352: How to Balance Work and Motherhood Without Burning Out

352: How to Balance Work and Motherhood Without Burning Out

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Balancing work, motherhood, and personal passions can feel overwhelming, especially when moms carry the mental load of managing home, children, schedules, and responsibilities. The speaker acknowledges that motherhood alone is a full-time role, yet many moms add homeschooling, business, or other ambitions on top of it. She emphasizes that instead of using motherhood as a reason to stop pursuing dreams, she chooses to view it as motivation to find creative solutions that allow her to do both—without sacrificing her family’s well-being.

Throughout the episode, she shares personal examples of managing a large family, homeschooling, running a business in just 10 hours a week, and still making time for hobbies like volleyball and pickleball. She explains that mental clarity is foundational—when your mind is cluttered with stress, trauma, and constant thoughts, it drains your energy faster than the actual tasks do. By clearing mental “tabs” and lowering perfectionism, moms can free up emotional bandwidth, increase productivity, and experience more joy in both motherhood and work.

Finally, she introduces practical strategies for preventing burnout: embracing seasonal balance rather than rigid schedules, setting priorities, simplifying routines, getting support, creating intentional rest time, and lowering unrealistic standards for perfection. Her core message is empowering: you don’t need to give up parts of yourself to be a present mom—you simply need to consciously choose what matters, accept help, and honor rest as a form of productivity.

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.

351: Breastfeeding Tip From a Mom of 9

351: Breastfeeding Tip From a Mom of 9

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Megan — a mom of nine — opens up about her personal breastfeeding journey, sharing insights, challenges, and lessons learned from nursing each of her babies. She begins by emphasizing that every breastfeeding experience is unique, even after nine children, and highlights the importance of getting a proper latch and support, especially for first-time moms. Megan also touches on practical issues like lip and tongue ties, recounting her first baby’s difficult start and how her persistence and determination helped her succeed despite the challenges.

Throughout the episode, Megan reflects on the various ways she’s fed her babies — exclusively breastfeeding, pumping, formula feeding, and even making homemade formula — and how letting go of shame and guilt has brought her peace. She encourages moms to do what works best for them in each season, emphasizing that every feeding choice is valid and that there’s no one right way to nourish a baby. She shares helpful tips like resting after birth, skin-to-skin bonding, nursing on demand, and staying flexible with routines.

She also discusses common struggles like clogged ducts and breast infections, offering natural remedies such as sunflower lecithin, massage, and homeopathy that have worked for her. She closes with reflections on balancing motherhood, breastfeeding, and her own need for freedom — acknowledging that it’s okay to supplement with formula or take breaks when needed. Her message is one of compassion, acceptance, and empowerment for moms to trust themselves, honor their needs, and release any guilt tied to how they feed their babies.

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.

350: I'm Always Late—Here's What Changed

350: I'm Always Late—Here's What Changed

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, Megan opens by sharing her excitement about her Heal Your Trigger in 30 Days challenge, where she guides participants to release a specific trigger by the end of the program. She then shifts the conversation to the theme of time—specifically her lifelong struggle with being late. Inspired by a business conference on integrity, she reflects on how punctuality connects to living in alignment with one’s word. For Megan, being consistently late wasn’t intentional but rather a patterned behavior she had to confront and begin to change.

She explains how identity and language shape habits, noting that telling herself “I’m always late” only reinforced the cycle. By reframing it to “I’ve been late, but I’m becoming someone who’s on time,” she opens the door for change. Megan also encourages both sides—those who are always punctual and those who run late—to show compassion. People who arrive late, she stresses, are rarely doing it on purpose, but it is important to acknowledge that lateness disrespects other people’s time. She urges listeners to practice integrity by communicating if they’ll be delayed, which can help maintain trust and respect in relationships.

Finally, Megan shares practical strategies that have helped her shift her habits. She realized she’s predictably 15 minutes late everywhere, so she began adding extra buffer time—leaving earlier than her initial instinct and planning for the “in-between” steps like getting kids ready or walking from the car. While it feels mentally challenging and even “too early,” she finds it ultimately relieves stress and allows her to arrive on time. Megan closes by inviting listeners who struggle with lateness to try this method themselves and share their experiences with her, while also offering support for those dealing with anxiety, trauma, and triggers through her coaching work.

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.

349: Why You Keep Getting Triggered (And How to Make It Stop)

349: Why You Keep Getting Triggered (And How to Make It Stop)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, Megan unpacks what emotional triggers are, how they show up in daily life, and why moms often feel powerless to stop them. She explains that triggers are automatic body responses rooted in past experiences—like an old “recording” replaying whenever a similar situation arises. Unlike ordinary stress, which can be temporary, triggers are patterned, recurring, and feel uncontrollable. Megan gives relatable examples such as snapping at a child’s whining, panicking while driving, or feeling anxious on painful anniversaries, emphasizing that these reactions are not personal failings but unprocessed responses stored in the subconscious mind.

Megan also describes how triggers develop and persist, comparing them to a heavy backpack of past experiences or a snake bite that makes the brain mistake a harmless garden hose for a threat. Because triggers are held in the subconscious, sheer willpower or “trying harder” rarely works. However, she reassures listeners that healing is possible and faster than they might think—sometimes even in just 30 days. Drawing from her own journey and her clients’ stories, she shares that once triggers are healed, moms regain their sense of choice, calm, and energy in daily life.

She closes by inviting listeners to join her 30-day “Heal Your Trigger Challenge,” a program designed especially for busy moms. With short, daily practices and support, participants can work through triggers in manageable steps and experience freedom from the overwhelm that has felt like part of their identity. Megan emphasizes that living without triggers is life-changing—not just for moms but for their relationships and families as well.

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.

