the anastasiya podcast

Matt's back for this week's episode and we're talking about the SAHM transition from his side! He shares how he saw this coming way before I did, how we (he) thought through the finances, and what the past month has actually looked like for our family with Mom home and fully present. If this is a season your family is navigating too: we've saved a seat for you!

Matt's back and together we're revealing the gender of baby #2! We take you through our headspace leading up to our 20-week anatomy scan, what changed in having us (me mostly, lol) decide to find out the gender, and how our ultrasound tech intentionally or unintentionally dropped the news at the end of our appointment. We're so grateful for a perfectly healthy baby despite being SO sick this pregn...

Week one as an official stay at home mom, and let's just say God knew Mom needed to be home. First day: waking up to not one, but TWO ticks stuck to Magnolia's head. (And we do tick checks like it's our job around here!!) Then a bottle regression out of left field, right when we were SO close to kicking the habit, and then realizing we've been spending $500/month on just our dog's food. Time to au...

This week I'm getting into something that has been on my mind for a while: the idea that not all motherhood is created equal , and why that matters. I talk about officially stepping away from my job and what it's taken to fully accept that this is my season to be home, especially with a toddler, a second pregnancy, and some pretty intense solo parenting while Matt was working over 100 hours for mu...

In this episode, I'm getting real about the season of life Matt and I are in right now: pregnancy, sacrifice, and the kind of teamwork that most people don't show on social media. I want to talk about what it actually means to marry a provider because it's not the " never work a day in your life " fantasy you see online. It's choosing a partner who doesn't take no for an answer, who gets up, &...

If you’ve ever felt caught somewhere between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode is for you. Get comfortable, because I’m diving in about something I think so many new moms feel but don't always say out loud: the emotional tug-of-war between missing who you used to be and realizing you can’t fully step into a new season of life while still trying to hold onto the old one. I’m sharin...

Surprise… we’re pregnant again! We share how it all happened, what the past few weeks have looked like, and how different this pregnancy has been so far compared to our first go-around. From debilitating nausea to managing life with a toddler, we’re navigating it all in real time! Matt joins me for an honest, behind the scenes conversation about our next unexpected chapter.

A little blast from the past! Recorded in February, not knowing I was about to take an unexpected podcast hiatus for two months while fighting for my life through the first trimester (exaggerating, but not really). I talk about the shift from trying to do it all to finally giving myself permission to rest, adjust my expectations, and focus on what truly matters. This episode is a reminder that som...

In this episode of The Anastasiya Podcast , Matt and I reflect on what we would keep the same and what we would change if we were becoming first-time parents all over again. We talk about unrealistic expectations, nursing and pumping pressure, sleep deprivation, paternity leave, and the identity shift that comes with early parenthood. We also share how unmet expectations affected our mental health...

In this week’s episode of The Anastasiya Podcast , I dive right back into peeling the layers of this new season of life: motherhood. Reaching for gratitude: daily, is once again at the top of the list. I share my thoughts on how not all motherhood is created equally, how wanting what we don’t have shows up even in this season, and how I want to remember these years of my life. “Surviving, not thri...

In this episode of The Anastasiya Podcast , I talk about my very complicated relationship with social media after taking the entire month of January off. Like every social media hiatus I’ve ever taken (because yes, I do this often ), it felt amazing. I didn’t miss it. Not even a little. Life was quieter, clearer, and somehow I had so much more time… shocking . What’s interesting is that I’m not ev...

In this solo episode, I’m sharing a few real-life updates before diving into a topic that stopped me in my tracks. I started reading a book last week that referenced a study by Dr. Edward Wilson on the innate biological differences between men and women. Learning (or re-learning) that men produce new sperm for their entire lives, while women are born with every egg they will ever have, sent me dow...

In this episode, Matt and I sit down together to share our experience with the miscarriage we recently walked through. We open up about what those days looked like for us, how we processed the loss individually and together, and why we felt called to share our story. Healing doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s rarely linear. While acceptance can come, emotional waves still follow, and we talk hones...

