Boy Mom Podcast

Suzanne Carawan

The Boy Mom Podcast is hosted by Suzanne Carawan and celebrates the unique relationship between mothers & sons

Episodes

  1. FEB 1

    Carroll S. Golden, Author & Retirement Synthesist Joins Suzanne Carawan on the Boy Mom Podcast

    Carroll S. Golden, best-selling author and longevity & retirement synthesist joins Suzanne Carawan, host of the Boy Mom Podcast to talk about her son, Eric. Carroll is a career female executive who doesn't pull any punches when talking about the sacrifice and sheer determination that went into being a single mother while working in the financial services industry, a historically (and still!) male-dominated industry. Despite the odds, Carroll's smarts, work ethic, and ability to reinvent herself paid dividends as she took one position after another in order to climb the ladder and provide for her children. Moving seven times during her son's childhood, Carroll is very candid in assessing what she feels she did well and what she didn't. She provides sage advice throughout the podcast and emphasizes the role of vulnerability that mothers should not shy away from when seeking help with their sons. Whether turning to other mothers or her son's coaches, Carroll is clear that mothering a boy is not for the faint of heart. Now a mother of a grown son who, himself, has a son, Carroll continues to work hard and has recently released her fourth book "Leading in the New Retirement Era: How to Lead, Adapt, and Win in an AI-Driven World", a best-seller that provides advice to financial advisors and retirees as to how to best plan for longevity and achieve financial freedom for yourself and your family.

    48 min
  2. 10/13/2025

    Stephanie Karr: Creator of Iam the Lamb

    Meet Stephanie Karr, a college faculty member teaching pharmacology & toxicology, as well as a visionary author and product developer of Christian-focused books and keepsakes that center around a lamb named "Iam". The name came to Stephanie in a moment of divine providence and she later learned that Iam is Hebrew for "He will be" or "He is" and this reinforced the name of her main character, an adorable lamb that undertakes adventures that lead him (and the reader) closer to Christ's teachings. During our time together, we talk about Stephanie's marriage that was first founded in Christian friendship and then grew to welcome two daughters and a pair of identical twin boys. We talk through Stephanie's walk with faith through her pregnancies and her desire to help lead more individuals and families into a positive, Christ-focused relationship. Her desire is that her Iam the Lamb keepsake gifts and books will be enjoyed by families year-after-year to establish tradition and create special memories for each season. Stephanie's latest book which focuses on Iam the Lamb's adventures during Advent showcases the many symbols and their meanings during the season leading up to Christmas. It can be paired with the plush lamb and next year, a beautiful wooden Advent calendar will also be available for sale to round out the offering. Stephanie's future projects include seeing both of her twin boys off to college in 2026 and expanding her product line to include baby clothing and keepsakes.

    41 min
  3. 04/01/2025

    Joe and Frank Anderson, beloved sons of Norene A. Karnes

    Meet Joe and Frank Anderson, identical twins and coming in at #5 and #6 in birth order to a family of ten children. While Frank reigns supreme as the older brother, Joe is a mere minutes younger and just as big of a personality as Frank. The two talk about their upbringing by mom Norene Karnes who was an incredibly dynamic woman who lived life out loud and taught her children to do the same. The touching tribute to their mom includes the twins talking about how their mother taught them to love and how much her example translated into how they conduct themselves as husbands and father. Whether Norene was making clothes for them, carting one of the 7 boys off to yet another trip to the ER, or washing endless amounts of laundry, Norene never complained and was steadfast in her commitment to embrace joy in everything she did. Not only did she have ten kids, but Norene also wrote for the local newspaper in Medina, Ohio, decided to go back to school to earn her nursing degree while battling breast cancer, and later decided to enroll in clown school. She used humor and hard work to express herself, but regularly relaxed through a regimen of hot tea and cross-stitch. Frank and Joe are hilarious--the joy that they have for life and love for each other is infectious. How they discuss their own relationships as husbands and fathers is heartwarming and is exactly what a mother would want to hear from her grown son's hearts, minds, and mouths. Norene, of all of your accomplishments, your lasting legacy of love is seen in your children. (Trooping them to church and bringing the rosary to wrestling matches probably also contributed to your formula of success that launched your own decade of children into the world.) I have always thought that Mary must have had a tremendously great sense of humor to put up with Jesus' antics and I can only think at the conclusion of this episode that Norene and our Queen Mother are sitting together in heaven wiping their eyes from laughing so hard.

    44 min
  4. 02/04/2025

    Gen Baeslack Yanulavich and Cole Potts

    Meet mom Gen and son Cole. Gen was born and raised in Westerville, Ohio and now lives in New Albany where she is the VP Branch Manager at First Community Mortgage. Cole is also born and raised in the greater Columbus area and is a public-to-private-to-public school student-athlete who attended St. Paul Catholic School for his last year of elementary, St. Francis DeSales High School, and is now finishing up his master's degree and collegiate football career at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Gen's candor about finding herself pregnant during her early college years while on a volleyball scholarship and coming home to raise her first son with the help of her supportive family provides a backdrop as to the love and joy that she chooses to live in every day as a mom. Gen is down-to-earth and matter-of-fact about the difference of being a boy mom with raising her daughter. Cole is the son that is every mother's dream now that he's 24! While rambunctious as a boy and still with a huge appetite, Cole was an avid athlete growing up playing football, baseball, and wrestling until scholarship offers began to roll in and Cole had to start choosing his path. A standout in wrestling and football for the Stallions, Cole Potts has always been a local fan favorite and beloved by Tom Cole had a dozen college scholarship offers to play football, but ultimately chose to join the Dukes as #66 on the O-line where he has had an illustrious career breaking several school records. Cole graduated with a degree in sports management and was able to continue to play while working on his master's degree in HR. Cole is currently training for a spot at the pro level in football. This episode includes advice to moms with young sons, helpful tips on how much milk athletes can drink on a daily basis, and a very heartfelt segment when we talk about the important role of both prayer and mother-son communication. Want more time with Gen? Find her on Facebook and to hear more from Cole, you can listen to his segment on the JMU Sound Off podcast.

    47 min

About

The Boy Mom Podcast is hosted by Suzanne Carawan and celebrates the unique relationship between mothers & sons