Who decided we have to have life figured out by a certain age?

This week on Mom Gone Mild, I'm joined by Laná Huyck, a high school counselor of 20 years and the creator of Unfinished Stories, a podcast about becoming, not arriving.

At 47, Laná decided it was time to take a chance on herself and pursue something new. We talk about the pressure women face to follow a certain timeline, overcoming self-doubt, learning to set boundaries, and finding the courage to start before you feel ready.

From navigating life's unexpected plot twists to realizing that failure is part of growth, this conversation is a reminder that you're not behind, you're still becoming.

Because the truth is, none of us have it all figured out. And maybe that's the beauty of it.

🎙️ Connect with Laná:

Instagram: @unfinishedstoriespodhq

Listen to Unfinished Stories on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Find all her links here:
https://linktr.ee/unfinishedstoriespod

💕 Keep up with Mom Gone Mild:

New episodes every Thursday!

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and watch on YouTube.

Instagram: @momgonemild_podcast

If this episode resonated with you, follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with a woman who needs the reminder that it's never too late to begin again.

It’s getting spooky on Mom Gone Mild! 🎃👻

My sister Sofia is back for our Halloween Special, and this one is pure chaos. We’re getting into listener submitted ghost stories, including a VERY haunted house 👀, a dating story that is genuinely scarier than any horror movie, a Halloween party that ends with a Titanic worthy moment, and an anonymous confession.

Then we’re digging through the archives and rating our Halloween costumes from over the years, which obviously turns into us roasting each other, before finishing with a Halloween edition of “Me or Her.”

Basically, it’s a Halloween sleepover with two sisters, questionable stories, old photos, and absolutely no filter.

Grab your candy, pour a drink, and hang out with us. 🖤

Happy Halloween from Mom Gone Mild! 🎃

Make sure to follow Mom Gone Mild, like the episode, and leave a rating wherever you’re listening. It helps support the podcast and lets me know you’re loving the show!

Follow @momgonemild_podcast on Instagram and let me know which story creeped you out the most and who had the better Halloween costumes.

New episodes every Thursday! 💕

Lawyer. Mom. Cannabis advocate. Podcast host. And now, romance author. Joyce Gerber has never been afraid of a new chapter.

This week on Mom Gone Mild, Lex sits down with Joyce, the creator and former host of the award-winning The Canna Mom Show, to talk about motherhood, cannabis, breaking stigma, and what happens when you allow yourself to evolve beyond the career or identity you thought you were supposed to have.

We also get into Joyce’s debut novel, She’s Taking a Break, a contemporary cannabis-friendly romance following Annie McGrath as she leaves her high-profile life in LA and returns home to Cambridge, Massachusetts. There’s family, an old flame who happens to now be a priest, a rock-star husband, plenty of complicated history…and yes, a little cannabis along the way. 🌿📖

Joyce also shares the story behind The Canna Mom Show and the community she’s built around giving women a voice and changing the conversation around cannabis and caregiving.

Learn more about Joyce, her book, upcoming events, and The Canna Mom Show at thecannamomshow.com.

🎧 New episodes of Mom Gone Mild every Thursday.

Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Follow @momgonemild_podcast for more behind-the-scenes chaos, conversations, and everything happening at Mom Gone Mild.

What does it mean to embrace yourself when life changes the body and the future you imagined?

In this episode of Mom Gone Mild, Lex welcomes Danielle Herzog: author, mother, educator, and two time breast cancer THRIVER. In honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we make space for an honest conversation about identity, resilience, and the woman behind the diagnosis.

Danielle’s openness about going flat and embracing a new version of herself offers a powerful reminder: your body may change, but your worth remains. This episode is an invitation to listen, feel less alone, and make room for every version of yourself.

Connect with Danielle

Instagram: @danielleherzogauthor

Facebook: Danielle Herzog Author

X: @dherzogauthor

Website: danielleherzog.com

Find her books

What Are You, Lou? is a picture book celebrating identity and self acceptance.

The Cassette Tape Secret is a middle grade mystery exploring friendship, OCD, and belonging.

Both books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target, with purchase links on Danielle’s website.

