Paige Connell went from zero kids to four kids in under three years — foster care, adoption, two biological pregnancies, and a baby born during COVID while her husband, a blue-collar first responder, never worked a single day from home. What happened next is a story about the mental load of motherhood that every mom in a partnership needs to hear.

This isn't a conversation about chores. It's about the assumptions that build up without anyone saying a word, the resentment that follows, and the real conversations that change things. Paige didn't do her husband's laundry. He cooks dinner most nights. People have feelings about both of those things online. What actually matters is the system underneath, and how they built it.

You'll hear:

• Why the mental load snowballs without anyone intending it to
• The laundry rule Paige's mother-in-law gave her years ago (and why it's actually about resentment, not laundry)
• Why defensiveness is normal, and what matters is what happens after
• The "third option" between sucking it up and leaving
• What to do when you're growing and your partner isn't
• How to build a division of labor based on strengths instead of assumptions
• What it actually looks like on the other side of two years of hard conversations

This one is for any mom who is carrying more than her share and doesn't quite know how to start the conversation.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Paige on Instagram: @sheisapaigeturner
• Paige's website: shesapaigeturner.com
• Paige's Substack (Lessons Learned): substack.com
• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community
• BossMom+: bossmom.com/join

Laura Jennings was a college professor with a master's degree, doing everything she'd been taught to do — until her daughter was born and she realized the life she'd built didn't fit the mom she was becoming. Five months after discovering virtual assistance, she'd replaced her teaching salary. Two years later, she'd tripled it. Her daughter never spent a day in daycare.

In this episode, Dana and Laura get into exactly how moms can become virtual assistants using skills they already have — and why right now is one of the best possible moments to start.

You'll hear:

• Why "too good to be true" is just a stage, and how to stack evidence until it becomes your new normal
• The ladder of believability: how imposter syndrome fades when you take action instead of waiting to feel ready
• Why "I'll work with anyone" is the wrong starting point — and how to find clients you actually enjoy working with
• The AI question answered honestly: what VAs can use it for, and why it's not replacing them
• The identity shift that nobody warns moms about — and why the flexible income path is one of the few structures that actually honors it
• What moms with 10 to 20 hours a week need to know about the current market for contract work

This one is practical, personal, and full of permission for moms who've been sitting on the edge of making a move.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Laura's free "Get Started as a VA" masterclass: laurajtraining.com/masterclass-registration-guest-podcast
• Laura on Instagram: @hey.lauranicole
• Laura on Threads: @hey.lauranicole
• Your Virtual Assistant Coach podcast: Apple Podcasts
• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community
• BossMom+ ($197/year): bossmom.com/join

This week is an interview, and it's one of my favorites in a long time. I sit down with Keira Brinton, founder of JOA Publishing and known as The People's Publisher, a single mom of five who built a multi-million-dollar company in three years by merging deep faith with serious strategy. Keira is high energy in the exact way I am, so the two of us together will get you fired up. But she also gets vulnerable in a way I did not see coming.

The big idea: trusting your intuition is not woo, it's the fastest path to action. When you stop avoiding the thing you're scared of, your business can move at the speed of light.

You'll hear:

• The "face your dragon" story, and how Keira unblocked nine months of stuck in two weeks
• Why whatever you feel inside shows up in your outer world
• An honest, tender conversation about friendship, loneliness, and outgrowing people as you grow
• Why books are the one thing that lasts, and why real leaders need to write now
• Keira's "ask, listen, do" method and how to actually hear the answer
• Why moms are wired to stop receiving, and how to get it back
• Why you can say yes before you're qualified, and act before it's perfect

This is a must-listen for any mom building a business who's felt stuck, scattered, or behind despite doing all the right things.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Keira's Mini Book Activator Course ($197): go.keirabrinton.com/minibookactivator
• Keira on Instagram: instagram.com/keirabrinton
• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community
• BossMom+ ($197/year): bossmom.com/join

This week isn't a how-to, it's a heart-to-heart. Dana sits down with meditation teacher Katy Rexing to talk about the midlife awakening for moms: that wobbly, something's-off, where-did-I-go season so many of us hit in our late 30s and 40s. If you've been quietly wondering whether something is wrong with you lately, this is the episode that tells you the truth. Nothing is wrong with you. You're right on schedule.

Katy rebuilt her entire life from the inside out after years of "perfecting perfection" led her straight into panic attacks she couldn't name. Dana shares her own panic attack on a bridge and the traumaversary behind it. Together they get into why this unraveling is by design, and how to meet it with peace instead of fear.

You'll hear:

• Why almost every woman hits a wall around 40, and what "I am done being at war with you" really means
• Why a panic attack is your body crying to be heard, not a sign you're broken
• The case that this midlife awakening is by design, and why you shouldn't try to dodge it
• Why you can't "just love yourself" yet, and the step almost everyone skips
• How to stop riding the roller coaster of likes, gold stars, and outside validation
• Dana and Katy's friendly debate on whether every mom should have a business
• Why this is the most supported, least lonely time in history to do this inner work

This is a must-listen for any mom who's felt scattered, behind, or like she's quietly falling apart for no reason. You're not. You're right on time.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Katy Rexing's website + WithIn podcast: katyrexing.com
• Katy on Instagram (comment PRACTICE for her starter meditation toolkit): @katyrexing
• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community — where moms get help clarifying goals and building the focus skills to hit them
• BossMom+ ($197/year): bossmom.com/join — the right marketing plan + implementation support for your business

This week isn't an interview, it's a real, ranty discussion. Dana sits down with Jaclyn Orent, co-founder and frequency architect of the Cultural Catalyst Network, to break down one of the most important truths every mom needs to hear right now: you cannot out-strategy what you're feeling. No morning routine, no new funnel, no productivity hack is going to fix what's actually a frequency problem. And there's nearly 60 years of consciousness, change, and scaling science to back it up.

