The Successful Mama Podcast

Hey, mama! I'm taking a few weeks off, but I didn't want to leave you hanging with nothing to listen to. I thought I'd share a few of the listener favorites in case you missed them as a replay, but obviously, feel free to scroll on back in the archives and catch up on any others you've missed! See you back on November 21st! You cannot listen to this episode without hearing the joy and appreciation...

You don't want to miss this announcement! Give this episode a quick listen to find out what's ahead for the next few weeks. I give an update on life lately, as well as discuss some tactics for asking what you need and doing a regular check in. As moms, self care feels impossible sometimes, but this episode, we talk a bit more about why it matters and how it is completely up to you to take some of...

When I launched this podcast, I always knew that I’d one day interview my sister-in-law, Amber C. Haines. Not just because I’ve watched her for years load up her minivan with four boys and trek states over from Arkansas to Alabama to eat cornbread and greens around the table with her siblings. Not just because she writes beautiful accounts of her life and helps my logical brain to give way, and I...

I really enjoyed learning from our guest this week. Emily Willis, a nurse practitioner who blends traditional Western practices with holistic healing, shared her story of motherhood and the journey through her career that landed her where she is today. Emily talks about navigating divorce and the light that was on the other side of it for her. She has remarried and shared a bit more about her blen...

I love hearing stories where women take a step back from their original plan and pivot, and this week’s guest did just that. Lauren Battle went to school to study accounting, but she ended up following in her mom’s footsteps and taking over her insurance business. Lauren didn’t have a ton of experience stepping into this role, but she told the nay-sayers to watch her make it work, and she did just...

Ever wonder about hobbies and mom life? Should you make time for one? Do they matter? Do you even know what you like anymore?! This episode, Tabitha Carnes and I sit down and chat hobbies and finding a part of yourself outside of kids and career. She stresses how important it is to find this piece of yourself, even if it is just playing and creating something at home while your kids take a nap. Th...

Let's talk about morning routines. Experts often suggest routines that are very detailed and time consuming. If we are being real, moms don't generally have the privilege to have such a structured morning. But should we ditch the morning routine altogether? I don't think so. We just need to make it intentional and doable.  

This week, we are changing things up a bit. I was recently interviewed by my friend Natalee Jean for her podcast, A Moms Passion Project. We decided it would be fun to share the interview on both of our podcasts, so rather than me interviewing someone else, this time it is Natalee interviewing me. I love her goal of helping other moms find something that they are passionate about… something that f...

Despite her struggles through school and hearing numerous times that she wasn’t applying herself, Jessica Johnson views her diagnosis of ADD and dyslexia as an ability, rather than a disability. She uses her gift to look at the world a bit differently, and boy, has it served her well. She and her husband launched his orthodontics practice in 2012, and we discuss the highs and lows of starting a bu...

Hey, Mama! I want you to meet Tiffany Crenshaw. She is a beautiful mama of three and the owner of Animal House Photography. (See what I did with the title? the "lens" of change? Because she's a photographer... clever, right? Ha!) I could've sat and talked with her all day... I did, actually and totally regretted not recording it all, because while everything we recorded was SO perfectly fitting fo...

This week’s guest is Tracy Abney, a mama of 4 who went from wanting to teach little ones to teaching women about supporting each other through one of the most transformative days of their lives- the birth of a child. Tracy started the journey toward becoming a doula herself after giving birth and wishing she’d received more support…someone who could be there just for her. Since she’s always had a...

Do you ever wonder how you can even consider finding time to work on your own habits when you are constantly taking care of everyone else? Or maybe you've wondered how to change the habits of those closest to you. Either way, this episode takes a closer look at modeling behavior and how our actions impact those around us, whether we realize it or not.  Also, I share the story of my broken tailbone...

Have you ever asked your doctor about something that felt off, particularly with your hormones, and the response was simply that it is normal? Or that you should just take birth control? Our guest this week is Adrienne Garbarino, a mama and nurse practitioner who is on a mission to help women get the care they need and to encourage them that if something feels off, it probably is. Our conversation...

Lindsay Sowell is so much more than “just” a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband Will embrace traditional roles in their marriage, with him “bringing home the bacon” and her “frying it up” and caring for the kiddos. We chat about the societal shift away from these traditional roles and how that is affecting the way she is raising her boys. Lindsay’s motherhood journey includes having her first t...

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and infant loss. Listener discretion is advised.  Alyson Moody is a wife, mama, and math teacher. This week on part 2, Alyson starts her story with weeks of bedrest at the hospital when the world was turned upside down in 2020, talking about her highs and lows during this time. She talks about the affects of the solitud...

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and infant loss. Listener discretion is advised.  Alyson Moody is a wife, mama, and math teacher. After a smooth first pregnancy, Alyson and her husband never anticipated all that the following years had in store for their family. She describes herself as naïve in those early days after her first miscarriage. Because th...

Do you ever feel like your days are the same, without much big happening? What if I told you that those ordinary, little moments are the ones that matter most? This episode, we take a look at why the little things in life are really the big ones, and how they are, in fact, the building blocks for all of our relationships, success, and achievements. Motherhood can feel like our days are on constant...

Let’s raise $7.5 million. That’s what then, 24-year-old Erica Hardesty decided to do on her mission to help youth aging out of the foster care system. But how? One idea to help raise funds was to start a flower truck, which led to a flower shop and an event space. Oh. And also, throw pregnancy and a new baby in the mix, and you have Erica’s story! We walk through the events that led up to this 27-...

What on earth do we do when our kid leaves us to go away to college? That's what Sarah Crabtree had to figure out last year when her only son, Preston, left home to begin his Freshman year at Auburn University. This episode, we walk from early motherhood all the way to the first year as an empty nester. Sarah shares some of her favorite memories, as well as some of the most trying times she experi...

Podcast editing is a beautiful thing. It allows me to cut out the places where we mess up and the moments when the dogs bark unexpectedly. I also want to keep each episode around an hour long, so editing allows me to shorten them to fit that time frame. Unfortunately, sometimes this means having to cut out good conversation, and this week, I decided this clip was one that you might need to hear, e...

You cannot listen to this episode without hearing the joy and appreciation that Jamie Long has for her life. Whether it was the early days as a single mom doing her best to make a good life for her daughter Montana, “riding backroads” with her best friend who would one day be her husband, or soaking in every ounce of these early days with her 18-month-old Walker, you can’t miss the gratitude in he...

A troubled childhood didn't stop Demetria Horton from graduating with more degrees than anyone in her high school class and eventually building her own successful business. She isn’t afraid to get vulnerable and tell her story, and she shares of how those moments of adversity led her to become the person she is today. She has grown through her experiences as an individual, a business professional,...

This episode, I explore the importance of self-awareness and taking inventory of where you are right now. Because no matter how badly you want to reach a destination on a map, if you don’t know your starting point, it will be close to impossible to end up there without a lot of roadblocks, twists, and turns. You must know your current position in order to effectively chart your path. I discuss que...

Author, speaker, and mama of 2, Caris Snider, shares about her own struggles with anxiety, depression, and feeling as though she had to be perfect in order to be loved. We talk about tools to cope with these common challenges and remind you that you are not alone when you walk through them.   www.successfulmamapodcast.com

While motherhood came for Jhamese Willis at just 17 years old, she didn’t let that stop her from working toward her dream of starting her own business. Her story walks through going to school, working, and navigating motherhood with minimal support, all while helping family and trying to find footing to step out of her comfort zone and into entrepreneurship.