The Vibrant Mom Podcast

In this end-of-year episode, Cara invites moms to release the pressure of January 1st resolutions and approach the new year with patience and self-compassion. She encourages using January as a time for reflection and gentle structure—focusing on observation, realistic planning, and honoring each mom’s unique personal wellbeing resource budget. The episode reframes goal-setting as a flexible, seaso...

In this episode, Cara explores what peace can really look like during the holiday season. Rather than something we reach once the chaos ends, peace is framed as an inner practice, something we actively nurture even amid stress, disappointment, and full to-do lists. Cara shares three simple principles of peace, encouraging listeners to bind their attention to what matters most, simplify expectation...

In this episode of The Vibrant Mom Podcast, Cara sits down with her friend Sarah Hubbard— a realtor in Boulder, CO, branding strategist and single mom of a 3 year old. Sarah shares how life in her 40s with a toddler and a high-emotion career has completely changed her internal landscape and required new tools for regulating her nervous system in real time. Cara opens up about her own midlife shift...

In this episode, Cara shares the two simple nutrition shifts that can dramatically improve your mood, energy, focus, and sense of self-connection as a midlife mom: front-loading your eating with a nourishing breakfast and lunch, and prioritizing fiber + protein in both. She breaks down why these habits matter hormonally and emotionally—and offers easy, repeatable breakfast and lunch ideas to help...

In this episode, Cara unpacks why time feels like it’s speeding by for so many moms and what we can do to feel more rooted in our everyday lives. She explores the mental load, multitasking, and routines that make days feel long but years feel short, and offers a compassionate reminder that the goal isn’t to slow down time, but to create intentional pockets of presence, novelty, and memory-rich mom...

Cara dives deep into one of the most common and most frustrating experiences shared by working moms in their late 30s and 40s: brain fog. She unpacks the major causes behind forgetfulness, mental fuzziness, disrupted focus, and “not feeling like yourself” and then Cara walks you through her six favorite supports that can truly move the needle. This episode is a practical guide that will help you r...

n this episode, therapist and mentor Cara Maiolo introduces the Vibrant Mom Framework—a holistic, research-based approach designed to help working moms navigate the “critical decade” of midlife (ages 36–46). Drawing from over 20 years of experience, Cara shares how emotional well-being, physical health, identity evolution, and creative fulfillment together create the foundation for vibrant living....

Today’s episode centers on the idea of creating space as the foundation for emotional well-being, especially for women navigating motherhood and midlife transitions. Drawing from her professional and personal experience, Cara introduces three key space essentials for transformation: a welcoming inner space that offers safety and self-compassion; a nurturing inner self that embodies kindness, stead...

In this episode Cara opens up about the biggest mistake she made in her 20 years as a therapist—overlooking how profoundly perimenopause and midlife hormonal changes affect women’s mental health. She shares her own journey through years of severe insomnia, how traditional therapy tools weren’t enough, and the life-changing difference she found when she finally understood the role of hormones in sl...

In this conversation Cara discusses how joy and creativity are vital parts of a working mom’s life, right alongside care and responsibility. We explore the delicate balance between caring for others and nurturing our own sense of fulfillment. Cara introduces the four pillars of meaning—belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling—a framework inspired by author Emily Smith. With heartfelt st...

In this episode, we explore three common mistakes that can get in the way of emotional well-being, especially for us midlife, working moms. A few of them might even surprise you. By uncovering these patterns, you’ll be reminded of the importance of tuning into what you really need and noticing how those needs have likely shifted since having kids. Most of all, you’ll learn how critical it is to br...

Discover how life's transitions, whether shared with our children or experienced personally, can lead to profound self-discovery and growth. If your kiddo(s) are currently going through any big or little transitions, you have an essential opportunity to use this change as a catalyst to help propel you into the next iteration of your own personal growth journey. Learn how to welcome and treasure th...

Take action on the one simple and seamless thing you can do each morning to keep your mood even and your energy lasting throughout the day. This is a micro ritual that you don't want to miss! Discover the impact of protein coffee on your well-being. Key Takeaways: A micro ritual that can anchor you into vibrant health and balance your mood. Protein coffee is a simple morning ritual that boosts ene...

Working moms are the most agile and strongest people I know. And yet, when it comes to staying consistent with the self-care practices or the more tender, growing areas of our lives that we care about- we tend to get really hard on ourselves, overly rigid, anxious, and sometimes lost in overwhelm when we struggle to follow through what we've intended. Mamas, there's a better way to navigate this c...

I want to let you in on a game-changer in my working mom journey! It's this: realizing self-care doesn't require an hour-long+ commitment to 'count.' I've shifted from thinking only lengthy practices matter, to embracing intentional yet brief revitalization practices that actually fit into my packed schedule—making self-care sustainable rather than another impossible standard to meet. In this week...

For those days when you're in a funk, have a bad case of the "blahs," or stuck in survival mode! Put on your walking shoes mama and take this episode on a walk (yes-literally!). Learn how to get out of the excessive worry, high self-criticism, overly self conscious, low mood or anxiety trap through the art and science of self-regulation. In today's episode we discuss: What survival mode looks like...

Learn how to get out of the self-criticism and guilt spiral when you’re struggling and know what to do instead! In today's episode we discuss:  The self-criticism and guilt spiral most working moms experience Cara’s 3-step "Stop the spiral" method Build your curiosity, self-compassion and self-regulation muscles An invitation to map your nervous system with me and an expert toolkit to impleme...

Let's transform your experience of working mom stress with a KEY strategy: learning how to harness the power of your body to influence your mind, your mood, and your ability to navigate stress. In today's episode we discuss:  The role of your nervous system plays in your experience of stress. The 4 key aspects of your mind that your body influences: your habits of thought, your ability to wor...

I can't wait to share with you one of my favorite self-regulation practices - Non Sleep Deep Rest (or NSDR for short). It's my go-to strategy as a parent AND as a therapist for working moms to help us feel more present at work when we're working, and with our littles when we're at home. I’ll also share 3 strategic windows of opportunity in your schedule to fit this powerful practice into the mix....

Mama, let's talk about cultivating joy and ease - even in a challenging day. I can't wait to share with you a mind-body approach that really does work to lighten the load, especially from the inside out as we're moving through a difficult day. You are so often the soothing presence, the "breeze," or the nurturing support for the little and loved ones in your life. Learning how to be a soothing pre...

Using micro connection and regulation practices to better nurture an evolving YOU. Most working moms that I know and talk to on a regular basis are struggling with not only getting some downtime and important self-care into their daily schedules, but when you actually carve out that *usually very limited* time, you feel lost on what to actually do that will be most fulfilling. Or, you feel like yo...

Today we're talking about the Find Vitality Daily Check in Practice, which is a simple yet potent way to start your day as a working mom. This is my go-to morning ritual that will bring you a sense of connection to your deeper self- the authentic YOU that's there underneath all of that working and “moming.” When practiced regularly, it'll become a powerful tool in your toolbox that will help you t...

This season of life as a working mom with young kiddos is as intensely beautiful as it is intensely demanding- in terms of energy output, emotional output, and mental output. So we need a practical framework to understand what's happening as our mood and our focus fluctuates, and we need a potent tool that help us get back onto the right track - in a relatively short amount of time. As a follow up...

Sleep interruptions and deficiencies are a give-in as a working mom with a young kiddo(s). You need a strategy and tools that help you show up as your best self for your life and your work the next day. I can't wait to share one of my favorite nervous system regulating tools that will help buffer the negative effects of sleep loss on your mind and body, keeps your energy replenished, and helps sta...