The Mama Sisterhood

Today, I have the absolute privilege of speaking with Kay Rader. Kay shares her journey with motherhood which includes her grown twin daughters and her 14-year-old, Bella, who came into her home via foster to adoption. Kay was a special education teacher who was willing to care for Bella, one of her students, when her parents could not for 1-2 weeks...and this turned into Bella being adopted into...

Today's episode made me laugh, cry, and really think about how I live life every day. I had the absolute honor of interviewing Kacy Wolff who shared her story about losing her husband, Matt, after 21 years of marriage to brain cancer- all while raising five children who at the time ranged in age from preschool to high school. Kacy's story is heart-breaking, of course, and yet inspiring at...

Today I bring you my chat with Megan Scanlon who is a mama to four kids who joined her family in three different ways! Megan tells about her adoption journey with her oldest daughter, Ellie, as well as her journey to her twins born via IVF/egg donation, and then about her surprise bonus baby. Megan also shares about her terrifying journey with preeclampsia, pulmonary edema, and cardiomyopathy arou...

Welcome to Episode 26, the first episode of SEASON 2!!! Today, I am so happy to bring you my interview with Alex Slate. Alex has a unique journey to motherhood - and now she has two boys who are twiblings! Listen in to find out what twiblings are and how they came to be. This interview involves infertility, pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, surrogacy, and how a community joined together to grow...

Welcome to the finale of Season 1! Today, I have the joy of bringing you my conversation with Amanda Beedle. Amanda shares about her two beautiful daughters, Annabelle and Abigail, both of whom have Batten Disease, a rare disorder that requires a visit every two weeks to what Amanda has termed "the brain spa." I left this interview with such an appreciation for Amanda's strength, hop...

Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with CJ Shane. In this episode, she shares how her journey to motherhood continued (spoiler alert - there's a happy ending!) amidst the COVID pandemic and caring for her father. CJ's story is one of family - of love and loss, death and life - and her spirit and positivity left me feeling SO inspired. She also shares her advice for others and talks about th...

My guest today is CJ Shane, a friend of mine for EIGHTEEN years! Her motherhood story involves so many different things that we are breaking it up into two episodes. Today's episode takes you through her adventurous life with her husband who has cystic fibrosis - these two climb mountains, run marathons, and more! She shares how his cystic fibrosis affected their fertility journey which involv...

Today is such a beautiful episode. Tricia Tayrien shares with us about the tragic and unexpected loss of her son, Tylor, at age 16. She also shares about how she used yoga, both in her own practice and while teaching others, to discover herself, build her faith, and work through her grief. Her story is raw and honest, yet also encouraging and filled with hope. Check out the studio where Tricia wor...

It was such an honor to talk with Lacey Bracken today about her beautiful daughter, Finley, who bravely battled neuroblastoma at only two years old. Lacey also shares about the Finley Forever Foundation which is doing so many unique and and amazing things around the Chicago area. Grab a tissue and get ready to be inspired! To learn more about the foundation, check out the following links: www.finl...

Today, I have the privilege of talking with Chelsea Butler. Chelsea spent her first fourteen years in the IBLP, a group she describes as a cult. Some of us are familiar with the Duggar family from 19 Kids and Counting, but I know that I, for one, did not truly know much about the IBLP, the belief system they follow. Chelsea explains how these teachings, including their specific home school model,...

This is such an exciting episode! Today, I have the honor of chatting with Jessie Boeckmann, whose daughter was born via surrogacy in Ukraine the day before Russia attacked. Jessie takes us along her journey as she escapes Ukraine with her husband and her newborn, driving and even walking to safety. You definitely don't want to miss this fascinating story that will keep you on the edge of your...

Today, I have the joy of talking with Jessie Henderson. Jessie is a mother of four, and after you hear her story, I'm sure you will be as amazed as I am at how tough this mama is! Jessie shares her story which involves several unique factors including multiple pregnancy losses, birth trauma, the process of becoming pregnant with her twins via embryo donation, and what it is like being a milita...

Today's guest is Marin Cole. Marin was born with a birth defect that led to abdominal surgery before she was 1 year old. Because of this, the future in regards to pregnancy, delivery, and breast feeding were uncertain. Right as she began trying to conceive, she ended up unable to eat and in the hospital with another major surgery as the recommended plan. Listen in to follow her journey as she...

