Mama You Belong

Type C Mom Survival: Mom Burnout, Messy Homes, and Parenting an AuDHD Kid

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the invisible load of motherhood... This podcast is for you. Today, Kirsten and Molly talk about the messy middle of motherhood, from spring energy and cluttered homes to the reality that “finishing everything” is a myth: • spring transitions and the pressure to do it all  • "Type C" mom life, executive function, and choosing what actually matters  • the invisible stress of clutter, and the mental load  • Molly loses "preferred parent" status and explores the emotions that come with it  Then Kirsten shares a raw and heartfelt update on her eldest daughter's AuDHD journey, and what changed when she and her husband stopped forcing school and started centering safety: • IEP advocacy, school transitions, and why fifth grade collapsed  • pulling a child from school, and the real work of homeschooling  • AuDHD in girls, high masking, and how she presents at home can look “worse”  • deciding on trying medication and navigating side effects • anxiety support, and what improvement actually looks like  • co-regulation at night, and releasing outdated “giving in” narratives  • returning to school with therapy and a plan led by the child  • what a short med gap revealed about regulation and resilience  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other moms carrying more than most people can see.  Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us. So if it resonates with you, please subscribe and leave us a review. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2472058/support] Kirsten's Physical Therapy website [https://empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com/] The Nuture Collective [https://nurturecollectivemn.com/] Mama You Belong Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mamayoubelong/profilecard/?igsh=MTE4ejlwbzl2d2hoZg%3D%3D] Kirsten's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kirstendesmaraisdpt/]  Molly's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sisterveery/?api=1%2F] Molly’s music Sister Veery on bandcamp [https://sisterveery.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-relevance] Molly’s music website [https://www.sisterveery.com/]

Motherhood Burnout and Community Care: Mother Trees, Mutual Aid, and Why Moms Need Each Other

Kirsten and Molly trace how micro self care rituals, witnessing a transformative birth, and the mother tree metaphor point to a different way of caring and showing up for each other and our children. We share how mutual aid led by moms keeps communities alive while we practice radical acceptance and parenting through ongoing societal collapse and crisis. • micro choices that steady nervous systems • returning to sleep, books, and play • witnessing Molly's sister's transformative and supported birth • mother trees as a model for reciprocity and the matriarchy we need • the inspirational mutual aid organizing led by moms • asking for help and widening circles • parenting amid chronic crisis with acceptance • decapitalizing our daily life and resourcing each other If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas, subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2472058/support] Kirsten's Physical Therapy website [https://empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com/] The Nuture Collective [https://nurturecollectivemn.com/] Mama You Belong Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mamayoubelong/profilecard/?igsh=MTE4ejlwbzl2d2hoZg%3D%3D] Kirsten's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kirstendesmaraisdpt/]  Molly's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sisterveery/?api=1%2F] Molly’s music Sister Veery on bandcamp [https://sisterveery.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-relevance] Molly’s music website [https://www.sisterveery.com/]

Parenting in Crisis: Fear, Safety, and What Moms Carry During State Violence

This episode is a brief glimpse into our upcoming interview with Marsh Naidoo on her amazing podcast Raising Kellan [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-kellan/id1480164076]. Please subscribe now to her podcast so you can listen to our full interview when it is released.  Raising Kellan Website here for more info! [https://www.raisingkellan.org/] "Empowering, connecting and educating parents raising a child with a disability. For parents. By parents." In this episode on Mama You Belong: * Molly updates for listeners outside of Minnesota that the occupation in the Twin Cities is still happening and there is no end in sight. * Look for our upcoming interview on the Raising Kellan podcast soon! * Kirsten shares a letter from a Minneapolis mom and university educator living through Operation Metro Surge and reflect on what daily life looks like when federal raids shape commutes, classrooms, and care plans. * We highlight independent journalists, legal observers, and BIPOC creators documenting events in real time—voices you won’t always find in national headlines: * You’ll leave with tools that turn concern into action: Stand with Minnesota for testimonies and mutual aid links, Resistance Guide to match your capacity to real tasks, and Five Calls to reach elected officials with targeted scripts.  * On Instagram: @onsitepublicmedia @toussaintmorrison @minneapolisward2 @sahanjournal @bygeorgiafort @nekimal @minnesota50501 @janashortal @monarca.minn @minnesota_neighbors @standwithminnesota @immigrantlawcentermn @immigrantdefensenetwork @singingresistancetc * On Substack: Toussaint Morrison [https://substack.com/@toussaintmorrison?utm_source=global-search] Zede [https://substack.com/@zuhdae?utm_source=explore_sidebar] * Websites: Stand with Minnesota [https://www.standwithminnesota.com/] - Website that consolidates testimonies, resources, and mutual aid opportunities. Resistance Guide [https://v0-resistance-guide-app.vercel.app/] - Free web app that helps match you to relief efforts based on your location, time commitment, and level of risk. 5 Calls App [https://5calls.org/] - Free app that identifies your elected officials, provides contact information, and scripts.  If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. What small action will you take today to stand with families in Minnesota? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2472058/support] Kirsten's Physical Therapy website [https://empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com/] The Nuture Collective [https://nurturecollectivemn.com/] Mama You Belong Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mamayoubelong/profilecard/?igsh=MTE4ejlwbzl2d2hoZg%3D%3D] Kirsten's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kirstendesmaraisdpt/]  Molly's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sisterveery/?api=1%2F] Molly’s music Sister Veery on bandcamp [https://sisterveery.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-relevance] Molly’s music website [https://www.sisterveery.com/]

