In this episode of Wanna Grab Coffee?, I’m joined by my longtime friend Stephanie Perkins, someone who’s been part of my life since our now-husbands were classmates, roommates and co-workers back in the day.

We talk about the real-life season Stephanie and her husband walked through when he left athletic training to pursue PA school, and she became the sole provider while also stepping into motherhood. We get into what it actually felt like to be a working mom in survival mode, the pressure we put on ourselves, and how those hard years shaped their marriage, parenting, and decision-making as a team.

We're interrupted multiple times by my precious angel children who decided printing coloring pages and burping loudly in the next room over were totally appropriate while mom recorded her podcast. We're raising little ladies over here, after all!

Stephanie also shares the heart behind Rad Moms Club, the “get a hobby” moment that sparked it, and why she’s so passionate about celebrating moms in the chaos, not just the highlight reel. Plus, we get into the underrated magic of car rides with your kids, how real conversations happen when everyone’s facing forward, and simple prompts that actually get kids talking.

Listener note: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and stillbirth. Please take care while listening.

Find Stephanie + Rad Moms Club

Website: www.radmomsclub.com

Instagram: @rad_moms_club_

Absolutely. Below are RSS-ready show notes, written in your voice, first person, grounded directly in the transcript. They are warm, honest, slightly self-owning, and structured for Apple and Spotify without sounding produced or preachy.

Episode Show Notes

This week I’m sharing one of my biggest mom fails. And yes, it involves a puppy, allergies, and my daughter screaming “I hate you” at me while we sat in LA traffic.

What started as a low-stakes Saturday adventure turned into one of the hardest parenting decisions I’ve had to make. We adopted a puppy. I truly thought I did everything right. I tested for allergies. I asked the right questions. I gave it time. And then my daughter had a severe reaction and I had to choose between something we wanted and someone I love more.

This episode is not really about a dog. It’s about what it feels like to make a decision that has no clean win. It’s about the guilt, the grief, the shame, and the second guessing that can come with motherhood. And it’s about realizing our kids are watching how we handle hard things.

I talk about what it was like returning the puppy within 24 hours, sitting with my daughter’s anger and grief, and reminding myself that you can be sad and still be right. You can disappoint people and still be loving. And you can grieve something and still move forward.

I also share how this moment forced me to think about the example I’m setting for my daughters. I want them to grow into women who know their health gets a vote. Physical, mental, and emotional. And I want them to know that walking away from something that looks good but hurts them is not failure. It’s strength.

If you’ve ever made a parenting decision that felt like heartbreak and leadership at the same time, this episode is for you. And if my mess makes you feel even a little bit better about your own, then it’s worth sharing.

In this episode, we talk about:

• One of my biggest mom fails and how it unfolded
• Adopting a puppy with severe allergies in our family
• What it feels like to make a no-win parenting decision
• Sitting with your child’s grief without fixing it
• Why health (physical, mental, emotional) always gets a vote
• Letting go of shame after doing your best
• Teaching our kids when to walk away from something that hurts them
• How heartbreak and leadership can coexist

A few reminders I keep coming back to:

• You can be sad and still be right
• You can disappoint others and still be loving
• You can grieve and still move forward

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love it if you shared it with another mom who might need to hear it. And if you’re new here, make sure you’re following the show @wannagrabcoffeepod so you don’t miss future episodes. We’re having honest conversations over coffee, without pretending any of this is easy.

Thanks for being here. I’ll see you next week!

Hi friends! Remember me? I took a little winter break because your girl got absolutely owned by the holidays. If you’re walking around with that post-Christmas fog, feeling flat, overwhelmed, and like your brain has 47 tabs open, this episode is for you.

I actually recorded this once already and re-recorded it because I wasn’t mentally present. I value authenticity, and I’m not here to show up half-hearted for this community.

What we’re talking about:

The post-holiday hangover is real. If you feel tired, full, and uninspired coming out of the season, you’re not the only one. There’s comfort in that, and also… it makes me think we’re carrying way too much.

My personal holiday pile-on: all three of my kids have October birthdays (not intentional, please keep your jokes to yourself), we hosted Thanksgiving, I launched the podcast in October, and then boom, Christmas season hit.

Elf on the Shelf almost took me out. I tried to make elf ideas easier for other moms by turning it into content. Plot twist: I burned myself out doing it. I love Christmas, I love my kids, I love this community. It was still too much.

I punted my birthday and it was my best decision. My birthday is December 16. If you’re a holiday birthday person, you get it. I moved my celebration to January and I’m doing that again.

I want less stuff and more experiences. I am at my limit with tiny plastic items in my home. Next year I want to go all in on trips, passes, memberships, and memories.

New job ramp plus holiday chaos: I started a new job, which is exciting and a big win for my family, and also stressful because ramping is ramping. Add the holidays and I felt maxed out.

The holidays are a month-long adrenaline drip. So when it’s over and you feel like a zombie, that’s not weakness. That’s your nervous system coming down. Also, I’m not doing 5:30 AM workouts. I said what I said.

Capacity doesn’t disappear, it changes. I talked with Casey Calkins about this. We’re used to doing a lot, then life shifts and you’re like, wait… why can’t I operate like I used to? The truth: our capacity didn’t shrink. It looks different now. More intentional. More efficient. More valuable.

Invisible labor gets loud during the holidays. Planning, coordinating, gift tracking, traditions, managing everyone’s experience. It stacks fast.

The uncomfortable conversations that made things lighter: I share a few hard talks my husband and I have had that helped, including stockings (yes, I want mine filled and no, I do not want kitchen utensils), holiday expectations, and how we divide and organize gifts. Yes, I have a spreadsheet. No, I’m not sorry.

Reflection questions (no fixing required)

• What did this season cost me?
• What do I not want to carry into next year?
• What can be lighter?
• What can be simpler?
• What can be released?

Before you go:

If you’re still regaining your footing, unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, and breathe. You’re not broken. Your life is full. Give yourself grace.

If this episode felt familiar, send it to a working mom you love.

Come hang out with me on Instagram: @wannagrabcoffeepod (W-A-N-N-A grab coffee pod). See you next week. We’re back in the swing of things.

Ever had a neighbor become part of your village?

This week I’m sitting down with Melissa — one of my favorite humans, former across-the-street neighbor, and the teacher-mom who helped raise my kids during our cul-de-sac years.

Melissa recently did something incredibly brave: she moved her family out of state, left the only community she’s ever known, and started teaching in a completely new school system.

In this conversation we talk about:

• What actually happens when you move your family to a new state

• Teaching 4th & 5th graders in 2025 — the emotions, the tech, the expectations

• Why kids today struggle with focus, grit, and problem-solving

• The hidden emotional labor teachers carry

• Parenting styles, classroom culture, and what teachers wish parents knew

• How mom friendships become lifelines — especially during COVID-era motherhood

• Cowboy romance books, Amazon “potato shoes,” and the art of driveway therapy.

If you’ve ever lost your village, rebuilt your village, or wished you had one — this episode will feel like a warm cup of coffee on the driveway.

🎙️ Listen, share, and tag a teacher-mom who would love this.

Episode Description

Hey friends! This episode is a really special one because I'm sitting down with one of my best friends, Casey Calkins—the person who literally talked me out of the classroom and into tech, and who has been cheering on this podcast since it was just a scribble in my notes app.

If you're a high-achieving, spreadsheet-loving, "I can handle it" working mom who's running on fumes, this one's for you.

Casey spent 20 years in sales at companies like Salesforce, leading teams and crushing it on paper. But behind the scenes, her body was waving every red flag: chronic migraines that looked like strokes, a collapse at lunch with her parents, a heart defect, and what turned out to be a cerebellar stroke.

