You know that feeling when you're sitting on the couch, supposedly relaxing, but your brain is still running through tomorrow's schedule, the grocery list, the school forms, the birthday gifts, and what the hell everyone is going to eat for dinner?

Yeah. That.

This week on Bronze Medal Moms, Amy and Amanda are talking about the invisible work of motherhood. All those things nobody sees, nobody thinks about, and nobody notices until they don't get done.

And here's the thing: You can have an amazing, involved partner who does plenty around the house and STILL feel like you're responsible for keeping the entire household running.

Because there's a big difference between doing the work and being the person responsible for making sure the work gets done.

We're talking about the 147 tabs constantly open in our brains, why "just make me a list" isn't actually helpful, and how working from home can somehow turn you into the default parent for EVERYTHING.

But we're also turning the conversation around and asking some harder questions. Are we sometimes creating unnecessary work for ourselves? Do our kids really need elaborate holiday traditions and Pinterest-worthy celebrations? Are we holding on to responsibilities that someone else could handle, even if they do things differently?

And most importantly, how do we actually start putting some of this stuff down?

From family meetings and sharing responsibilities to letting our kids figure things out for themselves, we're getting into what it really looks like to lighten the load without adding another damn thing to our to-do lists.

Because the goal isn't to become better at managing everything. It's to stop being responsible for everything.

And we don't want to be so busy managing motherhood that we forget to actually enjoy being moms.

ALSO MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Go back and listen to Season 1, Episode 46, featuring Paige from She's a Paige Turner, where we first tackled the mental load of motherhood and why so much of it falls on moms.

CONNECT WITH BRONZE MEDAL MOMS AND JOIN THE COMMUNITY!

Website: www.bronzemedalmoms.com

Instagram: @bronzemedalmoms

Love what you're hearing? Subscribe to Bronze Medal Moms, leave us a five-star review, and share this episode with another mom who's carrying about 400 invisible responsibilities. Your reviews and shares help other moms find us!

We'd also love to hear from you! What's one thing you're finally taking off your plate? Come tell us on Instagram.

MUSIC CREDIT - Theme music, "Mommin' Like a Rockstar," by Jake Lowe.

What actually happens at a boudoir shoot? And what possesses a grown woman to willingly get half naked in front of stranger with a camera?

Amy has done it — with today’s guest, photographer Sontera from Lighthouse Boudoir — so we’re talking about the whole experience. The nerves before the shoot, figuring out what to wear, posing when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, and the magic that happens when you have the right person behind the camera.

Sontera shares what women are really worried about when they walk into her studio, what she wishes more women knew before booking a session, and why boudoir can become about so much more than the photos.

We also talk confidence, getting older, seeing yourself differently, and why you don’t need to lose weight, change your body, or wait for some future “better” version of yourself before getting in front of the camera.

It’s fun, honest, a little spicy, and very Bronze Medal Moms.

CONNECT WITH SONTERA + LIGHTHOUSE BOUDOIR

Website: www.lighthouseboudoir.com
Instagram: @Lighthouse_boudoir
Email: Sontera@lighthouseboudoir.com

CONNECT WITH BRONZE MEDAL MOMS

Website: www.bronzemedalmoms.com
Instagram: @bronzemedalmoms

Follow along, share the episode with a mom who needs it, and remember: nobody gets a gold medal for motherhood. Bronze is good enough.

It’s our first Coffee Talk of Season 2, and we had a list of things to discuss. We barely made it through any of them.

Amy is playing nurse after Steve’s major shoulder surgery, which somehow turns into a conversation about marriage, caregiving, and what “in sickness and in health” actually looks like when your spouse can’t even change his own shirt.

Then we get to what we REALLY needed to discuss: Netflix’s The Pastor’s Wife. And we have thoughts. A LOT of thoughts.

We’re talking coercive control, red flags, church culture, true crime, critical thinking, suspicious deaths, idiot criminals, and somehow even the creepy white van we were all taught to fear in the ’80s.

Basically, it’s Coffee Talk exactly as it should be: completely unscripted and wildly off topic.

Grab your coffee—or Amanda’s decidedly NOT coffee—and pull up a chair.

Connect with us and Join the Bronze Medal Mom Community:
🌐 www.bronzemedalmoms.com
📸 Instagram: @bronzemedalmoms

"Mommin' Like a Rockstar" theme music by Jake Lowe.

Thanks for listening to Bronze Medal Moms!

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with another bronze medal mom. 🥉

WE’RE BACK!

Season 2 of Bronze Medal Moms is officially here, and apparently we still haven’t figured out how to be perfect. Thank goodness.

In our first episode back, we’re catching up on summer, Amy becoming the mom of a teenager, Amanda discovering that floating the river is apparently NOT entertaining enough for a 12-year-old, and the very different ways our kids handle homework, independence and the after-school emotional dump.

We’re also sharing what’s changing for Season 2: a looser format, more guests, Coffee Talks, and more honest conversations about motherhood, marriage, friendships, our bodies, hormones, raising kids and all the things women are actually talking about with their friends.

Plus, Bronze Medal Moms got a glow-up! Huge thanks to Erin Miller Photography for our new photos and website look. Check her out here: https://www.erinmillercreative.com

There are plenty of places telling moms how to do motherhood better. This isn’t one of them.

