Mom Wants More

GUYS! We don't mean to shout but this episode is going to knock your socks off!  Today we have the pleasure to talk to Valerie Woerner, of Val Marie Paper, and the author of her newly released book, Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday.  Valerie Woerner is passionate about inspiring women to live a life of peace and joy. She is the author of The Finishing School and owner of Val Marie Paper where she designs prayer journals and other products inspired by her own desire to connect with God in a real way every day. Valerie was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana and resides in a sweet simple bungalow with her husband Tyler and their two daughters.    We chatted with Val all about how to find a positive narrative in the midst of motherhood, as well as how to pursue our God-given passions with purpose and joy without waiting for a convenient time!   Y'all DON'T want to miss this one!   This episode was originally #77 but we are re-releasing it as a part of our Summer Series

We talk a lot here about going after our dreams, pursuing our passions, and showing up wholeheartedly to our right-now season of life. For most of us here at the MWM community, that means doing all of this in the middle of motherhood. Can we just make a little room here for the fact that it's not always easy? Is that okay? We'll be the first to admit that it's a complicated, fluid, and fine line to walk between fully honoring the gift of motherhood while actively uncovering and cultivating our other gifts at the same time. We also want to stop and acknowledge that our role as Mom IS one of our biggest passions and dreams. You'll never hear us say that you need to be more than "just a mom". In fact, that phrase makes us want to flip some tables. Motherhood is the most meaningful privilege we've ever known. But it's also not our sole identifier, the only important work we'll ever do, or the final chapter in the story God is writing for us. We want to acknowledge that tension, the push and pull between all the d

WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE? If you've ever had trouble identifying your "thing" then you don't want to miss this episode! Amber& Alanasat down with Lindsay McPhail and the conversation that followed was straight fire. Which is fitting because Lindsay is a self described fire starter. A risk taker. An adventure maker. What we loved to much about this episode (and why we chose it to be a part of our Summer Series) is how real this conversation was. It got emotional at points and funny at other points, but the whole episode is just so, so encouraging for any mama who's trying to uncover and pursue her passions! Linday is passionate about disrupting culture and inviting people to experience God in a real way. She’s been married for 18 years and has 4 boys. Along with her husband, she’s helped bring a children’s charity called Sparrow Clubs to the Rogue Valley in Oregon in 2003, and received a home from ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home edition in 2011. Since then she’s written a few books, run retreats, and started

WE'RE TAKIN' IT OLD SCHOOL! For the first release of our Summer Series we couldn't think of a better choice than the interview that sparked this whole collaboration between your now-cohosts, Amber& Alana. Alana had Amber on as a guest and I guess you could say it was love at first chat? We had so much fun talking that they didn't want to stop. Like, ever. So we didn't. This episode is near and dear to our hearts because at the time we had no idea how much our hearts and messages aligned, but this conversation opened our eyes to the possibility of what could come of a collaboration between us. We're sharing it again because we touched on almost every major aspect of our mission here at the Mom Wants Morecommunity. In this episode we talk about: Amber’s family farm How your art can be anything, anywhere How you can recognize and value the important work (art) you’re already doing in your right now life Why it’s so important to make room for play in our daily lives The unexpected spiritual reward found in p

It's time to dish, ladies. Once a month here on the podcast, we like to get super real with you listeners and give y'all a behind-the-scenes look into our actual lives as we navigate the pursuit of our creative passions in the middle of motherhood and our right-now lives. We'll be the first to tell you it's not always easy or simple. But we will also be the first to tell you that it's possible. So pop in some earbuds, refill your favorite bevvie, and tune in for this month's Behind the Scenes peek! We're keeping this one short and sweet (about 15 min) and we also share some pretty big & exciting news!

Pull up a chair and lean in real close because today's convo with Heather Boersma is going to light you up inside and set you free some of the perceived limitations you may be holding on to. If you: Feel like there's something tugging on your heart, a dream, an idea, a project, or a goal that's taking longer than you hoped Struggle to stay present instead of sprinting ahead to the next thing Worry about why you've yet to hit your stride Have ever struggled with how to align your schedule with your heart's core values, then this episode is for you, sister. Heather is a wife, mom, life coach, speaker, writer, and she might just blow your mind with this simple and minimalist approach to pursuing those passions in the middle of motherhood and her daily life. Enjoy episode #85 and if it speaks to you, will you pass it on to a friend?

Rest is one of those things that's real easy to talk about and a lot harder to actually DO, amirite? As moms we're always fussing over our kids, reminding them they need rest, and making sure they get it, so often forgetting how badly we need it ourselves. Part of being a grownup is learning how to listen to the heartbeat of our own life and remembering to slow down when the pulse quickens to that all-too-familiar frenetic pace. Today we're sharing practical ways of HOW you can implement rest we're and WHY we believe that Rest: Needs a full stop Must be planned for ahead of time (otherwise it's often just damage control or too little/too late) Is not a reward for "finishing" Is 100% necessary to a healthy inner life Behind the scenes we've been talking about and ruminating over this idea of Rest ALL year- what it truly means, how we can plan for it, and many of the surprising benefits of it that we're discovering in our personal lives. We are SO excited to start this conversation with you because we've got

Y'ALL! WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS EPISODE WITH YOU! Today on the podcast we got to sit down with Karen Stott, and the conversation was so rich and full of sage advice from a work at home mom who's learned quite a few things along her entrepreneurial career. We chatted with Karen all about: Balancing being a mom and a business owner Filtering your Yeses through the question of: "Can I do this with both excellence and joy?" How to be the boss of your own schedule Including your kids in what you're doing How to discern what you actually want in regards to family/work life balance The importance of regularly carving out seasons of REST You don't want to miss this one! LINKS WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE: An Intentional Life Book Abound Conference focused on Rest: aboundinall.com CONNECT WITH KAREN: Instagram: @karenstott Website: www.karenstott.com

