S1:EP36 Joy, Even Here: A Story Of Kidney Failure, With Haley Rae

S1:EP39 The Birth That Changed Everything: Trauma, Advocacy, and Surrender; With Chelsea Hollis

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this deeply honest and hope-filled conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca sit down with Chelsea Hollis, wife, mom of two (with one on the way), family photographer, educator, doula, and birth advocate, to talk about birth/postpartum trauma, surrender, advocacy, and the sacred complexity of motherhood. Chelsea shares how what began as a career in exercise science and corporate fitness slowly evolved into a calling centered around motherhood, storytelling, and supporting women through some of life’s most vulnerable moments. From family photography to birth work, her path unfolded through both purpose and pain. What began as the birth of her first son quickly became something far more complicated. After an induction for cholestasis, Chelsea experienced severe postpartum hemorrhaging, dismissed concerns, and a traumatic emergency during the height of COVID that separated her from both her husband and newborn baby. She opens up about the grief, fear, and rebuilding that followed, and how trauma eventually became an invitation into advocacy. Together, they talk about the gaps in birth education, learning to advocate for yourself inside medical systems, and why informed support can radically change the way women experience pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. But this conversation also moves deeper. Into miscarriage and loss. Into motherhood after trauma. Into the tension between preparation and surrender. Into what it looks like to hold plans loosely while trusting God through outcomes you cannot control. Chelsea shares how birth itself became something deeply spiritual, revealing both vulnerability and strength, fear and faith, grief and beauty all at once. In this episode, they unpack: • Chelsea’s journey from fitness professional to photographer, doula, and educator • Birth trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, and medical dismissal • Becoming an advocate after a traumatic birth experience • Why birth education matters and how to advocate for yourself • The sacred and spiritual nature of birth • Navigating miscarriage, grief, and motherhood after loss • Balancing birth work, business, and family life • Epidurals, birth plans, and informed decision-making • Surrender, open-handed motherhood, and trusting God in uncertainty • Therapy, asking for support, and healing after hard seasons If you’ve ever felt fearful about birth… If motherhood has asked you to surrender more than you expected… If you’ve struggled to trust your body, your story, or God after disappointment… This episode is for you. Sometimes faith doesn’t look like certainty. Sometimes it looks like learning to trust God with open hands. EPISODE TIMELINE 00:31 – Meet Chelsea Hollis 01:13 – From fitness to photography 04:37 – Engagement, marriage, and big life changes 05:59 – Motherhood and the COVID pivot 07:15 – Why Chelsea became a doula 08:24 – Induction, cholestasis, and birth trauma 10:15 – Postpartum red flags and medical dismissal 12:01 – Hemorrhage, emergency D&C, and recovery 17:53 – Turning pain into advocacy 22:03 – Birth plans and self-advocacy 24:30 – Gaps in birth education 26:44 – The spiritual nature of birth 28:26 – Balancing doula work and photography 31:32 – Epidurals, options, and advocacy 35:07 – Miscarriage and grief 41:35 – Surrender in motherhood 42:48 – Hope, healing, and resources 45:02 – Closing reflections SHOW NOTES Down To Birth Podcast (with Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig) CONNECT WITH CHELSEA Instagram: @chelseaallegra TikTok: @chelsea_allegra Website: www.chelseaallegra.com CONNECT WITH MOMS WITH A CALL Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you — your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by www.dvoorheisdesigns.com

S1:EP38 The Life We Never Planned: Unexpected Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Raising Four Kids; With Kassi Gray

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this honest and joy-filled conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca sit down with Rebecca’s childhood best friend, Kassi Gray, mom of four, to talk about unexpected motherhood, grief, resilience, and the beautifully chaotic reality of raising a big family. Kassi shares how what began as a college love story quickly turned into an unexpected journey into motherhood when she became pregnant with her first son during sophomore year. She opens up about finishing school while parenting, navigating the unknown, and how becoming a mom changed everything. Together, they talk about the tension of growing up while raising children, the heartbreak of miscarriage, and the ways faith, community, and friendship carry us through life’s hardest seasons. The conversation also explores the reality of parenting four active kids, building family traditions, relying on community support, and learning to reject the pressure of perfection in a social media world that often feels curated instead of honest. They unpack: • Becoming a mom during college and navigating unexpected change • Marriage, moving, and building a family young • Miscarriage, grief, and healing through faith • The beautiful chaos of raising four kids • Sports, structure, and building character in children • Community, family rhythms, and asking for help • Social media pressure, comparison, and authenticity • Friendship, vulnerability, and staying grounded in what matters If you’ve ever felt behind, overwhelmed, or unsure if you’re doing motherhood “right,” this episode is a reminder that real life is messy, beautiful, and rarely unfolds the way we planned. Sometimes the most meaningful stories are the ones we never expected to live. Episode Timeline 01:05 – Meet Kassi Gray 03:09 – College, love, and unexpected motherhood 10:19 – Balancing school and parenting 14:07 – Miscarriage, grief, and faith 16:56 – Raising four kids and family chaos 23:41 – Sports, discipline, and family culture 33:07 – Community support and family rhythms 38:27 – Mom pressure and overwhelm 41:24 – Social media, comparison, and authenticity 49:05 – Friendship, values, and staying grounded 51:37 – Closing reflections Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you. Your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/

S1:EP37 Midnight Series: Healing in the Middle of the Chaos

Welcome back to the Midnight Series, where the conversations are honest and faith meets the parts of us still learning how to slow down. In this certified yapper conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca catch up on the beautiful chaos of real life: end-of-school overwhelm, upcoming moves, weddings, toddler milestones, and the emotional exhaustion that builds when life feels loud in every direction. What begins as a casual check-in slowly unfolds into something deeper: a conversation about overstimulation, nervous system healing, motherhood, and learning how to stay grounded in both faith and body. The conversation shifts toward parenting overload and the invisible emotional labor families carry every day. They talk honestly about toddler chaos, emotional dysregulation, and how children often mirror the nervous systems of the adults raising them. Together, they explore the connection between neuroscience and faith, reflecting on Dr. Curt Thompson’s Anatomy of the Soul, attachment styles, emotional awareness, journaling, and the idea that healing is not just spiritual, but deeply physical too. They also share practical ways they’ve been learning to regulate: slowing down, reducing noise, paying attention to emotional triggers, creating space for stillness, and reconnecting with God through honesty instead of performance. If you’ve been feeling emotionally stretched thin… If motherhood has left your nervous system exhausted… If you’re trying to heal spiritually while also learning how to feel safe in your own body… This episode is for you. Sometimes healing isn’t loud. Sometimes it looks like learning how to breathe again in the middle of ordinary life. Episode Timeline 00:29 – Life updates and moving 02:35 – Toddler chaos stories 04:17 – Tate’s speech progress 06:13 – New York trip recap 10:58 – Emotional triggers and city energy 14:59 – Coming home to parenting mayhem 18:18 – Overstimulation and stay-at-home parent life 24:33 – Regulation tools and nervous system resets 35:51 – Modern parenting overload 37:29 – Digital detox dreams and slowing down 38:48 – Full moon energy and emotional sensitivity 40:44 – Intuition and overstimulation 43:02 – Anatomy of the Soul and neuroscience 45:02 – Attachment styles and connection with God 47:01 – Journaling and emotional healing 52:31 – Rethinking “pick up your cross” 55:50 – Discovering Dr. Curt Thompson’s work 57:29 – Motherhood guest series preview 01:02:43 – Closing reflections Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you. Your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com

