What does it really take for a mother to stay healthy, supported, and emotionally grounded while caring for everyone else? In this conversation celebrating A Happy, Healthy Mom, authors Jan Hanson, LAc, Ricki Pollycove, MD, and Rick Hanson, PhD, join Renee Brna for a practical and compassionate look at the challenges mothers face today. They explore everything from nutrition, sleep, hormones, and postpartum health to sharing the load with a partner, building a village, asking for help, navigating unrealistic expectations, and managing stress and emotional reactivity. Throughout, they offer realistic ways for mothers to care for themselves—not as one more thing they have to do perfectly, but as an essential part of caring for the people they love.

Topics & Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction to A Happy, Healthy Mom
Meet Jan Hanson, Ricki Pollycove, Rick Hanson, and host Renee Brna, and hear the story behind the new book.

02:45 – The Most Important Things Moms Can Do for Themselves
Practical advice on self-care, nutrition, hydration, asking a partner for what you need, and the power of small positive choices.

07:14 – Why Is It So Hard for Mothers to Take Care of Themselves?
Social media, distraction, unrealistic expectations, modern pressures, and the feeling that mothers don’t deserve care and support.

12:38 – Building the Village You Need
How mothers can create community and find practical, emotional, and professional support when a village doesn’t already exist.

18:09 – Parenting as Partners: Sharing the Load
Common mistakes couples make after having children, unequal responsibilities, changing roles, and how partners can work together more effectively.

29:00 – Caring for Yourself When You’re Already Overwhelmed
Realistic ways to replenish yourself physically and emotionally when time, energy, and support are in short supply.

34:00 – Sleep, Stress, and the Physical Toll of Motherhood
Why sleep matters so much, how to share the burden of nighttime care, and the cumulative effects of exhaustion.

37:00 – When Feeling Bad May Have a Physical Cause
Postpartum health, hormones, thyroid issues, iron deficiency, nutrition, and why mothers sometimes need to advocate for more thorough medical care.

42:44 – How Friends and Family Can Actually Help New Parents
Simple, concrete ways people without children can offer support without feeling like they’re intruding.

44:58 – Why Motherhood Can Make Competent Women Feel Like Impostors
Why becoming a parent can shake your confidence, the reality of learning on the job, and letting go of the expectation that you should already know how to do everything.

50:20 – Staying Regulated When Your Kids Trigger You
Rick offers practical tools for parents dealing with overwhelm, anger, and reactivity: slow down, exhale, reconnect with the heart, and give your brain time to respond rather than react.