The One Skill That Helped Me Stop Resenting My Schedule (and Made Life and Work Feel Easier)
The Boss Mom Podcast
If you've ever resented your own schedule, this episode is for you. In this solo, Dana gets vulnerable and shares the one skill that changed her business, her motherhood, and her experience of life more than any strategy ever has. It's not a productivity hack. It's not a morning routine. It's the simple, life-altering practice of recognizing when you've drifted, and coming back to focus. Recorded as Dana's last episode before turning 45, this is a reflective, honest look at the inner work that actually moved her business, the chiropractor analogy that reframed how she sits in discomfort, and...
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Why You Can't Schedule Your Way Out of Mom Burnout (with Irin Rubin of MamaZen)
The Boss Mom Podcast
This week, Dana sits down with Irin Rubin, founder and CEO of MamaZen, a mental wellness app for mothers. Irin's story is one a lot of moms will recognize: a difficult first delivery, severe colic, hospitalization, PTSD in the second pregnancy, and the slow realization that the high-speed train of motherhood didn't have stops. What she discovered next changed everything: nervous system regulation isn't another thing to add to your overwhelm. It's the thing that makes the rest of your life feel possible. If you've ever felt like the world keeps telling you to "just slow down," "just give...
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Moms... AI just made your voice the most valuable thing you own.
The Boss Mom Podcast
This week is different. It's not an interview, it's a real, ranty discussion. Dana sits down with buyer psychology expert Katie Read to break down something every mom growing a business needs to hear: right now is one of the easiest times in a decade to grow a business as a mom. Big companies are hunting small audiences. AI just made your voice the most valuable thing you own. And the rules for how you build, sell, and show up have completely changed in your favor. If you've ever felt behind, too small, or like you needed a bigger platform before you "really" started, this episode is going...
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The Crockpot Effect: How AI Is Quietly Becoming Every Boss Mom's Secret Weapon
The Boss Mom Podcast
The world is swirling my beautiful BossMom! AI, shifting buyer behavior, businesses opening and closing overnight. So what should mom entrepreneurs actually focus on right now? In this episode, Dana gets real about the difference between hustling (good!) and hustle culture (not so much), why AI is the crockpot of our generation, and exactly how she's using ChatGPT and Claude to run her life and scale Boss Mom, without burning out. You'll hear: Why "slow down" isn't always the right advice (and what to do instead) How Dana uses ChatGPT as her personal assistant, and her midnight therapist...
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4 Buyer Psychology Hacks You Need To Know With Katie Read
The Boss Mom Podcast
Dana invited Katie Reed onto the show after reading just one of her emails — and this conversation did not disappoint. Katie is a Forbes-featured buyer psychologist and AI strategist who spent 20 years as a psychotherapist before turning her expertise toward why people buy (and why they don't). In this episode, Dana and Katie dig into the Castle Guard Framework — four core psychological guards that run every purchase decision — and why traditional objection-handling actually makes things worse. They also get into the "husband objection," how to use AI to understand your buyers at a deep...
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How Amanda Northcutt Built a Business That Runs Without Her (And How You Can Too)
The Boss Mom Podcast
Dana met Amanda Northcutt at a Circle event and was immediately struck by how Amanda showed up — traveling, exploring, fully in visionary mode while her business ran without her. In this conversation, Amanda shares how she got there: from a health crash at 26 that forced her to reinvent her career, to building Level Up Creators into a team of 20 that constructs real, scalable businesses for thought leaders. Along the way, Dana and Amanda dig into the identity work that holds so many of us back, why experts are actually becoming more valuable in the age of AI, and the five things every...
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Why Success Feels So Scary for Moms
The Boss Mom Podcast
In this episode, Dana unpacks something so many moms in business quietly carry: self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the feeling that maybe success just isn’t meant for them. But what if that’s not actually the problem? What if the real issue is that success feels unsafe? Dana shares why moms often reject abundance without even realizing it, the hidden “mom math” that keeps women small, and the belief systems that make success feel like a threat to motherhood, relationships, identity, and worth. Inside this episode, she explores: why moms aren’t usually afraid of failure the real...
