After Hours With Amanda

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Latest Episodes:

Equal Doesn’t Always Mean the Same | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 4 Jun 29, 2026

This week, I’m taking you with me to Pixar and into the very real mom guilt spiral that hit when one of my girls got invited into a special experience and the others didn’t. What started as a magical Disney/Pixar day turned into a bigger parenting reframe about fairness, sibling comparison, and why equal does not always mean the same. This is me learning out loud about intentional parenting, shared joy, and remembering that our tiny humans do not all need identical things to feel loved.

00:00 Siri Thinks It’s a Medical Emergency
00:39 Welcome Back and Pixar Joy
01:12 Walking Onto the Pixar Campus
02:18 Meeting Kind People in Real Life
03:14 A New Season of Motherhood
04:13 Three Girls, Three Different Humans
05:21 One Person’s Encouragement Isn’t Your Discouragement
06:20 The Pixar Tour Invitation
07:33 The Immediate Pang of Mom Guilt
09:02 Equal Doesn’t Always Mean the Same
10:33 Sometimes It’s About Intentional
11:41 The Pixar Pool and Shared Joy
13:03 Different Kids, Different Needs
13:41 The Myth of Balance
16:24 Intentional Time Changes Everything
17:11 Celebrating Someone Else’s Turn
19:39 Life Isn’t Measured in Sameness
21:39 Giving People What They Need
23:32 Moving Out of Guilt and Into Intentionality
25:19 Shared Joy Is the Gift
25:50 You Are Doing Your Best

The Dream I Wrote Down for Five Years Came True | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 3 Jun 22, 2026

I wrote “Visit Pixar Studios” in my goals for five years, and this year, that dream came true. In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind getting invited to Pixar for Toy Story 5, but really, this is about dreams, faith, motherhood, and learning to keep showing up even when not everyone understands what you’re carrying. I talk about borrowing belief, fear that sounds like wisdom, safe friendships, and what I hope my tiny queens learn from watching me dream out loud. If your belief feels tired today, you can borrow mine.

00:00 The Pixar Invite I Didn’t Know Was Possible
00:33 Welcome Back, Boo
01:03 I Got Invited to Pixar
02:15 Writing the Dream Down for Five Years
03:17 Why This Is Bigger Than Pixar
05:12 Dreams Have Fingerprints
06:11 When People Don’t Get Your Dream
08:08 When Fear Sounds Like Wisdom
12:11 Borrowing Belief
16:07 Medicine Cabinet Reminders
19:00 What I’m Teaching My Tiny Queens
24:12 Maybe Belief Is the Better Gift

Stop Comparing Your Roots to Someone Else’s Tree | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 2 Jun 15, 2026

Grab your iced coffee and sit with me for a few minutes, because this one is for anyone who feels behind. I’m talking about the comparison trap, Paige’s little watermelon plant, and what happens when we start comparing our roots to someone else’s tree. This episode is about motherhood, dreams, faith, waiting, and remembering that just because something is taking longer does not mean it is not happening. Maybe the quiet season still counts. Maybe the roots are growing. Maybe the life we prayed for is already happening right here.

00:00 Keep Showing Up

00:30 Casual Summer Energy

03:00 Summer Feels Like Possibility

05:00 Waiting on the Thing You Want

06:03 Paige’s Watermelon Plant

07:16 Life Is Not Instant

09:56 Beautiful Things Take Time

10:59 The Comparison Trap

13:31 Maybe You’re in the Roots

18:34 What Dream Are You Carrying?

20:32 Growth Is Not a Race

22:20 Don’t Miss the Life You Prayed For

Maybe You’re Not Behind, Maybe You’re Still Becoming | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 1 Jun 08, 2026

Season six is here, and I’m catching you up on life, summer, middle school survival, my solo Disney day, and the very real feeling of not being where I thought I would be by this point in the year.

This episode is about the mid year reset we do not always know we need. I’m talking about changing directions, showing up without waiting for motivation, letting go of shame, and remembering that not being where you want to be does not mean you are behind.

Maybe you are not failing. Maybe you are still becoming.

00:00 This Is Your 30 Minutes

00:55 Welcome to Season Six

01:42 Surviving Middle School and Summer

03:01 A New Recording Space

04:45 My Solo Disney Day

05:44 When Your Plans Don’t Happen

07:27 June as a Mirror

08:35 You’re Not Behind

09:58 One Day or Day One

12:38 Changing Directions Isn’t Quitting

14:12 The Pressure to Know Your Path

16:28 Stop Worshiping the Result

19:49 Enjoying the Process

22:41 The Middle Is Not the Ending

24:20 Showing Up Without a Perfect Plan

26:06 Still Becoming

Stay in Line for Your Dream | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 12 Apr 10, 2026

In this episode, I’m talking about anxiety, timing, dream chasing, and the coffee line analogy that changed how I see waiting. Just because someone else gets the dream before you does not mean yours is not coming. The only way you do not get your coffee is if you get out of line.

I’m also sharing about health anxiety, mammograms, meditation, glimmers of gratitude, keeping promises to myself, advocating for my body, and learning that authenticity starts with being honest with myself.

This one is for anyone who feels behind, scared, or tired of waiting. Stay in line, boo.

00:00 Surprise, I Missed This
00:19 Finding the Rhythm Again
01:37 Tiny People Are Still the Priority
01:54 Troop Beverly Hills and Disneyland Updates
03:36 Classes, Mammograms, and Health Check Ins
04:36 Timing, Anxiety, and Dream Chasing
05:57 Becoming Before Reaching the Goal
07:38 The Coffee Line Analogy
09:12 Glimmers of Gratitude While You Wait
10:39 Anxiety, Scripture, and Being Present
11:34 Health Anxiety Before a Mammogram
13:01 Life Can Change in an Instant
15:11 Becoming Ready for the Dream
16:10 Finding the Fear Under the Trigger
17:53 Authenticity Starts With Yourself
20:36 Meditation and Listening to My Body
23:35 I Used to Think I Had to Prove Myself
26:36 Stop Proving, Start Showing Up
27:34 Keeping Promises Builds Self Trust
30:18 Learning What Works for My Body
32:42 Other People’s Opinions and Anxiety
35:24 What Anxiety and Dreams Have in Common
36:08 The Thought Is a Passenger, Not the Driver
37:51 Information Is Not Intimacy
40:18 Advocating for Myself
42:08 Being Bold Enough to Trust Yourself
43:17 The Journey Is the Becoming
45:19 Showing Up for Yourself Means Saying No
47:14 Focus on Becoming, Not Just Arriving

Date Your Spouse Like You’re Still Learning Them | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 11 Feb 27, 2026

In this episode, I’m talking about the sweetest Disney Pandora surprise, why the Tiana charm felt like a hug from my mom and big J, and how those little glimmers can remind us to keep going when life does not look how we pictured it.

Then we get into marriage, miscommunication, keeping score, serving each other when we are both tired, and what it really means to date your spouse like you are still learning them. I’m not speaking as an expert. I’m just sharing what I’m learning in real time with Blake, life, grief, dreams, and all the tiny chaos in between.

00:00 We Took a Week Off
01:00 Laguna Beach and a Little Disclaimer
02:29 The Pandora Surprise
08:25 Looking for the Princess Charms
10:42 Why Tiana Means So Much
14:26 Snail Mail From a Princess
15:18 The Charm That Felt Like a Hug
17:45 Keep Going When You Feel Behind
20:16 You Are Right Where You Need to Be
21:46 When the Emotional Board Turns Back On
25:10 Marriage, Miscommunication, and No Judgment
26:59 Date Your Spouse Like You’re Still Learning Them
29:34 Giving All Day and Keeping Score
33:41 Coming Back With a Servant’s Heart
41:28 Learning Each Other Again
45:05 The Heart Posture of Repair
48:09 The Boxes We Keep Unpacking
51:03 Glimmers, Prayer, and Encouragement

Your Child Is Not Your Mini Me | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 10 Feb 13, 2026

In this episode, I’m talking about why our tiny humans are not our mini mes, even when they look like us, sound like us, or remind us of ourselves. This one is about parenting without projecting, seeing their hearts before assuming their intent, and remembering that behavior is often communication, not just a power struggle.

I’m also getting into terrible twos, big feelings, labels, inner child moments, asking better questions, and learning to let my tiny queens grow beyond the version of them I thought I knew.

Come sit with me for this one. It might call us out a little, but lovingly.

00:00 Three for Three, Baby
00:44 Blind Boxes and Little Joys
02:12 Disneyland, Coffee, and Life Catch Up
04:02 This One Might Call Us Out
09:35 The Comment That Started It
11:19 Why Mini Me Bothers Me
13:04 When We Project Our Story Onto Kids
15:10 Listening Before Assuming
19:05 Stop Boxing Tiny Humans In
20:06 The Terrible Twos Reframe
23:20 Behavior Is Communication
26:38 Letting Them Grow Beyond Our Version
29:34 Questions That Help You Know Them
34:54 Empathy for Them and Yourself
41:44 Making Room for Their Hearts

Progress and Presence Beat Perfect Parenting | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 9 Feb 06, 2026

In this episode, I’m talking about a morning where I messed up as a mom, said something that wounded, and realized I could not just wait until the end of the day to repair it. So I used my lunch break, pulled one of the tiny queens out of school, apologized, got Chick fil A, opened blind boxes, and learned something I do not want to forget.

This one is about parenting mistakes, repair, preteen emotions, presence, progress, and why our kids do not need perfect parents. They need parents who keep showing up and trying again.

00:00 Episode Two of 52
01:01 Inside Out Is Too Real Right Now
02:00 Whole Foods Smoothie Drama
02:40 I Messed Up This Morning
04:28 When a Sting Becomes a Wound
06:07 Pulling Her Out to Repair
07:08 Progress and Presence Over Perfection
08:02 Showing Up With Urgency
10:19 What Pursuit Feels Like in Relationships
11:41 Preteen Emotions and the Control Board
14:35 I Do Not Know What I Am Doing
16:04 Staying Present When They Push Away
18:10 Distance Creates the Wedge
19:05 Body Image, Food, and Outside Noise
20:38 Learning What Hat They Need Me to Wear
22:26 Chick fil A, Pop Mart, and Baby Molly
25:24 Progress and Presence Beat Perfection
26:39 When They Need You the Most
28:19 Becoming the Matlock of Emotions
30:18 Foxhole People and Showing Up
31:06 Not Every Seat Needs to Be Filled
34:19 Podcast Dreams and 2026 Energy
35:13 Progress, Presence, and Marriage Too
36:11 You Are Doing Really Good

Stop Taking Your Own Crown Off | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 8 Jan 30, 2026

In this episode, I’m talking about fixing your crown, saying dreams out loud, and realizing that sometimes I am the one knocking my own crown off. We’re getting into joyful choices, self confidence, walking, meditation, health PTSD, motherhood, Disney dreams, The Courage to Be Disliked, and why keeping small promises to yourself can rebuild trust in yourself.

This is also the episode where I admit I recorded an entire podcast with no sound, talk about lice season, book a Disney cruise, and declare that 2026 is our year. Delulu is the solulu, bestie.

00:00 Recording on My Phone in 2026
00:58 The Episode With No Sound
02:21 Lice Season and the Stigma Needs to Go
04:12 Reading The Courage to Be Disliked
07:41 Fix Your Crown, Girl
08:05 New Year Pressure and Joyful Choices
09:16 I’m a Walker Now
12:36 Why Am I Dissing Myself?
13:39 Meditation, Health PTSD, and Regulating
16:21 Owning It Without Overexplaining
17:31 Saying the Big Dreams Out Loud
19:21 Pixar Studios and Disney Podcast Dreams
23:14 Why I’m Careful About Guests
24:27 Tell Me Your Big Dreams
25:00 We Booked a Disney Cruise
27:01 The Call Is Coming From Inside the House
28:12 Keeping Promises to Yourself
33:14 A Podcast Episode Every Week
35:14 Stop Taking Your Own Crown Off
38:37 2026 Is Our Year
40:31 Waiting for the Email
41:12 You Are Needed Exactly As You Are

Maybe They Don’t Need a Comparison, They Need Safety | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 7 Nov 14, 2025

In this episode, I’m talking about health anxiety, holiday pressure, missed opportunities, Disney dreams, and the measuring stick we sometimes use without realizing it. You know, the one that says, “I wish homework was my biggest problem,” or turns someone else’s hard day into a comparison contest.

This one is about parenting tiny humans, listening without keeping score, validating feelings, and remembering that someone else’s hard thing is still hard, even if yours looks bigger from the outside.

I am not here as an expert. I am here as a mom and human still learning right alongside you.

00:00 The Sweatshirt I’m Afraid to Stain
00:47 When Certain Situations Make Anxiety Louder
02:25 Health PTSD, Grief, and Naming What’s Scary
04:15 Selling Sunset, Kids Meals, and Life Catch Up
05:26 Disney Plans, TikTok Live, and Figuring It Out
06:45 Disney Destiny and Dreaming About a Cruise
08:50 Disney Studios, Big Goals, and Getting Sick
10:56 Canceling a Disney World Invite
12:04 Give Yourself Five Minutes to Be Disappointed
13:28 Thank God That Wasn’t Mine
15:39 Holiday Pressure and Joyful Choices
17:45 Tiny Queens, Guests, and Wanting to Be a Mom
19:06 Feeling Like You’re Not Doing Enough
23:19 The Measuring Stick We Use With Kids
26:17 Why Kids’ Problems Are Still Real Problems
28:08 Meltdowns, Distress, and Missing Tools
30:08 Listening Without Making It About Me
32:56 How Keeping Score Shuts Down Communication
35:41 Support Each Other Instead of Competing
37:06 The Goal for More Consistent Episodes
39:15 Adam, Belonging, and Making People Feel Seen
40:20 Tiny Humans, Inner Children, and Repair
42:51 You Cannot Miss What Is Planned for You

Maybe You’re Allowed to Need Things Too | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 6 Oct 10, 2025

In this episode, I’m sitting on my closet floor after a very full week and talking through a realization that stopped me in my tracks: sometimes we do not make ourselves small because someone else is being negative. Sometimes we make ourselves small because we keep choosing everyone else, even when we love doing it.

