The Mother Load

We're back, mamas. After a short pause to carry some heavy life stuff, The Mother Load returns—just in time for a belated (but beautiful) Mother's Day episode.Meet Seasen Pruett: optician, teacher, coach, cheerleader, waitress, and most importantly—mom to the endlessly cool and insightful Bennett, who makes a triumphant cameo to talk superpowers, Bucee's, and the three reasons he loves his mom (spoiler: one involves daily school drop-offs

This week, Meg Laidlaw — nurse turned holistic health coach, mom of two, recovering perfectionist, and all-around wisdom dropper — joins Amy for an episode that's part heart, part sass, and all soul.

Get ready for laughter, love, and the most unforgettable cupcake story you've ever heard. In our second episode of The Mother Load Mother's Day series, Emilie Reyes and her son Bennett bring all the heart (and hilarity).

We're launching our Mother's Day “Mommy & Me” series on The Mother Load — and it's everything we hoped for and more!

In this powerful episode, I chat with Amanda Pregler, a working mom navigating life with a daughter who has health challenges. She shares how vital it is to work for an employer who supports moms when family needs come first.We also dive into The Anxious Generation, discussing how social media impacts both parents and kids—and how Amanda's learned to protect her peace while showing up for her daughter.Highlights include:

This week on The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy sit down with Evonne Szydlowski for a powerful conversation about navigating identity, confidence, and self-worth in male-dominated spaces and beyond.

You guys! This episode is perfectly timed for how many of us feel during these long, cold, dragging, did I say long? winter months. In this episode of The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy chat with Nicole Freeman, and focus on Nicole's area of expertise - fitness for the mom who has no time to even read the word fitness. She's a mother of 2, a wife, and your fitness cheerleader you knew you needed but never had.

In this episode of The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy dive into their thoughts on Tonya's inspiring journey through motherhood, career changes, and self-care. They reflect on the importance of finding new passions in life—no matter what stage you're in—and why New Year's resolutions should actually bring you joy (not just guilt!).Of course, it wouldn't be The Mother Load without a few hilarious detours along the way. From unexpected mom-life moments to completely random stories, this episode is packed with laughs, relatable struggles, and maybe even a little motivation to chase what truly makes you happy.Grab your coffee (or wine), and let's get into it!Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

A loving person, friend, wife and mother of 3 grown children, Tonya joins us this week shedding light on how your upbringing affects your decisions as a mother and the parenting differences throughout the generations - AND - taking care of yourself along the way.Tonya shares her journey into motherhood and the professional world, where she navigated being a first time mom with a son on the spectrum, and what it was like to learn and find support for what she was facing 25 years ago.What to expect in this episode:➡️Navigating motherhood as a stay at home mom➡️Joining the workforce after time away➡️Mom guilt, work guilt and more guilt!➡️ Finding your village (Shout out to attentive Teachers!)➡️Never giving up on your dreams➡️Finding self-care in the small things & setting self-care intentionsYou may feel like you got a bit of a pep talk after listening to this episode and perhaps inspire you to really dig deep and discover what is it you want out of life?It's never too late to find your passion. Dream big, my friends.

Amy and Lauren are back for another candid conversation filled with book talk, self-care, and plenty of laughs! This week, they dive into:

This week on The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy are joined by Stephanie Price for a powerful conversation about redefining identity, embracing self-love, and finding balance in motherhood and beyond.

Join Amy and Lauren on this week's episode of The Mother Load as they tackle the powerful topics of passion, purpose, and breaking free from the stories that hold us back.✨ Finding Your Purpose: How to discover what truly lights you up—and have the courage to pursue it.

This week on The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy are joined by the amazing Kay McMahon-Boggess for an honest and thought-provoking conversation about life's toughest challenges and boldest dreams.

New Episode Alert!

This week on The Mother Load, Lauren and Amy sit down with the incredible Shavonne Lewis to unpack the beautiful complexities of life, growth, and connection.

