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It's time to take on season two. We're back, besties! With a very large tahini pumpkin latte in one hand and home-brewed Rook in the other, we're catching up on everything since we last sat down: Mel's Harry Styles season (and a very responsible plan to see him in Paris), a September note that changed how we think about celebrating, and a question we heard on Good Hang that we've been asking ourselves ever since: does it get any better than this? We're sharing our takes on: Why fandom is joy, not something you need to justifyNoticing the small "does it get any better than this?" moments, and how we're trying to hold onto themSolo errands vs. together errands (both are true)The stranger who rolled down her window to say "you're doing great"A stressful morning, a very slow trip for paper towels, and the therapist question that changed how Mel thinks about repair: did something actually break?Not every hard morning is a rupture. Sometimes a stressed response to a heavy week is a pretty healthy one, and what's needed isn't an apology. It's acknowledgment. Come take on season two with us . Xx, M&M ~~ Mentioned on this episode: 079: Taking on the 350 TheoryGood Hang with Amy Poehler – Sandra BullockRook Coffee – New Orleans Style Subscription

It's time to take on summers off, cognitive flexibility, and our season two return. Listen in as Mel and Michelle check in during their self-declared, fully-privileged summer break, and catch up the way only the real ones do: unfiltered, a little chaotic, and full of the small moments worth double clicking on. We're sharing our takes on: The busy board era of parenting — and the muscle memory that gets you through itTeaching our kids (and ourselves) permission to change our mindsThe invisible judgment we carry into public parenting moments, and how to loosen its gripWhat's ahead for Season 2, kicking off this SeptemberTwo truths, no lies: we needed the break, and we could not wait to check back in. Come take on this mid-summer check-in with us.

It's time to take on marriage systems, the guilt of protected time, & frictionless mornings with Paige Connell. Listen in as Paige Connell — the writer and creator behind @sheisapaigeturner — joins Mel and Michelle for an hour that starts as girl talk and turns into a full playbook for building a marriage that runs on shared ownership instead of default roles. Paige is a mom of four (!!) who reached a breaking point after her youngest was born, rebuilt her marriage's mental load from the ground up, and has spent the years since turning what she learned into language thousands of women send to each other. She's sharing her takes on: Why running your home "like a business" and having a soft, loving marriage aren't in conflict — they actually make room for each otherThe one system-agnostic habit she credits most: having more conversations than you think you need to, about the things you assume don't need discussingHow she talks herself down from guilt by asking whether it's actually guilt, or a value she hasn't said out loudWhat her actual frictionless morning looks like, laundry and allWhy she shows 90 seconds of her mornings online and what that does and doesn't tell youBy the end, you won't walk away with Paige's exact system — you'll walk away knowing how to build yours, and how to stop assuming guilt is the price of a life that works. Come take on the mental load with us. ~~~ Want more of Paige? We've got you covered! For all things Paige, visit her website here.Follow along on Instagram: @sheisapaigeturnerFollow along on TikTok: @sheisapaigeturnerRead more of Paige's writing on Substack: @sheisapaigeturnerCatch her podcast, Just Us Girls, on Spotify

It's time to take on nervous system resets with Mindy LaScala. Listen in as Mel & Michelle sit down with Mindy LaScala — former ICU nurse turned CPR and emergency training instructor and founder of Calm Responder. After witnessing a near-drowning at her neighborhood pool and helping save a four-year-old's life, Mindy realized that knowing what to do in an emergency means nothing if your nervous system won't let you access it. She built her entire practice around that gap. She's sharing her takes on: nervous system regulation and why your body responds to spilled milk the same way it does to a real emergency, the pool moment that changed everything and led to Calm Responder, navigating intrusive thoughts as a parent, the grounding tools she teaches in every CPR class, and the two truths no lies of walking away from a decade-long nursing career to become a stay-at-home mom. This one is equal parts practical and deeply human. A reminder that calm isn't a personality trait — it's a practice. And the reps happen in the small, hard, ordinary moments. Come take on nervous system resets with us. Xx ~~ Want more of Mindy? We've got you covered! Follow along on Instagram: @calmresponder Book CPR & Emergency Training Courses with Calm Responder here! To learn more about HypnoBirthing, mentioned as foundational to Mindy's nervous system regulation journey, find resources and certified instructors here!

