Mamas in Training is a podcast about motherhood, created and hosted by someone who’s not a mom!
Jessica Lorion is learning, along with her listeners, about the ins and outs of life as a mother. The show provides a space where aspiring and expecting moms can come for guidance and a sense of community with moms who’ve been there.
As an actor in New York City, Jessica is used to an ebb and flow of work. During one of those ebbs, she began looking for a creative project in which to invest her positive energy.
It just so happened that at that time, most of her friends were on their own motherhood journey, either becoming pregnant or giving birth. Jessica recalled:
“I felt like I was surrounded by conversations about motherhood, and I was a bit of a birth story junkie. When I visited one of my closest friends two weeks after she had given birth, she spoke about how lonely she felt while pumping, breastfeeding, and doing other new-mom tasks. That’s when the idea for my own podcast was born.
“I was an avid podcast listener, and my friends and I were talking a lot about podcasts already. I realized that often, when you’re not yet a mom, you don’t feel like you can hang with the other moms, because you don’t have a shared experience. You can say, ‘Oh, I understand,’ but you don’t, really.”
Jessica decided that she would interview women about their journeys into motherhood. That way, women who were currently pumping, breastfeeding, or doing any of the other myriad tasks associated with motherhood could listen, know they’re not alone, and therefore feel less isolated.
“The show was initially called ‘The Pumping Podcast,’ but the pandemic led me to get better aligned with my true purpose. I felt the stories of aspiring moms, like me, were missing from the conversations. 
“I used to refer to myself as a ‘mom-in-training,’ and after completing a podcast accelerator program, I rebranded the show with the name Mamas in Training. Since then, the focus has shifted to aspiring future moms like me, expecting moms who are in the thick of pregnancy, and brand-new moms who are at home alone, trying to figure everything out. The idea is that we can all learn about motherhood together. I typically feature moms and motherhood experts who can tell us what they wish they had known when they were pregnant, so aspiring moms can get valuable insight in advance, thereby avoiding stress around the unknown.”
Jessica’s own motherhood journey has been delayed by an autoimmune disease.
“The podcast quickly became a passion as well as a healthy outlet for me to focus my energy. If I could have been a mom years ago, I would have. In the meantime, the show is a positive project I can pour my energy into during this time of waiting, and I can help other women in the process.
“I would never wish any sort of disease, much less an autoimmune disease on anyone, but it has dawned on me that if I didn’t have this illness, I never would have created this podcast. When I think of what it has done for me and for other women based on the reviews and comments, it’s been an amazing blessing.”
As a result of her autoimmune journey, Jessica has come to see that women need to advocate for themselves.
“We have to speak up for what we’re feeling and going through. I have encountered doctors who don’t seem to believe what I tell them, so I’ve taken this whole journey into my own hands. I focus on my diet, control my stress levels, and use holistic techniques. I have been focusing on healing my body from the inside out, and it’s working. I’m almost completely off my medication.”
This TV, film, and theatre artist describes herself as “an open book”:
“I love it when aspiring or expecting moms let me know what they need via email, direct message on Instagram or Facebook, or comments on YouTube. I asked every single one of my followers on Instagram what they are curious about or want to hear more about. That’s how I curate my episodes. They are all based on the responses I get.”
Jessica is literally building a community.
“Across the show’s 100 episodes, one of the top recommendations for aspiring and expecting new moms, given by 90% of my guests, is having a community or support system. There’s a Mamas in Training Facebook group, and I’ve also developed a premium membership, granting access to a monthly Zoom support circle, where we can have conversations with the podcast guests and create supportive relationships. There’s information about this on the Mamas in Training website at mamasintraining.com/premium.”
Jessica Lorion is proving that a podcast can be more than a platform for sharing information. Mamas in Training has become a springboard for collaboration among experienced moms and expecting and aspiring mothers as they help one another along their heroic journeys.
December 2021 Issue