Today, I am excited to bring to you my chat with Leslie Glasco, mom of two, including Jade, a 9-year-old who was born with the heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot. Leslie opens up to us about finding out this news during pregnancy and what is was like having a baby with a heart condition, including open heart surgery when Jade was only 9 months old. Leslie also discusses post-partum mental health str...

This week's guest is Jamie Freedlund. While pregnant, Jamie was given the news that her daughter, Mattea, had only a 5% chance of surviving birth. Despite the odds, Mattea lived for nine months, and this experience led Jamie to create Mattea's Joy, a non-profit she has run for 13 years. Mattea's Joy has served over 10,000 meals to families of hospitalized children in the Chicagoland ar...

This week, I chat with Katie Hamby who has not just one but TWO sets of girl/girl twins! Katie takes us along her journey with her first set of girls born five years ago. Hadley and Harper were born at 24 weeks and spent over 100 days in the NICU. A few years later, after deciding to grow their family, Katie and her husband used ultrasounds and fertility physicians to try to ensure their next chil...

My guest today is Melanie Bill, and her family has such a unique story. Melanie and her husband, Jeremy, began life as dorm parents working with troubled teen boys in Florida. She shares what it was like to raise toddlers and then be pregnant while living with teenage boys in a dorm. They then moved their family of five to Taiwan and later Germany to continue their dorm parent journey. Listen in t...

Kaylee Hurt is back this week for part TWO of her incredible story! This week, we chat about what it was like caring for a baby/young child with a trach, and she takes us along Kaydee's journey to becoming trach-free several years later. Also, she shares about what is was like being pregnant again after the trauma of Kaydee's delivery/NICU journey, including Kaylee's experience with po...

Kaylee Hurt and her family have had QUITE a journey - so much so, that we are breaking this into our first ever two-part series! Today, Kaylee takes us along as she shares about pregnancy expectations and how her plans changed when she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which ultimately led to HELLP Syndrome and preterm delivery. Kaylee's daughter, Kaydee, was born at 1 pound 6 ounces and spent...

** Trigger warning: This episode discusses child loss and miscarriage - if you feel this may be triggering for you, feel free to return later when/if you feel ready. This week, I'm so honored to sit down with Kati Kennedy, who speaks about child loss, miscarriage, and raising her daughter, Haylee, who was born with the rare genetic disorder, Central Core Disease, caused by a mutation in the RY...

Today, I had the honor of speaking with Erin Thomassen who walks up through her journey of when her 4-year-old son, Alex, experienced MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) after a COVID infection in August 2020. She shares about his symptoms, his hospital stay, his treatment, how it felt parenting a child in the hospital during the COVID lockdown, and how Alex is doing today! Check...

Today's guest is Lindsey Vaughn, mom of 10-year old Ollie. Lindsey was born with spina bifida, and she opens up to us today about pregnancy, delivery, and motherhood while using a wheelchair. Join us to hear about challenges, innovations, and toddler mischief, all related to her unique journey! You can find my book, Learning to Breathe, at: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Breathe-story-micropreemi...

Today, I had the joy of chatting with Chelsea Zagalik. Chelsea is a mom of two, and her youngest, Carly, had a stroke around the time of delivery, leading to cortical visual impairment. Listen to hear how Chelsea advocates for her daughter and how her daughter has beat all the odds (walking, going to school, and even riding a bike!) You can find my book, Learning to Breathe, at: https://www.amazon...

Today, I chat with Sarah Brandt. Sarah shares her story of choosing to be a single mom by choice, pursuing IVF using a sperm donor to have a baby .... and ending up with three! Sarah shares how she managed three babies with the help of her family along with some excellent advice to any woman considering becoming a single mom by choice. You can find my book, Learning to Breathe, at: https://www.ama...

Today I got the chance to chat with Kalyn Gillespie, busy mom of three boys, one of whom (Grant) has spina bifida. Kalyn and her husband learned Grant had spina bifida while she was pregnant, and she underwent fetal surgery (surgery done to partially remove Grant from the uterus, correct the neural tube dysfunction, and place him back inside). She shares about surgery recovery, delivery, and keepi...