Mother Rage and Grief: Protecting Our Kids in Uncertain Times

We sit with the dissonance of parenting during a state crackdown in Minnesota, holding mother rage and grief while trying to protect childhood for our children. Stories from Minneapolis, a terrifying night terror, and our feelings as mothers. • naming the split between normal routines and escalating state force • how algorithms, media gaps and proximity shape what we know • whiteness, safety as illusion and why change is allowed • anger as data, grief underneath and redirecting hate into love and protection • night terrors explained, patterns, airway and sleep hygiene links • nervous system care through movement and community support • centering children’s experiences and mutual aid • what it means to keep going without normalizing harm If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas! Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us. Star Tribune Article about changing your mind [https://replica.startribune.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=1fa90a52-865c-498b-9ae6-82aba4a310d4&share=true] Myofunctional Therapist in the Northland [https://breathingwellbeing.com/]  5 Calls app - CALL YOUR REPS [https://5calls.org/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2472058/support] Kirsten's Physical Therapy website [https://empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com/] The Nuture Collective [https://nurturecollectivemn.com/] Mama You Belong Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mamayoubelong/profilecard/?igsh=MTE4ejlwbzl2d2hoZg%3D%3D] Kirsten's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kirstendesmaraisdpt/]  Molly's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sisterveery/?api=1%2F] Molly’s music Sister Veery on bandcamp [https://sisterveery.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-relevance] Molly’s music website [https://www.sisterveery.com/]

Daycare Illness, Mom Burnout, and the Mental Load No One Talks About (Where Germs Get Their PhD And Parents Lose Their PTO)

In this episode, we talk openly about updates to toddler sleep struggles, no more night drives just to get a child to sleep, the decision to retire the crib, and how co-sleeping in a king bed changed everything. We unpack how loving, clear boundaries reduced bedtime chaos and how letting go of the “perfect” 7 p.m. bedtime helped ease our own mom guilt, shame, and anxiety around sleep.  From there, we move into the daily reality of daycare life: big feelings at pickup, sensory overload, and what it looks like to listen to a child’s body that needs movement, wrestling, and connection after a long day. Then comes the daycare illness cycle: colds, strep, and six ear infections since summer... along with the weighty decisions around mild hearing loss and ear tubes.  We name the math no one hands you as a parent: PTO that isn’t rest, missed income from client-facing work, mounting medical bills, and the invisible labor of tracking symptoms, dosing medication, scheduling appointments, and making constant judgment calls. This is where the mental load of motherhood becomes undeniable, and why workplace culture matters far more than empty platitudes. Planning for sick seasons, we argue, should be part of every postpartum conversation.  Along the way, we speak the quieter truths many parents carry: resentment when the default sick parent pushes through, the tug-of-war between caregiving and work, and the grief for the versions of parenthood and careers we hoped to have by now. We also share what genuinely helped.  If you’ve ever felt alone doing the late-night calculus of sleep, illness, work, and parenting, this conversation offers validation and practical shifts you can try tonight.  If this episode resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who’s in the thick of toddler sleep or daycare sickness, and leave a quick review to help other parents find the show. Your support helps this community grow.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2472058/support] Kirsten's Physical Therapy website [https://empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com/] The Nuture Collective [https://nurturecollectivemn.com/] Mama You Belong Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mamayoubelong/profilecard/?igsh=MTE4ejlwbzl2d2hoZg%3D%3D] Kirsten's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kirstendesmaraisdpt/]  Molly's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sisterveery/?api=1%2F] Molly’s music Sister Veery on bandcamp [https://sisterveery.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-relevance] Molly’s music website [https://www.sisterveery.com/]