This Throwback Thursday’s minisode is inspired by the photos, posts and stories from so many of you about your children’s new beginnings at the start of this school year.

Recorded a few years ago, it outlines my secret to a powerful start that we can share with our children…an experience called a “Milestone Hike” that I’ve done in person and now virtually for many years.

In this Minisode I Talk About:

• How/when I learned about the importance of ending well to begin well at the youth development organization Alternatives in Action 
• The transformative Milestone Hike Experience I had on my 40th birthday
• How I’ve used the same components of that hike to acknowledge milestones with my son Ryan (we even recorded a podcast episode about one on his 13th birthday!) including Back to School Milestone Hikes
• The ways I have taken that experience to create signature Mother’s Quest opportunities for reflection

Hope this supports you or a mother preparing for Back to School in your life! 

Also, I’d love to hear from YOU: What are your Back to School Rituals that help you start the year well? Please join us in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group to share or email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Much appreciation,

Julie Neale

—

Listen to my episode with Ryan that we recorded after our Milestone Hike on his 13th birthday. He has grown and changed so much since then and will be starting college in just a few weeks. I’m so glad we have this almost like a time capsule of that period in his life. 

http://mothersquest.com/ep-18-yolo-you-only-live-once-and-other-milestone-reflections-with-ryan-neale/

Fall 2022 Spark Your E.P.I.C. Year Virtual Hike – Two Dates!

If you’d like to go on a reflective milestone hike (virtually!) with me and others from the Mother’s Quest Community by your side, we’ve opened up registration for the Fall Spark Your E.P.I.C. Year Virtual Hike. Choose from two dates:  

You can sign up here for Thursday, Sept 29th from Noon – 1:30 pm PST: https://mailchi.mp/mothersquest/septvirtualhike22

You can sign up here for Saturday, Oct 1st from 10 – 12:30 pm PSt: https://mailchi.mp/mothersquest/octvirtualhike22

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Back to School Milestone Hike: My Secret to Starting The School Year Well

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/

Today’s show with keynote speaker, business and leadership coach and Step into Your Moxie® facilitator Sara Dean, was five years in the making and worth the wait!

Sara is the creator and host of the Shameless Mom Academy Podcast, a top rated podcast with over 600 episodes and 5 million downloads.  As you’ll hear her share in this conversation, Sara’s biggest passion is helping women own their space.  After enduring her own identity crisis following the birth of her son, Sara took her background in psychology/health/wellness and rebuilt her identity, one step at a time.  

Today, Sara motivates and inspires women to stop shrinking and start shining and she’s been stretching herself to do the same, moving beyond her podcast microphone and onto new stages, including speaking for Amazon, the City of Seattle, Charles Schwab, Inspired Mama, WE Ignite, Alt Summit, and She Podcasts Live to name a few. 

Sara’s ability to show up,  with a  “sticktoitiveness” she says is in her DNA, enables her to achieve incredible things, like training for the triathlon she is in the midst of now. What I so appreciate about where Sara is on her journey, is her intention to move beyond the doing for doing sake to a thoughtfulness about what matters most and why, a shift she opens up about. 

I hope this conversation, and the challenge Sara offers us to cut the crap and calm the chaos, inspires us to show up as Sara does, with humility and bravery, honesty and humor, and as she says, shameless #everydamnday.

About Sara:

Sara Dean is a keynote speaker, a business and leadership coach, and a Step into Your Moxie® facilitator.  She is also the creator and host of the Shameless Mom Academy Podcast, a top rated podcast with 5 million downloads.  Sara’s biggest passion is helping women own their space.  After enduring her own identity crisis following the birth of her son, Sara took her background in psychology/health/ wellness and rebuilt her identity, one step at a time.  Sara motivates and inspires women to stop shrinking and start shining #everydamnday.  

Sara has spoken for Amazon, the City of Seattle, Charles Schwab, Inspired Mama, WE Ignite, Alt Summit, and She Podcasts Live.  She has been featured on the Dr Phil Show.  

When she’s not supporting Shameless Moms, you’ll find Sara with her husband and 10 year old son – trying to keep up on video game jargon and baseball stats.

Connect with Sara:

• Website | www.shamelessmom.com 
• Shameless Mom Academy Podcast |  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shameless-mom-academy/id1092674204 
• Free Facebook Group | www.shamelessmom.com/facebook
• Instagram | @shamelessmomacademy 
• LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• The social media post Sara shared five years ago that made me want to meet her at our first podcasting conference! 
• The impact on Sara of being raised by her mother who was a nun for 16 years 
• The power of routine and the need for flexibility
• Why showing up is in Sara’s DNA  
• How Sara is moving out of her comfort zone to have more impact 
• Using rejection as fuel to keep going 
• Sara’s simple self-care tip for investing in herself 
• Going back to what makes us feel reconnected with ourselves 
• The power of finding  your people in the same place and time as you 
• What it means to Sara to be a “Shameless Mom”

Resources and Topics Mentioned

• Join Sara’s upcoming free workshop, How to Calm Your Chaos & Let Go of Your Crap: shamelessmom.com/calm
• www.shamelessmom.com 

You Might Also Want To Listen to My Interview with Sara On Her Podcast: https://shamelessmom.com/episode/julie-neale-and-caren-lettiere-sisters-making-magic-in-e-p-i-c-ways/

This Episode’s Challenge:

Calm your chaos and let go of your crap. Sara wants you to think of what you really need right now, and how you can let go of extraneous junk in order to get what you want out of the season you’re in.

Join us at Sara’s free online workshop entitled, “How to Calm Your Chaos and Let Go of Your Crap”. You can register at shamelssmom.com/calm and let her know Mother’s Quest sent you. Happening on September 13, 4pm pacific time (7pm eastern time) and September 14, 10 am pacific time (1pm eastern time).

Sara invites you to reevaluate how you’re spending your time and energy, give yourself permission to create a schedule and systems you love, invest in relationships that give you life, stop over giving and stop overlooking your own needs. We hope to see you there!

This Episode is dedicated by Nikita Burks-Hale:

Nikita Burks-Hale (she/her) is the CEO and Chief Coloring Officer at Headphones and Crayons, a space for amplifying voice, sound, and color. As an Alignment Coach, she journeys and supports creatives, podcasters, and entrepreneurs as they create podcasts and launch new business initiatives that feel good without losing themselves in the process. As a Coloring Practitioner, Nikita integrates connection, community building, dialogue, and healing, all through the art of coloring.

Nikita is a journeyer in every sense of the word and truly believes that life is a journey and you must be open to its endless possibilities. Her coaching and personal beliefs are centered around living your imperfect journey to the FULLest by:

• Showing Up
• Being Vulnerable
• Practicing Grace and Gratitude
• Be A Bada**
• And Enjoying the Ride

When she is not coaching, podcasting, aligning, or coloring, you can find her watching the latest Disney movies with her wife Jessica and her two young kids, Adonis and Remy.

Connect with Nikita:

• Instagram: @headphonesandcrayons
• TikTok: @headphonesandcrayons
• Website: www.colorfullcrew.com
• My episode on Nikita’s podcast – Discovery as a Catalyst and an Awakening with Julie Neale

Announcement:

Step into Your Moxie® Certification Training with Alexia (Lex) Vernon

Sara Dean and I are aligned in our commitment to using our voices and also to supporting fellow mothers to do the same. Another thing we share in common is mutual respect and appreciation for our speaker coach Lex Vernon.

A few years ago, I had the honor of interviewing Lex for the podcast and this fall, I’m excited to participate in a Step into Your Moxie® Certification Training  she is leading. I’m also a proud affiliate partner of Lex’s courses.

If you’re a coach, consultant or organizational leader looking for a proven system and training to help your clients find their voice and develop the confidence to use it, Lex and this training may be for you.

Follow the links below to learn more and to sign up for a free upcoming workshops Lex is leading and be sure to tell her Mother’s Quest sent you her way. If it ends up being the right fit, I look forward to learning alongside you at the Step Into Your Moxie training this fall. 

Step into Your Moxie® Certification Training
https://stepintoyourmoxie.com/certification/

Free Workshop: 4 Mistakes Coaches, Trainers, and Managers Make That Undermine People’s Speaking Success
https://stepintoyourmoxie.com/speaking-mistakes/

Hear my episode on the podcast with Lex here: http://mothersquest.com/tag/alexia-vernon/

**As an affiliate partner, Mother’s Quest will receive a commission if you participate in the training an list my name as a referral source on the Certification application. I only recommend people and programs that I believe wholeheartedly in, and Lex  tops that list.

As I record this opening today, I’m filled with emotion because I just dropped off my son Ryan at UCLA for his freshmen orientation. Check the show notes for more reflections about this epic snapshot moment.

Last night, Ryan and I stayed up late talking about what he wants to study in college and more importantly, how we hope his college and career journey will be one that lights him up. 

It had me thinking about this conversation with Good Life Project podcaster Jonathan Fields. Jonathan is the creator of SparkTypes and a new podcast Sparked, which helps you find work that makes you come alive.

Jonathan and I recorded this episode a few years ago, just before Jonathan was getting ready to take his daughter to her freshmen year in college. It’s filled with heart, insight and wisdom and a reminder that no matter what chapter we or our children are starting, it’s always the right time to ask ourselves the big questions about who we are and what we are here to do.

Epic Snapshot Moment Reflections with Ryan

He’s off to orientation and going to UCLA a month from now

I didn’t do the college reveal post in the spring, though I’ve told many of you personally, because I think so much emphasis during that time gets placed on what school kids do or don’t get into. I want to be part of the conversation that reminds us that college is not the only path our children can take after high school and that there are so many schools that are beautiful matches for students.

But today, with tears streaming down my face as I go on a walk post orientation drop-off, I really wanted to share this with you…

Ryan is going to UCLA! Omg Ryan is going to UCLA!!

I want to share it because:

- UCLA is where Chris and I met over 30 years ago and where I took my first independent moves to becoming the person I am today.

- From the time we started going to UCLA’s family camp Bruin Woods, Ryan has dreamed about attending, mastering the 8 clap at a young age, going to UCLA basketball sleepaway camp and putting UCLA on his 9th grade vision board.

- Ryan worked with my dear friend from UCLA @cindykmcc on his college search application and essays. With neurodivergent boys of her own, she was so patient with Ryan and adapted the process to meet him where he was.

- Ryan’s conversation last fall with Julie Lythcott-Haims on the podcast was part of Ryan’s journey to embracing and celebrating who he is, prompted him to do his college essays voice to text, and to be authentic about his life journey and identity in his essays.

- Finally…because my Dad, who died in December, would be so thrilled that he is here, with my mother down the street, and a family support system of aunts  uncles and cousins if Ryan needs them.

While there were challenging days on his journey where we could not imagine him ready to do this, Ryan has grown so much. He is as prepared as he could be for this next chapter. We are so proud of him and excited for him, but more than that he is so proud of himself and excited himself.

It seems Ryan was fated to go to UCLA. Dreams can come true. But they do when, as my Dad always said, you pursue your fate. And wow did Ryan do that!

To hear more about Ryan’s journey:

YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflections with Ryan Neale

Embracing Neurodiversity and Being an Adult with Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ryan Neale

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 63: A Maker’s Journey to a Good Life with Jonathan Fields

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/

I hope you’ve been listening over the past few months to our Throwback Thursday series…episodes I’m curating from the archives for you to listen to again, or for the first time, if they are new to you.

This Throwback Thursday, there were so many reasons I decided to select this episode titled “Weaving our Ancestral Threads with Genealogist Nicka Smith.”

First, Nicka has had some incredible recent accomplishments that I would love for you to explore. One in particular, is the debut of her first short film entitled “A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson” about one family’s story that Nicka explains is an exceptional example of why it’s important to thread the past to the present.

