Beyond the Bombshell: Confidence, Style, and Empowerment for Women

"I Said Yes to the Fashion Show": This One's For the Ladies Who Keep Making Excuses to Stay Small

Michelle records from the parking lot outside her office, coming down from one of the biggest weeks of the year—dance competition, Sold by Stokes brunch, and walking a fashion show runway she almost said no to three times. This is a candid episode about the four buckets she's juggling right now: the spark she felt walking that runway in clothes that actually fit her real body, the quiet worry about her 13-year-old who's home more than she'd like, the trap she's fallen into at work showing up just to show up, and the reminder of why she started all of this in the first place. From the fashion show's invitation sitting unanswered to Josh simply saying, "Why would you say no?"—sometimes it takes one person to call out your excuses for you to finally say yes to yourself. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Beyond the Bombshell 00:35 May-cember Madness 01:59 Mom Life Updates 04:06 Post Event Crash 06:31 Fashion Show Yes 06:48 What Bombshell Means 09:00 Shopping Habits 10:11 Facing Runway Fears 14:00 Runway Moment 14:57 Be Your Own Hype Girl 17:41 Back to Reality 17:50 Helping Ben Grow 19:49 Work Purpose Reset 22:47 Juggling All Buckets 24:43 June Pep Talk 25:09 Final Sign Off If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle [https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle]

Why Do I Always Get Triggered by the Littlest Things?": This One's For the Ladies with a Short Fuse and No Idea Why

Michelle records from home with sick kids, reflecting on a week where someone shared a Mel Robbins podcast that cracked her brain wide open. After thanking listeners for creating an unofficial safe space (her DMs are full of travel questions, gift recommendations, and "I'm getting divorced"), she shares the Friday morning that changed everything—Josh skipped squash, set his alarm early, and suddenly they're back in sync. Then she unpacks the podcast that explained why she explodes over spilled juice: adverse childhood responses. Your body remembers stress from years ago and reacts the same way now, even if you don't remember the actual trauma. From realizing morning buffering isn't enough to get you through bedtime chaos, to understanding why she's so guarded with Josh (it's not him, it's the unhealthy relationship from high school), to finally connecting why she hates cuddling (those lost years in bed just existing). If you snap at your kids and feel terrible after, or shut down with your partner for reasons you can't explain, this one's the mirror you didn't know you needed. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome & Raspy Voice Reality 01:21 Why Sharing Podcasts Matters (Thank You, Stranger) 04:57 My DMs Are a Safe Space Now 11:42 Friday Morning: Back in Sync with Josh 14:18 The Mel Robbins Podcast That Changed Everything 16:33 Why You React Like a Lunatic (Childhood Triggers) 19:54 Buffering Isn't Just for Mornings 27:00 Why I'm So Guarded with Josh (It's Not Him) 30:09 I Hate Cuddling, and Now I Know Why 32:40 Share This If Someone Needs to Hear It If you've ever exploded over nothing and felt terrible after, share this with someone who needs to know they're not broken—their body just remembers something they forgot. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle [https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle]

"We Don't Need a Different Partner, We Need Different Patterns": This One's For the Couples Who Love Each Other But Forgot How to Be Happy

Michelle records post-Mother's Day after finally understanding what the day should look like—compromise, not sacrifice. But first, she breaks down the Saturday cry session with Josh that started with "Are you happy?" and ended with the realization that they can love each other and still forget how to make each other excited. From Josh's stoic seriousness draining her sunshine to admitting work has become their drug (the dopamine hits, the money, the problem-solving), to the quote that stopped them both: "We don't need a different partner, we need different patterns." She unpacks why this Mother's Day felt different (spoiler: she had Friday night to herself), why surprising 10 moms with charcuterie is what joy looks like for her, and the conversation about whether they'll ever feel like they've "arrived" or just keep chasing more. If you're caught in the work-kids-partner cycle and can't remember the last time you felt genuinely excited together, this one's your mirror. Episode Timestamps; 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:30 Post Mother's Day Reality Check 01:37 From Survival Mode to Compromise 03:38 Redefining What Mother's Day Means 06:11 Giving Back to Other Moms 08:38 The Cry and the Breakthrough 11:48 Marriage Talk: Choosing Happiness 16:51 Different Patterns Not Partners 19:07 Work as an Addiction Cycle 22:13 Share What Helps You 24:05 June Pep Talk and Goodbye 24:38 Final Outro and Reminder If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle [https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle]

I Wish I Could Mother Them Now as the Person I Am": This One's For the Moms in Pure Survival Mode

Michelle records the day after Mother's Day to honor all the moms showing up exhausted, the women who wanted to spend the day alone, and anyone who's ever felt guilty for not soaking it all in. She opens up about the years she's completely blacked out—especially Scarlet's first few years—admitting there were Mother's Days when she dreaded hearing the word "mom" one more time. From the come-to-Jesus moment in Alberta when she realized she needed to move home for help, to crying with Josh about how she used to feel versus how she feels now, to a reel that stopped her cold: "I wish I could experience newborns as the mom I am now." This is about the survival mode no one warns you about, the guilt of being ambitious when you're supposed to just be grateful, and the mental load of being CEO of everyone's lives. If you're drowning right now or you know someone who is, this one's the permission slip to admit it's hard—and you're not doing it wrong. Timestamps: 00:00 Honoring All the Mothers 02:15 Entering a New Mom Era (But Still Figuring It Out) 03:14 The Years I Completely Blacked Out 05:18 The Alberta Breaking Point 07:14 The Mother's Days I Dreaded 09:30 "I'm Going to Regret This Someday" 14:37 Loving Your Kids While Following Your Ambitions 18:12 Nobody Prepared Us to Be CEOs of Our Lives 24:22 May-cember Is Coming 25:29 "I Wish I Could Mother Them as the Person I Am Now" 29:33 Survival Mode Moms Need You More Than You Know If you're in survival mode right now or you know a mom who is, share this episode—sometimes just knowing someone else gets it is the lifeline we need. If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle [https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle]

Building Fences, Not Walls": This One's For the Couples Who Think They're Connecting But Aren't

In this candid episode, Michelle records straight from her car to share a weekend of "messy magic." What started as a simple family movie night turned into a deep reflection on how we evolve in our relationships and the struggle of communicating with our kids when they think they already have all the answers. Episode Timestamps; 00:00 Recording Mondays Now (Tuesdays Too Full) 01:24 Do You Wave at People Driving Your Car? 02:46 The Quality Time Mismatch 06:13 Madea's Wisdom: Build Fences Not Walls 08:41 "Say I Do to Multiple People" 10:42 Why We Watched Movies All Weekend 12:12 The "I Know" Trap 15:46 "You Have Grounding Energy" 19:09 Homework Gives Me Trauma 20:34 My ADHD Brain Can't Sit Still 23:31 We're Aware, No Solutions Yet If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle [https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle]