Mama Making Podcast

What happens when a therapist, a doula agency founder, and a community of perinatal providers decide that maternal mental health has been silent long enough? 

In this live recap, Jessica sits down with Liz Gray — therapist and founder of Maternal Trauma Support Network — and Anna Rodney — founder of Chicago Family Doulas and Birth and Baby University — to recap their second annual Maternal Mental Health ...

What if you didn't have to choose between being a great mom and building a great business? 

Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais — co-founders of Female Mavericks and authors of Entrepreneur Like a Mother — are living proof that you don't. Together they've built and sold two services businesses, raised nine children across their combined entrepreneurial journeys, and built a 20,000-strong community of mompreneurs.

 I...

What do you do when you lose your entire immediate family four months after giving birth, in a country that isn't your home, with no roadmap for what comes next? 

If you're Renata Heringer, you grieve — and then you build. In this episode, Jessica sits down with Renata, a former physician from Brazil who immigrated to Canada, navigated unimaginable loss, and launched Tupi Açaí from her home kitchen while still on maternit...

What if the reason your fitness plan isn't working isn't your discipline — it's the plan? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Bronwyn Barry, founder of BU Fitness and Nutrition, a functional fitness and nutrition practice built for people the wellness industry forgets: new parents, women in life transition, and anyone over 35 who's tired of being sold results they never actually wanted. 

Bronwyn shares her journe...

What if the voice you've been ignoring is the most important one you have?

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Julie Jancius — known as the Angel Medium, host of the top-ranked Angels and Awakening podcast, founder of Angel Reiki School, and author of the upcoming Angel Signs — for a conversation about intuition, divine guidance, and what it means to stop shrinking yourself and start living the life you're actually h...

What happens when you do everything right — and still feel like a stranger in your own life? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Thomai Roi, former pharmacist, founder of Arguably Feral Women, and divorce doula, for one of the most honest conversations about identity, burnout, and rebuilding this podcast has ever had. Thomai navigated three burnouts, three shuttered businesses, postpartum depression, a first marriage...

Most of us walk into our first OB appointment with an arm out for blood work — and no idea what we're actually being tested for. 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Ushta Canteenwalla, board-certified genetic counselor and founder of Find Genetics, to demystify prenatal and reproductive genetic testing from the ground up. From carrier screening before pregnancy to NIPT during, from IVF embryo selection to donor healt...

What if being a little "selfish" actually made you a better mom? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Paulina Roe — Chicago radio personality, podcast host, and founder of the Mami Collective — for a candid, energetic, and deeply relatable conversation about ambitious motherhood, identity after baby, and why community changes everything. From her decade on Chicago radio to building a nationwide platform for moms...

What does it mean to raise globally conscious children in a world full of noise, misinformation, and borders — both literal and cultural? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Maria Ahmad, humanitarian, multilingual professional, journalist, and mom of two, whose life has spanned Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Latin America. Maria shares her journey from BBC radio journalist covering terrorism and elections ...

WELCOME TO SEASON 5: Moms Making Impact  🎉

What if the hardest parts of postpartum aren't a sign that something is wrong with you — but a sign that something is finally waking up? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Jenny Tucker, founder of Centerline Community, a support space for new and expecting moms navigating postpartum and matrescence. Jenny brings her background in mental health counseling and yoga to a ...

What do you do when you get laid off while pregnant, have a toddler at home, and just bought a house? 

If you're Alexandra Swayne, you start a marketing business, invent a baby product, and launch a women's networking group — all within a year. In this episode, Jessica sits down with Alex to talk about the layoff that cracked everything open, the 2 a.m. manufacturer calls that turned Binky Bands into a viral product launc...

What would it mean to raise a child who never learns to be ashamed of their body?

 In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers — licensed sex therapist, bestselling author, researcher, and founder of the Northwest Institute on Intimacy — for a conversation that every parent needs to hear. 

From the definition of sexual shame and how it develops from infancy, to the impact of abstinence-only...

What if birth wasn't something to be afraid of — but something to be prepared for?

 In this episode, Jessica sits down with Emily Encinosa, certified professional midwife, hypnobirthing instructor, and founder of Birds and Bees Maternity Center in Annapolis, Maryland, to talk about the modern home birth movement, the maternity care ecosystem she's building, and why continuity of care changes everything. From debunking hom...

Sometimes life just doesn't ask permission. 

In this solo episode, Jessica gets real about the last two weeks — a broken arm, a late-night ER visit with her son, a hard decision to miss a conference she was really looking forward to, and a full dental surgery under general anesthesia the following week. She talks about what it looks and feels like to go into survival mode, why the emotional weight hits hardest when it's a...

What does it look like when a business-owning mom hits rock bottom — physically, emotionally, and hormonally — and finds her way back? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Terry Tateossian, founder of Thor (The House of Rose), a health coaching practice built for midlife women ready to reclaim their vitality. At 42, Terry lost over 80 pounds, overcame emotional eating, and discovered she had been navigating earl...

What if the key to less defiance, fewer tantrums, and a deeper connection with your kids wasn't another parenting strategy — but play? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Kim Van Dusen, licensed marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist, and founder of The Parentologist, to talk about why play is one of the most powerful and underused tools in a parent's toolkit. From meltdown interventions to gett...

Second pregnancies are supposed to be easier, right? Not always. 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with returning guest Mariela De Santiago for a candid, practical, and deeply relatable conversation about what it actually looks like to prepare for baby number two. From a harder pregnancy than expected to a planned C-section, from sibling prep to postpartum non-negotiables, Mariela shares exactly what she did differently &mdas...

What if the hardest parts of motherhood weren't signs that you're failing — but invitations to finally understand yourself? 

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Angele Close, clinical psychologist, motherhood coach, and author of Unburdening Motherhood, for a deeply honest conversation about matrescence, the Internal Family Systems model, and what it really means to heal inside of motherhood. From mom guilt and pe...

Sometimes the universe pushes you before you're ready. 

In this solo episode, Jessica gets honest about her business ownership journey — from a career she loved in nonprofit fundraising, to a corporate pivot, to an unexpected layoff that became the unlikely catalyst for everything. She talks about the messy middle of entrepreneurial growth, the imposter syndrome that comes with it, the therapy session that reframed everyt...