The second reason I decided to share this episode was because of a call I received today. It was from a woman who was a former student of my grandmother Molla, who found and heard my episode with my father, David Lieberman. This woman was searching for years to learn about her mentor who she lost touch with and I’ve been searching for years to find students who benefited from my grandmother’s teaching. Now, because of the power of podcasting and a reverence for threading the past to the present, we’ve found one another.

All of this feels especially poignant because it’s still within the first year of my father’s death. As I welcome you to listen to this episode, I’m sending special love out to all of us missing our loved ones and wishes that the wisdom from Nicka in this conversation, inspires us anew to weave our own threads from past to the present, and to use our loved one’s legacies as inspiration for living our lives to the fullest.

Resources Mentioned in Opening

A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson details the life of Hawkins Wilson, a formerly enslaved man who utilized the Freedmen’s Bureau to try to reconnect with his family. Hawkins’ letters have been seen everywhere from the National Archives website to text books and more. The letters so clearly describe the destructiveness of enslavement while also showing the hopes the formerly enslaved had in repairing the havoc the slavery system caused their families.

Hawkins’ May 11, 1867 letter drafted at the Freedmen’s Bureau in Galveston, Texas – the site of the first ever Juneteenth – includes a detailed account of which specific slaveholders enslaved his family members and important details such as the locations where they were enslaved.

Those of us who do genealogy research know how incredible Hawkins’ account is, yet we also know that there are a lot of factors out of our control that determine whether or not we can find out more about him and his family despite the large amount of information he gave.

Did Hawkins and his family ever reunite? Do records that document his enslavement still exist? All of these questions, and more, are answered in the short film.

You can view the film at www.ancestry.com/BlackHistory

Ep 43: Love of Family and Pursuing our Fate ~A Father’s Day Special~ with David Lieberman

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 50: Weaving our Ancestral Threads with Genealogist Nicka Smith

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/

I’m excited to revisit this episode with Kalika Yap, a serial entrepreneur, inventor, intentional mother, and business leader.

Kalika is from more humble beginnings. She came from a big family born in the Philippines in the time of Martial Law that then moved to a low income community in Hawaii. Growing up, she had strong influences from her mother who is a teacher and her father who is an entrepreneur. Along with her husband, she now imparts these family influences or “Ohana” and a focus on “Core Values”  to her two daughters.

We covered a lot of ground in this interview and I felt like I filled my E.P.I.C. Life Toolkit with powerful strategies: to focus on values, develop keystone habits, and consciously choose a life of service. I left the conversation inspired by Kalika to pursue our entrepreneurial dreams and empower other women to do the same, all while being a present and intentional parent.

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 22: Core Values, Ohana and Keystone Habits With Kalika Yap

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/

Last week on the podcast I shared a solocast about the power of manifestos and the many ways that we can express them. I was reminded that my first episode of the podcast, called “Planting Seeds for Mother’s Quest” was a manifesto itself, an expression of where I had been, where I was headed, and a commitment for how I wanted to live my life.

I decided this was a great time to reshare the episode. I hope this episode, and the solocast I recorded last week, may inspire you to take some time for reflection and create a manifesto of your own. If you’d like a process to support you along the way, check out the link to the Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge, a self-guided course, created just for this purpose, in the show notes.

Resources:

✨ Ep 91: The Power of Manifestos - https://mothersquest.com/ep-91-the-power-of-manifestos/ 

✨ Manifesto Challenge Course - https://mothersquest.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/6/?action=signup 

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Ep 00: Planting Seeds for Mother’s Quest – An Introduction

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/

Ever wanted to create a manifesto, a personal declaration of how you want to live your life? In this new solocast on the podcast, I share my story of creating manifestos, more about what they are, the many different ways that we can express them, and an invitation for you to create your own!

In this Episode:

• The full circle moment with my two children this summer that reminded me of the power of having a manifesto. 
• The meaning and origin of the word manifesto.
  How I came to create my first manifesto through a course with Jonathan Fields of the Good Life Project Podcast. 
• Five different suggestions for expressing a manifesto.
• A reading of my Becoming 50 Manifesto that I created through Book Spine Poetry.

This Episode’s Challenge: 

Create your own manifesto. Share it with us in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Community, email it to julie@mothersquest.com or tell someone special in your life. Declare it to others to make it real. If you’d like some support to move you through a reflective process to help you clarify your manifesto, we’ve created a self-guided Manifesto Challenge Course in Mother’s Quest MemberVault.

Resources/Episodes Mentioned:

• Ep 00: Planting Seeds for Mother’s Quest – An Introduction
• Ep 63: A Maker’s Journey to a Good Life with Jonathan Fields
• Ep 61: Reclaiming Ourselves in Motherhood: Revisited with Graeme Seabrook
• Ep 89: Seeking Wonder and Mondo Beyondo Manifestos with Andrea Scher
• Manifesto Challenge Course - A 7-day self-guided experience that will move you through a series of reflective prompts to support you in creating or refining a “manifesto” of your own

My Becoming 50 Manifesto:

Child of the Moon

Wonder Seeker
Conduit of
Big Magic 

I Am My Mother’s Daughter
And also descended from
Women Who Run With Wolves

Daring Greatly
I choose to
Live Love Now
To grow
An Awakened Family
Raising Happiness
In myself, my Partner and my Children

From Scratch
Bird by Bird
Tapping the potential of my
Divergent Mind
I will build
Conscious Community
Rooted in
Just Mercy

Sparked
By the Essence of Who I Am
And Who We Are
We Should All Be Millionaires
Materially and Metaphorically
Living in
Stress Free Prosperity

Tapping the Power of
Emergent Strategy
Alongside my 
Wolfpack
Learning and living in a
Spiral
I will remember we are always
Becoming 
And that
You Were Born For This  

You can purchase the books named in the Becoming 50 Manifesto here.

This month, in the Mother’s Quest Community, we’ve been celebrating the power of books. It made me think about this past episode with my mother Fran and her dear friend Sandy Klasky about their then 50 year old book club. This year, the book club will be turning 55 and is still going strong, even through the pandemic. 

Listen to this conversation, and you’ll be inspired by the importance of friendship, the potential of books to bring people together, and the lessons we can learn from two grandmothers who have been through challenging times in our country and have lessons to share with us about what got them through.

Other Invitations To Celebrate the Power of Books:

✨Listen to this episode with author Andrea Scher where I talk about the Becoming 50 Manifesto I wrote using book spine poetry. I was inspired by an idea in Andrea’s book Wonder Seeker.

✨Check out my Becoming 50 Manifesto Book List and Purchase a book of your own from the list for your summer reading. 

✨Get a copy of the Mother’s Quest Inspiration Guide or gift a copy to a special mother in your life

✨Sign up for the Tiny Book Course from my friends at Get it Done Productions and write a book of your own! Code JulieNeale will get you 10% off the course.

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full shownotes from the original episode here: EP34: Season Two Finale: The Power of Friendship and a 50 Year-Old Book Club with Fran Lieberman and Sandy Klasky

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 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:

• While Black Podcast

• Ahmaud Arbery Is All of Us – Can I Live? 

• American Son|Netflix

• When They See Us|Netflix

• 13TH|Netflix

• Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten

• Revisited: Beyond the Trauma: Legacy, Compassion and Change with Mothers Against Police Brutality Co-Founder Sara Mokuria

• 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 

• Podcast Movement

• Justice for Josiah

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

• LinkedIn | Jonathan Mooney

• Twitter | @_JonathanMooney

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

• Ep 26: Surrender and Embracing Difference with Debbie Reber of TILT Parenting for “Differently-Wired” Kids

• 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:

• Website | briarharvey.com

• Facebook | Briar Harvey

• Instagram | @thebriarharvey

• LinkedIn | Briar Harvey

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:

• Instagram | @robbonta

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:

• Headstart, a special program for preschool-aged children from low-income communities that provides access to early childhood education
• The GATE Program (Gifted And Talented Education Program) national links and background information. Ryan participates in our local school district’s program.
• Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
• Erik Newton, The Together Show
• Sports Illustrated Kid Reporter, a unique program Ryan has applied to which gives selected children ages 10 – 14 an opportunity to write and broadcast about sports
• UCLA Bruin Woods where I was a counselor in college and where we all go to “camp” each summer as a family

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:

• The experiences that shaped Graeme’s childhood and conception of motherhood, including her observations of her own mother’s experience parenting, the many times her family moved, and how her home and heart landed in Charleston
• Graeme’s honest retelling of her early months of motherhood where she remembers holding her baby and feeling like there was a wall between them
• The E.P.I.C. spark moment that came when she shared her story online and received an outpouring of messages from other mothers going through the same experiences
• Graeme’s “true truths” and the concept from her current favorite author, Octavia Butler, about God
• Graeme’s description of the Ten Articles in the Mother’s Bill of Rights, how she champions and helps mothers reclaim themselves through this framework, and the support she offers in her Mom Center.
• Graeme’s E.P.I.C. Snapshot moment revealed reflections on the legacy of our matriarchs, the mothers we claim for ourselves, and how we can become the ancestor we aspire to now.
• A description of our co-created #OneMinuteMomManifesto challenge.

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:

• Website | andreascher.com
• Instagram | @andreascher
• Facebook | Andrea Scher
• Website | Blog
• Website | Podcast

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• What Andrea means by “Mondo Beyondo” and some of our Mondo Beyondo moments. 
• How Andrea mindfully engaged with her children through the experience of her divorce.
• The simple somatic practice Andrea uses when she sees something she wants more of in her life.
• What women were taught growing up about pursuing what we desire and what Andrea thinks we need to shift.
• Manifesting and creating blueprints for our life goals.
• How you can see things from a new perspective and from different angles.
• Andrea's magical journey to bringing her book Wonder Seeker to publication, something both 25 years in the making and that came to fruition in mere months.
• Andrea’s most recent “Wonder Date” experience with bioluminescent algae on Tomales Bay. 
• Our joint challenge to you is to create a Mondo Beyondo Manifesto of your own. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Mother's Quest May Gift Guide
• Episode 61: Reclaiming Ourselves in Motherhood: Revisited with Graeme Seabrook
• Mothers Quest: Right Livelihood, Magic, and Meaning with Lindsay Pera of the Modern Mystics Institute
• Wonder Seeker by Andrea Sher
• Andrea Sher’s eCourses
• Sunset Bioluminescence Kayak Tour

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:

• Website | jamiegreenwood.co
• Instagram | @jamiegreenwoodcoaching
• TikTok | @jamiegreenwoodcoaching

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:

• Love of Family and Pursuing our Fate with David Lieberman – A Father’s Day Special
• Mystics Oracle Deck 
• YouTube | The Dash
• Summer Day by Mary Oliver
• Death Over Dinner: The Most Forgiving Place for Difficult Situations
• Jewish Hospice Center of Los Angeles 
• Right Livelihood, Magic, and Meaning with Lindsay Pera of the Modern Mystics Institute
• Embracing Neurodiversity and Being an Adult with Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ryan Neale

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.

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/

I’m excited to welcome you to a special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast that I am extremely grateful for, just in time for Thanksgiving, featuring the amazing Julie Lythcott-Haims and my 17-year-old son Ryan Neale.

Julie is an incredible mother to two, a former Stanford Dean and New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto How to Raise an Adult, which gave rise to a TED Talk that has more than 5 million views. Her second book is the critically-acclaimed and award-winning prose poetry memoir Real American, which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces. I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Julie for the podcast several years ago when that book was first released.

When I heard about Julie’s new book Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, I knew I wanted to invite her back to the podcast again. And, I hoped that my son Ryan, on the threshold of adulthood himself, would join us in the conversation.

The stars aligned and Ryan was available the day of the interview, enabling Julie, Ryan, and I to explore the concepts of her book, about navigating adulthood and embracing our differences, especially our neurodiversity, in deeply personal and relevant ways. 

In this episode, I’m also excited to share a dedication from Deborah Reber, former podcast guest, fellow mother on a quest, and host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast.
Deborah’s heart-felt dedication honors Julie and other mothers raising neurodivergent children. I could not agree more with Deborah’s assessment about what an exceptional human Julie is, about the power of Julie’s commitment to put the stories of a diverse group of young people with different identities on the pages of her book, and about the impact of Julie’s work for normalizing and honoring differences. 

