Influential Motherhood

Influential Motherhood

The Influential Motherhood Podcast empowers moms to thrive at work, at home, and in their communities. Each week features a chat with a mom who is making a difference, and shares practical tips for parenting and adulting (both are hard!), plus real talk about what's challenging even when she looks "successful" to the rest of us. Hosted by Melissa Duncan, a lawyer, mom, and wife whose mission is to celebrate the moms whose long days at work and at home are making a positive difference. Moms can change the world!

Episodes

December 10, 2019 53 mins

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 ...

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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 love...

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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. ...

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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 w...

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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 a...

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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, a...

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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 ...

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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...

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October 15, 2019 62 mins

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, ...

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Photographer Laura Foote is married to high school sweetheart and lives in Tampa FL with her husband, an actor, and cute daughter Mac. She's sharing her story of working at Disney World, working in the non-profit and higher ed worlds, and then unexpectedly becoming an entrepreneur and full-time photographer.

Laura was working in nonprofits when she started using a point-and-shoot camera to take pictures. Eventually, she had clients...

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October 1, 2019 69 mins

When her kindergartener died of the flu in October 2009, former environmental scientist Serese Marotta knew she had to do something about it. Eventually she connected with the nonprofit organization Families Fighting Flu and now serves as the COO, directing the organization's efforts to spread information and awareness about the severity of influenza. 

According to Serese, around 50% of kids who lose their lives to flu are otherwis...

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She came back from maternity leave and was asked to become the Chief Operating Officer for the Tory Burch Foundation.

How's that for a boost of confidence as a new mom?!

Gabrielle Raymond McGee has worked in professional sports and the fashion industry, and this week we're chatting about what she's learned from those industries, how motherhood is a lot like starting a business, and how women need to disrupt the playing field for fu...

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When she had 3 little kids and was at the end of her rope, Miranda Anderson (@livefreemiranda) and her husband decided to try essentialism for a year - buying only what they needed. This meant not buying non-consumable items for an entire year.

In this episode she's telling us all about how she navigated Target trips, birthdays, holidays, and educating her kids about money during her family's year of "practical minimalism." 

Mirand...

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Do you feel like you need a reset on your to-do list and your daily demands? Us, too. Today on the show, Katelyn Denning of The Mother Nurture is giving us practical tips for letting go of expectations, getting control of our to-do lists, and simplifying our lives. 

Katelyn is a mom of 3, she works full-time in sales, and she coaches moms in her "spare" time! She's learned that she has to let go of expectations and shares how a tim...

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Dawn Barton has faced the loss of a child to pneumonia, rape, breast cancer, the loss of her sister to breast cancer, her mom's burst brain aneurysm, and more - but she somehow remains one of the most joyful women I've ever come across. How does she do it?

In this episode, Dawn shares how she made the decision to leave her sales business at its height, the changes she's made since, and how her upcoming book, "Laughing Through the U...

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Stacey Simms' second child, Benny, was just under two years old when she suspected he might be showing signs of Type 1 diabetes. As a former health reporter for WBTV news in Charlotte, Stacey knew enough to suspect diabetes and called her pediatrician. The pediatrician agreed to see Benny to "rule out" diabetes... but it turned out Stacey was right - and they left the doctor's office with a diabetes diagnosis.

Today, Stacey hosts t...

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When Laura Tremaine started blogging a decade ago, she was sharing stories about her kids and quickly became a favorite among mommy bloggers. But as the internet exploded and Instagram, Facebook, and podcasting came along, Laura swiftly adjusted her sails and stayed the course. She's hosted Instagram challenges and several podcasts, and feels like she's just getting started.

Now, Laura hosts the podcast 10 Things to Tell You (and h...

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Lauren Smith Brody went back to work after her first baby, and thought she could "organize herself" through her maternity leave and her return back to work after baby. While working in the magazine industry in NYC, Lauren was thankful for a healthy delivery and baby but felt like her emotions about work were "off." 

In this episode, we talk about the issues around a working mom's return to work, including:

  • privilege and access...
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Dr. Sara Karner, DDS is a busy mom of 3 young boys and a dentist in Shelby, NC at Cornerstone Dental Associates. As if that weren't enough, she stays involved in her local community: Dr. Karner serves on the Board of Health, co-chaired the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball event where she led efforts to raise over $100,000, and she's an active member of Junior Charity League of Shelby! WHEW. I'm exhausted just hearing all of ...

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In this third installment of the How Mom Series, we're going to be talking about how mom stays organized. I'm not a particularly organized person by nature, but I've found some things that really work for me and one of those is my Plum Paper planner!

In this special bonus episode for the #howmomseries, you'll learn how I use both paper and electronic calendars & how I ma...

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