The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach

When was the last time you were fully present… without your mind racing ahead to everything that could go wrong? As moms navigating parenting teens and the empty nest, our minds often convince us that worrying is the best way to protect the people we love. But what if all that anxiety isn't preparing you at all, but instead quietly stealing the moments you'll never get back? In this episode, I exp...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, I should be happier than this ... and then wondered why you still feel disconnected from your own life? In this episode, I'm unpacking why so many moms reach a season where they no longer feel like themselves... even when, on paper, life looks just fine. During the parenting teens and empty nest years, it's easy to spend so much energy caring for everyone el...

Have you ever noticed how quickly your mind fills in the blanks when you don't know what your teen or young adult is doing? In this episode, I share a very personal 3 a.m. story that revealed something surprising about my own parenting... and why having more information doesn't actually create more peace. We'll explore the hidden connection between anxiety, uncertainty, and our urge to keep checki...

Have you ever caught yourself waiting for your child's success to finally prove you did motherhood "right"? In this episode, I'm exploring a belief so many moms carry without even realizing it: I'll know I'm a good mom when... my teen makes better choices, my college student is thriving, or my child finally seems happy. It feels like love...but what if it's actually keeping you trapped i...

Have you ever caught yourself wondering whether you're worrying because something is truly wrong...or simply because you love your child so much that not knowing feels unbearable? As our kids grow into teens and young adults, motherhood asks something completely different of us. We can no longer solve every problem or protect them from every hard experience, yet our minds keep searching for certai...

Have you ever found yourself standing outside your teen’s bedroom door, wondering whether to knock or walk away? Or lying awake at night questioning whether you’re helping too much, not helping enough, or somehow getting it all wrong? In this episode, I’m exploring the tension so many of us moms face as we parent teens and navigate the empty nest: knowing when to step in and when to let go. When y...

Do you ever feel like you're carrying the weight of everyone else's needs while your own go unseen? If you're a mom navigating parenting teens or the empty nest, resentment can become part of daily life...showing up as frustration, exhaustion, disconnection, and the feeling that no matter how much you do, it's never enough. In this episode, I'm exploring why resentment is so common in motherhood,...

Have you ever looked at your teen or adult child and thought, they don’t want anything to do with me?   In this episode, I explore one of the most painful thoughts many moms carry in silence while parenting teens and navigating the empty nest transition. Join me as I talk about why distance from our kids can feel so personal. We’ll uncover the mindset traps that convince us something is...

Who are you when your child no longer needs you in the ways they once did? In this episode, I explore the Identity Trap...the mindset pattern that can come up for us as our kids grow up, become more independent, and begin building lives of their own. While these changes are a natural part of parenting, they can leave many moms feeling lost and disconnected from themselves. I'll share why this tran...

Do you ever feel like everyone else has parenting figured out while you're struggling to keep up? In this episode, I explore why this thought comes up so often during the teen and young adult years, and how comparison can turn everyday parenting challenges into evidence that we're somehow failing. I’ll also look at the hidden costs of measuring yourself against impossible standards...how...

Have you ever wished your teen would open up to you...but when they finally do, you find yourself giving advice, asking too many questions, or trying to fix the problem? In this episode, I explore why helping your teen feel safe enough to talk isn't about finding the perfect words. It's about understanding what's happening inside of you in those moments. I'll uncover three common mindset patt...

As much as you love your big kid, do you ever sometimes think, “I’m dreading having them home this summer?”  In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the thoughts moms are often too ashamed to say out loud. As summer approaches, many of us imagine the tension, worry, conflict, or disruption that might come with having an older teen or college-aged child back under our roof. And before summer eve...

Have you ever noticed how quickly you move from celebrating a win for your big kid to worrying about what comes next? In this episode, I explore a hidden challenge many moms face: our tendency to rush past our kids' successes (especially the small ones) instead of fully experiencing it. After receiving incredible news from my son about a goal he had worked toward for years, I caught myself doing e...

If you're parenting teens or navigating the empty nest, there's a good chance you've felt it... that sense that no one else is carrying what you're carrying. Not because you don't have people around you. You might have a partner, friends, even other moms in your life. But something about this stage feels uniquely isolating. The things that are hard now are harder to say out loud. And when you do t...

If you're a mom of teens or an adult kid approaching graduation, you already know this season brings up way more than pride and excitement. One minute you're soaking it all in... the next, you're spiraling into questions like: Did I do enough? Are they ready? Why is letting go so hard? In this episode, I talk about the hidden layers underneath graduation season... the grief about time passing...

Do you ever feel like you just can’t stop worrying about your kids? No matter how old they get or how independent they become, your mind keeps replaying conversations, imagining worst-case scenarios, and searching for ways to make sure they’ll be okay. If you’re a mom navigating parenting teens or the empty nest and you find yourself doing this, you are so not alone. In this episode, I’m talking a...

Have you ever promised yourself you’d stay calm, stop overthinking, or finally focus on yourself, only to end the day feeling frustrated that you reacted the same way again? If you’re a mom navigating parenting teens or the empty nest, this episode will help you understand why that happens, and why it’s not a lack of discipline. In this episode, I’m talking about the boundaries we set with ourselv...

Have you ever caught your big kid in a lie? Well...you're not the only one. In this episode, I'm exploring why this hits us so hard in motherhood... not just because of the behavior itself, but because of what we make it mean about our kids, our relationship, and ourselves. I’ll walk you through the mindset shifts that help you let go of anxiety and respond in a way that actually builds conne...

Mother’s Day used to leave me feeling unexpectedly disappointed...and I know I’m not alone. If you’re a mom navigating parenting teens or stepping into the empty nest, you might find yourself wondering why a day meant to celebrate motherhood can feel so heavy. In this episode, I open up about that disconnect and the invisible emotional weight so many of us carry. I take you behind the scenes of wh...

I know how easy it is to feel emotionally overwhelmed in this stage of motherhood, whether you’re in the thick of parenting teens or stepping into the empty nest. I’ve lived it, and I see it every day in the moms I support. In this episode, I open up about why that constant pressure, worry, and mental load doesn’t actually go away as our kids grow. If you’ve been trying to “fix” the emotional over...

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when your teen or adult child is open, responsive, or appreciative… and how quickly your mood drops when they’re distant or uninterested? Like you’re okay when they’re okay with you, but unsettled when they’re not? Today, I’m continuing the Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest series with a focus on validation seeking—the habit of relyi...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, I don’t trust myself to know what to do as a mom?.. And then immediately felt a wave of guilt or shame? In this episode, I walk you through why this thought is so common in motherhood, especially as our kids grow more independent and push back in ways that challenge us. If you’ve been feeling lost, second-guessing your instincts, or wondering what your role...

If you’ve ever felt caught between holding on and letting go as your kids grow up, this episode will feel I'm talking directly to you: the mom navigating the messy, emotional middle of the raising and launching big kids. Where you’re still needed… but no longer in control. I know how confusing this stage of motherhood can feel. One moment you’re deeply involved in parenting teens, and the next you...

Do you ever experience painful moments with your big kid and think, “I don’t think they like me anymore." The thought brings up so much heartbreak...and even shame. You think, "How did we get here?" In this episode, I take you inside that exact experience...the overthinking after they don’t text back, the knot in your stomach when they seem fine with everyone else but distant with you, the way you...

If you’re parenting teens or standing in the empty nest, you may be feeling a heaviness you can’t quite explain. It might show up as sadness, or frustration. Maybe anxiety, or even disconnection. Whether your relationship with your big kid feels close or strained, this stage of motherhood can bring up emotions that are hard to name. In this episode, I’m talking about the grief that comes with...