This Throwback Thursday episode comes to you while I’m away on vacation at my happy place, UCLA’s Bruin Woods in Lake Arrowhead.
While here for the week, I’ve made it an annual tradition to take off all my social media apps from my phone, truly unplug, and be present. The inspiration for this came from this week’s guest, Rachel Macy Stafford, whose personal commitment to putting down her phone and becoming a Hands-Free Mama led to a Hands-Free Movement, several powerful books, and most recently to a new audio journey called Soul Shift Sessions through a partnership with Sounds True. You can follow the link to explore this for yourself in the show notes.
This episode was originally recorded during a challenging time in our pandemic, March of 2020, while we were sheltering in place and just after the killing of George Floyd. There is no question that we face continued challenges. I hope this episode sparks renewed hope in the power of presence, fulfilling our unique purpose, and authentic connection.
You can purchase Rachel’s new Soul Shift Sessions audio journey here.
This Week’s Challenge:
For this week’s challenge, Rachel encourages us to think about any hurtful comments, or criticism, consciously and unconsciously, that we’ve been carrying around that’s holding us back from truly fulfilling our purpose. Reflect on it and slowly turn that pain into purpose.
This Episode is Dedicated by Samantha Arsenault
Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic gold medalist, high-performance consultant, mental health educator, speaker, and entrepreneur – and she’s a mother of four and recovering perfectionist. Samantha holds a master’s degree in education and spent six years teaching high school science and coaching swimming. After a near-death experience with her then 12- month old daughter, Samantha knew it was time to pay forward all she’s learned about achievement, emotional resilience, rising from failure, and finding happiness.
In 2016, Samantha founded Livingstone High Performance in response to the mental health crisis impacting adolescents across the globe, specifically those in the athletic arena. LHP provides pillars of support to organizations, teams, and individuals to elevate mental health and improve performance, and build a more empowered village. In addition to private and group coaching, Samantha offers online courses and consults with teams and organizations on athlete wellness initiatives, leadership, strategic planning, rising skills, and developing high-performance cultures. She is a certified instructor of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement and Mental Health First Aid.
Samantha is an engaging public speaker who has more than 19 years of experience, which includes her TEDx Talk: The Weight of Gold: An Olympian’s Path to Recovery. She’s been featured as a keynote speaker, expert panelist, workshop facilitator, and seminar leader. She’s worked with high-school, collegiate, and professional athletes in a group and 1:1 setting; school districts; athletic departments; coaching organizations; women in business groups; wellness entrepreneurs; and national governing bodies, most notably, USA Swimming.
Samantha and her husband, Rob, live in the Berkshires with their four girls. To learn more about her offerings, go over to www.samanthalivingstone.com.
To learn more about her offerings, go over to www.samanthalivingstone.com. You can join Samantha’s FREE 5-Day I AM CHALLENGE at www.samanthalivingstone.com/i-am-challenge
• Facebook @slivingstonewellness
• Instagram @slivingstn
• Linkedin @sarsenaultlivingstone
In This Episode We Talk About:
• The way Rachel’s mother gave her the gift of “presence” even when she couldn’t be physically present.
• Rachel’s quest for purpose and the legacy she wants to leave
• How reflecting on the question “How do I do it all?” on a run one day became the “spark moment” that pushed Rachel to choose herself
• What Rachel means by her connection to her “dreamer girl”
• Why facing the truth is really just the beginning
• What it means when Rachel says to her children “I want to love you by your book.”
• Hands-Free Mama as a way of being
• The pressure and insecurity of online life and how screentime distraction becomes the biggest obstacle to living purpose-filled
• The 3 roles that will allow us to walk beside our kids
• Finding your place of refuge and helping your kids find theirs
• How we can “find our people” by doing the things our heart calls us to do
• The tear-filled pledge I made to Rachel, reading from a promise in her book on p.57
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: Ep 74: Living and Loving with Authenticity with Hands Free Mama Rachel Macy Stafford
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
In the wake of the reversal of Roe v Wade, 49 years since women finally received the constitutional right to abortion, women across the country are rising up to have our voices heard. I knew this moment called for bringing back this powerful 2017 conversation with mother, filmmaker, author, and activist Paola Mendoza.
