MOMTALK MARYLAND Show Notes
Unfiltered motherhood. Local stories. Real connection.
Fresh at the Curb: Clean Bins Without the Effort
Your trash bin isn’t just “a little gross” it can be the dirtiest thing you touch all week. I’m sitting down with Josh Levy from MD Clean to talk about what really happens inside trash and recycling bins during a Maryland summer, why the smell spikes, and how germs can travel from a lid handle to your car door to your kitchen faster than you think.
Columbia Community Care: The Heart Behind the Mission
A mile-long line for groceries can change how you see your own town. After COVID shut down schools, Erika watched fear ripple through students and families in Howard County, Maryland and she decided to act.
Massage Meets Community: The Tocar Spa Story
A brutal winter, nonstop school pivots, and the kind of stress that sneaks into your shoulders and never leaves, that’s where this conversation starts. Then it opens into something bigger: what it really takes to build a wellness business that lasts in Columbia, Maryland, and why massage therapy is shifting from “nice-to-have” to part of a real health routine.
Why Not Me: Turning Hand Sanitizer into a Moment Just for You
An art degree. The Peace Corps. Tech sales. Google AI. Then a luxury refillable hand sanitizer brand designed for moms who want a tiny daily escape. Livia’s story is the kind of career pivot that makes you rethink what “qualified” even means and it’s rooted right here in Maryland.
Type B Plus: Done Beats Perfect
Perfection is expensive and most moms are already paying too much. I’m Claire Duarte, founder of The Columbia Mom, and I’m pulling back the curtain on a personality mix I call “type B plus”
From Military Spouse To Pro Organizer: Building Tidy Milso And Systems That Stick
Ever feel like your home is working against you? We bring in Katherine of Tidy Milso to show how smart, simple systems can turn chaos into calm without chasing a Pinterest-perfect aesthetic.
Squeezed With Purpose: A Brand Rooted In Real Ingredients
What does it take to build a community-rooted juice bar without losing yourself along the way? We sit down with Petra, the force behind Fruitful, to trace a story that begins in a great-grandmother’s garden and grows into a Columbia spot known for organic juices, focused offerings, and real talk on small business survival.
Coffee as Daily Self-Care: 10 Minutes to Pause. Sip. Savor
What if your morning coffee did more than wake you up—what if it helped you feel grounded, steady, and clear? We sit with Toni, founder of Me Time Coffee and 20-year military veteran, to explore how a daily cup can become a true self-care ritual.
Diary of a Small Business Owner: Behind the Chaos & Creativity
Ever feel like your best-laid plans got buried under snow days and two-hour delays? Claire opens the door on a week where parenting, weather, and work collided, and uses that chaos as a real-world lens on creativity, marketing, and small business stamina.
Lightening the Load: Motherhood, Community, and Connection
Some loads don’t show up on a calendar, but they still weigh on our minds and our mornings. Claire gets real about the invisible load of motherhood and why the strongest way to carry it is together, not alone.
Finding Our Way: A Mom’s Journey Through Therapy, School Choices, and a Breakthrough at Brain Balance
A tiny cap, a hallway of cheers, and a mom who couldn’t stop crying—this is the story behind 60 sessions that changed the way our son learns, focuses, and feels about himself.
Reintroducing Claire: Goals, Grit, And Growth In 2026
New year energy doesn’t have to feel like a sprint
Layers and Lessons: From Duck Duck Goose to Reinvention
What if the smartest move isn’t to push harder, but to taste and adjust? We sit down with Chef Ashish Alfred—known for Duck Duck Goose, his wellness advocacy, and recent turns on Bar Rescue—for a candid conversation about timing, reinvention, and the messy middle of growth.
From Wreaths To The Super Bowl: A Mom-Built Brand Finds Its Voice
What if hustle wasn’t a badge of burnout but a promise to show up with heart, speed, and boundaries? We sit down with our friend Monica Blakely of Passion for Ezra to trace an all‑too‑relatable path.
Build Bone, Build Nerve, Build Self: The Real Case For Women’s Strength
A rainy parking lot, a few resistance bands, and a coach who chose education over ego—that’s where this story of sustainable strength begins.
Grant’s Leap: Brain Balance And Beyond
A quiet shift can change everything. When a child moves from scanning the room for cues to confidently telling his own story, you feel it at home, at school, and in your gut as a parent.
Train For Your 95-Year-Old Self: Build The Life She’ll Thank You For
Ready to feel strong in the gym and steadier in life? Claire sits down with Lisa, a physical therapist and women’s health coach, to unpack how lifting changes everything—from your confidence and bone density to the way you recover from stress and handle the “heavy” stuff off the platform.
Building With Grit and Grace: Turning Your Ideas Into Reality
What does it take to run a construction company with heart, clarity, and serious build quality—while raising a daughter and changing the face of a male-dominated industry?
From Surviving To Thriving: How Parents Can Support Neurodiverse Growth
The hardest part of parenting a neurodiverse kid isn’t always the diagnosis; it’s the in-between—when your child “gets by,” but daily life still feels uphill.
Calm in the Chaos: Finding Clarity When Everything Feels Loud
What if the same playbook that steadies a press room could calm your kitchen at 6 p.m.?