I have 4 kids. I homeschool. I'm 9 months postpartum. And for the longest time, I felt like I was drowning every single day.

The laundry pile had its own zip code. I never knew what was for dinner. Taking my kids anywhere by myself felt impossible. Every day felt like starting from scratch.

Then I started building small, repeatable systems—and everything shifted.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact systems I use to manage my home. These aren't fancy. They're not Pinterest-perfect. But they work.

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In this episode, I share:

• What I expected postpartum to be like vs. what actually happened
• The symptoms I dismissed 
• The turning point when I finally got answers
• What I did to start getting help
• Practical steps you can take TODAY if this sounds like you

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We're identical twins. We were raised in the same house, by the same parents, with the same rules. But now that we're both moms? We parent completely differently.

In this episode, we sit down to compare how we handle the biggest parenting topics—no judgment, just honest conversation about what works in our own homes.

Motherhood amplifies your personality. We grew up identically, but we turned into completely different moms—and we think that's proof that there's no universal "right" way to parent.

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I never thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom.

Then I had 4 kids in 5 years. I worked from home while juggling toddlers with no childcare. My husband and I would pass the kids back and forth between meetings. By dinner time, I was mentally depleted. By the weekend, I was playing catch-up. And one day, my blood pressure was so high I ended up in the hospital.

The doctors said it was stress and sleep deprivation. And I knew—something had to change.

In this episode, I share:

• What my life actually looked like as a working mom with no help—the chaos, the exhaustion, the second shift
• The moment I knew I couldn't keep going (and the health scare that made it real)
• How my husband and I made the decision to go from two incomes to one
• The financial reality: what we cut, what we kept, and how we prepared
• The shame and judgment I faced—including from my own mom, who asked "Why would you do that?"
• Why I struggle to answer "What do you do?" and the identity crisis of becoming "just a homemaker"
• The internal shame of feeling like I had to prove my worth without a paycheck
• What surprised me most about being a stay-at-home mom—the loneliness, the monotony, AND the unexpected peace
• How my relationship with my husband shifted (and the resentment I've had to work through)
• Why leaving my career didn't mean leaving my dreams—it created space for new ones

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Today I have my husband Mike on the podcast—and we're going there.

We've been married almost 9 years. We have 4 kids ages 6, 4, 2, and 6 months. We've had no family help for 6 years. And there have been seasons where we almost lost each other in the chaos of parenthood.

This is the conversation most couples are too afraid to have out loud.

What we cover:

• What our marriage was like before kids
• The hardest season of our marriage
• Feeling alone—and how loneliness shows up differently for each of us
• How resentment crept in
• The invisible mental load
• How intimacy changed after 4 kids
• What actually helped
• The biggest mindset shift
• What we're still figuring out

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I was deep in motherhood. Doing all the things. But I didn't recognize myself anymore.

I lost my passions. My hobbies. My identity outside of being a mom. And somewhere in the chaos of diapers, feedings, and sleep deprivation, I started believing a lie—that this wasn't my season. That good moms put their dreams on hold. That my time would come later.

But my dreams wouldn't let me rest.

In this episode, I'm getting honest about what it actually looks like to build something while raising four kids under six. I have a seven-month-old. I homeschool. I have no time. And I started a podcast anyway.

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Going back to work after baby broke my sister. And then she did it again.

Sarah has spent over 10 years in corporate finance at companies like Nestle and Meta. She's a mom of two under four. And she's returned to work after maternity leave twice—once with six months off, and once just seven weeks postpartum.

In this episode, she's pulling back the curtain on what it's really like to be a working mom. The stuff no one warns you about.

We get into:

• The moment she returned to work and couldn't do a simple Excel function—mom brain shattered her confidence
• The guilt of being pulled between career and motherhood and never feeling fully present at either
• How her marriage changed after kids—"What time does my husband get?"
• Why her corporate ambitions completely shifted—from wanting to be CFO to questioning everything
• The chaotic reality of sick kids, daycare closures, and having to call out on her third day at a new job
• The year she almost broke—"I was one sickness away from needing to be institutionalized"
• What actually helped: systems, routines, outsourcing, and learning to ask for help
• How going back to work unexpectedly helped her find herself again

Sarah's advice for moms about to return to work:

• Put a plan in place—childcare, backup care, financial planning
• Set expectations with your employer early—ask for flexibility
• Build your village before you need it
• Take a pulse check on your mental health—don't ignore the warning signs
• Even if you don't want to do it, do it anyway—your future self will thank you

If you're about to walk this road, in the middle of it, or just need to feel seen—this one's for you.

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We prepare for nine months. We read the books, take the classes, wash the tiny clothes. But almost no one prepares us for what happens to us after the baby arrives.

I'm Deborah, mom of 4, and I'm currently five months postpartum. I've done this four times now—and each time has broken me in new ways and rebuilt me in others.

In this episode, I'm going somewhere most people avoid: the real postpartum experience. Not the Instagram version. The actual truth.

What we cover:

• The physical reality: bathroom survival kits, bleeding that lasts weeks, hair falling out, and why "bounce back" culture needs to end
• The mental and emotional truth: baby blues vs. postpartum depression, intrusive thoughts, identity crisis, resentment, and the loneliness of never being alone
• Postpartum rage: what it is, why it happens, and why we don't talk about it
• What it does to your marriage, friendships, and family relationships
• What actually helped me: practical strategies that got me through the hardest days
• What I wish someone had told me from the beginning

If you're in the thick of postpartum right now, I see you. You're doing harder work than anyone gives you credit for.

After birth pains tincture: Afterease 

DM me on Instagram at @themomdept.co and tell me what you wish someone had told you about postpartum.

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No one warned me motherhood would feel this lonely—even with 4 kids and a full life.

I'm Deborah, and in this first episode of The Mom Dept, I'm pulling back the curtain on my journey into motherhood. From the party girl who just wanted to have a good time, to a mom of 4 who found herself scrolling motherhood apps looking for community at 2am.

Motherhood isn't one job—it's like running an entire company. There's the marriage department, the career department, the postpartum department, and the home economics department. And I created this podcast because I was tired of pretending I had it all figured out.

In this episode:

• Who I was before kids and what I thought motherhood would be
• The reality check that hit hard—sacrifice, loneliness, and losing myself
• The gap I noticed in motherhood content (and why I'm filling it)
• What's coming on The Mom Dept—career, marriage, birth stories, grief, and the hard stuff no one warns you about

If you're stuck between curated perfection and chaotic mess—if you just want real—this is your space.

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