As you hear our conversation unfold, I know you’ll be as struck as I was by Julie’s wisdom and humility as she talks with Ryan, helping him to understand that he deserves to be cherished for who he is, that he can approach things like writing in ways that work for his differently-wired mind, and that he can seek out environments, like college, that enables him to play to his strengths and allow him to thrive.

Since our conversation, Ryan was able to take Julie’s advice to heart, using voice to text without shame to write his personal statement for college applications and sharing his personal insights on a panel at the recent Stanford Neurodiversity Summit. You can follow the link in the show notes to listen.

Finally, this conversation is a demonstration that there is no destination to becoming an adult, but an ongoing journey of learning and discovery, that parents and their children can support one another in reciprocity with curiosity, and that we can all benefit from asking ourselves the question from Mary Oliver’s famous poem, that Julie gives us as our challenge, “What is it that we want to do with our one wild and precious life?”

As we approach Thanksgiving, the five-year birthday of the launch of Mother’s Quest, and my 50th birthday, I can say there is nothing I’d rather do than hold space for a conversation like this one and share it with you.

About Julie:

Julie Lythcott-Haims believes in humans and is deeply interested in what gets in our way. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto How to Raise an Adult which gave rise to a TED Talk that has more than 5 million views. Her second book is the critically-acclaimed and award-winning prose poetry memoir Real American, which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces. A third book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, is out now.

Julie is a former corporate lawyer and Stanford dean, and she holds a BA from Stanford, a JD from Harvard, and an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts. She serves on the board of Common Sense Media, and on the advisory board of LeanIn.Org, and she is a former board member at Foundation for a College Education, Global Citizen Year, The Writers Grotto, and Challenge Success. She volunteers with the hospital program No One Dies Alone.

She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner of over thirty years, their itinerant young adults, and her mother. 

Connect with Julie: 

• Website 
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

About Ryan

Ryan Neale is a neurodivergent 12th Grader from San Mateo, California. His parents discovered he was differently wired when he was 18 months old but he has been in fully mainstream education for his academic career, with most people around him not knowing about some of the struggles that he faces.

His experiences publicly masking his neuro differences have given him a unique perspective on many of the struggles neurodiverse people face, such as public stigma, ableism, and the ever-present desire to fit in. As he has begun advocating more for his needs, he has high hopes to use his perspective and communication skills to increase public understanding of neurodiversity, and hopefully create a more inclusive society for everyone.

In his free time, he enjoys playing varsity basketball for his high school team, coaching youth sports, roughhousing with his little brother, and diving headfirst into his many fantasy special interests. He is thrilled to have participated in this fall’s Stanford Neurodiversity Summit on a K-12 student panel. You can listen to the panel here.

Connect with Ryan: 

• Instagram

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• How Julie’s experience listening to students as a Stanford Dean and raising her own children led her to write a book about young adults

• The painful admission Julie shared about overlooking her own son Sawyer’s challenges with ADHD and anxiety and the poignant moment when her son acknowledged Julie’s shift in understanding him 

• The ways that Ryan identifies as neurodivergent, how he has adapted, and the pain he has experienced trying to fit in a neurotypical world 

• Julie’s advice to Ryan about embracing who he is

• Her recommendation of the book Normal Sucks by Jonathan Mooney 
• The revelations parents can take from Julie’s book
• How to help young adults figure out what next steps to take on their path to becoming an adult 
• The lessons Julie has personally gained from writing her books
• Julie’s words of wisdom for Ryan on how to move through his resistance of writing by trying methods that might work better for his differences and strengths 
• The biggest takeaway that Julie learned in her research and in her own journey writing the book about how to be vulnerable and connected and open to the support of others so that you don't have to feel alone
• Julie’s challenge for all of us that can help us live our best lives as adults

Resources and Topics Mentioned:

• Ep 52: Third Chapters, Raising Adults, and Loving Ourselves with Julie Lythcott-Haims 
• Normal Sucks by Jonathan Mooney 
• Julie’s books
• Julie's Ted talk 

This Episode’s Challenge:

Ask yourself the question from Mary Oliver’s famous poem, “what do I want to do with this one wild and precious life?” Explore what would you do if it was only up to you...if nobody else's opinion really mattered. Go to a quiet place, a shower, out in nature, or on a hammock and ask yourself "What is the work that brings me joy? What are the places and spaces where I feel valued and seen?"

This Episode is dedicated by Deborah Reber

Debbie Reber is a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a top resource for parents like her who are raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has grown to be a top podcast in Kids & Family, with more than 3 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. A certified Positive Discipline trainer and a regular contributor to Psychology Today and ADDitude Magazine, Debbie’s newest book is Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World. In November 2018, she spoke at TEDxAmsterdam, delivering a talk entitled Why the Future Will Be Differently Wired. In the summer of 2020, she co-created the Parenting in Place Masterclass series.

Prior to launching TiLT, Debbie spent more than fifteen years writing inspiring books for women and teens, including Doable: The Girls’ Guide to Accomplishing Just About Anything, Language of Love, Chill: Stress-Reducing Techniques for a More Balanced, Peaceful You, In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers, and more than a dozen preschool books based on the series Blue’s Clues. In 2008, she had the privilege of creating and editing the first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs, Louder Than Words.

Before becoming a solopreneur, Debbie worked in TV and video production, producing documentaries and PSAs for CARE and UNICEF, working on Blue’s Clues, and developing original series for Cartoon Network. She has an MA in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research and a BA in Communications from Pennsylvania State University. In 2019, her husband, and 17-year-old twice-exceptional son relocated to Brooklyn, NY after living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands for five years. 

Connect with Deborah:

• https://tiltparenting.com
• https://instagram.com/tiltparenting
• https://facebook.com/groups/tilttogether
• https://twitter.com/tiltparenting

You can also check out my conversation with Debbie on the Mother’s Quest Podcast about embracing differences here!