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Breaking the Shame Cycle in Parenting with Wendy Snyder
The Boss Mom Podcast
In this episode, Dana sits down with Wendy Snyder to talk about her new book, Fresh Start Your Family: Powerful Parenting to Restore Peace in Your Home, and the deeper truth behind raising strong-willed kids. This conversation goes far beyond parenting tactics. Dana and Wendy unpack the connection between shame, perfectionism, nervous system regulation, emotional literacy, and the invisible burden so many moms carry when they feel responsible for fixing everything. They talk about why the traits we’re taught to tone down in ourselves and our kids are often the very things that make us...
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Two AI Personalities Discussed My Business Belief System—And It Was Wild
The Boss Mom Podcast
I tried something a little different… and honestly, it blew my mind. I uploaded my thoughts about going all in on my business into NotebookLM and had it turn everything into a podcast episode—hosted by two AI personalities who broke down my belief system in real time. What they uncovered? Way deeper than I expected. In this episode, we explore: why moms in business aren’t actually stuck because of strategy the emotional blocks behind visibility and growth the concept of the “exposure tax” and why success can feel scary why stepping back isn’t failure—it might be exactly what you...
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Hey Mom, Stop Trying to Be Clever With Your Title
The Boss Mom Podcast
Dana Malstaff 56 mins Edit Reply Stop Letting My Title Cost Me Clients: Focus on Frameworks, Not Labels In this episode, I explain how what I call myself—my title and even my business name—can actually confuse the market and keep me from getting the clients I want and building consistent income. After coaching thousands of women, I’ve seen that trying to be clever with a unique title backfires, so I need to stop making my title creative and instead focus on the framework I use to take someone from a problem to a transformation. I also...
info_outlineAt BossMom, we're normalizing the conversations that help you grow a business while raising a family.
In this episode, Dana tackles one of the most controversial beliefs she holds: your children should not be your purpose. Before you close this tab, hear her out—because this distinction might be the most liberating thing you hear all year.
Dana opens up about why believing your kids are your only purpose actually burdens them with the weight of your unfulfilled dreams. She shares a heated debate she had at a Circle event where someone completely misunderstood what she meant, and breaks down the critical difference between "my kids ARE my purpose" versus "my kids GIVE ME purpose." One creates guilt, shame, and disconnection. The other creates fuel, integration, and a reciprocal relationship where you empower each other.
From her five-year-old daughter's problem-solving at a pumpkin patch ("Mom, get your computer and make money while we're in the bouncy house!") to why she believes modeling beats martyring every single time, Dana challenges everything you've been told about what it means to be a "good mom." The real lesson? When you pursue your dreams openly and involve your kids in age-appropriate ways, you don't create disconnection—you create a team. And your kids learn more from watching you build something meaningful than from you sacrificing silently and resenting it later.
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It's our private networking community built just for moms growing businesses—because you shouldn't have to do this alone.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✨ Why "your kids are your purpose" is actually burdensome to your children (and what to believe instead)
✨ The game-changing difference between kids BEING your purpose vs. kids GIVING you purpose
✨ Why modeling beats martyring every time—and what that actually looks like in practice
✨ How to involve your kids in your work in age-appropriate ways (from toddlers to teens)
✨ The disconnection trap: why shame and isolation around your ambitions harm your relationships more than the ambitions themselves
✨ Dana's "model, don't martyr" philosophy and why your kids need to see you pursue your dreams
Success doesn't come from doing more—it comes from doing what matters and making it easier to stay consistent. That's why tools like FutureMe GPT and Nurture to Convert AI were created: to help you take action, simplify your messaging, and grow your business without the overwhelm.
Your audience is ready for you. Now it's about showing up in a way that works for you. Check out bossmom.com/futureme and nurturetoconvert.ai to see how much lighter business can feel.
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About BossMom:
BossMom is the leading voice and resource for moms building businesses. We know you're not here to choose between being an amazing parent or running a successful business—you're here to build a life that makes room for both. Find more resources, support, and community right here → https://bossmom.com
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Dana is obsessed with their Cuddle Blanket. It feels like a weighted blanket and is so amazing she got a second one because her daughter kept stealing hers.