We Didn't Turn Out OK with Jennie Monness

Jennie Monness
  • 4.8 (24)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

For the last two decades, I've worked closely with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents - listening, guiding and supporting families and their young children. I've connected with so many parents through my social media account, texts, calls, and leading moms' groups. When we have open, honest and vulnerable conversations - no matter who you are as a parent - that's how we connect, learn and grow. We also discover so much about ourselves and how that plays into our parenting. That's why I created We Didn't Turn Out Ok, a podcast where you'll hear real conversations about challenges we face in parenting, hear how we uncover the roadblocks, often from our own stuff, and listen to how we work through what's often keeping us stuck. There will be professionals in the field, noteworthy guests and everyone in between. Using my own parenting journey and approach, combined with research-backed best practices, I am determined to help us all move forward from our areas of where we "didn't turn out ok." Every guest will be sharing openly and honestly knowing that it will help them grow as a parent but will also help all of you listening. Welcome to We Didn't Turn Out Ok.

  1. 58: I used to roll my eyes at “woo”... until I didn’t.

    1D AGO

    58: I used to roll my eyes at “woo”... until I didn’t.

    I used to roll my eyes at the word “woo.” You know the kind of things I mean — energy healing, psychics, plant medicine, spiritual practices that some people swear by and others dismiss immediately. I probably would have dismissed them too… until I didn’t. About a year ago, a guest on this podcast shared how she used psychedelics to rewire her brain. What struck me wasn’t the mysticism — it was the science behind it. That conversation opened a door for me that eventually led to four of my own plant medicine journeys, a lot of meditation, and a growing curiosity about what we label as “woo.” Then I met Ariana Cleo — someone who didn’t discover the woo world later in life, but was raised in it. Her childhood included psychic parties and energy healing from her grandmother whenever she was sick. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to grow up surrounded by those practices, the fine line between magical family traditions and things that can feel embarrassing as a kid, and how she decided what parts of that world she wanted to carry forward. Ariana shares how these spiritual practices became a refuge that helped her navigate deep trauma — and how, after experiencing pregnancy loss, they ultimately led her to create her own podcast, Into The Woo, where she explores the mystical and spiritual with curiosity and openness. At one point Ariana was seeing seven healers a week, so if you’re even a little curious about what people mean when they talk about “woo”… this episode is a fascinating place to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min
  2. 57: Raising Grounded Kids with Jill Kargman

    MAR 5

    57: Raising Grounded Kids with Jill Kargman

    In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant and hilarious Jill Kargman, someone I’ve long admired for her authenticity and ability to make me laugh out loud. Jill started writing in small pockets of time while she was a stay-at-home mom raising young kids in a Brooklyn walk-up. That writing eventually led her to become a bestselling author, screenwriter, and actress. Her work has been adapted into television, and now film, with her directorial debut Influenced coming soon. What fascinated me most was hearing how Jill built a creative career as a mom in her 40s with young children—and how she now shows up as a parent to teenagers. I had a feeling she would bring the kind of refreshing honesty and perspective we all need, and she absolutely delivered. Jill describes herself as having had a “perfect upbringing,” so this wasn’t a typical “breaking cycles” conversation. But as we talked, it became clear how certain parts of her childhood quietly shaped who she is today - as a creator, a person, and a mom. We also talk about raising kids in New York City without getting swept up in the intensity of what the city can become. Jill is deeply intentional about keeping her family grounded and grateful in an environment that can easily pull you in the opposite direction. At one point I told her she’s basically a parenting expert, not because she claims to be one, but because of the calm confidence and clarity she brings to raising thoughtful, grounded kids. The steadiness she speaks with throughout this conversation feels like a window into the way she shows up as a mom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    49 min
  3. 56: What Your Birth Date Reveals About You and Your Kids

    FEB 26

    56: What Your Birth Date Reveals About You and Your Kids

    What if you could understand your child — and yourself — on a deeper level? To truly meet them where they are. In this episode, I’m joined by Ipek Gray, founder of The Born Method — a numbers-based system that uses birthdates and meaningful numerical patterns to create a personalized 20-digit code. Through a blend of data, ancient wisdom, and research, Ipek helps people uncover how they’re wired: how they communicate, where their natural strengths lie, where they may carry wounds or shadows, and what their “zone of genius” might be. I had a private session with Ipek the day before we recorded this — and it moved me so much that I asked her to come on and walk through my children’s numbers so you could hear the process in real time. What unfolded wasn’t about prediction or perfection. It was about awareness. About timing. About understanding how each person in a family might experience the world differently. We talk about how tools like this shouldn’t create pressure to “get it right,” but instead offer a roadmap for deeper connection — helping us see our partners, our children, and ourselves more clearly. Because when we understand how someone is built, we stop trying to change them — and start learning how to support who they already authentically are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min
  4. 55: Giving Our Kids the Voice We Didn't Always Have

    FEB 19

    55: Giving Our Kids the Voice We Didn't Always Have

    In this episode, I talk with Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, the founders of Slumberkins, a parenting resource designed to help both parents and children build resilience through meaningful stories, characters, and emotional tools that families truly see themselves in. From transitions and repair to grief, gratitude, emotional courage, and the development of a loving inner voice, what they’ve created reaches far beyond plush dolls and books. At its core, Slumberkins speaks to something universal: the inner child we all carry, and how parenting our own children often reveals the voices we needed but didn’t always receive. We connected deeply over our own seemingly “great” childhoods that still held moments of not feeling fully seen or heard, and how those experiences shaped us into people-pleasing adults who struggled to set boundaries without questioning our lovability. Kelly and Callie share vulnerably about stepping away from marriages where emotional safety wasn’t present, choosing instead to model honesty, courage, and self-respect for their children as single mothers. This one felt really special to record, and I’m so grateful for the work and community they’ve created. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min
  5. 54: What is Confidence Really?

