360: Where Your Trigger Comes From

Where Your Trigger Comes From

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Megan breaks down why triggers feel so intense—and why they’re not random. If you’ve ever felt blindsided by panic, anxiety, or fear that seems to come out of nowhere, Megan explains what’s actually happening in your subconscious mind and why your body reacts as if your life is in danger, even when you’re safe.

Megan walks listeners through how triggers are formed from past experiences that get stored as “danger” in the subconscious. These memory files carry emotional charge, and when something in your present resembles that past experience, your nervous system sounds the alarm. This is why coping strategies alone often leave women stuck in a cycle of calming down after triggers instead of truly healing them.

You’ll hear a powerful client example that shows how clearing emotional charge from past memories can completely remove triggers—without force, distraction, or white-knuckling through fear. Megan also shares how true healing happens when the subconscious mind is updated, allowing you to live freely again. If you’re ready to stop fighting your mind and start living your life, this episode offers both hope and a clear path forward.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

359: Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet

Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

As we step into a brand-new year, Megan reflects on the heaviness many moms felt in 2025—even without a single defining event. In this episode, she invites you to approach 2026 differently: not by carrying the past forward, but by intentionally resetting, clearing, and creating space for peace, energy, and joy. This is a conversation about giving yourself permission to start fresh, with clarity and purpose.

Megan shares her personal new-year reset process, including reflecting on wins and lessons across five key areas: business, finances, marriage, family, and personal growth. She explains how writing goals down—paired with intention and action—creates momentum over time. One of her favorite practices is choosing a word for the year, a grounding anchor that helps navigate both the highs and the hard moments.

The heart of this episode dives into how unresolved emotional memories and past experiences quietly control our present—fueling anxiety, panic, and triggers that seem to come “out of nowhere.” Megan explains how these emotional charges get stored in the nervous system and why simply “painting over” the past doesn’t work. If you want 2026 to truly be different, this episode will show you why clearing those charges is essential—and how you can begin that process in her free live class.

Ready to finally break free from anxiety instead of just managing it? 💛 This live class on January 6th will help you understand why your body keeps reacting the way it does—and how to gently retrain your nervous system so you can feel calm, safe, and in control again. If you’re tired of coping strategies that only work temporarily and want real, lasting relief, this class is for you. Save your spot and register today by clicking here.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

358: Gratitude on Christmas

Gratitude on Christmas

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this special Christmas Day episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan offers a gentle pause in the middle of a busy and often overwhelming season. Instead of education or information, this episode is an invitation to simply be. Megan speaks to the mom who has done so much for her family, who may be feeling stretched thin, and who needs a moment of calm, care, and presence.

This episode features a guided gratitude meditation designed to help you reconnect with your body, slow your breathing, and gently practice gratitude—even if it feels difficult to access right now. Megan reminds listeners that gratitude is a practice, like a muscle that strengthens over time, and that it’s okay if it doesn’t come easily. Through mindful breathing, body awareness, and gentle reflection, you’re guided to notice how gratitude feels in your body without forcing or fixing anything.

As the episode closes, Megan invites listeners to reflect through journaling and shares an upcoming free live class in January focused on healing anxiety and health triggers. This episode is a quiet gift—a reminder that even in the busiest seasons, you are allowed to pause, soften, and care for yourself.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

357: Why Every Stressed Mom Needs to Paint (Even If You Think You Can't)

Why Every Stressed Mom Needs to Paint (Even If You Think You Can't)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this heartfelt episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan sits down with artist and teacher Marcella to explore the powerful role creativity plays in healing, identity, and everyday life. Marcella shares her journey into art, how she grew into confidently calling herself an artist, and why painting landscapes and florals has become her way of helping people slow down and notice the beauty that already exists around them.

Marcela opens up about her early life in Argentina, her transition from ESL teacher to full-time artist, and the unexpected path that led her to Canada — including the serendipitous moment she met her husband while traveling. Through stories of travel, motherhood, and creativity, she reminds listeners that becoming an artist isn’t about talent or perfection, but about showing up, practicing, and allowing yourself to grow over time.

The conversation takes a deeply emotional turn as Marcella shares how art became a lifeline during one of the most difficult seasons of her life — when her teenage son faced a life-threatening medical crisis. From painting to Zentangling in the hospital, she explains how creativity helped calm her nervous system, process fear, and return to a sense of peace. This episode is an invitation for moms to reclaim creativity not for productivity or outcome, but as nourishment for the soul.

If this conversation stirred something in you — whether a desire to paint, to slow down, or to reclaim something just for yourself — Marcela has a beautiful invitation for you. Her upcoming Painting Challenge is a simple, supportive way to start painting consistently and experience the joy of creating again. You can also follow her on Instagram for daily inspiration, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and reminders that creativity is for everyone.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

356: How to Stay Calm When Your Kids Have Big Emotions

How to Stay Calm When Your Kids Have Big Emotions

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode of the Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan opens up about the real-life challenges of recording while raising kids—especially when big emotions are running high in the home. She shares honestly about being in the thick of a tough phase with one of her children and reflects on the reality that parenting often comes in waves, with each child needing different levels of emotional energy and support at different times.