This interview occurred just over five years ago, months after the first Women’s March, which Paola helped create as their Artistic Director, and days before the Day Without a Woman Strike. As this episode reaches you, women are preparing to gather in Washington D.C. again in another mass protest. Whether or not we go to a protest, I hope this conversation reinspires us to get active again, participate and lead the political charge. Because as Paola tells us “we need to remember we have the power to create the world that we want but we all have to be engaged.”
You can listen to Paola’s abortion story here which she tells in a video series from The Meteor, a collective of writers, filmmakers, organizers, and artists who are committed to moving the world forward against injustice.
Just before the 2020 election, I had the honor of interviewing Paola again with the co-author Abby Sher, of her thought-provoking novel Sanctuary. You can listen to that powerful episode next here.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
• The profound impact her mother had on Paola’s life, and what it was like to tell her mother’s courageous story as an immigrant to the U.S., in her film Entre Nos
• Paola’s way of connecting with her son through “Adventure Fridays”
• The role of art and activism in growing compassion in other people
• The importance of emphasizing both what you stand for and also what you stand against
• With privilege comes responsibility, and how Paola hopes to teach her son to sacrifice his privilege to help other people
• Ultimately, it’s not about falling or failing, it’s about how you rise up and how Paola’s metaphor of “running a relay” sustains her activism
• Paola’s challenge to us to “participate”…to get involved in a local issue and attend a town hall meeting during the next congressional recess.
Resources Mentioned:
• Entre Nos, Paola stars in this film (which she also wrote and directed) based on her family’s experiences of coming to the United States from Colombia
• The Ones Who Don’t Stay, Paola’s novel which came from the film Entre Nos
• This article where Paola talks about the Women’s March being about what we are for
• Ep 06: Healthy and Happy with Dr. Elisa Song where we talk about “special time” with our children
• The Women’s March
• Unity Principles of the Women’s March
• A Day Without a Woman
• A Quote by Audre Lorde: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” More About Audre Lorde & Audre Lorde’s Work
• Indivisible, a website by former Congressional staffers who reveal best practices for making Congress listen
• Focus on our Goodness: A Framework for my Activism Inspired by my Four-year Old
• My recent solocast where I talk about wanting to step more into activism and why I reached out to Paola here
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: Ep 16: Rising Up with Paola Mendoza
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
For this Throwback Thursday, just after Father’s Day, I knew I wanted to bring you this episode with my friend, an incredible father and podcaster at the While Black Podcast, Darius Hicks.
This past week in the United States, in addition to Father’s Day, we also acknowledged Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) an annual commemoration of the effective end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War. It came when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to ensure all those enslaved were freed, a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s considered the longest-running African American holiday and last year in 2021 became a federal holiday.
For those of us who are not Black, Juneteenth is an opportunity to learn more about the history of slavery, to reflect on how much more is needed for Black people to be truly free in this country, and to recommit to antiracism.
Just over a month since a white gunman killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, one of the deadliest racist massacres in recent U.S. history, this conversation with Darius is a necessary call to action to learn more and identify how we can be part of the change that is needed.
Darius gifted us with exceptional insight, perspective, and vulnerability in this conversation. I’m honored to share it with you again.
So join us in this episode as we celebrate amazing fathers all over the world!
About Darius:
Darius has always displayed an entrepreneurial and activist spirit. Since his youth, he has dedicated his time to those around him in hopes of bettering them while he better himself. It began by volunteering as a camp counselor from middle school through high school, and grew via mentorship and tutoring in college all the way to his membership role in the 100 Black Men and as an advocate for African Americans through his work on the While Black Podcast. Vince wholeheartedly believes James Baldwin's quote “To be Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be a rage almost all the time”. However, he chooses to channel that rage into a place that allows him to change the narrative on black folks while he helps to empower those same black folks.
Earning his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Southern University A&M in Baton Rouge LA (1999) and his MBA from Queens University in Charlotte NC (2005), Vince has gained valuable experience in multiple industries.
He has excelled in multiple industries and enjoyed a career spanning 20+ years with opportunities in Engineering, Consumer packaged goods, Corporate retail giants, and now the Social/tech industry.
In addition, he is a successful entrepreneur and founder of Aveo Big and Tall Golf Apparel which rose to become the #1 big and tall golf apparel offering in Golfsmith stores and was distributed nationally and internationally via various outlets including but not limited to Dicks Sporting Good, GolfSmith, and Golf Galaxy. He has since sold the rights to the Aveo name and divested from the company.
However, he has altered his focus by aligning his passions with his promise and ensuring his time is invested accordingly as he focuses on improving the black world and the global community through and with black people. His latest endeavor is laser-focused on impacting and improving the people around him. Specifically, he is the creator and co-host of the While Black Podcast a podcast focused on empowering, educating, and inspiring African Americans to go and grow. While Black tells stories by, from, and for African Americans and pairs those stories with expert and credible guests who can communicate wisdom and success strategies helping us to achieve, accomplish, and overcome.
Connect with Darius:
• Facebook: @whileblackpodcast
• Instagram: @while_black
• Twitter: @Whileblackpc
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
• The universal language and common connection among mothers of all races and how Darius and I both believe mothers will be critical to making change
• Darius’ quest to be authentically who he is as a 6’4, 300-pound dark-skinned Black man. How he has struggled to stand tall and shine while also consciously shrinking because people’s first reaction to him is fear
• The question about fatherhood Darius asks himself all the time…” How do I raise fearless children when I am a fearful parent?”
• A heartbreaking but powerful “epic snapshot moment” with his son made Darius realize his words were getting through to him and that his son would be part of making change
• How those committed to anti-racism and new to this can begin and the reason why Darius seeks “partnership” over saviorism or “help”
• The three-fold challenge Darius gave us, including the specific movies that Darius thinks we should all watch to shift our understanding and perspective
• How we all need each other to get free
Resources Mentioned:
• Ahmaud Arbery Is All of Us – Can I Live?
• Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten
• Ep 55: From Grief to Advocacy and a Circle of Mothers with Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton
• Desiree Adaway and Diversity is an Asset
This Episode’s Challenge:
Darius gave us a threefold challenge:
• There is bias inside all of us. We all have it. Try our very best to recognize when our unconscious bias fires. Try to pay attention every time we see or meet a Black person…if our initial intent is to walk in the other direction, stop for a moment and ask yourself why?
• Meet someone new and be the first one to say hello and to really see the humanity in them.
• Be more intentional in our actions and in whatever media we digest so that we are aware of what’s really happening and what others are really going through. Specifically, watch the movies American Son, 13th, and When They See Us
This Episode is dedicated by:
Herve Clermont is an actor, voice-over artist, and Host, and was a National brand ambassador for Remy Martin for over 8 years. He discovered his passion for acting at Georgetown University, where he was in school as a pre-med major, and needed to fulfill electives.
He is the son of a proud Haitian Doctor and nurse, he always joked he “could play one.” He began his professional acting career in 2000 with a contract Role on One Life To Live, and has co-starred and guest-starred on various prime-time shows: Law & Order, CSI Miami, Cane, 24, Criminal Minds, Scandal, Guys with Kids, New Girl, The Mick, NCIS, NCIS LA, Dice, Veronica Mars, Mr. Iglesias, and many others.
Herve has been recurring on John Singleton’s Snowfall for the last 3 seasons, before landing a series cast member on Tyler Perry’s Ruthless. His voice-over career includes announcing at celebrity fund-raisers, branding and promotional videos, industrials, and promotional TV and radio commercials, including ones for Beyonce, an international Jazz festival, and currently is the voice behind Cintas and on camera.
Herve’s hosting experience includes live events with BMW, VH-l, Harmon/ Kardon, and Remy Martin. He has also worked on a pilot in front of the camera as a Studio host in the entertainment industry, interviewing celebrities and keeping the audience up-to-date with the latest entertainment news.
Visit The J.E. Clermont Foundation Hope for the Children of Haiti for more about the Foundation that furthers Herve’s father’s legacy
Instagram @Plantinghopela – to learn about Herve’s wife’s venture that creates beautiful plants with contributions supporting the Foundation in Haiti and charitable efforts in LA.
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: Ep 75: A Call for Kinetic Partnership with While Black’s Darius Hicks
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
Welcome to this year's special Father's Day episode with Jonathan Mooney, an amazing father who is also a dyslexic writer, speaker, activist, and self-described “do-gooder.” Jonathan didn’t learn to read until he was 12-years-old, was told he would be a high school dropout, and end up in jail. But, instead, he forged a path to Brown University where he co-founded an organization and co-wrote a book to help neurodivergent students like himself succeed in college, all on the way to graduating with an honors degree in English.
He’s since become a champion for neurological and physical diversity for more than two decades, and his award-winning advocacy projects have been featured in major media outlets including the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, HBO, NPR, Fast company, and many others.
In this episode, Jonathan goes deep and wide about the pervasive impact of institutionalized and cultural ableism and his quest to help himself and others with differences understand they are not deficient. We hear the powerful story of Jonathan’s own mother and how she inspired him to reframe his language and his thinking about his differences. And Jonathan walks us through how systemic change can not only make our world more inclusive for people with differences, but through universal design, make things better for everyone.
You’ll want to listen to this episode with a pen and paper, prepare to rewind and listen again, and then get ready for a part two with Jonathan and my neurodivergent son Ryan. He’s off to college in the fall and eager to learn from Jonathan, not only about how he can thrive but also about how he can use his voice for advocacy and help make his university more inclusive for all.
I hope you enjoy this first of two with Jonathan Mooney and have a wonderful Father’s Day!
More About Jonathan:
Jonathan Mooney is a dyslexic writer and activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University and holds an honors degree in English Literature. At Brown, he became the co-founder of Project Eye-To-Eye, a widely duplicated mentoring program for disabled students. He is also a winner of the prestigious Truman Scholarship for graduate studies in creative writing and education and was a national finalist for the Rhodes scholarship.
Jonathan Mooney’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, HBO, NPR, ABC News, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. A nationally recognized advocate for neurological and physical diversity, he’s been speaking across the nation about neurological and physical diversity for two decades, inspiring those who live with differences and calling for change. He has published three books: The Short Bus, Learning Outside the Lines, and Normal Sucks.
Connect with Jonathan:
• Website | jonathanmooney.com
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
• Gratitude for past podcast guest Julie Lythcott-Haims who introduced me and my neurodivergent son Ryan to Jonathan’s latest book and inspired this episode.
• Jonathan's mission to help youth who are different not to feel deficient.
• How a response from Jonathan’s mother the day he was diagnosed inspired his book's title Normal Sucks.
• Jonathan's square peg in a round hole experience as a child, struggling with dyslexia and ADD, and how he changed his paradigm.
• The question Jonathan asks himself every day that helps him challenge the myth of human sameness as he parents his three boys.
• The heroic work of trying to extricate ourselves from our society's embedded institutionalized and cultural ableism.
• The problem with accommodation for some models and the power of accommodations for all approaches through universal design.
• Moving the onus of change from the individual to the system around us
• A story about Dave Cole, a fellow transfer student at Brown University, who taught Jonathan the power of being authentic.
• Jonathan's commitment to building community pride for people who are neurodivergent and the organization Eye to Eye he co-created with Dave Cole in college with this mission.
• The letter Jonathan writes to his boys in his book that had me in tears as we closed the episode
• Stay tuned for a special Part Two conversation with Jonathan and Ryan, who is headed to university in the fall, about how to support neurodivergent students in college.
Resources Mentioned:
• Jonathan’s Books and Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines
• Embracing Neurodiversity and Being an Adult with Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ryan Neale
• Eye to Eye: A Mentoring, Advocacy, and Movement Building Organization by Jonathan Mooney
This Episode’s Challenge:
The judges of normality are present everywhere Jonathan says. Jonathan's journey of thriving came because somebody, Dave Cole, wouldn't fake being normal. Jonathan's challenge to us is to stop faking normal. Celebrate every day and in every person the power of different.
This Episode is dedicated by: Briary Harvey
As a storyteller and systems witch for more than a decade, Briar has helped so many people figure out what their next step is, and how to take life as it comes. With her first book underway, she still continues to write about business, productivity, feminism, trauma, and mental health in her own little corner of the internet.
Connect with Briar:
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
This week for Throwback Thursday, as so many of us went to the ballots to place our votes, I knew I wanted to reshare this episode with then Assemblymember and now California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
I also loved the dedication for this episode from Celia Ward Wallace who now is the co-founder of South LA Cafe.
Both Rob and Celia have families that are rooted in activism and community organizing and they both are finding new ways to use their gifts, talents and vision to make an impact.
I hope you enjoy this episode. I know you'll find lots of insights from listening.
About Rob:
From a young age, Rob saw and experienced firsthand how those with limited power and wealth were so frequently cheated and taken advantage of by those who hold both. With his parents teaching him that harm against one is a crime to all, Rob made the decision to become a public servant– serving justice for those that hailed from his circumstances.
Growing up and becoming a legislator, Rob rose to become a national leader on criminal justice issues and is the first Filipino-American to serve as California’s Attorney General.
Connect with Rob:
Dedicated by Celia Ward Wallace
Celia Ward-Wallace is a leading Business Coach and Consultant for Social Enterprises creating a business with an impact. She is an internationally recognized Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Expert. She leads her clients to start, launch, and grow purpose-driven businesses and become thought leaders through entrepreneurship, coaching, speaking, writing, community building, and activism.
Celia is also the co-owner of South LA Cafe a community coffee shop and cultural center, designed to build community through coffee, culture, and connection. She is also the co-owner of South LA Market which was created in a food justice effort to provide fresh, healthy, and affordable food to her South Central LA community. She is also the Co-CEO of the South LA Cafe Community Foundation, the 501c3 non-profit affiliate of South LA Cafe.
Learn more about South LA Cafe:
https://www.southlacafe.com/
From Original Show Notes
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
• The activist and public service seeds were planted in Rob and his siblings from his parents and Rob’s E.P.I.C. snapshop childhood memories in the presence of César Chávez and organizing for Mexican American Farmworkers’ rights.
• How Rob’s parents fled the Philippines for the security of the family before the Martial Law era of Ferdinand Marcos
• The way that Rob and his wife, Mialisa, make time for each child and share with their kids what they love and care
• The many causes Rob is championing in his role as Assemblymember.
• Rob’s position on the gravity of solving the problem of police violence in our country, an exploration of two new California bills aimed at reducing police violence, and the requests I made of Rob to go further in his commitment.
• How being in his home community restores and fulfills Rob and how his love of soccer, since the days that he served as captain of Yale’s Soccer team, continues to be a way that Rob invests in his own well-being.
• Rob and Mialisa’s love story, how they continue staying together, and the extended family that supports them
• Rob’s awareness that this interview provided an opportunity to “Get off of the dance floor and onto the balcony” to survey the big picture and reflect
• What Rob really thinks is the enemy of democracy and his challenge for all of us
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 44: A Family Legacy of Service and Leadership with California Assemblymember Rob Bonta
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
This Throwback Thursday, in the wake of the recent horrific gun violence in Buffalo, Uvalde, and countless other cities across the country, I knew I needed to bring forward this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast with mother, activist, and co-founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation, Sybrina Fulton.
The tragic news has felt all the more real because I recently returned from Sybrina Fulton's Circle of Mothers Healing Retreat in Florida. I volunteered as an Ambassador for the second time since the original recording of this episode, alongside my sister Caren Lettiere, bringing Democracy Clothing jeans for each of the 70 mothers who came to find solidarity and empowerment among others who also lost a child to gun violence.
Together, we witnessed their tears and heard their stories. There are no words to describe the heartache that stays with them. But what brought Caren and I hope is that we also witnessed their resilience and their power. So many like Sybrina, have found ways to turn pain into purpose. They shouldn't need to do this. Or be expected to do this. But they do anyway.
In honor of Circle of Mothers, Caren and the Democracy team have been inviting customers to add on donations to any purchase to the Trayvon Martin Foundation at their website to support the event. I also had the opportunity to write a blog post featuring Sybrina's story of impact on the Democracy blog, linked here.
I’m deeply committed to continuing to raise awareness and funds through a GoFundMe I set up years ago here. As we're all feeling helpless in the wake of continued violence, I encourage you to join me in listening to Sybrina’s story, reading the post linked above, and investing in the mothers impacted most by grief. They are also closest to forging a solution.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
• What Sybrina wishes everyone would know about approaching a conversation with a mother who has lost a child.
