Influential Motherhood

In July 2018, April Robson and her husband received the news their middle daughter, Charlotte, had a genetic terminal illness. At the time, they had an 8 week old son and a toddler (Charlotte's big sis). With grace and strength, April has poured into her family for the last 18 months, creating special memories for her family and encouraging them - and those of us watching their story unfold - to choose joy. 

Today April is sharing her family's story and how they navigate the holiday season with a chronically ill child and make memories for the whole family, including their two other children. 

Follow April online at @smidgeofthis and @charlottesjoy to learn more about their story and support them in their journey. 

Be sure to connect with Melissa online at @influentialmotherhood - come say hello! 

In July 2018, April Robson and her husband received the news their middle daughter, Charlotte, had a genetic terminal illness. At the time, they had an 8 week old son and a toddler (Charlotte's big sis). With grace and strength, April has poured into her family for the last 18 months, creating special memories for her family and encouraging them - and those of us watching their story unfold - to choose joy. 

Today April is sharing her family's story and how they navigate the holiday season with a chronically ill child and make memories for the whole family, including their two other children. 

Follow April online at @smidgeofthis and @charlottesjoy to learn more about their story and support them in their journey. 

Be sure to connect with Melissa online at @influentialmotherhood - come say hello! 

Whitney Meade is a mom of two (her girls have royal names, btw!) and is based in Charleston, South Carolina. With her husband, Whitney manages a Christian pop rock FM radio station, a DAILY YouTube channel, a speaking ministry, and so much more. This week, I'm chatting with Whitney about her journey through Lyme Disease and other autoimmune disorders, how she manages daily videos on her Daily Devo YouTube channel, and what she loves about working with her husband full-time.

Check out Whitney's YouTube channel here and follow her on Instagram at @whitneymeade. You can find Whitney's free 21-day devotional series, Fitness & the Father, here!

Don't forget to follow Melissa on Instagram at @influentialmotherhood and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/influentialmotherhood.

Heather Brooker is the entertainment reporter at NBC-LA, and is an Emmy award winning journalist who has also had scenes in shows like The Office, The Mindy Project, Grey's Anatomy, and The Middle. 

Heather is taking us through the major career shifts she's experienced and her thoughts on risk-taking, having a backup plan, the good and bad parts of being a journalist, and how her husband has been her encourager through her career. She's taken some major risks but has blossomed every step of the way.

You can listen to Heather's podcast at Motherhood in Hollywood, and follow her on Instagram at @theheatherbrooker. 

Don't forget to follow Melissa on Instagram at @influentialmotherhood and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/influentialmotherhood. 

My long-time friend Lauren Palmer is on the show today to share her family's incredible story. In 2017, she announced her twin pregnancy with her husband Joel. Big sister Caroline and big brother Jennings were thrilled to be welcoming two Christmas blessings to their busy household.

But everything came to a screeching halt when 2.5 year old Jennings was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) when Lauren was 36 weeks pregnant with the twins. 

Lauren is sharing the story of a twin pregnancy, Jennings' diagnosis and fight against cancer, how big sister Caroline saved Jennings' life, and what life - and Lauren's faith - is like at this point in their journey. 

Be sure to follow Melissa on instagram at @influentialmotherhood and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/influentialmotherhood.

Check out www.influentialmotherhood.com for more inspiring stories and podcast episodes.

My husband Damon is joining us this week to share his perspective as a dad and as my husband on all things fatherhood, husbandhood, and working motherhood. He thinks the Melissa Duncan experience is just as great as the Joe Rogan experience, and is giving us insight on the dad's perspective - and turning the tables on me to ask me some questions, too.

You'll learn why going to Costco will remain in our children's fondest memories and what he thinks about this whole podcasting thing. He's also sharing his biggest challenges and surprises about fatherhood and what he loves most about being a dad. And we're answering some listener questions!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at @influentialmotherhood and on Facebook at @influentialmotherhood, too. Check out more episodes at www.influentialmotherhood.com.

Lindsey Paoli is a Marriage & Family Therapist Intern and recently opened her own practice where she meets with individuals, couples, and families to talk through some of life's biggest challenges. In this episode, I'm asking her what we've always wanted to know about therapy - who should go, when they should go, and what happens when you go to therapy!

In addition to her work, Lindsey is a mom of two little ones (18 months and 6 months) - and she had both kiddos while she was in graduate school. She's also talking about her own experiences with therapy, her amazingly supportive husband, and how she left a career working on the Las Vegas strip to pursue her dream of supporting individuals and families through marriage and family therapy. 

Check out more from Lindsey on Instagram at @lindsey_paoli and Facebook at @fundamentalhealthLV.

Don't forget to follow Melissa on Instagram at @influentialmotherhood! For more inspiring stories and episodes with moms making a difference, visit www.influentialmotherhood.com.

Hillary Wilkinson is a mom and former teacher who realized we have a problem with screen time. She joined forces with moms in her community to educate families on the importance of healthy screen habits. Together they created the nonprofit organization Healthy Screen Habits, and are on a mission to educate and empower families to get control over screen time and use our devices in a healthy way.

In this episode, Hillary is sharing tips and resources to manage our devices in the home, in the car, and at school. We're talking about the benefits of screen time and the scary dangers that happen when we have too much of a good thing. Hillary is sharing resources (links below!) and you won't believe how early we should be talking to our kids about what they might see online.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tristan Harris TED Talks
• Wait Until 8th Campaign
• Better Screen Time
• Gabb Wireless phone
• Protect Young Minds

Don't forget to follow Melissa on Instagram at @influentialmotherhood! For more inspiring stories and episodes with moms making a difference, visit www.influentialmotherhood.com.

Alyssa Daniel, M.D. is a mom of two, wife, and a dermatologist in Charlotte, NC. She's sharing her story of deciding to go to medical school, why she's passionate about helping women with skin and hair issues, and what it was like to have a baby while she was Chief Resident. She's also sharing her goals, her favorite mom hack, and how mentors made a difference for her as a working mom in the medical field.

Plus, she's breaking down "skincare over 30" for busy moms and giving us what we need to know about wrinkles (from creams to Botox!), sun prevention, whether vitamins can help our skin, and a good reminder for us about drinking plenty of water. 

Keep learning from Alyssa by following her on Instagram at @remedy.skin.hair.wellness and at www.remedyskinandhair.com. 

Don't forget to follow Melissa on Instagram at @influetialmotherhood! For more inspiring stories and episodes with moms making a difference, visit www.influentialmotherhood.com.

We remember Shannon Miller as a teenager on the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team (you know, the Magnificent Seven?) - but these days, she's a wife, mom of two, lawyer, women's health advocate... and cancer survivor.

In the time that has passed since those moments when we all held our breaths as we watched our televisions with anticipation, Shannon Miller has had some defining moments in her life. Her company, Shannon Miller Worldwide, advocates for women to prioritize their health - and to not feel selfish for doing so. But you'll be surprised to hear the story of her cancer diagnosis and how she navigated her cancer treatment with a 14 month old at home.

In this episode of the Influential Motherhood podcast, Shannon is giving us an update on her life since the Olympic games, what it was like to be a teenage athlete under pressure, why she went to law school, and how she used her training in sport to beat cancer. Shannon is every bit as lovely as you might guess, and I'm grateful that she's sharing her story.

For more inspiring stories and episodes with moms making a difference, visit www.influentialmotherhood.com.