Announcement:

Special Q & A Brunch with Julie Lythcott-Haims

Join Mother’s Quest and Happy Women Dinners for a special opportunity to receive Julie’s new book, get it personally signed, and enjoy brunch and a Q & A with Julie at Julie Neale’s private home in the SF Peninsula. Cost is $125 and includes brunch and a copy of the signed book. Email jill@happywomendinners.com to secure your spot ASAP. Tickets are sold out with the exception of a small number for Mother’s Quest listeners and members. 

Mother’s Quest is Turning Five - Celebrate With Us!

On December 1st, Mother’s Quest will be celebrating it’s 5th birthday. To honor this milestone, we are having a virtual celebration with poetry, music, toasts and more.  If you’ve been impacted by Mother’s Quest and have wishes to share for our next chapter, I’d love for you to join us. Email hello@Mothersquest.com to get all the details and RSVP. 

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/

I’m honored to share this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. Thank you for showing up to this important conversation about two mothers and their quest for peace and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. Thank you for choosing to press play. 

If ever there was a year demanding us to "show up" this has been one. From COVID to floods and fires and refugee crises...our consciousness has had a lot to hold. It can be all too easy to shut down. To throw up our hands. And to say "what can I do?"

That question "what can I do?" is one I asked myself during the crisis that unfolded in Palestine and Israel In May of 2021. For days, watching the horrifying headlines, I felt powerless. Then several truths came to me and an intention to find a path to action which I shared in a FB post, like sending a wish to the universe.

The very next day, the “guides” I was looking for appeared.  In a conversation with my mother, I learned about the Parents Circle, an incredible organization of Palestinians and Israelis who have lost children or family members in the conflict, and instead of turning to revenge, come together to work toward peace and reconciliation.

Soon after, I found myself recording a conversation with Layla Alsheikh, a Palestinian mother originally born in Jordan, who lost her son Qussay at the age of 6 months old. And Robi Damelin,  an Israeli mother, originally from South Africa, who lost her adult son David while he was serving in the army.

Although today’s topic is especially heavy - one of loss and tremendous grief, Layla and Robi share their narratives with us for a specific purpose - to help us understand their experience and to support their efforts in bringing Palestinian and Israeli mothers in particular together to work toward change.

Inspired by all they shared with me, the week after we recorded, I began to raise money toward a fund to help them bring together bereaved Palestinian and Israeli mothers of the Parents Circle.

Along the way, I’ve been moved by so many mothers who have already contributed. Mothers like Jena Schwartz, who dedicates this episode with a beautiful poem she shares at the end of this conversation. Jena was the first to donate and her powerful words are an invitation to you to say “yes” to this cause. 

To date we have raised $5,000, half of the $10,000 goal I set. And we have more to go. Though the height of the crisis in May has receded from the headlines, violence continues in many forms, and the path for peace and reconciliation is needed more than ever. 

I ask you to listen with an open heart, to follow the links in the show notes to learn more, to contribute in any amount meaningful to you, and to amplify the voices of Layla, Robi and others like them, mothers closest to this conflict. They are a key to any path forward.

In this episode we talk about:

• The experiences of two mothers Robi and Layla - one Israeli and one Palestianian -  who lost children in the conflict and turned their grief into a quest for peace and reconciliation.
• The tremendous power of listening to bereaved mothers’ stories. 
• How Robi and Layla each got involved with The Parent’s Circle, an organization of Palestinian and Israelis that brings bereaved parents and family members together in solidarity. 
• How you can help support the Parent Circle and promote peace and reconciliation among Israeli and Palestinian families.
• The importance of not importing the conflict into our own countriesWhy we shouldn’t position ourselves as Pro-Palestinian or Pro-Israeli but Pro- Peace.
• How Robi and Layla sustain themselves and find continued hope, even in their loss. 
• Opportunities to get involved and how we can specifically support the mothers of the Parents Circle to come together. 
• Poet Jena Schwartz’ powerful poem “The Undefended Heart” and an invitation to contribute. 

This episode’s challenge: 

Both Layla and Robi challenge us to join them in fighting for peace instead of violence in the following ways: 

1. Contribute to the fund to help them bring together Palestinian and Israeli mothers
2. Invite representatives of the Parents Circles to your groups, synagogues, churches, mosques and organizations to share their story. 
3. Follow the work of the Parents Circle and participate in their educational and awareness-building opportunities
   
   

About Layla:

Layla Alsheikh was born and raised in Jordan. She had a peaceful and normal upbringing and graduated with a degree in accounting and business management. She eventually met her husband in Jordan 1999 and moved to Bethlehem, where her husband lived for the wedding. However, a few years later tragedy struck her life.  

In 2002, her 6 months old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from taking him to the hospital for more than five hours. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment.

Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son’s death, she never thought of revenge, but rather has devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.

About Robi:

Robi Damelin was originally from South Africa and came to Israel in 1967. She originally came to Israel as a volunteer after the “Six Day War”. Her real plan was to live in the states but after spending time in Israel she developed a love-hate relationship with the place. She eventually got married and had two kids here.

Unfortunately, Robi’s son, David, was killed by a Palestinian sniper in 2002 while guarding a checkpoint near a settlement during his army reserve service. She speaks to Israelis, Palestinians, and audiences all over the world to demand that reconciliation be a part of any peace agreement. Robi was named a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World.

Follow Robi: 

• Website
• Twitter

About the Parents Circle

The Parents Circle – Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 600 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation.

American Friends of the Parents Circle – Families Forum shares the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the American public in order to foster a peace and reconciliation process.

The Parents Circle Policies:

• We work towards an end to violence and towards achieving an accepted political agreement.
• The members of the Parents Circle oppose the Occupation and believe that it is possible to end the conflict.  They wish  to influence the public and in turn, decision makers, to choose reconciliation and the path of peace over violence and war.  
• Our goal is to create a framework of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians to support any political peace agreement.  
• To prevent further bereavement and to avoid the use of bereavement for further violence and retribution.  
  

