Mama Making Podcast

Jessica Lamb
  • 5.0 (20)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

The Mama Making Podcast is a space for moms making impact - in their communities, in their work, and in the everyday spaces that shape the world. Hosted by Jessica Lamb, this show features honest conversations with women building, leading, creating, and mothering in ways that ripple outward. Each week brings a mix of solo reflections, expert interviews, and real stories from moms navigating growth in every season — from pregnancy and postpartum to leadership, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and beyond. Because motherhood doesn’t pause growth. It often reshapes it.

  1. 1d ago

    Shree Rego | Stop Parenting on Autopilot: The Four Patterns Keeping Moms Stuck — and How to Break Them

    What if the way you're parenting right now has less to do with your choices — and more to do with patterns you inherited and never examined?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Shree Rego — coach, single mom of two, and founder of a practice helping working moms break generational cycles and build the close, trusting relationships they've always wanted with their kids. Shree shares her journey from raising two kids in diapers alone to building a coaching practice, the four generational patterns she's identified in her work, and why raising good humans always starts with raising ourselves first. This one is for every mom who has ever caught herself reacting in a way she swore she never would — and wants to do something about it. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Raising two kids in diapers as a single mom while building a career and a businessWhy Shree believes women don't have to choose between ambition and motherhood — and what that actually looks likeThe difference between work-life balance (a myth) and seasons of capacityWhy most of us are parenting on autopilot — repeating patterns we didn't chooseThe four generational patterns: the Overcompensating Protector, the Reactive Pattern Repeater, the High Functioning Disconnector, and the Conscious Cycle BreakerHow to determine which pattern you lead with — and what to do about itThe five steps Shree uses with clients to break patterns and rebuild relationshipsModeling vs. telling: why children learn from what they see, not what they're toldHow to call a family meeting after conflict — and why it worksThe importance of naming emotions — for yourself and for your kidsApologizing and taking accountability as a parent: what it teaches kids about humilityWhy the teenage years don't have to be the worst — and how early pattern work changes everythingRecognizing what triggers you — and whose pattern it actually belongs toThe quiz, the guidebook, and the group coaching programHOW TO CONNECT WITH SHREE REGO Website: https://www.shreerego.com/Instagram: @shreerego_raisinggoodhumans https://www.instagram.com/shreerego_raisinggoodhumans/This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  2. Oct 7 ·  Video

    Kate Kurdziej | Sun, Sea & Strategy: How One Mom Packed Up Her Family, Moved to Spain, and Built a Business That Finally Fits Her Life

    What if the life you've been dreaming about didn't require waiting until retirement?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Kate Kurdziej — business strategist, retreat host, and founder of Olivier Consultancy — who packed up her family and moved from the UK to France to Spain, built a multi-six-figure business along the way, and now helps established female founders do the strategic thinking they never have time for from a villa with an infinity pool in the Mediterranean. Kate talks about the decision to move abroad with a baby, the bureaucratic realities of building a business across three countries, the Instagram story that accidentally launched her retreat business, and why most people don't have a marketing problem — they have an alignment problem. This one is for every ambitious mom who has ever felt like her business is running her instead of the other way around. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Why Kate left a toxic corporate job while pregnant during COVID — and never looked backThe decision to move from the UK to France with a five-month-old: YOLO, aligned values, and a resilience mindsetTwo years in France, then three in Spain — and what drove the pivotRaising a multilingual child in an international school in ValenciaThe behind-the-scenes reality of setting up a business across three countries: visas, accountants, bureaucracy, and driving licensesGoing from nap-time freelancer to burning out at 12-hour days — and what changedThe Instagram story that accidentally launched Sun, Sea and Strategy retreatsWhy retreats sold out in 30 minutes — and what makes them workThe two-sided business: hosting business strategy retreats AND helping other founders launch profitable retreatsThe Clarity, Strategy, Action framework Kate uses on retreatWhy it's almost never a marketing problem — it's an alignment problemThe financial mechanics behind profitable retreats most people don't think aboutHow to build a retreat business that's sustainable, repeatable, and actually makes moneyWho Kate works with and what established meansWhat's coming: the 2027 retreat waitlist and free resourcesHOW TO CONNECT WITH KATE KURDZIEJ Website: https://olivier-consultancy.co.uk/Instagram: @kate_kurdziej https://www.instagram.com/kate_kurdziej/Retreats: https://olivier-consultancy.co.uk/business-retreat/Retreat strategy: https://olivier-consultancy.co.uk/retreat-planning-consultancy/This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  3. Sep 30

