The Momversation Podcast Melissa Statler and Leah Wrisley

In this mini-episode, Leah and Melissa announce their plans to take a break from podcast production for the month of October, and explore the benefits of taking time and space away from even the most exciting and enjoyable projects.


The Book Blurb in this episode comes from Casper Ter Kuile’s book, The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices.  For more on Ter Kuile, visit his website.  To listen to his podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, visit www.harrypottersacredtext.com.


One other noteworthy mention is this blog post about what to do when you’re feeling “Creatively Flat and Uninspired.”

In this episode, Leah and Melissa welcome physical therapist and pelvic health expert, Dr. Kamaria Washington to the podcast.  Dr. Washington begins by telling about her educational background and her love of travel, which she uses as a means for practicing self-care and maintaining a sense of identity beyond her career.  She then shares her wealth of knowledge regarding pelvic health and physical therapy, specifically as it pertains to pregnant or postpartum moms.  Dr. Washington is also an advocate for Black mothers and discusses the many factors that impact the United States’ despicably high maternal mortality rate among Black mothers.


The Book Blurb in this episode is from Kathy Wang’s recent novel, Imposter Syndrome.  For more about this author and her work, visit www.bykathywang.com.


A few other noteworthy mentions include the MOMMIES Act (Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Service Act), spearheaded by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Cory Booker, and this information from the CDC about reproductive health and maternal mortality.  Make sure to follow Dr. Washington on Instagram to see all of her incredible content on pelvic health and physical therapy.


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Warning: This episode contains conversation about eating disorders.  We recommend skipping this episode if such content is likely to be problematic for a listener's mental or physical health.


In this episode, Leah and Melissa tackle an issue that many women (and people of every gender) face, including moms: body image. The way we're trained to view our bodies as young people translates into adulthood, and often stems from the way we heard other women talking about their bodies. Both Moms share their individual experiences, anxieties, relationships with their appearances, the messages they received as adolescent girls, and how their own body image has changed after having children.


The Book Blurb in this episode is from Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle.  For more about Doyle's work, visit her Simon and Schuster page.


One other noteworthy mention is previous Momversation Podcast episode, Thriving in the 4th Trimester: How Postpartum Doulas Support New Moms with Ali Batwin.

In this episode, The Moms cover a topic that's inevitable when raising kids, regardless of our attempts to negate it: chaos. We've all experienced it. Whether it's the chaos on the playroom floor after a day at home, the chaos of packing, planning, supervising, and recovering from an adventurous outing with kids, or our own internal chaos, when it comes to motherhood, chaos is a given. This particular Momversation is all about when to lean into chaos, when to manage it, and how these Moms' responses to chaotic environments or emotions differs from their husbands' responses.


The Book Blurb in this episode comes from book six of the timeless Young Adult fantasy series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling.  


One noteworthy mention is an episode of Glennon Doyle's podcast, We Can Do Hard Things, on Overwhelm.

In this episode, the hosts get together for a lighthearted chat about friendships.  Making friends and maintaining friendships can be so challenging as an adult, especially after the massive identity shift that comes with becoming a mother.  Mom friends, the changing tides of friendships with those who knew us pre-motherhood, the “Mom coaches” in our lives, and the friends who share similar hobbies all come up as points of discussion in this episode.  


The Book Blurb in this episode is a Yung Pueblo poem called “an irreplaceable friend is someone who.”  For more on the poet, visit his website or Instagram account.


A few noteworthy mentions include previous Momversation Podcast episodes, Evelyn and Jourdy: Birth and Postpartum Stories from Laura LaBeau, Sacred Spaces: Observing and Attending Birth with Tiana Johnson, and Just for the Fun of It: Considering the Role of Leisure in Parenting, Relationships, and Womanhood.


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