How to Stop Reacting and Start Connecting with Your Kids

How to Stop Reacting and Start Connecting with Your Kids

In this episode of Cake for Dinner, Keisha sits down with Erin Morrison, the voice behind The Conscious Mom and author of Three Minutes for Mom, for a raw and honest conversation about motherhood, conscious parenting, emotional regulation, and the pressure moms feel to get everything right. Erin shares why parenting is less about controlling your child and more about understanding what is happening inside of you. Together, they talk about mom guilt, gentle parenting, the labels we put on our kids, why parents take behavior personally, and how apologizing to your children can actually build deeper trust and connection. This conversation is for every mom who has ever yelled, overreacted, questioned herself, or felt like she was failing — only to realize that motherhood is not about perfection. It is about awareness, repair, self-trust, and learning how to show up again. If you are navigating conscious parenting, gentle parenting, motherhood, tweens, teens, big emotions, or your own healing journey as a mom, this episode will hit home.   00:00 — Introduction 01:04 — Welcome Erin Morrison 01:44 — Why Erin Wrote Three Minutes for Mom 03:05 — The Missing Link in Parenting 04:18 — The Baggage We Bring Into Motherhood 06:19 — How Labels Shape Our Kids 10:40 — Letting Kids Find Their Own Path 13:22 — Are Parents Living Through Their Children? 15:12 — Learning to Pause Before Reacting 18:21 — Why Apologizing to Your Kids Matters 21:55 — Conscious Parenting vs. Gentle Parenting 24:07 — Phones, Sleepovers & Modern Parenting Boundaries 28:21 — It’s Never Too Late to Start Over 31:05 — Trusting Your Gut as a Mom 34:03 — How to Become a More Conscious Parent 37:29 — What Erin Had to Unlearn 43:19 — Breaking Generational Parenting Patterns 45:10 — The Truth About Early Motherhood 52:51 — Where to Find Erin Morrison 53:21 — Closing Thoughts   Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ [https://keeshascott.com/] Get Erins book: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3+minutes+for+mom&adgrpid=189369634271&hvadid=779579003977&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9012036&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=11163684166959021073--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11163684166959021073&hvtargid=kwd-2393975566028&hydadcr=22536_13730665_8233&mcid=2933b18f25b336578aff6b5ca96e801b&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_3ik3m4oy7r_e [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3+minutes+for+mom&adgrpid=189369634271&hvadid=779579003977&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9012036&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=11163684166959021073--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11163684166959021073&hvtargid=kwd-2393975566028&hydadcr=22536_13730665_8233&mcid=2933b18f25b336578aff6b5ca96e801b&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_3ik3m4oy7r_e]

Why Women Need to Talk About Grief, Loss & Healing

Today Lisa McCarty joins the conversation to talk about the stories women often carry in silence — grief, miscarriage, infertility, caregiving, mental health, motherhood, and the complicated realities of healing. Lisa is a journalist, writer, and grief educator whose work has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and more. Through her writing, she brings honesty and clarity to topics that many people struggle to talk about openly. In this conversation, Lisa shares how losing her father while becoming a mother shaped her work, why writing became a way to process grief, and how sharing her personal story helped other people feel less alone. She also opens up about her experience with infertility, four miscarriages in one year, the diagnosis that changed everything, and the emotional toll that continues even after a successful pregnancy. This episode is a deeply honest conversation about women’s health, loss, resilience, advocacy, and the importance of creating safe spaces where women can tell the truth about what they are going through. Whether you have experienced grief, pregnancy loss, infertility, caregiving, anxiety, or simply a hard season of life, this conversation is a reminder that you are not alone — and that your story matters. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Follow Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/lbmccarty717  00:00 — Introduction 00:48 — Why Lisa Started Writing About Grief 01:19 — Losing Her Father While Becoming a Mother 03:27 — How Sharing Grief Helped Her Feel Less Alone 04:31 — A Complex Father-Daughter Relationship 06:10 — Writing Personal Essays vs. Reported Stories 08:26 — Four Miscarriages in One Year 09:50 — The Devastating Reality of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss 11:39 — The Diagnosis That Changed Everything 14:42 — Finally Getting Answers and Trying Again 15:14 — The Mental Health Toll of Infertility 16:10 — Being Reminded of Loss at Every Doctor’s Visit 17:52 — Why Sharing Women’s Health Stories Matters 18:24 — Helping Other Women Advocate for Themselves 20:27 — Why Women Need Better Access to Information 21:22 — The Lack of Emotional Support During IVF 23:38 — Social Media, Misinformation & Women’s Health 26:09 — Why Reliable Medical Information Matters 30:15 — Why We Avoid Talking About Loss and Mental Health 31:31 — Breaking the Stigma Around Women’s Emotions 32:37 — Caregiving, Boundaries & Normalizing Hard Conversations 33:58 — The Piece That Changed Lisa the Most 35:27 — Anxiety, Motherhood & Learning Boundaries 37:14 — Advice for Anyone in a Hard Season 39:16 — Where to Find Lisa McCarty 39:38 — Closing Thoughts

