This week's guest is STL Veg Girl. If you live in the St. Louis area, you’re bound to know or have heard of Caryn Dugan, A.K.A. STL Veg Girl. Caryn lost her Dad to cancer in 2008 and 10 weeks after his passing, she was diagnosed with cancer.  She decided to take matters into her own hands and research immune boosting diets and cancer prevention tips.  All searches led to a plant-based diet.  Fast forward, those searches lead to Caryn opening up the Nation’s first ever Center for Plant-based Living! In this week’s episode, Jill Devine and Caryn talked about the journey from cancer scare to entrepreneur.  They also discussed how Caryn doesn’t have children and she often felt left out among her Mommy friends, but now she understands her Mommy friends a little bit more because her child is in the form of a brick and mortar.  

The biggest compliment Jill Devine can receive about this podcast is hearing about women talking to other women about how much they love this podcast and how much they can relate to it.  This week’s guest is one of “those” women.  Arlene Browne is friends with Rachel Sauter (a guest in Season 1, Episode 9).  Rachel told Jill how much Arlene loved the podcast and she would be a perfect guest to have on.  She explained that Arlene is a business owner, a mom to two kiddos, and so much more. This episode served as a therapy session for Arlene.  She was able to let some things off her chest and Jill was able to reinforce how good of a mom she is.  Chances are you will nod in agreement when you listen to this episode.   

Michelle Lynchard sent an email to Jill Devine, proposing being a guest on the podcast.  Here’s some of that email: I recently discovered your podcast and I am officially your new fan. :)  I especially loved your episode with Allie Corey and Dana Dean (episode 22).  I love the way you spread the message of “we’re all in this together” instead of “let’s judge other Moms.” I am a Life Coach here in St. Louis. I specialize in helping overwhelmed, busy Moms bring more calm to their lives. Would you be interested in doing an episode like “A Mom's Guide to a Calm Holiday Season”? I’d love to work with you. Thanks for the good, positive Mom energy you’re putting out into the world.  Jill thought, “a calm holiday season”?  100%, YES!  This episode taught Jill much more than how to create a calm holiday season.  It was a very therapeutic episode and you will more than likely feel the same after you listen.  In the episode, Michelle refers to the holiday guide to help with your calm Holiday season.  Here is the link for the holiday guide: http://bit.ly/mlholiday

Tony Colombo had a very different idea of what he was going to talk to Jill Devine about in this week’s episode.  He thought Jill wanted to talk about the crazy labor & delivery stories with his three children, but Jill had other thoughts in mind. Jill wanted to talk to Tony about the difference of having children in your early twenties vs. having children in your early forties.  She wondered if you're more patient the older you get, if you have stricter rules, if it's easier, etc.  In addition to those thoughts, through a mutual friend, Jill found out Tony and his wife co-sleep with their youngest and Jill HAD to talk to him about it because … well, take a listen to find out why.

What should we do today?  Parents ask that very popular question on a daily basis.  Thank goodness for Jen Cowan because she has an answer for that question.  Most know Jen as “And Hattie Makes Three”.  She is a lifestyle blogger and has all the tips on what to do in the St. Louis area.  Of course, we talked a lot about Hattie, her five-year-old daughter, on this week’s episode, along with what led her to become a lifestyle blogger and the things she loves about the city she lives in. 

Get ready to laugh (and maybe pee your pants a little bit) during this week’s episode of Two Kids and A Career, as Cat & Nat are Jill Devine's guests.  Jill loves their mission “… to bring laughter and a sense of community to women and moms.” Cat & Nat know a thing or two about motherhood; between the two of them, they have seven kids.  They’ve experienced the loneliness of motherhood and unrealistic portrayals of motherhood, so they decided to do something about it … insert #MOMTRUTHS here.  #MOMTRUTHS bring humor to topics that some moms are afraid to talk about and some of those topics are discussed in this week’s episode. Cat & Nat and Jill also talked about the #MOMTRUTHS Live tour, which Cat & Nat are bringing to the River City Casino on Friday, November 8th.  You deserve a night out where you can laugh alongside other moms.  PLUS, there are professional male dancers! 

“Have a meal with your family.”  A simple, but very important statement made by Chef Liz of Tenacious Eats.  On this week’s episode, Chef Liz gave Jill Devine some great advice on getting Jill’s girls interested in all types of food and the importance of cooking with them.  Chef Liz and Jill also talked about the mom guilt Chef Liz felt while she was a restaurant chef and having to work nights.  So, she figured out how to make a living still cooking, but on her own terms.  Oh, and you would think a chef would like to watch Food Network, right?  She doesn’t because it’s unrealistic.  Another reason not to assume!

There are people who come in your life based on the season you are living.  Some of those people could become lifelong friends and some will go away once the season is over.  Out of Jill Devine’s best friends, she was the last one to get married and the last one to have kids.  She learned a lot about herself and about her friends during those very important seasons.  Katie Fitzpatrick is living the opposite life as Jill.  She is the first to get married among her group of best friends and she is having some challenging times with those friendships.  Jill did her best to give Katie advice from a late bloomers perspective. 

