Between the Chaos and Calm: In the Middle of Motherhood

17. Expanding the Conversation: Celebrating the Dads of Between the Chaos and Calm

*We want to note that this episode includes brief mention of the loss of a father at a young age, which may be triggering for some listeners. Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads and father figures out there! While our show is dedicated to all things motherhood, we wanted to broaden the conversation and share our gratitude for the dads in our lives whose fatherhood also deserves space for reflection and celebration especially in light of men's mental health awareness month. In this episode, we have a lighthearted happy-hour conversation with our husbands and explore what fatherhood in the present day means to them. We'd like to acknowledge that their experiences, and ours, may not represent all of the nuanced family dynamics, feelings, and experiences that exist. Know that we hold space for your experience even as we share our own. About our Show: We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood. Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠ [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/] Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]

16. Empowering Independence in our Kids This Summer—Without the Executive Function Overload: with Blanca Velazquez-Martin, MA, LPC and Founder of Whole Child Home

Why is summer parenting burnout so common, and why does more free time for children sometimes backfire? Shouldn't summer be an easy season? Often, summer brings a lot with it: changes in routine, shifting expectations, and new demands that can be challenging for a child's still-developing executive function skills—and, at times, for our own as well. It is sometimes dubbed a season of "executive function overload" for this reason. What does this really mean, and how can we support our children through it? We chatted with Parent Coach Blanca Velazquez-Martin, Founder of Whole Child Home [https://www.wholechildhome.com/]and Whole Child Therapy, licensed professional counselor, and certified Positive Discipline educator. A mother herself, she brings wisdom, expertise, and lived experience. Lean in with a coffee or beverage of choice and enjoy this thoughtful conversation to help you approach summer break with awareness, care and intention. Connect with Blanca: Blanca offers personalized parent consultations [https://www.wholechildhome.com/consults], school events [https://www.wholechildhome.com/schoolevents] and workshops for parent and educator communities, as well as online courses covering Starting School [https://wholechildhome.thinkific.com/courses/ToddlerSchoolPrep]and Montessori Parenting. [https://wholechildhome.thinkific.com/courses/MontessoriParenting] You can also follow her on Instagram @whole.child.home. [https://www.instagram.com/whole.child.home/] Show Notes: We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood. Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠ [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/] Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]

15. Have We Overcomplicated Play by Fixating on "Independent Play?" Co-Host and Play Mentor Jenna Adds Nuance

In the past decade, "Independent Play" has become a buzzword on social media, where parents of young children can't scroll their feeds for more than a few minutes without being hit by tips, downloads, and toy recommendations promising to help their littles finally play more without so much parent involvement. After years working as a writer, editor and content creator on parenting and play, including a season at the child development and play company Lovevery, Inc [https://lovevery.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us-pmax_core_angler-ai&utm_marketing_tactic=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_IXQBhCkARIsADqELbJw0y8iEbeMzhOMR0B5ul3xuenWQMSA2mye6qcnpGJ_V2gAdC24--EaAtNZEALw_wcB&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23032072259&gbraid=0AAAAACnVutt6qKBwOGIRdG1tWQ-yuNFd6&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_IXQBhCkARIsADqELbJw0y8iEbeMzhOMR0B5ul3xuenWQMSA2mye6qcnpGJ_V2gAdC24--EaAtNZEALw_wcB]. and the parenting support app Joy Parenting Club [https://www.joy.co/], co-host Jenna started to notice a gap between influencer tips and qualified expert tips when it came to play time. The internet started broadly telling parents to do less — advice that can be helpful for those who lean overly involved. But there’s also a large group of parents who lean permissive/uninvolved and need a different nudge: one that encourages them to engage more thoughtfully. In this episode, Jenna adds a ton of nuance and reassurance around how independent play is great, but there's also just play – which takes so many forms and won't always be "solo" in order to be child-led. Further, where the goal is purposeful play to aid our children's early development, research supports something called "guided play," which is not total "free play," nor is it top-down explicit instruction. It's a middle ground, where your child is still leading their play, but you stay close to offer some context, vocabulary, knowledge when the moment calls for it. We do have a role in play, and as always, it's nuanced. Show Notes We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood. Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠ [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/] Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]

14: Are Moms Okay? Tackling Motherhood Burnout with Mom Therapist Allie McQuaid, LCPC, PMH-C

In this episode, we zoom out to look at the state of modern-day mommin’. As millennial moms, we are showing up, but we’re also notoriously stretched thin to the point that the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning in 2024 about record levels of burnout. Whew! Get ready for a candid, deeply relatable conversation with Allison (Allie) McQuaid, a Maryland-based therapist and perinatal mental health specialist certified through Postpartum Support International. With over a decade of experience supporting children and families—and years focused specifically on moms—Allie (@millennialmomtherapist [https://www.instagram.com/millennialmomtherapist/]) helps us unpack the stressors. One major thorn: the pressure to parent intensively—a notable shift from even our parents’ generation. While “helicopter parenting” defined much of our childhood, today’s expectation feels different: less “be careful,” and more “be perfectly attuned 24/7.” It’s not just the mental load—it’s the emotional load, too. Decompress your Mother's Day weekend with this mom chat and walk away with some helpful mindset shifts. Beyond Allie's Instagram page, you can connect with her locally through her private practice Tree House Therapy LLC. [https://www.treehousetherapyllc.com/] Be sure to check out her Summer Camp for Moms [https://www.treehousetherapyllc.com/retreats] retreat coming up in July 2026! Show Notes We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood. Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠ [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/] Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]

13. What Parents Need to Know About Today’s Literacy Crisis — Co-Host and Literacy Expert Gloria Breaks It Down

Parents today face conflicting pressures around early literacy for their children. On one side is the “just let them play until age seven” perspective; on the other, the push to “download this app to teach your two-year-old to read quickly.” Between these extremes, there’s far more to consider and thoughtfully discuss. One universal truth: there are foundational literacy skills that are important from birth and that expand in relevance between the ages of 3-5. All children will move through mastering these skills on their own timeline, but introducing these foundations in developmentally-appropriate ways is critical. By the time children enter elementary, they will need these foundations to joyfully and confidently transition from learning to read to then reading to learn. The United States has been grappling with a literacy crisis for decades. Roughly 21% of adults are illiterate, and more than half read below a sixth-grade level. Strong literacy and comprehension skills aren’t just academic—they’re essential for everyday independence and wellbeing. Tasks like signing a lease, understanding prescription instructions, filing taxes, or navigating legal documents all require advanced reading and critical thinking. So where do we go from here? If we want to move the needle, it starts with taking a closer look at our education system and at home, to build environments that truly support literacy from the ground up, and, in a way that can break generational cycles. Plan your next commute, walk, or errand with this episode, where co-host and literacy expert Gloria shares insights drawn from her experience in public classrooms, homeschooling, and tutoring. Grounded in both practice and research, Gloria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Literacy Education. You can find the statistics mentioned in this episode here [https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics], as well as the research studies mentioned in this episode both here [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15656751/], here [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15656751/], and here. We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood. Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠ [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/] Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]