I’m talking about motherhood, marriage, anxiety, asking for help, taking up space, and why the oxygen mask is not just so we can help everybody else. It is so we can breathe too.

If you have been showing up for everyone but yourself, come sit with me for this one.

00:00 Surprise, We’re Doing an Episode

00:47 Friday, Baby Jesus, and Imperfect Progress

02:17 Life Update: Cheer, School, and Denim and Diamonds

04:11 Tiny Queens and Student Council Inauguration

05:20 Acid Reflux, Alo Jackets, and Disney Holiday Hopes

07:35 Almost Getting a Dog

08:04 Missing the Footsie Pajama Stage

09:16 Continuing the Dreamer and Sidekick Conversation

10:26 The Gift of Being a Constant Friend

12:21 Taking Up Space

14:24 Marriage, Partnership, and Switching Roles

16:50 Movement, Anxiety, and Needing Time for Myself

19:16 Choosing Others Until You Disappear

22:14 The Cape, the Outfit, and Being Loud Again

24:15 Skipping Lunch to Create Peace at Home

26:11 The Oxygen Mask Is for You Too

32:17 Don’t Let Yourself Make You Small

34:53 Letting People Help You

37:25 Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard

38:36 Closet Floor Wrap Up

No Princess Stands Alone: The Power of Sidekicks | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 5 Aug 29, 2025

In this episode, I’m sharing the very emotional story of taking the tiny queens to Disney World for World Princess Week, and why the message of “create your own world” hit me so deeply. This one is about Disney magic, motherhood, dreams, sidekicks, grief, gratitude, disappointment, and the reminder that we are not meant to do life in isolation.

If you have been feeling discouraged, unseen, or like your dream is taking the long way around, come sit with me. I hope this feels like a little pixie dust for your heart today.

00:00 Why I Have Tried to Record This 30 Times

02:18 I Took the Tiny Queens to Disney World

03:09 Red Eye Flights and BoardWalk Magic

05:35 The Pajamas That Brought My Family With Me

07:10 Princess Products, Legos, and Sidekick Magic

09:23 Animal Kingdom, Pixie Dust, and Starlight Tears

12:10 Create Your Own World Is More Than Disney

13:07 The Privilege of Being Their Sidekick

15:17 Your Sidekick Might Not Be Who You Expected

17:20 Parenting Means Preparing Them to Fly

20:24 Sidekicks in the Trenches of Growth

22:11 Tiana, Disappointment, and Digging Deeper

27:19 Your Dream Might Look Different

30:11 When the Door Does Not Open Yet

38:12 You Are Needed Exactly As You Are

Is My Communication Conveying My Message | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 4 Jul 21, 2025

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m catching up on life, Disney World, Nat Geo, the toaster saga, working mom rhythms, and some very exciting Florida news with the tiny queens. Then we get into the heart of it: is your communication actually conveying your message? I talk about a parenting moment that reminded me intent and impact are not always the same, why volume matters, and how I’m trying to build communication for the relationship I want with my girls long term. Start with love. Seek understanding. Do not lose the plot in your passion.

00:00 Showing Up However We Can
01:18 Life Updates and the Toaster Saga
04:13 Gummies, Tahoe, and Catching Up
06:15 Disney World Was Its Own Girl
09:01 Nat Geo, Animal Kingdom, and Big Dreams
12:19 Florida News With the Tiny Queens
16:02 Starlight, Girls Trip, and Work Logistics
18:28 Podcast Consistency and YouTube Plans
20:12 Is Your Communication Conveying Your Message?
22:29 Building Communication for the Future
25:37 When the Message Gets Missed
28:07 Intent, Impact, and Volume
32:34 Start With Love, Seek Understanding
34:36 Parenting, Partnership, and New Tools
38:00 Never Give Up on Yourself or Your Dreams

27 Hours in LA & The Shift | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 3 Jun 09, 2025

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about dreams, comparison, Disney, going back to work, content creation, grief, and learning not to discount the chapters just because I have not reached the title of the book yet. I share what it felt like to attend a Disney event in LA, why that weekend felt like a wink from my mom, and how I realized I have been living pieces of dreams I used to have. If you are in the middle of your own story, I hope this reminds you that the chapter still counts.

00:00 Truly After Hours Tonight
00:20 Rainbow Connection and My Mom
02:05 I Forgot the Cheer Party
03:25 Controlling the Controllable
05:19 The Disney Event Was Bigger Than I Realized
07:20 TGI Fridays, CVS, and Forgotten Underwear
09:38 Seeing the F1 Car
11:46 Walking Into the Event With Zero Chill
13:19 Disney Store, Sweatshirts, and Pop Ups
16:37 Taco Bell and Late Night Editing
17:15 The Dream Inside the Journey
19:05 The Book Title and the Chapters
20:28 Busyness, Trauma, and Strengths
23:31 Savoring the Wins on the Way
25:16 There Is No Story Without the Prequel
28:15 The Michael Kors Bag and My Mom
32:24 Living in a Dream I Used to Have
35:37 Do Not Compare Your Chapter
37:00 We Cannot Do It All
38:10 If No One Has Told You Lately

You Don't Need to Convince Anyone | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 2 Apr 04, 2025

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m back on the closet floor talking about self worth, validation, motherhood, friendship, dating, and why you should not have to beg someone to pick you. I share some life updates about heading back to work, working mom content, and then we get into the way we sometimes feel like we have to prove our choices are worthy. From motherhood discourse online to a very younger Amanda high school story, this one is about knowing your value without pleading your case to be chosen.

00:00 Back on the Closet Floor
00:46 The Episode That Recorded Nothing
01:31 Chicken Pot Pie and Late Night Recording
03:19 The Coffee Trick That Backfired
04:16 Heading Back to Work
05:09 Work Clothes and Working Mom Content
06:21 You Should Not Have to Beg Someone to Pick You
07:20 Friendship, Dating, and Tiny Queens
08:09 The Motherhood Conversation Online
09:16 Proving the Worthiness of Your Choice
10:35 Younger Amanda and Wanting to Be Seen
12:47 The High School Pick Me Story
17:47 When Validation Turns Into a Pattern
19:35 Not Every Opinion Needs Your Defense
22:29 Motherhood, Joy, and the In Between
24:02 Teaching Girls to Question Authority
27:51 Your Experience Is Still Valid
30:32 You Can Defend Your Honor and Walk Away
34:22 Stop Begging for Agreement
36:33 You Are Worth More Than Convincing
37:42 If No One Has Told You Lately

There Is No Such Thing as the Right Decision | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 1 Mar 21, 2025

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about decision making, changing your mind, regret, college choices, parenting, self worth, and why I do not think there is always one perfect “right decision.” I share about glamor shots, leaving my management company, learning to trust myself again, and the old belief that if you made your bed, you have to lie in it forever. But you do not. You made the best choice you could with the information you had then. You are allowed to grow, pivot, apologize, change, and step into who you are becoming.

00:00 Welcome to the Coffee Chat
00:39 Water, Weather, and Life Updates
01:00 Glamor Shots Had Me in a Chokehold
03:08 Stepping Into My Purpose at the Mall
04:43 Leaving My Management Company
05:23 Handling My Own Email Again
07:33 How People Make You Feel Matters
09:22 There Is No Right Decision
10:07 College, Tiny Humans, and Big Choices
11:41 You Made Your Bed, Now Lie in It
14:10 Step Into the Light of Who You Are Becoming
15:33 Doing the Best With the Information You Had
17:39 Why Decisions Feel So Heavy
19:08 Watching My Girls Make Choices
20:35 When People Hold You to an Old Version
23:22 The Same Song Forever
24:00 Friendships Can Change Too
25:32 Taking Time Before a Decision
27:23 Does This Align With Who I Want to Be?
30:14 Choosing College Without Everyone Else’s Opinion
31:27 Do Not Let Fear Paralyze You
32:11 Do Not Let Yourself Be Typecast
34:01 Making Decisions Without Knowing the Result
37:40 You Are Allowed to Grow and Pivot
39:03 Choosing Integrity Over the Easy Yes
40:03 Throw the Paper Towel and See If It Sticks
41:00 Do Not Carry the Backpack of Guilt
42:46 If No One Has Told You Lately

Why Isn't It Happening For Me? | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 13 Mar 07, 2025

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about a Disneyland trip that went completely sideways, disappointment, timing, comparison, faith, and the reminder I keep coming back to: you do not want to arrive early. I share what it felt like to watch the tiny queens get sick on a trip I had planned and saved for, how hard it is to hold gratitude and sadness at the same time, and why I still believe nothing is wasted. If something feels delayed, disappointing, or not how you planned it, this is for you.

00:00 Back After a Traumatic Disneyland Trip
01:09 January, Birthdays, and Cheer Nationals
02:11 When the Tiny Queens Got Sick
03:26 Why the Trip Felt So Devastating
05:14 Disney Outfits With Meaning
06:25 Getting Back to the Podcast
07:47 Everything Has a Time
09:08 Pace Yourself
10:11 Nothing Is Ever Wasted
12:22 How Loss Changed My Life
13:30 Feeling Irrelevant Online
16:06 It Is Not Your Time Yet
17:14 The Airport Timing Analogy
20:25 Why I Did Not Go to Azusa Right Away
22:57 The Disneyland Weekend That Changed Everything
25:29 You Do Not Want to Leave Early
26:32 Comparison and the Wrong Plane
29:05 Finding Joy in a Hard Trip
31:02 Everyone Is Carrying Something
32:43 It Is a Bad Moment, Not a Bad Day
33:23 Disappointment Can Direct You
35:03 What Is Coming Next
36:03 If No One Has Told You Lately

Tiny People Are Not Terrible | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 12 Dec 20, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about toddlers, teenagers, the terrible twos, threenagers, and why I think we need to stop labeling tiny people before we actually understand them. This one starts with Christmas break chaos and the Olympic sport of getting school program seats, then moves into parenting, emotional regulation, meltdowns, food preferences, repair, and seeing hard moments as discovery instead of deficit. If you have ever felt overwhelmed by a stage your child is in, I hope this feels like permission to pause, breathe, and look again.

00:00 Last Day Before Christmas Break
00:25 The Christmas Program Seat Olympics
02:31 Christmas Break and No Cheer
03:13 North Pole Visitors Took Over
04:10 Every Other Week Podcast Rhythm
04:30 Running Away From Comparison
06:05 Why We Need to Talk About Toddlers
06:49 Terrible Twos and Threenagers
08:38 The Street Example Parents Always Use
10:17 The Target Meltdown
11:55 Adults Still Get Disappointed Too
12:57 Stop Setting a Negative Tone
14:25 Deficit or Discovery?
16:06 Teenagers Get Labeled Too
17:15 I Hope You Have a Daughter Like You
20:12 What Labels Make Us Miss
20:34 The Corn Story
23:03 Running Away Is Communication
24:06 Parents Can Change Their Minds
26:31 Stop Labeling the Age Group
29:38 What I Would Say About Throwing Toys
31:03 Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
33:17 A More Compassionate Way to Parent
36:05 Choices, Magic, and Starting Over
36:53 Deficit to Discovery
40:33 If No One Has Told You Lately

Holiday Hoovers and the Joy They Steal | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 11 Dec 04, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m back, baby, and we are talking about holiday Hoovers, boundaries, self criticism, and three Bob Goff reminders I could not keep to myself. This one is for the besties heading into December already bracing for comments, family dynamics, joy stealers, or the internal voice that keeps beating them up. You are not a piñata. Some people think they are being helpful. And somewhere, someone else may be praying for different rain, but that does not make your prayer less important.

00:00 We Are Back, Baby
00:40 Why I Let the Podcast Fall Through the Cracks
01:28 Wicked, Lego, and the Little Shelf Update
02:25 Bob Goff and the Holiday Hoover Conversation
03:43 Christmas Movies, True Crime, and Memes
04:40 Instagram Subscription and Cameo Updates
06:19 Disneyland, Nationals, and Holiday Plans
06:47 What Is a Hoover?
08:08 Being Okay When Not Everyone Likes You
09:27 They Don’t Know They Have Horns
12:10 Boundaries When You Still Have to Interact
13:39 In One Ear, Keep What You Need
16:15 Stop Hitting Yourself
21:43 When Other People Treat You Like a Piñata
23:40 The Bride, the Farmer, and the Rain
25:38 When Someone Undervalues Your Gift
29:05 Praying for a Different Kind of Rain
31:09 Three Reminders for December
32:33 If No One Has Told You Lately

Answering DM's & Questions | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 10 Aug 01, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m doing a bestie Q&A about motherhood, routines, Disney, eating disorder recovery, marriage after kids, self regulation, and parenting tiny humans without making everything a power struggle. I talk about waking up early, prepping for back to school, letting kids say no, dinner battles, adjusting from one kid to two, and why no one knows what they are doing, but you know your tiny person. This one gets tender in places, especially around food, grief, fear, and recovery, so take care of yourself while listening.

