Danielle Frank spent six years in entertainment publicity at Miramax — red carpets, film festivals, the New York media world. At 29, she left it, without another job lined up, because the work no longer felt right. That decision led her into the wine and spirits industry, where she's now spent 21 years, the last 12 with Moët Hennessy.

The conversation centers on a different turning point, though: the end of an engagement, and with it, the path to motherhood she'd expected to be on. Rather than treating that as a loss, she began writing — and thirteen years later, that writing became her book, A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting, a rhyming, satirical guide that pairs parenting lessons with wine terminology.

The episode moves through her career shift, the long road to publishing the book, how she built a lasting network across coasts, and how she thinks about setbacks — not as unfair, but as pivots. She also talks about what's next: a second book pairing whiskey with dog breeds, and a children's book about cultural acceptance she's hoping to place with a publisher.

Connect with Danielle Frank:

• Book: A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting — available on Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com
• Website: DanielleFrankAuthor.com
• Instagram: @createagreatstory

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

Your kid is brilliant, your schedule is chaos, and your old creative self feels like a distant memory, so what do you do with that gap? We sit down with Jamie McMahon, a realist artist known for soulful dog portraits, a former teacher and dance coach, and now a full-time stay-at-home mom of three, to get honest about identity, purpose, and making meaningful work in the margins of real life.

We talk about the invisible labor of motherhood and why it can feel like you’ve worked all day with nothing to “show” for it, then shift into the tools that help Jamie stay grounded: trusting her gut, running decisions through faith, and learning discernment when parenting advice is coming at you from every angle. Jamie also shares what led her to homeschool her oldest, and how a flexible, curiosity-led approach can protect a bright child’s love of learning while strengthening the parent-child relationship.

Then we go deeper on ambition and resilience. Jamie shares her own turning point between wishing and doing, the discipline that took her from struggling with health to dancing at the highest levels, and how she’s rebuilding healthy rhythms now with goalposts like dance reunions. Finally, she walks us through creating her children’s book Handy Pandas, from rhyming story concept to teaching herself digital illustration, and why creative problem solving is a life skill for kids and adults. If you’ve been craving community, creative momentum, or a way to feel like yourself again, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a parent or creative friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

Why I've Been Missing

If you've noticed the quiet, I wanted to explain it myself instead of leaving it unsaid.

This past season has been full of the sweetest joy — becoming a Granny, soaking up every giggle and new discovery. I'm still right in the middle of it, and I wouldn't trade a minute. And then, in almost the same breath, life shifted. My husband was diagnosed with cancer, and everything overnight started changing. What had been a season of joy became a season that also held appointments, decisions, and a trip to MD Anderson. Walking through that with him became the center of my world, and everything else, including this space, had to wait.

I'm happy to say he's on the road to recovery now, and I don't take that lightly.

What I didn't expect was how much I'd realize the stories of other women — their strength, their honesty, and their wisdom is crucial to be heard . All I've experienced reminded me why these conversations matter so much to me in the first place. So I'm back, with interviews I recorded before everything shifted, ready to share them with you over the next few weeks.

Thank you for your patience. Thank you for still being here.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff