Podcast
After Hours With Amanda
Hosted by After Hours With Amanda · EN
After Hours With Amanda is a podcast about parenting, healing, faith, identity, marriage, dreams, and the messy middle of becoming. Amanda talks honestly about raising tiny humans, breaking cycles, laughing through the chaos, and learning to be kinder to ourselves along the way. It is parenting, but not just for parents. Grab your favorite bevie and come sit with us. You are loved, you are worthy, you are needed, and your life has exponential and limitless potential.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
When Did You Stop Taking Up Space? | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 6
1w ago00:24:28Tap to summarizeThis week, I’m sitting with a realization that made me cry in my car: my daughter is learning to take up space without first checking whether she is too much. Watching her at camp showed me that we really have created something different, even while I’m still untangling the childhood fears that taught me to shrink, scan the room, and control what I could.We’re talking about parenting without projecting, breaking generational cycles, postpartum anxiety, family addiction, emotional safety, faith, and the strange gift of raising tiny queens who remind me who I was before I started editing myself. Maybe this is your permission, too: seasons don’t have to stall you, and you’re allowed to take up space again.00:00 This Episode Needed to Be Heard03:20 Camp Changed the Conversation04:07 Becoming a Mom Felt Different Each Time05:49 Postpartum Anxiety and Fear06:42 The Illusion of Control in Parenting08:31 Projecting Fear Onto Our Kids10:10 I Want Them to Call Me First11:06 Watching Her Take Up Space13:21 When Did I Stop Taking Up Space?14:08 Learning to Scan the Room16:00 We Broke the Pattern18:47 My Tiny Queens Reminded Me21:00 Seasons Don’t Have to Stall You22:09 Permission to Take Up Space23:29 Who Is Cheering You On?
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I Was Responding to My Childhood, Not My Child | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 5
2w ago00:28:47Tap to summarizeThis episode is for the moms in the preteen and teen trenches, or honestly anyone who is realizing that big feelings have a way of calling out old wounds. I’m talking about what I’m learning as my girls get older, especially when attitude, tone, communication, and hurt feelings start showing up in new ways. This one is about not taking everything personally, asking whether I’m responding to my child or my childhood, and trying to become a safe space instead of just the correct space. We’re doing our best, boo, and we’re figuring it out together.00:00 Setting the Timer and Mom’s Watch00:21 Welcome to After Hours With Amanda00:37 Buckle Up for Preteens and Teens01:25 Watching Your Heart Get Hurt02:42 When Parenting Feels Personal04:55 Don’t Take It Personally07:14 When They Start Meeting Your Eye Level08:22 Responding to My Childhood10:11 The Book Moment with Lennon11:42 Preteens Are Figuring Out Who They Are14:18 The Toy Story 5 Parenting Parallel15:28 Maybe It’s Not Attitude16:35 Don’t Make It About You18:38 My Biggest Fear Is Losing Communication21:02 Attitude as a Clue23:35 Don’t Match Their Energy25:43 Safe Space, Not Correct Space27:22 What I Hope You Take Away28:28 If No One Has Told You Lately
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Equal Doesn’t Always Mean the Same | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 4
3w ago00:26:40Tap to summarizeThis week, I’m taking you with me to Pixar and into the very real mom guilt spiral that hit when one of my girls got invited into a special experience and the others didn’t. What started as a magical Disney/Pixar day turned into a bigger parenting reframe about fairness, sibling comparison, and why equal does not always mean the same. This is me learning out loud about intentional parenting, shared joy, and remembering that our tiny humans do not all need identical things to feel loved.00:00 Siri Thinks It’s a Medical Emergency00:39 Welcome Back and Pixar Joy01:12 Walking Onto the Pixar Campus02:18 Meeting Kind People in Real Life03:14 A New Season of Motherhood04:13 Three Girls, Three Different Humans05:21 One Person’s Encouragement Isn’t Your Discouragement06:20 The Pixar Tour Invitation07:33 The Immediate Pang of Mom Guilt09:02 Equal Doesn’t Always Mean the Same10:33 Sometimes It’s About Intentional11:41 The Pixar Pool and Shared Joy13:03 Different Kids, Different Needs13:41 The Myth of Balance16:24 Intentional Time Changes Everything17:11 Celebrating Someone Else’s Turn19:39 Life Isn’t Measured in Sameness21:39 Giving People What They Need23:32 Moving Out of Guilt and Into Intentionality25:19 Shared Joy Is the Gift25:50 You Are Doing Your Best
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The Dream I Wrote Down for Five Years Came True | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 3
Jun 2200:27:00Tap to summarizeI wrote “Visit Pixar Studios” in my goals for five years, and this year, that dream came true. In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind getting invited to Pixar for Toy Story 5, but really, this is about dreams, faith, motherhood, and learning to keep showing up even when not everyone understands what you’re carrying. I talk about borrowing belief, fear that sounds like wisdom, safe friendships, and what I hope my tiny queens learn from watching me dream out loud. If your belief feels tired today, you can borrow mine.00:00 The Pixar Invite I Didn’t Know Was Possible00:33 Welcome Back, Boo01:03 I Got Invited to Pixar02:15 Writing the Dream Down for Five Years03:17 Why This Is Bigger Than Pixar05:12 Dreams Have Fingerprints06:11 When People Don’t Get Your Dream08:08 When Fear Sounds Like Wisdom12:11 Borrowing Belief16:07 Medicine Cabinet Reminders19:00 What I’m Teaching My Tiny Queens24:12 Maybe Belief Is the Better Gift
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Stop Comparing Your Roots to Someone Else’s Tree | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 2
Jun 1500:24:26Tap to summarizeGrab your iced coffee and sit with me for a few minutes, because this one is for anyone who feels behind. I’m talking about the comparison trap, Paige’s little watermelon plant, and what happens when we start comparing our roots to someone else’s tree. This episode is about motherhood, dreams, faith, waiting, and remembering that just because something is taking longer does not mean it is not happening. Maybe the quiet season still counts. Maybe the roots are growing. Maybe the life we prayed for is already happening right here.00:00 Keep Showing Up00:30 Casual Summer Energy03:00 Summer Feels Like Possibility05:00 Waiting on the Thing You Want06:03 Paige’s Watermelon Plant07:16 Life Is Not Instant09:56 Beautiful Things Take Time10:59 The Comparison Trap13:31 Maybe You’re in the Roots18:34 What Dream Are You Carrying?20:32 Growth Is Not a Race22:20 Don’t Miss the Life You Prayed For
Transcribe →Maybe You’re Not Behind, Maybe You’re Still Becoming | After Hours With Amanda Season 6 - Ep. 1
Jun 800:28:19Tap to summarizeSeason six is here, and I’m catching you up on life, summer, middle school survival, my solo Disney day, and the very real feeling of not being where I thought I would be by this point in the year.This episode is about the mid year reset we do not always know we need. I’m talking about changing directions, showing up without waiting for motivation, letting go of shame, and remembering that not being where you want to be does not mean you are behind.Maybe you are not failing. Maybe you are still becoming.00:00 This Is Your 30 Minutes00:55 Welcome to Season Six01:42 Surviving Middle School and Summer03:01 A New Recording Space04:45 My Solo Disney Day05:44 When Your Plans Don’t Happen07:27 June as a Mirror08:35 You’re Not Behind09:58 One Day or Day One12:38 Changing Directions Isn’t Quitting14:12 The Pressure to Know Your Path16:28 Stop Worshiping the Result19:49 Enjoying the Process22:41 The Middle Is Not the Ending24:20 Showing Up Without a Perfect Plan26:06 Still Becoming
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Stay in Line for Your Dream | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 12
Apr 1000:48:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m talking about anxiety, timing, dream chasing, and the coffee line analogy that changed how I see waiting. Just because someone else gets the dream before you does not mean yours is not coming. The only way you do not get your coffee is if you get out of line.I’m also sharing about health anxiety, mammograms, meditation, glimmers of gratitude, keeping promises to myself, advocating for my body, and learning that authenticity starts with being honest with myself.This one is for anyone who feels behind, scared, or tired of waiting. Stay in line, boo.00:00 Surprise, I Missed This00:19 Finding the Rhythm Again01:37 Tiny People Are Still the Priority01:54 Troop Beverly Hills and Disneyland Updates03:36 Classes, Mammograms, and Health Check Ins04:36 Timing, Anxiety, and Dream Chasing05:57 Becoming Before Reaching the Goal07:38 The Coffee Line Analogy09:12 Glimmers of Gratitude While You Wait10:39 Anxiety, Scripture, and Being Present11:34 Health Anxiety Before a Mammogram13:01 Life Can Change in an Instant15:11 Becoming Ready for the Dream16:10 Finding the Fear Under the Trigger17:53 Authenticity Starts With Yourself20:36 Meditation and Listening to My Body23:35 I Used to Think I Had to Prove Myself26:36 Stop Proving, Start Showing Up27:34 Keeping Promises Builds Self Trust30:18 Learning What Works for My Body32:42 Other People’s Opinions and Anxiety35:24 What Anxiety and Dreams Have in Common36:08 The Thought Is a Passenger, Not the Driver37:51 Information Is Not Intimacy40:18 Advocating for Myself42:08 Being Bold Enough to Trust Yourself43:17 The Journey Is the Becoming45:19 Showing Up for Yourself Means Saying No47:14 Focus on Becoming, Not Just Arriving
