by Mom and Me Podcast
Join us on a raw and unscripted journey to navigate mental health struggles, relationships, and life. There is always hope, and you are not alone. Our voices may shake, and we may spiral with our words, but if our story can help even one person, it will all be worth it.
Language
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Publishing Since
11/3/2025
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February 9, 2026
<p>What if peace isn’t something you find when life finally calms down… but something you practice right in the middle of the mess?</p><p>Hey climbers ❤️ Today’s episode is our season finale, and it honestly feels surreal to even say that. When we started this podcast, we didn’t know if anyone would listen—we just knew we couldn’t keep walking through this story quietly.</p><p>It’s also a big marker moment for us: Ileini is coming up on <strong>three years “clean”</strong> (no hospitalizations), and that doesn’t mean life is perfect—it means we’ve built support systems and coping tools that help keep her out of that darkest hole. There are still hard days. But there’s also hope now… and that’s a mountain we’ve been climbing together.</p><p>And then there’s our guest: <strong>Diana Oestreich</strong>—author, peace activist, Iraq War veteran, and a real-life friend in our community. Diana’s work has been one of those “handhold” moments for me as a parent—like, oh… this is what it looks like to keep choosing love when things are heavy.</p><p>We talk about war and PTSD, yes—but even more, we talk about the kind of war that happens inside a person. The invisible kind. The kind that shows up in parenting, mental health, identity, and the everyday courage it takes to keep showing up anyway.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Themes + Takeaways</strong></p><p><strong>Peace isn’t the absence of conflict—it’s presence in the middle of it.</strong> Not avoiding. Not numbing. Not pretending. Just showing up.</p><p><strong>Healing can’t be only “crisis response.”</strong> We need tools for everything under the red line—the daily “0–10” check-in days where you’re not in danger, but you’re not thriving either.</p><p><strong>Courage rarely feels like courage.</strong> It often feels like fear… and doing the next right thing anyway.</p><p><strong>Violence isn’t only physical.</strong> Words—inside our heads or out loud—can violate dignity too. Peace starts when we stop agreeing with the lies that crush us.</p><p><strong>Support systems change outcomes.</strong> You don’t always know who you’ll meet along the way—until someone becomes the mentor, the friend, the “next handhold.”</p><p><strong>Kids need “clean slate” support.</strong> Not the weight of past failures projected onto the next attempt—because teens are changing fast, and they deserve room to try again.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Our Favorite Quotes</strong></p><p>“Peace isn’t the absence of conflict. It’s showing up in the middle of it.”</p><p>“If bravery is real, it usually feels a lot like fear.”</p><p>“Violence is anything that violates human dignity—by word or by deed.”</p><p>“You don’t have to carry it alone.”</p><p>“Peace is when each one of us has a seat at the table.”</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Chapter Markers</strong></p><p><strong>03:03</strong> Three years without hospitalizations — what “clean” means in our world</p><p><strong>06:17</strong> The line that anchored the whole season: peace in the middle of conflict</p><p><strong>10:35</strong> The “red line” problem: crisis care vs. thriving care</p><p><strong>17:01</strong> Courage, fear, and telling the truth anyway</p><p><strong>29:26</strong> Making violence the enemy (not each other)</p><p><strong>49:58</strong> The summit moment: senior year, new hope, and the next mountain</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Your Turn</strong></p><p>This week’s check-in prompt: <strong>Where in your life are you waiting for things to calm down before you let yourself choose peace—and what would it look like to practice peace right here, right now, in the middle of it?</strong></p><p>MB01TTAC9RUMCLG</p>
January 26, 2026
<p>Sometimes the climb isn’t about getting to the top. Sometimes it’s about noticing who’s beside you—who’s slipping—and choosing, again and again, to reach back and help each other stand.</p><p>In this episode, Mom and I take a breath and zoom out. We’re calling this one <strong>“Helping Each Other Up the Slope”</strong> because it’s kind of a recap… but not in a boring way. More like a “what have we learned so far?” moment—about healing, about family, and about what it looks like to keep showing up when life is messy.</p><p>And I want to say this right away: <strong>this episode is lighter than some of our previous ones</strong>, but it’s still real. We talk about the things that actually move the needle—acceptance, asking for help, advocating for yourself (and others), and finding support systems that help you keep going.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Themes + Takeaways</strong></p><p><strong>Growth isn’t a solo sport.</strong> Healing often looks like connection—letting someone in, letting someone help, and learning how to be there for each other without shame.</p><p><strong>Parents and kids are both still becoming.</strong> Teenagers don’t know what their parents lived through, and parents don’t always know the “right” thing to do—because they’ve never parented this version of you before.</p><p><strong>Coping vs. defense mechanisms.</strong> We talk about the difference between tools that help you adapt and heal… and habits that numb, distract, or keep you stuck (including substance use and doom scrolling).</p><p><strong>Mental pain deserves real urgency.