The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast | Matrescence | Relationship after baby | Motherhood life

Postpartum Depression in Men - Symptoms, Causes, & Steps to Healing PPD in Men | Ep. 81

When was the last time you truly asked a new dad how he’s doing? Not how the baby sleeps, not how mom is coping, but how he really feels.

Because while we often picture fathers as the steady anchor while mothers weather the storm, research shows that paternal postpartum depression, also known as postnatal depression in dads, is far more common than we think.

In fact, 1 in 10 men experience what’s sometimes called male postpartum depression or PPD in men, a reality that still hides behind workaholism, irritability, silence, or anger.

Can men get postpartum depression?

The answer is YES. They can and they do.

This episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast lifts the silence on that truth, revealing the emotional, biological, and relational layers that make fatherhood depression one of the most misunderstood aspects of parenthood.

Through two powerful stories of real fathers, we explore what postpartum depression in men looks like beyond stereotypes, and how its symptoms often go unnoticed.

It doesn’t always appear as sadness; sometimes it’s snapping at small things, zoning out, or working until midnight.

Sometimes it’s feeling like you’re failing at the one role you’ve always wanted to get right, being a good dad.

Together we discuss the hidden factors that contribute to paternal postpartum depression and fatherhood anxiety, from hormonal changes and identity loss to sleep deprivation and inherited emotional silence.

You’ll discover how these forces create a perfect storm: biological shifts that drain motivation, cultural scripts that glorify stoicism, and emotional contagion when both partners are struggling in silence.

This isn’t about comparing pain between mothers and fathers.
It’s about completing the picture, because when we include fathers in the conversation, the entire family begins to heal.

Supporting dads doesn’t take empathy away from mothers; it multiplies it.

Today we explore:

1. Why paternal postpartum depression often hides behind anger, overworking, or withdrawal.
2. How hormonal changes, identity loss, and sleep deprivation combine to create fatherhood depression.
3. What partners can do to rebuild connection and share the mental load when one parent struggles.
4. The deeper truth: Supporting fathers isn’t dividing empathy. It’s multiplying it for everyone.

When fathers’ mental health is supported, children thrive, couples reconnect, and society begins to redefine what strength truly means.

You’ll walk away from this episode knowing how to recognize the signs, open up a conversation, and start the healing process, together.

If you or someone you love is navigating early parenthood, this conversation is an invitation to see beyond the surface - to see the man behind the mask. Because postnatal depression in men isn’t weakness; it’s the body and mind’s way of saying, “I need care too.”

👇

Download these resources I mentioned

👉 Reconnect Roadmap for Men

👉 The Sunday Reconnect

 

–-

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---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

Postpartum Mental Health - How to Cope With Postpartum Anxiety, Depression & Mom Rage | Ep. 80

Becoming a parent changes everything… your body, your sleep, your relationship, your identity. 

But for many mothers, that transformation also brings something much heavier: an invisible weight that few dare to name.

In this episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast, we dive deep into the emotional reality of postpartum mental health, from depression and anxiety to rage, intrusive thoughts, and the quiet guilt that shadows new motherhood.

 

This isn’t another “baby blues” conversation. 

 

It’s a compassionate, science-backed exploration of what really happens when hormones crash, sleep disappears, and expectations collide with human limits. 

 

Through powerful stories and practical tools, I invite you to replace shame with understanding and to see these struggles not as weakness, but as the body and mind’s way of asking for care.

Whether you’re a mother, partner, or simply someone who wants to understand what new parents truly go through, this episode will help you see that healing after birth is not about bouncing back, it’s about moving forward.

Today we explore:

1. The difference between baby blues and clinical postpartum depression or anxiety
2. How hormones, identity loss, and invisible labor collide to create distress
3. What postpartum rage really means and how to manage it without shame
4. How couples can rebuild connection and emotional safety after birth

This episode is your gentle reminder that survival is love in action and that every parent deserves to feel supported, not judged.

 

👇

Download these resources I mentioned

👉 Matrescence Mini-Course [Free]

👉 The Sunday Reconnect

 

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

Parenthood, Perfectionism & the Nervous System | Rewiring the Mind for Emotional Healing w/ Dr Moreland | Ep. 79

What if the version of you that’s struggling right now, with perfectionism, exhaustion, or that endless loop of “I should be better,” isn’t broken, but wired for survival?

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Ashleigh Moreland, neuroscientist and founder of the Re-Mind Institute, for a conversation that might just change how you see yourself, your mind, and even your parenting.

Together, they explore what it truly means to unbecome who you had to be in order to survive, and why real healing often looks less like “self-improvement” and more like returning to who you were before you learned to hide your feelings.

Dr. Moreland unpacks the difference between the brain and the mind, explaining why understanding this distinction changes how we experience emotion, addiction, burnout, and even our relationships. 

