When Lina Forrestal moved to Hunterdon County in 2019, she had no local friends, a baby on the way and a life that looked drastically different from the one she had been living abroad.
Before New Jersey, she and her husband spent two years in Bangkok, where he was completing field research for his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, the study of cultural music. After living in one of the largest cities in the world, they chose something quieter—a six-acre farm in Hunterdon County—craving space, stillness and roots.
Then the pandemic hit.
Isolated in a new town with a newborn, Forrestal turned to what she knew best: connection.
From food and travel to motherhood and meaning
Forrestal began blogging in 2016, originally focusing on food and travel. But farm life and motherhood shifted her perspective. Travel slowed. Priorities changed.
She pivoted into motherhood content and launched The New Mamas Podcast, which now has more than 300,000 downloads. The concept is simple but powerful: real conversations with mothers about their lived experiences. No advice. No judgment. No selling. Just honesty.
“I wasn’t trying to fix anyone,” Forrestal says. “I just wanted moms to feel seen and heard.”
What began as content quickly became community. Starting the podcast, she explains, was also her way of navigating loneliness during COVID-19. Asking someone to be a guest felt easier than asking for friendship.
“It was my excuse to talk to people,” she recalls.
The working mom narrative
Today, Forrestal works full time in corporate marketing for a Fortune 100 tech company while continuing to grow her platform as a content creator.
Her focus has sharpened around working motherhood. While motherhood content is abundant online, she noticed working moms often felt overlooked.
“There’s this societal conditioning that makes women feel guilty no matter what they choose,” Forrestal shares. “If you put your child in daycare, people ask how you could let someone else raise them. If you stay home, they ask why you went to college.”
She points out those narratives rarely apply to fathers.
Through humor and satire, including her popular Miss Rachel-inspired videos, Forrestal tackles heavy topics such as workplace burnout, boundary-setting and the pressure to “do it all.” By using parody and a childlike tone, she makes complex conversations more accessible.
“I try to arm women with the words to use,” she notes. “Sometimes we just need permission to say, ‘That’s outside my scope.’”
Breaking shame culture
At the heart of Forrestal’s content is a rejection of shame.
She regularly shares unfiltered moments from her life, including photos of a messy home after two parents have worked full time.
“A lot of people look at social media and immediately feel like they’re failing,” she emphasizes. “In reality, most of our houses probably look the same.”
Her message resonates well beyond Hunterdon County. Women across the country respond to her honesty about mental health, career pressure and the constant questioning women face at every stage of life.
“It feels like every step of the way, women are questioned,” she says.
Instead of retreating, she leans into dialogue.
Hunterdon as home
Forrestal is not building her brand in isolation. She is deeply involved in the local community, acting as one of the moderators for Hunterdon County Mamas, founded by Jenna Toulantis Leggio, and leading networking groups for working mothers.
She also co-hosts a second podcast, Can I Be Honest?, with Valentina, owner of Alchemy Coffee in Flemington. The show highlights local business owners and encourages respectful conversation, even across differences.
“We can disagree and still love each other,” Forrestal notes.
For her, community is not just social. It is strategic.
“I’m starting to believe that community is resistance,” she shares.
Resistance against burnout. Against isolation. Against narratives that pit women against one another.
Though not born in New Jersey, Forrestal says Hunterdon County feels like home. She credits its small-business culture, family-friendly atmosphere and balance of space and accessibility.
“All jokes aside, from all the places I’ve lived, New Jersey has been one of the best,” she laughs.
The bigger vision
Looking ahead, Forrestal hopes to tie her podcast, Instagram and Substack into a cohesive brand, one that not only supports women emotionally but also supports her family financially.
“Summer camp is expensive,” she stresses.
There is ambition behind the humor.
But there is also something quieter and more powerful at work: a woman choosing transparency in a culture that often rewards polish over truth.
In a season of life where women are told to do more, smile more and apologize less, Lina Forrestal is doing something different.
She is inviting women to sit down, be honest and build something real, together.
Connect With Lina
Follow Lina at @linaforrestal for candid takes on working motherhood, humor-filled commentary and community-driven conversations