About Progress

Latest Episodes:

AP 827: Habits That are Helping: How I Avoided Burnout During My Busiest Year Yet Thanks To Some VERY Simple Habits Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode I'm sharing four small habits that kept me from burning out during the most chaotic year of my life — launching my book Sticky Habits, co-hosting a tour in Rome, and running the More for Moms conference all at once. I talk about practicing self-compassion when cynicism crept in, getting ready for bed alongside my kids, doing bare-bones weekly planning, and taking a weekly cookie date with my youngest after speech therapy.

I also share a new habit I'm starting, inspired by a question I asked the women on my Italy trip: What of you is missing from your life? Plus, I'm celebrating the podcast's 10-year anniversary and inviting you to send in a voice note for a special listener episode.

Enter the 10 Year Favorite Things Giveaway!

Order Sticky Habits (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a review of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the More for Moms Conference with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on Youtube

Go to Quince for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica.

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Being Happier Starts With Listening to Yourself, Not Just Treating Yourself || H&K with Taylor Elyse Morrison Oct 31, 2026

Show notes

Ever burst into tears over spilled milk, or a dinner that didn’t turn out, and wondered where that came from? Taylor Elise Morrison shares how she handles those moments, and it starts with one small pause.

In this clip, Taylor talks through what she does when her emotions feel way bigger than the situation. She stops, listens, and lets whatever’s already talking be heard, whether that’s out loud, in a journal, or in a quiet minute to yourself. It’s a simple daily habit, and it builds self-compassion instead of self-criticism. She also gets honest about how boundaries make room for self-care, why “just this one time” can lead to burnout, and what she realized about the hours she was giving to her phone.

If you’re looking for self-care for mothers that goes deeper than a bubble bath, or you’re just curious how to feel happy and more like yourself again, this one’s for you.

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/ways-to-practice-deep-self-care

Order Sticky Habits⁠ (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP 826: Remember When: 2025 Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

This episode is part of Remember When — a special monthly series leading up to our 10th anniversary this November. I take us back through 2025: the year I wrote a book, signed a book deal, hosted my first More for Moms conference, traveled to London on a Pride and Prejudice pilgrimage, announced the Female Foodie tour to Italy with Brooke Eliason, and sat down for some of the most meaningful interviews of my career — including conversations with Katherine May, Sharon McMahon, and Erin H. Moon. I'm sharing what was happening in the world, what was happening behind the mic, the episodes that stayed with me, and the lessons I'm carrying forward. It was an intense, beautiful year — and I'm so glad to look back on it with you.

Solo episodes from 2025: Self-Care Saved Our Marriage; GLP-1 Preview; Funk; Recommended Interviews from 2025: Jess Massey, Katherine May, Dr. Sara Reardon, Sharon McMahon, Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Erin H. Moon, Toni Collier, Israa Nasir, Kolbie Blume

Order Sticky Habits⁠ (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on ⁠Youtube⁠

Go to ⁠Quince⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica.

Your next favorite find is waiting at fromrebel.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP 825: How to Dress (and Care For) Yourself on a Bad Body Image Day || with Jordana Edelstein Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

What if you don't have to love your body to feel good in it? In this episode, I sit down with body image and food relationship coach Jordana Edelstein to talk about how to stop waiting for your body to change before you start living well in it. Jordana shares her deeply personal journey through two decades of body shame and disordered eating, and how she now helps women break the cycle of chasing a "smaller body" that was never going to be the answer.

We dig into why how you feel about your body and what you eat are inextricably linked, why getting dressed with intention is one of the most powerful tools you have on a bad body image day, and how to quiet the inner mean girl who shows up when you're standing in your closet picking apart everything you see. If you've ever had a bad body image day -- and who hasn't -- this conversation will give you surprisingly simple, practical ways to care for yourself, starting with what you put on tomorrow morning.

Jordana's website, Instagram

Order Sticky Habits⁠ (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on ⁠Youtube⁠

Go to ⁠Quince⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comparing Yourself to Everyone? Try This Self-Compassion Reset || H&K with Crystalee Beck Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

Ever feel like everyone else is on a rocket ship while you’re pedaling a tricycle? Crystalee Beck, founder of Comma Copywriters and The Mama Ladder, shares how she stopped comparing herself to other women after a layoff left her family’s finances and marriage at a low point. She decided to choose what she wanted her life to feel like instead of measuring herself against someone else’s pace.

If you’ve been wondering how to be happier without having it all figured out, this is a warm reminder that self-compassion is a real tool for personal growth and development, and one of the kindest forms of self-care for mothers.