Through her work on neuroplasticity, she shows how every human being can rewire their nervous system, moving from a pattern of protection to one of connection.

This episode will speak to anyone who’s ever felt “stuck” in old reactions: 

the parents who lose patience, the partners who feel disconnected, the perfectionists who can’t rest. 

It’s not about fixing yourself. 

It’s about finally feeling safe enough to stop performing.

Today we explore:

1. The difference between the brain and the mind — and why it matters.
2. How your nervous system wiring affects your emotions, relationships, and sense of self.
3. Why unbecoming (who your mask is) can be more powerful than becoming (your ideal self).
4. How to create emotional safety in your family so your kids inherit healing, not trauma.

 

Dr. Moreland and I bring warmth, humor, and clarity to the science of human transformation as a reminder that change is not about effort, but about safety.

🎧 Tune in to discover how understanding your wiring can help you stop fighting yourself and start leading with compassion.

 

👇

For 1 insight, 1 exclusive tool, & one 3-minute reset,

Get on The Sunday Reconnect

 

—

ABOUT DR. MORELAND

Dr Ashleigh Moreland is a neurophysiologist, therapist, and founder of Re-MIND Institute. She specialises in trauma-aware, nervous-system-informed approaches to parenting, relationships, and personal growth. Drawing on her expertise in neuroscience and human behaviour, Ash helps people break cycles of stress and disconnection to create safer, more connected relationships at home and beyond.

See how you can get in touch and her work HERE.

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---
Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

When Love Turns Into Obligation | Healing Resentment in Marriage After Kids | Ep. 78

Have you and your partner ever argued about something trivial, a birthday cake, a chore, or a tone of voice, and realized it was really about something deeper? 

In this episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast, I unpack how love, once effortless, can begin to feel like an obligation when unspoken fears and fatigue take over.

This isn’t an episode about blame. 

It’s about understanding.

Why resentment builds even in loving relationships.
Why partners often feel unseen despite their effort.
And how to move from scorekeeping to soulkeeping 

…rebuilding connection not through equality, but empathy.

We look at the psychology behind resentment, the gendered conditioning that fuels emotional misfires, and the small yet profound acts that reignite warmth in long-term love.

You’ll learn why overgiving turns into quiet bitterness, why “help” is never the same as “partnership,” and why even care, when performed out of fear, can feel like rejection.

Whether you’re the partner who over-functions or the one who freezes, this conversation will help you decode the hidden messages behind your conflicts, and guide you toward a relationship that feels emotionally generous again.

In a gist we talk about:

1. Why resentment isn’t proof your relationship is broken. In fact, it’s proof you’ve both been trying hard in mismatched ways.
   
   2. How gender conditioning creates invisible emotional roles that breed fatigue.
   
   3. Practical tools to move from obligation to choice — including weekly check-ins and reframing “help” into true partnership.
   
   4. The emotional truth behind the phrase “I shouldn’t have to ask,” and what it reveals about unseen labor, love, and longing.

You’ll walk away not just with insights but with heart-level clarity:
love isn’t about doing more…
it’s about doing from truth.

Because when you stop trying to earn love, you finally start to feel it again.

 

👇

Download these resources I mentioned

👉 7-Day Reconnect Challenge

👉 The Sunday Reconnect

 

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

When Parenthood Turns Partnership into Pressure - Why Emotional Labor Divides Us (& How to Heal Together) | Ep. 77

Do you wonder if you’ve fallen out of love with your partner?

Is this more intense after kids?

When love starts to feel like labor, and home feels more like a to-do list than a refuge, it’s not because you’ve fallen out of love. 

It’s because you’re both carrying A LOT - more than anyone can see.

 

In this episode we break down the silent struggles of parenthood: 

the mental load, emotional labor, and invisible pressures that quietly reshape relationships after children enter the picture.

 

We’ll look at how mothers often carry emotional vigilance born from generations of conditioning, and how fathers quietly bear expectations of strength, provision, and stoicism. 

Both end up exhausted, one managing life’s invisible chaos, the other crushed under invisible pressure.

 

Together we discuss how these unseen weights lead to disconnection and resentment.

By the end of the episode, you walk away with 5 small, but powerful recalibrations that help couples rebuild empathy, teamwork, and appreciation.

Because partnership isn’t about perfect balance - it’s about shared gravity.

 

Today we explore:

👉 The unseen mental load that drains mothers and fathers differently.

👉 How inherited family scripts shape emotional labor.

👉 Five daily practices to rebalance love and responsibility.

👉 Why appreciation, empathy, and rest are radical acts of repair.

 

Find and Download all my [Free] resources 👉 HERE

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!

---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

Stay-at-Home-Mom vs Working Mom - Why We Feel Judged - Mom Guilt Explained | Ep. 76

Have you ever found yourself explaining your parenting choices a little too much? 

…Not because someone attacked them, but because something inside you felt the need to justify?

