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

Have you ever walked into your own home and felt invisible? As a mom of teens in the thick of raising teens and adult kids, that feeling can hurt. In this episode, I open up about how easy it is for us moms to slip into the background of our own lives, constantly giving and doing for everyone else while quietly wondering if anyone even sees us. You've been there—the clean laundry left at the foot...

Have you ever noticed how motherhood feels like one long lesson in letting go — but no one ever tells you how to do it? One moment you’re deep in the chaos of parenting teens, and the next, you’re staring at an empty nest , wondering how to stop worrying and start feeling at peace again. In this episode, I’m sharing a fresh take on mindset traps — those sneaky thought patterns that keep us moms st...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I’m codependent on my kids” —and then immediately felt ashamed for it? You’re not alone. So many moms in the empty nest or parenting teens phase feel that tug between love and letting go. For years, we’ve been wired to sense our kids’ needs—to comfort, fix, and protect. That instinct doesn’t just disappear when they grow up. But sometimes our care turns int...

Do you every feel like parenting your big kid without the frustration and anxiety is too good to be true? You try to be patient. You want to set boundaries and have productive conversations. But then somehow you find yourself falling back into the same patterns of reacting in ways you regret  — or just feeling stuck in anger and worry. It can feel like the only way to feel better is...

Have you ever tried to have a real conversation with your husband, only to feel like he completely shuts you down? You start with the best intentions — maybe you’re talking about your teen, or something that’s been weighing on you — and before you know it, he’s irritated, you’re frustrated, and you both end up feeling like you’re speaking different languages. If you’re a mom navigating parenting t...

Have you ever looked around your life and thought: Is this it? Am I really just a mom? As our kids grow into teens—or leave the nest altogether—it’s easy to feel both grateful and yet strangely empty. I’ve been there too. For years, I measured my worth through my kids’ needs, my to-do list, or the approval of others. But underneath it all, I was constantly asking myself, Am I enough? In this episo...

Do you ever miss being needed by your big kid? When I think about the empty nest, and even those times when my boys were still at home, what surprises me most isn’t just the quiet house or the extra time on my hands. It’s how much I miss being needed. Parenting teens and young adults can feel like a constant practice of letting go — and sometimes it hurts more than we expect. If you’re a mom in th...

If you’ve ever caught yourself staring at your teen glued to their phone—ignoring you, zoning out, lost in a scroll—and thought, “This can’t be good,” this episode is for you. Today I’m digging into what’s really going on with cell phones and screentime—why it feels so hard to set boundaries, and what’s behind the resistance (theirs and ours). I’ll share what I learned from Jonathan Haidt’s The An...

Have you ever had the thought, “My teen walks all over me” … and then instantly felt ashamed for even thinking it? It's actually more like: If my own kid can treat me this way, what does that say about me?  You're not just frustrated — you feel hurt, resentful, and afraid that maybe you’ve lost the connection, influence and respect you once had with your big kid. In this episod...

Have you ever felt frustrated with your teen? (Or maybe I should be saying, who hasn’t?!) As moms of teens and almost empty nesters, we naturally carry expectations about how our kids should act — and most of the time, those expectations are perfectly reasonable. We want them to show appreciation, to put in effort, to connect with us. But the reality is, teens don’t always meet those expectations....

“I should be grateful.” As moms, we often feel this pressure to always be thankful. It's almost like we use gratitude as a way to push away other feelings. It’s as if admitting to sadness, worry, or even loneliness makes us ungrateful, when really those emotions are just part of the truth of our experience. The minute we add this pressure, that  “I shouldn’t feel this way,” we layer guil...

What if letting go in motherhood was never meant to feel easy — but it was always meant to grow you? As moms, whether we’re parenting teens or entering the empty nest, we’re asked to let go again and again. And it doesn’t just stir up sadness. It can trigger anxiety, overwhelm, and the constant urge to overthink. We wonder if we’re doing it right, if our kids will be okay, and what it means for us...

