Welcome! I’m so glad you found me. I am a midlife mother of two daughters + a writer, producer, editor, podcaster, and curator of women’s stories. If you are a woman entering this second adolescence of your life and wondering how you can make your way back to yourself, you’re in the right place.
If you are a parent in need of a little humor in the face of the constant absurdity of raising children, or you’re a mom searching for some validation and comfort, or you’ve come seeking reassurance that you are not alone in your feelings of ambivalence about the imperfect, beautiful, baffling, push-you-to-your-breaking-point world of motherhood—there’s a home for you here, too.
As I’ve transitioned from the mind-numbing years of potty training and failed craft ideas and sleepless nights, into raising tweens and teens, dealing with mental health challenges, changing careers, and facing down a divorce, it’s still my mission to keep it real around here, whether that’s sharing the hilarity of life with children, commiserating about the tough moments, or taking a minute to absorb the plethora of emotions we have about motherhood, marriage, and our selves for which we have no words.
So, hi. I’m Stephanie. I am a writer, producer of live storytelling shows, podcaster, editor and facilitator of a writing community for midlife women, and proud curator and promoter of women’s creativity, regardless of their life stage, talent, and experience. One of my primary goals in life is to help guide women back to themselves, reclaim their fire, and boldly use their voices. I am a fierce advocate for authentic connection, telling our stories even when they make others uncomfortable, and helping women authentically connect to one another to amplify their power.
My work has been published in O Magazine, The Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Motherwell, Mutha Magazine, The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Cosmopolitan.com, Redbook.com, The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, and more. I am working on a memoir and will finish the first draft of my manuscript in summer 2023.
I produce Listen To Your Mother Boulder and Denver, podcast at the Mother Plus Podcast, and am in the process of launching Mother + The Mic with my Mother Plus podcast co-host, Stacey Hutson. These local shows feature mothers showcasing their talents, everything from poetry reading to singing to stand-up comedy to reading their original essays. We are also offering regular day-long retreats for mothers to connect, create, and recharge with like-minded women in a nurturing environment (Really: our location is actually called Nuture.)
I blog at Midlife Mommy, For Real, on Substack. You can subscribe here; my bi-monthly Substack newsletters feature my latest writing as well as updates on the memoir I am writing.
I have been writing since childhood, when I spent most of my time writing novels or bad poetry inside my head instead of paying attention in class. I also used to be a pretty hard-core ahem, parent blogger. (Please let’s not use that other icky pejorative term for mothers who write about motherhood, agreed?) While my regular blogging days are well behind me, my hey-dey between 2012 and 2016 produced a few popular blog postss, including the viral post that became the #sogladtheytoldme social media movement: I’m Glad They Warned Me. What I’d Like to Tell My Childless Friends, But Won’t, Dear Stay-At-Home-Moms: Go Ahead and Complain, What We Choose Over Homework, and Thanks For Nothing, American Girls (Why I Dislike American Girl Dolls). I wrote often about maternal guilt, my struggle to find balance as a writer and part-time working mom, feminism and motherhood, and why I feel like a failure as an adult. Sometimes I told funny stories about my kids, or vent about my dislike for homework, or explain why the 1980s was the best decade to be a kid, and folks seemed to enjoy my pontifications on how three-year-olds kind of suck.
This was me right before I started blogging as a path to creativity and sanity.
I am a classically trained vocalist, voice teacher for tweens and teens, and early childhood music therapist. As a girl mom, nothing makes me prouder than watching my daughters find their voices, fight for what’s right, and step into their power. I love therapy (IFS is my jam), gardening, poppies, my rescue dogs (most of the time), a good bourbon, and Taylor Swift. I am immensely grateful to have a wide and deep network of beautiful girlfriends from every era of my life to help sustain me, see me, and urge me to keep going.
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @stephsprenger.