Allie Corey and Dana Dean are TV personalities on KSDK News Channel 5, a NBC affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri.  They both agree they knew what they signed up for when they chose television as their career, which comes with good and bad opinions by viewers.  Most often, it is bad opinions.   Both women are moms and both have faced scrutiny of viewers for their looks and actions as mothers.  Allie and Dana discussed their feelings about the scrutiny with Jill Devine.  They also talked about a VERY debatable topic, one that has never been discussed on this podcast before. 

Travel does the mind and body good, right?  According to Forbes Travel Guide, women who go on trips more frequently are less likely to become tense, depressed or tired and are happier with their marriages.  Vacationing improves your mood and reduces stress. It also can temporarily help boost productivity.  Lauren Pronger can attest to all of the above.  Inspired by her father’s wellness-through-travel journey, Lauren witnessed the positive impact travel has on health from a very young age.  Along with her husband, NHL Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, the couple have launched Well Inspired Travels.    Well Inspired Travels is a place to book health-centric vacations and explore healthy recipes, fitness tutorials, nutrition, beauty, health, and various travel products.  I talked to Lauren and Chris about their new venture ... and a whole lot more, like how they met ;) ... on this week’s episode.

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” John Grogan, American Author Full disclosure, if you aren’t an animal lover or don’t understand how a pet can be considered part of your family, this episode isn’t for you. The final episode of Season 1 is dedicated to Brian and Jill’s first baby, Apple, an English Bulldog.  A couple of months ago, Apple passed away unexpectedly.  A dedication is the least Jill could do.  After all, she’s pretty much the reason why Jill started this podcast.

Four women sharing the same story.  Each a working mom with emotional toddlers.  Each trying to handle and cope with their own emotions.  Each trying to do their best every single day.   Joining Jill Devine this week, the ladies behind Socially Jen & Co.: Jen Singleton, Alicia Underwood, and Becky Lairson. As experts of creating a filtered version within this constantly changing digital age, we decided to dive into the unedited version of these hilarious ladies and their relationships with one another.

This week’s guest on Two Kids and A Career had at least five miscarriages that she knows of.  Kate Rodenfels shared her infertility struggles, as well as the lessons she learned with the hope of helping someone who may be going through a similar situation. 

Paul Cook is a recovering alcoholic who is using his past behavior to help others.  He’s helping educate youth and their parents about risky behavior and what can come from it.  He discussed this very important educational piece with Jill Devine on this week’s episode of Two Kids and A Career.

On this week’s episode of Two Kids and A Career, a topic that still has a negative stigma attached to it is discussed.  That topic is mental health.  Toni Peanick is the owner of The Color Room, a local spa and salon located in Wentzville, MO.  She opened up about her battle with depression and anxiety and the way she coped with it in the past vs. the way she copes with it now. 

Imagine this … Christmas is right around the corner and you can’t afford to buy your child one gift.  You don’t want to disappoint them, so you find something in your house and try to take it back to a store that doesn’t even carry the item you are trying to take back because you want your child to have a gift under the Christmas tree on Christmas day.  That was a hard reality for Dave Glover, host of the Dave Glover Show on FM NewsTalk 97.1.  Dave talked to Jill Devine about his financial hardships and the lessons it has taught him as a father.

Joy Holdmeier is the creator of Go Fit Mom.  She's "motivating & coaching you to become a fit mom, raise a healthy family, and create your happy life".  In this week's episode, Joy talked to Jill Devine about Go Fit Mom and the REAL truth behind it.  It's not about a diet or trying to be skinny because those things don't work.  It's about being healthy - body and mind.  Her motto is one to write down and keep close to your heart ... "If you love your children, take care of their mother."

In Part 2, Joy Holdmeier talked in detail about her three daughters and how she's raising them to not engage in negative self-image talk.  One word she constantly uses with her girls is the word STRONG.  She also tells her daughters not to focus on what someone's body looks like, but what it's for. Also, Joy and Jill Devine talked even more about Joy's business, Go Fit Mom, in Part 2.  Joy touched on how Got Fit Mom helps with self-development for women and how your health, your energy, your attitude, and your strength will help you get better at all areas of your life.  

The Moms behind #IMOMSOHARD, Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley, were Jill Devine’s guests this week.   These ladies are hilarious and they aren’t afraid to talk about their parenting fails and wins!  From their bio, “They laugh about all of the craziness that comes with being a mom and they want you to laugh about it too! From snot to stretchmarks to sleepless nights, Kristin and Jen know firsthand that parenting is a hard job ... They try, they fail, they support each other, and they mom as hard as they can.” On this week's episode, the ladies talked about their current comedy tour (“Mom’s Night Out: Round 2”), married sex, their guilty pleasure food, being a “mom dancer”, advice for new moms, and SO much more!

Our kids can be a driving force in the decisions we make.  For example, one father stopped drinking alcohol the day his son was born.  He knew he had a problem and didn’t want his son to be affected by it.  Jill Devine spoke to the son, Haze, about his father’s decision.  Now a father himself, Haze has realized he has a problem with alcohol and his son is his driving force to stay sober.  In this week’s episode, it all comes full circle.  Haze opens up about his past and current struggle to stay sober.