The Internet Safety Talk Every Parent Needs to Hear

In this powerful episode of Cake for Dinner, Greg Schiller joins the podcast for an urgent and eye-opening conversation every parent needs to hear. Greg is a former assistant U.S. attorney who spent 20 years prosecuting online predators, internet crimes, and crimes against children. He has testified before Congress on online exploitation and now serves as the CEO of Child Rescue Coalition, an organization helping law enforcement identify and stop predators around the world. This conversation dives into what parents are getting wrong when it comes to kids and technology, why smartphones are not just “phones,” how predators target children online, and why communication at home is the most important safety tool parents have. Greg breaks down the realities of online exploitation, the dangers hidden inside apps, games, and social platforms, and the simple non-negotiables parents can put in place to better protect their children. From Snapchat and Instagram to hidden apps, screen monitoring, privacy myths, and the importance of starting conversations early, this episode is a must-listen for moms, dads, and anyone raising kids in the digital age. This is not about fear. It is about awareness, communication, and giving parents the tools to protect their children before something happens. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Read More About Gregs Work: https://childrescuecoalition.org/   00:00 — Introduction 00:48 — What parents are getting wrong about kids and technology 02:27 — Why online predators are everywhere children are 04:49 — If your child has a device, they can access everything 06:02 — Why parents need to talk about sex and online safety earlier 08:38 — The best parental control is communication 10:29 — Why devices should not charge in kids’ bedrooms 13:36 — When should parents give their child a phone? 14:52 — “Pause before you post” and teaching kids digital awareness 16:17 — How predators pretend to be someone they are not 17:52 — The reality of online offenders and how they target kids 21:44 — Why parents need better language to explain online danger 23:50 — The shocking number of online child exploitation reports 26:50 — How Child Rescue Coalition helps law enforcement catch predators 28:58 — How Greg’s work affects him as a father 33:29 — Three non-negotiables for kids and devices 34:56 — Why kids should never communicate with strangers online 35:28 — The truth about Snapchat and disappearing messages 38:54 — Why kids feel safe online when they are not 39:11 — Rapid fire: Snapchat, Instagram, privacy, apps, and monitoring 43:55 — The one sentence every kid should hear before getting a phone 44:49 — Greg’s biggest takeaway for parents 46:46 — Where to learn more about Child Rescue Coalition

Finding Joy After Loss | Inside Jam With Jamie

Jamie Kolnick, founder of Jam With Jamie, shares the powerful story behind the music, the business, and the joy she brings to families across the country. What started as a small children’s music party business has grown into a multi-city brand with dozens of performers, classes, events, school programs, and the annual Little Jam Fest. But behind Jamie’s success is a much deeper story of resilience. After losing her brother, father, and mother, Jamie found herself building something joyful during one of the hardest seasons of her life. Jamie opens up about grief, imposter syndrome, motherhood, music, entrepreneurship, vocal challenges, and what it really means to create joy intentionally — even when life doesn’t go as planned. This conversation is about more than music. It’s about turning pain into purpose, finding light after loss, and choosing joy again and again. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/  Follow Jamie: https://www.instagram.com/jamwithjamie/   00:00 — Introduction 00:30 — How Jam With Jamie Began 05:35 — Jamie’s Mom Names the Business 07:27 — From First Party to Word of Mouth 08:12 — Loss, Grief, and Perspective 09:47 — Growing Jam With Jamie Into 9 Cities 10:34 — The Creation of Little Jam Fest 12:02 — Music, Family, and Jamie’s Father 20:32 — How Music Connects With Kids 23:05 — Showing Up With Joy During Hard Seasons 25:57 — Work, Grief, Burnout, and Healing 30:06 — Life Pivots and Vocal Challenges 32:28 — Is Joy Found or Created? 35:33 — Finding Joy in a Hard Season 37:50 — Where to Find Jam With Jamie and Little Jam Fest

How to Build a Business From Home Without Losing Yourself

Today we sit down with Alexia Ferrari, known online as The Millionaire Homemaker, to talk about motherhood, ambition, money, identity, and what it really means to build success on your own terms. Alexia shares how she went from climbing the corporate ladder in the aerospace and systems engineering world to building a thriving online brand and business from home. After becoming a mother, she found herself questioning how she could keep up the pace of corporate life while also being present for her family. That tension eventually opened the door to a new vision: helping women create wealth from home without having to choose between motherhood and their dreams. Throughout the conversation, Alexia opens up about the messy middle of entrepreneurship, building a brand with authenticity, learning how to create viral content, using AI and automation, and why women today are craving something deeper than financial freedom alone. This conversation is for the woman who feels pulled between who she is, who she wants to become, and the life she is trying to build. Learn more about Keesha: https://keeshascott.com/ Follow Alexia: https://www.instagram.com/themillionairehomemaker/  00:00 — Introduction 00:41 — Becoming The Millionaire Homemaker 01:52 — Leaving Corporate Life Behind 04:51 — Discovering the Power of Working From Home 06:22 — Helping Women Build Wealth From Home 08:29 — Motherhood, Guilt, and Giving Back to Yourself 10:37 — The Messy Middle of Building a Business 13:19 — Turning Your Gifts Into a Brand 16:32 — When a Brand Becomes a Movement 20:10 — Why Authenticity Wins Online 21:57 — Building a Business While Raising a Family 24:33 — Funnels, Automation, and Passive Income 29:10 — Why You Have to Fully Commit 32:48 — Why You Don’t Need a Huge Following to Succeed 34:46 — Handling Negative Comments Online 36:35 — Redefining Success on Your Own Terms 39:53 — The Truth About Overnight Success 43:16 — Creating Content That Feels Real 45:50 — Where to Find Alexia Ferrari