    Elizabeth Rago | The Modern Domestic Woman: Building Community, Navigating Crisis, and a Village That Shows Up

    What do you do when life falls apart — and you feel completely alone in it?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Elizabeth Rago, founder of MGW Media, The Modern Domestic Woman magazine, and executive director of MDW CARES — a nonprofit dedicated to helping women navigate life's transitions through trusted information, meaningful connection, and accessible support. Elizabeth shares the season of financial crisis, shame, and isolation that sparked everything, how a transparent post in a small Facebook group changed the trajectory of her life's work, and what she's built over 12 years into a full ecosystem of support for women in Kane County, Illinois and beyond. This one is about what real community looks like — and what it costs when we don't have it. MAIN TOPICS COVERED The car accident, bankruptcy, repossessed car, and seven-year legal battle that cracked Elizabeth openWhy she felt shame about struggling — and what happened when she finally said so out loudThe Facebook post that changed everything — and the flood of private messages that followedHow a spreadsheet of local resources became a website, a magazine, and eventually a nonprofitThe difference between hosting events and actually building communityWhy the lifestyle and magazine elements are not separate from the mental health mission — they're the entry pointThe dignity of being a full human even in your hardest seasonHow Elizabeth acts as a care navigator — connecting women to therapists, lawyers, and other providers before they hit crisisThe 708 Mental Health Grant from the City of St. Charles — and MDW CARES' first funded programSupport groups: Mom support, women's general, and perimenopause groups meeting weekly and bi-monthlyThe Essentials Exchange: grocery gift cards during SNAP disruptions and the new period poverty initiativeThe Wildflower Project: connecting teenage girls through agriculture, gardening, and multi-generational communitySaturday morning coffee with show-and-tell themes — and why it worksWhat it took to quit her corporate job in February and go all-in on MDW full timeRESOURCES MENTIONED Tri-City Family Services — local mental health organization partnered with MDW CARESHOW TO CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH RAGO MDW website: https://www.themoderndomesticwoman.com/Nonprofit website: https://www.mdwcares.com/Support Listing: https://www.mdwcares.com/support-usThis episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  4. Sep 23 ·  Video

    Lauren Dewey | Infertility, Loss, Postpartum, and Everything In Between: The Story Behind Brooksy Box

    What do you give someone when you don't know what to say?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Lauren Dewey — mom of two boys, former corporate sales leader, and founder of Brooksy Box — a curated care package company serving women at every stage of the motherhood journey: infertility, baby loss, pregnancy, the NICU, postpartum, and beyond. Lauren shares her nearly three-year infertility journey before IVF, the corporate layoff that forced a pivot, the rocking chair moment at 2 a.m. that made the decision clear, and why empathy — once labeled a weakness in corporate — became the foundation of everything she's built. This one is for the moms who needed someone to show up — and for everyone who wanted to but didn't know how. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Lauren's three-year infertility journey before conceiving her first son Brooks via IVFWhy COVID was unexpectedly a gift — giving her the space to be home for treatments and appointmentsThe identity of "climbing the corporate ladder" and what happened when motherhood shifted her entire perspectiveThe corporate layoff that became the unlikely catalyst for Brooksy BoxThe rocking chair moment at 2 a.m. that made the decision clear: she didn't want to be in a hotel roomHow a sister-in-law's postpartum care basket changed everything she thought about giftingWhy the path to motherhood is not linear — and why her boxes had to reflect thatThe full suite of Brooksy Boxes: infertility, baby loss, pregnancy, morning sickness, NICU, postpartum, and mama and baby miniWhat goes into every box: clean ingredients, no hormone disruptors, women-owned small businessesThe practical and pretty philosophy — why the aesthetic matters as much as the contentsMoving from direct to consumer into B2B with healthcare practices and corporate companiesThe emotional weight of the baby loss and infertility boxes — and why empathy keeps her goingWhat's coming next: the deluxe mama and baby box designed for corporate giftingThe full circle moments: following customers from loss to infertility to pregnancy to postpartumHOW TO CONNECT WITH LAUREN DEWEY Website: https://brooksybox.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooksyboxAlso on TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn (Lauren Dewey — founder)This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  5. Sep 16

    Michele Clark | From Preschool to Springfield: One Mom's Path from Business Owner to State Senate Candidate

