Hope & Humor Podcast
The Hope & Humor Podcast with Kristina Kuzmič offers a blend of honesty, heart, and humor in candid conversations. Each episode provides practical guidance on parenting, relationships, mental health, and navigating the challenges of self-care. The podcast aims to deliver the hope and humor listeners need.
Episodes
Aging on our own terms
If you're nervous about aging, this episode is for you. Kristina and her producer, Cat, have an honest, no-sugarcoating conversation about getting older, aging on our own terms, and share encouraging stories that prove we're never too old to pursue a new dream.
Control Issues
Kristina shares a hard-earned lesson from parenting her son through a difficult time: the more she tried to control the situation, the worse things became, not just for him, but for her and their relationship. In this episode, she talks honestly about the difference between helping and controlling, why our attempts to “fix” things can sometimes create more harm, and what she’s learned about letti
Helping kids find their passion and purpose
Kristina sits down with teen coach Carey Reilly to discuss how parents can help their kids discover their passions, find purpose, and use their unique gifts to make a positive impact in their community. Carey shares practical advice for encouraging confidence, curiosity, and meaningful growth in teens. She also offers valuable tips for students who are considering college, including ways to streng
Why Talking About Death is an Act of Love
Death is one of the few experiences every family will face, yet it's often one of the hardest subjects to talk about. In this episode, Kristina welcomes Amy Pickard, founder of Good To Go, for an honest conversation about end-of-life planning, talking to children about death, family communication, and why avoiding these discussions often creates more pain than having them.
At the heart of Amy's wo
Superwoman Syndrome
Do you ever feel like you're expected to do it all, be it all, and somehow make it look effortless? In this episode, Kristina and her producer dive into the reality of Superwoman Syndrome. They explore the pressures and societal expectations that women face, how these messages often teach us to put our own needs last, and what it takes to break free from the cycle of self-neglect and create a life
From a Teen Advocate with over 15 years of experience: What Parents Need to Know
Kristina is joined once again by Jacy Patt, founder of Mentionable Means Manageable Youth Advocacy and a dedicated advocate with more than 15 years of experience working with at-risk youth and their families. Through years of building trust with young people, Jacy has heard firsthand from kids who are struggling but don't feel comfortable opening up to their parents. She shares powerful insights a
Recovering Pessimist
Kristina gets real about something she’s been working on for most of her life: overcoming chronic negativity. Calling herself a “recovering pessimist,” Kristina shares practical strategies that have helped her shift her mindset, and answers listener questions about dealing with negativity.
Whether you’re a lifelong pessimist, an occasional overthinker, or simply someone trying to see the glass as
Sexual Harassment: Why are we still excusing it?
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.
In this deeply personal and important episode, Kristina tackles the ongoing issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault, with a particular focus on the rise of online sexual harassment and the troubling ways it continues to be excused, normalized, and d
Money-Saving Secrets for Family Travel with Carey Reilly
Family vacations can create lasting memories, but they can also come with a hefty price tag. Kristina sits down with Carey Reilly, a lifestyle TV contributor and writer, to share practical money-saving tips that can make family travel more affordable and less stressful.
From Trauma to Purpose: The Woman who Helped Save My Son
In this powerful episode, Kristina sits down with Jacy, the remarkable woman she credits with helping save her son's life during one of the darkest periods of his mental health struggles. Through a raw and inspiring conversation, she shares her own journey from a childhood marked by severe trauma and abuse to dedicating her life to helping young people find hope and a path forward. Her story is a
Choosing and Building a Great Relationship
This episode explores what it takes to create healthy, thriving relationships at every stage of life. How do we set ourselves up to be healthy partners and choose the right partner for a thriving relationship? Whether you're single, have been with your partner for decades, or simply want guidance on what to teach your kids before they start dating, this episode offers practical insights.
Co-parenting after divorce
Kristina talks about navigating co-parenting after divorce and what helped her create the healthiest possible environment for her kids. She shares the “formula” she came up with to keep herself accountable and not allow her ego to take over, lessons she learned about dating after divorce, and what it was like getting remarried as a single mom. Most importantly, she reminds single parents that lone
Healing and Rebuilding After Divorce
Kristina opens up about one of the hardest and most life-changing experiences of her life: divorce. She shares what helped her heal, rebuild herself, and slowly find peace and joy again. Kristina also answers two voicemails from listeners currently struggling through divorce, offering encouragement, insight, and hope for the road ahead.
