Beyond the Bombshell: Confidence, Style, and Empowerment for Women

Michelle Stokes
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to Beyond the Bombshell—the podcast where real life meets relatable chaos and vulnerability. Host Michelle Stokes dives into the everyday highs and lows of being a wife, mom, entrepreneur, and unapologetically human. From juggling hormones and relationships to chasing dreams and navigating those "just trying to survive the week" moments, this podcast is your reminder that life is messy, but it's also full of beauty and growth. Come for the unfiltered honesty, stay for the laughs, lessons, and the occasional coffee-fueled brain dump. Let's embrace the bombshell moments—one imperfect episode at a time.

  1. 2D AGO

    Why Do I Always Get Triggered by the Littlest Things?": This One's For the Ladies with a Short Fuse and No Idea Why

    Michelle records from home with sick kids, reflecting on a week where someone shared a Mel Robbins podcast that cracked her brain wide open. After thanking listeners for creating an unofficial safe space (her DMs are full of travel questions, gift recommendations, and "I'm getting divorced"), she shares the Friday morning that changed everything—Josh skipped squash, set his alarm early, and suddenly they're back in sync. Then she unpacks the podcast that explained why she explodes over spilled juice: adverse childhood responses. Your body remembers stress from years ago and reacts the same way now, even if you don't remember the actual trauma. From realizing morning buffering isn't enough to get you through bedtime chaos, to understanding why she's so guarded with Josh (it's not him, it's the unhealthy relationship from high school), to finally connecting why she hates cuddling (those lost years in bed just existing). If you snap at your kids and feel terrible after, or shut down with your partner for reasons you can't explain, this one's the mirror you didn't know you needed. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome & Raspy Voice Reality 01:21 Why Sharing Podcasts Matters (Thank You, Stranger) 04:57 My DMs Are a Safe Space Now 11:42 Friday Morning: Back in Sync with Josh 14:18 The Mel Robbins Podcast That Changed Everything 16:33 Why You React Like a Lunatic (Childhood Triggers) 19:54 Buffering Isn't Just for Mornings 27:00 Why I'm So Guarded with Josh (It's Not Him) 30:09 I Hate Cuddling, and Now I Know Why 32:40 Share This If Someone Needs to Hear It If you've ever exploded over nothing and felt terrible after, share this with someone who needs to know they're not broken—their body just remembers something they forgot. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    35 min

  2. MAY 18

    "We Don't Need a Different Partner, We Need Different Patterns": This One's For the Couples Who Love Each Other But Forgot How to Be Happy

    Michelle records post-Mother's Day after finally understanding what the day should look like—compromise, not sacrifice. But first, she breaks down the Saturday cry session with Josh that started with "Are you happy?" and ended with the realization that they can love each other and still forget how to make each other excited. From Josh's stoic seriousness draining her sunshine to admitting work has become their drug (the dopamine hits, the money, the problem-solving), to the quote that stopped them both: "We don't need a different partner, we need different patterns." She unpacks why this Mother's Day felt different (spoiler: she had Friday night to herself), why surprising 10 moms with charcuterie is what joy looks like for her, and the conversation about whether they'll ever feel like they've "arrived" or just keep chasing more. If you're caught in the work-kids-partner cycle and can't remember the last time you felt genuinely excited together, this one's your mirror. Episode Timestamps; 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:30 Post Mother's Day Reality Check 01:37 From Survival Mode to Compromise 03:38 Redefining What Mother's Day Means 06:11 Giving Back to Other Moms 08:38 The Cry and the Breakthrough 11:48 Marriage Talk: Choosing Happiness 16:51 Different Patterns Not Partners 19:07 Work as an Addiction Cycle 22:13 Share What Helps You 24:05 June Pep Talk and Goodbye 24:38 Final Outro and Reminder If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    25 min

  3. MAY 11

    I Wish I Could Mother Them Now as the Person I Am": This One's For the Moms in Pure Survival Mode

    Michelle records the day after Mother's Day to honor all the moms showing up exhausted, the women who wanted to spend the day alone, and anyone who's ever felt guilty for not soaking it all in. She opens up about the years she's completely blacked out—especially Scarlet's first few years—admitting there were Mother's Days when she dreaded hearing the word "mom" one more time. From the come-to-Jesus moment in Alberta when she realized she needed to move home for help, to crying with Josh about how she used to feel versus how she feels now, to a reel that stopped her cold: "I wish I could experience newborns as the mom I am now." This is about the survival mode no one warns you about, the guilt of being ambitious when you're supposed to just be grateful, and the mental load of being CEO of everyone's lives. If you're drowning right now or you know someone who is, this one's the permission slip to admit it's hard—and you're not doing it wrong. Timestamps: 00:00 Honoring All the Mothers 02:15 Entering a New Mom Era (But Still Figuring It Out) 03:14 The Years I Completely Blacked Out 05:18 The Alberta Breaking Point 07:14 The Mother's Days I Dreaded 09:30 "I'm Going to Regret This Someday" 14:37 Loving Your Kids While Following Your Ambitions 18:12 Nobody Prepared Us to Be CEOs of Our Lives 24:22 May-cember Is Coming 25:29 "I Wish I Could Mother Them as the Person I Am Now" 29:33 Survival Mode Moms Need You More Than You Know If you're in survival mode right now or you know a mom who is, share this episode—sometimes just knowing someone else gets it is the lifeline we need. If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    31 min

  4. MAY 4

    Building Fences, Not Walls": This One's For the Couples Who Think They're Connecting But Aren't

    In this candid episode, Michelle records straight from her car to share a weekend of "messy magic." What started as a simple family movie night turned into a deep reflection on how we evolve in our relationships and the struggle of communicating with our kids when they think they already have all the answers. Episode Timestamps; 00:00 Recording Mondays Now (Tuesdays Too Full) 01:24 Do You Wave at People Driving Your Car? 02:46 The Quality Time Mismatch 06:13 Madea's Wisdom: Build Fences Not Walls 08:41 "Say I Do to Multiple People" 10:42 Why We Watched Movies All Weekend 12:12 The "I Know" Trap 15:46 "You Have Grounding Energy" 19:09 Homework Gives Me Trauma 20:34 My ADHD Brain Can't Sit Still 23:31 We're Aware, No Solutions Yet If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    25 min

  5. APR 27

    Honor Your Energy as Much as Your Ambition: This One's For the Women Who Give Everything to Hustle and Nothing to Themselves

    Michelle records from her car (not running because she's never let her electric battery get this low before and she's terrified) outside Ben's physio, reflecting on the slippery slope she's sliding down as spring market hits. She unpacks last week's flooded DMs—women who related to the work/kids/self-care juggle, plus women now caregiving for sick parents on top of everything else. She breaks down why men and women carry mental load so differently, the quote that stopped her in her tracks ("Be the woman who honors her energy as much as her ambition"), and why she spent $700 on a mountain bike to save Ben from bullying (was that the right call?). From realizing her "self-care" was actually draining her energy to admitting she defaults to work talk during the only hour she has alone with Josh each night, this is about the impossible pressure to be financially successful, emotionally available, physically present, and still show up for your marriage. Plus: why she feels amazing after sex but can't turn her brain off to actually want it. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome & Spring Market Panic Mode 00:30 Slipping on Healthy Boundaries Already 03:00 Last Week's DMs: The Caregiver Generation 05:03 How Women and Men Carry Mental Load Differently 08:26 Now Add Sick Parents to the Mix 10:54 Why I Can't Turn My Brain Off for Intimacy 13:04 The $700 Bike Dilemma: Bullying vs Financial Pressure 17:40 "Honor Your Energy as Much as Your Ambition" 20:48 Self-Care That Actually Refuels vs Drains You 24:21 The Only Time We Have Alone (And We Talk About Work) 25:57 Josh Is a Saint If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    27 min

  6. APR 20

    We're Living an Epidemic and We Don't Even Know It: This One's For the Women in Their 30s Who Feel Like They're Drowning

    Welcome to another episode of Beyond the Bombshell. Michelle's brain is spinning after her DMs flooded with the same story from different women: burnt out, unable to communicate with partners, stuck between work mode and mom mode with no energy left for wife mode. Recording from her office at 3 PM (not her usual clear-headed 8 AM), she unpacks a generational realization—our mothers were raised to be moms, we're the first generation raised to be moms AND build empires, and we were never equipped for either. She breaks down the common threads: unmet expectations we can't articulate, partners who've lost compassion because we've been bitches, prioritizing kids over marriage (which burns out both), and the crisis years from 35-38 when everything implodes. From why "wife mode" never turns on to the desperate need for support spaces that aren't just complaining about husbands, this is the raw truth about modern motherhood, ambition, and barely surviving marriage. Timestamps: 00:00 Afternoon Recording = Overstimulation 00:55 Our Mothers Were Raised to Be Moms. We Weren't. 03:13 The First Generation Choosing Career Over Kids 06:57 Why I Can't Turn On "Wife Mode" 09:36 My DMs Are Full of Women in Crisis 12:44 The Stress Epidemic We're Not Talking About 15:50 Common Thread: We've Lost Compassion for Our Partners 19:36 The Communication Death Spiral 22:53 Work First, Kids Second, Partner Last = Marriage Death 26:42 The Identity Crisis Years: 35-38 29:14 Why Your Partner Has No Compassion Left 32:06 Kids-First Mentality Burns Everyone Out 35:26 We Need Support Groups That Aren't Mom Groups 40:45 The Impossible Switch from CEO to Wife 42:27 You're Not Alone (Seriously, Check Your DMs) If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    44 min

  7. APR 13

    Married to a High Achiever (Spoiler: It's Me): This One's For the Women Who Expect Everyone to Think Like Them

    Picture being married to someone who thinks 10 steps ahead, has standards stuck in their head (not on paper), assumes everyone should just know how to do things their way, and gets frustrated when people don't meet expectations they never articulated. Now, picture that person is you. In this episode of Beyond the Bombshell, Michelle breaks down the annual Easter spat (it wasn't about the eggs, it was about the six other things from the past six weeks), why she can't build a policy and procedures manual for home life, and the impossible dynamic of being business partners with your spouse when you're opposites. From randomly stuffing plastic eggs with money to going to bed with an invisible shield between them, this is the reality of high standards, poor communication, and two people who both think the other is the problem. Plus, their one life hack: the 6 AM coffee talk after sleeping on it. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome & Being Married to an Overachiever 03:15 The Easter Egg Fight 07:42 When Your Brain Goes Down the Spiral 11:28 Who's to Blame? (Both of Us) 14:53 Business Partners + Life Partners = Chaos 18:07 The Invisible Shield Bedtime Routine 21:34 Our Life Hack: Morning Coffee Debrief 24:19 Why Opposites Attract (And Drive Each Other Crazy) If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    29 min

  8. APR 6

    When Past Trauma Guards Your Present: This One's For the Ladies Who Can't Explain Why They're Overwhelmed

    Welcome to another episode of Beyond the Bombshell. Michelle records another closet episode on an April Fools snow day after an emotional morning she couldn't yet explain to Josh. She opens up about how past unhealthy relationships can resurface unexpectedly, creating barriers around intimacy—and why that has nothing to do with him as her spouse. Then she reads and reacts to Hey it's Lex Carmen's viral post about "identity whiplash": the brutal shift working moms make from professional responsibilities to managing dinner chaos in minutes. Michelle breaks down the third shift no one talks about—showing up for your partner after you've already been CEO and mom—and shares why her social battery crashes at 5 PM, how to create transition rituals between roles, and the importance of finishing work before walking through the door. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome & Snow Day Roulette 01:34 Why I Feel Guarded (And It's Not Josh's Fault) 03:13 When Intimacy Feels Unsafe 06:37 Processing Out Loud vs. With a Therapist 10:59 Identity Whiplash Explained 14:12 The Three Shifts: Work, Mom, Partner 16:53 Finding Your Transition Ritual 19:51 When Your Social Battery Crashes 21:48 Staying Connected Long-Term 24:34 Practical Hacks & Wrap-Up If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who might need to hear this conversation too. And if you want to stay connected, you can find me on social media and on my website via the links below. I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about jumping into my DMs. Let’s Connect! Follow Michelle Stokes on; LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bombshell.by.michelle

    27 min
See All (138)

Trailer

About

Welcome to Beyond the Bombshell—the podcast where real life meets relatable chaos and vulnerability. Host Michelle Stokes dives into the everyday highs and lows of being a wife, mom, entrepreneur, and unapologetically human. From juggling hormones and relationships to chasing dreams and navigating those "just trying to survive the week" moments, this podcast is your reminder that life is messy, but it's also full of beauty and growth. Come for the unfiltered honesty, stay for the laughs, lessons, and the occasional coffee-fueled brain dump. Let's embrace the bombshell moments—one imperfect episode at a time.

Information

You Might Also Like