    What happens when the person closest to the problems decides to go fix them?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Michele Clark — former early childhood learning center owner, director of development for the D300 Food Pantry, and candidate for Illinois State Senate in the 33rd district. Michele talks about 11 years of running a preschool while raising her own children, what she learned about childcare costs and deserts from behind the curtain, her work with Boys and Girls Clubs during COVID, and why she decided the next door to walk through was Springfield. This one is for every mom who has ever thought: somebody should do something about that — and maybe that somebody is me. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Growing up in a family business household — and how early entrepreneurship shaped her pathLeaving corporate sales to start a preschool when her daughters were four and a half and one year oldWhy childcare is so expensive — and what running a center for 11 years taught her about the system from the insideChildcare deserts across Illinois and why families are being forced to choose between career and childrenWhat happened to families during the 2008 housing crash — and what she witnessed firsthandCOVID and opening 13 emergency learning centers across four school districts with Boys and Girls ClubsBuilding relationships with legislators through nonprofit work — and how one of them tapped her to runBecoming campaign manager for a state house representative and what it taught herWhy District 33 became an open seat and how Michele decided to runHer platform: childcare, youth development, equal opportunity for kids from every zip codeWhat she's hearing at the door: affordability, SNAP benefits, Medicaid, and families hanging on by a threadWhy Illinois has one of the highest percentages of mothers in the General Assembly — and why it mattersHow to get involved: volunteer, host a coffee, canvass, become an election judgeElection Day November 3rd, early voting September 24thHer ask: if you're in District 33, she's coming to your doorHOW TO CONNECT WITH MICHELE CLARK Website: https://micheleforilsenate.com/District 33 covers: Crystal Lake (north) through St. Charles and Geneva (south), Kane County, McHenry County, and DuPage CountyTo vote or get voting info: Kane County Clerk's officeElection Day: November 3rd | Early voting: September 24thWays to support: postcard writing, door knocking, hosting a neighborhood coffee, becoming an election judgeThis episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  6. Sep 10

    Catherine Walsh | Beautiful, Comfortable, and Functional: How Holly Rose Co is Redefining Postpartum Fashion

    What if getting dressed postpartum didn't feel like a battle with your own body? In this episode, Jessica sits down with Catherine Walsh — mom of three under four, trained doula, and founder of Holly Rose Co. — a Canadian brand creating locally made, organic cotton breastfeeding clothing that is comfortable, beautiful, and functional all at once. Catherine shares the body image journey that sparked the idea, the winding road from overseas manufacturing samples to finding local seamstresses she could trust, and why she believes that dressing well postpartum is one of the first acts of self-care most new moms forget to give themselves. This one is for every mom who has ever stood at her closet and felt defeated. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Growing up knowing she just wanted to be a mom — and the three back-to-back pregnancies that changed her wardrobe and her business ideaGaining 50 pounds in her first pregnancy and navigating the closet dread so many postpartum moms knowWhy she wanted clothing that was comfortable, beautiful, AND functional — and how hard it was to find all threeThe long road from overseas manufacturing samples to finding local Canadian seamstresses she could trustOrganic cotton, GOTS and OEKO-TEX certifications, and why fabric quality matters for postpartum bodiesThe iteration process: changing zipper placement, adding pockets, adjusting for bigger busts during breastfeedingWhat her customers say about feeling beautiful and comfortable at the same timeWhy she designed the breastfeeding opening to be simple — and how her own difficult breastfeeding journey with her first shaped that decisionDoula training, a love of birth, and the dream of becoming a midwife somedayScrap fabric reuse: scrunchies and minimalist quilted diaper bags made from fabric remnantsWhat's coming: new summer styles in GOTS-certified green gingham and OEKO-TEX certified yellow floralWhere to find Holly Rose Co and how Catherine helps customers find their sizeRESOURCES MENTIONED GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) — certification for organic fiber content in textilesOEKO-TEX Standard 100 — certification testing for harmful chemicals in textilesHOW TO CONNECT WITH CATHERINE WALSH Website: https://hollyroseco.ca/Instagram: @hollyrose_co https://www.instagram.com/hollyrose_co/This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  7. Sep 2

    Katrina Ostmeyer | More Than a Diagnosis: How Beyond the Individual is Changing the Way We Support Neurodivergent Kids and Families