• My then 14-year-old son’s question to Sybrina about what it feels like when your calling and the powerful work you’re doing is sparked by a tremendous loss.
• Why we need systemic and cultural change, and more awareness-raising conversations, to keep young people of color safe from racial profiling.
• The tragic death of Chinedu Okobi, an unarmed young black man who was tasered to death by San Mateo County deputies, just 20 minutes from my own home.
• The importance for grieving mothers to remember the things that they used to love and what Sybrina’s joyful outlet is
• The Circle of Mothers and how the idea to create it came to Sybrina in a dream.
• Sybrina’s challenge for all of us is to open our hearts and to reach out to mothers, across differences, who have lost their children to let them know we care.
• Why investing in mothers is the most powerful lever to impact gun control.
Original Episode Show Notes
Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: Ep 55: From Grief to Advocacy and a Circle of Mothers with Trayvon Martin’s Mother Sybrina Fulton
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
Welcome back to another Throwback Thursday episode!
Hard to believe, but my oldest son Ryan is graduating from High School! So for this Thursday, I really wanted to bring back this first episode I ever recorded with him, at the milestone of his 13th birthday, just before his bar mitzvah.
This revisited version also includes the speech Ryan wrote at his middle school graduation, where we spoke so openly about his challenges with feelings of depression and anxiety during that time in his life. I hope that Ryan being so open about how he was feeling also inspires you or anyone you may share this with to speak up this mental health awareness month, as we continue to break the stigma around getting help.
So join me today as we honor Ryan in celebrating his graduation and moving on to the next chapter of his life in college!
This Episode is Dedicated by: Dr. Monisha Vasa
Dr. Monisha Vasa is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, in practice since 2008. Currently, she spends her time serving as a volunteer clinical faculty member at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, under the Department of Family Medicine. She helps in the training of medical students and is an active member in the Medical Humanities program— where she participates actively in utilizing literature to support medical education.
With Dr. Vasa treating an array of mental health disorders, anxiety disorders, and much much more, she uses her special training for the well-being of many people, believing in her philosophy that a comprehensive understanding of each individual takes time, empathy, and attention to give them the best treatment possible.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: Ep 18: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflections with Ryan Neale
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
“We need these manifestos. We need each other. And we need each other’s stories.” — Graeme Seabrook
For Season Seven, I’m excited to introduce our Throwback Thursdays segments!
In honor of Mother’s Quest turning 5 (such a great milestone!) we will be revisiting older episodes from the archives with messages that resonate more than ever. Whether you’ve heard the episode before, or its entirely new to you, I hope you find some treasures in these conversations that help you more fully live your E.P.I.C life.
This Thursday, in honor of our Mother’s Quest May Manifesto Challenge, I wanted to bring back this episode with Graeme Seabrook, known as “the Mom for Moms” which started the Challenge four years ago.
Graeme bases her approach to coaching on the belief that you need to put yourself first in order for you to thrive. Following a traumatizing birth experience and postpartum depression with anxiety and PTSD, Graeme started her healing journey by teaching mothers and women to reclaim their humanity in a world and culture that expects women to be superhuman.
Listen in as Graeme shares with us the disillusionment she experienced in her first months of motherhood, and how she reached out for support to reclaim her life, something she then paid forward by creating and holding space for other mothers. You’ll also hear us lay out the inspiration for the Manifesto Challenge which has become an annual tradition.
Unfortunately, Graeme has been ill over the last year. She’s set up a GoFundMe to help fund her medical expenses. Proceeds from the Manifesto Challenge Course this month, now a self-guided journey with Reflection Journal, will go to Graeme’s GoFundMe. After she has given so much to our community, we now have an opportunity to support her!
Not up for the Manifesto Challenge this year, or want to make an additional contribution? You can help Graeme’s healing journey by going directly to her GoFundMe: Fundraiser by Graeme Seabrook: Help Graeme Heal
This Year’s Manifesto Challenge + Live Zoom Celebration with Andrea Scher:
Join us for this year’s Manifesto Challenge!