348: My Personal Surrender Experiment

348: My Personal Surrender Experiment

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, I shared the journey my family and I have experienced over the past year, which I’ve come to call our “surrender experiment.” It began with a word I chose for the year—surrender—and a lesson in letting go of control, trusting that God would guide our path. Last year, my husband was working long, exhausting hours, and we planned our entire year around that. But in March, right before the birth of our ninth baby, he unexpectedly lost his job. For a few minutes, I felt fear and panic, but I quickly shifted into surrender, trusting that everything would unfold as it should.

What followed was a season of unexpected provision and opportunity. Despite the uncertainty, we were able to sustain ourselves through temporary work and eventually, my husband transitioned into a more balanced, less stressful work arrangement. Over time, he and my brother found and purchased a business—something we hadn’t even considered before he lost his job. Looking back, this period of surrender opened doors that we never planned for but ultimately aligned perfectly for our family’s future.

This whole journey has deepened my understanding of what it means to release control and allow life to unfold. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been freeing and full of unexpected blessings. I continue to focus on surrender—letting go of how I think life should look and instead trusting that each step, even the hard ones, is part of a greater, more beautiful tapestry being woven for us.

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.

347: How I Balance Business, Motherhood, and Homeschooling (Spoiler: It’s Not Perfect)

347: How I Balance Business, Motherhood, and Homeschooling (Spoiler: It’s Not Perfect)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan Hilluka shares a personal shift in how she approaches her podcast. Instead of relying on carefully scripted episodes, she wants to practice speaking more authentically and from the heart, inspired by lessons on authenticity she picked up at a recent business retreat. Megan admits that balancing clarity with the realities of "mom brain," especially while caring for her three-month-old baby, can be challenging. But her goal is to show up as she is, connect honestly with listeners, and bring more natural flow into her content while still offering meaningful insights for mothers navigating busy, chaotic lives.

Megan then dives into what a typical week looks like for her as a homeschooling mother of nine (with eight children at home), a wife, and a business owner. Mondays are her reset days, free from outside appointments, where she focuses on housework, laundry, planning, and connecting with her kids through a daily "morning basket" routine that anchors their homeschooling. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dedicated workdays, supported by a babysitter, where Megan structures her time with focused blocks for business tasks like podcast recording. She emphasizes the importance of creating “guardrails” and systems, which help her stay on track despite her natural tendency toward chaos and distraction.

Thursdays and Fridays are more flexible and social. Thursdays often include family connection activities, date nights with her husband, or one-on-one time with her children, while Fridays may feature special family traditions like "poetry tea time" or active outings. Weekends are reserved for family, rest, and socializing, with Sundays as a day of rest, church, and resetting for the week ahead. Megan highlights how important it is to avoid overwhelm by focusing on the next thing rather than all tasks at once. She closes with an invitation for listeners struggling with anxiety or trauma to seek support through her coaching services, reminding them that healing and calm are possible.

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.

346: Triggers are Your Teachers (RERUN)

346: Triggers are Your Teachers (RERUN)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this rerun episode, Megan Hillica explores the idea that "triggers are your teachers"—a powerful perspective shift for those navigating grief and trauma. She shares her personal experiences with trauma-related and grief-related triggers and explains how both can be opportunities for healing. Rather than avoiding triggers out of fear, Megan encourages listeners to get curious about them, using tools like tapping, EMDR, meditation, and coaching to process what lies beneath. She emphasizes that healing doesn’t mean forcing yourself to be exposed to pain repeatedly, but rather learning how to gently and compassionately address what your body is signaling needs attention.

Megan also highlights the deep value of both individual and group coaching in the grief journey, noting how sharing space with others can foster connection and lessen the sense of isolation. She reassures grieving moms that healing is possible—even from the most painful triggers—if they allow themselves to do the inner work. Her personal story of no longer being triggered by images of sleeping babies is a testament to how consistent healing work can free someone from emotional pain. Ultimately, she reminds listeners that they don’t have to do this alone and that with support, they can shift from just surviving to living with more peace and presence.

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.

345: Conflict and Connection in Marriage with Brett Nikula (RERUN)

345: Conflict and Connection in Marriage with Brett Nikula (RERUN)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this heartfelt podcast episode, Megan invites Brett Nikula, a marriage and family therapist, to explore the complexities of conflict within relationships—especially after the loss of a child. Brett shares how his career transitioned from engineering to therapy, driven by a passion for helping people, particularly couples. He explains that his focus on couples emerged from understanding that children’s wellbeing is closely tied to the quality of the couple’s relationship. The conversation sets the stage for an in-depth discussion about emotional disconnection, stress, and conflict that often arise in grief, particularly when partners grieve differently and misunderstand each other’s coping styles.

Brett introduces the “conflict cycle,” rooted in attachment theory and emotionally focused therapy. He explains how each partner often has underlying attachment longings—like the desire to feel cared for, appreciated, or secure—which can be easily triggered in moments of stress. Using real-life and client examples, he illustrates how attempts to seek connection can instead spark defensiveness or withdrawal in the other partner, perpetuating a painful loop of disconnection. A simple situation—like a disagreement about a spoon—can be symbolic of much deeper emotional needs, and when those needs are not acknowledged, conflict escalates.

The episode emphasizes that conflict itself is not harmful; rather, it becomes damaging when couples lack the tools to navigate it. Brett uses a powerful gear analogy to explain how emotional “sharp edges” naturally surface as intimacy deepens. He encourages couples to stay curious, explore the emotions beneath their reactions, and share their “hope chest”—a metaphor for the deeply personal and emotional baggage we bring into relationships. Finally, Brett suggests a helpful litmus test for couples: if conflict doesn’t lead to connection, it's time to seek support. Therapy or coaching can offer a safe space to rebuild trust, communicate more openly, and ultimately strengthen the relationship.

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.