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Date Your Spouse Like You’re Still Learning Them | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 11
Feb 2700:52:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m talking about the sweetest Disney Pandora surprise, why the Tiana charm felt like a hug from my mom and big J, and how those little glimmers can remind us to keep going when life does not look how we pictured it.Then we get into marriage, miscommunication, keeping score, serving each other when we are both tired, and what it really means to date your spouse like you are still learning them. I’m not speaking as an expert. I’m just sharing what I’m learning in real time with Blake, life, grief, dreams, and all the tiny chaos in between.00:00 We Took a Week Off01:00 Laguna Beach and a Little Disclaimer02:29 The Pandora Surprise08:25 Looking for the Princess Charms10:42 Why Tiana Means So Much14:26 Snail Mail From a Princess15:18 The Charm That Felt Like a Hug17:45 Keep Going When You Feel Behind20:16 You Are Right Where You Need to Be21:46 When the Emotional Board Turns Back On25:10 Marriage, Miscommunication, and No Judgment26:59 Date Your Spouse Like You’re Still Learning Them29:34 Giving All Day and Keeping Score33:41 Coming Back With a Servant’s Heart41:28 Learning Each Other Again45:05 The Heart Posture of Repair48:09 The Boxes We Keep Unpacking51:03 Glimmers, Prayer, and Encouragement
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Your Child Is Not Your Mini Me | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 10
Feb 1300:44:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m talking about why our tiny humans are not our mini mes, even when they look like us, sound like us, or remind us of ourselves. This one is about parenting without projecting, seeing their hearts before assuming their intent, and remembering that behavior is often communication, not just a power struggle.I’m also getting into terrible twos, big feelings, labels, inner child moments, asking better questions, and learning to let my tiny queens grow beyond the version of them I thought I knew.Come sit with me for this one. It might call us out a little, but lovingly.00:00 Three for Three, Baby00:44 Blind Boxes and Little Joys02:12 Disneyland, Coffee, and Life Catch Up04:02 This One Might Call Us Out09:35 The Comment That Started It11:19 Why Mini Me Bothers Me13:04 When We Project Our Story Onto Kids15:10 Listening Before Assuming19:05 Stop Boxing Tiny Humans In20:06 The Terrible Twos Reframe23:20 Behavior Is Communication26:38 Letting Them Grow Beyond Our Version29:34 Questions That Help You Know Them34:54 Empathy for Them and Yourself41:44 Making Room for Their Hearts
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Progress and Presence Beat Perfect Parenting | After Hours With Amanda Season 5 - Ep. 9
Feb 600:37:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m talking about a morning where I messed up as a mom, said something that wounded, and realized I could not just wait until the end of the day to repair it. So I used my lunch break, pulled one of the tiny queens out of school, apologized, got Chick fil A, opened blind boxes, and learned something I do not want to forget.This one is about parenting mistakes, repair, preteen emotions, presence, progress, and why our kids do not need perfect parents. They need parents who keep showing up and trying again.00:00 Episode Two of 5201:01 Inside Out Is Too Real Right Now02:00 Whole Foods Smoothie Drama02:40 I Messed Up This Morning04:28 When a Sting Becomes a Wound06:07 Pulling Her Out to Repair07:08 Progress and Presence Over Perfection08:02 Showing Up With Urgency10:19 What Pursuit Feels Like in Relationships11:41 Preteen Emotions and the Control Board14:35 I Do Not Know What I Am Doing16:04 Staying Present When They Push Away18:10 Distance Creates the Wedge19:05 Body Image, Food, and Outside Noise20:38 Learning What Hat They Need Me to Wear22:26 Chick fil A, Pop Mart, and Baby Molly25:24 Progress and Presence Beat Perfection26:39 When They Need You the Most28:19 Becoming the Matlock of Emotions30:18 Foxhole People and Showing Up31:06 Not Every Seat Needs to Be Filled34:19 Podcast Dreams and 2026 Energy35:13 Progress, Presence, and Marriage Too36:11 You Are Doing Really Good
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