In today’s digital age everybody’s got an opinion, and not only that, everybody’s got a platform to share those opinions. As if moms didn’t already feel the pressure that comes with parenting. Now we see hundreds of photos, videos, blog posts an news articles all trying to rank, or measure our parenting skills. But sometimes we forget about the one and only metric that actually matters, are our kids happy? Matriarch Digital Media (matriarchdm.com) produces this and other podcasts that understand, encourage and uplift women ..read more

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SENSITIVE AND POSSIBLY TRIGGERING CONTENT, LISTEN WITH CARE.Let us take a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and give ourselves - and everyone around us - a break. COVID-19 has and continues to affect us all. Our lives have been turned upside down by social distancing, quarantines, and lockdowns. This week on Me Before Mom, Bert speaks candidly about her own mental health struggles during this collective time in human experience and shares the intimate details behind Season 2 Episode 4: Me, In a Pandemic. Bert opens up about her lowest point, weekly the ..read more

This week on Me Before Mom entertainment journalist, actress, podcast host, influencer, comedian, and mom, Heather Brooker is speaking with Bert about her journey to motherhood, parenting in Hollywood, and how working from home has its ups and downs. Bert and Heather compare lockdowns between California and Minnesota and the ways their kids are coping with being at home. For more information, check out Bert's website: https://bertmanderson.comFrom this Episode: Heather Brooker Motherhood in Hollywood podcastInstagram @theheatherbrookerFacebook @TheHeatherBrookerTwitter @HeatherBrookerTikTok @h ..read more

Bert is talking with author, creator, influencer, and blogger Brandi Riley about how she is educating other influencers, raising independent kids, and balancing life during a pandemic. Brandi explains how working on her self-esteem and gaining a more accurate sense of self-importance has helped her show love to the people most valued in her life. Bert and Brandi remind us to take time to appreciate where we are right now as moms and being a good mom looks differently for everyone – some moms make pancakes, some moms order breakfast – do the most of what makes you a great mom!For more informati ..read more

Bert is continuing her conversation on race and opens up about the humbling and awkward conversations she’s having with her kids about racism. Bert explains how she is talking to her kids differently based on what they are seeing from pre-school to tween and why you don’t need to be an expert on race to talk to your kids and acknowledge what they are seeing. Bert invites you to walk on this journey with her and talk about how we can raise the next generation of white children to recognize social injustices. For more information, check out Bert's website: https://bertmanderson.comFrom this Epis ..read more

Bert has been dreaming about and wanting just a little bit of alone time since she became a mom. Now it’s happened, the kids are doing their own things - without her. This week Bert is reflecting on the old saying “the days are long, but the years are short” and what it means to finally have that alone time she’s always dreamed of. Bert discusses how being tired as a mom changes from physical to emotional as her children’s needs change from toddlers to teenagers and reminds us all to stop once a day and appreciate the moment – our kids won’t need us again as much as they do right now.For more ..read more

This week Bert discusses where she is at on her very  personal journey of racial reconciliation and why it is important to do the hard,  ugly work of looking at herself as a white woman of privilege and facing racism  head on. Bert address what it means to be a “white savior” in the black  community and how white people can really help people of color (Hint: it’s not  about just showing up in an emergency).  From this episode: TIME magazine - George Floyd’s Death and the Long History of Racism in Minneapolis: https://time.com/5844030/george-floyd-minneapolis ..read more

Bert is reminded of summers spent with her family growing up in the 90s and compares them to her kids as they spend more time at home this summer. Bert wants to know, with all of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, if life is returning to a simpler time and if it is good to let your kids be bored, after all Bert’s mom didn’t entertain her during her long summer days as a kid. Is it good to let your kids be bored?For more information, check out Bert's website: https://bertmanderson.comFrom this Episode: Shanna's Blog: https://peytonsmomma.comManoush Zomorodi Ted Talk: How boredom can lead to ..read more

In this week’s episode Bert is opening up about her personal struggles during quarantine and how being an extrovert during lockdown brought her to her lowest point. As moms we often take care of others before ourselves, Bert reminds us to put our oxygen masks on first before we put on oxygen for everyone else. Bert shares her transition from being an always positive person to someone that couldn’t see hope in any situation and how she finally found the help she needs. For more information, check out Bert's website: https://bertmanderson.comFrom this Episode:American Counseling Association Ment ..read more

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa, and brother-in-law to Bert, Dr. James A. Ankrum is back for the third and final interview on COVID-19 and coronavirus. In this week’s episode Dr. Ankrum is discussing the second (or third) wave of the virus, what we really need to understand about holiday gathering with its risks and the potential vaccines on the horizon in 2021.From this Episode:Dr. James A Ankrum, University of Iowa, Mendeley.com publications, Google Scholar publicationsstatnews.comBill Nye the Science Guy doing the mask test91-divoc.comWorld Health Org ..read more