Pass The Pen: Jamie-Lynn Sigler & Jenna Parris
Photo by Ashley Barrett
I say it each month, Boss Babes is one of my favorite features on The Happy Place. It’s gives me the opportunity to share some of the important parts of my life that I draw inspiration from daily. I’m astounded by the incredible women I’m surrounded by and encounter and I love understanding what drives them to cultivate the lives that they dream of. This month, our Boss Babes are pretty incredible and they are about to draw the curtain on the rollercoaster of all of the wins, fails, and jaw dropping adventures being a mom brings our way.
I firmly believe in the old adage ‘it takes a village’. And since becoming a mother, I am most certain that no truer words have ever been spoken. So when my beautiful best friend, Jamie Sigler, told me she was creating a podcast with another superhero mama, Jenna Parris, I knew that it would resonate. They are both incredibly different as mothers, but together they bonded over the overwhelming, life changing, and sometimes brutal journey of being a mom...and they are ready to share all of it.
Each week you will get a glimpse into their day-to-day as moms, their wins and fails, and with their guests they will take a deep dive into an important topic that comes along with the soul bearing experience of being a mom. There is no preaching here. It’s relatable. It’s real. And it’s SOLE purpose of existing is to unite us rather than divide.
I had the pleasure of being a guest on their episode about Post Partum Depression. Something I experienced tremendously after giving birth to Sailor and in many ways, I am still coming out of. Just talking about my experiences is still incredibly healing. Jamie was very much a witness to those difficult moments for me and if it weren’t for my ‘village’ it would have been an incredibly isolating and terrifying time. I realized while we recorded the episode that it felt like the conversations that I had had with my fellow mommy friends, my husband, my dad (who happens to have be an OB/GYN), and other women who could relate. Each and every time I spoke about it I learned something new and slowly came out of that cloudy darkness. It made me so excited for the countless women I KNOW will be comforted, inspired, and made to feel less alone by the honest conversations Jamie and Jenna are preparing to have.
In short, cue up those podcasts and add ‘Mama Said with Jamie-Lynn Sigler & Jenna Parris’ to your list of weekly therapy. Moms ARE superhero’s. Their capes may sometimes be tattered and stained or you may wet your pants from a giant sneeze or a good cry; but we are living unicorns, ladies! And I promise this podcast will make you believe that about yourself!
I sat down with Jenna and Jamie and asked them to describe Mama Said in their own words and tomorrow you can check them out for yourselves!
Xx,
Jo
Photo by Ashley Barrett
What inspired you to start Mama Said?
JAMIE: Jenna and I bonded during our second pregnancies and births. We were shocked at how much changed after having our next babies. We figured because we had been through it before we would be ok...and...we weren't (at least not all the time). Our conversations were real, genuine and vulnerable. It felt so good to just be honest about our journey in motherhood and we felt like we had stories and experiences to share. We know we aren't reinventing the wheel here with a parenting podcast, but our differences, our ability to have no judgement about them, and humor felt like something that could resonate with other parents out there.
JENNA: Jamie and I had met once before, and I thought she was the sweetest, most friendly human on earth - so when I saw on Instagram she and I were both pregnant with our second at same time, I knew we had to become friends. Throughout our pregnancies, we shared stories about feeling like sh*t, cleaning up sh*t and just dealing with a lot of sh*t in general! After months of funny text banter we realized we had a collection of amazing material that we should share with everyone. We thought a podcast would be the perfect way to share our mommy wins and fails, and that’s how we gave birth to Mama Said!
Having seen you two in action myself, you make a great team. Can you describe what each of you bring to strike such a good balance?
JAMIE: Awe thanks! We genuinely enjoy each other and appreciate how the other is as a wife, mom, and friend. We are both very different but celebrate the differences and also learn a lot from each other too. I think Jenna is hilarious!
JENNA: I told Jamie the other day that recording next to her is like attending a master class in speaking. Her voice is soothing and her sentences flow so effortlessly. I learn so much from her every time we record an episode. I think Jamie and I share so many similarities in parenting, yet there are definitely things we do differently. She is a bit more laid back, and I am a tad more anxious. I am often envious of the way she parents, and it allows me to take a moment to think about what i could do differently. Us moms are so unique, so incredible, and we are all doing our best. I think the goal of this podcast is to portray just that.
What’s your favorite segment or feature of Mama Said?
JAMIE: "Shitty Mommy" is my favorite segment. It was the original title for the podcast. It's a time to confess those "sins"...those dark thoughts or moments we have all had as a parent that we can feel embarrassed and ashamed of. And when you say them out loud you realize you are not alone, not the only one, and that it is okay! SO many of us are afraid to say that parenting is hard and that sometimes you don't really like it. And that is normal!!! We want to make people feel better about themselves.
JENNA: My favorite segment is our “Shitty Mommy” segment. We all have those insanely ridiculous moments as parents where we lose our sh*t; do something crazy, forget to pick up a kid at school, forget to change a diaper for 10 hours. Whatever the story may be, our hope is that we can all laugh at it and realize we aren’t alone!
How would each of you describe yourself as a mom?
JAMIE: I am a hands on mom, , who picks her battles when it comes to what to really care and stress about. I'm very lax about some things (like plastic toys, organic everything and I let my baby touch everything which drives my husband crazy), but crazy about other things (like sleep schedule and spending enough time with my kids).
JENNA: Oh geez... this is a hard one. The way I would describe myself is loving, caring and compassionate. I want my children to know how much they’re loved. I say it to them hundreds of times a day. But, I’m far from perfect. I could definitely get anxious at times. I worry for the safety of my children and their health, and that stems from issues I have from losing my father at a young age. I worry about what the world will be like when they become adults and they are no longer under my care, but my only hope is that I can teach them to be wonderful, loving, smart and nice to others.
Motherhood can be so all consuming, what’s your dream scenario if you had 12 hours to yourself?
JAMIE: Oh my God! It would basically involve me, a bed, a remote and chocolate. DO NOT DISTURB!!!!
JENNA: Funny you ask this, because it just so happens that I DO have 12 hours to myself right now. My husband and I decided to take a vacation, just us, to celebrate his birthday. We deserve it, damnit! So here I am, answering this question as my legs are in the sun, I’m staring at the ocean and eating fish tacos. I’m happy with my current scenario at the moment ;)