The LIFTS Podcast

Wesley Royce Stops, Jr. joins us to share his journey from wreckage to resilience. In 2018, Wesley was charged with 3 felonies and lost custody of his children on the spot. He was full of unaddressed pain and attempting to numb his feelings through substance abuse and food. The challenges and obstacles he faced were more than most people can handle. In this episode, Wesley shares how his life has...

Prairie Wolfe is passionate about healing, and, in this episode, it shows. Anytime an experienced therapist can speak about their own personal challenges in mothering and caregiving and offer tips, tools, and wisdom to help other parents overcome their struggles, we're all in. During our conversation, Prairie helps listeners understand their nervous systems, the under-resourced circumstances...

Even though Flora McCormick spent years studying child developmental and psychology and ultimately became a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, her early years of parenting were very challenging. She remembers feeling frustrated and disoriented, and this business of mothering felt, well, unsustainable. So, she set out to find new tools, ones that fostered connection and encouraged healthy bo...

Susie Zeak, the Director of Toby's House, a crisis nursery located in Great Falls, Montana, joins us for an important discussion on the importance of free, open-late, non-judgemental childcare. The services and relationships that happen at Toby's House are crucial and, at time, lifesaving. Susie also opens up about her own mothering journey and how surviving the incredible challenges of...

In this episode, Darci Wiebe, the Health Resources Division Administrator and former Bureau Chief of the Medical Marijuana Program for the state of Montana, sits down with us to share her story. Darci takes her work very seriously because of what she and her family have been through. Her youngest child, Mcki, began experimenting with substances at a very young age and became addicted to meth as a...

Co-parenting is hard. Sure, there are moments of deep appreciation for some of the things we often hear about: breaks on the days the kids are at their other home, the chance to reflect and recover during the in-between times. But, ultimately, none of those moments happen without an undercurrent of grief and an intense longing that doesn't go away. And when it comes to that, no one really tal...

In this Episode, Joe Salyer joins us to share his story of addiction, substance abuse, recovery and how all of those experiences led him to where he is today. Joe works as the social services care manager for the Montana Obstetrics & Maternal Support (MOMS) program, which aims to elevate maternal health in Montana. Which is all just a fancy way of saying that Joe sits with new or expecting mot...

In this episode, we meet Micah Fiske who is, among so many things, a survivor. Micah has so much to share including her lived experience living with Type 1 Diabetes, high-risk pregnancy, infertility, birth trauma and infant loss. As I mention in the episode, I could go on for days about this woman’s strength and spirit but I know that she would give back every ounce of that strength if it meant he...

Haley Peters is here for the first episode of season 2 and we're so glad she is. In this episode, she shares with us what it's been like to enter into motherhood while juggling a budding nursing career, unresolved trauma, the grief and loneliness of a suddenly disrupted partnership with her husband due to work schedules, injury and chronic pain, and how this all led to the manifestation...

In this rare episode, the tables are turned as our host, Claire, shares her own personal journey through a recent mental health crisis in order to shed light on some difficult topics. We talk about what falling apart, intervention, and recovery looked like for her. We don't want to spoil it all here but have a listen to find out what these changes look like for the podcast going forward. At M...

Raise your hand if, as a mom, you've tried really, really, really hard to "keep it all together". There are so many reasons we do this, particularly in what is referred to as the 4th trimester when we're juggling so much but want to appear that we've got it all under control. In this episode, Kendyall generously shares her experience of Post-partum Anxiety and how scary th...

Jessica (Jesse) Peterson,  joined us to share her wisdom on many subjects including pregnancy, birth, co-parenting, blending of families, supportive and healthy partnership, and how her passion for perma-culture has transformed the way she views the world. Among the many, many roles Jesse has played in her life, she is now the owner of Wild Willow Wellness where she offers beautifully crafted, hyp...

In this episode of Mother Love, Krysti Walker and Sabrina Navarro share their experience of starting a family via in vitro fertilization with the help of their dear friends Sarah and Tyler Gregson. In episode 14, we got to hear from Sarah and Tyler about what this experience was like for them. Now, we have the chance to talk with the moms little Elliot and how their unique but very natural experie...

