Why So Many Moms Feel Lonely (And How to Find Real Mom Friends) with Gather Moms Leaders Kate & Rebecca [Ep 47]
Why So Many Moms Feel Lonely (And How to Find Real Mom Friends) with Gather Moms Leaders Kate & Rebecca [Ep 47]
Michelle Barnett welcomes listeners to the Mommin' Together podcast and introduces a conversation with Kate Henderson and Rebecca Bradford, founders of Gather Moms, about why many moms feel lonely even with full schedules and how to build life-giving community. Kate shares her experience as a young mom who found friendship through church, mentoring, and neighborhood groups, and explains how Gather Moms began to help isolated moms, citing that 90% of moms report severe loneliness at some point and noting the launch of over 400 groups since 2017. Rebecca and Kate describe community as God-designed, emphasize friendships changing by season, and encourage filling gaps with trust, extending grace, and resisting comparison fueled by social media. They discuss courage in initiating friendships, navigating boundaries and differing parenting choices, using prayer and vulnerability, and practical ways to support moms, and they explain Gather Moms’ “middle lane” model, resources, and how to connect.
00:00 Welcome to Mommin Together
00:28 Why Moms Feel Lonely
00:52 Meet Gather Moms Founders
01:51 Kate Story Finding Community
03:55 Gather Moms Origin and Growth
07:07 Courage to Make Friends
09:25 Fill the Gap With Trust
10:01 What Real Community Means
15:21 Why Loneliness Persists
17:41 First Steps to Find Friends
23:04 Friendships Take Time
24:50 Why Mom Friendships Get Complicated
29:14 Handling Hurt Feelings
33:48 Managing Expectations and Seasons
35:09 Grace for Moms of Littles
36:08 Jealousy and Comparison
37:40 Social Media and Gratitude
39:47 Sanctification Over Time
41:22 Showing Up for Moms
43:37 Practical Help Ideas
46:22 Vulnerability Builds Community
50:03 What Makes Gather Moms
52:54 Community in Crisis
57:11 Why Moms Need Moms
01:01:59 Mom Hacks and Home Reset
01:07:26 Final Encouragement and Outro
Connect with Kate, Rebecca & Gather Moms
Kate and Rebecca lead Gather Moms, a vibrant community helping moms connect, find encouragement, and grow in faith through an approachable model of small groups, workbooks, and RightNow Media videos. Together, they co-lead the Gather Moms Podcast, have written several Bible studies for moms, and regularly teach women with their encouraging blend of authentic storytelling and biblical truth. With Gather Moms, lonely and overwhelmed moms are finding community and churches are empowered to launch simple, relational moms groups that transform families and communities.
Website: gathermoms.com [http://gathermoms.com/]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gathermoms [https://www.instagram.com/gathermoms]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gathermoms [https://www.facebook.com/gathermoms]
Gather Moms Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gather-moms/id1525911637 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gather-moms/id1525911637]
Gather Mom Workbooks & Studies:
Mom’s Let’s Talk https://amzn.to/4d7Kkqq [https://amzn.to/4d7Kkqq]
Mom Struggles https://amzn.to/4uNIcKo [https://amzn.to/4uNIcKo]
Family Values https://amzn.to/48ZCYTf [https://amzn.to/48ZCYTf]
Homegrown: A Mom’s Guide to Planting Faith in the Lives of Her Children https://amzn.to/4eJopH9 [https://amzn.to/4eJopH9]
More Than Enough: A 4 Week Journal for Moms https://amzn.to/4d5KDBZ [https://amzn.to/4d5KDBZ]
Kate and Rebecca invite you to join them for summer in the Psalms on social media!
Connect with Michelle:
* Mommin’ Together Instagram: @Mommin_Together [https://www.instagram.com/mommin_together/%E2%81%A0]https://www.instagram.com/mommin_together/ [https://www.instagram.com/mommin_together/]
* Michelle Barnett Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle_barnett_/ [https://www.instagram.com/michelle_barnett_/%E2%81%A0]
* Join our [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484794095771993%E2%81%A0]Mommin’ Together Facebook Community: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484794095771993]https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484794095771993 [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484794095771993%E2%81%A0]
* Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mommin-together/id1787094979 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mommin-together/id1787094979]
* Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hn6cFLziITGVFuSXiI4ty?si=6c7abc0f099f4230 [https://open.spotify.com/show/0hn6cFLziITGVFuSXiI4ty?si=6c7abc0f099f4230]