It's Not You. We are Brave Together.

It's Not You. We are Brave Together.

Motherhood can feel like you’re carrying a backpack no one else can see, especially when your child is neurodivergent and the world keeps telling you it’s “normal” to be drowning. We sit down with Susanna Peace Lovell, Life Coach, author, co-host of the Brave Together Podcast and a Connection Circle leader for We Are Brave Together, a supportive community for mothers raising children with disabilities. Susanna shares her journey raising her daughter Arizona through severe food allergies, sensory challenges, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and anxiety, plus the reality of doing so as a single mom. We talk about postpartum anxiety and depression, the burnout that comes from constant appointments and vigilance, and the sharp sting of judgment from people who don’t understand. Nicole and Shannon bring their own lived experience too: chasing evaluations, paying for therapies, fighting for school support, and trying to regulate your own nervous system while you teach your kids to regulate theirs. We also dig into practical, human resets that actually work: self-compassion as a daily practice, finding tiny “snippets of joy,” letting a creative project or the ocean calm your body, and leaning on one friend who gets it without fixing you. Susanna’s book, Suddenly Brave Together, is a powerful collection of letters from moms who have walked this road to moms who are just stepping into it, and her We Are Brave Together connection circles are proof that support groups can be life-changing. If you’ve been navigating autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, caregiver burnout, or advocacy fatigue, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe for more honest motherhood conversations, share this with a mom who needs an exhale, and leave a review so more parents can find this kind of support.  The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

It's Not You. It's Their Hormones.

Your sweet kid didn’t disappear. Their brain is getting a hormone upgrade with messy wiring in the middle, and it can look like mood swings, sudden tears, sarcastic comments, and big emotional outbursts aimed straight at you. We sit down with nurse practitioner Keaton Mims to make preteen hormones make sense, from what’s happening in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to why puberty hormones can collide with serotonin and dopamine in a way that throws off regulation for a while. When you understand the biology, it gets easier to stop taking it personally and start responding with skill. We also talk about how early, factual puberty education changes everything. Keaton shares her work with Girlology and why kids do better when they learn the science of body changes, periods, reproduction, and body boundaries before shame and embarrassment take over. We get into practical preparation (yes, the period kit), plus how a shared baseline helps you keep the door open for future questions instead of competing with friends, rumors, and the internet. Then we get real about parenting in the moment: how to validate feelings without excusing cruelty, how to teach kids to name emotions and find coping tools that actually fit them, and how to handle bullying, body comments, and the wide range of “normal” timing in puberty. Our biggest takeaway stays simple: connection matters more than getting it perfect, and kids need us to be their parents, not their peers. If you’re raising a preteen or you can see it coming, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more parents can find the support.  The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

It's Not You. Its Lonely.

Motherhood can feel lonely, but we refuse to pretend it’s just a “phase” or a mindset problem. We’re Nicole and Shannon, and we dig into why parenting today can be one of the most isolating seasons of life, even when you’re surrounded by kids, partners, and people who love you. The hard truth is that so much of what we’re carrying is structural: families live farther apart, support systems are thinner, and the mental load keeps growing. We get personal about what happens when you don’t have built-in family help, when trusting others with your children feels complicated, and when your kids’ schedules start colliding in ways that make you wish you could clone yourself. From travel baseball and theater to the constant planning of pickups and drop-offs, we talk about how “doing it all” becomes the default, and how that default can quietly break you down. We also zoom out to the bigger forces that make modern motherhood harder: dual-income survival, expensive childcare, weak maternity leave in the United States, and parenting that feels hyperanalyzed through social media comparison. Along the way, we laugh about craving simpler times, landlines, and the kind of neighborhood village that used to feel normal. If you’ve ever thought, “Where’s the village?”, you’re not alone. Subscribe, share this with a mom who needs it, and leave a review so more parents can find this community. What part of motherhood has felt the loneliest for you lately?  The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

It's Not You. It's Summertime Craziness.

Summer is supposed to feel lighter, but if you’re a working parent it can feel like a full-time puzzle with missing pieces. School ends, your job doesn’t, and suddenly you’re expected to cover full workdays with camps that run for three hours, cost more every year, and require registration months in advance. We’re Nicole and Shannon, and we’re saying the quiet part out loud: the summer camp system often doesn’t match how families actually live now. We dig into the real “summer childcare gap,” from juggling multiple kids with different ages and interests to building color-coded spreadsheets just to track drop-offs, pickups, lunches, and supply lists. We talk about the stress of paying for camps that don’t work, the frustration of no refunds, and why this patchwork approach is especially hard for kids who need routine and consistency, including neurodivergent kids who struggle with constant change. Then we follow the fears that pop up when school structure disappears: sleepaway camp worries, our hard lines on sleepovers, and even beach anxiety like riptides and sharks. We keep it honest about how modern information and social pressure can amplify fear, and why trusting your gut matters even when “everyone else” seems more relaxed. You’ll also hear practical ideas we’re trying right now, like building in age-appropriate independence, using technology thoughtfully, and filling coverage gaps with a teen helper when camp hours don’t add up. If you’re staring down summer and thinking, “How are we supposed to do this?” you’re not alone. Subscribe, share with a fellow parent, and leave a review, then tell us what your summer plan looks like and what’s stressing you out most.  The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.

It's Not You. It's Mother's Day.

Mother’s Day is supposed to feel like a celebration, but for a lot of us it lands more like a stress test. We’re pulling the filter off and talking about the real emotional mix that shows up: love and pride, plus exhaustion, pressure, guilt, and sometimes resentment. Not because we don’t adore our kids, but because motherhood is relentless and one Sunday in May doesn’t erase the daily mental load. We dig into why this holiday can be so complicated, especially if you don’t have a relationship with your own mom, if you’re grieving, if you’re a single mom doing it all without backup, or if becoming a mom is something you want deeply but hasn’t happened. We also call out the “picture perfect” Mother’s Day posts that can make you feel like you’re doing it wrong, when the truth is most moms just want to feel seen and supported in a way that’s actually practical. We share what moms repeatedly say they want most: unprompted hugs, “I love you,” genuine effort, and help that doesn’t require more managing. We talk about the gratitude struggle with kids, why appreciation can take time to come full circle, and why clear communication matters more than hints. The core takeaway we keep coming back to is simple: Mother’s Day is for you, so define it, say it out loud, and ditch the guilt. Two things can be true. Subscribe to Momcom, share this with a mom who needs to hear it, and leave a review if it resonated. What would make you feel genuinely appreciated this Mother’s Day?  The content of this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed therapists, doctors, or medical professionals, and we do not provide medical or mental health advice. Any opinions expressed are based on personal experience. Listeners should consult with a qualified healthcare provider or licensed professional for advice regarding their individual needs, diagnoses, or treatment.