At the Mother’s Quest MemberVault, register for the Challenge and move through a reflective process, with video recordings and a special journal to capture your thoughts. All will lead you to create a guiding framework, or manifesto, that can become an anchor for how you want to live your life.
Then celebrate with me, recent podcast guest Andrea Scher and fellow MQ community members on May 24th. Register here for the live zoom event. Visit here for the episode with Andrea
Pay from the heart proceeds benefit Graeme’s GoFundMe. Register here for self-guided experience: https://mothersquest.vipmembervault.com/.../courses/view/6
Mother’s Day has passed but it’s the right time to invest in ourselves.
Reflect. Create. Celebrate.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
Full Episode Show Notes
Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 41: Reclaiming Ourselves in Motherhood ~A Mother's Day Special~ with Graeme Seabrook
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
Welcome to this first episode of Season Seven of the Mother's Quest Podcast!
Today's episode was sparked by an experience I had on my most recent big milestone birthday. The morning of December 1st, I turned 50 and the podcast, which was a 45th birthday present to myself, turned 5.
As I often do, I began my morning practice reading a book on my bedside table; the one I grabbed this time was a new one I had purchased called Wonder Seeker. Inspired by an idea within the gorgeously photographed pages, I hopped out of bed, wandered over to my bookshelf, pulled books from the shelves that were speaking to me on this occasion, and before I knew it had organized them into a pile which that became my "Manifesto for Becoming 50."
There was such spontaneity, joy, and ease in this creative endeavor...qualities that emanate from the book Wonder Seeker and qualities I had long admired in Wonder Seeker’s author Andrea Scher.
So, when it came time to launch the new season and invite a guest to anchor our month-long Mother's Quest May invitation to reclaim our E.P.I.C. lives in the Mother's Quest Community, I knew just who to ask. What a delight it was when Andrea Scher said yes!
Andrea is an author, artist, and life coach whose work is driven by her belief in the transformative power of creativity for joy and wellbeing. For nearly two decades, through her award-winning blog Superhero Journal, her Creative Superheroes podcast, and her bestselling e-courses, Andrea has thrilled others with their own power to find the magic all around them.
Her new book, Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy straddles the world of creativity and mindfulness - playfully inspiring readers to live more vibrant lives full of presence, joy, and connection.
Like the book, I felt like this whole conversation straddled the world of creativity and mindfulness. Andrea shares with us where she developed her unique lens of looking at things through "wonder goggles" as she calls them, about the big dreams she calls Mondo Beyondo, how she loved herself and her children through her divorce, and where she's finding joy today. Talking with Andrea reminded me that our creative endeavors have ripple effects we may not even know and that we don't need permission to pursue the things that we love.
I hope you love this conversation as much as I did and open yourself to seeking more wonder in your life. I also invite you to join me and Andrea in saying "yes" to our own Mondo Beyondo dreams, to our own creativity, and to creating our own Manifestos, by signing up for the Manifesto Challenge, linked in the show notes, tapping into some of the creative ideas for expression from Wonder Seeker, like the book spine poetry I drew inspiration from, and then joining Andrea and me on May 24th to celebrate what we're creating and manifesting together.
About Andrea:
Andrea Scher is an author, artist, and life coach whose work is driven by her belief in the transformative power of creativity for joy and wellbeing. For nearly two decades, through her award-winning blog Superhero Journal, her Creative Superheroes podcast, and her bestselling e-courses, Andrea has thrilled others with their own power to find the magic all around them.
Her new book, Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy (HarperCollins) straddles the world of creativity and mindfulness - playfully inspiring readers to live more vibrant lives full of presence, joy, and connection.
You can learn more about Andrea on her website or follow her on Instagram!
Connect with Andrea:
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
Resources Mentioned:
This Episode’s Challenge:
This Mother’s Quest May, say “yes” to the annual 7-day Manifesto Challenge, which you can access in the Mother’s Quest MemberVault. Then create your own Manifesto, utilizing the creative ideas, like the book spine poetry that inspired my “Becoming 50 Manifesto,” from Andrea’s Wonder Seekers book. Finally, you can join me and Andrea for a celebration of our creativity, Mondo Beyondo dreams, and our Manifestos (or Manifestos still in the making!) on May 24th at noon PST. Register here.
