Shameless Leadership

Dr. Catherine McCarthy, Dr. Heather Tedesco, and Jennifer Weaver are all mental health professionals who jointly co-authored RAISING A KID WHO CAN, a simple but comprehensive how-to parenting manual designed for the post-pandemic world. They were able to recognize that most parents' depleted attention and energy is in constant conflict with their desire to be guided by the most current, evidence-based information and best how-to strategies when it comes to their kids and mental health. What I love about this book is that it’s organized for easy skimming and designed to be useful at any stage in a child’s life. The book devotes one short, impactful chapter per principle, including Resilience, Attention and Self-Control, Psychological Flexibility, Self-Motivation, Compassion, and Gratitude. The result is a new approach to a parenting guide that takes a holistic approach to nurturing a child’s development and helps parents get right to the information they need right when they need it most. Listen in to hear Catherine, Heather, and Jennifer share: Their invitation to parents to embrace and stay in this "The Age of Adaptability" without feeling chronically overwhelmed The beauty of "the Age of Adaptability" for our kids How to use a Validation Sandwich to help you or your child in a moment of struggle or unpredictability How they formatted their book to be a guide you could immediately put to use without having to do heavy reading The significance of knowing the WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW in how you parent in specific situations The 10 Essentials of Raising a Kid Who Can How to manage some of the paradoxes of parenting that often make us feel like we are getting it wrong The problem with trying to “fix” your child’s feelings Links mentioned: Learn more: Raisingakidwhocan.com Get the Book: Raising a Kid Who Can Connect with Heather: www.drtedesco.com Connect with Jennifer: https://weaverandassociates.net Book: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk Raising A Kid Who Can on IG We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As I’ve kicked off the year with my business consulting clients and corporate clients, the topic of expanding visibility keeps coming up. It’s an important topic for anyone entering a new year! As you think about what you want to make happen for yourself as a mother, an employee, a team member, a community member, a business owner, a partner, or a friend, how do you want to expand upon who you are now in order to get your needs met, have your voice heard, share your gifts and ideas, and have an impact in the spaces you inhabit over the next 12 months? It’s a big question, isn’t it?! Don’t worry, I got you. In this episode, I talk through 4 questions to ask yourself as you consider how you want to grow this year. Then, we talk through the actual steps to take to make this happen. As I’ve been working with clients over the last two weeks, I’ve seen them light up as they have considered what is possible and started to put together action steps to move toward possibility. The overwhelm and uncertainty of a new year can be a lot. Taking some time to reflect on you can make a huge difference in terms of feeling ready, confident, and competent. You got this. Promise. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is a past guest of the SMA, one of my very favorite podcasters, my beloved pandemic memoir writing teacher, and author of Drunkish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol - coming out January 16th In addition to all these roles, Stephanie is a TV personality, and cohost of the popular podcast For Crying Out Loud. She co-created and hosted the late-night comedy parenting show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor for NickMom on Nickelodeon. Her books include Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay; Naptime Is the New Happy Hour; It’s Not Me, It’s You; I’m Kind of a Big Deal; and Gummi Bears Should Not Be Organic. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, 20/20, The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Phil, Larry King Live, and Today. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her three delightful teenagers, and her dog, Penelope. Listen in to hear Stefanie share: How she rationalized her addiction for decades Her slow burn to full-blown problematic drinking Her lowest moment of driving her children while drunk How she had to shift her identity from an author who writes about “mom drinking” to writing about being a sober mom How she managed her diagnosed anxiety after getting off alcohol and Xanax How she was outed after 10 days of sobriety by the New York Times Links mentioned: Connect with Stefanie: Stefaniewildertaylor.com Book: Drunkish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol Stefanie on IG @fcolpodcast across all platforms We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As you welcome in a new year, perhaps you’re giving some consideration to changes you want to make. I want to invite you to be gentle with yourself as you enter this year. Sometimes we try to make so many changes to kick off a year that we are almost immediately too overwhelmed to follow through on any of them for the long haul. I always encourage moms to give themselves the entire month of January and even into February to settle into the new year, set goals, and start taking action steps. Your last 6 weeks have likely been a chaotic explosion of fun, festivities, fatigue, drama, confusion, and feeling not so grounded. Give yourself a minute to reground yourself for the new year. As you walk gently through this process of grounding yourself and growing some intentional roots for 2024, think about what YOU really want and need most right now. Collectively, we all need more help, more support, more validation, more connection, more resources, more open and authentic communication, and more opportunities and time for personal growth beyond motherhood. But, what do YOU specifically need most? In this episode, I will talk you through what moms need most right now so that you may have some verbiage to express your needs to others as well as see how you might be able to show up for the other mothers around you. If we can all be more transparent about what we need, we can more openly acknowledge and take responsibility for the fact that we belong to each other and we truly need each other. I got you and I know you got me. That truth can bring comfort to us all. I am so excited to do 2024 with you! We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new year is always a good time to reflect on the state of your current relationships. As I considered which past guests could bring the most value to you as you kick off 2024, I immediately thought of Kat Vellos, who specializes in helping people develop meaningful friendships in adulthood. Sometimes it can feel like a dirty little secret in adulthood, “I don’t have many friends.” So, we keep it to ourselves. This Best Of conversation is an invitation to openly and proudly pursue the friendships you have long been craving in 2024. Kat Vellos is a trusted expert on the power of cultivating healthy teams and meaningful friendships in adulthood. Formerly a UX designer at Slack, Pandora, and multiple startups, her work today focuses on helping people design belonging into their lives and workplaces. She is the author of We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, TED Talks, Forbes, Real Simple, Communication Arts, SF Design Week, Lesbians Who Tech, and many more. Listen in to hear Kat share: The difference between meeting people and actually making friends The 4 reasons it gets harder to make friends as we age The specific challenges for moms in making friends How our relationships evolve (for better or worse) as our various identities evolve The significance of reciprocity in healthy adult friendships The important role of curiosity in friendship How to maintain strong friendships even when you’re on separate life paths Steps to take to invest in a new friendship Specific steps we can take to invest in the relationships we want to grow and preserve Links mentioned: Connect with Kat: weshouldgettogether.com Get Kat’s Book: We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships Kat on IG Kat on Twitter We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When I was considering which episodes of the SMA I wanted to bring back for you this week, I went to see what my most downloaded episodes of the last couple of years have been. This interview with Aubrey Gordon was my most downloaded episode of this year. I think (and hope!) this is because you are all huge Aubrey fans AND I hope this episode's popularity is a reflection of this community’s openness and eagerness to have conversations around bodies, size, anti-fat bias, and fat activism. Sizeism, the discrimination toward a person or group of people based on their size or weight, remains the only socially acceptable form of discrimination and oppression - and it’s rampant. Since this interview, Aubrey has gone on to release her very own documentary, Your Fat Friend, which has received an abundance of awards and critical acclaim, packing theaters at film festivals and selling out theater after theater across the US and various other countries. As you consider your relationship within your body as you enter 2024, I invite you to listen and learn from Aubrey. She may be able to bring you peace and ease with your current body that you have never found before. Aubrey Gordon writes under the pseudonym of “Your Fat Friend,” illuminating the experiences of fat people and urging greater compassion for people of all sizes. She is the author of What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat and her newest book, You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People. Her work has reached millions of readers and has been translated into 19 languages. She is co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast, a top-rated podcast since its launch in 2021, and a columnist with SELF magazine. Her work has also been featured in Health magazine, Vox, and Gay Mag, among others. She lives in the Northwest, where she works as a writer and organizer. Listen in to hear Aubrey share: What it was like for her to go from an anonymous online writer to a fully public figure How the success of the Maintenance Phase has impacted her work How women are conditioned to externally process and speak about their