Dude, MAY IS CRAZY, but guys! We made it! Maycember is over, which means it's our favorite time of the month! (Not our lady-time because that is obviously NOT our favorite time...) In these end of month episodes we are letting our hair down, pulling back the curtain, and getting super honest about how it's going as we pursue our creative passions in the middle of motherhood and our right-now lives. While we fully believe it's possible to hold the two together, we don't pretend for a second that it's always easy or simple. We're keepin' it real for y'all. Today we're dishing all about what's working and what's NOT working in our personal lives and in this episode we just about covered it all! From dog hair in the carpet to hard conversations with our spouse to screen time and beyond. We're sharing practical ways to: Overcome self doubt Uncover your "thing" Make a To-Don't List (you need this in your life!) Take the pressure off in seasons of overwhelm

YOU GUYS. We are not even exaggerating when we say that this was one of our favorite episodes EVER! We sat down to chat with one of our favorite Brits (and one of the most charming people on the planet) Elli Johnson of @thehippochronicles. Elli's candor, wit, humor, and insight led to a really helpful and important conversation around living with depression and/or anxiety. Note we said, "living WITH", not solving, fixing, or healing. We talked with her all about tools to live well, how to both name and change the narrative around mental health, and how to coexist with anxiety and depression- as a mom, a creative, and a wholehearted human person. THIS. ONE. WAS. FIRE. But imagine if Fire was like, funny and also calming in a way. That's what this convo was. Freeing. Insightful. Helpful. Funny. Honest. If you're a woman who's dealt with anxiety or depression, or if you are close to someone who does, you don't want to miss this one! Elli Johnson is passionate about her family, her garden and brewing the perfect

Ever wonder what the term “self-care” actually even means? It seems like such a buzzword lately, which is exactly why we want to unpack this concept together. If you’re a mom, a creative entrepreneur, heck, if you’re a HUMAN PERSON, learning how to care for your *whole* self in healthy ways isn’t just beneficial, it’s crucial. One of our favorite filters for self care is the question our dear friend, Melissa Blair once asked us, “How’s your head? How’s your heart? How’s your butt?” I mean… if that doesn’t cover it, we don’t know what does! Of all the episodes we share, please do not miss this one, sister. It’s so, so important and you may be pleasantly surprised by our refreshing definition of self care, because we strongly believe that it shouldn’t feel like one more oppressive thing to “get right” or add to your to-do list. In this conversation we share simple and practical ways to: know yourself & explore your needs (what is life giving VS life draining for you) speak up & communicate your needs p

This month on the podcast we’re deep diving into the concept of self-care: what it means, what it looks like, and how to prioritize it in a realistic and helpful way, because let’s all be real here- as moms it can be really tricky to navigate everyone else’s needs along with our own in a ... Read More about Interview with Jenn Collins

UNFILTERED EPISODE COMIN AT YA! In today’s Behind the Scenes of April ep we’re laying it all on the table for ya, sister. The good, the hard, the cringeworthy, and as always, the funny bits too. This Spring has been a bit of a doozy where both of our personal lives are concerned and since ... Read More about Behind the Scenes: April

GUYS! We don’t mean to shout but this episode is going to knock your socks off! Today we have the pleasure to talk to Valerie Woerner, of Val Marie Paper, and the author of her newly released book, Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday. Valerie Woerner is passionate about inspiring women to live a life of ... Read More about MWM: Guest Interview Val Woerner

This month we’re talking to mamas in that tender, transitional time with a brand new baby. Those early months and years can be a beautiful, life-giving (literally), deeply fulfilling… and often engulfing season. A season that can fill you up but also empty you clear out faster than anything ever has before. Can we get ... Read More about MWM: Guest Interview with Maeve Gerboth

Of allll the things that hold us back from uncovering what lights us up and cultivating more of it in our right-now life, TIME is most often at the top of that list. When we asked you guys what you wanted us to address here on the podcast, that was the resounding answer. Number 1 ... Read More about How to Make Time for Yourself

Y’all are in for a treat because today we have Susanna Risser on the podcast. She’s a brilliant natural light, lifestyle/ wedding photographer (seriously, her work is bonkers- go find her on IG @ladycascades and see for yourself) which means she’s a full time stay-at-home AND work-at-home mom. Susie and her husband dealt with the ... Read More about MWM: Guest Interview with Susanna Risser

Well folks, we’re not sure how this happened, but March is already almost over (excuse me, but wasn’t it just Christmas, like 5 minutes ago?) so it means it’s time for our monthly behind-the-scenes peak! Today we’re getting super real with you and spilling the beans about what’s currently working for us as well as ... Read More about MWM: Behind the Scenes (March)

Today, in episode #72 we’re chatting with our homegirl, Becky McCoy. Becky is a writer, podcaster, speaker, widowed single mother, hilarious & resilient encourager of women, and the founder of the virtual and live Brave Together retreats. She lives on the Connecticut coast with her two precocious and hilarious children. Having struggled with depression and ... Read More about MWM: Guest Interview with Becky McCoy

Hey Friends! Grab a cup of coffee, slip on your coziest slippers, and settle in because today (Episode 71) we’re talking all about how to create a morning routine that works for YOU. We’re diving into why a morning routine is so important, sharing some practical tips of how to structure a routine that actually ... Read More about Design a Morning Routine that Works for YOU