Mama Merit Badge

About Mama Merit Badge

Yapping at the intersection of motherhood and ambition. A podcast for moms doing their best (and sometimes their worst) while juggling kids, careers, businesses, and the chaos of family life. Hosts Samantha and Krista—two black SUV moms from Southern Ontario—hand out imaginary badges for the messy, hilarious, and wildly human moments of modern motherhood. Expect real talk, zero judgment, and the occasional snack hidden in the pantry. New episodes every Wednesday.

Publisher

Krista Olynyk and Samantha MacKinnon

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

13 Apr 2025

Latest episode

11 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

42 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Mar 2026

   It Was The End of An Era

   In this final episode, Krista and Samantha do what they’ve always done best: start with the practical and end up somewhere much deeper. What begins as a conversation about AI meal planning, family routines, and the eternal chaos of figuring out what everyone will eat turns into a thoughtful reflection on capacity, health, creative energy, and the very real relief that can come with ending something before it burns you out. They talk honestly about what this podcast has meant to them over the past year — the conversations that mattered, the heaviness they got to name out loud, the joy of having a space to think in real time, and the reality that this season has come to a close. There’s no dramatic implosion here. No big failure. Just two women making a clear-eyed decision about what fits, what doesn’t, and what it looks like to pivot with intention instead of waiting until everything falls apart. It’s a fitting goodbye: thoughtful, funny, self-aware, and deeply Mama Merit Badge. A conversation about endings, yes — but also about discernment, timing, and trusting yourself enough to know when something has done its job. Takeaways & Merit Badges Earned: 🤖 AI can absolutely help with family systems — but only if you’re willing to be told what’s for dinner. 🍽️ Meal planning is never just meal planning when kids, preferences, and mental load are involved. 🧠 Thinking time is real work, even when it looks like “doing nothing.” 💪 Health, energy, and capacity have to be part of the equation — not an afterthought. 🎙️ Not everything ends because it failed. Sometimes the season is just complete. 🔄 Pivoting early is often wiser than waiting until you resent the thing entirely. 🫶 Creative work can be meaningful and still no longer fit your life. 📆 The routines that support you in one season might start to chafe in the next. ✨ Discernment is a skill — and this episode is proof of it. 🌱 Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to begin. 💌 This may be our final episode, but it doesn’t have to be goodbye. Go back and revisit past episodes if there’s one you loved, one you missed, or one you need in a new season. ⭐️ If Mama Merit Badge meant something to you, share this episode with a friend, revisit an old favourite, or leave a review. We’d love for this little corner of the internet to keep echoing a while longer.

2. 

   4 Mar 2026

   X Games Mode, Million-Dollar Goals & Being So For Real with Sara Joelle

   This week, Krista and Samantha sit down with Sara Joelle — copywriter, Substack-er, Spokesperson of the Squirrels, single mom, and self-declared audacious human — for a conversation that moves from grief to million-dollar goals. Sara talks openly about parenting with ADHD (“X Games mode” is how she describes it), building a multi-six-figure business as a single mom, and showing up online without sanding down her personality to be more marketable. She shares what it actually costs to play it safe in your messaging — and why shrinking yourself is often far more expensive than being bold. We're getting into ambition without apology, confidence built through action (not waiting until you “feel ready”), and the radical honesty required to show up as yourself — even when that self is loud, tired, grieving, ambitious, and wildly determined all at once. This episode is sharp, funny, unfiltered, and deeply grounding. If you’ve ever thought, “Be so for real right now” about your own potential, this one will land. Takeaways & Merit Badges Earned: 🛹 Parenting in “X Games mode” requires systems, humour, and a strong nervous system. 💰 Saying “I want to earn a million dollars in one year” isn’t delusional — it’s clarity. 📣 Playing small in your branding is often more expensive than being polarizing. 🔥 Confidence is built by doing the thing before you feel ready. 🧠 ADHD isn’t a flaw — it’s a management strategy waiting to be refined. 🎯 Being specific and bold in your messaging attracts the right people faster. 👩👧 Building a business as a single mom requires precision with time and energy. 🚫 There is no trophy for being palatable. ✨ Audacity is a choice — and it compounds. Connect with Sara: If this conversation lit a fire under you — go follow Sara and soak up more of her bold, no-BS takes on business and ambition. 🌐 Website: https://www.betweenthelinescopy.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btlcopy/ Resources: Between the Lines Copywriting (https://betweenthelinescopy.com/) The Squirlie (Sara's Substack) (https://bysarajoelle.substack.com/) Toggl Time Tracker (https://toggl.com/track/) Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (Book) (https://www.amazon.ca/Be-Ready-When-Luck-Happens/dp/0593799895) The Correspondent (Book) (https://www.amazon.ca/Correspondent-Novel-Virginia-Evans/dp/0593798430/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TX4VL7I9MAK6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3ErrXJBoBoHtPRExKVtj5t6W0iz4HUmxPP_BDYi_5GxlbOvmqRMSP6a6vvuZvYXRTAEQXtsjSKU7PHMmKnPRrjQy7nd0q9WmC-V6-n0o9mlUg6I9-NUaEnq9nUewj1WurCCU6Tph04eq9jlxXM683IVwiyQwgI-KAGJkmC6w8_bfdUfC-XmK8X0VhDRUZCwinL2hVO67uysQClfIP8nLPNYxOx1SGsmJdaL02UGdvg5ns24G5oPN5b_0Hj-ktNCTRLnsMwwyPiWIxVvazQT88tsIsjO3KwNExO81AyJi7UU.07_P6aTk98lTVK5eMq9l0z3slwglI6GBsgd7xBAhDcY&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+correspondent&qid=1772549731&sprefix=the+corres%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-1) Remarkably Right Creatures (Book) (https://www.amazon.ca/Remarkably-Bright-Creatures-Shelby-Pelt-ebook/dp/B09BNH4TLW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BFXA2RDDA9PF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KlmWx3Mx4MGkk4H0KE9SYpVUYmxmbso5pj4G1JkYS5ekUFIeI9bpQFyJCvO9-ZGXLYJkLoyeupEFNkN0ndz1bw.NgES2NUz2a5VYbJisRUumdIO31Fkf1AgMlWE9-PPpHQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=remarkably+bright+creatures+kindle&qid=1772549707&sprefix=remarkably%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-1) 💌 Follow us on Instagram: @MamaMeritBadge ⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a review or share it with a friend who refuses to play small — even on the hard days.

3. 

   18 Feb 2026

   Stepparenting, Grief & Letting Go of the Script with Sophia Apostol

   This week, we're sitting down with Sophia Apostol — coach, educator, and body liberation advocate — for a deeply honest conversation about stepparenting and the realities of building a family that doesn’t follow the script. Sophia shares her experience navigating blended family dynamics, co-parenting complexities, and the emotional weight of grieving the family structure she once imagined. They explore the concept of loyalty binds, the invisible tension children can carry, and the delicate balance of showing up with love while letting go of control. It’s a conversation that doesn’t simplify stepparenting into a redemption arc — it honours the ambiguity, the ache, and the growth. Alongside the family dynamics, they talk about ambition, work-life balance, body liberation, and the importance of safe spaces — both at home and in the world. Sophia reflects on how her professional work informs her parenting, why sleep is non-negotiable, and how joy (sometimes in the form of TV shows and choir) becomes a lifeline during harder seasons. It’s thoughtful, layered, and quietly brave. Takeaways & Merit Badges Earned 💔 Grieving the family you imagined doesn’t mean you don’t love the one you have. 🧠 Loyalty binds are real — and kids often carry more emotional tension than we see. 🗣️ Communication in blended families is ongoing, not a one-time breakthrough. 🪞 Stepparenting can surface your deepest control issues and growth edges. 😴 Sleep is foundational — everything feels harder without it. 📺 Sometimes coping looks like loving your shows and taking a mental break. ⚖️ Ambition doesn’t disappear in family life — it just needs different boundaries. 🤍 Safe spaces matter, whether in parenting or body liberation work. 🌿 Letting go of the script can be both painful and freeing. If Sophia’s perspective resonated, you can learn more about her work at sophiaapostol.com (https://sophiaapostol.com/) and follow her writing and offerings through Fat Joy (https://www.fatjoy.life/). She’s currently enrolling for Creation Lab (https://www.fatjoy.life/creation-lab) — a space for creative exploration and personal growth — and registration closes February 20, 2026. And as always — 💌 Follow us on Instagram: @MamaMeritBadge (https://www.instagram.com/mamameritbadge/) ⭐ If this episode felt meaningful or validating, sharing it with a friend or leaving a review helps more women find conversations like this.

Who has been a guest on Mama Merit Badge

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Britt Holmes
• Puja Malhotra
• Luz Perez Brown
• Janelle Nelissen
• Maddy Aucoin

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

90

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Mama Merit Badge

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Mama Merit Badge