bodies and food constantly and how this is harmful in a myriad of ways The importance of understanding thin privilege and recognizing if you benefit from thin privilege Scripts and language for parents to talk to kids about bodies and fatness in a neutral way How to talk to your kids about healthy eating without subscribing to your own internalized messages from diet culture Links mentioned: Connect with her at yourfatfriend.com and aubreygordon.net/ Book: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat Book: You Just Need to Lose Weight - And 19 Other Myths About Fat People Podcast: Maintenance Phase Aubrey on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @yrfatfriend We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you rethinking your relationship with alcohol as you approach 2024? Casey McGuire Davidson has been a guest on the SMA multiple times and she is my go-to referral partner when it comes to connecting women who are sober curious to sober coaches and communities. I chose Casey for this Best Of episode because I see so many women reevaluating their relationships with alcohol and I want you to make sure you don’t have to go it alone. If you want to participate in Dry January with a fabulous group of women or are sober-curious and want to know what all the hype is about, you’ll want to go grab Casey’s Sobriety Kit (linked in the SN) so you can join her Dry January community! Casey is a leader in the modern sober curious movement of women who are gray-area drinkers going alcohol-free. An ex-red wine girl turned Life and Sobriety Coach, Casey is passionate about helping women change their relationship with alcohol. She specializes in working with busy women with full calendars and overflowing to-do lists, who are doing all the things and then coming home and drinking to forget about all the things. Casey has helped thousands of women turn the decision to stop drinking from their worst-case scenario to the best decision of their lives. Casey is the creator of The Free 30-Day Guide To Quitting Drinking and The Sobriety Starter Kit, and the host of The Hello Someday Podcast for sober curious women and gray area drinkers, ranked in the top 1% of all global podcasts. Listen in to hear Casey share: Where the concept of Dry January comes from What it means and looks like to be sober curious The science of alcohol and dopamine on our bodies and how it impacts our mindset, outlook, positivity, and joy in life How alcohol use contributes to our stress levels and overall anxiety Steps to manage dopamine if you’re choosing not to drink The significance of the non-alcohol (NA) industry on the alcohol industry Why alcohol works as an “Easy Button” AND is also a very maladaptive coping mechanism Links mentioned: Get Casey’s Sobriety Starter Kit and join her Dry January community: https://www.thesobrietystarterkit.com/ Connect with Casey: https://hellosomedaycoaching.com/ Get Casey’s Free 30-Day Guide To Quitting Drinking - 30 Tips For Your First Month Alcohol-Free https://hellosomedaycoaching.com/30-day-sober-guide/ Casey’s Podcast: The Hello Someday Podcast: https://hellosomedaycoaching.com/podcast/ Casey on Facebook Casey on Instagram We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tanmeet Sethi is one of my favorite people I met in 2023. We immediately hit it off and found the sweetest friendship that feels like we have known each other forever. I have had the opportunity to listen to my dear friend Tanmeet talk about joy as a form of resistance multiple times this year. Every time my capacity for joy - especially in hard seasons - expands exponentially. I chose this episode to share as a Best Of episode as an invitation to you. I invite you to let joy in the new year- as your birthright and as a form of resistance. This interview will guide you on how to do that. Tanmeet Sethi, MD, is the author of Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim What Is Yours. She is also a board-certified Integrative Family Medicine physician who has spent the last 25 years on the frontlines locally and globally practicing primary care and trauma work with the most marginalized communities. As a mother, she has received the impossible news that her youngest son has a fatal degenerative disease. She weaves together the expertise of both acquired knowledge with lived experience and translates them accessibly through the blend of ancient spiritual traditions and modern neuroscience. She is trained in Psychedelic Medicine, Integrative and Functional Medicine, and is a clinical researcher of psilocybin at the University of Washington. Listen in to hear Tanmeet share: How she came to embrace joy as an act of resistance and self-identify as a Joy Activist How she has navigated mothering her son, Zubin, who was diagnosed with a fatal degenerative disease at age 3 The expansiveness of joy vs the narrow path of suffering The important difference between happiness and joy What her joy practice looks like when every day she sees there is something new to lose as her son’s condition worsens How to fight against whitewashed wellness (“looking on the bright side” or “finding the silver lining" and how this dampens our power) How to show up for people in your life who are going through grief - and things to avoid saying The role of our nervous system in joy How can we all step into joy activism and make your joy revolution your own Links mentioned: Connect with Tanmeet: www.tanmeetsethimd.com Tanmeet’s Book: Joy Is My Justice Tanmeet on IG Tanmeet on FB We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chantal is a mom, physical therapist, and author of SETTLED: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World. She is also the founder of the wellness company Body Insight Inc. She holds degrees in psychology and kinesiology from Occidental College and a master’s in physical therapy from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los Angeles. Chantal is certified in Pilates, a practitioner of the Safe and Sound Protocol, and writer, producer, and star of the exercise and rehabilitation videos Strong Knees and Pain-Free at Work. Chantal helps people find relief from stress using a body-focused approach. She believes that stress fluency can make the world a better place. Listen in to hear Chantal share: Her stress quadrant model and how we exist on the stress matrix at all times Why people internalize stress as a sign of weakness - and the cultural paradox of hustle culture + showing stress being a sign of weakness How mothers internalize stress and need to manage stress differently than people who aren’t moms The importance of normalizing the stress that mothers carry and understanding how stress impacts the ability to be patient and empathetic How rushing and “hurry up-ing” creates dysregulation between our brains and bodies How moms and dads experience stress differently and how same-sex parents experience stress differently Counterintuitive, super simple, super quick (30 seconds) tools for self-regulation Links mentioned: Book: SETTLED: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World Connect with Chantal: https://www.bodyinsight.com/ Chantal on IG Chantal on FB Resources and articles from Chantal: https://www.bodyinsight.com/press-articles We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giving yourself permission to release a few unconventional things might just make motherhood more manageable in 2024. And, when one area of your life is more manageable, all areas of your life start to feel more manageable. Society rewards moms for aiming high, hustling hard, and achieving at every turn. I’m going to invite you to get a little unconventional in 2024. Allow yourself to be average. An average mom. An average employee. An average volunteer. If you are a lifelong high achiever, I probably just lost you. You know you were not made for mediocrity. I get it. I’m not either. But, you also weren’t made to meet the extremely high demands that the world puts on mothers and women day after day after day - for eternity. You were made to bend without breaking. My hope is that this episode helps you check yourself so you can see the ways you might be able to bend in 2024 so you don’t ultimately break. I’ve been bending a lot more over the last couple of years - sometimes by choice and sometimes by unchosen circumstances. Releasing constant high expectations, rigidity, and other people’s needs & norms has been a game changer. In this episode, I invite you to release 4 things you maybe haven’t considered before. You might raise an eyebrow at first, but I’m pretty sure you’ll thank me later. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Megan Flatt is a business growth strategist on a mission to make entrepreneurship easier. She believes you can have a thriving business, a community, and a life — and you don’t need more time, you need more focus. She’s the founder of Focus Sessions and the author of Focused: Reclaim Your Time, Ditch Overwhelm, and Do Less Better. Besides helping women and business owners focus, Megan is obsessed with lattes, post-it notes, and romance novels. Outside of work, you will find her focus turned to her husband and two kids, probably near the water, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Megan and I met when we were in a business coaching group together years ago. You know when you meet someone who is annoyed by the same things as you and loves the same things as you - magic, right?! That’s Megan and me. We don’t talk often enough. But, whenever we have the chance to reconnect it’s gold. You’ll hear that in this conversation today! Listen in to hear Megan share: Book: Focused: Reclaim Your Time, Ditch Overwhelm, and Do Less Better How building a business as new mom led her to see the danger of chronic hustle culture for women and moms How hustle culture and norms around productivity & time management are a product of the Patriarchy Her philosophy of “do less better” Her process of getting into the focus flow when she leads focus sessions How to reframe and reclaim your power in your boundaries around volunteering The science of focus: focus is a skill that can be learned The importance of understanding your hormones in order to hone your focus Links mentioned: Connect with Megan and try a complimentary Focus Session: focus-sessions.com Learn more about Megan and her work: letscollective.co Get Megan’s book: Focused: Reclaim Your Time, Ditch Overwhelm, and Do Less Better Megan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/meganflatt/ Focus Sessions on IG: https://www.instagram.com/focussessions/ We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you the kind of mother who keeps adding more and more things to your plate without giving any consideration to moving certain things OFF the plate to make space for the new stuff? Do you just keep piling and piling and piling until things start to fall off the plate, causing you great anxiety, or the entire plate breaks from the pressure and weight of too many things? Ahhh, the overwhelm of motherhood. Something I’ve noticed - especially among super driven, perfectionistic, people pleasing moms - is that we really struggle to deprioritize anything when certain things need to be prioritized. Instead, we just keep prioritizing alllll the things. Like, we want to prove we can handle all the pressure. We want that gold star for holding it all together - even in times of crisis. We want the extra credit. 110%. A++. “I’m fine”, you tell yourself and everyone around you. But you’re not. And that’s ok. When moms are going through something tough, a tough day or week or season, you have the opportunity to do things differently. You don’t have to keep doing all the things. In fact, the universe may be screaming at you to STOP DOING ALL THE THINGS. In this episode, I talk through how to shift your mindset and your action steps in order to keep going without drowning in tough times. If you feel like you need permission to shift your expectations, say no, hold boundaries, take space, and let yourself laugh in the face of adversity, this episode is for you. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laura has been involved in the entertainment industry for over 30 years as a writer, Producer, and entrepreneur. She is the author of over 60 books and a staggering 21 New York Times bestsellers. Most recently, Laura co-directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning documentary, Anxious Nation, her first feature, focused on the crisis of anxiety in America, especially its impact on our youth and their families. Anxious Nation is a deep dive into the hidden crises burdening our youth. Inspired by her own daughter’s battle with anxiety, Laura recognized the broader, global implications of this emotional turmoil, and Anxious Nation was born. The film unravels the rise in anxiety rates among our nation’s youth, especially post-pandemic, emphasizing the undeniable link between mental health and academic commitment. The documentary provides parents not just insight into this alarming trend but also equips them with practical strategies to tackle these unprecedented challenges. Listen in to hear Laura share: Her journey to becoming a single mom by choice How she recognized that her daughter needed support for her anxiety How we treat medical conditions in children with urgency but not mental health conditions The stark data around girls and mental health and the massive shift in data pointing to teen girls' mental health struggles, consistent sadness, hopelessness, and suicidality - that we absolutely cannot ignore The importance of sharing diverse stories around anxiety - culturally, socioeconomically, at all ages and developmental stages What you can do right now to support your child’s mental health even if you’re on a waitlist to access services How to help your child channel their anxious energy Links mentioned: Anxious Nation on IG Watch Anxious Nation and get on the Anxious Nation Newsletter: https://anxiousnation.com/ Book: The Anxiety Audit by Lynn Lyons Book: The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali Tsabary We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’ve been very aware over the last few years how tempting it is to dub each year as a “dumpster fire”. I definitely don’t want to negate or bypass all the incredibly difficult things we have all been through collectively and individually over the last few years. But, I do think we do ourselves a disservice when we embrace an entire year as being awful. In our house, it has been one of our most trying years as my husband has been laid off for over 6 months. But, it’s also been a year of many unexpected gifts as so many people have been incredibly thoughtful and generous to our family. For the rest of my life, when I think back on 2023, I will never forget how awful his previous employer was AND how many sweet moments came as we navigated this wildly uncertain time as a family. Both/and. Always. One of the most powerful things you can do as you close out one year and prepare to embark upon another is to take a few intentional steps to reflect back before you plan ahead. In this episode, I walk you through the system I have used over the years as I have coached tons of Shameless Moms, business coaching clients, and more recently, corporate teams through this process. This year was probably pretty messy for you at times. That seems to be how the world works anymore. Just constantly PRETTY MESSY. And, I know in that mess you grew, maybe even thrived at times. I’m willing to bet you also did more, learned more, and developed your skills and mindset more than you’ve given yourself credit for, which perfectly positions you to go after every single thing you want in 2024. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and memoirist, Nefertiti Austin writes about the erasure of diverse voices in motherhood in the #1 Amazon bestseller Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender and Parenting in America. Nefertiti's work around this topic has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Nation, Romper, Adoptive Families magazine, Parents Magazine, SheMedia and countless others. She has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio programs including “The Today Show”, and multiple NPR outlets. Lately, she’s writing about raising her neurologically diverse daughter and jokes that adolescence is no match for menopause. Most importantly, Nefertiti is the proud adoptive Shameless Mom of two children and two Shipoos - Monsieur Lafayette and Siddhartha. Nef and I connected through a mutual friend and two time SMA guest, Debbie Reber. Debbie was kind enough to introduce us and Nef was generous enough to say yes to my invitation to come on the show. Listen in to hear Nefertiti share: What Black adoption looks like compared to typical white adoption Her intentional journey of building her family as a single adoptive mom How race and gender factor into parenting neurologically diverse children How having a neurologically diverse child changed her life in ways she didn’t see coming How she has had to explore her own triggers when it comes to her daughter's behaviors How the murder of Trayvon Martin became a wake-up call for her responsibility of raising a Black son What she wants white parents to know about how Black parents or parents of Black children parent from a place of fear What visible allyship feels for Black parents and children and how white parents can be more assertive, if note aggressive, in their allyship Links mentioned: Connect with Nefertiti: Nefertitiaustin.com Get Nef’s Book: Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender and Parenting in America Nefertiti on IG Nefertiti on FB Nefertiti on X We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Practicing gratitude is not intended to be another chore on your list. It is intended to bring you emotional ease, even joy, as you navigate any given day. It is intended to be a reliable support as you navigate tough moments or tough seasons. And, it’s intended to help you see what is possible if you’re paying attention. I have had gratitude practices that felt a little chore-ish in nature. They were still valuable, but they didn’t stick long-term. They did, however, teach me how to quickly and easily center gratitude in sticky moments, which has proven invaluable at times. I have also had gratitude practices that have brought (and still bring) me immense joy. Knowing I can lean into these any time I need them feels like a superpower. Mostly, knowing how to access gratitude has provided a grounding and rootedness that has shifted how I see the world, how I show up in the world, and how I interact with the world. And, I’m starting to see how it’s shifting how my child shows up and interacts with the world too, which is pretty great. In this episode, we will talk through ways to integrate a variety of gratitude practices to help you find a good “fit” for you so you can feel grounded and find joy in hard moments. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Julie Ciardi is a business & mindset coach for women. Julie helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs create a plan to become CEOs and design their dream businesses. Julie is uniquely positioned to help women start or grow businesses. Julie spent 20 years in a Fortune 50 company as a sales and marketing vice-president. She has also started & grown her own successful businesses. Julie opened a brick & mortar women's boutique taking it to 6 figures in 4 months. She also grew a network marketing business and became a top 2% leader. Ultimately, Julie sold & exited those businesses to build her current coaching business for women. She is on a mission to help women wake up on Monday mornings loving what they are about to do. Julie was a past guest on the SMA. I loved our initial conversation years ago and was so excited when we had the opportunity to make this second conversation. I’ve watched Julie grow and evolve over the years and I’ve been dying to talk to her about it all - on mic. So, here we are! Listen in to hear Julie share: The power of going first in facing a fear or stepping into vulnerability The identity transformation she found in deciding to go gray and how it has deeply impacted her life over the last 3 years The lie she was told about having to “stand out” when trying to build a business How she realized it was time to pivot at various points in her career How she did things her own way in her 20-year career as an IBM executive Why you must OWN YOUR NARRATIVE if you want to do things your way The importance of choosing to live by design vs living by default Her NOW Goal® Formula: (T+F)A3 = R The Knowing/Doing Gap and why we tend to get stuck there for so long Links mentioned: Connect with Julie: www.julieciardi.com Julie on IG Julie’s Podcast: Brand Book: The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​​Isn’t it funny (and not-so-funny) how we let our thoughts take up precious real estate in our head AS IF THEY ARE FACTS and each one is worthy and deserving of space?! Your brain should not be an equal-opportunity employer. Not all thoughts are welcome. Not all thoughts deserve space. Our brain’s ability to conflate thoughts with facts is something we must be keenly aware of. You suck. You’re the only one who can’t seem to figure this out. You’re not ready. It’s too hard. You’ll never make it. You’re not as smart as… strong as… witty as… qualified as… organized as… successful as… All of these = thoughts. Not facts. Yet, boy oh boy do we give them prime real estate. The things we would never EVER say to others are the things we say to ourselves and then we unequivocally believe them as if they are facts. Problematic much??? In this episode, we talk through how to: Stop telling yourself trash (lies) you wouldn’t ever tell other people Start catching your default thoughts that are not true and are likely to cause harm Evaluate your thoughts objectively and rationally Ask yourself essential questions to discern thoughts from facts Find evidence that supports facts and shuts down rotten thoughts We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tosha Schore a Shameless Mom to three mostly grown sons (ages 16, 18, and 20), as well as a parent coach and the founder of Parenting Boys Peacefully, where she is on a mission to create a more peaceful world, one sweet boy at a time. She is also co-author of “Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges,” which has been translated into five languages. Tosha works with parents to care for themselves, connect with their boys deeply, set limits lovingly, and play wildly. She has been featured on Dr. Shefali’s Parenting Mastery Summit, GoZen’s Anger Transformation and ListenUp! Summits, and has spoken to audiences at the Institute for Child Psychology, the Diversity in Parenting Conference, the Davidson Institute, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and been on a boatload of podcasts! Tosha and I met at a conference where I was speaking on podcasting. When she came up to me after my talk to tell me a little about her show, I knew she would make a fantastic guest for the SMA. Listen in to hear Tosha share: Her roots in feminism and her alarm about having 3 sons How she wrapped her head around maintaining her identity as a strong feminist and a mom of boys How the feminist movement has left behind boys and men How the patriarchy has harmed women, obviously, but also most men and most definitely our sons The importance of advocating for boys despite their behaviors that we might not enjoy or approve of Why our boys need safe spaces to make mistakes Common mistakes that parents make in trying to stop aggression Her five-step practice to stop aggression Links mentioned: Connect with Tosha: www.parentingboyspeacefully.com Free Resource PBP 10 Day Reconnect: www.parentingboyspeacefully.com/reconnect Tosha’s Course: Out with Aggression Tosha on FB Tosha on Youtube Tosha on IG Tosha on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The “most wonderful time of the year” is just around the corner. But is it the most wonderful time?! Haha! Every year, I record a holiday episode where I help you prep for the holiday season in a way that I hope will bring peace, ease, and joy to your December. Usually, I share this episode in early December. This year, I’m sharing it early because I want you to start creating that peace, ease, and joy you’re craving now! Every holiday season brings new circumstances. Your kids are a year older than last year. Your parents are a year older than last year. Your work (and therefore vacation/time off) situation may be totally different. Your financial situation might be different. Your relationships might be different. It’s worth reflecting each pre-holiday season on “What’s most important this year?” You may answer this question very differently than last year. In this episode, I offer you 4 invitations to: Determining your magic-making moments Build better boundaries where needed Create inner calm Take time now to prep for your time off I will share what has worked well for me and for members of our community over the last few years in hopes you might get some sparks on how you can intentionally make this the most wonderful time of the year for yourself and your family - for real! We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Ferraro R.D. is on a mission to help parents and caregivers give their babies a safe start to solid foods without spoon-feeding. Katie is a registered dietitian, mom of 7 (quads, twins, and a singleton), baby-led weaning expert, and host of the top-rated parenting podcast called BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY. In addition to her work educating tens of thousands of parents about baby-led weaning, Katie is an Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of California San Francisco Graduate School of Nursing and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Nutrition at the University of San Diego School of Nursing and Health Science. She is a Lecturer in the Exercise and Nutrition Science program at San Diego State University and has authored a number of textbooks and chapters on clinical and infant nutrition. I knew I was going to love learning about Katie as a Shamelessmom Mom of 7! But I also learned so much about feeding and baby-led weaning that I can even apply to feeding my picky 11-year-old. This conversation is for parents of littles, of course. But, you might be surprised at the golden nuggets you’ll be able to find for older kids as well. Listen in to hear Katie share: How she grew her family from 0 to 7 kids in 3 years The evolution of parenting 7 children over the last 9 years How she shamelessly asked for and received help to care for her babies What baby-led weaning and how it inspired her work today Misconceptions about baby-led weaning How to engage your kids who are past the age of baby-led weaning in the benefits of baby-led weaning The 3 rules of engagement for parents feeding your kids (when, where they sit, what they eat)) and the three rules for keeping kids autonomous feeding/eating (how much to eat, if they actually eat any) Links mentioned: Baby Led Weaning for Beginners Workshop + 100 First Foods List: https://babyledweaning.co/ Katie’s podcast: Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy Katie and Baby-Led Weaning on Instagram, Twitter Pinterest, and TikTok: @babyledweanteam Katie and Baby-Led Weaning on YouTube Katie on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I am not a parenting expert and I don’t always make the right parenting choices. I’m definitely not sure we get it right with screen time, candy, or bedtime at our house… But the most important thing to me as my child enters his tween era is that he trusts me and believes he can talk to me when things are hard. There are a few things that I have done really consciously and consistently over the years that are paying off as V gets older. There are also some new things that I’m trying that have been effective. I wanted to share them with you as we all venture through Shameless Motherhood. You are not alone in this journey. We are in it together. As Glennon says, we belong to each other. When our children struggle, it’s easy to immediately assume blame, become consumed with doubt, and feel really stuck in dysfunctional patterns. Sharing our fumbles and our wins can not only help us process but also help us feel less alone on this journey which can feel incredibly isolating and confusing at times. I hope this episode gives you a new tool or two while also giving you hope. You got this! We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Angela E. Lauria is the founder of The Author Incubator™ and creator of the Difference Process™ for writing a book that matters. In 2018, The Author Incubator was ranked #275 on the Inc. 500 fastest-growing companies and #87 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360. Angela won the Stevie Award’s Coach/Mentor of the Year Award and her program, The Author’s Way, was named Coaching Program of the Year and she was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurs to watch – one of only 2 women. I’ve seen Angela’s work online for years as we’ve circled each other around various mutual friends. For a while now I’ve had a sense that she could be a really great guest for the show. Then, about a year ago I started noticing how she was showing up differently online. She talked really openly about her autism diagnosis at age 39. She was writing incredible posts about how she experiences the world as a person with autism. I have learned so much from her. So, I finally reached out to ask her to come join us in the SMA. I am so grateful she said yes. This is an incredible conversation. Listen in to hear Angela share: What led to her autism diagnosis at the age of 39 How her diagnosis allowed her to feel like she could finally start her life and her career What masking is and how people with various neurodivergences mask in order to fit into the world How she learned to set boundaries to self-regulate in a world that's not designed for people with autism Why labeling autism or any neurodivergence or a person with disabilities or differences as a person with superpowers is inappropriate and leads to “inspiration porn” How the brain of a person with autism differs from an the brain of an allistic (non-autistic) person in terms of how the brain integrates information What self-care might look like for a person with autism - and how it looks very different than self-care for allistic people Links mentioned: Work with Angela: Differencepress.com Book: It. Goes. So. Fast: The Year of No Do Overs by Mary Louise Kelly Angela’s Podcast: The Autistic Culture Podcast Angela’s Personal FB FB/IG/TikTok/LinkedIn: @differencepress We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I knew stepping into September I was taking a big inhale that I wouldn’t be able to release until October 28th. Over the last 2 months, things I have been working toward and dreaming of for years finally came to life. Things that used to feel big, hard and so scary felt more full of ease than ever before. Other things fell in my lap that proved harder than I imagined, but I was able to meet them head-on with a decent amount of confidence and grace. As I have started to exhale, it’s been really interesting, even fun, to step back and see what is more true for me now than it was 2 months ago. As I processed my insights, I realized so much of what I have noted about what’s becoming more true for me is also what I’m hearing many clients say is also becoming more true for them. So, I decided to share this all with you because I sense some of these things are becoming more true for you. And, I don’t want you to miss the opportunity to make note of the magic. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Omi Bell is a multi-talented computer scientist, business strategist, and serial entrepreneur. She also has a background in performance, K-12 Education, and IP Strategy. Her innovative approach to creating access to social and financial capital has earned her recognition as a leading voice in the industry, as well as praise from prominent figures such as Robert F. Smith and Daymond John. As the founder of and CEO of Black Girl Ventures, Omi has made it her mission to provide resources and support to underrepresented entrepreneurs. Under Omi’s leadership, Black Girl Ventures has funded over 300 women founders representing about $10MM in revenue, creating over 3,000 jobs for the US economy and raising $5M in financial and social capital. Her impact extends beyond her organization, as she continues to be an advocate for social justice and equity in the business world. Listen in to hear Omi share: How women disassociate from their bodies over the course of their life and how hard it is to get out of your head and back in your body later in life The mental shift for moms from “what do we need?” in earlier stages of motherhood vs “what do I need?” in later stages of motherhood How being a 17-year-old mom laid the foundation for her to become the founder and CEO of Black Girl Ventures How she went from renting out her living room as an Airbnb to make money to becoming a female founder who funds other black-owned companies How she used the “template” of megachurches to build her business around community (without being culty) The responsibility of owning and USING your creativity to show up in the world, as well as permission to step into your creativity by just dipping your toe in the water as a first step Links mentioned: Get Omi’s Book: Originate, Motivate, Innovate: 7 Steps for Building a Billion Dollar Network Connect with Omi: omisworld.com Omi on IG/Threads: @omibell Connect with Black Girl Ventures: blackgirlventures.org Black Girl Ventures on IG We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What we expect motherhood to look like (snuggles, rainbows, and roses!) vs what motherhood actually looks like (chaos, crying, and pure exhaustion) can be pretty jarring. There are these moments of pure joy that we could have never imagined and then - alllll the other moments. Often not pure joy… There are a number of factors that contribute to our joy depletion over time as we rear our brood. Everything from trying to conform to social norms to sinking deep into the comparison trap, to massive daily overwhelm, and complete loss of our sense of self. Today we will talk through 5 mindset resets that will amplify your joy in motherhood. These 5 mindsets center YOU, not your child(ren). My hope is that they allow you to stand apart from your child(ren) in order to find yourself amidst the chaos. Book mentioned Joy Is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kristal DeSantis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with specializations in sex therapy, couples, and men's mental health issues. She is the creator of the STRONG Relationship Therapy Model of trauma-informed attachment-based couples therapy. She is joining us in the SMA today to talk about boys' mental health, the importance of healthy masculinity, and the impact of seeing healthy relationships on children's mental, emotional, and relational well-being. This was an incredibly powerful and critical conversation about teen boys and mental health. Please listen and share with the moms of boys in your life. Listen in to hear Kristal share: How the socialization of male masculinity impacts boys’ mental health How our current tropes of masculinity are harmful to young boys Positive coping mechanisms for teen boys to reduce stress and build resilience The significance of validating your child as a human with inherent worth - not worth they have to earn The 4 Positions of Conversation that can positively impact parent/child communication Tips on how we can reduce the stigma around mental illness and help teen boys feel more comfortable talking about their struggles and seeking help Why we are seeing staggering rates to suicide in boys Links mentioned: Connect with Kristal: www.strong.love Get Kristal’s Book: STRONG: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man Kristal on Twitter Kristal on IG Kristal on Threads Kristal on FB Kristal on TikTok We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shame is integrated into our society in all sorts of explicit and subtle ways. Sometimes we can see it right away and call it out. Other times, we quietly internalize it, not realizing that it’s undermining our self-worth while building up our protective armor to the point that our truest gifts can no longer shine through. Some of us were raised by parents who used shame as a weapon. Some of us have bosses who use shame as a weapon. Some of us have been taught, mentored, or coached by leaders who use shame as a weapon. When we have models and mentors who use shame as a form of control, power, or manipulation, sometimes we don’t know any better than to do the same thing ourselves once we have the opportunity to yield some control or power over others. In this episode, we will explore how shame does the opposite of what the shamer wants it to do while breaking our spirit in the process; how shame, even subtle shame, destroys the trust and integrity of a relationship; and 5 approaches you can use instead of shame to build healthy relationships while co-creating solutions that strength rather than undermine our bonds with one another. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Natalie Silverstein, MPH is an author, speaker, consultant, nonprofit founder, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Her first book, Simple Acts: The Busy Family’s Guide to Giving Back, was published in 2019 and was named one of the Top Books for Parents Who Want to Raise Kind Kids by HuffPost. Her second book, Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference was published in July 2022. She is the host of the award-winning podcast, Simple Acts, Big Impact: Celebrating Teen Changemakers. I got so much out of this conversation with Natalie. I love her philosophy that the best way to feel more hopeful about the world, while also adding meaning to our own lives, is to be of service to others. She is also brilliant at involving teens in this mission by offering manageable, actionable steps to help them start being of service in their communities. Listen in to hear Natalie share: How she found her passion for writing and serving her community in a massive way at age 50 Her belief is that our current generation of youth are huge leaders in service and contributions to communities How raising kids who engage in service work creates grounded and grateful kids The health data on volunteering - how it gives “helpers high” and contributes to physical & emotional health, as well as increases life expectancy How volunteering in the community decreases a teen's chances of engaging in risky behaviors Creative ways to get younger kids engaged in service to others How to engage teens and tweens in service work that is rewarding and meaningful to them - and guided by their strengths, gifts, and passions How having kids being of service brings deep meaning and joy to their lives Links mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Free Guide: Simple Acts: A Busy Teen’s Guide to Making A Difference Natalie’s 2024 Simple Acts Day by Day Planner Book: Simple Acts: The Busy Family’s Guide to Giving Back Book: Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference Podcast: Simple Acts, Big Impacts: Celebrating Teen Changemakers Natalie on IG We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s easy to conflate being new at something with being BAD at something. The first time I went skiing I was not good at it. So, I deemed myself a bad skier. When I had to speak in front of the class in high school, I would shake uncontrollably and black out. I wouldn’t remember anything I said as I walked back to my seat in a full sweat. So, I deemed myself a bad public speaker. Perhaps your child is like this too. Tries soccer once. Doesn’t score a goal. Retires from soccer. Cause - “I’m so bad at soccer, Mom!” If you look back over the course of your life, I bet you could see patterns where you tried new things and were pretty darn bad at them. How often did you give yourself the grace to note, “Here I am learning something new. Look at me learning!” I was at an event recently where someone announced she was an awful public speaker, yet every time she spoke the most beautiful, thoughtful, perfect melody of words came out of her mouth. Sometimes when something is new to us, we immediately assume we are bad at it. Sometimes when something is uncomfortable or scary, we immediately assume we are bad at it. Sometimes when something brings up a lot of sensation (shaking, sweating, nausea, blacking out!) we immediately assume we are bad at it. But, what if learning, discomfort, and sensation are the direct path to becoming great at something??? In this episode, I offer you 4 invitations to carry with you for those moments when you’re about to try something new, or you’re feeling terrified of doing something that makes you feel ridiculously uncomfortable, or you find yourself standing in a pool of your own sweat as you blackout while beautiful words come pouring out of your mouth. Link mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ophira Eisenberg is a standup comedian, writer, and the host of the new comedy podcast Parenting Is A Joke with iHeart Radio and Pretty Good Friends. She also hosted NPR’s Ask Me Another, where she interviewed hundreds of celebrities including Sir Patrick Harris, Rosie Perez, Yo-Yo Ma, Awkwafina, Roxanne Gay, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Handle, and more. She’s appeared multiple times on CBS’s The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, HBO, The New York Festival and is a regular host and teller on The Moth Radio Hour. Her stories are included in three of The Moth’s best-selling collections, including the most recent: How To Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth. Her memoir, Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy was optioned for a television series, and her new comedy special, Plant- Based Jokes is streaming on YouTube. Her solo show, Leaving A Mark: A Comedy About Scars, recently made its Off-Broadway review to rave reviews and won the Women in the Arts & Media Award for Solo Show Scripts. Ophira came back to the SMA for a second time because I adore her, and so she and I could talk very irreverently about motherhood - again. This time we also discussed what it means to be an “aging” woman or mother in your industry - the good, the bad, the ugly. Listen in to hear Ophira share: Her journey as a stand-up comedian working evenings in NYC who was also a mom and having no other moms around her living that lifestyle What inspired her podcast, Parenting is a Joke What it's like to be working in comedy as a mom in her 50’s vs her 20’s & 30’s The contrast of what is universally experienced for men, vs women comics How she prepares herself to be confident on stage - even if she feels like she’s faking The tenacity and resilience she has navigated having been in comedy for decades in an industry that requires constant reinvention Links mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Connect with Ophira: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/ Ophira’s Podcast: Parenting is a Joke Ophira on IG/Twitter/FB/TikTok: @ophirae We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I know what it’s like to just not. Just not try the new sport. Just not sign up for the art class. Just not join the group of people whom I assume are smarter than me. Just not take that professional leap. Just not attend the event with people who seem to have it all figured out. Just not chase a dream. Just not admit I really want something. Just not believe I’m worth it. I’m curious if you ever get a case of the Just Nots? Perhaps this happens to you when you think something miiiight be kinda cool, but then you decide it feels too risky, too scary, or too vulnerable. You start to make up a bunch of reasons that it’s just not the right time. Just not the right fit for you. Just not the next right step. And you end up Just Not doing the damn thing. And then, you find yourself sad, mad, disappointed, full of regret, maybe feeling some shame, and likely making promises about how next time you Just Will. In this episode I talk through what the Just Nots look like and how they can impact your life. Then, we dig into the Just Wills - the fun stuff - where all sorts of magic happens. It’s ok if you’re typically a Just Not kinda person. But, I think (hope) this episode nudges you to be a little bit more of a Just Will person. Link mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ariel DeNey Rainey is a Global Creative Strategist and Urban Family Advocate whose work is inspired by her drive to galvanize moms and professionals to fight for change. She is also the mastermind behind the Hustle Mommies nonprofit organization and movement where she has connected hundreds of mothers to careers, personal development, celebrity engagement, grants and scholarships, and a plethora of other resources. Under Ariel’s leadership, the Hustle Mommies organization has multiple prestigious awards and accolades, most notably from President Barack Obama and The Obama Foundation. Since the 2020 pandemic, the Hustle Mommies helped to bury 16 kids who have been affected by inner-city gun violence. This led to the creation of the PAINT THE HOOD ORANGE initiative, a campaign to support efforts to end hood trauma within Black, urban neighborhoods, as well as the TASK FORCE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE, which is now advocating for policy change surrounding gun violence. Hustle Mommies is currently planning the first ever Million Black Mom March taking place in May 2024 where their current campaign is BLACK MATERNAL NEEDS MATTER - and all Shameless Moms are invited! Listen in to hear Ariel share: How being a teen mom of 2 inspired the work she does today with her non-profit, Hustle Mommies How government policy has destroyed safety across Black communities The current state of Black motherhood in America Why Hustle Mommies created the Urban Mom Collective National Coalition for Black Moms and how they are committed to policy change and how this is so critical in the wake of extremely harmful groups like Moms For Liberty Her mission around PAINT THE HOOD ORANGE and TASK FORCE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE How white women can show up in advocacy and activism with humility and graciousness to listen and learn BEFORE speaking and offering support How she recently ended up at the White House to share her work with Hustle Mommies The Hustle Mommies Million Black Mom March in Washington DC in May 2024 Links mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Connect with Hustle Mommies: www.hustlemommies.org IG: @arieldeney @thehustlemommies Twitter/X: @ushustlemommies We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we are digging into the truth about resilience. Resilience has been branded as something that an individual should strive to have when facing adverse conditions. Resilience has been explained as something one can grow over time - which is true. We do become more resilient as we face more hardships. But, when we think of resilience in this way, we can quickly see how resilience is then required much more of certain people. In fact, we see that the most resilience is required of the people with the fewest resources. This feels backward, doesn’t it? Perhaps we need to look at the roots of the systems that set some folks up to require a lifetime of resilience to merely survive. When we look at resilience through this lens, we see… The system tells you, “Practice resiliency!” when the system was not built with any tools or resources to support your resiliency. The system tells you resiliency is your job alone when the system is beating down and failing large marginalized groups on a mass scale. The system tells you resiliency is about the last few years, all you’ve been through, and how well you’ve adapted. When in truth the system has been beating down women, mothers, POC, and marginalized communities for centuries. The system tells you resiliency is a problem solved through self-care when self-care won’t make any difference if you have to jump right back into the structures that harm you after your bubble bath. The system tells you, “Look at you! You’re strong! You’re adaptable! You’re the model of resilience!” without acknowledging that it has no plans to evolve or change to make your life easier. Instead, you will have to be your strongest, most adaptable, most resilient self #everydamnday until you die. When we take on our own resiliency as a personal project, the system keeps winning. The system is upheld. The system functions exactly as it was intended to. This episode explores how you can take care of yourself as you try to fit a tiny bandaid (your resiliency habits) on a large wound (the system in which, perhaps, you were never expected to fully succeed.) Links mentioned: Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Book: Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi Book: Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski Book: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Hoyt is certified in Traumatic Stress Studies and is the founder of Mending Trauma, a digital mental health company that specializes in trauma recovery. As a former professor, Dr. Hoyt led research teams in Africa looking at mass trauma, agency, and forgiveness. She transitioned into the online mental health space during the pandemic in order to help fill the growing mental health need. Dr. Hoyt is obsessed with teaching others to reprogram their brains and heal their nervous systems so they can break generational cycles and live with more joy. She is a mom of 5 kids, 3 of whom are differently abled. She lives with her husband and children in the Ozark mountains. I appreciated this conversation with Amy beyond measure. As weird as it sounds, I love talking about trauma, especially with a seasoned expert. I had so many lightbulb moments with Amy, as I realized some of my own symptoms of trauma. Whether you have endured small or large-scale traumas in your life, it’s likely you will see yourself in parts of this conversation - allowing you to connect some dots that may lead to some healing. Listen in to hear Amy share: What trauma is by definition: The symptoms of trauma The symptoms of trauma that are more prevalent in moms The difference between hypervigilance and hyperarousal The difference between trauma and toxic stress The power of being benevolently curious The two ways trauma is passed down to our children: genetically and through our own behavioral interactions with them How to use micro steps to start processing your trauma in gentle ways The importance of processing the collective trauma of COVID and its impact on our daily lives, our work, and motherhood Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Connect with Amy and her Team: www.mendingtrauma.com Take the Trauma Quiz to find out your trauma response: www.mendingtrauma.com/quiz Amy’s Podcast: The Mending Trauma Podcast Amy on IG Amy on FB Mending Trauma on FB Amy on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5 years ago, my husband and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary in New Orleans. It was a ton of fun. It was near the end of that trip that we started talking about, “What will we do for 15 years??” Of course, 15 years felt like decades away at the time. And it kind of was. While 5 years is 5 years no matter how you measure it, the way the world has changed over the last 5 years feels like a lifetime of change at breakneck speed. 5 years ago, we talked about how it would be so fun to celebrate our 15-year anniversary in Napa, with dinner at the French Laundry (a super fancy restaurant we had heard about through our restaurant industry friends.) This plan seems silly now. Spending that kind of money on a meal when my husband has been unemployed for months. And, even before his layoff, our priorities have shifted and evolved as the world has shifted and evolved. With so many unknowns, we had decided we would just go out to dinner at a modest local restaurant. And, it was perfect! It was exactly what we needed on that day. We didn’t need the thing we thought we wanted 5 years ago. While we once had these lavish expectations for this occasion, our reality called for something else. And that something else was exactly what we needed. That doesn’t mean that the lavish expectation isn’t still sitting with me. It is. But I have trained myself to let go of expectations because reality has shown up to laugh in my face so many times over the last few years. I know I’m not alone in this. I know most (all?) of you have also experienced this! So, as we navigate this world of managing our expectations vs. our realities, how do we sit with outcomes? In this episode, I share 6 outcomes I’ve experienced from sitting in reality when my expectations have been stolen, shifted, or flipped upside down. Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heather Salazar is the President and CEO of Pink Ribbon Good. As a breast cancer survivor, Heather knows firsthand what many women and men really need during their cancer battle: support. Through her work with Pink Ribbon Good, Heather makes sure individuals fighting breast and gynecological cancers are supported with healthy meals, rides to treatment, housecleaning kits, and peer support and education– all at no cost to the patient, and all because no one travels this road alone. Heather graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wright State University in Communication and Social Work. Heather and her family have been featured in People magazine, on The Today Show, and the Tamron Hall Show. Heather and I decided to release this episode at this time because September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is likely that every single person who listens to this episode has had their life touched in some way by these kinds of cancers. If you haven’t yet, you will. Listen in to hear Heather share: How she grew her family by adopting a baby whose mom, Alexis, had stage 4 cancer The loss of Alexis and then Heather’s own breast cancer diagnosis shortly after Alexis’s death How she started Pink Ribbon Good - as someone who hates pink ribbons How she was able to charge forward and make assumptions that she would be successful in her mission even when she had self-doubt How she is supporting food-insecure and transportation-insecure people who are in breast and gynecological cancer treatment The sage advice of her investor, Pat, who gave her 45K and told her to go find doers, donors, door openers Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Connect with Heather and Pink Ribbon Good: Pinkribbongood.org Pink Ribbon Good on Twitter Pink Ribbon Good on IG Heather on IG We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are naturally programmed to find the shortest route from Point A to Point B. We want to be fast and efficient. We don’t want to waste time with unnecessary detours. We want to check the box that signals DONE. Mission accomplished. Task completed. However, if you look back at anything you’ve done in life that took a little extra time or required a detour (that might have been very frustrating at the moment), you can likely see some sort of gift or a little bit of magic that you wouldn’t have been able to receive if you swiftly moved from Point A to Point B without interruption, distraction or detour. It is the detours and the squiggly, indirect routes from Point A to Point B that create space for unique opportunities to build relationships, learn some of life’s best lessons, charter new territory, practice a new skill, fumble and fail your way forward, grow in ways you didn’t know you needed to grow, find little bits of magic you didn’t know you were looking for. In this episode, I talk through why the squiggly, indirect route is often the best route - even if you’re the kind of person (like me!) who doesn’t like to waste a single moment on something that appears to be unnecessary at the onset. Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susie Pettit has been helping women live the lives they love for over 20 years. She is the podcast host of the Love Your Life Show, offers the super successful Parenting Teens Survival Course, and runs a monthly membership for Midlife Warriors. She is a certified Parent, Life + Wellness Coach, and a mom of 5 sons ages 18-25. Susie helps women live lives that feel as good on the inside as they look on the outside. She spent more than half her life living a life she did not love; as a people pleaser and codependent perfectionist in constant pursuit of a ‘Martyr of the Year’ award. She has the breadth of experience to teach firsthand about setting healthy boundaries, beating your inner critic, conscious parenting, and how to use mindfulness-based tools to beat overwhelm and anxiety. Listen in to hear Susie share: The benefits of parenting with faith in the universe over fear What codependent parenting looks like Steps to raise more confident, less anxious kids The importance of parenting your tweens/teens/young adults differently than you parented your 0-9 year olds - moving from the role of “manager” to “consultant” Your 3 most important jobs as a parent: Some assumptions parents make that lead to unnecessary conflict or drama in the house Her 5 Pillars of Parenting Teens Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat Susie’s special tips for Shameless Moms: https://smbwell.com/sara Link to Co dependency quiz: smbwell.com/coda Connect with Susie: smbwell.com Susie on IG Susie on FB Get Susie’s newsletter: smbwell.com/subscribe Susie’s Parenting Teens Program: smbwell.com/parenting Susie’s Life Coaching Program: smbwell.com/lifeschool We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before you jump to conclusions about the title of this episode, rest assured that I am not suggesting we take away back-to-school and live in eternal summer. Quite the opposite. Get those kids in school. Keep them there. For a very long time. No more summers, 3-day weekends, mid-winter breaks. None of it. All school, all the time. Ha! Can you tell I’m thrilled that it’s finally back-to-school season?! In this episode, I’m inviting you to Take Back Back-to-School by taking back this season to center yourself. You very likely just spent the last 3 or so months centering your kids, your family, and perhaps your extended family in one million ways. NOW?? This is your time. September is pretty much New Years for moms. Happy New Year! We made it!! Now that you made it, what will you do with this time, this season, these last 4 months of 2023? I’m going to invite you to take this time for you. Make it about your needs. Center yourself. In this episode, I’ll share 3 ways you can get started. Happy September, Mamas! Happy New Years! WE MADE IT! Links mentioned: Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angela E. Matthews is an Investor, Investment Coach, and the founder of the Happy Investor Method™, where her goal is to make investing accessible and fun for all. As an experienced investor and investment trainer, she has conducted workshops, seminars, and one-on-one coaching with thousands of individuals and businesses from all walks of life. A first-generation investor, she was making $40,000 a year and had six figures in debt when she taught herself how to generate multiple 6 figures passively in the stock market, and has since helped others make thousands of dollars doing the same. I absolutely loved this conversation. Ange took something that I find so daunting and unapproachable - the stock market - and made it simple, fun, and accessible! If you’re at all curious about making your money make more money for you in low-stakes ways (like $50, not $10,000!), you will love Ange and this conversation. Listen in to hear Ange share: How she self-funded her 8-month maternity leave The power of making money make money for you The mistakes she made early on in investing and how you can avoid the same mistakes Specific steps to take to start investing in low-stakes ways in order to grow your learning curve and confidence Why she works as a passive investor and how she differs from a day trader How to choose companies to invest in What apps to use for buying stocks The deep significance of building generational wealth for her and her children Links mentioned: https://happyinvestormethod.com/ Ange on Facebook Ange on Twitter Ange on Instagram Ange on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

800!! UNREAL. I always joke that I am nothing if not consistent. Over the last 7.5 years, we have put out a new SMA every single Monday and Wednesday. And now we are up to 800! WOW. For funsies, I want to take you a bit behind the scenes for this episode. So, I’m answering some of the most common questions I get about hosting the show. I hope you enjoy this peek behind the curtain (and the little bit of tea that I spill.) In this episode, I answer these questions: Do you ever run out of episode ideas or things to talk about? Do you have a favorite interview? Do you have a least favorite interview? Have you ever not aired an interview? What have been the biggest surprises over the course of 800 episodes? What life lessons have you learned after creating so many episodes? How has the podcast opened doors to new opportunities? Also… THANK YOU. Whether you’ve tuned in to all 800 episodes of the show or you’re a newer listener, it is a HUGE honor to be in your ear. I do not take it lightly. Thank you for inviting me in. I truly love spending time with you each week. I see you and I appreciate you. Xoxo, Sara We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly Winkler and Kristi Fischer are both moms, former classroom teachers, yoga teachers, kids, yoga teachers, and trainers for Kidding Around Yoga. Both have had extensive experience working with children in various capacities and now are very passionate about sharing what they have learned with families and educators. In their podcast, Mindful Conversations with KAY, Kristi and Kelly share research-based tools and strategies to help increase mindfulness, self-awareness, connection, self-regulation, and peace in the home and classroom. In these fun and insightful conversations, they take a deep dive into all things kids yoga and mindfulness. Listen in to hear Kelly and Kristi share: How their experience as Shameless Moms (raising 6 kids between the 2 of them) led to their interest in and need for mindfulness practices How Kelly’s teen daughter’s OCD led her to a meditation practice and inspired Kelly’s work with kids and mindfulness Specific mindfulness techniques that can be used across different development stages How to cue your kids into their body sensations before they get to a point of emotional dysregulation The significance of modeling mindfulness to your kids How educators can integrate mindfulness into their curriculum Links mentioned: Podcast: Mindful Conversations with KAY Connect with Kristi and Kelly and Kidding Around Yoga Resources: www.kiddingaroundyoga.com KAY on IG KAY on FB We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a lighter episode that I’m hoping will give you a few laughs you didn’t even know you needed. I have so many “Nobody warned me!” moments in motherhood. On top of that, as a direct result of motherhood, I have these entirely new personality attributes that I never saw coming. Some of them are great. Some are downright alarming. I’m here for them all. In this episode, I share 8 weird things that happen to you in motherhood (that no one warns you about). I think some, if not all, of these will make you laugh. I hope you see yourself, laugh at yourself, and laugh right alongside me. And then, please join me on Instagram (@shamelessmomacademy) to share the weird things that have happened to you in motherhood that no one ever warned you about! We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast interview with Brene Brown and Jim Collins and she shared this quote from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, “Uncertainty is chronic. Instability is permanent. Disruption is common.” Hearing this made me so mad that I immediately stopped listening. I later returned to the interview because I knew this was a lesson I needed to learn. A lesson around embracing change - and especially about embracing change as a constant. This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Embrace Change in order to manage your mindset in a world that seems to be evolving much faster than we can keep up with! ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nadia Ahrens is a psychotherapist and spiritual life coach. A graduate of Columbia University, she's been helping women heal for over twenty years. Nadia believes that we all struggle and have trauma and tragedy to grow from, herself included. She shares her experience of losing her eight-year-old son in 2016, so she can be a beacon for others. Along with working 1:1 with her clients, she also leads workshops, online groups, and retreats. Nadia is also a hypnotherapist and uses this creative and spiritual modality in her work. Using a blend of clinical expertise and hypnotherapy, she helps women turn their wounds into wisdom. I have worked with Nadia personally and referred others to her as well. Her work is so transformational. I am so excited to share her magic with you all. Listen in to hear Nadia share: How to be intentional about how to give the best of us, not the rest of us How she managed the grief of losing her son Jack when he was 8 years old How she shifted from waiting to die to choosing to live after Jack’s death Why she made herself sit in the black hole of grief before she started making her way out How to check in on a grieving friend in a thoughtful and intentional way The concept of soul work especially as you navigate hard moments or season The importance of holding space for “this is happening for me” vs “this is happening to me” What hypnotherapy is and what it is not - the myths and the truth around this powerful form of trauma healing Links Mentioned: Connect with Nadia: nadiaahrenscoaching.com Get details on Nadia’s Fall Retreat: email [email protected] Nadia on FB Nadia on IG FB Group We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WHO YOU ARE ANYWHERE IS WHO YOU ARE EVERYWHERE. Who are you when you don’t have anything to gain? Who are you when no one is watching? Who are you when someone who has less than you needs something you have? Who are you when you see someone struggling? Who are you when there is an opportunity to share your time and resources? Who are you when there is an opportunity to perform a random act of kindness for a stranger? Last week, I was out on a bike ride and got a flat tire 5 miles away from home. I got off my bike to fix my flat and realized I had the wrong pump and without a valve adapter, there was no way I could re-inflate my tire. I did not have a valve adapter. I sat there in the rain for about 20 minutes - sitting in the wet dirt on the side of the trail, with my bike disassembled. The number of cyclists who rode passed me: at least 30. The number of people who acknowledged a woman sitting in the rain on the side of a trail with a broken down bike: 0 When no one stopped for me after 15 minutes or so, I started trying to flag people down. I called out to folks as they approached me, “Excuse me, do you have a….” And my voice would trail off as they whizzed by me without any sort of acknowledgment. If you’re the person who whizzes by the woman in the rain with the broken down bike, I’m going to assume you are also the person who walks by the person experiencing homelessness and acts like they are invisible. I’m going to assume you are the person who speaks in meetings without asking those who look or think differently than you for their ideas and opinions. I’m going to assume are not teaching your children how to treat people who are different than you with kindness and compassion because you are not demonstrating that yourself (unless perhaps it benefits you.) In this episode, I share how I finally got help, as well as how to check yourself in terms of how you show up for others. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Using your voice can be downright scary. But it can also be the most powerful tool you have. When you use your voice you expand and extend your edges. You move that line where your comfort zone ends and your discomfort begins and your comfort and capacity around using your voice grows tremendously. This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Use Your Voice in order to stand up for yourself, the people you love, and the ideas you want to share with the world. ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism, and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content Warning: this episode talks about murder and the prison system. Sabrina Justison is a curriculum developer, speaker, and writer, wife to Fred, and mom or step-mom to 7 grown kids, plus grandmother to 6. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, PrisonCare. One of those grown kids is "J," who is mentally ill and in prison, serving a very long sentence for murder. Sabrina is an advocate for people like J who are incarcerated, in particular those living with mental illness. The need for sweeping prison reform is undeniable for sure, but in the meantime, while we wait for legislation and funding, no matter WHAT our politics are, we can offer tangible support to the people inside the fence, simply because they are in need, and they matter. In particular, the mental health needs of prison residents AND corrections staff are overwhelming. For example: on average, three Corrections Officers die by suicide every day in the US. Incarcerated individuals are more than twice as likely to be significantly mentally ill than those outside of prisons. Through PrisonCare, Sabrina is committed to humazing people who are incarcerated and supporting the mental health of our incarcerated community members and Corrections Officers. Listen in to hear Sabrina share: What it has been like to be the mother of a child who is serving a very long prison sentence for murder How she took her background in psychology and the arts to found her non profit, PrisonCare How she started to pick up the pieces and move forward after her son was incarcerated The critical lack of mental health support in prisons and jails How we, as a society, have completely dehumanized prisoners and created a system that is harmful to prisoners and all of society The surprising parallels and similarities between the lives of the prisoners and Corrections Officers in the prison system What PrisonCare does and how to adopt a prison Links mentioned: Learn about Prison Care: prisoncare.org Connect with Sabrina: sabrinajustison.com The Prison Care Podcast: theprisoncarepodcast.buzzsprout.com Sabrina on Facebook Prison Care on FB Private PrisonCare FB Group Sabrina on Instagram PrisonCare on IG Sabrina on Twitter PrisonCare on Twitter Sabrina on LinkedIn PrisonCare on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may know by now that I could preach all day about how women are programmed by the patriarchy to show up in this world in very specific ways that primarily (and almost exclusively) benefit white men. Please know when I say “patriarchy” I am referring to a system that is not only harmful to women but also undermines and completely stunts the emotional development of most men. This system benefits few, but the few who benefit have the most tremendous power - globally. Our patriarchal society has created tons of social constructs that lead us to unknowingly behave in ways that benefit some (men) while holding others back (including but not limited to: women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with neurodiversities, people with disabilities, and people with larger bodies) Over the years, I’ve talked about mom guilt as a social construct and imposter syndrome as a social construct. Both of these social constructs are part of a system that intentionally makes women and moms think and behave in specific ways that ultimately limit how they show up in the world. These limitations create more space for others (men) to have more opportunities to find success, build wealth, and amass power. I recently started doing some thinking on perfectionism as a social construct. Once I started thinking this through, I knew there had to be research to back up my hypotheses. So, I went and found it. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about perfectionism as a social construct. We will dig into different forms of perfectionism, as well as how you can start to reject perfectionism in order to get out of your head and get on with your life. Buckle up. This is a good one! Links mentioned: NYU Article: Problematizing Perfectionism: A Closer Look at the Perfectionism Construct Harvard Business Review Article: Perfectionism Is Increasing, and That’s Not Good News We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices