Mom Life Unfiltered by THE CÆP

The Balance Myth: A Video Editing Mompreneur on Why You'll Never 'Have It Together' — And Why That's Actually Okay

Kalee Isbell started her video editing company in 2019 with no business plan, two kids under two, and a single Instagram DM she almost didn't send. Seven years later she runs a team of nine editors all moms and has built a business around one simple idea: the videos sitting on your phone deserve to actually be watched. But this conversation goes way deeper than the business origin story. Kalee gets honest about what it actually looked like to build something in the margins of motherhood editing videos from the hallway while her kids took a bath, trying to work through COVID with zero childcare, and the year her revenue dipped and she told her husband it was all over. She talks about the moment she stopped measuring success by growth and started measuring it by whether she still enjoyed what she was doing. And she talks about surrender not as giving up, but as the quiet practice that made her a better mom and a steadier business owner. She also gets into something that doesn't come up enough: the question of whether we're over-documenting childhood, who gets to decide, and why asking your kids for permission before you press record matters more than you think. This one is for every mom who's tired of chasing balance and just needs someone to tell her that building something messy and imperfect is still building something. Topics covered: * Starting a business from a DM with no plan — and what year 7 actually looks like * Why every editor on her team is a mom and why it makes all the difference * The balance myth and why chasing it is making us feel worse * Working through COVID with two kids and no childcare * Surrender as practice and what those hard moments are building in you * What kids teach us about forgiveness and starting over * Over-documenting vs under-documenting childhood — where's the line? * The mom she thought she'd be vs who she actually became * How to start when your creative idea scares you About Kalee: @kaleeisbell | @isbellfamilyfilms — video editing entrepreneur, former teacher, mom of 2 (soon 3), and founder of a company built entirely in the in-between moments of motherhood.

Mom Guilt, the Village & Why Women Wait to Be Ready (When Men Just Do It)

Pumping in a Courthouse Bathroom: A Lawyer, Mom of 2 & Firm Owner Gets Real About Ambition, Mom Guilt & Refusing to Choose Mona Tash is an employment lawyer, co-founder of her own firm, and mom of two boys under seven. Four months after having her first son, she had a trial. She pumped in the bathroom between sessions. She brought him to an arbitration in Palm Springs when she had no other option. She didn't get maternity leave — because there was no one to pass her cases to. And she kept going. In this episode, Corinna, Malliha, and Mona get into the conversations most working moms are having in their heads but rarely say out loud — the guilt that shows up even when you know you're doing the right thing, the mental load that follows you on vacation, and the moment Mona's six-year-old told her she needed a break and she realized he actually gets it. They also talk about what it looks like to hold onto yourself through motherhood — the board seat Mona has kept for nine years, the 8am Saturday workout class she doesn't apologize for, and why she's actively trying to let her kids fail a little more so they can actually grow. And for any mom sitting on a dream right now? Mona's closing advice is the push you didn't know you needed. Topics covered: * The real cost of having no maternity leave when you own your firm * Mom guilt — where it actually comes from and what to do with it * Building your village and why the support system isn't optional * Letting kids fail as an act of love * Self-care that goes deeper than a spa day * Holding onto your pre-mom identity on purpose * Why women wait to be ready — and men just start * Taking the first step even when you don't have all the answers About Mona: @monatash — lawyer, firm co-founder, mom of two, and someone who has built her life around helping others fight for what they deserve.

Dr. Lisa vs. Lisa: An Acupuncturist Mompreneur on Yin Energy, Softness & Building a Business That Actually Fits Your Life