00:00 Late Night Q&A Energy
01:11 Lying to Myself About Tomorrow
02:13 Do We Need an Intro Post?
03:42 Disney Bounding and Budget Girlies
05:33 Tips for Waking Up Early
09:01 How I Met My Bestie Cindy
10:59 Would I Move to Another State or Country?
12:07 Mr. Coffee Machine and Quick Questions
15:21 My Favorite Motherhood Mantra
17:43 Pros and Sacrifices of Being a Parent
24:35 Back to School Routine Prep
28:08 Avoiding an Eating Disorder Relapse
31:57 Parenting Differently Than I Was Raised
37:24 My Biggest Fears as a Mom
39:31 Dinner Battles and Tiny People
42:30 Did Our Relationship Change After Kids?
46:10 What Got Me Into Disney?
48:08 Self Regulating When Everyone Is Melting Down
51:15 Favorite Worship Songs Right Now
52:07 Adjusting From One Kid to Two
55:06 The Goodness of God This Week
56:20 If No One Has Told You Lately

Becoming Who You were meant to be | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 9 Jul 25, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about therapy, inner child healing, inner teen conflict, small habits, and what it has looked like to start rewiring my brain one tiny choice at a time. We also catch up on D23, Disney, cheer season, summer rhythms, and an upcoming surgery, but the heart of this one is learning that structure is not always a prison. Sometimes it is care. If you have ever felt stuck between who you want to become and the old patterns that keep pulling you back, this is a soft place to land.

00:00 Weeks in a Row Is Basically a Habit
00:22 I Got Invited to D23
03:56 Surgery, Disney, and Life Updates
05:20 Cheer Season and Summer Rhythms
08:16 Doing the Work in Therapy
09:13 Mantras Are Not Enough Without Tiny Choices
10:12 The Inner Conflict I Have Been Feeling
11:51 Inner Child and Inner Teen Conflict
13:23 Small Habits and Actually Enjoying Your Life
14:13 My Morning Routine Right Now
18:27 When an Optimal Day Feels Peaceful
19:30 Why Structure Can Feel Like Rebellion
21:25 I Get To, Not I Have To
23:04 Structure Is Not a Prison
24:27 Caring for Myself in the Present
26:06 Stop Calling Yourself the Hot Mess Express
27:17 When Pain Forces a New Pattern
30:31 You Are Safe Now
32:20 It Might Not Be Who I Am Yet
34:05 You Are Not the People Who Hurt You
36:04 Choosing One Small Loving Thing
38:25 Learning to Live Harmoniously Inside
40:20 Changing the Way We Talk to Ourselves
41:19 Why My Insides Were in Conflict
42:25 If No One Has Told You Lately

A Season of Cinching | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 8 Jul 19, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about rejection, slow seasons, faith, boundaries, work changes, and the reminder I keep coming back to: no means new opportunity. I share what it has felt like to be in a season where things are shifting, content creation is slower, relationships are changing, and therapy is helping me learn that being strong is not the same as being brave. Sometimes the brave thing is saying no, blocking the number, circling the wagons, and trusting that the path is being cleared even when it feels confusing.

00:00 Welcome to the New Shelf Corner
01:00 Thank You for Being Here
02:07 When Life Feels Uprooted
03:08 Sharing Without Owning Everyone’s Reaction
04:16 A Season of Cinching
06:12 When Work Gets Slow
07:08 Scarcity Mindset and Closed Doors
09:28 When the Plan Changes
12:04 A Path Being Cleared
13:29 No Means New Opportunity
14:46 Relationships Have Seasons
16:25 Strong Is Not the Same as Brave
20:18 Growing Into a New Season
23:05 When Slow Feels Like Something Is Being Taken
26:33 Your Yes Is Coming
29:17 Saying No So a Better Yes Can Come
34:40 You Are Not Alone in the Waiting
36:39 Being Brave Enough to Block
38:56 JOMO and Circling the Wagons
40:31 Slow Growth Is Still Growth
41:48 If No One Has Told You Lately

You are NOT an Aesthetic | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 7 May 10, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about social media comparison, consumerism, aesthetic identity, and why your real life was never meant to be judged by someone else’s curated video. We start with Savannah Bananas, margaritas, and a date night that did not need to be fancy to be perfect, then we get into car kits, lip gloss, doom scrolling, content creation, and editing your environment. If you have ever looked up from your phone and felt worse about your home, your body, your people, or your life, this one is for you. You are not an aesthetic. You are a kaleidoscope.

00:00 Welcome to the Other Side of My Room
00:38 Savannah Bananas Date Night
02:23 Hot Dogs, Margaritas, and Living on the Edge
04:17 Why the Lawn Seats Were Perfect
08:18 Sports, Tiny Humans, and New Paths
09:35 Technical Issues and Showing Up Anyway
12:04 You Are Not an Aesthetic
13:00 Consumerism and Filling a Void
13:54 Car Kits and Comparing Your Life
15:11 Being Yourself in Different Settings
17:19 Kids, Social Media, and Lifetime Effects
19:07 Want Versus Need
20:16 The Instagram Comparison Spiral
22:12 Doom Scrolling Still Feeds You
23:20 Trad Wife Content and Planned Reality
26:58 Gratitude and Editing Your Environment
28:39 Looking Up From Your Phone
31:44 When Did Hand Sanitizer Become Your Value?
35:29 Who Am I Buying This For?
38:36 Aesthetic Became Identity
43:25 You Are a Person, Not a Trend
46:22 Treat Your Phone Like a Tool
47:13 Why I Keep Showing Up
49:11 If No One Has Told You Lately

The Box of Limitations We Build | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 6 Apr 24, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, projection, activities, milestones, and the way we can accidentally box our tiny people into who they used to be. From cheerleading tryouts to learning differences to realizing I had missed how much one of my girls had grown, this one is about stretching kids without pressuring them, letting them change, and remembering that their timeline is not about us. And honestly, it is for us too. You are allowed to be more than one thing. You are allowed to change your mind.

00:00 Audio Only, But Still Here
00:39 Speaking From Personal Experience
01:39 Cheerleading and Tiny People
02:15 Parenting Projection
02:33 When We Box Kids In
03:16 Milestones Are Different for Every Child
04:37 Comparing Siblings
05:16 Peer Pressure at Amusement Parks
07:29 You Are Allowed to Grow and Change
09:01 Kids Changing Their Interests
10:31 Protecting Them From Disappointment
11:26 Learning Differences and Parent Teacher Conferences
13:04 Stretching Without Pressuring
14:33 Running Their Own Race
15:28 Your Season Was Not Today
16:30 Boxing Ourselves In Too
18:08 When Mom Identity Gets Too Heavy
20:03 Your Best Is Enough This Week
21:40 You Are More Than One Thing
24:51 Do Not Hold People Hostage to Old Versions
26:28 Adults Change Too
28:30 Tiny People Need Choices
30:22 Winning, Losing, and Building Character
31:56 Seeing the Growth You Missed
32:44 Just Because It Is Uncomfortable
33:37 If No One Has Told You Lately

The Bear Hunt of Grief | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 5 Apr 17, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about grief, losing my mom, Mother’s Day, and the moment my body basically said, babe, we cannot keep moving around this anymore. This year, my mom’s birthday hit differently, and I realized my grief has changed because I have changed. I talk about nervous system exhaustion, motherhood, mental load, self care that does not always look cute, and learning to honor what grief needs now. If you are grieving something or someone and your old way of coping is not working anymore, you are not alone in that.

00:00 Jumping Right In
00:21 The Intro Music Is a Bop
03:42 Cheer Coach Meeting and Tiny People
07:13 Born in the 1900s Stanley Stickers
08:02 My Mom Was Not on Vacation
09:32 My Mom, Codependency, and Generational Healing
13:04 I Moved Around the Grief
15:02 Scheduling Time to Cry
16:25 When My Body Shut Down
17:59 The Responsibility of Motherhood
19:03 The Nervous System of It All
20:09 Self Care Looks Different Now
23:01 My Grief Has Changed Because I Have Changed
24:30 I Could Not Grieve Like My 20s Anymore
27:37 Learning Not to Set People Up for Disappointment
31:03 Grief, Mother’s Day, and Changing Needs
34:38 You Are Not Meant to Be Cirque du Soleil
36:59 We Had to Stop Stepping Around It
39:10 If No One Has Told You Lately

From Hurt Girl to Girls Girl | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 4 Apr 10, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about raising girls’ girls, kindness with boundaries, jealousy, comparison, and the way insecurity can make us act like people we do not even like. I share why I was not always a girls’ girl, what younger me had to unlearn, and why I want my tiny queens to know that someone else’s compliment is not their criticism. This one is for the moms raising tiny humans, the women healing old friendship wounds, and anyone learning that kindness is not weakness.

00:00 Back in the Closet
01:15 One Bar Left to Give
01:43 Going Live Again
02:16 The Under Eye Filler Comment
04:46 Showing Up Anyway
05:38 Mr. Coffee Sent the Machine
07:09 My Mom’s Birthday Week
08:01 The Girls’ Girl Video
10:14 I Was Not Always a Girls’ Girl
12:02 Exposing Younger Amanda
14:37 Tearing Someone Down to Feel Chosen
16:31 Healing the Hurt
18:38 Feelings Are Not the Boss of Behavior
19:17 Preparing Girls for the World
21:25 Kindness With Boundaries
24:07 The Pollyanna Jam Example
28:40 Their Encouragement Is Not Your Discouragement
30:18 Not Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
34:28 What Being a Girls’ Girl Means
37:18 Jealousy, Growth, and God’s Timing
41:30 Kindness Is Not Weakness
43:30 You Can Change the Sheets
45:52 Yesterday You Is Not the Whole Story
47:27 If No One Has Told You Lately

Grieving Someone You Lost Twice | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 3 Mar 27, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing about my brother Adam, grief, addiction, and the complicated pain of loving someone while also needing boundaries. This one is tender, personal, and heavy, because grief after addiction does not fit into a neat little box. I talk about mourning someone while they are still alive, protecting memories that feel too precious for everyone to hold, and learning that grief is not linear. If you have loved someone through addiction or lost someone in a complicated way, I hope this feels gentle and honest.

00:00 Welcome and Why This Feels Nervous
02:19 What Grief Does and Does Not Feel Like
03:41 Adam’s Story and Losing Him in 2019
06:04 How Addiction Started
08:06 Watching Addiction Change a Sibling
10:36 Loving an Addict Is Complicated
13:35 Grieving Someone Before They Die
16:54 You Can Change Your Story
18:16 Shame, Faith, and Addiction
21:05 Motherhood and Seeing Every Person as Someone’s Baby
24:15 Grieving While They Are Still Alive
27:03 The Life I Imagined for Him
30:11 Loving Someone in Addiction Is Hard
33:09 Dopesick and Grief Triggers
35:24 Protecting the Snow Globe of a Memory
40:20 Bringing Addiction Into the Light
43:14 Grief Is Not Linear
47:55 Finding Safe People for Grief
50:27 Holding Hope and Boundaries
52:30 If No One Has Told You Lately

No One Wins When You’re Keeping Score | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 2 Mar 20, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about marriage, communication, household labor, and the sneaky little scoreboard that can show up when we are tired, overwhelmed, and not saying what we actually need. I share what I’ve learned in my own relationship with Blake, including the tap in method, why social media can feed resentment, and how asking “what do you mean by that?” has helped us slow down before everything turns into a whole thing. This is not relationship advice from a pedestal. It is a long voicemail from someone still learning how to communicate, not condemn.

00:00 Getting Comfy and Welcome Back
00:46 I Got the Cheer Coach Position
01:51 The Besties Picked Relationships
02:31 Don’t Hear What I’m Not Saying
03:16 Will Blake Come on the Podcast?
05:15 Marrying the Person and the Family
06:32 People Get More Pronounced With Age
08:56 What Makes Marriage Hard?
11:01 Stop Expecting Someone to Change
12:07 Almost Not Walking Down the Aisle
13:52 Household Labor Is a Loaded Question
16:20 The Danger of Keeping Score
18:00 The Tap In Method
20:05 Social Media Can Feed Resentment
23:25 The Stair Meltdown and Therapy
24:14 Communicate, Don’t Condemn
27:14 Keep Getting to Know Your Partner
30:17 Listening to Your Partner’s World
34:59 What Do You Mean By That?
37:05 Put a Pin in the Argument
38:38 Pluck a Weed, Don’t Grow a Root
40:14 How We Tap Out and Tap In
43:15 Cheap Dates and Real Connection
45:18 Your Partner Was Once a Tiny Person
47:08 Relationships Are the Best Kind of Work
49:30 If You Have Not Heard This Lately

The Text Thread Heard Round the World | After Hours With Amanda Season 4 - Ep. 1 Mar 11, 2024

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m finally sitting back down with y’all and talking about why the podcast paused, what judgment and comparison did to my heart, and why I’m choosing to come back anyway. This one is about ordinary life, social media consumption, grief, motherhood, therapy, boundaries, and the kind of steady season that can feel boring until you realize the house is not on fire anymore. If your normal life has started to feel small next to everyone else’s, I hope this feels like a reminder that you are not behind. You are in your chapter.

