The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach
Are you stuck between wanting to guide your teen or college kid and knowing it’s time to start letting go? Welcome to The Almost Empty Nest Podcast, where moms of teens and college kids reframe what ‘letting go’...
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Episodes
What You Really Want — Letting Go of Control, Guilt, and Fear in Parenting Teens | Ep. 56
What do I really want as a mom? That question sounds simple, but it goes deep. I used to think that if I worked hard enough, tried my best, and followed the rules, I'd raise happy, successful kids and feel fulfilled...
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Redefining Your Purpose in the Empty Nest — A Mindset Shift for Moms Letting Go | Ep. 55
As my boys became more independent—first with driver’s licenses, then with dorm move-ins—I began to feel it: the empty spaces in our routine, in the house, and in myself. It wasn’t just the empty nest I was bracing...
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The Hidden Weight of Motherhood — How Resentment and Guilt Keep Moms Stuck | Ep. 54
Resentment is one of those emotions we don’t talk about—but most of us moms are carrying it. In this episode, I share how my own emotional habits—like reaching for wine or snacks to take the edge off—have been tied to...
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When Kids Return to the Nest — Letting Go, Setting Boundaries, and Parenting Adult Children Under One Roof | Ep. 53
When your teen or young adult returns home—whether for the summer, after graduation, or because life didn’t go as planned—it’s a mix of joy, tension, and everything in between. I created this episode for the moms who...
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Getting Your Teen to Listen — Letting Go of Control and Rebuilding Connection | Ep. 52
You’re not alone if it feels like your teen won’t listen to anything you say. I’ve been there—and so have most of the moms I coach. In this episode, I unpack why our usual parenting strategies often fail, even when we...
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Graduation Day — Letting Go, Facing the Empty Nest, and Redefining Your Role as a Mom | Ep. 51
Graduation isn’t just a milestone for our kids—it’s a turning point for us as moms. In this deeply personal episode, I share what it feels like to stand on the brink of my son’s high school graduation and all the...
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You Can't Afford NOT to Invest in Yourself | Ep. 50
Everyone is WORTHY. Period. Everyone is valuable. Period. And everyone deserves to have support when they need it. The people we love mean well, but they have their own opinions about what we should do. Sometimes what...
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Love Letters to Moms | Ep 49
Mother's Day is fraught with the potential for disappointed expectations. So in this episode I explore how we can guarantee all of our dreams come true...that we feel love, appreciation, and respect. To do this, I...
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Setting Boundaries | Ep. 48
We often think we have a hard time setting boundaries because other people don't follow them. But boundaries are not rules. In fact, boundaries have much more to do with us than with anyone else. In this episode we...
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For Better or for Worse | Ep. 47
Any long-term partnership, particularly ones that involves co-parenting children, experiences better and worse, probably richer and poorer, and most definitely sickness and health. We've been through a lot in the past...
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Navigating Stress of the College Process - with Adam Materasso | Ep. 46
There are so many reasons why the college process is hard for our kids….and, if we're honest...for us as parents. The time we have left with our kids at home is short. How do you want to show up for your child, and...
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Don't Let Yourself Be Bullied | Ep. 45
Bullies are everywhere. Bullies we don't know. Bullies we know...even that we love. And possibly worst of all...the bully we are to ourselves. We will never be able to change all of the bullies in the world, but you...
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