We love our kids. We love being moms. But sometimes motherhood is also a whole lot of chaos, and being able to laugh about it with someone who gets it can make all the difference.

In this episode of The Mama Healing Hub Podcast, hosts Carrie and Alyssa sit down with Mads and Rach, the hilarious sister-in-law duo, content creators, and authors behind Pure Bliss, an illustrated humour book for parents that captures the messy, funny, exhausting, and beautiful realities of raising kids.

From toddler meltdowns and sibling fights to the pressure to make motherhood look picture-perfect, this conversation is a refreshing reminder that loving motherhood doesn't mean loving every moment of it.

Mads and Rach share how a family inside joke turned into a published book, why they started creating relatable parenting content, and how humour and honest conversations can help moms feel more connected and less alone in their experiences.

If you've ever hidden away for five minutes of peace, laughed with a friend about something your kids did, or wondered whether anyone else's house looks like yours, this episode is for you.

• How Mads and Rach turned the everyday chaos of raising kids into their book, Pure Bliss

• The funny, messy, and sometimes ridiculous realities of motherhood

• Why loving your children and finding parenting exhausting can both be true

• How humour helps moms connect through shared experiences

• The pressure of picture-perfect parenting and unrealistic expectations on social media

• Finding confidence to show up authentically online

• Why mom friendships and community make such a difference

• Letting go of Pinterest-perfect childhoods and embracing simpler moments

• Hilarious toddler meltdowns, parenting opinions, and the little things that help moms get through the day

Mads and Rach are sister-in-laws, friends, moms of four kids between them, and unapologetic oversharers.

They're the creators behind Pure Bliss, a hilarious illustrated book for adults navigating the beautiful, exhausting, and often ridiculous experience of parenthood.

Their mission is simple: make moms laugh, help them feel seen, and remind them that nobody has motherhood completely figured out.

Through their book, podcast, and relatable parenting content, they're creating space for real conversations about motherhood, where the messy moments are just as welcome as the beautiful ones.

Connect with Mads & Rach:

Instagram: @pureblissbook

Get Your Copy of Pure Bliss:

Shop Pure Bliss at Indigo

Shop Pure Bliss on Amazon Canada

The Mama Healing Hub is a virtual, therapist-led community for mothers who want more connection, clarity, self-trust, and space to grow through every season of motherhood.

From meaningful conversations and therapist-led support to practical resources and opportunities to connect with other moms, we're creating a space where you don't have to figure everything out on your own.

Join our community: www.themamahealinghub.com

Follow us on Instagram: @themamahealinghubinc

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to follow The Mama Healing Hub Podcast, leave us a rating or review, and share this conversation with another mom who could use a good laugh and a reminder that she's in good company.

What happens when your child is having big feelings, and you’re feeling activated too?

Many parents have heard that they need to be calm before they can help a dysregulated child. But remaining completely calm in the middle of screaming, sibling conflict, sensory overload, or a public meltdown isn’t always realistic. You and your child are two nervous systems affecting one another, and becoming activated doesn’t mean you’re failing.

In this episode of the Mama Healing Hub Podcast, Carrie is joined by certified play therapist Kristi Forbes, founder of Courageous Counselling and Play Therapy. Together, they explore child emotional regulation, parental dysregulation, nervous system support, sensory-seeking behaviour, and how play therapy helps children process emotions through their most natural language: play.

Kristi explains why dysregulation isn’t inherently bad, what may be underneath challenging behaviour, and how parents can support their children without expecting themselves to respond perfectly. She also shares practical, low-cost play and sensory activities that can help children widen their window of tolerance throughout the day.

One of the most important reminders from this episode: your child’s big feelings are not proof that you haven’t taught them the right emotional regulation skills. Dysregulation is part of being human. The goal isn’t to prevent every difficult feeling, it’s to help children learn that they can safely move through those feelings with support.

Learn more about play therapy, parent coaching, and child emotional regulation through Courageous Counselling and Play Therapy.

Follow Kristi on Instagram at @courageous_playtherapy.

Follow us on Instagram at @themamahealinghubinc for honest conversations about motherhood, mental health, emotional wellness, parenting, and personal growth.

Ready for deeper support and connection? Join the Mama Healing Hub; a virtual, therapist-led community where mothers can find clarity, steadiness, meaningful connection, and practical support without being left to figure everything out alone.

Why do some people cry when they're overwhelmed... while others suddenly feel the urge to scrub the kitchen, reorganize a closet, or deep clean the entire house?

If you've ever found yourself stress cleaning and wondered, "Why can't I just sit down and relax?" - this episode is for you.

The truth is, stress cleaning isn't laziness, perfectionism, or simply "liking a clean house." For many people, it's an automatic nervous system response that developed long before adulthood. And once you understand what your body is actually trying to do, everything starts to make a lot more sense.

In this episode, therapists Vanessa and Alyssa unpack the neurobiology behind stress cleaning, why it often shows up during seasons of anxiety and overwhelm, and how your childhood experiences may still be shaping the way you cope today.

But here's the part many people miss...Stress cleaning isn't necessarily the problem.

The more important question is what your nervous system is trying to accomplish.

Together, they explore the difference between coping that simply provides temporary relief and coping that actually helps you process what's happening. You'll also walk away with practical, body-based strategies you can begin experimenting with immediately...without forcing yourself to "just calm down."

Whether stress cleaning is your go-to or you've never understood why someone else does it, this conversation will likely change how you view automatic coping responses.

If this conversation helped you understand yourself a little differently, we'd love to keep the conversation going.

💛 Follow us on Instagram at @themamahealinghub for daily conversations about motherhood, mental health, nervous system regulation, and becoming more connected to yourself.

🌿 Looking for more support?

Join The Mama Healing Hub...our therapist-led virtual community where mothers have real conversations, learn practical tools, attend live events, and discover they're not meant to figure motherhood out alone.

👉 Join here: https://www.themamahealinghub.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, & leave a review.