Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Welcome to Let’s Get Real, the podcast for women who feel like they’re holding it all together on the outside… but falling apart on the inside.
If you’re exhausted from pretending, overwhelmed by the pressure to be everything for everyone, or unsure who you even are anymore—you’re not alone. And you’re not crazy.
Let’s Get Real is where we have honest conversations about the struggles most people avoid—healing emotional wounds, losing yourself in motherhood, rebuilding your identity, and learning how to live whole again.
I’m Jena Burris—wife, mom, and your host. With a background in marriage and family therapy, life coaching, and years spent navigating life behind the scenes of the NFL and Hollywood, I’m passionate about creating a space where real conversations lead to real healing.
Each week, you’ll hear real stories, practical tools, and the reminder that freedom is closer than you think. Because I believe that in order to heal, we have to get real.
New episodes every Tuesday. Real talk. Real tools. Real healing.
For speaking inquiries, brand partnerships, or workshop opportunities, visit www.jenaburris.com or email jena@jenaburris.com.
Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Motherhood Redefined: Learning to Thrive While Raising a Complex Kid (Part 1)—with Michelle Choairy
Free Resource for Moms
Feeling overwhelmed and like you’ve lost yourself in the chaos of motherhood?
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep feeling this way.
I created this FREE guide for you:
🎁 The Overwhelmed Mom’s Guide: 10 Small Changes to Start Feeling Like You Again
Simple, realistic shifts you can start making today without adding more to your plate.
👉 Grab it here: https://jenaburris.kit.com/ecc29b3801
Episode 23 – Motherhood Redefined: Learning to Thrive While Raising a Complex Kid (Part 1) with Michelle Choairy
Motherhood doesn’t come with a roadmap.
We imagine bedtime stories, playdates, family dinners that look like they belong in a picture book. But sometimes reality crashes in and forces us to rewrite everything we thought motherhood would be.
That’s what happened for Michelle Choairy.
Her son was born at just 32 weeks, a tiny three-pound fighter who spent his first days in the NICU. From the very beginning, Michelle’s story of motherhood looked different than the picture she had carried in her heart.
Feeding struggles, endless crying, developmental delays, and eventually the diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder… Michelle found herself grieving the life she thought she’d have while trying to survive the one she’d been given.
And yet, what makes her story powerful is not just the hardship—but the resilience, humor, and light she’s learned to hold onto along the way.
Michelle is now a mom, advocate, and founder of Collective Wisdom for Complex Kids, where she helps other parents feel seen and supported on their own journeys.
In This Episode, Michelle Shares:
🌿 The hidden grief of raising a child with complex needs—and why moms must allow themselves to grieve the life they imagined.
🌿 How comparison and isolation creep in when your motherhood journey looks different from others.
🌿 The messy middle of survival mode—and what it takes to move toward resilience.
🌿 Why celebrating small wins (like finishing a hike as a family for the first time) changes everything.
🌿 The power of finding community with other moms who “just get it.”
Why This Matters for Moms
If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “Why does it seem so easy for everyone else?”—you’re not alone.
If you’ve ever turned down invitations because your child couldn’t handle the environment—you’re not alone.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your grief was valid—you’re not alone.
Michelle’s story is a gentle but powerful reminder that even when life doesn’t go as planned, motherhood can still be meaningful, beautiful, and deeply transformative.
It doesn’t mean pretending it’s easy. It means learning to thrive even in the messy middle.
Connect with Michelle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wisdom4complexkids/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle.choairy/
P.S. If this episode resonates with you, please reach out. I truly want to hear your story. You can DM me on Instagram @jenaburris or email me at jena@jenaburris.com. Your voice matters — and I’m here for you.