felt ashamed, defeated...