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You are in for a TREAT. We are rounding out the holiday season with a real delight. For our final episode of the year, we had the honor and privilege of featuring Darcy Lockman, author of All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership, who shares with us much of the wisdom of her book. You won’t want to miss it! Highlights from this episode include: Katie has lost all meaning of time and space in the graduate-school-pregnancy vortex Contrary to the topic of our interview, we learn that Katie’s husband is taking on alllll the nesting. Katie thinks she’s 30-something-ish weeks along, maybe? She doesn’t know. Lee Ann got a new job and lost half her hair. It’s a thing! Hair loss is everywhere these days. Shout-out to all the women who have gone bald for any reason. Katie and Lee Ann discuss the making of the “holiday magic” and the disproportionate amount of that somehow-magic-happens work that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of moms. The only magic around here is the seamless segue to the interview with Darcy Lockman about her book, All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership. Interview: Y’all. Drop everything and get your copy TODAY. All the Rage puts the data behind gender roles and the consequential inequality in parenthood. How does our patriarchal upbringing affect our parenting and partnering? Lockman argues that despite significant changes in the work force, home life has not shifted as substantially, and women in heterosexual relationships still shoulder about 2/3 of the work of parenting. These women are frustrated and tired. Lockman explores some of the reasons why and what we can hope to do about it (beside moving to Scandinavia). She also discusses the term “intensive mothering," and how it may be linked to cultural anxiety of women’s return to work. GAH! All the Rage was a real eye-opener for us, and so many others. We think you will love it. So read it or listen to it on audiobook, and then share it with your friends… and your partner! Solicited advice: Katie asks about rolling pins. She totally does. Highs and lows: Contrary to our interview topic, one weekend, Katie did all the things and found it wonderful! It is possible! Many thanks to Darcy Lockman for joining us, and to all of you for being a part of Raising Cascadia this year!

Oh hiiiiiiii. It’s been a hot, hot minute (with a wildfire portion) since our last episode. We were coasting on what was left of the summer fumes for a stretch, and now we all find ourselves in the early days of the 2021-2022 school year. With both Katie and Lee Ann sending their little ones off to school this September, we have thoughts. BUT ALSO! Katie has some BIG NEWS that she shares with us this episode, so you won’t want to miss it. Episode 13 is a particularly awesome because it’s Part II of our discussion on gender identity. Last episode, we kicked off the conversation by talking to Anna, a mom navigating parenting her non-binary teen. In this episode, we have the great fortune of speaking to TWO people on this topic, one of whom is Anna’s kid, Sam! But, before we got into that chat, we also connected with our friend Samuel Broaden, an early education professional, who shared with us his insight on gender identity in young children. Highlights below: Katie shares her BIG NEWS! Both of us grumble about having no idea about what we’re doing and what it feels like to enter this totally nutters school year. No anxiety there at all. Katie shares a low for today’s “Highs and Lows” segment. Send us yours by emailing a voice memo to hello@raisingcascadia.com, or just hitting us up on the social @raisingcascadia on all your typical platforms. Interview 1: Samuel Broaden is an early education professional who has a ton of experience with preschool-kindergarten kiddos. His company, Honoring Childhood, and his podcast, Embracing Childhood, explore his education philosophy and topics of interest to parents and education experts. He shares with us how he approaches explorations of gender identity with his students and his experiences in the classroom. He’s a gem! Interview 2: Sam graciously agreed to chat with us after their mom shared her experience parenting a non-binary teen last episode. Now, we get to hear Sam’s perspective on when they decided to come out, how others have supported them, and some of the unexpected experiences encountered along the way. Normally, at this point, we move to our segment called Solicited Advice. However, we agreed that neither of us felt like we were in a headspace to give any advice at all on this particular day. But send us your advice-column-worthy questions by emailing hello@raisingcascadia.com or by shooting us a DM on the social places you love @raisingcascadia. We sign off convinced that all we have to do is move some laundry out of our path. Is that right? We’ll find out next episode! Many thanks to Samuel and Sam for not only coming on to share their perspective with us, but also for endlessly allowing us to call this the Sam-Sam episode. Handy!

Happy Pride Month! Parenting is never easy, and there’s no real template for those raising kids in the LGBTQ+ community. Sometimes, the best resource is hearing directly from others walking the same path. For this episode, we’re delighted to share an interview with the amazing Anna Held, a personal friend and overall rockstar. When her teenager, Sam, came out as non-binary over a year ago, she hit the books, talked to others, and relied on some of her knowledge from previous parenting best support them. She has a lot of wisdom: from how she and her husband created a safe space for gender expression in their home, to the questions she asks herself (and Sam) about when and how to best advocate for them. We’re also thrilled to soon feature a follow-up episode where Sam will share their perspective, as well. In the interview, we discuss: - Who is in Anna's family and why it was important to her and her husband to cultivate an open conversation about gender and sexuality (see recommendations below) - How she responded when Sam first came out to the family over corn on the cob :) - The question of balance; when and how to step in on when others misgender Sam - Generational differences in how much the concept of binary is engrained in our culture and how it is changing - Challenges communicating with individuals or institutions about changing pronouns - The benefits of having non-binary adults who can share their story with Sam - How some struggle when they “can’t understand” or “don’t recognize” gender identity outside the binary Some of the great resources Anna mentioned in the interview, and a few she shared afterward, include: - Jeffrey Marsh on Instagram — "Gender delightful” and non-binary rights advocate, author of How to Be You - Sex Is a Funny Word - Non-gendered book that covers body parts, gender identity, and sexuality - The ABC’s of LGBTQ - Described as “essential reading for questioning teens, teachers, or parents looking for advice, or anyone who wants to learn the language of respect.” - Two books on trauma-informed parenting from Dr. Bruce Perry - The Boy Who Was Raised a Dog and What Happened to You? (with Oprah) Thank you so much to Anna for sharing her perspective. We’d love to hear from other parents who can relate to Anna’s experience. Reach out and let us know your thoughts. We’d also love to share an organization that was not discussed in the interview, but is doing the good work of reaching out to LGBTQ+ youth: The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. If this is a cause that is dear to your heart, we encourage you to donate at www.thetrevorproject.org. OTHER EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: - Katie got into grad school (woo-hoo!) and is ready to fork over her money and soul - Lee Ann’s hair is not behaving and she apparently she wears her pants inside out - NEW SEGMENT! HIGHS + LOWS (or ups and downs) of parenthood — share with us either a high or a low this month for you in the never-ending crazy that is raising humans. Katie kicks it off with a tale of her four-year-old turned fourteen-year-old. Send us a voice recording at hello@raisincascadia.com, or leave us a voice message telling us your story by leaving us a voicemail at 503.893.5608. We may feature you in our next episode. - SOLICITED ADVICE We share our thoughts on the awkward question of travel now that restrictions have eased up. Are you comfortable traveling? Do you have hesitations? We chip in our thoughts and would love to hear yours. Phone lines are always open.

Nobody embarks on the journey of parenthood for its reputation for amazing sleep. Especially in the early years, conversations about sleep - or lack thereof - seem to creep into many interactions. In our previous episode, we talked about ways moms of littles can look into their diet and hormones to address sleep difficulties for themselves; now it’s time we turn our intention towards those little heartthrobs who steal our sleep just because they’re little and parenting is hard. For guidance, we turned to sleep expert Marie-Eve Gagnon, owner of Slumbertime Solutions. She is a certified Gentle Sleep Coach and helps families with kids 0-6 get the sleep everyone (moms! dads! kids!) needs through her consultations, group sessions, and online classes. We were amazed to learn that bedtime should be 20-30 minutes, start to finish. Say whaaaat? Learn about how that happens and more in the episode! Learn more about Marie-Eve Gagnon on the Slumbertime Solutions website, Facebook page, or Instagram account. We also talked about: Katie has nervous feelings about her grad school application (spoiler alert: she recently received the good news!) Katie is not a Kardashian Lee Ann cooks things in ovens— Interview — Marie-Eve shares with us some of the background to what inspired her to start Slumbertime SolutionsWe learn about bedtime stalling - what that looks like (VERY FAMILIAR TERRITORY HERE) and how to redirect it Changing sleep habits should see a difference in a few weeks, in general, according to Marie-Eve We talk about the importance of kids testing boundaries and how to able to respond Marie-Eve gives hope to parents that there are many ways to address sleep, beyond the commonly-known options of cry-it-out or wait-it-out. She says most people fall somewhere in the middle.— / Interview — We introduce a new segment called Solicited Advice, where you can ask us questions and we'll share your question with an answer. Anything is game! Share yours through social media (@raisingcascadia), by phone (503.893.5608), or by email (hello@raisingcascadia.com) Our Solicited Advice request was a discussion about “How do you feel about other people calling you mama?” We are both a little grossed out by companies using the term for advertising. Katie doesn’t like it in general, and Lee Ann hardly registers when friends use it. And we both hate the term Lady Scientist! Love the term “friends” for many reasons. Another new segment! Send us your Ups and Downs of parenthood by telling us a story of something awesome or something less so by sending us a 30-60 second voicemail at the number above, or by shooting us a note through the usual methods!