Connect with the Parents Circle 

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Youtube  

This Episode is Dedicated by: Jena Schwartz 

Jena Schwartz is a writing coach, poet, and activist in Western Massachusetts whose work is deeply rooted in Jewish values. As a mother herself, "The Undefended Heart" emerged as a prayer of sorts out of her own yearning for peace in the face of so much injustice and suffering in Israel/Palestine.

Connect with Jena:

• Website
• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Additional Reading/Listening:

• Mother’s Quest Blog Post which introduces the Mother’s Quest Fundraising Campaign 
• Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine - Book recommended by the Parents Circle to better understand the conflict
• Ep 55: From Grief to Advocacy and a Circle of Mothers with Trayvon Martin’s Mother Sybrina Fulton - Episode referenced which also explores turning grief into action and healing.

Special thanks to Shehla Sa Ni, Kris Zarnoch, Jen Fornal, and Bear Beat Productions for their help and care in editing this episode

“Swirling in a sea of uncertainty

My voice, tenuously found over the last few years, silent again

I don't know enough, I tell myself

But deep down, feel this to be untrue

In the quiet of my late-night scrolling, searching for answers I never find, instead I reveal some truths within.

We are all deeply connected

The harm to one mother and her child is harm to every mother and every child, regardless of our differences

A history of oppression and casting out can never justify more of the same

Extremism in any form becomes a cancer

Silence and doing nothing is a choice. A choice I cannot make.

So I will remember I am not alone

There are guides all around me

And ways to make an impact that will reveal themselves

If I just take the first step.”

Julie Neale

FB Post
May 17, 2021 

I’m honored to share this special episode with a woman who has been an incredible source of wisdom, support, and guidance in my life, a mentor and teacher who has helped me claim the “mystic” in me, Lindsay Pera.

Lindsay and I connected in a magical way at a group dinner in San Francisco about four years ago. Though she was seated at the other end of a long table, she came up to me before the evening ended to say “I have this feeling I’m supposed to talk with you!” We had a delightful conversation and parted ways. But several months later, when my youngest son Jacob received a Lyme disease diagnosis, I searched in one of my Facebook groups for someone who had experience with the disease, and Lindsay’s name popped up again and again.

I reached out to her for guidance and after an almost two-hour phone conversation, I learned about how she discovered she had chronic Lyme disease and had passed it along in utero to two of her children. I hung up with tremendous admiration for her motherhood journey, a plan of action to navigate Jacob’s care, and also knowing that Lindsay would become a trusted resource in my life.

Blending strategy honed from her career as an analyst at Accenture with her intuition as the founder of a new paradigm business called the Modern Mystics Institute, Lindsay is a source of inspiration and guidance for so many others like me. We all benefit from transformational courses she has created like the Journey to Right Livelihood which you’ll hear more about, her books the Mystics Path and the Mystics Almanac, the Mystics Oracle Deck she created with her partner Sarah Love and her membership community, the Mystics Society. 

The idea that we can care for ourselves and the children in our lives, even through significant health and developmental challenges, and do work we love, blending all the parts of who we are, stepping into our leadership and legacy, and finding magic and gratitude along the way, is something Lindsay demonstrates herself. And she illuminates it all for us in this conversation.

From her decision to move her family to a multigenerational homestead and creating the Modern Mystics Institute, to how she’s navigated having chronic Lyme and now long-haul COVID, this discussion is a beautiful weaving of all the ways Lindsay slows down in her life to manifest and notice what she’s grateful for, even when things are difficult. Her gratitude practice, which she started in a “spark moment” when she found beauty in the sunset during one of her darkest days, begins its 11th year of 365 days just as this episode is being shared.

I was so grateful for this time with Lindsay. I hope you’ll find time to slow down and listen to this beautiful conversation, so you can find strands of what Lindsay shares that are meant for you, and that help you weave some new magic and meaning in your E.P.I.C. life.

Connect with Lindsay

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Lindsay’s Bio

Lindsay's corporate career encompasses management consulting, financial services, and technology. She began her career as an analyst in Accenture’s technology strategy practice and then transitioned to a $2 billion insurance company to help drive pivotal IT transformation.  In 2004 she left Silicon Valley and moved with her family to a beautiful multi-generational homestead on the Central Coast of California. 

Lindsay wants to live in a world where appreciation flows freely, kids play outdoors and lemons are in season year round. As a Mystic mama, tech entrepreneur and intuitive strategist she's a sought after contributor and motivator on all topics health, wealth and transformation.

When she is not extolling the virtues of “Sacred Commerce” or “Resonance” based business, you can find her knocking almonds and generally getting her gratitude on.

Lindsay's new paradigm business community, The Mystic’s Society, is a safe haven for entrepreneurs weaving magic into their *work* in the world. It is her passion to direct resources into the hands of entrepreneurs, creatives, and world changers.

Find out more about Lindsay's private consulting at Lindsaypera.com or join in the magic at MysticSociety.com.

This episode is dedicated by: Selina Davis

Selina Davis is the founder of Trillium Consultancy and Spectrum Mother, both of which are emerging communities dedicated to connecting caregivers virtually in respite and retreat offerings, as well as training and supporting parents to become advocates. 

Selina is a cis-gendered woman, a woman of color, mother, social justice advocate, and former social services clerical administrator. She parents a teenage son with profound neurodiversity and who also has an additional diagnosis of intellectual and developmental delay, as well as mental health challenges. Selina has also earned certifications and education-based degrees specific to advocacy.  

 Selina is truly passionate about children, women, and caregivers and believes it’s time to start supporting one another by hosting virtual and in-person retreats. She continues sharing her message through her podcasts, “The Parental Advocate Strategist” and “Strong as a Mother”. She is also running a series called 52 Weeks, 52 Caregivers which aims on showcasing the stories of a caregiver each week. 

You can connect with Selina on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to join her community on Patreon and to sign up for her upcoming virtual retreat by clicking this link, as well as her SPECial EDition Training and Strategies Hub!