</strong> If a child was physically injured, you wouldn’t say “walk it off.” This episode holds that same seriousness for emotional pain—without judgment, ego, or minimizing.</p><p><strong>Grace changes the whole dynamic.</strong> Even after conflict, you can come back. You can apologize. You can try again. Nothing has to be “final” just because it was hard.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Our Favorite Quotes</strong></p><p>“We love each other… but we also like each other. And that hasn’t always been easy.”</p><p>“Just because one argument was had and things look bleak… that doesn’t mean you can’t go back and try again.”</p><p>“In this moment right now—my kid needs help.”</p><p>“Not only helping other people up the slope… but being kind to yourself and helping yourself up your own slope.”</p><p>“Ending your life doesn’t just end the pain—it ends all possibilities of hope.”</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Chapter Markers</strong></p><p>00:00 — Sometimes the climb isn’t the point</p><p>02:30 — Helping each other up the slope: the big themes</p><p>04:40 — Love, like, and rebuilding after hard seasons</p><p>07:20 — When someone can’t imagine tomorrow</p><p>08:40 — The playground analogy: urgency without ego</p><p>12:50 — Parents, teenagers, and giving each other grace</p><p>21:15 — Coping vs defense mechanisms (and what we normalize)</p><p>25:25 — Caffeine, cortisol, and why we snap</p><p>27:20 — Technology + the dopamine loop</p><p>32:35 — Go touch grass (seriously): nature + connection</p><p>34:30 — Don’t lose hope: your life can change fast</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Your Turn</strong></p><p>Where in your life do you need to stop “powering through” alone—and let someone help you up the slope?</p><p>And if you’re the one doing the helping… where might you need to give yourself more grace for not always knowing the perfect thing to say?</p><p>MB01ZB2NEHADDRH</p>
January 12, 2026
<p>What if the win you’re chasing isn’t on the scoreboard—it’s the moment a kid believes they still belong?</p><p>Today’s episode is about the kind of coaching that keeps a light on when the season—and life—get heavy.</p><p>We’re in a four-part series I’m calling <strong>Finding Help Along the Way</strong>—the real, practical ways people step in for our kids (and for us) when life asks more than we think we can carry. Sports became that classroom for us. It wasn’t just drills and line changes; it was where my daughter learned language for her feelings, and where I learned how to let go without disappearing.</p><p>Our guest today is <strong>Coach Ali</strong>—a hockey coach with a mental-health lens, a suicide-prevention background, and the courage to say out loud what most rinks never name: there’s a whole person under that helmet. Ali has been a steady grown-up for our family—one who can celebrate a perfect backcheck and, in the very next breath, remind a player, “It’s okay to not be okay.” This conversation is part reflection, part playbook, and fully a love letter to the power of adults who show up with both standards and softness.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Key Themes + Takeaways</strong></p><p><strong>Whole-human coaching:</strong> Skills matter, but so do private check-ins, confidentiality, and clear safety plans.</p><p><strong>Normalize the conversation:</strong> Mental health isn’t a side note; bring it into the room—briefly, consistently, with care.</p><p><strong>Belonging vs. isolation:</strong> Teams draw circles. Coaches and captains can widen them on purpose.</p><p><strong>The Lorax rule:</strong> “The tree falls the way it leans.” Culture follows the daily lean—fear or trust, shame or grace.</p><p><strong>Tough love + empathy:</strong> Players often need both. Correct the rep; protect the kid.</p><p><strong>Parent posture:</strong> Lead with humble questions, assume good intent, and advocate through the right channels.</p><p><strong>Resilience in real time:</strong> Imperfect days count. Smiling after a mistake can be a skill, not denial.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Our Favorite Quotes</strong></p><p>“Under that helmet is a person—this is their first time living.”</p><p>“The tree falls the way it leans. If we lean toward trust and camaraderie, that’s where the season goes.”</p><p>“Anything human is mentionable, and anything mentionable becomes more manageable.”</p><p>“One bad rep is one fish in a very big pond—smile, reset, try again.”</p><p>“No coach wants to imagine a locker room without you. You’re worthy here, whether you score or not.”</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Chapter Markers</strong></p><p><strong>00:01:15 </strong>— The Series & Why Sports</p><p><strong>00:04:53 </strong>— Coaching a Whole Human</p><p><strong>00:09:26 </strong>— Making Mental Health Mentionable</p><p><strong>00:16:23 </strong>— The Lorax Rule</p><p><strong>00:18:36 </strong>— Circles of Belonging</p><p><strong>00:26:42 </strong>— Comparison & Pressure</p><p><strong>00:31:39 </strong>— A Message from the Mountain</p><p><strong>00:43:27 </strong>— Tough Love or Soft Landings?</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Your Turn</strong></p><p><strong>This week’s reflection: </strong>Where do you need to lean differently—toward trust, toward asking for help, or toward giving someone else the benefit of the doubt?</p><p>Write one sentence you can say the next time you (or your kid) miss a rep: “That was one fish in a big pond—smile, reset, try again.”</p><p>MB0101BEKZHOWDD</p>
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Join us on a raw and unscripted journey to navigate mental health struggles, relationships, and life. There is always hope, and you are not alone.
Our voices may shake, and we may spiral with our words, but if our story can help even one person, it will all be worth it.
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