Meet Jen! After you listen to this episode, you're going to love her just as much as we do. Jen is compassionate, wise, and fierce beyond all reasonable doubt. She is a wife, a badass business owner boss lady, an ex-corporate boss lady, a loving mom to her children and dogs (shout out dog moms!), a speaker, a sales performance coach, and executive leadership coach. ⭐️Jen is the owner and founder of Jen E. Miller and Associates, but her story doesn't start there. Join us to hear Jen's perspective on marriage, parenting (technology details), professional and personal success, preparing for the unexpected, and more. She is the real deal. She's honest and kind and has the biggest heart. Take a listen and remember, you are fierce and you are enough. Xoxo A & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Happy Thanksgiving! We wanted to jump on here and give you a bonus episode for the holiday!We have so much to be thankful for and we wanted to specifically thank our TML community

Hey guys, here's a look back at one of our first episodes! Haley is a career driven lady and we were so happy to get to know her! We'll be back with a new bonus episode soon! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Hey guys! Did you miss us? We are back today with a bonus episode to discuss our hiatus and what we've been up to! Have a listen to learn about our plans for 2025! We'll see you there! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Hey everyone, in this episode of The Mother Load we have the pleasure of speaking with Lauren's sister-in-law Nicole Rall!Nicole is many things but to sum her up she is super mom of 3 awesome ladies, a photographer, a homesteader, a homeschooler... sourdough is life and life is her. She does it all while maintaining a consciousness that many of us take for granted. We discussed how Nicole makes choices, what fuels her motivations and how the heck she manages her mother load! If you are at all interested in an alternative way of living, stepping out of what is "normal" or sourdough...this episode is for you!Enjoy this enchanting conversation with Nicole

Happy Halloween

Our very first episode happens to be our #1 listened to episode and although that is statistically the case for any podcast, we know that you all loved listening to Nolan just as much as we did, so we're bringing it back. Nolan's perspective of having working parents is touching and heartfelt. He is wise beyond his 13 little years (almost 14!). We didn't prepare him for the questions we were going to ask, we just asked, and he delivered. Enjoy this weeks flash back to March of 2024 and we will be back with all new content next week. Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Are you one of those people who knew early on the path you were going to take? All the boxes you needed to check off and the exact order you were going to do it? If so, this episode will speak to your soul. If not, I promise it will also speak to your soul. Emily truly bares it all with Amy and Lauren, as she takes us back all the way to childhood, sharing what it was like being the oldest and wisest sibling. We dive into a deep, heartfelt discussion about the control many of us seek to have over our lives, often to our detriment. A licensed professional counselor, certified rehabilitation counselor, wife, and mother of two, Emily brings an incredible perspective surrounding anxiety, and postpartum depression while she shares personal stories, emotions, and laughter. We are so thankful Emily brought an honest and raw conversation to The Mother Load and you're going to be too! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

This week's episode is with Audra Friends, one of Amy's besties from College (Go Broncos!) turned Tennessee Mama of 2! This week we met with Audra who was calling in from the beautiful state of TN, while her husband was on a 24 hour shift at the Fire Hall and her kiddos were hanging out in the other room. In the 1 hour window she had before a night of travel baseball with the kiddos, of course. Audra sheds some light on the good and the difficult parts of working from home full time while raising babies, living across the country from her Michigan family, and managing her family as a wife of a firefighter. She gets honest about how her journey has been difficult at times and what led her to where she is today. Craigslist roomies, Nashville adventures, and of course she shares what she would do if she had a day to herself with no responsibilities! Listen in and get to know and love this working mom as much as we do! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L

Halloween

This week Amy and Lauren recorded their first ever virtual episode! Little fact, in case you didn't know, all of our recording is done in a FREE studio in a library. It really is incredible to have all the tools you need to start a podcast - nothing should hold you back. Just do it! We hope our amateur recording methods worked enough for you to enjoy this episode. We think it's totally fine

Hey guys, welcome to another week of The Mother Load. This week we had the pleasure of speaking with Juel Tabor, a unique mom of 4 small babies. Juel gave us some insight on being a military wife, and how she has had to get comfortable with change. We also dive into discovering your identity after multiple life changes. Anyone who had been involved in military life can relate to the stress it puts on a family and Juel is now living through it was a middle-schooler who has big feelings. The struggle is real and this is a new era for the Tabor family. This is a heart-felt episode with a lot of reflection, we hope this conversation makes you feel less alone and helps you find a place in the complexities of life. Thank you Juel for being so open with us and sharing your story with our community!