What happens when you’ve spent years surviving, providing, raising your kids, and taking care of everyone else… and suddenly it’s time to figure out who you are?

This week, I’m joined by Nikki Carbonell, mom of three, domestic violence survivor, trauma-informed yoga teacher, certified stretch and flexibility coach, and founder of Flame & Flow Creations.

Nikki opens up about leaving an abusive marriage, rebuilding her life, moving across the world to Japan, navigating motherhood as her children become adults, and realizing how much of her identity had been tied to being needed, working, and taking care of everyone around her.

We also talk about how yoga became part of her healing journey, why trauma-informed and body-inclusive spaces matter, building a business even when you’re terrified to fail, and learning to fill your own cup in every season of womanhood.

Nikki calls this chapter of her life her “season of yes and doing things while afraid,” and this conversation is such a beautiful reminder that it is never too late to rediscover yourself, reinvent yourself, and create a life that feels like yours.

Follow Nikki and learn more about Flame & Flow Creations:
Instagram: @flameandflowcreations
Website: flameandflowcreations.com

Nikki is based in Santa Clarita and serves the Greater LA area. She offers a $50 introductory stretch and discounted packages. Book through the link in her Instagram bio, or DM her for private yoga pricing.

And make sure to follow @momgonemild_podcast on Instagram for new episodes, clips, behind-the-scenes moments, and more!

🎙️ Mom Gone Mild: motherhood, womanhood, identity, and everything in between.

Wake windows, contact naps, regressions, sleep training… there is SO much information out there about baby sleep. But what actually works for your baby?

This week, Lex sits down with Jordan Lander, certified pediatric sleep consultant with Sleep Wise Consulting, registered nurse, and mom of two, for a judgment-free conversation about baby and toddler sleep.

We talk about newborn sleep, wake windows, nap transitions, regressions, routines, “bad” sleep habits, sleep training vs. independent sleep skills, and why there really isn't one perfect schedule that works for every child.

Jordan also shares why parents matter in the sleep conversation too, because the goal isn't perfection. It's helping the whole family get the rest they need.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Wake windows and following your baby's cues
• Contact naps, rocking and other “bad habits”
• Sleep regressions and developmental milestones
• Knowing when it's time to drop a nap
• Sleep training vs. independent sleep skills
• Creating consistent routines without obsessing over a schedule
• Why every family's sleep needs are different

RESOURCES FROM JORDAN

Schedule a free sleep evaluation:
https://sleepwiseconsulting.com/child-schedule-a-free-call/

CONNECT WITH JORDAN

Instagram: @jordanlander.sleepwise
Website: https://sleepwiseconsulting.com/

CONNECT WITH MOM GONE MILD

Instagram: @momgonemild_podcast
Website: https://momgonemildpodcast.com/

New episodes every Thursday.

Noah’s Story: A Mother’s Journey Through Hydrocephalus

This week on Mom Gone Mild, Madi Baker joins me to share Noah’s story a deeply personal conversation about motherhood, hydrocephalus, medical complexity, faith, and learning to navigate a life you never expected.

Madi opens up about Noah’s diagnosis, the fear and uncertainty that came with it, the strength she found along the way, and what life really looks like as a medical mom.

This episode is about so much more than a diagnosis. It’s about advocating for your child, finding hope in the hardest moments, and the incredible love and resilience that can exist alongside fear.

Thank you, Madi, for trusting Mom Gone Mild with Noah’s story. 💛

🎙️ Mom Gone Mild
New episodes every Thursday.

Follow @momgonemild_podcast on Instagram for more conversations about motherhood, womanhood, identity, and the stories we don’t talk about enough.

Pregnant at 35 and suddenly considered “geriatric”?! In this solo episode, Lex shares the honest reality of having a baby after 35 from pregnancy after miscarriage and complicated hospital visits to becoming a mom when she was truly ready.

She also opens up about addiction, waiting to start a family, Hispanic cultural pressure, choosing the right partner, and why motherhood didn’t make her life more worthy it added a beautiful new layer to an already full life.

This isn’t about younger moms versus older moms. It’s a reminder that life isn’t a race, there is no perfect timeline, and you are never too old to begin a new chapter.

Follow @momgonemild_podcast on Instagram and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.