The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach

Are you stuck between wanting to guide your teen or college kid and knowing it’s time to start letting go?

Welcome to The Almost Empty Nest Podcast, where moms of teens and college kids reframe what ‘letting go’ really means and stop second-guessing themselves to feel more connected, confident, and at peace in this chapter of motherhood.

Each week, you’ll learn how to:
• Break free from mindset traps like catastrophizing, mom guilt, and the illusion of control
• Build a stronger relationship with your teen—even when they pull away or test boundaries
• Strengthen your self-trust as you set boundaries, let go of anxiety, and explore your own purpose beyond parenting

Hosted by master life coach—and mom of two college kids—Jennifer Collins, this show offers grounded, relatable support and mindset shifts to help you stop overthinking and start showing up as the mom and woman you truly want to be.

🎧 Start with listener favorite Episode 85: The Empty Nest Straddle — The Emotional Tug of Parenting Teens and Facing the Empty Nest.

Latest Episodes:

"I'm Relieved When My Big Kid Isn't Home" —Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 226 Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever felt a sense of relief when your big kid leaves the house, and then felt terrible for feeling that way? In this episode, I explore the thought, “I'm relieved when my kid isn’t home.” If you’ve ever wondered what that thought says about you as a mom, you’re not alone. And you're not a bad mom.

Whether you feel like you’re walking on eggshells, struggling with anxiety about your child’s choices, or feeling the hurt of your kid pulling away, this episode will help you feel seen. I'll discuss the difference between loving your child and taking emotional responsibility for who they are, how they feel, and how their future turns out. I explain why moms so easily slip into overthinking, self-blame, and chronic anxiety, and how this keeps us feeling stuck and exhausted. The relief you crave isn’t found in your teen’s absence, but in learning how to set boundaries and focus on who you choose to be in the relationship.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.

How to Let Go of Control When Parenting Teens without Feeling Like You're Giving Up | Ep. 225 Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

What if the anxiety and exhaustion you feel as a mom right now isn’t a sign that you’re failing—but a sign that you’re carrying more than you were ever meant to? If you’re parenting teens or young adults and stuck in that constant mental loop of when to step in, when to back off, and whether you’re somehow getting this stage wrong, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I unpack why control feels so necessary for us moms and why it’s not a character flaw or a parenting mistake. I explain how control often becomes a coping strategy for fear, responsibility, and uncertainty, and why it stops working as our kids grow and need to figure life out on their own.

You’ll hear a compassionate reframe of letting go—one that doesn’t mean giving up, checking out, or caring less. I walk through tangible, real-life examples of what letting go looks like in everyday moments, from overthinking conversations to checking for reassurance, and how this shift creates more peace for you and more independence for your child.

If you’re a mom who wants to feel calmer, more confident, and more grounded while parenting teens or young adults, this episode will help you see control, letting go, and yourself in a whole new way.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

"My Kid Doesn't Care How I Feel" —Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 224 Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if your teen or adult kid even cares how you feel?

In this episode, I’m sharing a deeply personal story from my own journey of parenting teens. I take you with me on a long, lonely overnight drive home from Chicago with my teenage son. At the time, it looked exactly like what so many moms fear: that all the love, effort, and sacrifice didn't matter. But years later, that same moment resurfaced in a way I never could have predicted.

In this episode, I explore why this stage of parenting teens can feel so heartbreaking, why it’s so easy for moms to personalize our kids’ withdrawal, and how our brains naturally fill in the gaps with painful stories about our worth and our role. I unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface — emotionally and developmentally — and why a lack of appreciation in the moment doesn’t mean your love isn’t landing.

If you’re navigating the empty nest transition, struggling with letting go, or feeling dismissed and invisible in your relationship with your teen or young adult, this conversation will help you feel less alone. You’ll walk away with a new lens for understanding your child’s behavior and an invitation to stay open to connection without chasing it or losing yourself in the process.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

Advice or Boundaries: What to Do When Your Teen Stops Listening | Ep. 223 Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve ever found yourself holding back advice with your teen or big kid—wondering whether to say something or let it go—this episode is for you. Because parenting teens and young adults puts us in a really uncomfortable place. We still have wisdom to share… but far less influence over their choices. And suddenly, advice that used to land now feels like it creates distance and power struggles.
In this episode, I’m going to explore the difference between advice, expectations, and boundaries. You’ll learn how to decide when to speak up, when to step back, and how to show up in a way that protects both your peace and your relationship with your child.

Join me to stop second-guessing yourself and start feeling more grounded and confident in how you show up with your teen or big kid.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

"I Don't Feel Close to My Big Kid Anymore" —Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 222 Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

I don’t feel close to my kid anymore.

If you’ve ever had that thought while parenting teens or navigating the empty nest, this episode is for you. I’m talking honestly about what it feels like when the relationship with your big kid changes—when they share less, pull away, or seem like they don’t need you in the same way they used to. This isn’t a sign you’re failing. It’s a painful and very human part of letting go.