Parenting tips that actually help
Kristina shares some of the parenting tips, mindset shifts, creative tricks, and practical habits she’s learned over more than 20 years of raising kids, the kinds of tips that helped keep her (somewhat) sane and made parenting feel a little easier at times. From sibling rivalry to empowering kids to navigating various challenges, this episode is filled with ways to help reduce stress and strengthe
Parenting Fails
Let’s talk parenting fails. The ones you replay in your head and wish you could redo. Kristina and her producer share their own personal stories of moments they consider parenting fails, read listener submissions, and remind us all that messing up doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you human. With Mother’s Day approaching, this is your reminder that your child doesn’t need perfection. They ju
When Life Throws Crap Our Way
Life can surprise us in the worst ways: health scares, financial stress, grief and loss, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, mental health dips, and those seasons where everything feels uncertain all at once. How do we keep it from taking over everything?
In this episode, Kristina shares what has helped her navigate unexpected chaos and hardships and reminds us not to allow the few thing
Fun Family Traditions and the Importance of Creating Joy
Life can be hard, which is why the little things matter. In this episode, Kristina and her producer share fun family traditions that help create connection, bring laughter, and give the family something to look forward to. Kristina also shares creative traditions sent in by listeners, reminding us that joy can be found right in the middle of ordinary life.
Parenting Guilt
In this episode, Kristina talks about one of the heaviest things so many parents, especially moms, carry: guilt. The constant feeling that you’re not doing enough, not being enough, or completely screwing up. She unpacks how to tell the difference between guilt that can guide us and guilt that just drains us, why prioritizing ourselves is actually healthy for our kids, and how to start letting go
Supporting a Child with Mental Health Struggles
Supporting a child who is struggling with mental health can feel overwhelming, confusing, and at times, heartbreaking. In this episode, Kristina shares simple, everyday actions that helped her support her own son through depression, anxiety, and ADHD. From building trust to communicating in ways that help a child open up, this conversation offers practical, usable guidance.
She also expl
Cougar Puberty! (a.k.a. Perimenopause/Menopause)
Kristina sits down with her friend Amy for an honest, unfiltered conversation about the things no one warns women about when it comes to perimenopause and menopause. From lesser-known (and rarely discussed) symptoms to the emotional and mental shifts that can feel confusing or isolating, they shine a light on what so many women experience but few openly talk about. With humor, candor, and compassi
Answering your questions!
Kristina answers questions listeners have sent in. Should teenagers earn or be gifted a car? Should we be taking our child's phone away as a consequence? How to help a child who worries a lot? How to best support a friend whose teen is struggling? Creative ideas for bonding with your teen, and more.
Straight From a Pediatrician: What Actually Matters
A pediatrician, Dr Neela Sethi, with over two decades of experience shares whether parents should feel guilt about the thing things we so often feel guilty about, what actually matters, and how to thrive as a parent. You can find Dr Neela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctorneela/
I'm Struggling With My Mental Health
Kristina opens up about something many of us are feeling but don’t always say out loud: life has been heavy lately. She shares honestly about her recent mental health struggles with depression and anxiety, what it’s looked like behind the scenes, and the small ways she’s been working through it. This conversation is a reminder that you’re not alone and you deserve all the help you can get.
Relationships and Marriage Are Hard!
In this episode, we talk honestly about marriage - why many single women are losing interest in it, how the mental load in relationships often goes unshared, and what it takes to have a truly healthy partnership. Kristina also opens up about a season that nearly broke her marriage and what she and her husband did to heal their relationship. This episode is filled with practical, real-life t
Parenting After Kids Turn 18: Navigating the Transition
In this episode, we talk about the difficult transition from raising children to parenting adult kids. How do we support them while respecting their independence? How do we respond when our adult children bring up ways we hurt them or mistakes we made while raising them? And how can we build the healthiest relationship possible with them?
This conversation explores letting go of control, staying
Why are we so cruel to ourselves?
In this episode, we discuss how we’re our own worst bullies, why putting ourselves down feels more natural than complimenting ourselves, and how to shift our self-talk out of self-hatred mode in order to become more confident and thrive.
Recognizing Mental Health Struggles in Your Child
In this episode, we discuss what we as parents need to do to recognize mental health struggles in our kids and how to approach them in ways that don’t cause them to shut down. We talk about how some kids are often mislabeled as “bad” or rebellious, when in reality they’re kids who are in pain. We also explore how creating an environment rooted in genuine curiosity helps our children feel safe open
The Pressure To Get Parenting Perfect
So many parents feel like they're constantly falling short. This episode explores the unhealthy expectations placed on parents, the comparison and fear that creeps in, and why “good enough” parenting is actually more than good enough.
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