This week’s episode is a cozy solo catch-up from my snowy corner of Rhode Island. We woke up to a full-on winter wonderland, all while still not sleeping over here: baby girls molars are very much molar-ing. Sharing a family update as my little brother headed off to his first training school after joining the armed forces, along with some lighter updates like why Costco will forever be my favorite...

This episode is a laid-back catch up with a bunch of life updates from the start of the new year. Over in my corner of the world, we don’t really do New Year’s resolutions per se , we set goals. The kind that take time to fulfill. Whether that’s weeks, months, or the dreaded years, we do our best and just keep showing up. I share how quitting sugar is going (does hot chocolate have sugar in it?),...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 1 of The Anastasiya Podcast . I rang in the New Year doing what I probably shouldn’t have been doing… doom scrolling, and I didn’t even notice the clock strike midnight...*eye roll*. That‘s exactly why I was excited to start a social media hiatus! This year, I’m not trying to become someone new, instead I am excited to free up time that has always technically been ther...

I’m closing out 2025 the way I love to start a new year: by setting new goals. But this time, I had to pause and recalibrate. While riding the high of reaching one year of parenthood, I found myself getting ahead of my current season and dreaming a little too big about our business before it was truly time. This episode is a reflection on honoring the season I’m in, trusting Gods timing, and recog...

This one is for the single person out there looking for their person . I’m talking about why it can feel so easy to be clear about what we want in our careers, yet so hard to admit we want love - real love. Not just dating, but a spouse, a family, the whole picture. I share how self-protection can slowly harden your heart and why pretending that you’re “happy being single right now” often feels sa...

I’m sharing a holiday-season mindset shift that surprised me: doing less so I could actually do more. As someone who loves going all out for the holidays, I’m learning what it looks like to lower my standards (on purpose) and live in the season of life I’m in right now. I talk about simplifying Thanksgiving, choosing just two dishes (instead of six), and how that decision freed up the time and ene...

In my continued conversation with Sam, she shares what it felt like to hit the ceiling in her career and crave more. She opens up about spotting a massive gap in the extension market- not just in quality products, but truly masterful installation- and how that realization pushed her to invest in education, shift her schedule, and take bold leaps long before she knew what would come of them. We div...

I sit down with my friend and boss, Samantha, to talk about her journey from being a young girl obsessed with hair and all things beauty to becoming the owner of Salon Stella, and most recently a brand creator of her very own hair extension line, The Mane Collection ™. Sam shares where her passion began and how each chapter of her career unfolded. From starting out in a corporatized salon, to step...

I’m coming to you solo and catching you up on all things Life Lately - starting with big news: we officially have a walker! Someone woke up on the morning of her 11-month birthday and decided she’s not a little-bitty baby anymore. I share how I audit my calendar and routines to figure out what’s working, what’s just wishful thinking, and which expectations I need to let go of. Momming is more than...

Matt and I break down our very first trip without the baby- the nerves, the freedom, and everything in between. The baby stayed with Grandparents and we headed off to a 3-day wedding retreat… and honestly? It was just what the Dr. ordered! We shared where we stayed, the good times, the beautiful scenery, and the questionable cleanliness of our hotel. Turns out bringing Volk turned the whole trip i...

Anastasiya sits down with her friend Vera to share a story of courage, growth, and finding the love you truly deserve. What happens when you reach the end of your 20s, step into your 30s, and love doesn’t look the way you always imagined it would? Once stuck in a long-term relationship that seemed picture-perfect on paper- a shared home, pets, and big plans for the future, Vera knew deep down it w...

Matt and I dive into what it really looks like to be both doers and dreamers in marriage and business. We talk about which of us leans more toward dreaming big and which one keeps things grounded- and how we’ve learned to find balance when those two worlds collide. From the early days of running our business together to how becoming parents (even when we were just dog parents!) shifted our rhythm....