S1:EP36 Joy, Even Here: A Story Of Kidney Failure, With Haley Rae

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this powerful and deeply human conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca sit down with their good friend, Haley Rae — brand and web designer, wife, sister, and transplant recipient — to walk through a story marked by resilience, grief, and the quiet decision to keep choosing joy. Haley shares how what began as severe migraines and high blood pressure slowly unfolded into something much more serious… a diagnosis of stage three kidney disease that would eventually progress to kidney failure. What followed was a season filled with uncertainty. Doctor visits. Treatments that didn’t quite work. Questions without clear answers. And then, in March 2025, everything shifted. Haley describes the moment her body crashed; critically low hemoglobin, emergency hospitalization, and the sudden beginning of dialysis. What had once been a distant possibility became her everyday reality overnight. She invites us into what life on dialysis actually looks like. The physical toll. The strict fluid restrictions. The loss of independence. The way your world quietly gets smaller. But beneath the medical journey is something even deeper. The grief of delayed motherhood. Two IVF attempts that didn’t go as planned. The emotional weight chronic illness places on marriage, friendships, and identity. And yet, woven through it all is something steady. Faith that doesn’t always explain the “why,” but holds her in the middle of it. A mindset shift toward choosing joy, not because circumstances are easy, but because joy becomes a form of survival. There’s recovery. There’s processing trauma. There’s learning how to live again in a body that has been through so much. Together, they talk about how hardship clarifies relationships, how receiving help can be just as hard as giving it, and how sometimes the most meaningful support is simply showing up. Episode Timeline 00:31 – Meet Haley Rae 01:59 – Transplant recovery update 03:09 – Diagnosis and early signs 05:06 – Dialysis and sister match 06:47 – Understanding kidney disease 08:19 – Emotional whiplash after diagnosis 11:09 – Life on dialysis 13:05 – Fertility and IVF setbacks 20:56 – Choosing joy and mindset 23:49 – Support system and community 31:00 – Faith through the hardest days 37:37 – Gratitude and sharing the story 40:24 – Transition into the transplant journey 42:09 – Emergency dialysis and health crash 43:37 – Fistula timing and medical urgency 44:17 – Family donor process 48:10 – The match phone call 50:29 – Surgery day emotions 53:19 – Life after transplant 55:44 – Donor recovery and process 58:50 – Processing trauma and PTSD 01:05:00 – Friendships in hardship 01:08:22 – Advice, hope, and surrender 01:17:31 – Closing reflections Connect With Haley: https://studiowilde.com [https://studiowilde.com] https://www.instagram.com/haleyrae____/ [https://www.instagram.com/haleyrae____/] Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com [https://www.momswithacall.com] Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you — your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com [momswithacall@gmail.com]. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/ [https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/]

S1:EP35 Autism Awareness: When the Story Changes, but God Stays, With Rebecca Rowan

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this deeply tender and honest conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca open the door into one of the most personal parts of Rebecca’s life; her journey as Tate’s mom. What begins as a simple check-in quickly turns into something much deeper. Timed around Autism Awareness Day, Rebecca shares the unfolding story of her four-year-old son Tate, who is nonverbal and navigating a regressive form of autism. She walks us through the early days and the long, often overwhelming road of seeking answers... pediatric visits, specialist referrals, waitlists, evaluations, and the complex reality of navigating both educational and medical systems. The waiting. The advocating. Not always knowing what comes next. But this episode is not just about diagnosis. It’s about grief, the kind that doesn’t always have language. It’s about letting go of expectations while still holding deep love. It’s about rejecting “toxic positivity” and learning how to sit honestly with what is hard. Rebecca shares how allowing herself to process those emotions didn’t pull her away from Tate; it brought her closer to becoming the mother he actually needs. And woven throughout it all is faith. Not as a quick answer. Not as a way to bypass pain. But as something that holds both grief and purpose at the same time. Rebecca shares how her understanding of neurodivergence has shifted, seeing it not just as a challenge, but as something deeply sacred. A different way of experiencing the world. A closeness to God that doesn’t need to be explained to be real. The conversation closes with a powerful reflection on Tate’s name, explored through Hebrew meaning and numerology — “shield hand” — a reminder of protection, calling, and the possibility that even what feels confusing or heavy may still be held within God’s purpose. In this episode, they unpack: * Tate’s story and early developmental changes * Navigating regression and recognizing early signs * The long journey through evaluations and diagnosis * Educational vs. medical diagnosis and what that means * Grief, overwhelm, and rejecting toxic positivity * Learning how to process hard emotions honestly * Parenting a neurodivergent child with presence and intention * Seeing neurodivergence as connection, not just difference * Faith that holds both pain and purpose * The meaning behind Tate’s name and themes of protection and calling Sometimes faith doesn’t take the hard thing away. Sometimes it meets you inside it. Episode Timeline: * 00:00 – Welcome to Moms With A Call * 03:19 – Meeting Tate and his story * 04:29 – The diagnosis journey begins * 08:29 – Early signs and regression * 11:36 – Navigating therapy services * 12:27 – Why diagnosis takes time * 16:17 – Finding speech and occupational therapy * 20:53 – Grief and toxic positivity * 24:53 – Seeing Tate through the lens of Jesus * 28:30 – Neurodivergence and connection to the divine * 29:54 – Innocence, presence, and energy * 31:16 – Volunteering and perspective * 32:29 – Neurodivergence as gift * 34:43 – Parenting challenges and support * 36:23 – Hebrew meaning and numerology of Tate’s name * 42:49 – Divine preparation and purpose * 49:25 – Surrender and spiritual order * 53:18 – Gratitude and closing Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com [https://www.momswithacall.com] Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you — your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com [momswithacall@gmail.com] Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by dvoorheisdesigns.com [https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com]