00:00 Welcome Back to the Podcast
01:06 Why the Podcast Paused
02:43 What This Season Will Hold
04:15 Saying Dreams Out Loud
05:22 Purpose, Pain, and Still Being Here
07:01 Finding Joy in the Ordinary
08:16 When Life Changes Overnight
10:30 Social Media and Community
12:03 Gratitude Without Toxic Positivity
13:18 What We Choose to Consume
14:41 When Comparison Becomes the Dictator
16:15 Other People’s Opinions
18:10 Coming Back in the Most Me Way
19:29 You Are in Your Chapter
20:45 When the House Is Not on Fire
22:26 Existing Is Extraordinary
24:10 Relationships, Gifts, and Expectations
26:14 Raising Tiny Kind Humans
28:34 What Is Coming This Season
29:32 Ordinary and Normal Can Be the Goal

The Purpose in the Pain | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 11 Sep 13, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about pain, self worth, surgery recovery, friendship, therapy, faith, and what happens when life strips away the version of you who can perform, produce, help, and hold everything together. This is not medical advice, just lived experience from a year that changed me. I talk about chronic pain, the anniversary feeling around last year’s anal fissure, little Amanda, Hoover people, food and fiber, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the belief I am trying to unlearn: that I am only worthy when I am useful. You are allowed to be loved at 0 percent.

00:00 Back Again and Working on Consistency
00:32 A Special Episode About Pain
01:30 Surgery, Healing, and Being Honest
02:39 The Sound That Finally Fit
03:30 Sharing Health Without Overwhelming People
04:23 Turning 37 and Finding the Real Me
05:19 The Anniversary of Pain
06:57 Pain and the People Who Show Up
08:29 When You Stop Reaching First
09:40 Pain as a Catalyst
11:22 Feelings Are Indicators, Not Dictators
12:21 Food, Fiber, and Body Changes
16:24 What Surgery Brought Up
17:43 The Let Them Theory and the Fire
19:24 Little Amanda and the Apple Core
22:26 Going Internal Instead of Blaming
23:30 Self Worth Tied to Achievement
25:58 What Pain Taught Me to Notice
29:30 You Do Not Have to Niche Yourself
30:06 Losing My Mom and Brother
31:49 When the Friendship Circle Gets Smaller
34:41 Standing in Your Own Fire
36:00 Chronic Pain Warriors
36:18 Sitting With the Younger Part of Me
38:25 Talking Back to the Trigger
39:27 Someone Will Always Have a Version of You
40:21 The Message for Whoever Needs It
41:35 Your Pain Is Valid
42:11 Loved at 0 Percent

The Day Disneyland Called | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 10 Aug 30, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the story of the day Disneyland called. This is not just about a Disney Junior event or a brand opportunity. It is about inner child healing, grief, motherhood, dreams, and why Disneyland has always felt like home to me. I talk about the phone call, the Winnie the Pooh table, the Disney Junior Playdate, my tiny queens, my mom and brother Adam, and why this felt like a hug for little Amanda. If you have a soul dream that feels hard to explain, come sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Welcome Back and Disneyland Joy
00:46 The Year My Inner Child Dreams Collided With Work
02:04 Why Disneyland Was the Biggest Dream
03:15 The Snow Globe and Childhood Disney Memories
04:13 Main Street, Family Stories, and Pixie Dust
05:12 When I Learned Disney Worked With Creators
06:22 Why This Was More Than a Brand Opportunity
08:13 The Call From My Manager
12:41 Making the Trip Work in Real Life
14:06 Getting the Disney Junior Event Details
15:43 Arriving at the Hojo
18:06 Lanyards, Scavenger Hunts, and Very Important Pixie Energy
19:00 The Winnie the Pooh Table
21:08 Disney Junior, Doc McStuffins, and the Dance Floor
22:35 The Disney Junior Parade
23:33 Animation Academy and Alice’s Bakery
24:37 Disneyland as a Family Memory
28:26 Sharing Disneyland With My Tiny Queens
29:49 A Hug for Little Amanda
31:57 Winks From Heaven and Winnie the Pooh
34:18 You Never Know Whose Heart You Are Touching
35:26 Do Not Give Up on Your Soul Dream
38:06 One Day the Fairy Godmother Calls
39:12 A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
40:05 Thank You for Dreaming With Me
41:07 Final Encouragement

The Glass Slipper Was Always Yours | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 9 Aug 23, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about imposter syndrome, Cinderella, the glass slipper, motherhood, identity, and why you do not have to force yourself into someone else’s version of success. We get into back to school prep, becoming a room mom, content creation pressure, changing my college major five times, negative self talk, faith, tiny queens, and why Cinderella was always Cinderella, with or without the dress. If you have been doubting yourself or trying to fit into a life that does not feel like yours, come sit with me for a bit. The glass slipper was always yours.

00:00 Back on Video and Out of the Closet
01:27 Back to School Brain Prep
02:10 Resetting the Alarm Clock
03:17 School Supplies and Overwhelm
04:17 Becoming a Room Mom
05:09 Imposter Syndrome and Cinderella
06:44 The Cinderella Story Revisited
08:14 The Dress Was Not the Point
09:38 Only Cinderella Fit the Shoe
10:02 Social Media and Feeling Like an Imposter
12:03 Everyone Has a Glass Slipper
14:13 When People Try to Steal Your Shoe
16:03 The Imprint You Leave
17:25 When Your Inner Voice Gets Cruel
18:37 Gus Gus and the Key
19:56 The Slipper Was Always With Her
21:22 You Had It All Along
23:31 The Shoe Analogy Continues
24:21 Trying to Fit Someone Else’s Life
27:09 Trying New Shoes Without Losing Yourself
28:18 Motherhood and the Mold I Tried to Fit
30:17 You Can Be More Than One Version
32:03 Communicating With My Tiny Queens
34:01 There Is Only One of You
35:03 The Pumpkin Was Just the Ride
36:10 Things Do Not Make Us Who We Are
37:15 Why Cinderella Still Matters
38:09 Do Not Lock Yourself Away
39:33 Changing Majors and Choosing Your Own Path
40:35 Final Encouragement

You Are Not Meant to Referee Everything | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 8 Aug 16, 2023

Welcome back to the all new After Hours With Amanda. In this episode, I’m catching up on life, health, fiber, therapy, fall pressure, tiny queens, and the tools I’m learning for emotional regulation and control. We talk about redirecting instead of refereeing, witnessing and walking away when something no longer serves you, not letting someone else’s projection become your reflection, and what Inside Out teaches us about sitting with people in their feelings. If you are heading into a busy season and trying not to carry everything, come sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Welcome to the All New After Hours With Amanda
00:50 Back to School and Summer Sunset
01:41 Swim Season, Therapy, and Catching Up
02:52 Making Time for What Matters
03:49 Health Update, Fiber, and Food Responsibility
06:09 Why I Do Not Do Resolutions
07:09 Scientists of Life
07:53 Heading Into Fall Pressure
09:11 Therapy, Control, and the Illusion of Plans
10:03 Redirect Instead of Referee
12:19 Your Kids Are Not You
14:18 Teaching Problem Solving Without Refereeing
15:17 When Red Flags Keep Showing Up
16:23 Stress, Control, and Holding Too Tight
18:35 Holiday Triggers and Protecting Your Peace
20:10 Not Holding People Accountable for Someone Else
23:10 Projection Is Not Your Reflection
25:45 Cheap Seats Do Not Get a Front Row
26:27 Holding Their Mad With Them
28:16 Witness, Walk Away, and Redirect
29:01 Inside Out and Sitting With Emotion
30:48 Scientists of Life Together
31:13 Final Encouragement

Time Is Passing, But You Are Not Behind | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 7 Mar 24, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about time passing, feeling behind, dreams, motherhood, Disneyland, grief, and the version of me who once could not see how the story would unfold. I read from the journal I started when I was pregnant with London, back when I was working retail and aching to be home with her, and I talk about why Disneyland feels like coming home to my mom, Adam, and younger me. If you feel stuck, scared, or like everyone else got the map except you, this is your reminder that time is passing, but it is not leaving you behind.

00:00 Sixteen Days Until Disneyland
01:11 Jeans, Socks, and Parent Jokes
02:54 The Disney Trip Plot Begins
05:39 No Means Not Yet
06:55 Page Joins the Disney Campaign
09:06 Sometimes I Do Not Want to Grow Up
11:39 We Are Going to Disneyland
12:18 Why Disneyland Feels Like Home
13:50 Grief, Cremation, and Having No Place to Visit
15:08 Main Street Memories
16:09 Disney and the Younger Parts of Me
17:31 My Simple Goal Journal
18:37 Reading My Pregnancy Journal
25:45 Missing My Mom While Becoming a Mom
27:10 Time Passing and Working Retail
30:15 Wanting London to Know Me
31:48 Watching the Game When You Know Who Wins
33:27 The Page Turned Six Months Later
34:11 Coming Home Full Time
36:44 The Pressure We Put on Tiny Things
38:04 Time Can Work for You Too
39:38 You Do Not Have to Have the Whole Plan
44:30 Time Is Not Leaving You Behind
45:23 Learning Is Not Getting Everything Right
46:20 It Is All Happening for You
48:27 Final Encouragement

You Are Being Refined, Not Broken | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 6 Mar 15, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about dreams, self worth, purpose in pain, and what it means to be refined, not broken. This is a long voicemail about the new podcast sign, dream journals, the Macy’s Day Parade, Disneyland, chronic pain, tiny queens growing up, Whitney Houston, and learning to kick other people’s voices out of your head. I’m not pretending hard seasons are easy, but I do believe future you may look back and say, “Look at us. We made it.” If your inner voice has been loud or your dream feels far away, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Welcome Back and the New Sign
00:23 Academy Awards and Dreams
01:31 Life Does Not End at 40
02:09 Loving the Process
03:04 Dream Journals and Big Goals
04:02 Disneyland, Dissociation, and Looking Ahead
05:12 Changing Your Mind Is Allowed
07:41 Change Means Growth
08:17 Pain, Fire, and the Uncut Diamond
10:42 Testing, Faith, and Proving It to Yourself
12:04 There Is Purpose in Your Pain
13:32 Bitterness Does Not Heal You
14:09 Empathy After Physical Pain
16:11 You Are Stronger Than You Think
17:40 Whitney Houston and the Greatest Love
18:41 Who Is Living in Your Head?
19:16 Boundaries Are Not Always Simple
20:42 The Village Can Be One Person
22:41 Learning to Love Yourself
23:16 Getting to Know Your Kids Again
25:33 Getting to Know Yourself Again
27:25 The Last First Tooth
30:21 Raising Them to Leave You
32:27 Getting to Know Yourself in Every Stage
34:13 The Diamond Analogy
35:43 Your Best, Hottest Version
36:17 Ten Years Ago Amanda
38:01 The Hard Season Can Still Refine You
39:09 Sing Whitney in the Car
40:49 Shine Light on the Dream
41:55 Planning the Week and Fighting the Inner Voice
43:19 You Are Being Refined
44:02 Calling Out the Lies in Your Head
46:40 Becoming the Future You
47:26 Creating a Safe Space
48:27 Big Dreams for the Podcast
50:33 You Are a Diamond
51:35 One Day, a Live Tour
52:02 Final Encouragement

Why Are Women Still Fighting Each Other? | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 5 Mar 10, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about comparison, content creation, women judging women, motherhood, childfree conversations, working moms, stay at home moms, and what we teach our tiny queens when we tear each other down. This is a long voicemail about fake nails, ASMR rage, Comparison Katie, Julie Jealousy, losing my job in 2020, falling into content creation, and why someone else’s life does not have to threaten the value of yours. If comparison has been loud lately, come sit with me for a bit. We are doing our best.

00:00 Rerecording the Lost Episode
00:33 Is Life Better After 30?
01:12 Video Podcast Anxiety
01:28 Fake Nails and Hyperfixation
03:25 Harvest Snaps and ASMR Rage
04:11 Comparison Katie Shows Up
05:02 Content Creation and Job Loss
06:27 Brand Deals, Auditions, and ROI
08:35 Metrics, Money, and Feeling Behind
09:04 Julie Jealousy and Emotional Regulation
10:12 More Is Caught Than Taught
10:36 DINK Life and Tiny Humans
11:39 The Viral Friday Night Video
13:13 Women Judging Women
14:30 Working Moms and Stay At Home Moms
15:27 The TikTok Stitch
16:01 What You Put In Your Brain Matters
17:25 Choosing Not to Engage
20:26 Losing My Job and Finding This Community
21:11 Mom Culture Fighting Itself
22:03 Moms Helping Moms
23:15 Sharing the Hard Without Scaring People
24:25 You Do Not Have to Want Kids
26:19 Making Each Other’s Lives Better
28:09 Stop Measuring Women’s Worth
28:59 There Is a Right Way to Treat People
29:47 The Transcript Cuts Off

Control: The Great Illusionist | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 4 Feb 16, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about the illusion of control, the routines that make us feel safe, and what happens when life changes enough that the old systems do not fit the same way. This is a long voicemail about overbooking myself, somatic therapy, emotional hijacking, Starbucks rituals, food routines, In N Out Mondays, motherhood, faith, and learning that structure can support us without becoming the measure of whether we are okay. If your habits have shifted, your body feels different, or you are trying to hold everything together because you love your people, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 An Unintended Episode
00:32 Overbooking Myself Again
01:23 Teacher Features and Mini Golf
02:18 Valentine’s Parties and Garden Class
03:17 Thriving on Chaos
04:01 Somatic Therapy and Inside Out
06:11 When One Emotion Hijacks Everything
07:20 When the Body Holds the Feeling
08:00 Journaling Feels Too Honest
09:15 Reporting Versus Really Feeling
10:38 Family Photos and Full Circle Moments
14:32 Swim, Schedules, and Being Voluntold
15:16 The Illusion of Control
16:33 The Starbucks Ritual
20:31 When the Old Systems Break Down
22:19 Trying Decaf and Feeling Anxiety Rise
25:30 What If This Is Not My Jam Anymore?
26:16 Strawberries, Structure, and Flexibility
28:11 Habits Are Helpful Until They Hijack You
30:49 In N Out Mondays and Holding On
33:08 Faith When Everything Falls Apart
34:38 Control, Birth, and Sacred Moments
36:10 When Systems Become the Bar
37:19 Learning to Slow Down
38:10 Control Can Come From Love
40:24 Shaking Up the Systems
42:10 Parenting the Younger Parts of Me
43:27 Pivoting Without Calling It Failure
44:26 Valentine’s Day and Being Loved

Restriction vs. Restraint | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 3 Feb 10, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about restriction versus restraint in parenting, food, iPads, friendships, exercise, marriage, and the way I treat myself. This is not advice. It is me learning out loud about raising tiny humans who can build judgment, confidence, and trust instead of just hearing “no” at every turn. We get into sugar, screens, peer pressure, food fear after surgery, getting back to movement for mental health, and the joy of hearing my tiny queen call me out when I needed it. If you are trying to parent without making everything all or nothing, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Still Figuring Out the Video Podcast
00:23 Delilah Radio Energy and Mic Noises
01:08 Bodily Functions and Being Real
02:11 Getting Back in the Gym
04:23 Starting a New Kind of Therapy
06:02 Living Again After Surgery
06:28 Catching the Good Old Days
08:07 Past Me, Present Me, Future Me
08:51 Avatar, Toy Story, and Disney Tangents
10:35 Parenting an Almost Ten Year Old
11:18 Friends, Restriction, and Control
13:07 Restriction Versus Restraint
16:16 Teaching Safety Instead of Just Saying No
17:05 iPads, Sugar, and Building Judgment
21:16 Why Peer Pressure Gets Tricky
24:06 Parenting Is Not a Group Project
26:07 Restriction Versus Restraint With Myself
30:43 Marriage Is Not All or Nothing
33:23 Tools for Friendships and Toxic Relationships
35:31 I Trust Your Judgment
37:01 Conversations With My Tiny Queen
40:16 Final Encouragement

Purpose & People over Productivity & | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 2 Feb 01, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about people over productivity and the way we measure ourselves and each other by what gets done, what gets missed, and which balls get dropped. After months of pain and recovery, I started thinking about how quickly we take things personally instead of asking what might be going on. This is a long voicemail about motherhood, friendship, mental health, hot lunch, tiny queens, boundaries, empathy, and remembering that we are all more than our checkboxes. If you have felt behind, quiet, overwhelmed, or not enough, sit with me for a bit.

00:00 Trying a New Video Podcast Setup
00:44 Mall Walker Energy and Sephora Chaos
02:46 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda
03:28 Feeling the Love After Last Week
04:08 Starting Somatic Therapy
04:35 Why Do I Go on the Defense?
06:21 The Stress of “Can We Talk?”
07:03 Where My Value Comes From
08:34 When the Balls Start Dropping
10:23 Asking What Happened First
12:24 Seeing Our Tiny People More Clearly
13:38 Why Are They Dropping the Ball?
16:10 Chronic Pain and People Over Productivity
18:28 Noticing When Someone Seems Off
21:00 When a Tiny Queen Finally Says the Week Was Hard
23:21 The Village Does Not Have to Be Large
25:07 When People Show Up in the Dark
26:17 Boundaries, Peace, and Collaboration
30:25 Hot Lunch and Letting Go of Mom Rules
33:43 Asking Why Before Moving On
36:03 The Frozen Lake Analogy
38:00 Mental Health Should Not Be Whispered About
41:24 You Are More Than Your Productivity
43:05 Do Something Kind for Someone Else
45:04 People Over Productivity
46:10 Final Encouragement

Botox for My Butthole | After Hours With Amanda Season 3 - Ep. 1 Jan 24, 2023

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing where I have been for the last four months. This is my personal medical story, not medical advice, about an anal fissure, chronic pain, health anxiety, food fear, advocating for myself, and finally being believed. It is vulnerable, chaotic, and yes, somehow includes the phrase “Botox for my butthole.” I talk about pain, surgery, motherhood, faith, asking for help, and what it felt like to have life stop long enough for me to see how much control I was trying to carry. If you are in something life altering, I hope you feel less alone here.

00:00 Filming the Podcast and Feeling Awkward
01:36 Welcome Back After Four Months
02:18 Trigger Warnings and Why I’m Sharing
03:35 When I Thought It Was Hemorrhoids
04:49 Years of GI Issues and Bathroom Shame
07:19 Suppositories, Burning, and Things Getting Worse
08:26 The Night the Pain Took Over
11:51 Getting Diagnosed With an Anal Fissure
14:53 Creams, Pain, and No Clear Answers
17:15 Fiber Counting and Food Fear
20:14 The 50/50 Phone Call
23:24 Spasms, Baths, and Losing Weight
26:22 The Light Leaving My Eyes
28:02 Disneyland in Survival Mode
35:13 The Appointment I Thought Would Fix Everything
36:11 A Triggering Medical Exam
40:14 Needing a Female Surgeon
44:10 Fighting Insurance and Feeling Unheard
50:18 Advocating for Myself Like I Would for My Girls
52:42 Finally Getting the Appointment
55:01 Being Believed Without Explaining Everything
56:14 Surgery, Botox, and Finally No Pain
01:02:25 Why Validation Matters
01:03:30 Faith, Anger, and Feeling Deserted
01:04:34 Motherhood, Control, and Missing Christmas Programs
01:08:09 Finding Joy in the Small Things
01:09:20 Water, Fiber, and Food Exposure
01:11:27 Life Altering, Not Life Threatening
01:12:45 Final Encouragement

The Small Moments That Build Trust With Your Kids | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 13 Nov 02, 2022

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, trust, emotional safety, and the tiny everyday moments that decide whether our kids feel safe coming to us later. It starts with Christmas decorating and a broken ornament, but really, it becomes a conversation about communication beating condemnation, trust breaking in tiny fractures, and wanting to be the lighthouse my girls can come back to. This is not me saying I get it right every time. I mess up too. But I’m learning that if I want my tiny humans to trust me when life gets bigger, it starts with how I meet them now.

00:00 Two for Two and Taking the Small Wins
00:36 Disneyland Countdown Joy
01:14 Let’s Talk Hemorrhoids, Because Besties
04:12 Christmas Decor Before Thanksgiving
06:18 Halloween, Allergies, and Early Christmas Vibes
07:39 Amazon Storefronts and Life Updates
09:22 Christmas Decor and Holiday Campaigns
10:08 Building Trust With Tiny Humans
11:19 The Windshield Crack Analogy
12:45 Ornament Stories and Family Memories
14:00 The Broken Ornament Moment
16:05 Meeting Mistakes With Safety
17:32 I Want You to Talk to Me Later
19:22 Trust, Acceptance, Love, and Empathy
20:55 The Lighthouse and the Dock
23:33 Teaching Through Our Own Mistakes
26:15 Forced Apologies and Internal Repair
28:19 Teens, Power Struggles, and Communication
33:35 Trust in Marriage and Owning Impact
36:16 Relationship Building, Not Control
38:29 Teaching Emotions as Superpowers
42:23 It Is Never Too Late to Rebuild Trust
47:00 Communication Beats Condemnation
49:17 Final Encouragement

Be in the Moment, Not Just the Checklist | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 12 Oct 26, 2022

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m back with a long voicemail between friends about the holiday season, mom guilt, gift giving, social media comparison, and the pressure to do all the things. I love the cozy magic of the holidays, but I also know how quickly it can turn into a checklist. This is me reminding myself that sometimes giving less means giving more, and the memories that stay with us are often made in the being, not just the doing. If the holidays feel heavy, exciting, lonely, or overwhelming, you can sit here with me for a bit.

00:00 Welcome Back, Friend
01:41 A Long Voicemail Between Friends
02:08 The Bathrobe Story
05:00 Heading Into the Holidays
06:02 Gift Giving and Social Media Comparison
07:43 What Tiny People Really Want
08:49 Sometimes Giving Less Means Giving More
10:35 Giving Without Expecting
11:48 The Hickory Farms Christmas Story
15:06 Being, Not Just Doing
16:20 Bedtime Books and Mom Guilt
18:15 Breathe In Good, Breathe Out Night
19:21 The Holiday Checklist Trap
20:45 When the Holidays Feel Lonely
22:20 Giving Your Time and Presence
23:23 Watching for the Small Moments
25:20 Holiday Activities, Money, and Pressure
28:32 Choosing Where You Want to Be
31:31 Avoiding the Holiday Haze
31:56 Grief, Memory, and What Stays
35:28 You Are Not Alone Here

Why I Don’t Force Clean Plates or Fake Apologies | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 11 Jul 14, 2022

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about clean plates, forced apologies, food, body cues, empathy, and the tiny ways we teach kids to trust or ignore themselves. This is not me telling anyone how to parent. It is me thinking out loud about what happens when we focus more on the performance of gratitude, manners, or obedience than the internal tools our kids are building. From dinner tables to apologies to gift reactions, I’m asking what it looks like to raise tiny humans who can listen to their bodies, say no politely, repair with empathy, and trust themselves as they grow.

00:00 Sleepytime Tea and a Late Night Hello

02:15 Forts, Toy Story, and Tiny Humans

04:26 The Almost New York Trip

07:03 Phantom, Les Mis, and Big Questions

10:39 What This Podcast Really Is

12:24 The Clean Plate Problem

16:16 Forced Apologies and Real Empathy

18:42 Walking Kids Through Repair

20:38 Teaching Kids to Listen to Their Bodies

23:33 Food Rules, Dessert, and Boundaries

26:34 Trusting Intuition Beyond the Dinner Table

29:19 Teaching Kids to Say No Politely

31:17 When Kids Learn to Perform

33:10 Cruise Control Parenting

37:09 Gift Reactions and Gratitude

40:35 Food for Thought and Final Encouragement

Can We Celebrate Going Back to Therapy? | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 10 Jul 05, 2022

Hey friend. In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m taking a deep breath with you and talking through a tender week. I share why I took time off social media, how grief and addiction memories around my brother Adam came back up, and why I’m reminding myself that mental health is not a finish line. We also get into therapy, body image, old family patterns, Dopesick, motherhood, and the ache of wanting every human to feel seen, loved, and needed. This is not expert advice. It is just a very honest, very human check-in from someone still becoming.

00:00 Hey Friend, Let’s Take a Breath

02:37 Remembering to Actually Breathe

04:59 Why I Took a Week Off

07:02 Why This Podcast Feels Safe

07:53 Body Image, My Mom, and Old Patterns

12:39 When Our Wounds Start Bleeding

14:31 Working Out, Therapy, and Mental Health

16:02 Adam, Addiction, and Being Triggered

23:30 Watching Dopesick Hit Too Close

27:31 Mental Health Is Not a Finish Line

31:15 Be Careful What You Consume

32:36 Can We Celebrate Going Back to Therapy?

34:34 Sharing Adam’s Story

38:51 The Gift of Unconditional Love

40:34 This Is a Safe Place

42:31 We’re All Different, and That’s Okay

45:25 You Are Loved, Valued, and Needed

You Asked- I Answered: My Trauma Dictated Dating Life | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 9 Mar 10, 2022

TW: In this episode, I broadly touch on sensitive subjects so I wanted to give you a heads up. So many of you have requested a dating episode speaking specifically to my dating life and experience and as always I wanted to be honest with you.

Substance Abuse Hotline- 1-800-662-4357

National Suicide Prevention Hotline- 1-800-273-8255

National Sexual Abuse Hotline- 1-800-656-4673

National Domestic Violence Hotline- 1-800-799-7233

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the dating story y’all have been asking for, but not as advice. This is a vulnerable look at toxic relationship patterns, gaslighting, boundaries, and what happens when chaos becomes your baseline for love. I talk about wanting to feel seen, ignoring red flags, mistaking attention for care, and slowly learning that peace is not boring and love should not make you feel less than. If you have ever played the highlight reel to convince yourself something “wasn’t that bad,” this one is for you.

00:00 Coke, Gas Tanks, and Chaos

06:16 Why I’m Sharing My Dating Story

08:49 Wanting to Feel Seen

12:21 Gaslighting, Lies, and the Promise Ring

14:28 When Chaos Becomes Your Baseline

21:29 The Tarzan Swing Into Another Relationship

28:23 When One Green Flag Felt Like Everything

35:02 Addiction, Boundaries, and Feeling Responsible

38:10 The Hole No Relationship Could Fill

40:12 Disneyland, Blake, and Faith That Felt Safe

42:41 Why I Used to Create Conflict

48:10 You Deserve More Than Just Good Enough

The Toxicity of Achievement Culture | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 8 Mar 04, 2022

This week, I’m talking about achievement culture, parenting pressure, and the way we can accidentally make our tiny humans’ milestones, grades, emotions, and behavior about us. From swim week and school decisions to pacifiers, homework, gentle parenting, hugs before correction, and the phrase “fair means you get your needs met,” this episode is about separating our kids’ growth from our own self worth. I’m sharing what I’m learning in real time as a mom who is doing her best, trying to disrupt before I erupt, and remembering that our children are whole people, not reflections of our performance.

00:00 Thursday Night Podcast Vibes

00:29 Welcome to the Coffee Chat

01:40 Swim Week and Tired Kids

04:36 Getting Ready for My Mental Health

06:20 Achievement Culture

07:15 Choosing a Different School Path

09:45 The Pacifier Question

12:18 What Do I Actually Care About?

13:37 Achievement Starts in Pregnancy

16:32 Milestones Are Not a Report Card

18:33 Gentle Parenting and Identity

23:34 Homework After a Full Day

26:25 Why I Started This Podcast

29:26 You Might Just Not Fit That Job

31:33 Your Achievements Are Not Your Identity

37:00 Tiny Triggers and Looking Inward

38:47 Disrupt Before You Erupt

42:03 Why I Offer a Hug First

45:04 Fair Means Needs Are Met

46:58 Stop Tying Worth to Achievement

49:49 You Are Good Enough

The Certainty of Being Uncertain | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 7 Feb 04, 2022

This week, I’m talking about what it feels like to be a mom, wife, friend, and human who does not always know what she is doing. From protecting my kids’ privacy to making uncertain parenting decisions, advocating for my tiny humans, and learning not to go straight into defense mode, this episode is about being certainly uncertain. I’m sharing the six words that have helped me in relationships, parenting, and conflict: “What do you mean by that?” If you feel unsure, overwhelmed, or like everyone else got the manual, come sit with me. We’re doing our best and giving God the rest.

00:00 Second Week in a Row

01:24 The Podcast Intro Goal

02:12 Protecting My Kids’ Privacy

03:29 Topics Y’all Asked For

04:42 I’m Not an Authority

05:32 Feeling Ill Equipped as a Parent

07:05 The Identities We Step Into

09:23 Learning Means Making Mistakes

10:35 Making Big Decisions for Tiny Humans

18:38 Giving Yourself Grace to Change Your Mind

19:05 Advocating for Corey

20:28 The Finger Scale for Big Feelings

22:28 Who Made the Rule?

23:19 The One Thing I’m Certain Of

25:21 Why We Go on Defense

27:19 Asking Before Reacting

31:50 Six Words That Change Conversations

34:08 Wait, Assess, Then Decide

38:11 It’s Okay to Be Certainly Uncertain

42:09 You Matter

Catching Up- Chatting Marriage & Therapy Things | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 6 Jan 27, 2022

Hey y’all, I’m back and this one is a full catch up. From therapy and inner child work to platform Converse, clip in extensions, self sabotage in the school drop off line, and marriage conversations with Blake, I’m unpacking the freedom of letting myself be a little inconsistent. This is about the rules we carry from childhood, the lie of “I’m not that girl,” and the way relationships get healthier when we choose solving over winning. Parenting, marriage, personal growth, and doing our best, all in one long voicemail between friends.

00:00 Hey Girl, We’re Back

02:26 Back in Therapy

08:17 The Inner Child Year

09:26 The Converse Shoes Story

13:23 Identity and Imposter Syndrome

17:21 Dedicated to the Inconsistencies

19:40 Self Sabotage in the Car

23:16 The Lie of “I’m Not That Girl”

26:19 Tiny You Gets a Yes

31:35 Marriage Therapy Before Marriage

32:49 There’s No Me in We

35:19 Two Kinds of Arguments

40:50 Never and Always Are Dangerous Words

44:18 You Are Loved and Needed

Holding Trauma- Where Have I Been? Update | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 5 Dec 18, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m catching up on life, therapy, trauma work, Disneyland prep, and what I did not realize about healing: you can work through trauma and still be holding it.

I share how intrusive thoughts about my kids led me back to therapy, how losing my mom and brother shaped my fear, and how migraines, dizziness, jaw clenching, and exhaustion made me realize my body was sending an SOS.

This one is about asking for help, releasing survival habits, letting go of control, and giving ourselves grace when healing looks inconsistent.

00:01 Welcome Back And Catching Up

00:50 Missing The Moment And Disneyland Prep

01:11 Trauma Does Not Have To Be Comparative

02:19 How I Found My Therapist

03:02 Intrusive Thoughts About My Kids

04:50 Crying In The Closet

06:22 Mental Health Support For Kids

07:03 What Therapy Did Not Tell Me

07:26 Trauma Responses In Marriage

10:17 Holding Trauma In Your Body

11:24 The Doctor Appointment

14:27 When The Tension Finally Lifted

16:11 Cutting Caffeine And Finding Quiet

18:24 Self-Care Versus Real Care

19:32 Trauma Habits As Identity

20:13 Asking For Help And Feeling Strong

22:07 Peace, Control, And Letting Go

24:14 Identity, Social Media, And Showing Up

26:42 It Is Okay To Be Sporadic

29:14 Fear Before Disneyland

31:06 Questioning Old Rules

34:13 Accepting Who I Am Becoming

35:07 Thank You For Showing Up

Mental Health- The Oil Change We Ignore | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 4 Sep 30, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about mental health, therapy, shame, faith, anxiety, and why getting support should not feel like something we have to hide.

I share what mental health looked like in my family growing up, how my mom’s breakdown shaped the way I saw therapy, how my brother’s addiction keeps me passionate about people not suffering alone, and why I think therapy is more like taking the car in for a tune up than admitting failure.

I’m not sharing this as a therapist. I’m sharing as someone who is still learning that needing support does not mean you are weak.

00:00 Welcome Back And Hawaii Anxiety

00:24 Why Mental Health Should Not Be Taboo

01:35 Therapy Is Asking For Support

02:48 My Family’s Mental Health Story

03:50 My Mom’s Breakdown

05:32 My First Introduction To Therapy

07:32 Addiction, Anxiety, And Fear Around Mental Health

09:34 Stop Invalidating Your Own Pain

12:09 Ignoring My Own Need For Help

13:43 Mental Health Is Like A Car Tune Up

16:19 Why Do We Apologize For Crying?

17:42 How I Found My Therapist

18:19 I Turned Out Fine, But Did I?

19:27 Why I Refuse To Stay Quiet

20:33 Kids, Therapy, And Support

21:50 Mental Health Days Should Be Normal

24:51 Mental Health Is Not A Lack Of Faith

26:47 Therapy Is A Lifelong Journey

28:09 Anxiety In The School Drop Off Line

29:14 Tools That Help My Mental Health

31:01 Therapy Is For Everyone

32:01 Boundaries Around Mental Health Shame

Parent Or Friend? The Choice They Want You To Make | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 3 Sep 22, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about gentle parenting, humanizing kids, autonomy, emotional regulation, and why seeing my tiny humans as people does not mean I am just trying to be their friend.

I get into why I call them tiny humans, building responsibility through little daily moments, the myth that gentle parenting is permissive, yelling, silent treatment, apologies, boundaries, and why I want home to be the safe place where my kids learn what to do when the real world is hard.

This one is about giving kids a voice, not handing them the whole house.

00:00 Welcome Back And Maui Prep

01:13 A Hodgepodge Parenting Episode

03:25 Why I Say Tiny Humans

04:35 Autonomy Before The Teenage Years

06:17 Teaching Responsibility In Daily Life

08:20 Three Year Olds And Clean Rooms

10:54 Making Chores Functional For Kids

12:38 Gentle Parenting Is Not Permissive

14:15 Big Emotions Need Tools

15:28 I Turned Out Fine, But Did I?

16:35 Preparing Kids For The Real World

17:23 Yelling And Losing The Message

20:12 Hearing The Whine, Not The Words

21:51 Silent Treatment Is Emotional Manipulation

22:46 The Homework Apology

24:05 The Gentle Parenting Thought Process

26:26 Asking If They Need A Hug

28:55 When My Kid Called Me Out

31:55 Humanizing Parenting

34:07 Protecting Their Emotional Space

38:43 Lucy The Doll And Building Trust

41:32 Seeing Them As Human Is Not Being Their Friend

43:20 The Middle Ground Nobody Talks About

45:36 You Get To Build The Relationship You Want

Identity After Kids: It's Not a Power Struggle You Can Co-Exist | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 2 Sep 08, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about the first day of school, mom guilt, motherhood, and why I do not think motherhood is just something happening to me. I think it is also something happening for me.

I share the note one of my girls left me, the poem that wrecked me, why I miss my tiny humans when they go back to school, and how motherhood has helped me become more myself instead of less.

This one is about coexisting, growing alongside our kids, letting go of mom-culture comparison, and remembering that they are having a hard time, not giving us one.

00:00 First Day Of School Feelings

00:50 Welcome To After Hours With Amanda

01:25 A Disclaimer For Moms

02:24 Encouragement Is Not Discouragement

03:47 The Mom Who Misses Her Kids

05:22 Lucy The Doll And The Paper Towel List

07:43 The Poem That Wrecked Me

09:03 Caterpillars, Butterflies, And Mom Life

11:45 Motherhood Is Not Happening To You

14:21 Bad Bitch Butterfly Energy

15:12 Feeding Yourself Better Thoughts

17:03 Are The Kids Really Stopping You?

19:12 They’re Having A Hard Time

21:09 Kids Are Not A Power Struggle

23:22 Letting My Kids Help Me Become

26:14 Missing Them Without Judging You

29:01 Stop Blaming The Tiny Humans

32:12 Functional Needs Versus Emotional Needs

36:29 Coexisting While We Both Grow

41:33 Encouragement And First Day Grief

42:29 My Mom’s Breakdown And Second Grade

45:31 Healing Through My Daughter’s First Day

47:27 What I Want You To Know

This Missing Ingredient of Self Love & the Journey to Find It | After Hours With Amanda Season 2 - Ep. 1 Sep 01, 2021

In this season two episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about empathy, self-love, self-sabotage, therapy, and what it actually means to be kind to myself when nobody else is listening.

This one starts with therapy and physical activity, but it turns into a bigger conversation about Doc Martens, old wounds, motherhood, online criticism, comparison, and why empathy helps me parent my tiny humans with more softness.

I’m learning that pain does not have to be a competition, self-love has to become an action, and sometimes empathy is the thing that protects my energy.

00:01 Welcome Back To Season Two

00:44 The Heinz 57 Podcast

01:13 Missing You And Taking A Hiatus

03:08 Should The Podcast Change?

04:01 Joy And Empathy In The Unknown

05:01 Empathy For Myself

06:09 Therapy And Self-Sabotage

07:23 The Call Was Coming From Inside The House

09:17 Empathy As Real Self-Love

10:14 The Doc Martens Story

14:02 When The Silence Feels Too Loud

16:13 How I Talk To Myself

17:18 Why We’re Hard On Our Kids

20:03 Movement As Self-Care

23:53 The Facebook Comments

28:33 Empathy Saves Your Energy

31:30 Empathy As Armor

34:17 People Are Really Wounded

36:11 Social Anxiety And Feeling Seen

38:45 Don’t Compare Your Pain

39:57 Lead With Empathy

43:00 Season Two Is Back

44:17 You Are Loved, Valued, And Worthy

Movie Parallels: Harry Potter & Trauma Scars | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 22 Jun 24, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing a therapy revelation about trauma, EMDR, fear, grief, and learning to lean into the happy instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This one gets tender. I talk about my fear of death, the sudden loss of my mom, my brother’s death, dissociation, faith, and the Harry Potter metaphor that cracked something open for me in therapy. The scar protected me for a long time, but I am not in that trauma anymore.

I am not sharing this as a therapist. I am sharing it as someone in the middle of the work, learning that I deserve happiness outside of survival mode.

00:00 Welcome Back After Two Weeks

01:03 Heat, Garage Cabinets, And Life Updates

02:31 Therapy, EMDR, And Movie Revelations

04:29 Jelly Belly Factory And Belly Flops

05:14 Getting Into It To Get Through It

05:56 What EMDR Has Been Like For Me

08:33 Talking Through Fear Of Death

11:38 Sudden Loss And The Other Shoe

14:01 Life Feels Too Good Right Now

15:30 Leaning Into The Happy

17:22 The Harry Potter Therapy Moment

19:24 Harry’s Scar And Lord V

22:37 The Scar Protected Me Until It Hurt Me

24:05 Living In Trauma While Preaching Joy

26:14 Dissociation As Survival

29:39 Ron, Hermione, And Having People In Your Corner

32:04 Healing Yourself To Love Better

34:26 Picking Fights To Prove The Trauma Right

36:23 Behaviors Born From Pain And Survival

37:22 You Deserve Happiness Outside Of Trauma

Movie Parallels and Parenting: Hook | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 21 Jun 02, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m kicking off a new movie parallels and parenting series with Hook.

I’m talking about adulthood, parenthood, summer, fun, expectations, and why so many of us were taught that growing up means letting the magic disappear. The feast scene got me, y’all. Peter cannot see what is right in front of him until he starts to believe again, and honestly, how often are we doing that as adults and parents?

This one is about getting your hair wet, making spaghetti night ridiculous, choosing and/or instead of either/or, and not starving the magic right in front of you.

00:00 Welcome Back And Kombucha Pop

01:01 Construction, V8, And Disneyland Prep

03:18 150,000 Downloads And Summer Plans

04:42 Kiwi Crates And Summer Theme Days

07:05 Mom Guilt And Getting Outside

08:48 Movie Parallels And Parenting Begins

10:14 Hook, Rufio, And The Banning Family

11:23 Seeing The Feast In Front Of Us

12:06 The Lie That Adults Lose The Magic

13:57 Who Decided Adults Cannot Be Fun?

15:37 Parenting, Rules, And Acting Like A Parent

16:38 Forts, Cleanup, And Thinking Too Far Ahead

17:19 Peter Cannot See The Feast

18:35 Micro Moments That Reignite The Magic

21:20 Getting Your Hair Wet In The Pool

24:10 Why The Lost Boys Still See It

25:17 Hook As Old Expectations And Trauma

26:08 Cannonballs, Car Singing, And Pajamas At The Movies

27:40 Are We Starving The Magic?

29:04 And/Or Instead Of Either/Or

31:11 Church Camp And Not Being Normal

32:10 Your Story Has Not Been Written Yet

34:20 Do Not Become Hook

35:11 What Is Coming Next In The Movie Series

Parenting Without Making It About Me | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 20 May 26, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting without ego and learning to see tiny humans as people before we see them as titles.

I share a school decision that taught me how easily parenting can become about my comfort, my identity, or my fear instead of what my child actually needs. From there, I get into mom guilt, therapy, authority, peer pressure, collaboration, safety, and why “parent,” “child,” or “teen” are not full identities.

This one is about taking the title off long enough to see the person standing in front of you.

00:00 Welcome Back To The Inconsistent Podcast

01:01 Shake The Ice Intro

01:36 Summer, School, And Short Shopping

03:10 Church Camp And Acting A Fool

04:12 Today’s Topic: Ego

04:41 My School Decision For London

06:52 When My Comfort Affected Her

07:58 Giving Her The Tools I Missed

09:02 Parenting, Trauma, And Ego

10:23 The Parent Child Power Dynamic

13:09 Thinking Through Paige’s School Needs

15:01 What Does My Tiny Person Need?

17:25 What Does Parent Even Mean?

18:33 The Webster Moment

20:03 TikTok Comments And Collaboration

21:27 Stop Defining Kids By Age

22:19 Parent, Friend, Or Guide?

23:13 Authority, Questions, And Problem Solving

24:08 Empathy Plus Boundaries

26:11 The Three-Nager Label

28:08 Therapy, EMDR, And Apologizing To Blake

29:55 Tiny People Need Advocates

31:12 Teens, College, And Feeling Seen

34:27 Peer Pressure And Self Trust

36:04 Recognize Her As A Person

38:22 Safety, Fear, And Explaining Why

41:09 First And Only Edition

42:07 Mom Guilt And Humanizing Yourself

43:21 A Title Is Not Definitive Of A Person

Identity and Toy Story and The Calluses We Create | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 19 May 13, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about identity, growing up, and the pressure we put on kids to know who they are going to be before they have even had time to live.

This one started with Toy Story 3, Andy leaving Woody, and one of my girls realizing that maybe Andy was scared too. From there, I get into college pressure, career day, motherhood, therapy, emotional calluses, and why kids are not part of a parent’s resume.

They are already who they are. We just get to help them discover what brings them joy.

00:00 We’re Back And Singing Already

00:19 Current Playlist Rabbit Trail

02:14 Welcome To After Hours With Amanda

02:51 The Pressure To Know Your Whole Life

03:27 Toy Story 3 And Growing Up

04:46 What If Andy Was Scared Too?

06:09 What Do You Want To Be?

07:04 They Are Already Who They Are

07:56 Paige, Rainbows, And Creativity

09:08 Identity Is Not A Career

10:14 Finding Worth Beyond Achievement

12:13 College Pressure And Test Scores

13:12 You Are Allowed To Change

14:20 Molly, Woody, And Safe Places

16:46 Emotional Calluses

18:36 Teens, Trust, And Suppression

20:10 Driving Away Without Woody

23:04 Helping Kids Find What They Love

24:23 Motherhood Is A Limb Of Life

26:41 Mr. Rogers And Repair

31:39 Therapy And Internal Bleeding

35:21 Boundaries As Emotional Physical Therapy

36:33 Home As A Safe Place

39:32 Kids Are Not A Parent’s Resume

Your Hard Does Not Cancel Their Hard | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 18 Apr 21, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about the phrase “just wait till you have kids” and why it can feel so invalidating when someone is trying to share that they are tired, overwhelmed, or struggling.

This one is about parenting, empathy, one upping, unmet needs, and learning to meet people with questions instead of comparison. I get into marriage, tiny humans, therapy exhaustion, the word “always,” my first grade teacher, stolen bubble gum, and a cake pop kindness moment I will never forget.

Your hard does not cancel their hard. Their hard does not cancel yours.

00:01 Welcome To After Hours With Amanda

01:06 Buckle Up Buttercup

01:25 Upcoming Episode About Going Back To Work

02:03 Just Wait Till You Have Kids

03:08 Why That Phrase Grinds My Gears

04:19 The One Upper Energy

04:58 Invalidation And Ego

06:15 You Cannot Hold People To Your Experience

07:05 When Someone Says They Are Tired

08:39 Is It Coming From An Unmet Need?

10:38 Marriage, Stress, And Making It About Me

12:48 Parenting Is Not The Only Kind Of Tired

14:12 Therapy Is Exhausting Too

15:43 They Have Not Experienced Your Trauma

17:38 What If My Kids Stop Talking To Me?

19:27 Can I Talk To You? Always

23:33 My Dream Of Encouraging Students

24:20 The First Grade Bubble Gum Story

29:03 The Cake Pop Kindness Moment

31:16 Awareness, Empathy, And Asking Questions

Your Kids Internalize How You Talk To Yourself | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 17 Mar 31, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about kids, weight, body image, diet culture, and the way our tiny people internalize what we verbalize about ourselves.

I share why I do not talk to my kids about weight, what I learned from watching my mom struggle with her body, my own history with body image and an eating disorder, and the mental battle that can still show up over something as simple as a cake pop.

This one is about motherhood, self talk, mental health, healing, and learning to speak life over ourselves so our kids can see what that looks like.

00:01 Recording Early And Saying Thank You

00:56 Welcome To After Hours With Amanda

01:18 Podcast On YouTube Maybe

02:11 How I Talk To My Kids About Weight

03:12 Diet Culture And Good Fuel Fun Fuel

04:15 What Nobody Talks About Enough

05:00 The Biggest Bully Is Ourselves

05:42 How We Talk About Ourselves

07:25 Watching My Mom See Herself

10:37 My Eating Disorder And The Cake Pop Battle

13:27 The Fear I Had Raising Daughters

14:17 Exercise, Pageants, And Body Image

17:26 Peloton, Meditation, And Five Minutes

19:06 What Kids Hear From Both Parents

20:49 Healing My Body And My Mind

22:43 Plastic Surgery Did Not Change Self Love

24:10 Love Is An Action

25:42 Soulmates And Self Worth

30:17 The 15 Minute Rule

32:37 Becoming Your Parents And Healing Yourself

34:05 Being Honest Without Being Cruel To Yourself

37:06 The Sleeping Beauty Cake Metaphor

41:12 Mental Health And The Lies We Feed Ourselves

Losing My Religion and How I Found My Relationship | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 16 Mar 24, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing my relationship with Jesus and how I lost my religion but found relationship.

This is not me trying to convert or convince anyone. It is my story of growing up around Christianity, feeling hurt by hypocrisy, walking away from faith, carrying shame, and slowly finding my way back through people who loved me without trying to fix me.

I talk about church hurt, purity culture, college, grief, my brother’s addiction, and why I never want anyone to feel unlovable.

This one is tender, personal, faith-forward, and rooted in love.

00:01 Welcome Back To After Hours

00:26 My Relationship With Jesus

00:55 This Is Not To Convert You

01:49 Losing My Religion

02:49 Faith As My Anchor

03:49 Am I Indoctrinating My Kids?

05:14 When People Misrepresent Jesus

06:25 Walking Away From Christianity

09:15 College, Dating, And Leaving The Rules

12:15 The Playboy Mansion Story

14:02 Choosing Disneyland Instead

18:39 Meeting Christians Who Felt Real

20:16 If They Really Knew Me

24:00 Writing My Way Into APU

25:41 Rules, Questions, And Relationship

26:38 The Church Should Feel Like A Hospital

29:25 Love, Guardrails, And Parenting

31:01 Purity Culture And Shame

34:06 What I Teach My Girls About Jesus

34:40 My Brother, Addiction, And Feeling Unlovable

37:06 Stop Judging Jesus By People

40:28 Bible, Worship, And Staying Close

44:07 Shame Does Not Define Me

47:06 To Anyone Hurt By Faith

Empowering Kids Beats Controlling Them | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 15 Mar 10, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m reflecting on empowerment, control, and the kind of relationship we actually want with the tiny people in our lives.

The reminder is simple: no one knows what they are doing, so maybe the goal is not to control our kids into becoming who we think they should be. Maybe the goal is to empower them in the ways we wish someone had empowered us.

This one is about parenting, personal growth, ego, pride, and choosing the empowerment moments over the power place.

You’ve Never Been A Parent, You’ve Only Been Parented | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 14 Mar 05, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about spanking, discipline, emotional regulation, and why I’m learning to humanize my tiny people instead of parenting from fear, ego, or other people’s opinions.

I share the moment that made me rethink spanking, what I’m learning about giving kids tools instead of shame, and why so much of parenting starts with the fact that we’ve never been parents before. We’ve only been parented.

This one is about gentle parenting, boundaries, mental health, repair, and doing our best in real time.

00:00 Welcome Back To After Hours

01:23 Riding The Waves Of Emotion

02:10 Therapy And Unresolved Trauma

03:07 Dating Episode Tease

03:28 Boundaries Before Dating

05:30 Today’s Topic Is Spanking

06:54 Growing Up With Spanking

08:18 The Moment That Changed My Mind

11:29 What Does Spanking Actually Teach?

14:17 Ego, Opinions, And Parenting

17:11 Discipline, Punishment, And Teaching

18:28 The iPad Car Meltdown

20:19 Naming The Emotion

23:31 Other People’s Opinions

25:13 Finding Better Alternatives

31:14 Humanizing Tiny People

38:58 You’ve Only Been Parented

46:13 It Is Never Too Late To Repair

Re-Traumatizing Our Inner Child: Are you Projecting or Protecting | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 13 Feb 04, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about protecting versus projecting in parenting, with a little help from One Tree Hill and the emotional baggage of Dan Scott.

I get into motherhood, gentle parenting, body image, childhood trauma, the rules we inherit, and the question I cannot stop asking myself: is my parenting happening to my kids or for my kids?

This is not about having it all figured out. I’m practicing, learning, catching myself, and trying to raise tiny humans without handing them fear that was never theirs to carry.

Grab your bevie and come hang.

00:00 Welcome Back And One Tree Hill

02:35 Mom Labels And Dan Scott

04:44 Motherhood Is Part Of Me

05:36 Body Choices And Talking With My Girls

07:12 Parenting As An Adventure

07:37 Stop Putting Moms In Boxes

09:45 How Do You Know You Are Ready?

12:30 Protecting Or Projecting

13:39 The Moment That Changed My Parenting

16:28 Is Parenting Happening To Them Or For Them?

19:33 The Shower Story And Not Discounting Kids

22:01 Dan Scott And Projected Dreams

23:46 The Dog Bite Story

28:00 Giving Kids Freedom To Build Trust

33:21 Ask What Do You Mean By That?

39:08 Build The Barrier Of Self Love

Your Child Is Not Manipulating You | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 12 Jan 22, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about responding instead of reacting when our kids have big feelings. We get into bedtime, Target tears, iPads, communication, boundaries, and why I’m trying to see crying less as manipulation and more as a tiny human asking for help.

I’m not sharing this as someone who has it all figured out. I’m learning in real time, apologizing when I need to, and trying to give my kids tools for their toolkit instead of shame for their emotions.

00:00 We Made It To Friday

00:41 McDonald’s Coke And Catching Up

02:36 Daddy’s Bed And Bedtime Chaos

03:53 Letting My Kid Be The Parent

06:24 When Kids Cry From Disappointment

09:30 The Target Toy Story

13:10 Reacting Versus Responding

16:10 Why First Responders Don’t Just React

18:07 Big Feelings Need Tools

21:12 Parenting Is A Human Relationship

23:23 When I Needed A Walk

24:32 Why We Hold Kids To Adult Standards

29:10 What If A Boundary Gets Broken?

31:30 The iPad Trust Conversation

38:57 Marriage, Miscommunication, And The Folder

43:33 Healing Your Inner Child By Responding Better

48:01 Responding Instead Of Reacting

The One Where We Realize Our Tiny Humans Are Individuals | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 11 Jan 13, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, projection, and the moments when our kids remind us that they are not tiny versions of us. They are tiny humans with their own thoughts, feelings, choices, and stories.

I share what I’m learning about pausing before I jump in with advice, asking better questions, and creating a safe place where my kids can come to me without feeling like I’m making everything about what I would have done.

It is parenting, but not just for parents. It is communication, trust, mom guilt, personal growth, and doing our best in real time.