When Tyler and Sarah Gregson were invited to help their friend’s Sabrina and Kristi start their family, they knew almost instantly that their answer was a strong yes. They had both known Kristi for years and were thrilled to photograph the magical day that she proposed to the love of her life, Sabrina. Naturally, they also captured their wedding day and left feeling especially connected to both Kr...

After decades of dreaming about becoming a mom and what felt like an equally long time trying to conceive, Carly and her husband Bryan were elated to discover that their dream had finally become a reality when she became pregnant. Weeks later, at their first ultrasound, time stood still as the tech struggled to find a heartbeat. The shock and grief of this trauma consumed them as their heavy loss...

We felt it was high time to have a heart to heart about what it is like to be a parent during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Global Pandemic. Spoiler alert: it’s not easy. No matter what stage of development your child is currently in, they’re feeling the energy and impact of a world turned upside down. As caregivers, we’re constantly trying to access compassion and empathy while, at the same time, we’r...

In this episode, Jenny reflects on the intense ripple effects she and her family have endured since the birth of their daughter, Jovie in mid-March, just days before Montana’s Governor issued the statewide Shelter-In-Place order. Jenny has had to call upon her experience as the Chief Culture Officer at Shodair Children’s Hospital, as well as the skills she learned while earning her Dare to Lead ce...

*UPDATE* Since recording this incredible interview in 2020, Lacey and Jim have married and welcomed their second beautiful son, Parker. They've also purchased their first home and are both working hard and enjoying life today. Lacey works in patient access at the Cancer Center at St. James Healthcare and Jim is a union carpenter for Kissock Construction. These may all sound like somewhat norm...

In this episode, Sylvia speaks about the stories and circumstances that brought about the conception of her daughter, now eight years old. Sylvia openly shares her struggles in overcoming domestic abuse and alcohol addiction. These were long, challenging paths to walk but she continues to put one foot in front of the other in order to show up for her daughter and provide a safe and healthy life fo...

In this episode, Natasha (Tasha) shares her experience of becoming a mother which, in her case, includes difficulty becoming pregnant, the endurance of an extremely high-risk pregnancy while serving in the National Guard, surviving antepartum depression that turned to postpartum depression w/suicidal ideology as well as a difficult and traumatic birth. She encourages other moms to seek help early...

This conversation was so rich and divided, we had to slice it in two. In Part 2 of this episode, April Lemieux continues her story. Her's is a heartwrenching tale of soul sacrifice in the name of survival. She's a powerhouse of strength and wisdom and, when it comes to mothers, she's known many versions and reflects on the early pieces of a story that brought her to be the fiercely...

This conversation was so rich and divided, we had to slice it in two. In Part 1 of this episode, April Lemieux describes her experiences growing up in the foster care system in Montana. Hers is a heartwrenching tale of soul sacrifice in the name of survival. She's a powerhouse of strength and wisdom and, when it comes to mothers, she's known many versions and reflects on the early pieces...

Stephanie shares the story of her unexpected pregnancy at the age of 18. Now 20, she speaks about the difficult decisions she has faced, her commitment to her daughter, Tyla, and how she has learned to persevere despite great obstacles. This conversation takes a beautiful turn when Stephanie describes her work as a Mental Health Tech at Shodair Children's Hospital and explains how that work h...

In this episode, Tia discusses her lifelong search for true belonging. She shares what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racism (both overt and subtle) and describes the incredible people who've shaped her life. Somehow, while juggling infant and toddler care, practicing leadership as an elementary school  principal at the height of a worldwide pandemic, and witnessing the Black Liv...

Emily Tosoni shares her story of becoming a mother to her son, Cohen. This is an honest, raw, brave account of how infant loss changes everything. It is heart-wrenching and bold, with glimmering nuggets of hope and wisdom throughout. Emily's experience serves to connect others who've lost children, to teach people what (and what not) to say to survivors, and inspires all of us to live fr...