This Episode is dedicated by: Jamie Greenwood
Jamie Greenwood is a self-care and leadership coach and the founder of Homecoming, a 6-month group coaching program that teaches big-dreaming, high-achieving women how to take exquisite care of themselves, without an ounce of guilt. With over 15 years of experience, Jamie specializes in helping women get really clear on who they are, how they want to live, and then actually doing it on their own terms.
Jamie is also the host of The Path Home, a podcast that explores the many facets of the home, how we find a home in ourselves, and how we create a sense of home in our work, our relationships, our communities, and in the future we want to see.
When Jamie's not coaching, speaking, or podcasting, you can find her running after her 5-year-old and 3-year-old daughters and wondering what's for dinner.
Connect with Jamie:
Mother’s Quest May Gift Guide
Need a little inspiration to invest in yourself? Check out our Mother's Quest Mother's Day Gift Guide! Choose yourself and say yes to taking time off! Buy something meaningful to you, sign up for the Manifesto Challenge, or contribute to a cause you care about– there’s something for all mothers here!
Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/
Welcome back to the Mother’s Quest Podcast.
I know it’s been a while– a long while.
When my father, David Lieberman, died in December, I put the podcast on pause. And in many ways, it felt like I also put parts of my life on pause. But after months of navigating waves of grief, I'm finding my way back into my life and back to my voice.
Through laughter and tears, I recorded a special solocast to officially close out Season Six of the Mother's Quest Podcast so I can begin again. It felt like part of my healing to share my stories with you and I'm hopeful that there may be something in these reflections that can be meaningful and healing for you too.
Death is one of the few things we can all count on in our lives. And yet it's one of the things we are most reluctant to talk about. I hope this exploration of my experience during my father's death, and the lessons I learned, might support you to open yourself to conversations about death. In so doing, you'll open yourself more fully to life and love.
"There is nothing so whole as a broken heart" – a quote I cut out in a magazine while working on my vision board the other day. It resonated immediately. There were so many people, only a few of you who I mention by name in this episode (but you know who you are!) whose wisdom, compassion and caring made moving through this painful process not only bearable but at times beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You helped me and my family stay whole and I am so grateful.
Lessons To Guide You Through the Death of a Loved One
In this episode, I walk you through the eight lessons I learned through my father’s death, my grief, and most importantly– my love for my Dad and my family.
1) Look for the Signs
2) Find Your Guides
3) Closure Can be Healing
4) Lean Into Your Rituals. Make Them Your Own.
5) Let Laughter In and Invite the Possibility that the Unexpected Can be a Gift
6) Release Perfectionism and Shame
7) Open Your Heart and Ride the Waves
8) Have the Conversations
This Episode’s Challenge:
While it’s not easy to talk about, having conversations about death is one of the best ways to prepare ourselves and those around us for when the time comes– because we’ll never know when it might happen. So say "yes" to conversations about death and dying. Use the resources at Death over Dinner to gather with friends and family for these conversations. Also have meaningful conversations, and consider recording them, like I did with my father, with the important people in your lives. Finally, enjoy the journey, cherish the dash between the years from when you were born and when you will die and continually ask yourself the question "What is it you want to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Resources and Podcast Episodes Mentioned:
Special note about this episode:
These reflections are based on my experience navigating the death of my father who lived a full and happy life until the age of 84. I am certain that losing a child or someone of any age to a traumatic situation is a whole different experience. I do want to share a link to an episode I recorded with Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, who tragically lost her son in senseless gun violence. I invite you to listen to this episode for a different and important perspective on grief: From Grief to Advocacy and a Circle of Mothers with Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton.
This Episode Is Dedicated By: Donna Helete
Donna Helete thrives in the realm of human connection. She’s a regenerative grief coach, bereavement counselor, relationship tender, mentor, educator, and community builder with experience in non-profit leadership. She holds space for conversations around grief, love, life, and death. She walks a path toward elderhood, bringing with her real life credentials which include the death of her husband of 28 years in September 2015. Through her experience, she emphasizes the regenerative nature of grief, which allows us to be renewed again and again.
To learn more about her work, visit donnahelete.com and learn about her one on one sessions and workshop offerings.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/