Join me for this conversation for growing moms with personal stylist Jessica Burns. Jess joins us to share her journey from teaching to styling and how becoming a mom reshaped her approach to fashion and self-care. She offers insightful tips on how to rediscover your personal style after big life changes, like motherhood, and why it’s crucial to prioritize how you feel in your clothes. She talks about the mental and emotional benefits of getting dressed each day—even in those busy, chaotic seaso...
Jan 27, 2025•22 min•Ep. 26
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with pediatric sleep specialist and Brooklyn mom, Ella Hanover. Ella shares her expert insights into helping babies and toddlers sleep through the night — and the transformative impact it can have on the whole family. From navigating sleep training to creating independent sleepers, Ella offers practical advice for parents struggling with sleepless nights and unsustainable routines. Ella’s approach isn’t one-size-fits-all: she emphasizes the importan...
Nov 12, 2024•34 min•Ep. 25
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Anna McDonald, a licensed therapist specializing in couples therapy and postpartum support. In this episode, Anna shares her journey from a childhood aspiration of becoming a social worker to founding her own practice, where she uses the Gottman Method to help couples strengthen their bonds, especially during the demanding early years of parenting. Listeners will learn about the common relationship challenges new parents face, including communi...
Oct 28, 2024•24 min•Ep. 24
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Kristin Mize, a licensed therapist, motherhood empowerment coach, and mom of three boys. In this episode, Kristin talks about motherhood has grown her self-compassion, mindfulness, and kindness - and how she supports other mothers to do the same. We talk about: ❀ Psychological flexibility in pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and baby sleep ❀ What Kristin wishes all moms knew when it comes to preparing your mental health for having a baby or addi...
Oct 14, 2024•41 min•Ep. 23
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Tori Sprankel, a mom to two and an expert at personal brands for go-to girlies. You already know her work from, well, this podcast! Tori has played a huge part in growing Poppy Therapy and this podcast - she's someone I look up to both in business and in motherhood and I'm thrilled to share this conversation with you! This episode is especially for you if you are in the messy middle of figuring out how to shift your work life to fit motherhood ...
Feb 13, 2024•48 min•Ep. 22
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Dr. Julie Franks, a therapist specializing in mom anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and burnout. In this episode, Julie shared about her own experiences living with anxiety through fertility struggles, pregnancy loss, a high-risk pregnancy, and constantly adjusting to the challenges of motherhood! We talk about: ❀ Living with anxiety - and why anxiety is not always obvious ❀ Julie’s unexpected experiences in pregnancy - including extreme sickness and...
Jan 16, 2024•45 min•Ep. 21
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Jodi Klaristenfeld, mother of a 28-week preemie NICU graduate and the founder of FLRRiSH. In this episode, Jodi shares about the unexpected early birth of her daughter, her NICU experience, and how her motherhood journey has brought her to support and empower NICU parents. We talk about: ❀ Navigating the complex and beautiful world of becoming the mother of a NICU baby ❀ Special NICU milestones and celebrations ❀ The mix of emotions NICU famili...
Dec 18, 2023•42 min•Ep. 20
Join me for this conversation for growing moms with Jenna Overbaugh, a licensed professional counselor, anxiety and OCD expert, and mother. In this episode, Jenna talks about how becoming a mother has grown her strength, self-compassion, acceptance, and authenticity. We talk about: ❀ The unexpected challenges of becoming a mom - all those things that don't make it onto the highlight reels ❀ The identity shift she experienced as an academic and career driven professional becoming a parent ❀ Adjus...
Nov 27, 2023•32 min•Ep. 19
Learn about the "new and improved" podcast and what to expect from season two, including: ❀ Guest episodes with mothers who have been through it as they share the stories of what it was like for them ❀ Interviews with experts with the knowledge and skills in everything from baby and toddler sleep to pelvic floor health to child development - all to help you navigate the early years of motherhood. ❀ Short solo episodes from me, Molly Vasa Bertolucci, a licensed perinatal mental health therapist a...
Nov 20, 2023•3 min
Season one finale episode! And a name change! Our First Year is now Blooming in Motherhood - with more exciting changes to come. I can't wait to see how this podcast grows and develops. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the guests and listeners of this first season. For this special finale episode, I'm talking with Dr. Cassidy Freitas. Cassidy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and mom to three with a virtual group private practice in California where she supports parents navigatin...
Oct 16, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 18
We are joined today for an expert interview with Dr. Carri Dominick! Carri is a pelvic floor physical therapist and the owner of Recharge Therapy in Long Beach, California, where she supports people during pregnancy and postpartum recovery as well as helping people with pelvic floor dysfunction live their best lives. In this podcast episode, Carri talks about: Common reasons birthing people seek out pelvic floor therapy in the first year of parenthood How pelvic floor physical therapy can help i...
Oct 02, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Today's guest is Valerie Probstfeld, MSN, FNP-BC. Valerie is a nurse practitioner and mother of three. Valerie shares in this episode about the amazement she found in her first year, along with the vigilance and control she felt she needed to hold on to during and after her baby's NICU stay - "within the first 10 minutes of my child’s birth, the illusion of control was ripped away from me." Valerie talks about: Studying for the "motherhood exam like I was going to get an A+" Learning to cope wit...
