"We Only Have 13 Summers": This One's For the Moms Holding On Too Tight as Everything Changes

"We Only Have 13 Summers": This One's For the Moms Holding On Too Tight as Everything Changes

July 6, 2026 · 31 min · Episode 141

About this episode

Michelle reflects on the challenges of motherhood and the need to let go of outdated expectations as her children grow.

Michelle records from her driveway in pajamas on Canada Day, coffee in hand, waiting for the fog to roll in—and this episode is exactly that kind of morning. Raw, unfiltered, still figuring it out. She unpacks the week: Scarlet didn't make the tumbling team and handled it better than Michelle expected, Michelle got pulled on stage at the dance gala by her daughter's tiny fist and absolutely bombed it (and has been practicing in the mirror ever since), and somewhere between crying in a leadership meeting and flopping in the chair telling Josh she can't be all-in at work this summer, she landed on the thing she actually needs to let go of. Not just things in her calendar—but the version of summer she keeps holding onto that her kids have already outgrown. Timestamps: 00:00 Pajamas, Driveway, Canada Day 02:18 ChatGPT Told Me to Reflect More 05:44 Two of Us Can't Both Drive the Ship This Summer 09:12 Scarlet Didn't Make the Team (And Was Fine) 13:27 Have a Backup Plan Ready 16:48 She Pulled My Arm and I Said Yes 20:33 I've Been Practicing in the Mirror Ever Since 23:14 We Only Have 13 Summers, Not 18 26:07 What Do I Need to Let Go Of? If you're holding on too tight to a summer that…

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Host: Michelle Stokes

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