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Hosted by pediatric physical therapist, wife and mom of three, Dr. KC Rickerd, More Than Milestones is the podcast that goes beyond baby checklists and dives deep into real motherhood, real development, real relationships, and everything in between.
Whether you’re supporting your baby’s motor development, navigating big kid emotions, or navigating a new stage of life & parenting, this show blends expert-backed education with the honest, unfiltered reality of motherhood.
Each week, KC brings you conversations with trusted professionals—pediatricians, therapists, sleep and feeding experts, mental health pros, and more—plus raw, relatable stories from fellow moms and caregivers. No pressure to be perfect. Just honest conversations, support, humor, and community for the journey you’re on.
If you're looking for clarity, connection, and a reminder that while supporting our children’s development is important, so is supporting ourselves - you’re in the right place, because it’s always more than milestones.
32 Episodes
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Feeling stuck when it comes to your child’s development or your own body can be incredibly frustrating, and sometimes the missing piece isn’t where you think it is. In this episode, I’m joined by neuro educator Missy Bunch, who shares how her own career-ending knee injury as a professional dancer led her to discover the powerful connection between the brain, nervous system, and body. Through her work in applied functional neurology, Missy breaks down how the brain processes input, why the bod...
Creating a peaceful home doesn’t come from perfect parenting; it comes from practicing presence, compassion, and intention. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Hanaa Ghannoum, parenting coach, mom of three, and founder of Peace Within Home. With a PhD in early childhood and curriculum studies, Dr. Hanaa helps parents raise their children with calm, confidence, and connection while also doing the inner work of re-raising themselves along the way. Our conversation explores what it really means t...
Hormones influence far more than just our menstrual cycle, yet many women reach adulthood realizing how little they were ever taught about their own bodies. Today I’m joined by Dr. Kerry-Anne Perkins, a board-certified OB/GYN and passionate advocate for women’s health education. Together, we unpack why so many women feel disconnected from their bodies, why female health has historically been overlooked in medical research, and how everyday factors like stress, nutrition, and environmental exp...
Perimenopause isn’t a sudden switch, it’s a gradual shift that can begin years before most women realize what’s happening. I sit down with Dr. Amy Shah, double board certified MD and nutrition expert, to unpack what perimenopause actually is, why women’s symptoms have historically been misunderstood in medicine, and how to feel empowered instead of blindsided during this transition. Together, we reframe this season of life as an opportunity to build strength, resilience, and long term health ...
Attachment isn’t just a parenting buzzword. It’s the invisible thread that shapes how we connect, love, and feel safe for the rest of our lives. In this powerful conversation, therapist, author, and the face behind @attachmentnerd, Eli Harwood brings nearly two decades of clinical experience to unpack what attachment really means, why secure relationships matter far beyond childhood, and how parents can intentionally build safety and trust with their children. From understanding the different...
This episode is a fun, rapid fire hot takes roundup straight from my Instagram community, where nothing was off limits and everything from jorts to uninviting kids from weddings made the list. Pineapple on pizza? Pickle potato chips? Taking three kids anywhere in public? We’re covering it all. I share how my perspective has shifted from first time mom to third time mom and how experience has softened some of my rigid thinking. We talk shared bank accounts, who gets up in the middle of the nig...
Alyssa Campbell joins More than Milestones to dive into one of the most overlooked yet critical stages of child development: ages 5 to 12. With a master’s degree in early childhood education, research experience in emotional development, and as the founder of Seed and Sew and a two-time bestselling author, Alyssa helps parents understand why big emotions in big kids are not something to fix, but information to listen to. We explore how emotional and social development shows up differently in ...
1If you’ve ever felt like your partner turned into a roommate after kids, this conversation is for you. I'm joined by the one and only Vanessa and Xander Marin. Vanessa is a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in sex therapy, and Xander left his career at Google to focus on helping couples talk openly about sex. In this episode, we dive into the “roommate phase,” the bristle reaction, and what it really looks like to reconnect sexually after kids. Vanessa and Xander norma...
Ruth Whippman, author and journalist, joins us today to unpack America’s obsession with happiness, the loneliness baked into modern motherhood, and what it looks like to raise boys in today’s complicated cultural landscape. Drawing from her books BOY MOM and America the Anxious, Ruth shares why the way we pursue happiness often backfires, how isolation impacts parents, and the contradictory messages boys receive about masculinity, emotion, and identity. This conversation is honest, nuan...
Motherhood doesn’t usually need another to-do list, it needs support that actually shows up in real life. Today I’m joined by Sharon Pope, founder of Shelpful, an AI-powered task manager created to help moms reduce mental load and make everyday life feel more manageable. Sharon, a mom of two, built Shelpful out of her own experience returning to work after maternity leave and realizing she was excelling everywhere except in caring for herself. What she wanted was simple reminders for the smal...
Winter sniffles don’t have to send you spiraling especially when you know what’s normal, what’s not, and when to call for help. In this episode, I’m joined by my dear friend Dr. Anjuli Gans, board-certified pediatrician at CHOP and the voice behind @resilientrascals, to walk us through navigating winter illnesses with newborns and young kids with more confidence and less fear. We cover how to prepare if you’re expecting a winter baby, RSV protection, the best way to take your child’s temperat...
This episode is a little different. After sharing my 2025 reflections on Substack and intentionally celebrating the small wins I usually overlook, I felt a shift in how I wanted to approach the year ahead. That reflection led me to move away from a traditional vision board and toward something that feels more grounded and sustainable: a becoming board. In this episode, I walk you through how I set my intentions for 2026 and why focusing on who I’m becoming feels more aligned than focusing on ...
Brittany Brady is a school social worker with over a decade of experience and the founder of Bright Starts Co. Through her work in schools, Brittany noticed that many children were entering classrooms academically ready, but struggling emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. That insight led her to focus on what truly supports school readiness: strong routines, emotional regulation, independence, and confidence built at home. In this episode, Brittany helps us understand why kids experience ...
In this episode of More than Milestones, I sit down with Becki Westover, a certified orthotist with Bloom Kids who has over 20 years of experience working with infants and families. Becki explains what a certified orthotist does and why helmet therapy can feel confusing or controversial for parents. We talk through common concerns about infant helmets, including weight, size, comfort, and whether helmets interfere with development. Becki clears up misconceptions by explaining how helmets are ...
Today I’m joined by Rachael Shepard-Ohta, founder of Hey Sleepy Baby, for an honest look at what’s normal when it comes to baby sleep. Rachael started Hey Sleepy Baby in 2020 when she was newly postpartum with her second baby, and now as a mom of three, she has become a trusted voice for parents who want an alternative to sleep training. We talk about why sleep training doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing decision. After several personal failed sleep training attempts at four months old with...
Trigger warning: I share traumatic details of my birth story. If you’re heading into your own birth, you may want to skip parts of this episode. I’ve been nervous to record this because these stories still feel so close. After my conversation with Illiyin Morrison in Episode 15, I finally felt permission to stop minimizing what I went through and to share the births that shaped me and my postpartum experiences. I start with Aud’s story. I had gestational hypertension with all three pregnancie...
Perinatal trauma expert and midwife Illiyin Morrison joins me to talk about what birth trauma really is and how we can begin to make sense of our own stories. After her own difficult birth, Illiyin created a framework that helps mothers understand what happened during their birth experience, why they responded the way they did, and how to move forward with clarity and compassion. Her work now includes remote birth debriefs, her book The Birth Debrief, and a podcast by the same name. We explor...
Why do we hammer with a hammer, rake with a rake, but sweep with a broom? This viral TikTok question sparked today’s conversation—a replay of my interview on Miss Beth’s podcast, The Play on Words Podcast. If you’ve ever wondered why English feels impossible to decode, this episode will give you clarity you can use with your child right away. Miss Beth breaks down why English spelling is so inconsistent, using her favorite example: the word “healthy.” Since the root word is “heal,” the ...
If the thought of “kindergarten readiness” has you spiraling, this episode is going to be a breath of fresh air. Today I’m joined by Beth Gaskill, better known as Miss Beth of @bigcityreaders, a former teacher turned literacy specialist who’s changing the way parents think about reading. Beth breaks down why we’re putting way too much pressure on ourselves when it comes to kids starting school—and what’s really going on inside kindergarten classrooms across the U.S. From the lack of regulatio...
Today, I’m joined by my closest social media friend, Amy Kiefer. Amy is the co-founder of Expecting and Empowered, a pregnancy and postpartum workout app she runs with her sister, Krystle. She also co-hosts the HERself Podcast, and her online journey began through @ameskiefer, where our friendship started. She’s now sharing her dream home journey at @athomewithameskiefer, and we dive into all the things — motherhood, social media, and growing through every stage. This episode isn’t an intervi...
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