In this episode, I explore why this kind of distance hurts so deeply, how disappointment turns into fear, and why we often try to fix the relationship by asking our kids to show up differently. What I’ve learned—through my own experience and my work with moms—is that demanding connection isn’t what restores it. Learning how to sit with our own discomfort, trust the bond we’ve built, and love without pressure is what changes everything. This episode is an invitation to rethink what letting go really means in the parenting teens and empty nest years—and how staying steady inside yourself is often the most powerful way to stay connected.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest—Trap #5: Perfectionism—Letting Go of the Need to Get It Right | Ep. 221 Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever noticed how much mental energy you spend wondering if you’re doing this parenting thing "right"? Maybe you replay conversations in your head, second-guess a boundary you set, or feel that pressure to do just a little more…just in case. That pressure doesn’t come from being overly critical or demanding — it comes from caring deeply. And from the belief that if you can just find the right way to handle things, you’ll finally be able to relax.

Today, I’m continuing the Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest series with a focus on perfectionism. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how the search for the “right” way fuels anxiety, erodes self-trust, and keeps you carrying more than you need to. And we’ll explore what it actually looks like to decide what’s enough — without waiting for your kid or your life to be different first.

This episode will change how you think about effort, responsibility, and what it really means to let go in this stage of motherhood.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

"I'm the Only One Who Cares" —Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 220 Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, I’m the only one who cares — and felt both justified and completely exhausted by it? I hear this from so many moms who are parenting teens or navigating the early empty nest years. You care so much about your kids’ safety, happiness, and future, yet it often feels like you’re the only one paying attention, thinking ahead, or worrying about the consequences. In this episode, I explore how this belief often turns into they don’t care, so I have to — and how that mindset keeps us stuck in anxiety, frustration, and over-responsibility.

If you’re struggling with parenting teens, feeling on edge as your role shifts, or wondering how to practice letting go without giving up, this episode will help you see what’s really driving your reactions — and how to begin showing up in a way that supports your kids and yourself.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

Letting Go as Your Kids Grow Up—Sitting with the Discomfort of Change | Ep. 219 Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

Change is uncomfortable. And if you’re parenting a teen or standing on the edge of the empty nest, you may be feeling that discomfort more than ever.

In this episode, I’m talking about why change feels so hard—even when it’s the change we want—why so many of us try to avoid that discomfort by staying busy, fixing, or just avoiding our pain, and what it actually looks like to sit with that discomfort in a way that brings peace instead of overwhelm.

If this season of motherhood feels harder than you expected—if you’re feeling anxious, uncertain, or unsure how to let go—join me as I talk about what’s really happening underneath that discomfort, and how to face change in a new way.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

"I Don't Know What I Want Anymore" —Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 218 Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

“I don’t know what I want anymore.”

If you’re parenting teens, launching a child into adulthood, or standing on the edge of the empty nest, this thought might feel painfully familiar. It begins to show up in the space that opens as your kids need you less—and event more when the structure of motherhood shifts and you’re left wondering what’s next for you.

In this episode, I’m talking about why so many moms feel disoriented during this stage of motherhood—and why it’s not because you’ve lost yourself or failed to plan ahead. I share a personal story from when my boys were still young, and how the same feeling I experienced then shows up again and again as we move through parenting teens, letting go, and eventually facing the empty nest.

What if the problem isn’t that you don’t know what you want… but that you’ve spent years being needed?

In this episode, I unpack the hidden mindset that keeps so many moms stuck waiting—waiting for the kids to be settled, for the anxiety to ease, for life to feel calm enough to finally focus on themselves. I talk about how this shows up differently when your kids are still at home versus when they’re grown, and why even after they leave, your mind can stay on duty long after your hands are no longer needed.

If you’ve ever told yourself you should be enjoying this phase more.... If you’ve felt restless, resentful, or sad, even though your life looks fine from the outside…If the idea of “finding your purpose” feels overwhelming or out of reach…This episode will help you see yourself with more compassion and clarity.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

When Your Big Kid is Failing to Launch—Why Boundaries Aren't the Real Problem | Ep. 217 Jan 10, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever looked at your child’s life and wondered, what if they never figure it out?

I hear moms use the phrase “my kid is failing to launch” all the time, and I know how much fear is in those words. Because this isn’t really about timelines or independence—it’s about the anxiety that creeps in when your kid seems stuck, and how quickly that fear starts to feel personal. And even if your child is still in college, still at home in high school, or you’re deep in the season of parenting teens, this worry can already be there.

In this episode, I unpack what we really mean when we say a kid is “failing to launch” and why the usual advice about boundaries often leaves moms feeling more frustrated. I talk about the invisible expectations we carry and why trying to manage your child’s motivation only creates more anxiety and resentment. Most importantly, I explore what letting go actually looks like—not letting go of your kid, but letting go of the belief that you should be able to control their timeline.

If you’re a mom raising teens, launching young adults, or standing on the edge of the empty nest wondering if you did enough, this episode will help you come back to what is in your control. You’ll learn how to set boundaries that protect your peace, stop carrying responsibility that was never yours, and show up with more calm and confidence—even when the future feels uncertain.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching with Small Jar? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching program: www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

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