Instead of focusing on how to calm your child, Megan shifts the conversation to something even more powerful: learning how to regulate yourself first. She explains how your own stress, anxiety, and mental overwhelm directly affect your capacity to handle your children’s big emotions. When your brain is already full—worrying, spinning, or overstimulated—it becomes much harder to stay grounded. She talks about the importance of clearing stress from your mind, not your life, so you have the emotional bandwidth to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting from overwhelm.

Megan also offers simple, actionable tools for staying calm in the moment—like box breathing, grounding techniques, stepping away to reset, and her favorite “inhale… exhale… release” practice. She closes with a compassionate reminder that if you're listening, you’re a good mom who’s trying, learning, and doing the work. You’re not alone in the hard moments, and it’s absolutely possible to become the calm, grounded adult your child needs—even in the chaos.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

355: The 10 Worst Decisions I've Made

355: The 10 Worst Decisions I've Made

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, Megan reflects on the ten biggest mistakes she’s made throughout her life — from money decisions like not investing sooner and not knowing how to manage finances, to choices around selling their home and quitting businesses too early. She highlights how each of these moments, even the painful ones, have become teachers that shaped her growth and clarity today.

She also opens up about deeper emotional and personal struggles, including cutting people out instead of having hard conversations, misunderstanding anxiety as something she just had to live with, and not knowing how to process emotions in her early years of motherhood. Through the loss of her daughter Aria, she learned powerful lessons about responsibility, guilt, emotional regulation, and how healing often comes through allowing emotions to be felt instead of avoided.

Megan ends by sharing how fear held her back in business and how the pressure to be a “perfect mom” shaped her parenting more than she realized. Today, she focuses on learning, grace, and showing up imperfectly—while teaching her kids through connection, not constant correction. This episode invites listeners to reflect on their own mistakes with compassion and use them as a path toward growth, healing, and doing life a little differently moving forward.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

354: Can You Really Work, Homeschool, AND Feel Good? With Darcy Haas

354: Can You Really Work, Homeschool, AND Feel Good? With Darcy Haas

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this inspiring episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, host Megan welcomes Darcy Haas, a registered nurse, functional nutritionist, and homeschool mom of five. Darcy shares her incredible journey from struggling with her own health challenges to discovering functional medicine and eventually creating Body Literacy Lab for Kids — a science-based program designed to teach homeschool families how the body works from a root-cause perspective. Her mission? To empower the next generation to become confident, body-literate kids who truly understand how to care for themselves for life.

Darcy opens up about her personal health journey after the birth of her fourth child, when she went from running marathons to barely being able to walk. After years of unanswered questions, she found hope in functional medicine — realizing that understanding the why behind her health issues was key to her healing. This revelation led her to pursue certification in functional nutrition, where she began teaching women about their bodies, hormones, and the power of prevention. But over time, she felt called to shift her focus toward kids, helping them learn about their bodies early on so they could make empowered, lifelong choices for their health.

The conversation also dives deep into homeschooling and motherhood, as Darcy shares what 13 years of homeschooling has taught her — the beauty of creating space for curiosity, the joy of shared learning moments, and the challenge of letting go of comparison. She opens up about learning to define success on her own terms, resisting the urge to measure her children (or herself) by conventional standards, and embracing imperfection as part of a rich, fulfilling family life.

Finally, Megan and Darcy explore what it means to find joy and purpose beyond motherhood. Darcy reflects on how allowing herself to pursue her passions — and letting it be enough even when it’s messy — has brought a new kind of energy and presence to her home. Together, they remind moms that it’s okay to chase dreams, to homeschool differently, to rest, and to create a life that feels both joyful and enough. Whether you’re a homeschooling mom, a working mom, or somewhere in between, this episode offers heartfelt wisdom and encouragement to embrace your own version of balance and fulfillment.

If you loved Darcy’s heart and wisdom in this episode, you’ll definitely want to connect with her beyond the podcast! Follow her @bodyliteracylab4kids on Instagram, where she shares practical, science-based insights and fun ways to help kids understand their bodies from the inside out. Go check her out and be inspired by the beautiful blend of education, motherhood, and empowerment she brings to every post!

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

353: The 10 Best Decisions I've Made

353: The 10 Best Decisions I've Made

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this heartwarming and deeply reflective episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan invites listeners into her personal journey by sharing the 10 biggest wins and most meaningful decisions she’s made in her life. From marrying her husband at 18, to homeschooling her nine children, to diving into entrepreneurship, Megan opens up about the choices that have shaped her life, her faith, and her family. Each story is a reminder that the most fulfilling paths are often the ones we take with courage and trust, even when they don’t make perfect sense at the time.

She also shares pivotal lessons from her experiences—like learning to have hard conversations, processing emotions after loss, and discovering the power of subconscious healing. Her transparency around grief, growth, and emotional resilience offers encouragement for moms navigating their own challenges. She reminds listeners that true healing and peace come from learning to sit with emotions instead of resisting them and that triggers and traumas can genuinely be released from the body and mind.

The episode ends with an uplifting invitation: to reflect on your own 10 biggest wins—the choices, moments, or blessings that have made your life richer and more meaningful. Megan encourages moms everywhere to celebrate themselves, embrace growth in every season, and find joy not just in motherhood, but in who they are beyond it. Tune in and be inspired to honor your story, your decisions, and the beautiful journey you’re living.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.