Sep 25, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 16
I'm so excited to share this expert interview with Mika Storey! Mika is a licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist and a mother of two young boys. She is the owner of A Speech Storey – a pediatric private practice specializing in early intervention and speech sound disorders in Southern California. Mika values play-based therapy, parent education, and family-centered care. In this episode, Mika talks about: Speech and language milestones in the first year of life How she became interested ...
Sep 11, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 15
A very special guest on the podcast today - my sister, Marci! Marci is a first time mom to baby Marek and shares in this episode about how this emotional first year of motherhood has transformed and humbled her. Marci thought life would be “pretty much the same, but with less sleep”. The reality? “Everything about my life changed”. Marci talks about: Unexpected feeding challenges when starting her baby on solid foods Comparison in motherhood that brought on feelings of fear and shame Navigating ...
Aug 28, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 14
We’re joined today by Megan Walsh. Megan is a licensed creative arts therapist and board-certified music therapist - AND a new mom! In this episode, Megan talks about what her first year as a mother has been like and how her training and work as a creative arts psychotherapist has set her up to bond and connect with her son. Megan talks about getting to establish a playful, fun, loving, and openly affectionate family culture with her son, how communication has strengthened her relationship with ...
Aug 14, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 13
We’re joined today by Dr. Anne Welsh, a mother of four and a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and consultant. In this episode, she talks about learning how to let go and grow through her motherhood journey - in her career, relationships, and in self-compassion. She gives wonderful insight into some of the deep struggles new moms face with all of the shifts that come with becoming a parent. Dr. Welsh began her career at Harvard before opening her own practice with a focus on perinatal ment...
Aug 07, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
We have an amazing expert interview today with Dr. Kelsey Kerkhove. Dr. Kelsey is a pediatric audiologist with a passion for connecting and supporting families of children with hearing loss. With a background in diagnosis, treatment, and intervention, she has worked with hundreds of children and their families. She has seen first-hand the roller coaster of emotions that parents feel when they find out their child has been diagnosed with hearing loss. From sadness, to fear, and ultimately accepta...
Jul 31, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Berenice is a mother of three and a social worker in California who shares about an overwhelming, vulnerable, and miraculous first year. She talks about all of the adjustment that she and her family went through in that first year, how her relationship with her partner was tested, and how they learned the importance of co-regulation and extending grace to each other to strengthen their relationship. Berenice shares about her experience with postpartum depression and anxiety and what it looked li...
Jul 24, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Chelsy is a social worker and mother of two in southern California. From an emergency c-section the weekend the world shut down, to breastfeeding challenges and the decision to have another baby, Chelsy shares the story of her rollercoaster first year of motherhood. She talks about gaining a new role, feeling overwhelmed by the newborn days, and describes becoming a mother as a resilient process full of emotion and adjustment. Resources: Managing Sleep Deprivation as a New Parent Postpartum Depr...
Jul 10, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 7
9,585. That's how many photos are on my phone right now - and counting! Mothers tend to be the documenters and memory makers in families. With a camera in your back pocket, it's both easier and harder than ever to document family life. I asked Miranda Hayek of Blossom Blue Photography and Blossom Blue Studios to be our first expert guest on the podcast and to talk about photographing the first year. Miranda gives tips on how to best photograph your baby, when to hire a photographer, creating sys...
Jul 03, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Anna is a mother of two who thought her motherhood and her family might resemble a 90s sitcom. All of that changed when she received completely unexpected and life-changing news after her first daughter's newborn screening. In this episode, Anna shares about the challenges her family faced with 3 open heart surgeries in 4 years, the impact of postpartum depression and anxiety on her husband, and the trust, endurance, and self-love that Anna found in her first year as a mother. Resources and Link...
Jun 26, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Jess is a mother and a fertility coach and doula. On this episode, Jess shares about her self-discovery in her first year of motherhood - learning to accept change and be adaptable as a mother, finding clarity, and most of all, finding herself. We talk about asking for help (everyone should take notes from her neighbor on how to support a new mom!) and the importance of sleep in her healing from postpartum anxiety. Resources Jess's website ! Jess's instagram: @fertilityjess Fair Play by Eve Rods...
Jun 19, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Lianna is a Marriage and Family Therapist and mother of two. Unexpected diagnoses for both of her babies in the first days of their lives were a "big curveball". On this episode, Lianna talks about how heartbreak and defeat existed right alongside feeling blessed and loving motherhood. She shares about working through grief in postpartum, caring for medically complex children, and how mindfulness has supported her through the challenges of early parenthood. Resources: Learn more about Postpartum...
Jun 05, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Nikki is a mother of three, both by adoption and birth. Nikki describes her motherhood journey as going from “famine to feast” - after 7 years of trying to start a family, Nikki became a mom to three girls under two… in the midst of COVID and a cross-country move. Nikki shares about sleepless nights and loneliness, learning to ask for help, celebration, gaining resilience, and growth. Lots of growth. Resources: Managing Sleep Deprivation as a New Parent From Nikki: Taking Cara Babies The Connect...
May 22, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this episode I’m talking with Melissa about her first year as a young mother of twins. Melissa was so generous in sharing her story and some of the challenges she faced in that first year - including managing extreme sleep deprivation and issues with her own health that increased her anxiety postpartum. She also shares some great insight on the importance of community and keeping your marriage or partnership strong through what she called “one of the hardest years” of her life. Resources: Man...
May 16, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1