    What does it look like to build a practice from the ground up — not to fit the system, but to actually serve the people in front of you?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Katrina Ostmeyer, licensed psychologist, board certified behavior analyst, mom of two neurodivergent kids, and founder of Beyond the Individual. From a difficult pregnancy and a preterm birth that shifted her entire trajectory, to building a practice that serves children, families, and schools across complex behavioral and mental health presentations, Katrina brings the expertise of a researcher, the honesty of someone who has made every mistake, and the heart of a mom who knows firsthand what families navigating neurodivergence actually need. This is a conversation about doing things differently — and why it matters. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Katrina's winding path from pre-med to research psychologist to nonprofit director to private practice founderHow a difficult pregnancy and preterm birth shifted her priorities from academia to family and communityMaking her own PhD internship to get back to Kansas City — and what it taught her about forging your own pathLeading a not-for-profit expanding autism services in Kansas — and why quality versus scale became a values conflictStarting Beyond the Individual with a van, no plan, and a willingness to figure it outOpening a brick and mortar clinic in July 2020 — and everything that happened nextExpanding to multiple locations, then pulling back — what she learned from scaling too fastThe decision to leave the insurance model behind and serve a niche, complex populationJoining the University of Kansas as associate faculty — and the three most successful years of the businessLeaving academia again to return to Beyond the Individual full timeThe transdiagnostic approach — what it means and why specialty diagnoses miss the full personHow Beyond the Individual works across home, school, and community systemsSupporting parents of neurodivergent kids: acceptance commitment therapy, emotion regulation, and advocacyThe birth to five program (Beyond Beginnings) — why early intervention is paramountServices available across 44 statesHOW TO CONNECT WITH KATRINA OSTMEYER  Website: http://beyondtheindividual.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondtheindividual/Services available across 44 statesThis episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

  8. Aug 26

    Courtney Naliboff | Confident, Sloppy, and Loud: Motherhood, Punk Music, and the Postpartum Recovery Guide You Actually Need

    What if the book you needed in postpartum didn't exist — so you wrote it yourself?  In this episode, Jessica sits down with Courtney Naliboff — writer, teacher, EMT, musician, and co-author of Your Postpartum Body: The Complete Guide to Healing After Pregnancy — for a conversation about refusing to lose yourself in motherhood, processing identity through punk music, and the postpartum information gap that prompted her to do something about it.  From living and parenting on a remote Maine island to starting a feminist post-riot punk band at 37 to writing the book she desperately needed after her own birth experience, Courtney is living proof that becoming a parent doesn't have to erase any part of who you are. MAIN TOPICS COVERED Moving to North Haven Island at 24 — and the challenges of building identity in a condensed, fish-bowl communityBecoming a parent nine years into island life — and how it expanded and contracted her world simultaneouslySix weeks of maternity leave, a half-year sabbatical, and why she was so ready to go back to workNursing with one arm and typing a memoir with the other — what intentional creative identity looks like in early motherhoodHow she found community on the island through shared parenthoodStarting Bait Bag — a feminist post-riot punk band — at 37, in 2018, because she had a lot of anger to processWhat modeling creative expression and collaboration means for her daughterThe song "Tear Me in Two" — and the chorus that became the seed of a book: nobody told meThe postpartum information gap — pelvic floor, bladder changes, returning to running, and everything nobody explainsCo-writing Your Postpartum Body with pelvic health PT Ruth MacyHow a summer-resident literary agent changed the trajectory of the projectThe book's core thesis: centering the postpartum person regardless of gender or parenting statusToxic productivity culture, body image pressure, and why so much postpartum experience is still hush-hushCourtney's current diagnosis — breast cancer, curative treatment, great prognosis — and her Substack Mud PuppyHOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY NALIBOFF Book: Your Postpartum Body — available at Amazon, Bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold (https://bookshop.org/p/books/your-postpartum-body-the-complete-guide-to-healing-after-pregnancy-courtney-naliboff/a8bd729776629857)Substack: Mud Puppy — courtneynaliboff.substack.comInstagram / Threads / Facebook: @chnaliboffBait Bag Instagram: @baitbagtheband https://www.instagram.com/baitbagtheband/Bandcamp: baitbag.bandcamp.com | Streaming everywhere except SpotifyDeery Band Instagram: @deeryband https://www.instagram.com/deeryband/This episode is sponsored by Collabs Creative - a boutique digital marketing company helping small business owners and creatives tell their story. Follow The Mama Making Podcast on socials on Instagram and Facebook! Share and subscribe to the podcast: click this link Watch on YouTube: Click here!

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5
out of 5
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About

The Mama Making Podcast is a space for moms making impact - in their communities, in their work, and in the everyday spaces that shape the world. Hosted by Jessica Lamb, this show features honest conversations with women building, leading, creating, and mothering in ways that ripple outward. Each week brings a mix of solo reflections, expert interviews, and real stories from moms navigating growth in every season — from pregnancy and postpartum to leadership, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and beyond. Because motherhood doesn’t pause growth. It often reshapes it.

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica Lamb
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    187
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mama Making Podcast
  • Show Website
    Mama Making Podcast

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