In This Conversation, We Talk About:

• What burnout really looks like for ambitious women (beyond "I'm tired")
• How COVID, remote work, and little kids created the perfect storm for chronic stress
• The identity crisis that came with taking a leave of absence
• The resentment she felt towards her own body
• Small, unsexy things that helped her heal: walks, boundaries, fiction, creativity, asking for help
• Why she left corporate to start C2IT Partners, coaching leaders to build healthier team cultures

If you've ever wondered "Is it really this bad? Or am I just not enough?"—you need to hear this. You are not weak. Your nervous system is just tired.

Note: This episode is longer than usual because I couldn't cut anything out. Grab your coffee (or sleepy time tea), maybe some banana bread, and let's dive in.

Resources Mentioned:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagoski

Unlocking Us® episode: "Burnout and How to Complete the Stress Cycle"

The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom

After-School Banana Bread by Joanna Gaines Get the cookbook here! View the recipe

Connect with Casey Calkins:

Website: C2IT Partners

LinkedIn: Casey Calkins

Instagram: @c2itpartners

Connect With Me:

Instagram: @wannagrabcoffeepod

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses health crises and the physical effects of chronic stress.

On this episode of Wanna Grab Coffee? we’re talking PTO. You know, that “benefit” that somehow turned into Paid Time Off for Sick Kids, School Chaos, and Everyone Else’s Emergencies Except Yours. Working moms, this one is for us.

If you’ve ever tried to be emotionally available on the first or last day of school while secretly checking Slack in the pickup line… same. And if you’ve ever wondered why taking a single PTO day feels harder than your actual job… also same.

In this episode, we’re breaking down how to reclaim PTO as part of your earned compensation, not a guilty treat. You’ll learn how to use PTO as a tool for intentional life design- not just for fevers, field trips, and last-minute crises — but for mental health, emotional availability, and showing up for your kids when it matters most.

We get into:

☕️ The invisible emotional load of school transitions ☕️ Why presence > perfection (and definitely > inbox zero)

☕️ How to set boundaries with your team + manager

☕️ Tactical ways to unplug without spiraling

☕️ How PTO supports burnout recovery, parenting, and career longevity

☕️ What it looks like to design a life that works for your family, not just your job

This is real talk for working moms juggling career pressure, mom guilt, emotional labor, and the constant mental load. If you’re trying to balance motherhood and ambition without losing your sanity, this episode will give you both the truth bombs and the tools.

Grab your coffee, shut down your Slack, and let’s talk about the PTO you deserve — and how it can change the way you show up for your family and yourself.

In this episode, I’m diving into one of the hardest but most necessary parts of being a working mom...setting boundaries at work. You know that feeling of being “always on,” constantly checking Slack or email even after you’ve logged off? Yeah, I’ve been there.

I share some of my own experiences around learning (and sometimes failing) to draw the line between work and home, and what it’s taken to unlearn the guilt that comes with prioritizing rest and self-care. We’ll talk through a few small, realistic steps you can take to protect your energy and create more breathing room in your day.

Because at the end of the day, boundaries aren’t about saying no. They’re about saying yes to peace, connection, and the parts of life that matter most.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to downshift — in work, parenting, and the way we see our own bodies. I talk through the tension between who we’ve been told to be (high achieving, always on, constantly proving) and what our actual hearts and homes need from us right now.

We walk through:

• A real financial reality check — not the Pinterest version, but the honest math of “How much do we truly need to live well?”
• Mindset shifts around wants vs. needs — and how so many of our “needs” are actually habits, pressure, or comparison.
• The Sacrifice Audit — what’s easy to cut, what’s painful, and what’s absolutely non-negotiable for your sanity.
• How to measure the invisible gains — like bandwidth, peace, mornings that don’t feel like a sprint, actually being present with your kids, and remembering who you are.

I also share a few practical tools to help you track progress that isn’t just financial — because downshifting is just as much about what you get back as what you let go of.

We close with encouragement to notice and celebrate the tiny wins — the kind that don’t show up on spreadsheets but change your whole life.

This is for the moms who are tired of feeling like their worth is in their output — and are ready to reclaim their time, their presence, and their joy.

Pour a cup. Let’s breathe. You’re not doing this alone. ☕💛

⁠Free printable reflection guide here!