Send a text

Have you ever gone through a season where your child suddenly only wants the other parent?

The “Dad phase.”
The “Mom phase.”
The “Don’t touch me — I want them” phase.

Even when you know it’s developmentally normal… it can still feel personal.

In this episode, I’m sharing a real-life story from last week when Addy went straight into a dad phase after Jason returned from an overnight work trip — and how unexpectedly hard it hit me.

We’re talking about:

• Why kids go through parent preference phases
• The psychology behind attachment and reconnection
• Why children often push away the parent they feel safest with
• What it can trigger in us emotionally
• How to cope when you feel rejected, replaced, or invisible

This episode is honest, vulnerable, and grounded in nervous system awareness — not perfection.

Because motherhood will activate old wounds.
And that doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re human.

If you’re currently in a season where you’re not the “chosen” parent, this one is for you.

This Episode Is For You If:

• Your toddler or young child suddenly prefers the other parent
• You feel hurt when your child pushes you away
• You struggle with identity as the primary caregiver
• You want to understand attachment and nervous system dynamics in motherhood
• You’re navigating postpartum emotional sensitivity

Send us a text

What happens when your child is having big emotions… and you are too?

In this episode of Real Moms Welcome, Jess shares honestly about a weekend marked by anger, guilt, and emotional overwhelm — and the reminder that sometimes, motherhood isn’t about fixing or regulating in the moment. It’s about understanding that emotions rise, peak, and eventually settle again.

Jess talks about how hormonal shifts during the luteal phase can intensify emotional reactions, why it’s normal to lose capacity at times, and how remembering the temporary nature of these states can soften shame. This episode is an invitation to stop judging yourself for hard moments and to trust that even when things feel intense, they will come back down.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• What happens when moms are the ones with big feelings
• How luteal phase hormones can amplify anger, tears, and overwhelm
• The anger → guilt → shame cycle many moms experience
• Why not every hard moment needs to be “worked through”
• Trusting that emotions move, settle, and soften with time
• Remembering you’re a good mom even when you don’t get it right

This Episode Is For You If:

• You feel overwhelmed or emotionally reactive at times
• You judge yourself harshly after hard parenting moments
• You’re craving permission to stop fixing and start trusting the process
• You want reassurance that intense emotions don’t last forever

Gentle Reminder

You are not meant to stay regulated all the time.
Emotions rise. They peak. And they settle again.
You are still a good mom in all of it.

If you never want to miss an episode, join our email list!

Send us a text

In this episode of Real Moms Welcome, Jess and Alanna sit down for a real, unfiltered conversation about motherhood, identity, and what happens when becoming a mom cracks parts of us open we didn’t even know were there.

We talk about the moments when motherhood feels destabilizing — when relationships shift, things get messy, and it feels tempting to believe something must be “wrong” with us. Instead, this conversation gently explores how those moments are often invitations to listen more closely, adjust our support, and come back into relationship with ourselves.

This is not a conversation about fixing yourself. It’s about honoring the season you’re in, trusting yourself, and remembering that you already have access to the awareness and capacity you need to support yourself through motherhood’s transitions.

What We Talk About in This Episode

• How motherhood can crack us open emotionally and relationally
• Identity shifts that happen after becoming a mother
• Why needing support doesn’t mean you’re failing
• Allowing tools and support to change as your life changes
• Letting go of the belief that something is “wrong” with you
• Reconnecting with self-trust during seasons of transition
• What it looks like to come back to yourself, gently

Connect with Alanna

If you felt drawn to Alanna’s words or energy, you can find her here:

• Instagram: @lettersfromlanna
  
  
• Join her letters