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It feels like two people stood up in the room: the mother you want to be, and the child you once were.

If you’ve ever felt hijacked by your own reaction to a toddler meltdown, or paralyzed by the fear that you are "messing up" your kids, this episode is a breath of fresh air. Rachael is joined by Jenni Smith, LCSW, to talk about the gritty reality of reparenting ourselves alongside our children.

We move beyond the script of "perfect parenting" to discuss why postpartum recovery actually takes four years (not six weeks), how to physically release rage without shame, and why the "messiness" of rupture and repair actually builds stronger kids than perfection ever could.

Listen to learn:

• How to identify when you are reacting from a past wound.

• Why "calm" isn't always the goal (and how to regulate loudly).

• The difference between a "story" you’re telling yourself and what is actually happening.

Rooted Exchange turns honest stories into practical tools, so you feel less alone and know what to do next.

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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What if the real breakthrough in your relationship isn’t the perfect answer…but the moment you stop pretending you have one?

In this episode of Rooted Exchange, I sit down with Noah Thomas (@BigNoKnow) to unpack the invisible weight so many of us carry—women holding emotional labor and mental load, men feeling pressure to provide while staying silent—and how those roles quietly shape the way we fight, shut down, people-please, or over-function.

We talk about what actually helps when things get tense:

• How to assume goodwill (even when you feel activated)
• Simple nervous-system tools to get out of fight-or-flight (box breathing + “catch it / check it / change it”)
• Why vulnerability works best when it’s not a bid for validation—or a way to control your partner
• The underrated repair move: a quiet 30–40 second hold to reconnect when words aren’t working

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m trying so hard to communicate…why do we keep missing each other?”—this conversation will give you language, tools, and a softer way back to each other.

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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Parenthood can be the happiest thing—and still put your relationship into survival mode. In this episode, I sit down with my husband to tell the truth about our first year: what we took for granted, what got heavy, and the tiny moments that helped us come back.

You’ll leave with:

• A name for the disconnection that can happen after baby
• Why “help” isn’t always doing more, and
• One small way to reconnect when you don’t have words.

If you’re in it, you’re not alone. Subscribe, share with a new parent, and comment the part that hit you.

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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After birth, so many of us walk out of the hospital changed…and somehow expected to figure it out alone. The pain, the leaking, the heaviness, the quiet fear of “is this my new normal?”—and the part that hits hardest: the silence.

Postpartum pelvic floor therapy can be the difference between guessing and having a real roadmap. In this Rooted Exchange episode, Dr. Jessica Hund (The Floor PDX) breaks down why the “six-week clearance” often doesn’t match real recovery—and how Pelvic Floor Therapy can help you reconnect to your body.

In this episode you’ll learn:

--What the pelvic floor is (and what pelvic floor PT actually looks like).

--The most common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (leaking, urgency, heaviness, pain, constipation).

--Why “common does not mean normal” — and when it’s time to get support.

--The ACL analogy that changes how you think about postpartum recovery timelines.

--How to vet a provider: trauma-informed care, standing assessment, privacy, and quality markers.

If you’ve been living with symptoms quietly—please hear this: common does not mean normal, and healing doesn’t expire.

What would it change for you to have a “roadmap” postpartum?

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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We live in a world that encourages us to disassociate, to distract ourselves with phones, products, and noise to avoid feeling the heavy stuff. But what if the peace you are looking for requires you to stop running and finally come home to your own body?

In this episode of Rooted Exchange, Rachael sits down with @kellyniewellness , an intuitive, ceremonialist, and embodiment facilitator whose mission is to remind you that you are your own medicine. Kelly shares her personal journey from being a "lone wolf" navigating trauma and disassociation to finding liberation through the breath and body. We move beyond the buzzwords to define what embodiment actually is: inhabiting your body according to your values.

We also tackle the old advice of "fake it till you make it." Kelly offers a powerful reframe: "Fake it till you become it." We discuss how to use your physical body to show your nervous system what safety and expansion feel like, even before your mind believes it.

Drop a comment below: Kelly asks a tough question in this episode: If you look back on your life 40 years from now, will you feel liberated? Let us know what came up for you. 👇

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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Common doesn’t mean normal.

If you’re navigating postpartum recovery—leaking, pain, pressure, or feeling disconnected from your body—this episode is for you.

Rachael talks with Dr. Jessica Hund (pelvic floor PT, founder of The Floor PDX) about why the 6-week clearance isn’t a real healing plan, why Kegels aren’t always the answer, and how to advocate for pelvic floor care that feels safe and trauma-informed.

🎧 Full episode coming soon on Rooted Exchange.
💬 What's one postpartum symptom you wish someone warned you about?

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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So much of motherhood isn’t loud.
It doesn’t show up on to-do lists.
And it rarely gets named out loud.

In this episode of Rooted Exchange, Rachael sits down with Whitney Mayer for a candid, lived-experience conversation about the invisible load — the constant mental tracking, anticipating, remembering, and emotional labor that so many women carry quietly every day.

Together, they unpack how the invisible load shows up in real life: in grocery lists and appointment scheduling, in solo parenting and uneven rhythms, in identity shifts, guilt, and the pressure to “do it all” without dropping the ball.

This isn’t a conversation about blame or fixing partners. It’s about naming the work, understanding its weight, and offering ourselves more grace in the middle of it. In this episode, we explore:

• What the “invisible load” actually looks like day to day
• How motherhood reshapes identity — often quietly and unevenly
• The difference between being productive and feeling productive
• The double bind of stay-at-home vs. working motherhood
• Why comparison and perfectionism make the load heavier
• Letting go of control, lowering expectations, and choosing presence
• Why exhaustion isn’t always something sleep can fix

This conversation is for the mom who feels tired in a way that’s hard to explain. For the one carrying the household in her head. For anyone who has ever thought, “Why does this feel so heavy?”

You’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone.

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange

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We are taught to seek healing in products and distractions, but true peace may require stripping everything away to face the silence we fear most. We are exploring the difference between "faking it" and the deep alchemy required to actually become it. Find out what happens when you stop running from the discomfort and realize that you are your own medicine.

If any part of this resonated with you, come be part of the community. Follow + Subscribe so you don’t miss the next Rooted Exchange.

🎧 Listen + subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-exchange/id1865243283 | 📺 YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@RootedExchange | 📲 Instagram: @Rooted_Exchange