If you've ever felt scattered, behind, "off," or like you're working as hard as you can without it adding up — this is the episode that flips it.

You'll hear:

• Why the rise and fall of empires happens every 80 years, and what that means for moms right now
• The science of resonance and why moms are the natural cultural catalysts of this era
• The "good enough economy" and why your voice is more valuable than ever
• Dr. David Hawkins' scale of consciousness and the critical threshold of 200
• The three-step "let go" practice that actually works (and why most affirmations don't)
• The difference between self-sacrifice and true sacrifice
• Why your kids cannot be your purpose (and what to do instead)

This is a must-listen for any mom who's felt the pull toward something bigger and didn't have the language for it.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Jaclyn's free Science-Backed Secrets to Catalyzing Culture Masterclass: culturalcontribution.com/masterclass
• Jaclyn on Instagram: @culturalcatalystnetwork
• Jaclyn on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaclynorent
• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community
• BossMom+: bossmom.com/join

If you've ever resented your own schedule, this episode is for you. In this solo, Dana gets vulnerable and shares the one skill that changed her business, her motherhood, and her experience of life more than any strategy ever has. It's not a productivity hack. It's not a morning routine. It's the simple, life-altering practice of recognizing when you've drifted, and coming back to focus.

Recorded as Dana's last episode before turning 45, this is a reflective, honest look at the inner work that actually moved her business, the chiropractor analogy that reframed how she sits in discomfort, and the one line she says to herself that has replaced every affirmation she's ever tried.

If you've ever felt scattered, behind, or like your kids are the reason you can't get anything done, this is the episode that flips that.

You'll hear:

• The one skill every mom should build before any other (and why it matters more than any tool)
• Why your kids probably aren't the actual distraction, and what is
• The chiropractor analogy for sitting in the discomfort of growth
• The inner work that finally moved Dana's business forward (it wasn't strategy)
• Dana's "I would never sabotage someone I love" line that replaces every affirmation
• Why being cringe, quirky, and fully yourself is the whole point
• The 5-step focus practice you can start today

This is for any mom who feels behind, scattered, or like she's working as hard as she can without it adding up.

Mentioned in this episode:

• BossMom Community (free): bossmom.com/community — where moms get help figuring out their goals and building the focus skills to actually hit them
• BossMom+ ($197/year): bossmom.com/join — the right marketing plan + implementation support for your business

This week, Dana sits down with Irin Rubin, founder and CEO of MamaZen, a mental wellness app for mothers. Irin's story is one a lot of moms will recognize: a difficult first delivery, severe colic, hospitalization, PTSD in the second pregnancy, and the slow realization that the high-speed train of motherhood didn't have stops. What she discovered next changed everything: nervous system regulation isn't another thing to add to your overwhelm. It's the thing that makes the rest of your life feel possible.

If you've ever felt like the world keeps telling you to "just slow down," "just give yourself permission," or "just take a bath," and none of it actually helps, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

• Why the answer to overwhelm is never "do more" (and what actually works)
• The science of fight-or-flight and why most moms live there by default
• Irin's "math story" with her daughter, and how self-talk literally changes outcomes
• Why your kids hear every word you say (including how you talk to yourself)
• The line Irin uses to filter unsolicited advice without conflict
• Why saying no gets easier (not harder) once your nervous system is regulated
• How regulating your nervous system creates generational change for your kids

This is a must-listen for any mom who's tired of being told the answer is more self-care, more scheduling, more permission. The real answer is quieter, deeper, and works.

Mentioned in this episode:

• MamaZen app (free 7-day trial, iOS and Android): mamazen.com
• Book: MamaZen: The Parenting Method on Amazon
• Irin on Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
• Boss Mom Community (free): bossmom.com/community

This week is different. It's not an interview, it's a real, ranty discussion. Dana sits down with buyer psychology expert Katie Read to break down something every mom growing a business needs to hear: right now is one of the easiest times in a decade to grow a business as a mom. Big companies are hunting small audiences. AI just made your voice the most valuable thing you own. And the rules for how you build, sell, and show up have completely changed in your favor.

If you've ever felt behind, too small, or like you needed a bigger platform before you "really" started, this episode is going to flip that.

You'll hear:

• Why "the fourth grader is king" and why being two steps ahead is enough
• The "good enough economy" and why it's coming for regurgitation businesses
• The scars vs. wounds framework for vulnerability that builds authority (not pity)
• Why newsletters are roaring back, and why your messy human voice is gold right now
• How to use AI for structure without letting it steal your voice
• First principles thinking: why the old "video module + Facebook group" model is breaking
• The two (and only two) things you should actually be using AI for in your business

This is a must-listen for any mom running an online business.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Katie's free AI prompts for buyer psychology: buyerpsych.com/freeprompts
• Katie's Incubator program (rebuild your offer for the 2026 buyer): incubator.katieread.com
• Katie's main site: BuyerPsych.com
• Boss Mom Community (free): bossmom.com/community
• Boss Mom Plus: bossmom.com/join