00:00 Welcome Back, Rabbit Trails Included

01:31 Feeling Blue And Wanting My Kids Close

03:19 Kids Are Always Listening

04:35 Venting, Gratitude, And Mom Guilt

06:32 Finding Safe Spaces With Mom Friends

08:41 Why Are We Surprised Kids Do It Differently

09:55 When I Made Her Story About Me

11:34 Asking What They Actually Need

13:17 The Duck Duck Goose Story

15:34 Protecting Or Projecting Our Fear

18:43 Sugar, Dessert, And Clarifying Expectations

21:41 Faith, Devotionals, And Personal Standards

25:23 Letting Kids Choose Their Own Path

27:04 The Exhaustion Of Wearing A Mask

31:03 Building A Safe Place To Come Back To

I Don't Want My Daughter to Grow Up Resilient | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 10 Jan 06, 2021

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about resilience, distance learning, emotional regulation, and the pressure to bounce back before we have actually processed what happened.

After a chaotic day with school pickups, Wi Fi issues, meetings, and one very frazzled mom moment, I started thinking about how often we praise kids and adults for being “resilient” when maybe what we really need is space to feel, name, and move through what is hard.

This one is about metacognition, grief, parenting tiny humans, and why healing does not need a timer.

00:00 Welcome Back After a Hot Minute

01:08 Holiday Chaos and Taking Time

02:13 The Word Resilience

03:53 Distance Learning and School Whiplash

05:09 The Wi Fi Spiral

07:27 Why Resilience Set Me Off

08:32 When Resilience Becomes Toxic

10:18 What Are We Really Praising?

11:33 I Want My Kids to Be Strategic

13:09 Let Yourself Feel It First

15:01 Grief and Bouncing Back

18:02 School Looks Different Right Now

19:06 Asking Why Behind the Behavior

23:11 Metacognition and Parenting

26:08 Why Resilience Can Become Stuffing

30:49 Mental Health Needs More Space

33:31 Praise the Process, Not the Snapback

36:32 Ask Questions and Check In

Others Opinions Don't Own Your Identity | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 9 Nov 26, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about other people’s opinions, identity, worry, and the way we can spend so much energy imagining what people think about us.

From lunchroom anxiety to college campus fear, mom group insecurity, social media comments, laundry piles named Eduardo and Celine, and finally buying the Doc Martens, this one is about learning to stop handing your identity over to people who do not get to own it.

Not a rulebook. Just a long voicemail between friends about resting, reflecting, responding, and remembering that worry is a bully that does not pay you back.

00:00 Laundry, Crinkles, and Closet Joy

03:10 Going Deep in the DMs

04:17 Other People’s Opinions

05:31 Lunchroom Anxiety

06:37 College Campus Fear

08:47 Mom Group Insecurity

10:05 Be the Invitation

11:05 What Opinions Really Are

12:21 Social Media Comments and Identity

13:25 Your Identity Belongs to You

16:15 The Laundry Pile Analogy

18:25 Worry Is a Bully

20:41 Stop Searching for Identity in People

22:21 Work on Your Opinion of Yourself

24:12 Kids, Disagreement, and Difference

26:29 Take Back the Power

32:07 Rest, Reflect, Then Respond

35:29 Wise Words Versus Cheap Opinions

37:03 Buy the Doc Martens

It Doesn't Have to Be One Or The Other | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 8 Nov 19, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about motherhood, identity, and the middle ground between “I am barely surviving” and “everything is Pinterest perfect.”

This one came from hearing people say mom content online makes motherhood look terrifying, like becoming a mom means losing yourself completely. So I’m getting into feeling unequipped, having two emotions at once, the refillable cup, mom guilt, kids seeing us as people, and why being a mom is not your whole identity. It is a title.

Not a rulebook. Just a long voicemail between friends, learning out loud and doing our best.

00:00 Thursday Chaos and a Self Check In

01:00 Two Emotions Can Exist at Once

02:25 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda

04:04 Peach Tea, Puppy Exhaustion, and Sleep

06:45 What Mom Content Makes People Feel

08:08 The Teaching Class Story Setup

09:27 The Two Extremes of Mom Culture

11:11 What Are We Feeding Our Minds?

12:06 Your Parents Don’t Decide Your Future

13:40 Daniel Tiger in the Taco Bell Parking Lot

14:45 You Don’t Have to Be a Perfect Parent

16:31 You Don’t Have to Like Every Kid

18:55 The Classroom Moment That Shook Me

24:47 Boxing In the Identity of a Mom

26:33 Your Kids Are Getting to Know You Too

29:11 Motherhood Has an Ebb and Flow

33:37 Being a Mom Is a Title

38:22 You Get to Choose Your Identity

40:16 What Kids Remember Is the Love

When You Have No Idea What You're Doing, You're Right | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 7 Nov 11, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about feeling underqualified as a parent and why “I don’t know what I’m doing” does not have to mean failure.

I’m sharing the story of leaving the hospital with London, realizing no magical parenting knowledge had arrived, and wondering why it was harder to adopt a cat than leave with a baby.

This one is about parenting without ego, learning alongside our tiny humans, apologizing when we need to, and becoming a safe place for our kids instead of pretending we have all the answers.

00:00 Closet Chaos and Tech Issues

01:43 What This Episode Is Really About

02:16 Pregnancy in Sacramento Summer

04:03 First Baby Expectations

05:20 Leaving the Hospital With London

06:44 Wait, They Just Let Us Leave?

07:44 The Cat Adoption Comparison

09:03 You Are Not Qualified, and That’s Okay

10:59 Pots and Pans Do Not Make You a Chef

12:22 Giving Parents and Kids Grace

13:41 Learning With Your Tiny Human

15:31 No Room for Ego in Parenting

16:47 Seesaw, Not Hierarchy

19:01 When I Felt Out of Control

23:07 Your Child, Your Journey

28:24 Parent, Friend, or Tour Guide?

32:13 Apologies Matter More Than Ego

37:22 Teaching Kids They Can Tell the Truth

40:47 Embrace Not Knowing

The Invisible Ghosts that Haunt Us | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 6 Oct 28, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, school pressure, milestones, and the quiet spiral that can happen when your child needs extra support.

This one started with an email from Page’s school, and it made me think about expectations, identity, emotional growth, and how easy it is to make our kids’ progress feel like a reflection of us.

I’m sharing stories about Hooked on Phonics, potty training, academic pressure, raising tiny humans as individuals, and why I want to teach my girls not to just “get over it,” but to get into it and walk through it.

00:00 Welcome Back and X Games Mode

01:38 Staying on Topic, Somehow

03:57 Oreo Thins Are Superior

05:27 The School Email Spiral

07:26 Hooked on Phonics and Nilla Wafers

09:39 Expectations Start Early

10:39 My Own School Pressure

13:51 The Academic Pressure Nobody Warned Me About

14:59 Page’s School Meeting Email

15:55 Kids Are Individuals

16:18 When Did We Start Measuring Kids Like This?

17:25 Pacifiers, Milestones, and Parent Anxiety

22:27 Emotional Milestones Matter Too

23:17 Potty Training, Pee, and Perspective

27:00 The Pressure Behind Every Milestone

30:06 Their Stress Is Real Too

33:02 Expectations Are Not Identity

35:10 Don’t Get Over It, Get Into It

36:08 No Room for Ego in Parenting

38:42 Raising Daughters Without My Mom

40:18 Happiness, Joy, and Knowing Who You Are

42:31 Tools for Their Toolbox

Misconceptions & Motherhood: Identity is the Name of the Game | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 5 Oct 21, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about motherhood, identity, and the misconception that being a good mom means losing yourself.

I’m sharing a very Amanda story about dating Blake, E. coli, stool samples, and the first time he told me he loved me, and somehow, yes, it connects back to motherhood.

This one is about the slow ways we hand over pieces of ourselves, the mom guilt that makes self care feel selfish, and why being yourself is part of being a good mom.

Not a rulebook, just a long voicemail between friends who are doing our best.

00:00 Welcome Back and the New Tagline

00:41 Taco Bell Crunchwrap News

03:23 The Misconception of Motherhood

05:15 The Story Before Blake Said I Love You

07:02 E. Coli, LAX, and Bathroom Routes

10:18 The Stool Sample Situation

13:50 When Blake Said I Love You

14:46 What Love Makes Us Willing to Do

16:28 Why Moms Feel Lost

18:13 When Motherhood Starts Taking Over

19:08 The Slow Handing Over of Identity

20:26 People Have So Many Facets

21:28 You Are Not Just Mom

22:19 Talking to Kids Like People

25:19 Creating Space for Amanda Too

27:06 Taking Down the Motherhood Misconception

29:32 Motherhood Is Not the Only Thing I Am

33:19 The Buffet of Who You Are

35:00 Being a Good Mom and Being Yourself

Mom Shaming - We're all Just Crabs in a Bucket | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 4 Oct 14, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about mom shaming, judgment, and why insecurity can make us act like crabs in a bucket.

I’m sharing the Target parking lot diaper story, the birth plan comment I never forgot, and the way motherhood can bring out comparison around epidurals, breastfeeding, formula, screen time, sugar, tantrums, and all the tiny choices people suddenly have opinions about.

This is me learning out loud about empathy, insecurity, and choosing not to tear down another mom who is also doing her best.

00:00 Happy Wednesday and Leopard Energy

01:23 The Topic: Mom Shaming

03:33 Not a Rulebook, Just My Journey

04:14 What Mom Shaming Really Is

05:02 The Target Parking Lot Diaper Story

06:32 Mom Shaming and Insecurity

07:02 Crabs in a Bucket

08:56 Women Empowerment and Tearing Down

10:20 Mom Humor and Fear Around Motherhood

11:21 The Hot Button Parenting Topics

13:16 The Birth Plan Comment I Never Forgot

18:02 Breastfeeding, Formula, and Guilt

20:29 Why Moms Need to Do Better

23:07 Shaming People Who Do Not Want Kids

25:34 How Judgment Divides Us

29:22 Seeing the Person, Not Just the Mom

32:23 Raising Daughters With Empathy

34:34 Lead With Empathy, Not Insecurity

The Voice Inside Your Head: The Greyhound & The Bully | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 3 Oct 07, 2020

Grab your coffee, your Coke, your kombucha, or in my case today, maybe a butter croissant, because y’all, we need to talk about the inner voice we give our kids.

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about parenting, self talk, emotional regulation, and the way our tiny humans start building their inner dialogue way earlier than we sometimes realize.

This one started with a moment I still think about. I was on the phone with a friend, talking about being tired after Corey was born, and London heard it in a way I never intended. She thought I was tired because of her. And that moment made me stop and think about what our kids hear, what they absorb, and what starts becoming the voice in their own little minds.

I’m sharing stories about bento boxes, school lunch panic, spicy kids, labels like strong willed, the fake bunny we keep chasing, and why “I can’t” is something I try to help my girls reframe into “I need help.”

This is not a rulebook. It’s just me learning out loud about motherhood, self talk, parenting tiny people, and teaching our kids not to become their own biggest bully.

If no one has told you lately, you are loved, you are worthy, you are needed, and you do not have to tear yourself down to grow.

Send this to someone who needs a kinder voice in their head today.

Identity After Kids: The Caterpillar or the Butterfly | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 2 Sep 30, 2020

In this episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m talking about motherhood, identity, and the fear that you somehow lose yourself after having kids. After my third baby, I felt underwater, overwhelmed, and unsure which way was up. But over time, I started wondering if motherhood was not erasing me, but growing me.

This is not expert advice. It’s just me learning out loud about tiny people, personal growth, marriage, friendship, and the messy, beautiful way kids add color to who we already are.

If you’ve felt lost in the middle of becoming, this one is for you.

00:00 Welcome Back to After Hours With Amanda

01:05 My Delilah Radio Voice Moment

01:34 McDonald’s Coke and the Disclaimer

02:18 Fly by the Seat of My Pants

03:04 Identity, Motherhood, and Change

04:15 When My Third Baby Rocked My World

05:28 Feeling Underwater

06:39 Finding Which Way Is Up

07:05 Motherhood as Rebirth

08:28 You Are Still Growing

09:16 Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly

10:02 Marriage Changes You Too

11:19 Your Cup Is Refillable

12:12 Kids Don’t Cancel You Out

14:34 Kids Make Us More Intentional

16:33 The Ten More Minutes at Bedtime

19:37 Kids Add Color to Your Life

21:15 Kids Expose Our Selfishness

23:08 Becoming Someone’s Everyday Hero

26:40 There Is a Season for Everything

29:34 Parenting and the Tower of Terror

31:46 One Small Thing a Day

Where do we begin? | After Hours With Amanda Season 1 - Ep. 1 Sep 24, 2020

In this first episode of After Hours With Amanda, I’m sharing the heart behind the podcast: parenting tiny humans with empathy, humor, curiosity, and a lot of “we are doing our best” energy.

I talk about why I started the show, how motherhood shifted the way I see kids, and why my parenting style is less about a label and more about humanizing children.

This is not expert advice. It’s lived experience from a mom learning out loud about big feelings, giving kids a voice, and becoming the kind of parent who repairs, reflects, and keeps trying.

00:00 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda

02:42 Recording From the Closet

03:39 Meet Amanda’s Tiny Humans

04:02 No Parenting Books Prepared Me

06:02 Bringing Home a Real Baby

07:00 I Wasn’t Always This Parent

09:02 The Night Everything Shifted

11:06 Learning From Daniel Tiger

12:32 Realizing Something Had to Change

14:27 Humanizing Kids

16:04 Giving Kids a Voice

17:13 The Starbucks Bagel Story