The truth about two under two: it's just as hard as expected, says mom Kat Eddy

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The truth about two under two: it's just as hard as expected, says mom Kat Eddy

Kat Eddy, mom and owner of Katboocha, returns to It’s a Lot for a follow up about the reality of life with two kids under two! Spoiler alert: it’s really damn hard. We talked about crying in Wegmans (apparently a theme on this podcast now), getting help for postpartum anxiety, the struggles of having patience with your partner during the sleepless newborn era, and more.

We played back clips from part one of our conversation and reacted to them, which was lots of fun! Part two can be listened to as a standalone, but part one is great, so I recommend listening to that if you haven’t yet.

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Pauly Guglielmo gets honest about paternity leave struggles & his inability to resist buying his kid a toy at TJ Maxx

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Pauly Guglielmo gets honest about paternity leave struggles & his inability to resist buying his kid a toy at TJ Maxx

I had a blast chatting with Pauly Guglielmo, a food entrepreneur, radio/podcasting legend, and dad of two, about everything from our childhood traumas to the fun parts of parenthood in a special two-part episode. In part one, Pauly interviews me in his style of his podcast about entrepreneurship, The Pauly Guglielmo Show. In part two, I interview Pauly in my It’s a Lot style about the many aspects of his life that are just a lot.

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Dads & gallery co-curators Quajay Donnell & Richard Colon are building community & leading by example

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Dads & gallery co-curators Quajay Donnell & Richard Colon are building community & leading by example

Years ago, I interviewed both Quajay Donnell and Richard Colon for my passion project, I Heart ROC. We’ve all experienced a lot of life changes since then, and our friendships have grown too, so I was excited to check in five years later for a podcast interview! We talk about how photography has helped them better get to know Rochester, their journey to founding Behind the Glass Gallery, and their experiences as dads. At the end of the day, sometimes you’ve just gotta jump in the bounce house, even if you’re in your 40s and you know your legs will hurt the next day!

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Jon-Stephen Stansel on creativity & humor as a social media pro and dad

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Jon-Stephen Stansel on creativity & humor as a social media pro and dad

I’ve followed the work of social media consultant Jon-Stephen Stansel for years, so I was thrilled when he agreed to chat with me for the It’s a Lot podcast. After getting his start doing social media at higher ed institutions and government agencies, his online connections led to him working with brands like Invincible, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Hazbin Hotel, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, and Avatar: The Way of Water. In this conversation, we talk about the joys of being creative and funny on social media, how AI lacks taste that’s necessary to succeed as a social media manager, the dark pits of the internet, and more. In the second half of the show, we also explore Jon-Stephen’s life as a dad and the joys he’s finding on his parenthood journey.

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Editor & dad Brendan Dabkowski shares about screentime shame & parent guilt

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Editor & dad Brendan Dabkowski shares about screentime shame & parent guilt

I met my friend Brendan Dabkowski through Instagram years ago and now we’re both adjunct professor at Nazareth University. We’re also both parents of little ones and know the struggles of finding enough childcare, needing mental health support to navigate parenthood, and more! It was fun to dive deeper on these topics with a friend. My favorite parts were hearing about some of the joyful experiences of his life as a dad so far, like taking his son on long bike rides and watching his daughter light up around their new kitten!

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Illustrator Anoosha Syed says you have to know your "why" when it comes to social media

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Illustrator Anoosha Syed says you have to know your "why" when it comes to social media

This week, I was thrilled to chat with children’s book author/illustrator Anoosha Syed. She’s had a fascinating career path so far and she’s an incredibly talented artist, and she’s a new mom as well! We had a great conversation about content creation, building a brand online, letting go of dreams you once had for your career, and how damn hard it is to balance freelance work and motherhood.

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Kat Eddy feels ready for life with two under two

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Kat Eddy feels ready for life with two under two

In episode 5 of It’s a Lot, I chatted with mom and business owner Kat Eddy, the founder of Katboocha, about her expectations before becoming a mom of two kids under two. We spoke about a month before her youngest was born, so make sure to tune back in this fall when we have a follow-up conversation about the reality of two under two!

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Artist Christy Roushey on career path pivots & showing up authentically online

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Artist Christy Roushey on career path pivots & showing up authentically online

In episode 3 of It’s a Lot, I spoke to artist and mom Christy Roushey, founder of The House of Roushey, about her journey of leaving engineering to be a stay-at-home mom, teaching herself new skills, and eventually launching her own art business. We also discuss having hard conversations with your kids and the importance of having mental health support.

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How I Took 3 Months of Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

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How I Took 3 Months of Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

There’s no universal guide for self-employment, so it can be tricky to navigate personal, emotion-packed situations like taking bereavement time or maternity leave as a freelancer. When I found out I was pregnant last fall, I almost immediately started planning my maternity leave in my head. How would this work? How much time should I take? Would my clients be upset? Would they replace me while I was out? How much income would I lose? 

There were a lot of concerns and logistics to work through, but I knew I needed to give myself time to recover from childbirth and acclimate to parenthood. I wanted to take at least eight weeks of leave. Today on the blog, I’m sharing how I planned for maternity leave, how my leave actually played out, and more. I hope it’s helpful for any self-employed, soon-to-be parents out there who are navigating this too!

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