 

In this episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast, we explore what’s really happening beneath those subtle moments of parental defensiveness

… the guilt, the identity shifts, and the deep desire to feel like we’re doing enough.

 

Through a real-life story of two moms at a school gate - one working full-time, one a stay-at-home-mom (SHAM) - we unravel how easily conversations about “what’s best for the kids” become reflections of our own insecurities.

 

I reveal how matrescence (the psychological transition to motherhood) reshapes identity and why every comment about parenting choices can feel personal. 

 

But more importantly, I guide you through 3 steps to soften the sting of comparison.

 

Because when we can meet ourselves with kindness, other people’s choices stop feeling like threats.

 

Today we explore:

👉 Why we defend our parenting choices and what we’re really trying to prove.

👉 The link between mom guilt, identity shifts, and societal pressure.

👉 Three practical tools to stop feeling judged and start feeling secure.

👉 How self-compassion transforms comparison into connection.

 

If you’ve ever felt that quiet pit in your stomach after hearing how another parent does things differently, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

 

There is no perfect way to parent.

There's only your way, done with presence and compassion.

 

👇👇👇

Download these resources I mentioned for [Free]

👉 Matrescence Video Series 

👉 Calm Parent, Calm Child Guide

👉 Self-Connect Calendar

 

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

When Parenthood Changes Us | How Couples Navigate Identity, Relationship & Growth | Ep. 75

Parenthood doesn’t just change your schedule.

It shifts who you believe you are.

 

 In this episode, we dive into those quiet, sometimes painful cracks in identity that open once kids arrive:

• the lost “you”, 
• the unseen tensions in your relationship, 
• the unmet expectations, and the longing to feel whole again.

 

We explore how couples can hold space for one another, learn tools to rebuild intimate connection, and begin to reclaim identity without resentment, guilt, or disconnection. 

 

This isn’t about returning to “pre-kids you.”

It’s about integrating growth, grief, love, and change so your relationship and your sense of self can thrive.

 

Today, we explore:

1. How parenthood transforms your self-image, your role expectations & what you didn’t see coming.
2. Communication tools for couples: naming patterns, navigating the unspoken, co-regulation in moments of mismatch.
3. Practical micro-movements you can begin at home to restore connection & feel seen again.
4. The emotional insight: you don’t need to “fix” everything.
   Sometimes, being witnessed, naming the change, and leaning into vulnerability is the bridge to deeper intimacy.

If you’re feeling like you’ve lost bits of who you were, or if the person you’re in relationship with is changing in ways you didn’t expect, this episode is for you. 

Listen in, let the discomfort teach you, and find space to rebuild together.

 

👇👇👇

Download the [free] Reconnection Roadmap [for him]
 

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
👉 Get the [FREE] Calm Parent, Calm Child Guide
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Full Transcript HERE.
—

Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com

When Fathers Feel Irrelevant | Understanding Patrescence and Relationship Disconnect | Ep. 74

Download the [free] Reconnection Roadmap [for him] !!

 

Fatherhood is more than showing up at bedtime or paying the bills. Yet too often, dads enter parenthood without the same acknowledged transformation that mothers undergo.

 

This episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast pulls back the curtain on patrescence - the emotional, psychological, and relational journey of becoming a father.

 

 

While society expects women to evolve when they become mothers, men are still told to “provide, not process.”

 

The result?

Emotional disconnect, intimacy breakdowns, and couples who love each other but feel worlds apart.

 

In this episode, we dive deep into what happens when fathers aren’t invited into their own becoming, and why that gap leaves both partners lonely.

 

With warmth, honesty, and practical tools, we unpack the barriers that hold men back from fully stepping into fatherhood, from cultural conditioning to fear of failure.

 

More importantly, you walk away with a roadmap for reconnection that doesn’t blame men, but instead calls them into deeper presence, courage, and love.

This isn’t about fixing your partner. It’s about understanding the unseen layers of patrescence and reclaiming connection — for yourself, your relationship, and your children.

 

Today we explore:

1. What patrescence is and why it’s rarely talked about.

2. How men experience fatherhood differently (and why it often goes unnamed).

3. The barriers that stop dads from fully shifting.

4. Practical micro-movements couples can use to rebuild closeness.

 

Moms, if you’ve ever wondered why your partner seems unchanged while you feel completely transformed, or if you’re a dad who feels “not enough” no matter what you do, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

 

👉 Don’t miss the free resource mentioned in the episode: The Reconnection Roadmap, a simple 7-step guide to help couples rediscover admiration and affection without needing a heavy emotional talk.

---

Episode Transcript HERE.

–-

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights
📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support
👉 Get the [FREE] Calm Parent, Calm Child Guide
📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

---

Download the [free] Reconnection Roadmap [for him] 

--
Want to take our relationship to the next level?
👉Here are my top Resources
👉 Link to my Newsletter
👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com)
🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review!
Your support means the world!
---

Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com