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/owning-your-own-path-and-going-at-your-own-pace

Order Sticky Habits (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a review of the book; Get the Archive Pass for the More for Moms Conference with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP 824: I found Mistakes in My Book: Why Not Trying is the Biggest Mistake of All || Growth Spurt Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

In this Growth Spurt, I share a moment from narrating my audiobook for Sticky Habits when I spotted small errors that survived countless rounds of editing. Spiraling into self-doubt, I had to remind myself that even masterpieces like Harry Potter and Oppenheimer aren't perfect — and that mistakes aren't just unavoidable, they're a necessary part of the path. The only way to avoid mistakes is by not trying, and that's the biggest mistake of all.

⁠Order Sticky Habits⁠ (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a ⁠review⁠ of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the ⁠More for Moms Conference⁠ with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the ⁠Supporters Club⁠ to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on ⁠Youtube⁠
Go to Quince for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP 823: Why You Keep Reaching for Your Phone (and What to Do Instead) || with Ruby Ryba Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

How many times have you caught yourself scrolling and immediately thought, "Oh no, I did it again. I seriously need more self-control"? I've done this too. We all do. But what if scrolling isn't proof that you lack discipline? In this episode, I talk with Ruby Ryba, author of How to Stop Scrolling, about a much more compassionate way to use our phones less.

Instead of shaming ourselves or swearing off our phones entirely, Ruby teaches us to get curious about what our scrolling is really giving us, design our lives so our phones have less power over us, and fill that reclaimed space with things that actually meet our needs. Because the goal isn't just to spend less time on your phone—it's to spend more time actually living the life you choose.

Ruby's website, book

Order Sticky Habits (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a review of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the More for Moms Conference with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on Youtube

Complementary episodes: The Practice of Attention: How to Stop Scrolling in a Distracted World, with Cody Cook-Parrott; How Screens Are Changing Childhood, with Catherine Price

Go to Quince for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns at https://www.quince.com/monica.

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Self-Compassion for the Hustle Habit || H&K with Jessica Hottel Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Ever wonder why you feel like you have to hustle for everything, or why one critical comment can undo a whole good day? In this clip, Jessica Hottel gets honest about growing up in survival mode and how those early beliefs followed her into adulthood: the approval-chasing, the trouble resting, and the shutting down when she felt triggered.

If you're a mom trying to figure out how to be happier without adding one more thing to your to-do list, this one's for you. Jessica talks about why the stories we carry about ourselves start so early, and why getting curious about where they began is a powerful piece of personal development. It's not self improvement in the fix-yourself sense. It's about understanding the daily habits and reactions you built to protect yourself, and meeting them with kindness instead of criticism.

That's where self-compassion comes in. When you can see why you hustle, why you go quiet, or why "good enough" feels so out of reach, it gets easier to stop being a perfectionist and start treating yourself the way you'd treat a friend. Self care for mothers isn't only bubble baths and naps (though we're pro-nap). It's also giving yourself permission to understand why you are the way you are. Small shifts like that are what personal growth and development actually looks like, and they're often how to feel happy on an ordinary day, not just in the big moments.

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog/5-steps-to-better-process-emotions-and-heal-your-souls-story

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AP 822: You Can Never “Make Time” for Everything Good and Worthy || Growth Spurt Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

After months of interviews for my book Sticky Habits, one question kept coming up: "How do you make time for self-care habits?" And it stopped me in my tracks. We love to say "just make time," but honestly? I think that reeks of toxic positivity. I spent a year and a half waking up at 5:00 AM to write my book while walking, doing strength training, and running on fumes — and it nearly broke me. You will never make time for everything — need, good, or worthy — and that's not just okay, it's the whole point. So let's talk about what it really means to make time for what matters, without losing yourself in the process.

Order Sticky Habits (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a review of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the More for Moms Conference with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on Youtube

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP 821: Think You’re Bad at Decorating? How to Find Your Design Style and Create a Home You Love || with Dani Watson Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever looked around your home and thought, "I'm just bad at this"? I've been there too — wrong-size rugs, bad paint colors, the works. In this episode, I talk with interior decorating educator Dani Watson about why perfectionism — not lack of talent — is what really keeps us stuck. Dani shares her own messy learning journey and teaches us that decorating is a skill anyone can build.

We dig into her four principles for confident decorating: defining your personal aesthetic, choosing how you want your home to feel, telling your family's story through meaningful pieces, and working within your budget. Dani also makes a beautiful case for "slow decorating" — the idea that a home with soul can't be bought in a weekend, but is curated over time. If you've been waiting for permission to stop chasing Pinterest perfection and start enjoying the process, this one's for you.

Dani's Instagram, website, design guide

Order Sticky Habits! (now available as an audiobook!)

Leave a review of the book

Get the Archive Pass for the More for Moms Conference with $10-off code: “LISTENER.”

Join the Supporters Club to keep About Progress around for good.

Watch this episode on Youtube

This episode brought to you by ⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns

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