No Guilt Mom | Overcoming Mom Guilt, Parenting Tips, & Self Care for Moms

Ever snap at your kid and then wonder where that even came from? Dr. Cassidy Freitas, licensed marriage and family therapist and author of Mom Needs a Moment, joins JoAnn to break down what's actually happening in your nervous system in the seconds before you react.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to catch a "ping," the body, thought, feeling, and behavior signals that show up right before you react

Why calm can actually feel unsafe to your nervous system, and what to do about it

How the "little t" traumas from your own childhood are still shaping your triggers today

A simple phrase to use with your kids that creates space without shutting them out

Why protecting your margin, not optimizing every moment, is what actually calms your nervous system

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Cassidy Freitas's website

Mom Needs a Moment by Dr. Cassidy Freitas

Dr. Cassidy on Instagram

The Happy Mom Reset, a free class

Ready to stop reacting and start responding? Sign up for The Happy Mom Reset, a free class, and get started today.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

Do you feel a flash of guilt when you're running late, or a flash of irritation when someone else is? Alex Snider, author of Sometimes You Should Be Late: The Quiet Rebellion of Slowing Down, joins the show to unpack why that reaction has almost nothing to do with the minutes on the clock. This conversation cracked something open for JoAnn mid interview, and it might do the same for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why your reaction to lateness, yours or someone else's, is rarely about the actual minutes

What "emotional punctuality" means and how it can change the way you measure a good day

The kindness buffer, a simple way to build space into your day so you show up present instead of rushed

Why the thing you didn't cross off your list might have been the most values aligned choice you made all day

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sometimes You Should Be Late by Alex Snider, available now

Take Alex's Late Style Quiz

Book club guide and bonus content for Sometimes You Should Be Late

Alex's Substack, Slow Mindfulness

The No Guilt Mom Inner Circle

Loved this one? Our Inner Circle book club is picking up Sometimes You Should Be Late next. Come join us.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

You set a boundary at work, and by dinner time you're doing your coworker's project anyway. In this episode, Courtney Cecil, founder of Working Moms Movement and former Fortune 50 culture leader, breaks down why rigid nine to five boundaries backfire and what to do instead when your job keeps rolling downhill into your home life.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why "enough" is never defined for moms, and how that keeps you stuck in overwhelm

Why squishy, flexible boundaries protect you better than rigid ones, and what that actually looks like

The exact question to ask your boss before you say yes to a new project

How to tell when you're absorbing your team's work instead of managing it

Why naming your boundary out loud is the only way anyone will ever respect it

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Courtney Cecil, Working Moms Movement

Follow Courtney on Instagram

Register for the Mom's Setting Boundaries Summit

Courtney is speaking at the Mom's Setting Boundaries Summit. Register free to save your seat.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

If your teenager has looked at you lately like you're the most annoying person alive, this episode is for you. JoAnn breaks down why teens suddenly pull away, why it's not a reflection of your parenting, and what to actually say the next time your teen lands a low blow about your time management, your questions, or just your existence.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why your teen's frustration with you is a normal, healthy part of development called emotional distancing, not a sign you've wrecked the relationship

How to stop yourself from tightening the reins when your teen pushes back, and why loosening your grip is actually the right move

A simple, confident comeback script for when your teen throws a barbed insult your way

Why your own sense of well-being can take a hit during this stage, and why that's backed by research, not a personal failing

A quick therapy-based question to ask yourself that builds self-compassion when your teen's words sting

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Explosive Child by Dr. Ross Greene

Crucial Conversations (concept: contributing to the pool of meaning)

No Guilt Mom Inner Circle: learn.noguiltmom.com/go

Mom's Setting Boundaries Summit, free, August 10-13

Grab your free ticket to the Mom's Setting Boundaries Summit, August 10-13, and finally get the tools to stop over-explaining and start holding the boundary.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

Do you ever feel like you're failing at work and at home at the same time? Dr. Anne Welsh, psychologist, executive coach, and author of Ambitious Mother, joins JoAnn to explain why that feeling isn't a personal failure, it's a sign you're carrying too much without enough support.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The difference between doing something because you want to and doing it out of guilt, and why that distinction changes everything

Why the mental load keeps growing even as women achieve more at work

The early signs of "functional burnout," where you're still showing up but feel numb, irritable, or completely disconnected from your own life

How to redefine ambition using Anne's ladder versus web metaphor, so wanting more doesn't mean losing your edge

The one degree compass shift that can start changing things without blowing up your whole life

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Anne Welsh on Instagram

Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home by Dr. Anne Welsh (Bloomsbury, out August 6) —https://amzn.to/4fxiyoo

Pre-order bonuses on Dr. Anne Welsh's website — https://www.drannewelsh.com/ambitious-mother-book

The Guilt Equation with Dr. Jen Reed

Register for the Mom's Setting Boundaries Summit

Ready to work on your own boundaries? Register for the Moms Setting Boundaries Summit, it's free.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices