The Real Mother Effort Podcast

Lauren Mora
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

If you're trying to keep up with work, home, kids, and your own life without constantly feeling behind, you're in the right place. Life can look full and good on paper and still feel exhausting to actually live. On this podcast, Lauren Mora shares practical strategies and honest perspective to help moms feel more in control, less overwhelmed, and create a pace of life that feels sustainable.

  1. 5d ago

    Making Networking Events Worth the Babysitter

    You have zero energy left, the babysitter has been arranged, and you are already negotiating with yourself about whether you actually have to go. Whether it's a professional conference, a work happy hour, or a retreat you signed up for with the best intentions, showing up to events when you're already running on empty is genuinely hard. Lauren gets it, and she still goes anyway. In this episode, she's sharing the one simple shift that changed how she approaches every event she walks into, whether she wants to be there or not. It's not a strategy; it's an energy. And it takes about 30 seconds to set before you walk through the door.   Episode Highlights: Why moms are so quick to opt out of events, even ones they were excited about The post-COVID hangover affecting our social lives more than we realize Why networking feels so exhausting (and what's actually making it that way) The single intention Lauren sets before every event instead of a list of goals How dropping the "needy energy" changes the entire experience The retreat Lauren attended and what showing up with this mindset actually gave her What she does the morning after an event to lock in what she got from it Why in-person community matters more right now than ever Connect with Lauren:  Join the weekly newsletter Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    22 min

  2. May 26

    Working Mom Summer: A Behind The Scenes Look

    If you've ever gone into summer feeling genuinely excited about all the fun you're going to have, all the things you're going to do, and all the projects you're finally going to tackle, and then reality hit you like a truck somewhere around the second week of June…this episode is for you. The truth is that summer looks really different when you still have a job to go to. Working mom summer comes with shorter days for camps vs school, multiple drop-offs and pick-ups, vacation prep that makes the weeks before you leave absolutely brutal, and a side of guilt that nobody asked for. It's a lot. This episode is about going into summer with a plan so that it doesn't just happen to you. Because your kids deserve to look back on this summer and remember something, and so do you.   The honest difference between working mom summer and moms who have more flexibility Why the guilt hits even when you're happy to be working Why the camps deserve more credit than we give them What you actually want summer to feel like, for your kids and for yourself The macro calendar review to do before summer starts Why time blocking in summer might be the short-term solution to having more fun The pre-vacation crunch reframe that makes the hard weeks feel worth it Why your summer bucket list needs a calendar appointment How communicating your summer plan to your kids changes everything   Connect with Lauren: ·        Instagram: @itslaurenmora ·        Website itslaurenmora.com

    26 min

  3. May 12

    The Podcast Makeover Is HERE + The Story Behind It

    The RME makeover is officially here, and Lauren is getting into the real reason she did it. This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the ownership decision-making that drove the whole thing, and why this way of thinking applies to way more than just having a business. Show Highlights: The RME podcast makeover is live!  Nothing was broken. So why did she do it anyway? What happens when you build a business in pieces and never step back to look at the whole picture Working IN the business vs. working ON the business, and why that distinction matters The CEO move: making a decision before anyone else notices there's a problem Why "not broken" is not the bar You are the CEO of your business, your home, and your life.   You get to decide how direction you're heading.   Connect with Lauren: Join my mailing list Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    19 min

  4. May 5

    How to Have a Mother's Day You Actually Love

    It's the week before Mother's Day, and if you're being honest, the day is already starting to feel like one more thing to manage. This episode is for the mom who has already handled everyone else's Mother's Day gifts, has already coordinated the plans for that day, and is deep in the chaos of May on top of it all.  Lauren gets into why the day so rarely lives up to what we picture, where that expectation even comes from, and four specific things to do before Sunday to actually shape how the day goes. Episode Highlights: Why Mother's Day lands in the worst possible month for moms The reality that a lot of us manage everyone else's Mother's Day for the family The gap between what we picture and what actually happens that day The permission problem: why so many of us wait to be given the green light to rest Tell your husband exactly what you want: not a hint, a specific ask How to talk through Sunday's schedule so there's a window that's actually yours Moving your Sunday to-do list earlier so the day doesn't feel like any other weekend Why the best gift you can give yourself isn't on Mother's Day at all   Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    17 min

  5. Apr 28

    When Did "Just Make It Through" Become a Successful Week?

    If your bar for a good week is "nobody cried and nothing fell apart," you're not alone, and that's actually kind of the problem. Lauren gets into how those honest, therapeutic mom conversations we all love are doing something we didn't intend: slowly normalizing survival mode as the standard. This episode is about recognizing where your bar actually is right now, giving yourself credit for what you're already doing, and deciding whether you're okay with it or ready for something better. Episode Highlights: Why those honest mom conversations we love are also setting our bar What it actually looks like when your bar is on the floor The busyness badge and the commiseration trap keeping us stuck Why moms in survival mode can't see what they're already doing well How to give yourself credit for what's actually happening in your weeks What it looks like to raise your bar without adding more to your plate The one question that can change how you move through your week Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    21 min

  6. Apr 21

    Why "Just Ask for Help" Is Terrible Advice (and What to Do Instead)

    Most of us don't ask for help until we're already completely underwater — hair on fire, fully in crisis mode. And even then, it never goes the way we picture it in our heads. This week Lauren is getting into why waiting until that moment is the whole problem, why "just ask for help" is actually useless advice, and what a smarter, calmer version of asking looks like in real life. Episode Highlights: Lauren's lifelong "I've got it" problem Why we wait until full crisis mode to ask for help The double dutch analogy — why jumping in mid-chaos is harder than it looks The three real reasons we avoid asking for help even when we're not in crisis The fight with her husband that led to an actually useful conversation Why proactive asking is the version that actually works One tiny thing to try this week Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    20 min

  7. Apr 14

    What Happens When Mom Goes Down

    Some weeks just blow up. In this episode, I'm talking about a week where I got really sick, the kids were out of school, work got pushed aside, the house fell apart, and I had no great plan for handling any of it. This is a real conversation about what happens when life does not get managed well — and why that does not mean you're doing it wrong. Episode Highlights: What last week looked like when sickness knocked everything off track The pressure moms feel to still hold everything together when they feel awful The guilt, self-talk, and frustration that can pile on during a hard week Why not every bad week needs to become a lesson or a better system What a rough week can remind us about urgency, expectations, and recovery Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    14 min

  8. Apr 7

    The Moment I Lost Patience With My Mom

    In this episode, I talk through a small tense moment with my mom during a very normal weekday afternoon — and why it hit me harder after the fact than it did in the moment. It made me realize how much moms are quietly managing all day long without even counting it as effort. Episode Highlights: The small interaction with my mom that actually shined a light on me Why so much of what moms manage all day stops feeling noticeable How constant texts, school messages, and logistics drain your focus Why you can feel mentally fried even on a day that looks "normal" The simple notebook system I'm using to keep track of open loops Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @itslaurenmora Website itslaurenmora.com

    17 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

If you're trying to keep up with work, home, kids, and your own life without constantly feeling behind, you're in the right place. Life can look full and good on paper and still feel exhausting to actually live. On this podcast, Lauren Mora shares practical strategies and honest perspective to help moms feel more in control, less overwhelmed, and create a pace of life that feels sustainable.

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