It's time to take on a girly mental health chat. Listen in as Mel & Michelle open up about the small and meaningful ways we find our footing again. Mel’s sharing her takes on: grounding rituals that keep us anchored throughout the day so we can show up as our best selves, the raw and vulnerable realizations from her own story that led to new anchors to live by, and opening up on her most recent journey with PPD in hopes of helping someone out there feel a little less alone. This conversation is a reminder that healing is not linear, vulnerability is strength, and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is tell the truth about how we are really doing. Come take on a girl mental health chat with us. XX

It's time to take on Fair Play, Decentering Discomfort, & Protecting Your Unicorn Space with Eve Rodsky. Listen in as Mel & Michelle welcome the one and only Eve Rodsky into their Unicorn Space. Eve is a New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space, a Harvard-trained organizational expert, and the founder of the Fair Play Policy Institute. She calls herself "the ghost of your Christmas future" — and after fifteen years of studying the gender division of labor across 27 countries, she has the receipts. This is the conversation to play back when you're sitting in your car after a hard day, wondering why partnership feels so heavy. Eve goes well beyond the cards: she reframes what "two truths" actually means (spoiler: it's usually not conflict, it's us absorbing someone else's discomfort), explains why an ownership mindset is the real Fair Play formula, and shares the tooth fairy story that we won't stop thinking about. She's funny, fierce, and refuses to let women carry this alone — naming Fair Play as nothing less than the antidote to 2,000 years of conditioning about how women should spend our time. What stood out: The reframe we needed: most "two truths" aren't conflicting — we're just making decisions to spare someone else's discomfortWhy "get help" was never the answer, and what an ownership mindset (DRI — directly responsible individual) actually looks like at homeThe low-emotion, high-cognition rule that finally makes hard conversations landWhere resentment quietly lives — in the thank-you notes, the kin-keeping, the cards no one sees you holdingThe tooth fairy email that captured accountability, repair, and trust in one perfect storyModeling it forward and her own proof that emotional labor is teachableThe permission slip we all needed: you're allowed to be unavailable from your rolesThis isn't about dividing chores. It's about treating your time like the diamond it is — and refusing to live any other way. Come take on fair play, decentering discomfort, and protecting your unicorn space with us. ~~~ Want more of Eve? We've got you covered! For all things Eve Rodsky, visit her website here.To learn more about Fair Play, visit their website at Fair Play Life.Follow along on Instagram: @everodsky | @fairplaylifeReady to dive deeper into Fair Play and Unicorn Space? Shop Eve’s books on Amazon:Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World

It’s time to take on perinatal mental health, white-knuckling motherhood, & navigating IVF with Meaghan Fattizzi. Listen in as Mel & Michelle sit down with Meaghan, a perinatal mental health therapist, who brings both professional insight and lived experience to the conversation—pulling back the curtain on what it actually looks like to move through motherhood, mental health, and fertility in real time. She’s sharing her takes on: what “white-knuckling” motherhood can look like (even when everything appears fine on the surface); recognizing postpartum anxiety, depression, and OCD—especially in high-functioning moms; the mental load of motherhood and why it never fully “gets done;” navigating IVF and how fertility journeys can both strain and strengthen a relationship; and holding gratitude for what you have while still deeply longing for more. Come take on perinatal mental health, white-knuckling motherhood, & navigating IVF with us. Want to learn more about Equilibria and perinatal mental health? We’ve got you covered! Equilibria Therapy | @equilibriatherapy

It's time to take on the 350 Theory. Listen in as Mel & Michelle chat about the rhythm of life—the “regular” days, the “special” days, and everything in between. Because while there are the birthdays, the vacations, and the anniversaries, it’s the other days, the ones that take up the most space, that quietly shape it all. We’re sharing our takes on: normalizing the magic and the wrinkles that coexist in everyday life (even on the special days!), setting the tone, embracing the 350 days with the same mindset we bring to the milestones, and finding small, intentional ways to create meaning in the in-between moments. Come take on the 350 Theory with us.

It's time to take on designing spaces, places & futures with Alex Schuetz. Listen in as Mel & Michelle deep-dive with Alex Schuetz, interior designer and founder of A. Sloan Design. She’s sharing her takes on: taking risks and trusting quick, instinctual decisions that can shape your future, finding alignment while balancing a beautiful family and a meaningful career, designing spaces that feel both elevated and kid-friendly, and why the real "end goal" might live more in the process, not just the final product. Come take on designing spaces, places, & futures with us. Want more of Alex? We've got you covered! A. Sloan Design | www.asloandesign.com | @asloandesign

It's time to take on the unexpected hard parts. Listen in as Mel & Michelle chat about the unexpected hard parts of raising littles that people may talk about… just not nearly enough. We're sharing our takes on: Harry Styles (hang in there, we do land the plane), the unexpected moments that break you, the quick set-shifting between the good moments + the hard moments + everything in between, the challenges of finishing grownup conversations with littles around, the unexpected times where your kid acts differently in front of other people, and the internal management of your own feelings in many of these unexpected situations that this phase & stage can bring. Come take on the unexpected hard parts with us.

It’s time to take on systems & sustainability. Listen in as Mel & Michelle chat about the systems that help real life feel at least 5% lighter. From thought systems and practical rituals to future ideas (and yes, the systems that totally failed). The goal? Prioritizing sustainability and lightness over perfection. We're sharing our takes on: the ever-evolving phases of a system, minimum viable weeks, PODluck meal ideas, rubber balls vs. glass balls, working mom systems, and how to make a little more magic out of the mundane monotony that each week can bring. Come take on systems & sustainability with us.

It's time to take on microdosing your pink. Listen in as Mel & Michelle lean into a flexible moment and chat about getting your pink back in the 4th trimester and beyond. We're sharing our takes on: the ever-evolving phases and stages of parenthood, accepting that this might not be the season for everything, and how saying no to one thing can help you show up better where it matters most. From little kids/little problems to bigger kids/bigger problems, we explore how confidence grows as you keep finding ways to feel more like you. We talk about magnifying the small moments, creating unicorn spaces to actually talk about it, and holding two truths at once: motherhood can feel like sacrifice, and you still deserve to intentionally find your way back to yourself. Instead of waiting for it to get easier, we ask: how can you microdose your pink today? This is your season to reclaim it in small, intentional ways — whatever “pink” looks like for YOU. Come take on microdosing your pink with us.

It’s time to take on an induction birth story. In this solo episode, Michelle shares her first birth story: a journey that beautiful, looooong, novel, and oh right, in the middle of a global pandemic. From being 41 weeks + 3 days pregnant, to leaning into the induction decision, to navigating the mental, physical, and emotional marathon of those final weeks -- and the intense set shifts that happened in such a condensed amount of time -- Michelle attempts to cover it all. It’s raw. It’s reflective. And it’s shared in hopes of helping you feel seen, soothed, and maybe even a little more prepared for whatever your birth story looks like. Whether you’re expecting, newly postpartum, somewhere in between, or simply curious, this one’s for you. If you have a birth story of your own, we would love to hear it. Send us a DM on Instagram @themtakepodcast to be featured in a future Birth Story Spotlight Share. 💌 Come take on Michelle’s induction birth story with us.

It's time to take on catching up with Mel & Michelle. Listen in as we cover a lot of ground (while attempting to land the plane). We’re sharing our JTOTW: joy tickets of the week, what it looks like to say no to one thing so you can show up better on the other side, holding space for the realization there will always be things you will miss and will NOT miss in a phase/stage, unpacking Mel being personally influenced and victimized by Dakota Johnson’s bangs (anyone else?), and sitting with that sometimes you only realize you were in the good days once you’re out of them.,.. And maybe that awareness is exactly what anchors you more deeply in the present, ya know? When in doubt, we just hope we gave you at least one reason to smile today. Come take on everything and nothing with us. Xx, M + M

It's time to take on joy tickets. Listen in as Mel & Michelle chat all things joy: the kind that actually fits into real life. We're talking micro-dosing joy -- deliberately sprinkling tiny, meaningful moments of positivity into your day to gently elevate your baseline happiness. The reality is: our brains are busy, life is loud, and joy doesn't always just show up. Sometimes, we have to invite it in. From quick “joy tickets” to everyday moments you might be overlooking, this episode is a reminder that finding joy is a resource, one you can tap into again and again, even on the messiest days. And honestly… who wouldn’t want a little more of that? Come take on joy tickets with us.