    FEB 12

    54: What is Confidence Really?

    In this short solo episode I'm sharing what I think confidence really is - not praise, not performance, not getting everything right and not even owning a room. It's a belief in oneself as we are. I introduce the powerful role we play as parents in shaping that belief through our reactions, tone and presence. I also share on how stumbling upon meditation gave me the ability to pause and choose how I react to my kids. It gave me more control over how I respond to them - and I even attempt to guide you through a 60 second meditation practice on how you can start this. TLDR: raising confident kids starts with the work happening inside us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    17 min
  6. 53: Doing This for the First Time

    FEB 5

    53: Doing This for the First Time

    Rebecca Smith is a friend of my sister’s but she’s also the founder of Mamala Organics, a new mom brand born from a very real moment: becoming a mother and realizing how hard it was to find even a few minutes to nourish herself. She began noticing something so many of us do, dipping into our children’s snacks just to get through the day, and Mamala grew from that shared truth into something meant to feel like a hug for mothers when they need it most. But this conversation goes far beyond a brand story. Rebecca and I naturally found ourselves talking about grit, as founders, as mothers, and as people deeply triggered by the idea of “giving up" and feelings around things we quit as a kid. We explored what it means to keep building for our children, the role our partners play as safe places when we hit those I can’t do this anymore moments, and how that safety is exactly what we hope to become for our own kids. We talk about energy, confidence, and the quiet realization that none of us were born knowing how to do any of this. We’re all learning. We’re all doing this for the first time. I love this episode. It feels like a snapshot of where I am right now, in parenthood, in work, and in life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
  7. 52: Breaking Cycles and Becoming Ourselves

    JAN 29

    52: Breaking Cycles and Becoming Ourselves

    Erika and I met through the mom influencer world, but our connection felt instant and deeper than coincidence - like one of those meetings that’s meant to happen. Since then, the universe has kept weaving our lives together in ways this conversation brings to light. This episode begins with me in the middle of a full-blown “hot mess mom week,” opening up about the spiral of self-judgment, the fear of other people’s judgment, and how easily we turn inward when we’re overwhelmed. From there, we talk each other through the ways we’re hard on ourselves, and the ways we’re learning to meet ourselves with more grace as we actively break generational patterns, navigate our marriages, and raise daughters we want to grow up unburdened, proud, and free. You’ll hear Erika’s origin story, losing her job at nine months pregnant at the start of COVID, continuing to follow her purpose through uncertainty, and now arriving in a completely different season of life as she approaches nine months pregnant with her second child, six years later. We also talk about her bringing her brand to life with⁠ Eden⁠ - a women’s clothing line designed for every season of motherhood, with quality and comfort at its core, pre, during, and post-partum. But what’s most powerful is that Eden isn’t just a product, it’s a symbol. A vehicle for her real purpose: building support, safety, and community for mothers. This is a conversation about identity, resilience, alignment, and becoming - in motherhood, partnership, and selfhood. You’re going to fall in love with her, just like I did. 💛 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min
  8. 51: Step into the Group Chat

    JAN 22

    51: Step into the Group Chat

    In this episode, I got to Zoom-hang with three women who feel like instant soul-friends: Allison Williams (Girls, M3GAN, Get Out) and her lifelong best friends Hope Kremer (early childhood educator) and Jaymie Oppenheim (therapist). It’s a four-way Zoom, so it feels exactly like being dropped into a private group chat, the kind where nothing is curated and everything is real. We talk about momming on meds, realistic expectations changing our parenting lives, confidence and bag size (yes, really), the pressure we put on moments that maybe don’t deserve it, and the ways we all carry high stakes without even realizing it. What surprised me most wasn’t just how honest the conversation was,  it was how familiar it felt. Different lives, different paths, same nervous systems. Same fears. Same gratitude. Same joy. Same constant recalibration of who we are and who we’re becoming as mothers. And that’s exactly the energy they’re bringing into the world with what they’ve created through Landlines: connection, honesty, and a sense of you’re not doing this alone. This episode doesn’t need a long explanation. Just know this: It feels like listening to a lifelong group text thread between three best friends who became moms -  and suddenly realizing it sounds exactly like your own. And that’s the magic. Join their substack.  Listen to their pod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

For the last two decades, I've worked closely with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents - listening, guiding and supporting families and their young children. I've connected with so many parents through my social media account, texts, calls, and leading moms' groups. When we have open, honest and vulnerable conversations - no matter who you are as a parent - that's how we connect, learn and grow. We also discover so much about ourselves and how that plays into our parenting. That's why I created We Didn't Turn Out Ok, a podcast where you'll hear real conversations about challenges we face in parenting, hear how we uncover the roadblocks, often from our own stuff, and listen to how we work through what's often keeping us stuck. There will be professionals in the field, noteworthy guests and everyone in between. Using my own parenting journey and approach, combined with research-backed best practices, I am determined to help us all move forward from our areas of where we "didn't turn out ok." Every guest will be sharing openly and honestly knowing that it will help them grow as a parent but will also help all of you listening. Welcome to We Didn't Turn Out Ok.

Information

  • Creator
    Jennie Monness
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit

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