The Chaotic Middle

In this episode, host Amanda Russell welcomes Rebecca Reardon to The Chaotic Middle podcast, who manages a corporate job, a virtual assistant business, and is a mother to two young children. Listen in as Amanda and Rebecca chat about how to build a "life first biz without muting motherhood.” Rebecca shares about how her goal to gain more time with her children requires her to focus on intentional capacity management, using work time after the children are asleep, and acknowledging that parents have a different 24 hours in a day. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW REBECCA → Website → Instagram WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this month’s solo episode, host Amanda Russell discusses what she’s learned since starting her own business and how it’s been the best personal and professional decision she’s ever made. She also gets into how businesses can find success with blogging and how to use long-form content for strategic and sustainable growth. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Blog about does your website need a blog? → Blog to increase website traffic → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell welcomes Keri Szachacz to The Chaotic Middle podcast to discuss Keri’s apparel company for dancers, cheerleaders, and baton twirlers, Showstopping Designs, and her experience working from home since 2017. Listen in as Keri and Amanda discuss the challenges of balancing a work-from-home business with raising growing children, prioritizing emotional awareness, and how the pandemic brought more grace to working parents. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW Keri → Website → Instagram WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell welcomes Amariah Murdock to The Chaotic Middle podcast. Amariah is the owner of multiple businesses, including Joyride Rentals Southern Utah, infinitexec, and the Momreneurs Making Moves podcast, which focuses on navigating "babies, business, and boundaries." Amariah shared that a slow season does not define success, stressing the importance of finding connection to combat isolation, prioritizing recharging to prevent guaranteed burnout, and setting necessary boundaries for a sustainable life. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! Groups Amariah mentions: Marshall Stern Working Moms FOLLOW AMARIAH → Website → Facebook → Instagram → LinkedIn → YouTube WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell welcomes Kelly Velasquez to The Chaotic Middle podcast to discuss her decision to transition from a 12-year corporate career, which was prompted by burnout, a toxic work environment, and a surprise pregnancy. Kelly Velasquez shared a simplified journaling habit and her "rest versus resistance" experiment, which helps her differentiate between genuine tiredness and procrastination to find "flow," which is integral to her business focus on efficient systems connecting career, life, and tech. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW KELLY → Website → Substack WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell welcomes Julia Bocchese, an SEO, Pinterest, and AI search strategist and the founder of Julia Renee Consulting, to the Chaotic Middle podcast to discuss her background, business strategies, and entrepreneurial journey. Julia Bocchese shared her methods for managing a packed schedule through consistent childcare and team outsourcing, emphasizing the importance of setting strict client boundaries through contracts and detailed proposals, and using Zoom for calls to avoid sharing personal contact information. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW JULIA → Website → Instagram → LinkedIn WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell sits down alone to recap the first month of The Chaotic Middle episodes and share what she’s learned in the short two months since she started interviewing guests. In the episode, she shares which of her blog posts has gotten the most traffic and how allowing one person’s admission to be your permission to let go, too. Listen in as she talks about how embracing all of those chaotic, messy parts could actually lead to something beautiful – both in business and in life. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! And if you hate this episode, don’t worry! Amanda will be back next week with another inspiring interview with a fellow mom in business who is navigating her own chaotic middle. WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell sits down with Heidy De La Cruz, a content creator, podcast coach, mom of 2, and host of the award-winning podcast "The American Dream Through the Eyes of Immigrants.” Heidy De La Cruz shared insights into balancing her 9-to-5 job, content creation, and coaching business with motherhood, attributing her success to a flexible work schedule, divine strength, and her husband's strong support. Listen in as Amanda and Heidy discuss the importance of a strong community, a solid partnership, and shedding traditional societal pressures. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW HEIDY → The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast → Instagram WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

In this episode, host Amanda Russell sits down with Amy Pierre Russo to discuss Amy's coaching practice, which focuses on shifting from work-life balance to work-life harmony and integration. Amy Pierre Russo, whose background is in HR, emphasized the need for working mothers to have space, support, and resources, noting that clients often struggle with the pressure of "balance" and benefit from community to disrupt the pay and support gaps. Amanda and Amy’s discussion included the importance of setting default boundaries proactively, establishing intentional self-care, and addressing the "power through attitude" to ensure efforts align with personal goals rather than solely fulfilling others' needs. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW AMY → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwamy/ → Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingw_amy/ → Links to FREE resources: https://coachingwamy.start.page WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website: https://chaoscoordinationllc.com → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-courtney-russell/ → Threads: https://www.threads.com/@chaoscoordinationllc → Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chaoscoordinationllc → Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaoscoordinationllc

In this episode, host Amanda Russell sits down with content writer and mom of 2, Katie Kastner, to discuss how Katie's hope to produce content that counters the prevalence of too many men with microphones was a catalyst for the creation of The Chaotic Middle. Katie details the pivot of "The Haven" from a community for business-owning mothers to one for creative women entrepreneurs, expressing excitement about the business alignment and the nearly 40 women on the waiting list. Hear about Katie’s “I don’t know era” and how the unexpected path of stay-at-home motherhood led to an identity crisis, emphasizing the importance of pursuing personal fulfillment and knowing one's capacity when starting a business as a new mother. If you enjoy this candid conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle podcast for more conversations with moms living life in the chaotic middle! FOLLOW KATIE → Threads → TikTok WHERE TO FIND AMANDA → Website → LinkedIn → Threads → Facebook → Instagram

Ever feel like you're juggling a zillion things while someone hands you a baby and asks for a business plan? Yeah, me too. I'm Amanda Russell, the writer and content strategist behind Chaos Coordination, and welcome to The Chaotic Middle—the podcast for women who are balancing businesses, babies, and everything in between.