Postpartum is often framed as a personal struggle — but what if it’s actually a system failure?

In this episode, I talk about why postpartum feels so overwhelming even when moms are doing everything right. From the lack of medical follow-up to disappearing support and unrealistic expectations, this conversation reframes postpartum as a failure of systems — not of mothers.

This episode is for anyone who felt abandoned, unseen, or unsupported after having a baby.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why postpartum care drops off after six weeks

• What happens when depression screenings go nowhere

• Why support disappears after birth

• How moms internalize struggle as personal failure

🎧 No Textbook for Life is a podcast about motherhood, mental health, marriage, and navigating life without a manual.

Listen to the audio version on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Postpartum doesn’t end at six weeks — and for many moms, it’s just the beginning of a much deeper emotional and identity shift.

In this episode, I talk about what it really looks like to rebuild yourself after postpartum. We discuss identity loss, confidence, routines, and why healing after having a baby takes far longer than society prepares us for. This conversation is for moms who feel stuck in the in-between — not who they were before, but not fully settled into who they are now.

No Textbook for Life is a podcast about motherhood, marriage, mental health, and navigating life without a manual.

Postpartum doesn’t just change moms — it changes relationships.

In this episode of No Textbook for Life, we talk about why the postpartum season is so hard on marriages and partnerships, and why so many couples feel disconnected, resentful, or misunderstood after having a baby.

This conversation covers:

• The invisible mental load mothers carry

• Why “his tired” and “her tired” are not the same

• How resentment builds when needs go unspoken

• The identity shift moms and dads experience differently

• What actually helps postpartum moms feel supported

• Why help isn’t stepping in — it’s stepping up

• How the lack of a village makes everything harder

This episode isn’t about blaming — it’s about understanding what’s happening so couples can survive and grow through one of the hardest transitions of life.

🎙 No Textbook for Life is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

📺 Full video episodes are posted on YouTube.

Postpartum is so often talked about as just depression — but for many moms, it looks nothing like what we expected.

In this episode of No Textbook for Life, I talk honestly about the postpartum experience that so many women go through but don’t have words for: anxiety, hormonal crashes, sleep deprivation, physical changes, and the identity shock that comes after having a baby.

We dive into:

• Why postpartum anxiety is real (and often missed)

• What actually happens when estrogen and progesterone crash

• How sleep deprivation worsens mental health

• Why postpartum depression screenings are often not enough

• Hair loss, breastfeeding struggles, bonding delays, and grief

• The truth about feeling “off” without feeling depressed

This episode includes real stories from moms who shared their postpartum experiences — and a reminder that if you’re struggling, you are not broken. You’re postpartum.

🎙 No Textbook for Life is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

📺 Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Postpartum is one of the hardest seasons of life — and yet so many moms feel completely unprepared for how overwhelming it can be.

In this episode of No Textbook for Life, Malia shares her honest postpartum experience, the emotional and mental shifts no one warns you about, and why struggling after having a baby does not mean you’re doing something wrong.

This episode is for new moms, expecting moms, and anyone who wants a more realistic understanding of postpartum life.

🎧 No Textbook for Life is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

🎥 Watch the video version on YouTube @ Modern American Mama

In this episode, my husband shares what it was like growing up with big, themed Christmases every single year. From movie-inspired celebrations to elaborate decorations, food, and traditions, he walks through the magic, creativity, and memories that shaped his childhood Christmas experience.

We talk about what made those themed Christmases so memorable, why they still matter to him today, and which traditions he hopes to carry into our own family. If you love hearing about over-the-top holiday traditions, family culture, and the memories that stick with us, you’ll love this conversation.

This season is all about holiday traditions! In this episode, I’m sharing how my husband and I are building Christmas magic for our girls—from the simple traditions I grew up with to the extravagant ones he had as a kid. We’ve created a “heritage Christmas” each year, inspired by our DNA, and this year is Germany! I dive into the decorations, food, service ideas, special routines, our Grinch-in-a-Cinch, movie nights, family ornaments, Christmas Eve, and more. If you need ideas or love cozy traditions, this episode is for you.

Birth is physical, but your mindset drives the experience. Today we’re breaking down a research-backed mental toolkit for labor and early postpartum. This includes visualization, calming techniques, fear reframing, support system prep, and how your hormones actually work with you during birth.

I’ll share the tools that helped me through both of my births, plus the mistakes I wouldn’t repeat. If you want to walk into birth feeling prepared instead of overwhelmed, this episode gives you the mental roadmap.

There’s no textbook for birth mindset—but you can train for it.