Pull up a chair. We’re still chasing bronze. 🥉

Connect with us and Join the Bronze Medal Mom Community:
🌐 www.bronzemedalmoms.com
📸 Instagram: @bronzemedalmoms

"Mommin' Like a Rockstar" theme music by Jake Lowe.

Thanks for listening to Bronze Medal Moms!

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with another bronze medal mom. 🥉

Summer may be "slower," but somehow it's even busier than the school year! In this June Coffee Talk, we're catching up on Amy's seven-airport adventure, World Cup excitement, the latest true crime documentaries, and why women can't stop watching them. We also have an honest conversation about body confidence, Amy's first boudoir photo shoot, and why it's time to stop waiting for the "perfect" body to enjoy life.

Grab your coffee and come catch up with us!

Connect with us and Join the Bronze Medal Mom Community:
🌐 www.bronzemedalmoms.com
📸 Instagram: @bronzemedalmoms

"Mommin' Like a Rockstar" theme music by Jake Lowe.

Thanks for listening to Bronze Medal Moms!

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with another bronze medal mom. 🥉

It’s our final full episode before summer mode officially begins… so naturally we covered everything from pool floats and Lego closets to screen time debates, true crime documentaries, postpartum depression, and flying to all 7 United hubs in one day!

In this Coffee Talk episode, we’re catching up on real life, summer chaos, organizing spirals, parenting opinions people love to judge, and the documentaries currently consuming our brains.

We also talk about:

• Why Amy is voluntarily spending 18+ hours on airplanes for fun ✈️
• Amanda’s “don’t buy stuff to hold your stuff” organization era
• Our very unpopular opinions on kids and screen time
• The Netflix documentary The Crash
• How conversations around postpartum depression and perimenopause are finally changing

And most importantly—we’re officially wrapping up Season 1.

We’ll still be dropping casual Coffee Talks throughout the summer, but we’re taking a break from weekly episodes until Season 2 launches in September. So this is your sign to binge all the episodes you missed and share your favorites with your mom friends this summer.

👉 Join the Bronze Medal Moms Movement—a community of women done with perfection but still showing up.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bronzemedalmoms
Website: www.bronzemedalmoms.com

🎶 Music by Jake Lowe

Summer is here… and so is the pressure to make it magical.

In this episode, we’re giving you permission to let that go.

We’re talking about what we’re leaving behind (guilt, overcommitting, comparison, and Pinterest-level expectations) and what we’re actually taking into summer—lower expectations, more flexibility, and letting it be enough.

Because mindset is great… but your kids are home all day and eating nonstop 😅

So we’re also sharing real-life survival tips:

• Easy snack hacks
• How to handle the “I’m bored”
• Travel sanity savers
• Simple ways to keep kids entertained without losing your mind

Plus, we’re kicking off the wrap-up of Season 1! After one more Coffee Talk, we’ll shift to summer mode with monthly episodes and be back in September with Season 2.

So your only assignment?

👉 Go binge Season 1 and catch up on the episodes you missed.

Lower the bar. Feed them snacks. Keep them alive.

Because bronze still gets you a place on the podium.

👉 Join the Bronze Medal Moms Movement—a community of women done with perfection but still showing up.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bronzemedalmoms
Website: www.bronzemedalmoms.com

🎶 Music by Jake Lowe

Think you’re saving money by booking your own trips? You might want to rethink that…

In this episode, we’re joined by travel agent (and Amy’s go-to trip planner) Heather Honaker, and she is breaking down everything moms actually need to know about planning summer travel—without the stress, overwhelm, or 15 browser tabs open.

We’re talking myths, mistakes, and the behind-the-scenes truth about what travel agents really do (spoiler: it’s a lot more than you think). From saving time and avoiding disasters to unlocking perks you didn’t even know existed—this episode might completely change how you plan your next trip.

We cover:

• The biggest myth about travel agents (and why you’re already paying for one anyway)
• Why booking your own trip can actually cost you more (in time, stress, and mistakes)
• When you should be booking summer travel (and what to do if you’re late)
• The best family, girls trip, and low-stress vacation ideas
• One travel mistake almost everyone makes (hello, missed flights 👀)
• Real-life travel fails that will make you feel better about your own

Whether you’re planning a big summer trip, a quick getaway, or just dreaming of your next escape—this episode is your permission slip to stop doing it all yourself.

Because around here… we don’t need perfect vacations. We just need ones we can actually enjoy.

Heather has been married for almost 28 years and is mom to two grown girls. She's been a travel advisor for over 7 years, helping others explore some of the most incredible places around the world. Heather currently lives in Kington, Jamaica, and believes that traveling with intention has a way of making the world feel smaller. She's passionate about creating meaningful experiences and loves helping her clients make lifelong memories they’ll never forget.

Connect with Heather:
FB: facebook.com/hwhonaker
IG: @hhonakertravelmation
Website: https://tinyurl.com/hhonakertravel

👉 Join the Bronze Medal Moms Movement—a community of women done with perfection but still showing up.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bronzemedalmoms
Website: www.bronzemedalmoms.com

🎶 Music by Jake Lowe