You know how some guests just say the thing you didn't know you needed to hear? This is that episode. Dr. Lisa Upshaw is an acupuncturist, holistic wellness practitioner, and mom of a 14-year-old — and she's been running her own practice since 2006. She's also someone who figured out early on that you have to become two different people to survive this whole mompreneur life. Not fake. Not split. Just intentional about who you're being and when. In this conversation, Malliha and Dr. Lisa get into the real stuff: Yin and Yang energy in business (and why mompreneurs are almost always stuck in Yang), what it actually means to listen to your body, and why so many of us stopped playing long before we had a reason to. They also talk about the "car moment" that five minutes in the driveway before you walk into the house as the unofficial therapy session most moms don't realize they're already having. Dr. Lisa doesn't believe in perfectionism. She doesn't believe in hitting a ceiling someone else set for her. And she's finally, at this point in her life, starting to define what success actually feels like, not what it looks like. Topics covered: * The two-names trick for separating work-you from home-you * Yin vs. Yang energy and where mompreneurs get stuck * Listening to your body's actual cues (not the caffeine or the sugar) * What softness looks like when you're always "on" * The car moment and why it counts as space * Play: what it was, where it went, and how to find it again * Entrepreneurship as liberation * Defining success without anyone else's blueprint About Dr. Lisa: @drlisaupshaw — acupuncturist, TCM practitioner, holistic wellness expert, dancer, astrology student, and mom doing it all on her own terms since 2006.

I Lost Myself After Becoming a Mom: How to Find Your Identity Again (+ The One Question That Changes Everything for Your Daughter)

Who Am I Now That I'm a Mom? Finding Yourself After Motherhood + Teaching Your Daughter Beauty Is Felt, Not Seen Have you ever stood in front of your closet feeling like nothing fits—not just your body, but your life? Do you look in the mirror and wonder where "you" went? You're not alone. In this powerful 56-minute conversation, @wearingyourworth founder Sarah Gale (30 years in fashion, Project Runway Australia judge, and personal development expert) reveals why so many moms experience identity loss—and how your wardrobe is actually a metaphor for your life. What you'll discover: ✨ Why moms lose themselves at specific pivot points (ages 9-11, teen years, empty nest—and sometimes as early as ages 2-5) ✨ The comfort addiction trap: Why always reaching for oversized clothes might mean you're stuck in a comfort zone in your business, relationships, and parenting ✨ How your clothing patterns mirror your life patterns: Hiding, playing small, seeking external validation ✨ The 3 Style Essences you were born with (and why your third essence is the one you're most resistant to—but need most) ✨ The ONE question that will change how your daughter sees herself forever: "How do you feel in that outfit?" (not "how do you look?") ✨ Why postpartum body recovery takes 18+ months (not the "fourth trimester" myth) ✨ How to teach your daughter that beauty is something she feels before it's something she sees This episode is for you if: * You feel lost in motherhood and don't know who you are anymore * Nothing in your closet feels like "you" * You're addicted to comfort clothes and can't remember the last time you felt alive in what you're wearing * You have a daughter and want to raise her differently—teaching her to trust how she feels instead of seeking external validation * You've hit a glass ceiling in your business or life and can't figure out why * You're tired of the broken beauty industry profiting off your insecurity Guest: Sarah Gale (@wearingyourworth) Sarah Gale is the founder of Wearing Your Worth, a business that explores the psychological relationship we have with clothes. With 30 years in the Australian fashion industry (including senior executive roles and judging Project Runway Australia) and 25 years in personal development, Sarah helps women break free from unconscious programming and discover their true style essences—the key to feeling congruent from the inside out. 💜 Subscribe so you don't miss Episode 3 💬 Comment below: What's the dialogue you tell yourself when you get dressed? 📲 Share this with a mom who needs to hear it

"If I'm Crushing It as a Mom, I'm a Horrible Wife"

We sat down with @lacycounts - mompreneur, accidental developer, special needs mama, and the most real person you'll meet on the internet. In This Episode: * Why Lacy calls herself an "accidental developer" (and an accidental influencer) * Life with a 9-year-old special needs son who's been sleeping like a newborn for almost a decade * Running multiple businesses (BBQ restaurant, coffee shop, hair salon, 20,000 sq ft mixed-use development) while raising a nonverbal autistic child * Why chaos is actually her self-care * The truth about work-life balance: "If I'm crushing it as a mom, I'm a horrible wife" * Moving next door to her parents and creating a quasi-compound * Marriage advice that doesn't involve date nights (spoiler: it involves foot tickles) * Why leaning in is a lie and you literally cannot give everybody everything all the time Follow Lacy: Instagram: @lacycounts Follow Us: Instagram: @momlifeunfiltered_by_thecaep Shop THE CÆP: thecaep.com | @thecaep Love this episode? Subscribe, share with a mom who needs to hear this, and leave us a comment if any of this hit home. We read every single one.