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Whoops! We forgot we recorded a whole intro to Season 3 of the podcast. Ha! So, you get this bonus intro episode where we catch up on life: moving, remodeling, health, all the things. It’s a little out of date, but we always have a blast catching up. Enjoy, mamas!

Kara and Nicole LOVE to talk birth stories, and this was the ultimate guest for just that topic of conversation. Josephine Cawthon is a mom to seven and a doula of 21 years. She has been a part of 1,400 births throughout her career and is currently a part of the SA Birth Blessings team in San Antonio, Texas. Nicole, Kara and Josephine discuss how Josephine was led into birth education and support, and the benefits of a doula not only for the birth but also postpartum. If you’ve had babies or are still in the season of having babies, this is a great episode for you!

Alaena Haber is a mama to two, OT/L (Occupational Therapist) and one of our favorite people to follow over on the ‘gram. She is genuine and passionate about women’s health and non-toxic living. She’s a cookbook author, cookie mix maker and Beautycounter boss. Alaena, Kara and Nicole talk about everything from parasite cleanses to Hashimoto’s thyroid disease to conscious parenting. This conversation is a must for anyone with a chronic illness who could use some encouragement from someone who has been able to achieve great health success with diet and lifestyle. Alaena also reminds us chronic illness warriors that sometimes this stuff is “two steps forward and one step back.”

Dr. Ashtiani owns Essence Chiropractic & Wellness in San Antonio, Texas. She specializes in prenatal, postpartum and pediatric care and provides services for the whole family. “Chiropractors focus on the structure and condition of the body influences and body functions and its ability to heal itself. The mind-body relationship is instrumental in maintaining health and in the healing processes.” Dr. Shabby and Nicole discuss the benefits of chiropractic care, freeing your home of environmental toxins and how important it is to take care of mom. They discuss wellness as a whole and how we can work towards wellness even in today’s fast-paced world.

Kate Oseen is a mom to two, former owner of an ethical children’s clothing company and digital marketing guru. She is a powerful advocate for prevention and awareness of human trafficking. Kate uses her social media platform to share trafficking facts as well as resources for those being trafficked and ways we can do work to help end modern day slavery. Kate and Nicole discuss how we consume media and headlines and ways we can get involved to help raise awareness and work to prevent this ever-growing and heartbreaking industry.

The time has come to wrap up not only the Quarantine Diaries series but also Season 2 of the Simply Whole Moms Podcast! We can’t believe it’s already been a whole second season of podcast fun. Today’s episode features an intro from Kara & Nicole, highlighting some of their most memorable episodes of this season, and their special guest is another mom in the medical field. Gillian Crow, PA-C is a Physician Assistant, practicing in Emergency Medicine. She also works part time in the Burn and Wound Care specialties. Gillian and Nicole talk about how quarantine has impacted not only her professional life but also her personal life. We cover the changes in work and family schedules, and Gillian shares what has been encouraging to her during this pandemic.

Alaina is a single mom to three beautiful girls (two of them are twins!), a writer, a speaker, a wellness advocate and an overall encourager of all the moms. I tune in to Alaina’s IG stories daily because she’s always there with a bright smile and something to say to put a pep in my step. She did NOT disappoint during our conversation together. We talk about life as a single mom during quarantine, her journey to where she is today and how God continues to work in her life. Today’s episode is a pure delight because of Alaina. Tune in and share with a friend who needs a smile today.

Kara is joined by Licensed Professional Counselor, Esmeralda Cardenas, who is the owner of Pillars of Life Counseling. Esmeralda’s goal is to “support you and provide a safe space where you can discuss parenthood openly and heal from wounds that pregnancy, birth, postpartum or other parenthood transitions has opened.” Kara and Esmeralda discuss how this quarantine is affecting families and offers insight into loss and grief and how we can implement coping mechanisms to help during this time. This is beautiful and encouraging episode.

Join Kara and Nicole as they chat with Heather Brown from My Life Well Loved. Heather is mama to two little boys and the beauty and brains behind My Life Well Loved , which is a place where you can find fitness, fashion, mom hacks, wellness tips and fun for moms! She has created a beautiful online community where her goal is to “affirm women to embrace the balance, get their sweat on, enjoy a glass of wine and savor the little things.” We cover quarantine, the Enneagram and mom life with some laughs and a dose of honesty.

The Quarantine Diaries series is rolling right along, and we’ve got a new kind of special guest this week. This is our first male guest on the podcast, and we were thrilled to have him on. We really wanted to dive into the topic of fear and faith as we all try to navigate this unprecedented time. So much info is throw at us via the media and social media, we wanted to take some time to stop, wrestle and discuss faith and fear. Join us as we talk with Rev. Dr. Darrell Smith. He is a teacher, writer, and an aspiring integral theologian who has served in the Alamo Heights United Methodist family of churches since 1999.

It’s time for another episode in our Quarantine Diaries series, and this was a special interview with an old high school classmate of Kara and Nicole. Kara chats with Alyssa Jordan, wife to AJ, mama to Brodie and who also happens to be 9 months pregnant in the middle of a pandemic. Kara and Alyssa discuss how the shelter-in-place orders and the Coronavirus have impacted the end of her pregnancy and what that means for birth plans. Alyssa is encouraging, honest and ray of sunshine. Tune in and share with a friend!

It was a pleasure to hear from our friend, Kristin, about her current experience working in the medical field during quarantine. Kristin Navarro is mom two boys, wife to AJ and also a BSN, RNC-Nic at one of San Antonio’s biggest hospitals. Quarantine is keeping her boys home from school, but she’s still heading into work in the NICU, caring for babies and families. We chat about how her time in the NICU has already introduced her to the idea of “anticipatory grief”, as well as how protocols have changed at work and how it’s going with the boys at home. They’re juggling schooling at home as well as finding time for fun bikes rides together. Tune in to hear Kristin’s point of view, and share with a friend!

Well, the Quarantine Diaries series continues with a perspective we had to share, a mom with kids home full time who is also working full time. Aleigh Sanchez is a Senior Manager of Customer Insights at HEB - which if you’re not from South Texas, is the end all be all of all grocery stores on the planet. It’s legit, guys. Aleigh is also VERY legit in her job. She conducts market research to really understand why customers do what they do and connect customers to their store experience at HEB. Not only is she an amazing mom to three boys and doing a kick-booty job at HEB, Aleigh is a personal friend of ours. We love watching how she mothers like a boss and also works like a boss, particularly during this unique season of quarantine. Share with a working mama friend who needs some encouragement today!

We’ve all got lots of time at home, but how much of it are we able to spend taking care of ourselves for a couple of minutes? We know it’s not easy for everyone and our suggestions may not be your cup of tea, but we want to encourage you to find something small that helps you feel like you’re taking care of you right now. We don’t love throwing around the term “self care”, rather we are on board with you finding something you love to care of yourself! This episode features two conversations: one with Kara and Nicole and another with Nicole and MJ, a yoga teacher and certified meditation guide. MJ also provided a guided Yoga Nidra meditation at the end of this episode to offer you a spot of solitude in your day. You can find it around the 50 minute mark.

The subtitle of this book says it all: “One Type A Mama’s Journey Learning to Laugh and Let Go” . We had the pleasure of chatting with mama to 4, journalist and author, Christie Cuthbert. Her book, “Mom! I Farted In Church”, released this past January and has been making moms laugh and feel encouraged all at the same time for months. Tune in to hear Christie, Kara and Nicole discuss motherhood - the ups, the downs and all the laughs.

Everything feels a little bit crazy right now, doesn’t it? We still have so many thoughts, feelings and opinions we want to put into words, but for now, we’ve plugged in our microphones, figured out a Zoom call and recorded a convo with each other (and all the kiddos) to briefly touch on current events AKA an actual pandemic. That was an epic run on sentence. There are mic bumps, kiddo input, stomping footsteps and door slams all rolled up into this episode. It feels appropriate because this is life currently, rolling with the punches and figuring it out as we go. Tune in, share with a friend and do something for yourself today!

Kristen Jenson is the author of the best-selling book series Good Pictures, Bad Pictures, both #1 sellers on Amazon. Kristen is also the founder of Protect Young Minds - an organization working to “empower parents, professionals and community leaders to protect young kids from pornography, and promote healing from any sexual exploitation.” Kara and Nicole chat with Kristen about her books and about the importance of discussing good pictures and bad pictures with your child in today’s day of prevalent technology. The goal of the conversation is not to provoke fear rather encourage and equip parents to help their children as they navigate technology.

Kayla is running a not for profit here in San Antonio. For Her is focusing on fostering dignity & growing equity for women at risk, especially those who have been sexually exploited. Mommas the heart she has to do this work well shows in this podcast. You will leave feeling encouraged that what you are doing at your home matters. Tune in to hear the way the Lord has showed up in her life and her business.

Hey, friends! Join us as we sit down with health updates for the both of us. Nicole gives us what’s been happening as she deals with Wegener’s, and Kara shares her most recent developments in her journey with Stargardt's. If you or someone you know is working through a chronic illness, reach out to us and we’d love to help encourage you! See the show notes for links to our full health stories.

Join Kara and Nicole as they chat with Ashley Abercrombie about her new book, Rise of the Truth Teller. Ashley is an author, speaker, pastor, wife, and mama - she is a bright light that seeks justice and wants to encourage us all to step into honesty and truth telling. This conversation covers all the things from motherhood to women’s role in the church - you don’t want to miss this episode!