Spring is here and we’re delighted! Though things are still far from normal, we are back on a somewhat normal track with the release of our 10th EPISODE (!), featuring an interview with the fantastic Dr. Angela Potter. She is a Portland-based naturopath who specializes in supporting postpartum moms. Spoiler alert: “postpartum” isn’t limited to the first six weeks after birth!Dr. Potter has a lot of wisdom to offer, and we think most moms can relate to having many ups and downs after having a baby. From not being prepared for physical recovery, to feeling stress when returning to work, or from struggling with hormonal imbalances, to just peeing oneself too much, Dr. Potter shares some of the common trials and tribulations encountered during the postpartum window — and what naturopathic support looks like. Importantly, Dr. Potter wants moms who are feeling stressed, scared, overwhelmed to know that they are not alone!Find out more about Dr. Potter and book a free health breakthrough session at www.drangelapotter.com. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and check out her videos on YouTube.Outside of our interview with Dr. Potter, we caught up with one another about daily life:- Katie had a grad school interview and officially feels old.- Katie’s daughter will begin a Mandarin immersion program next year, which is great news for her family.- In-person instruction is scheduled to begin in public schools and it’s a confusing time for parents.- Did you know you can bake things with an oven? It’s true! (Lee Ann’s oven finally arrived!)As always, thanks again for listening and we’d love for you to like, subscribe, and share. Tell your neighbors, tell your friends!

Episode notes: Lee Ann falsely stated that Portland Public Schools is doing Limited In-Person Direct Instruction (LIDI) when is is actually called Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI). Apologies. Katie’s fesses up to wanting to talk to a pediatric eating expert for her own reasons. We all acknowledge that you can’t force your children to eat or sleep, both of which are necessary to survival and overall happiness. Dang. Rachel shares with us some of the ways to bring joy back in to eating when trying to get kids to try out new foods. We learn why parents and families might work with a pediatric dietitian - when to reach out and what the experience might look like. Lee Ann celebrates getting a functioning oven, sometime in the (hopefully) not-so-distant future. Check out Rachel’s free guide 4 Steps to Help Your Child Try New Foods available on the Nutrition in Bloom website, or find her on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.While you’re poking around the internet, stop by Katie’s TikTok channel (@roloveandsci) and don’t forget to rate and subscribe to Raising Cascadia wherever you get your podcasts.

Well, this episode was recorded back in…October. Obviously, a lot has happened since then but our banter and interview still seem timely. Today, as always, is a good day to remember that Black Lives Matter and that we should be working together to dismantle systems steeped in white supremacy. Seeing as this episode was recorded pre-2021, pre-holidays, pre-election, there’s some banter regarding the general election that we’ve left in because we think there is still value in it. That being said, we totally get it if you want to skip ahead to the interview. It starts around the 9:15 mark. Also, we encountered a number of technical difficulties while recording, but powered through and made it work. It was an absolute joy to speak with our friend Arianna Bradford about her book: Shame on You: Big Truths from a Bad Mom Arianna also talks with us about: The NYAM (Not Your Average Mom) Project Being VERY visible online Dealing with trolls Her writing and creative process Living in the PNW as a black mom We all agree, not swearing on the podcast is hard (but we do it for the kids). Buy the book here, or pretty much anywhere else that sells, you know, books. And make sure you follow Arianna on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook In addition to our chat with Arianna, we catch up on the happenings in our families: Katie is back working in the lab Everyone was very interested in voting this year (YAY!) Katie grew a single, tiny cob of corn, so congratulations on that Lee Ann’s family added a new member to the Moyer House of Oddities Mail-in and Early voting works! We should do it all the time. (Actually, in OR and WA, we do!) Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to Raising Cascadia AFTER you vote. Maybe not in the general election this time, since we’re a bit late to that party, but ANY AND ALL FUTURE ELECTIONS.

