When the world feels like it’s burning politically, socially, & emotionally, what do we do as parents?

In this episode, Chelsea and Mike get honest about what it means to raise kids in today’s tense climate and why your home might just be the most powerful place of resistance.

From stress-induced doomscrolling to boundary-setting in your own house, they unpack how overwhelmed couples can protect their peace, raise emotionally intelligent kids, and reclaim joy as an act of radical parenting.

This conversation explores:

• The hidden toll of always being “informed”

• How to parent with purpose when you're burned out

• Why joy and connection are survival tools for families

• What it means to use your privilege without burnout

• Real talk on relationship tension, social media pressure, and choosing fun on purpose

  
  

Whether you’re at a protest or simply trying to keep your home a refuge, this episode is your reminder: You are doing something powerful just by raising kind kids in a heavy world.

💬 Let us know what resonated most. And if you're looking for tools to lighten the load, grab our Mental Load List Template.

If you're wanting to create a home environment of refuge, but your tension with your partner is getting in the way, let's talk about how our guided couples' support can help you make it a reality.

<⁠https://chelseaskaggs.kit.com/9116bb8436⁠>>

<https://chelseaskaggs.kit.com/9116bb8436>>

For the first 4 years of our parenting journey, we didn’t know what the mental load was, let alone how deeply it was impacting our connection, our communication, and our resentment.

In this honest conversation, we share what our relationship looked like before we had the words, how the invisible labor kept building tension, and what shifted when we finally named it.

Whether you're new to the idea of the mental load or you're trying to help your partner understand it, this episode gives you language, validation, and a behind-the-scenes look at how one small vocabulary change can create big relational shifts.

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Our Reconnection Kit for Couples

  Reconnect in Just 10 Minutes a Day

• Pre-Baby Relationship Bluepring Coaching

  Relationship Coaching for Expecting Parents: Prepare to Stay Connected After Baby

  
  

  Let’s talk about the invisible work, the unspoken pressure, and how to stop acting like roommates.

  
  

  <⁠https://chelseaskaggs.kit.com/9116bb8436⁠>>

From postpartum rage to career stress to spiritual deconstruction, we’ve walked through some serious identity earthquakes and nearly walked away from our marriage.

We know what it’s like to sit in silence at the end of a long day, feeling more like roommates than partners. To wonder if things will ever feel good again. To carry the mental load, the emotional labor, and the resentment that builds when no one talks about what’s really going on after the baby.

This conversation kicks off a new chapter in our marriage, in our business, and on this podcast. We’re sharing the honest truth about the hard seasons, the awkward conversations, the near misses... and the daily work it took to move from disconnection to reconnection.

Whether you’re in the newborn fog, navigating toddler chaos, or just feeling like the spark is gone, this episode is your reminder that you’re not alone, and it is possible to find your way back.

💡 Inside this episode:

• What nearly ended our marriage — and what helped us stay

• How spiritual and identity shifts reshaped our relationship

• Why we’re no longer afraid of the messy middle

• The power of rebuilding teamwork and intimacy — even years later

✨ NEW: Get our free Reconnection Kit for Couples — practical tools to help you rebuild emotional intimacy and get on the same page again (without needing hours of free time or a perfect mood).
👉 www.postpartumtogether.com/spark-cards

🎉 Meet Mike: This episode also marks the official welcome of Mike as a business partner at Postpartum Together and co-leader of our mission to help couples create better relationships after baby. You’ll hear more from both of us on this show and in our coaching work as we serve couples who are ready to stop surviving and start growing again.

🔔 Follow for more: Subscribe to the Better Relationships After Baby podcast and follow us @PostpartumTogether for weekly tools, convos, and connection to support your real-life relationship.

📩Get on our email list for weekly tips: https://chelseaskaggs.kit.com/74eecf429d

If your emotional hangover keeps crashing your good days, or your confidence lives and dies by your partner’s mood… we need to talk.