The house is so quiet. If you’ve ever had that thought — and then immediately felt sadness, disorientation, or even shame — you’re not alone. In this episode, I share what it felt like to walk back into my home after dropping off my youngest son at college. The quiet was deafening. But what I realized is that it wasn’t just the absence of sound — it was the story I was telling myself about what th...

Do you ever feel like your emotions rise and fall with your teen’s? If they’re stressed, you’re stressed. If they’re in a bad mood, suddenly you are too. It can feel like parenting teens or navigating the empty nest is one long emotional rollercoaster — and you’re just hanging on for the ride. In this episode of the Almost Empty Nest Podcast, I’m shining a light on a mindset trap I call emotional...

Ever felt secretly relieved when your bid kid went back to school—and then immediately guilty for thinking that? You’re not alone. But even as you think, " Thank God they’re back in school." —you can feel this sense of guilt, and maybe even shame that you feel so relieved.  In this episode, I’m exploring why this sense of relief feels so tangled up with pressure, responsibility, and...

What if the way you’re thinking about your teen’s success is actually making life harder for both of you? We put so much pressure on ourselves to parent our kids in the "right" way. We want our kids to be safe, happy, and successful—and at the same time, we’re constantly wondering if we’re doing enough or letting too much go. In this episode, I open up about my own experience of parenting teens—th...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “My teen is so entitled,” and then immediately felt terrible for even thinking it? You’re not alone. This episode is part of my series on the thoughts moms parenting teens and adult kids are ashamed they think—and today, we’re talking about what’s really going on underneath this particular thought. I share a story from a client that might sound a little too...

What if the emotions of the empty nest aren’t as simple as just sadness? In this episode, I open up about the real layers we experience as moms parenting teens and launching them into their next chapter. The truth is, letting go is complicated. You may feel proud and relieved one moment, then lonely or lost the next. These emotions don’t come in neat little boxes—they overlap, collide, and leave u...

Ever found yourself thinking, “I don’t know how” —how to connect with your teen, how to let go, or how to figure out what comes next? In this episode, I unpack the thought so many moms of teens and almost empty nesters are ashamed to admit. I explore why not knowing feels so personal, how it fuels anxiety, shame, and overthinking, and what it might look like to stay present—even when you don’t hav...

Have you ever said, “I just don’t trust my teen right now” —or felt the hurt of realizing that somehow your child doesn't trust you? For us moms navigating parenting teens and the road to the empty nest, it's amazing how complicated trust can become. We want to stay close. We want open conversations and honest connection. But instead, it can feel like our teens are pulling away, testing bound...

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “No one listens to me”?  Maybe after your teen ignores your request, brushes off your advice, or doesn’t reply to your text. You’re not just frustrated—you’re hurt. And from this place, you start questioning yourself, wondering if you’re doing something wrong, or if you’ve somehow lost your place in your kid's life. What so many of us also do when w...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I want to enjoy this, but it’s just not going how I hoped” —whether it’s a family dinner your teen bails on or the quiet ache of the empty nest creeping in before it’s even here? In this episode, I explore what it really means to be present in your life—especially during the messy, emotional seasons of parenting teens and letting go. As a mom, it’s so easy...

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I’m just not a confident person”? Maybe you think it when you try to set a boundary and back down, or when you imagine starting something new in your next chapter but instantly feel overwhelmed. In this episode, I’m unpacking the belief so many moms carry: that they lack confidence. Whether you're parenting teens, facing the uncertainty of the empt...

✨ What if the hardest part of college move-in day isn’t the goodbye—but the story you’re telling yourself about it? College drop-off is supposed to be a milestone moment. But if you're anything like me, the emotions can catch you off guard—especially when you're doing everything you can to hold it together. In this episode, I’m sharing the six most common beliefs that shape how we experience coll...

Have you ever looked at your teen—ignoring chores, blowing off school, stuck to a screen—and thought, “Why don’t they care?” Maybe you’ve even said: “They’re so lazy.” It’s not that you want to judge them. It’s that you’re worried. Worried that they’re falling behind. That they don’t seem to have drive or direction. That you’ve somehow missed your window to teach them how to be responsible. In thi...