Well, spoiler alert: things are certainly not back to normal yet, so Katie and Lee Ann are still remote recording. In this episode, in addition to catching up on what’s going in their lives, we were able to chat with our friend, Beaverton City Council candidate, and all around inspiration of a woman: Nadia Hasan!

Highlights from the episode include: Both of us are feeling glum about the state of things; no pools, no playdates, no fun. Hard to spin that to something positive. These are trying times, to say the least. FEATURED INTERVIEW: Julie Allen is the Owner and Founder of Mary Rose NW Boutique, a body-positive shop located in Oregon City, as well as the Mary Rose Foundation, a non-profit committed to helping make treatment accessible to those who need it. Donate directly to the organization here Check out their currently-still-happening summer camps online Kate Middleton should never have had to take a photo of herself with her 1-day-old babies for all to see. We would all have murder eyes if someone had asked us to do so. Queer Eye is such a fantastic show, especially uplifting brain candy in the middle of a pandemic, though Tan’s obsession with the French Tuck has mixed reviews. Katie dreams of an NSYNC revival tour where she will wear flare pants and the above-mentioned French Tuck. Katie has to explain yet another cultural reference to her clueless co-host. Here’s an example of the awesome Schitt’s Creek mug.

In this Episode, Katie and Lee catch up from Easter to Mother's Day, Katie tells us about a weird picture with a great backstory, and Lee lets us in on small business ownership and what that's like these days.

In this, another Bonus Episode, Katie talks with representatives from Baby Blues Connection about what postpartum looks like now that quarantine is in effect. Board members Trinity Toft, LCSW, and Dr. Noelle King, ND explain logistics to resources and more.

Katie and Lee Ann banter about what's going on since at their respective houses, since quarantine is still in place. Here's some hints: Tiger King, Fitness, a Juice Cleanse, and Ath-Lounge-wear, just to name a few. Then we talk to Katie's friend Mary about expecting a baby during a global health crisis. She's a good sport, but it does not sound fun.

Anyone could be freaked out by all the changes surrounding a global viral pandemic, and kids are no exception. In this Bonus Episode, Katie talks to therapist Harini Sukumaran about how we can work through our kids' anxieties in a HEALTHY way.

In this episode we talk to Jacqueline Holden, MA, NCC, PMH-C of Holden Counseling and Education, LLC about how to deal with parenting issues between partners now that we're all together all the time.

We are coming at you live from our isolation! We reached out to families in the PNW to tell us how they’re doing during this pandemic, and how they are surviving life at home in quarantine. From Portland to Peru, listen in as a few families share their stories.

In this episode, Katie interviews Kendra Atkins-Boyce, a doula, mom, and overall amazing lady. Both Katie and Kendra went through some intense medical stuff that put them out of commission while trying to parent very young children, and they discuss how difficult it can be to ask for help.Topics include:What the heck just happened?Feelings. We have them. Especially when it comes to ASKING for help when we need it.Relationships when we’re especially vulnerable.Community, Meal train, Checklist, Doulas, and how to manage all the things (or let someone else take care of them for a change)Parenting is Awesome: Katie’s husband is the COOLEST.Ask a Mom: Submit your questions and we will answer them with almost no qualifications to do so! Email (hello@raisingcascadia.com), DM (@raisingcascadia), or even text at 503.893.5608.( If you want your question to be anonymous, please say so in your submission.

In this episode, we meet Katie (a former Cytogenetic and Molecular Technologist turned writer and podcast host), talk genetics, and find out what a gold star means in her house.Topics include:Prenatal Genetics: Carrier Screening, NIPS, Chromosomes.Infectious Diseases: Have you seen Contagion?Commercial Genetics kits and Katie’s risky Father’s Day giftsTwinsCRISPRMixed Match documentary on Bone Marrow Transplants and Genetic DiversityParenting is Awesome: Katie’s Gold Star Story (watch out, there’s poop!)

In this episode, Lee Ann explains the idea behind this new idea for a podcast that we’re calling Raising Cascadia.We’ll feature interviews with experts on different topics of interest for parents of kiddos of all ages living in the Pacific Northwest. Additional recurring segments will include:Parenting is AwesomeAsk a MomWe want to hear from you! Please send us your (kind/constructive) feedback. We’re at hello@raisingcascadia.com or via social media, our handle is @raisingcascadia.Thanks so much and we’re trying our best (just like you)!