This one’s coming in hot with equal parts spicy and supportive. In this tough love episode, I'm channeling my no-BS grandma to call out three common ways women self-sabotage in relationships and life:

• Expecting the good to fall apart

• Handing your power over to your partner

• Hiding your insecurity behind "busy"

If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck in a loop of doing the same things and expecting different results, this episode is your wake-up call and your warm hug. We’re not here to stay small. We’re here to break cycles and expand our capacity for more joy, connection, and confidence. Let’s go.

If you recognized yourself in any of this, it’s time to stop circling the same drain. Book a clarity coaching call and let’s get you unstuck, because the patterns aren’t going to change unless you do something different.

www.calendly.com/chelseaskaggs/coaching-exploration

Feel like you're the only one trying to keep the conversation (and the relationship) alive? In this episode, Chelsea Skaggs breaks down how to get your partner to open up and communicate—without nagging, resentment, or repeating yourself 100 times. We’ll talk about why your partner may be emotionally shut down, how gender conditioning plays a role in communication breakdowns, and how to use curiosity, timing, and real-life scripts to shift the dynamic in your relationship.

If you’re craving deeper connection, less defensiveness, and way fewer one-sided convos—this episode is for you.

💬 Topics include:

• Why your partner might be shutting down emotionally

• How to stop the resentment spiral before it starts

• What actually works to create real, honest conversation

• Easy scripts you can try today

• And how curiosity can totally change your dynamic

Grab Chelsea’s free Communication Scripts for Couples here: Communication Upgrade Scripts | Enhance Communication Today — Chelsea Skaggs Coaching

communication in marriage
how to get your partner to talk
relationship communication tips
stop nagging your husband
emotional connection in marriage
better communication with partner
how to talk to your spouse
marriage advice for women
resentment in relationships
gender roles and communication
emotional labor in marriage
healthy communication strategies
communication scripts for couples
curiosity in relationships
how to stop one-sided conversations

Feeling touched out as a mom is so real — and so under-talked about.
In this episode, we’re diving into what it means to feel touched out, how overstimulation affects your connection in marriage and motherhood, and what to do when your nervous system is begging for a break.

Host Chelsea Skaggs (mom, relationship coach, and author of upcoming release: Talk Like a Team) shares her personal story of being physically and emotionally maxed out after baby #2, the guilt she had around asking for space, and the empowering communication shifts that helped her find herself again.

You'll learn:

• What "touched out" really means — and why it’s more than just being tired

• How sensory overload impacts intimacy, connection, and mental health

• Ways to set physical boundaries without shutting your family out

• Language upgrades that help you advocate for your needs without guilt or blame

• Why this isn’t a sign of failure — but a powerful cue for self-care

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, working mom, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you name what you’re feeling, normalize the need for space, and give you tools to reconnect with yourself and your people.

💬 Plus, don’t miss the FREE Communication Upgrade Scripts to help you express your needs clearly and kindly. Get the link in the show notes.

https://postpartumtogether.com/communication-scripts

• touched out mom

• overwhelmed mom

• overstimulated motherhood

• sensory overload parenting

• physical boundaries with kids

• intimacy after baby

• communication in marriage

• emotional burnout mom

• self-care for moms

• postpartum relationship support

You planned the trip. Packed the bags. Hoped for rest.
But somehow, you’re still managing tantrums, tracking snacks, and wondering why your partner is chilling while you're losing it in the hotel bathroom.

Sound familiar?

In this episode, I’m breaking down why so many family vacations leave one parent drained (usually you), and how to shift the dynamic before, during, and after the trip — so both of you get a break, feel seen, and actually enjoy your time away.

We’ll talk about:

• The pre-vacation convo every couple needs (and why it’s not about the itinerary)

• Real-life rhythms that help you tag-team instead of keeping score

• Phrases to use when things get tense — so you reset instead of explode

• How to stop feeling like the vacation manager and start feeling like a team again

Because vacation should be a break for both of you.
Let’s make it happen.

💬 Want to go deeper? Learn more about Relationship Blueprint Mapping — my private session for couples ready to ditch autopilot and build a rhythm that actually works.

Catch the blog post (with the questions you need to be asking before your trip) here: www.postpartumtogether.com/blog/why-your-vacation-feels-like-more-work-and-how-to-fix-it-as-a-team