If you're from Michigan, this episode will hit you to your core, just like it did for Lauren & I. You guys…. It's Amy Zhender Grossi. Not only does she share a first name with Amy, but she also shares a name with her beloved family, The Zhenders, the family so many of you have loved from afar each time you visit Frankenmuth, Michigan. She is as real as they come. She's just like us and she's just like you. A mom, a wife, a friend. She has to plan dinners, juggle schedules, get up early to work out, and go to work. Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Bavarian Blast Reservations: https://www.bavarianinn.com/bavarian-blast-indoor-waterpark/#dipipopup-52678Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

In this weeks episode Lauren rekindles her friendship with Brandi Alcorn (Bohn) after not seeing each other since 2007! We all have those friends from high school/middle school/etc. that we just lost touch with and this is your sign to reach back out! Making new friends as an adult if hard, but maybe it is easier when you share a past. Lets all try to "date" our old friends!Not only was this an exciting re-introduction but Brandi is doing so much! We can't wait for you to hear about the journey she took getting into the career she is in today and how she found the key to career happiness (spoiler alert, it isn't the paycheck). Brandi is also pregnant with her 2nd baby and her son just turned 2. We talked with her about the pressures of being a first time mom and how much you learn from that experience. Enjoy this episode, it's a fun one!Disclaimer: we mention a story about a "goose" but it was actually a SWAN! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Welcome to Episode 20, with the one, the beautiful, the kindest mama bear, wife, friend, advocate, nurse and… bulldog, Crystal Miller. Crystal's journey is admirable and inspiring - not just to working moms, but all moms. She followed her heart into her career and never took the easy road. She teaches us to listen to our gut and trust our intuition. Thank you for being such a wonderful person we should all aspire to be more like! Oh, and she recorded this episode straight from work, or the football field, I can't recall - but she made time and we are all so much better because of it! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Ah, the joys of back to school. I mean, new school year new me, right!? Join us as we kick off the school year with an episode all about the feels, the schedule, the routine, and everything public and private school related. Amy opens up about her struggle to find her ideal workout time - and I think by the end of it, we land on some solid advice that can help anyone looking to carve out some workout time! Enjoy your back to school season everyone! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Laura VH is a FORCE! ⚡️This is a no judgement, no BS, no time for nonsense kind of working mom. She is a boss lady, wife, mom of 3 children, friend and crockpot queen - to name a few of her titles. Oh, and she has a Disc Golf Course in her backyard.She has a beautiful story of how she became to be the Laura VH the world knows and some heartfelt wisdom we are better off for hearing, especially those of us with teens. Enjoy this week's episode. We're so grateful for your listening ears! Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

You're going to love this episode! Our favorite part of this entire interview was the beautiful realization that Carrie has became the village for others, that she never had herself. How beautiful and sweet is that!!! Carrie is a selfless, loving mother, always pivoting and doing what's best for her two kiddos, while taking care of herself along the way. You're going to be enlightened no matter the age of your kiddos or your spot in your career. Give her a listen

That's like, over 500 hours of recorded minutes of our voices out there in the universe. Pretty wild actually. Let's keep this mother ship moving!! What better way, than an episode about @AmySeymour. We hope you get to laugh or cry or pee your pants or something alongside this weeks light hearted episode of Amy and Lauren.Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Welcome to Episode 15 with Brandi Carmode!Another week of mom's talking about kids and mom stuff, you may think how could we possibly keep this going? Well, trust me, we can, and you're not going to want to miss hearing from Brandi. Her perspective on motherhood is one to be admired, whether you're a working mom, a stay at home mom, or anything in between. She's a courageous woman who fiercely loves her children and her family. She's a stay at home mom, a breast cancer survivor, a beautiful friend and a dedicated wife. You're going to want to hear Brandi's recent #momfail, where she shares so vulnerably, a wake up call that we all will be better off for hearing. She reminds us we need to pay attention to the small details and listen to what our kids are trying to tell us, in their own unique way. It was such a beautiful conversation, I'm so glad it's out there now, and you all get to hear from Brandi's slice of motherhood. Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough. XOXOA & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Coffee or tea? Morning person or night owl? Go to karaoke song? Happy Wednesday, friends! Are you guys loving your summer as much as we are?!?! The week we recorded this episode was a beautiful summery Saturday morning, and we definitely took a moment to soak in the beauty of it. Beauty in the sun, the friendship, our surroundings, our mindsets, and our conversation. Sometimes life can be so chaotic, messy, frantic, and BUSY, that we forget to just soak in a few moments while it's happening. Trust me - we get it. While we enjoy the middle of this memorable summer as busy moms who just want to be tan, fit, happy and on the beach - let's take a moment to breathe it in and relish in the moment. Whatever the moment is for you. Just f*cking soak it up. And then pop on this weeks episode for some laughs and light hearted conversation of two super normal unique trendy working badass moms.

Lucky Episode #13

⭐️Welcome to Episode 12 ⭐️ Join Amy & Lauren as they give candid answers to the very much unplanned prompt…. “Tell me about a time….” We definitely share some heartfelt moments, vulnerable moments, and laughs on this episode but really the takeaway is letting your guard down and just telling it how it is! Enjoy this care free episode of friendship, fun, and real talk! XOXO A & L Ways to Listen! https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Welcome to the episode where you meet your next best friend you never knew you needed. I'm serious. It's, SHANA RALL (Lauren's sister in-law)!! She's not only saving lives at one of the most highly regarded Hospitals out there, but she's a ER Nurse, Educator, (I mean there's a lot of initials after her name), the 24/7 on call family nurse, wife, mom of two, career smashing, life saving boss mom.

We mentioned it was coming…and now it's here. Join Amy & Lauren this week on TML, where they deep dive into their experiences with multi-level marketing.

Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there! Of course we had to celebrate this day with a special ⭐️BONUS EPISODE ⭐️ !! Meet, Papa Terry (Amy's Dad). Papa Terry just scratches the surface of his incredibly rewarding and deeply emotional career in law enforcement and he shares what keeps him grounded in his marriage. His insight into parenthood, fatherhood, and motherhood is touching and profound. Trust us when we say this, you want to hear what Papa Terry has to say! Now go listen, go golf, go fishing, go do what you need to do on Father's Day and know that we moms LOVE you!

Meet Jen! After you listen to this episode, you're going to love her just as much as we do. Jen is compassionate, wise, and fierce beyond all reasonable doubt. She is a wife, a badass business owner boss lady, an ex-corporate boss lady, a loving mom to her children and dogs (shout out dog moms!), a speaker, a sales performance coach, and executive leadership coach. ⭐️Jen is the owner and founder of Jen E. Miller and Associates, but her story doesn't start there. Join us to hear Jen's perspective on marriage, parenting (technology details), professional and personal success, preparing for the unexpected, and more. She is the real deal. She's honest and kind and has the biggest heart. Take a listen and remember, you are fierce and you are enough. Xoxo A & L Ways to Listen!https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Hey Guys, on this episode of the mother load Amy and Lauren discuss Mother's Day, summer childcare and the importance of female friendships. Have a listen and stay until the end for some fun recommendations! Link to fun things! https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Hey everyone, in this episode of The Mother Load we have the pleasure of speaking with Lauren's sister-in-law Nicole Rall!Nicole is many things but to sum her up she is super mom of 3 awesome ladies, a photographer, a homesteader, a homeschooler... sourdough is life and life is her. She does it all while maintaining a consciousness that many of us take for granted. We discussed how Nicole makes choices, what fuels her motivations and how the heck she manages her mother load! If you are at all interested in an alternative way of living, stepping out of what is "normal" or sourdough...this episode is for you!Enjoy this enchanting conversation with Nicole

We are back to discuss some questions that were sent in! We discuss our own mother loads, how we navigate our lives and how our spouses are involved. The word guilt comes up again from the recent Instagram poll and we talk through the reasons many woman feel guilt. Please keep the participation up, we love to hear from you!Links to Recs and more ways to listen! https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

This working mom is not just one of our favorite moms, but one of Amy's ride or die moms. You know the friend you could call any time of the day for any reason, and even with a baby attached to the hip and two other hanging off her, she'd find a way to be there for you? That's Jaclyn.   Jaclyn is the real deal. She's a mom of 3 young boys, Caeden (4), Tanner (2), and Bryce (1), and the wife to her husband Scott. She is a Nurse Practitioner turned Medical Spa Owner in Howell, MI, where she helps hundreds of women prioritize self care through not just medical spa treatments but health and wellness guidance to top it off.  Listen in to hear how Jaclyn manages all the emotions she encounters on a regular basis  [joy, fear, guilt, excitement] and how she prioritizes self care for herself. And, how the heck she opened up a spa while working two jobs and having babies!  Costco talk, mom fails, and more - this conversation will speak to your soul!  Stay fierce friends, and know that you are enough.  For more ways to listen! https://linktr.ee/themotherloadpod

Happy Mother's Day, Mother Load Community! Today we get to bless you with a very special bonus recording featuring our MOMS! Yes, the women who started it all for us. Shelly and Laurie have beautiful stories to share and advice you will not want to miss out on. I'm sure it will come as no surprise, these two women are deeply motivated, driven, and successful working moms. They've had their fair share of tough choices and moments that have shaped their lives and led them to where they are today - there are so many good nuggets to take away from this conversation! We are so grateful to our moms, not just today but every day. (Well, most days

Welcome to our first solo episode! We decided that the conversation has to continue and we want to get you involved! Please share your stories with us via social media or send us stories directly to our email! In this episode we reflected on the launch of the podcast and the feedback we've been given. We also get into our personal feelings on mom guilt and the hidden ways it reveals itself to us. We got a lot of amazing comments and emails about how The Mother Load made people feel and we share some listener stories. Stay tuned for the end were we give some fun recommendations to enhance your day to day lives and do something for yourself! 1: https://www.amazon.com/Beach-Read-Emily-Henry/dp/19848067342: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/12501035093: https://drinkjuni.com/4: https://hummkombucha.com/shop-all/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwouexBhAuEiwAtW_Zx-G8C857Ofv6RUMP7de4FVEzfm5JNUEub5ihwVtkXIdHCd_mauFyKhoCkPkQAvD_BwE5: https://loveamika.com/products/perk-up-dry-shampoo?variant=388116845626: https://gingerwithspice.com/honey-lavender-bees-knees/Love, A&LMore ways to listenApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-mother-load/id1737807677Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xAWDQpJh62SNuKOdRUf5qiHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/pod.../269-the-mother-load-161966460/Browser: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-mother-loadWant to join the conversation? Email us!

This working mom episode is for all our manufacturing moms! This mom is an inspiring and admiring example of the personal and professional sacrifice moms in manufacturing have to take to navigate and excel in an industry that historically has been male dominated.  Haley is a mom of two young girls, Ellie (3) and Lucy (1), and the wife of her husband, Joe. Haley has worked her way through press rooms, plant floors, and seasons of constant change. She's built a beautiful family while never wavering in her commitment to her career, earned her MBA, and never stopped taking care of herself along the way.  How does Haley manage The Mother Load? Listen in to hear the REAL and RAW side of being a working mom in manufacturing - mom fails, work guilt, mom guilt, sacrifice and the village she couldn't live without. Be inspired - because this chick is inspiring.  Stay fierce friends, and know you are enough.

Meet Our Guest: Marianna Johnson  This working mom not only kicked off our podcast as one of our first guests, but she kindly donated her time to shoot some branding photos of TML for Amy & Lauren, pouring her belief and energy into something that hasn't even started.  Marianna is full of inspiration and radiates positive energy. She is a mom of 2 young girls, Emalynn and Noelle, and the wife to her husband Chris. She is a bossmom entrepreneur who runs her own Photography Business from her Studio in Grand Blanc, MI.  Listen in to hear Marianna's story and how she has navigated the road bumps in her career path that  started in education and landed where she is today. She's endured, persevered, and has serious insight on how to prioritize family, motherhood, work and self-care.  Stay fierce moms!