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• The sacred trinity of mothers who raised Lindsay: her biological mother, her stepmother, and the woman who cared for her daily while her mother worked as a trailblazing leader at Hewlett Packard
• The internal voice that said "this is killing you" every time Lindsay walked out the door to her fast-paced management consulting firm 
• The chronic Lyme diagnosis that Lindsay discovered after her third child was born with serious neurological issues.
• A moment of total defeat that transformed into a moment of gratitude and a daily gratitude practice that Lindsay has maintained for over a decade.
• Lindsay's family's journey of healing from COVID and what was different for her this time on the "spiral" or "nautilus" of coping with chronic illness.
• Lindsay's perspective about how to apply ancient learning traditions for modern times without appropriating, capitalizing, and extracting.
• The annual program Journey to Right Livelihood, rooted in the Buddhist tradition, that helps us identify our soul purpose and path, sacred commerce, and our leadership and legacy.
• As we grapple with current crises, like climate change, Lindsay's belief that we all came in for these times.
• The importance of tending to our "taproot" placing ourselves at the "center of our rings” and her "YOU" acronym for building connections.
  
  

Resources and Topics Mentioned:

• The Mystics Path
  
• Journey to Right Livelihood a powerful program that includes live masterclasses, an instructional portal with videos and resources and a private FB community during the 8-week course. This is my affiliate link and if you participate in the program, you will also get a special Mother’s Quest bonus. 

This Episode’s Challenge:

Next time you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or despondent about what you are facing in our world, slow down to allow yourself to see, feel and experience what you’re grateful for and take the next aligned step from that place.

The Mother’s Quest Marketplace

I’m excited to share about a new resource on the website, where I’ve curated a collection of my favorite courses, products, books, and more, all created by Mother’s Quest members or podcast guests. From Lindsay Pera’s Journey to Right Livelihood, which you’ll hear more about in this episode, to my own recently published book the “Mother’s Quest Inspiration Guide,” I hope you’ll find something on the Marketplace page that will light the way on your epic life journey. Visit www.mothersquest.com/marketplace to take a peek!


Journey to Right Livelihood (JTRL)

Led by Lindsay Pera...JTRL is a powerful program that includes live masterclasses, an instructional portal with videos and resources and a private FB community during the 8-week course. As a Mother’s Quest affiliate partner, I’ll be offering a special bonus if you participate in the program. And I’ll be there right alongside you, learning and stepping more fully into my Right Livelihood. Join us if this calls to you!

More about Journey to Right Livelihood

Right Livelihood IS for you

Do you ever tell yourself that you simply can't make money doing what you love?

Do you sometimes feel as though you can have financial success OR you can be happy, but you can't have both?

Do you believe that you must sacrifice one for the other because they are mutually exclusive?

We see it all around us, don't we?

• People staying in careers they hate
• Stuck in chronic patterns of lack and scarcity
• Overworking and overwhelmed as they watch their health and happiness deteriorate
• An overarching outlook in our Western Culture toward the "bottom line" at the expense of people, our planet, relationships and our values

It's time to shift these myths

It is your time to claim...

Purpose, Path, and... Right Livelihood

Calling together a circle of women (and men)

• On the next step of their life evolution (expansion) journey
• Who feel, deeply, that there is more for them in this life
• Who are looking to create a stronger alignment between their work and their inner calling
• Willing to make meaningful changes with meaningful actions
• Seeking a community full of support and powerful guidance

Sign up through the Mother’s Quest Affiliate link 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/

I’m honored to share this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast, an interview of  me, led by Mother’s Quest member Sneha Jhanb for her YouTube Channel Shift2Prosperity. In our conversation, Sneha helped me reflect on my Mother’s Quest journey, how that led me to writing my first book and lessons learned along the way.

"The Mother's Quest Inspiration Guide Vol 1. Engage" officially launched on Sunday, with a book-signing at my favorite local book store Reach and Teach and a reception at our home afterward. The experience itself was what I call an "epic snapshot moment." 

My son Ryan introduced me with humor and heart, my husband Chris took video (and remembered to bring pens for signing!) Jacob sat next to me and tapped my shoulder throughout the reading to tell me things! And I got to look out at a lovely gathering of friends and Mother's Quest members who asked thoughtful questions that helped me make meaning of my experience.

Special thanks to my friend  Remee who helped me with the book throughout the process and came to take photos.

An especially sweet element was the chance to showcase the books of other Mother's Quest members who created Tiny Books and to share the event with two of those authors, Jenjii Hysten, Heather Anderson. Lena Velasquez, Leslie Tagorda and Cameron Miranda were there in spirit.

I'm so grateful to Alexandra Franzen and  Lindsey Smith of the Tiny Book Course for guiding me to becoming an author with ease and joy. I'm grateful for every podcast guest, guide, and community member who has enriched my life on this E.P.I.C. journey the last five years and whose wisdom is infused in the pages. And I'm grateful to my family for inspiring me every day to become the fullest version of myself.

Hope this moment of gratitude, and the interview that follows, might be a nudge for you to say "yes" to a dream of your own or invest in yourself in some new way.

If a dream inside you is to become an author...The Tiny Book Course begins again in September and registration closes this Friday, August 20th. I'll be working on Vol. 2 (and maybe a children's book with my kids!) and would love to create and celebrate alongside you. Feel free to reach out for more information or visit this link. There are also packages available that provide more one-on-one support for your book creation. 

I am filled with gratitude. Especially as so much in our world is challenging, it’s powerful to celebrate the goodness in front of us and the responsibility and possibility to make an impact. I hope this tiny book has big ripples.

About Sneha Jhanb

Sneha Jhanb is an Engineer turned Spirit Junkie.

She is passionate about making small changes to see bigger impacts in her life as well as every life that she touches. She likes to empower her tribe with her experiences, knowledge, and tools in mindfulness, financial services, energy healing and stress management to help them find stress-free prosperity. She regularly posts self-help videos, meditations, tarot and oracle readings, and more. With her, you will find all things practical and all things spiritual, all created to help you lead a conscious and prosperous life.

Get a FREE chapter of her book "Stress-Free Prosperity: A Mindful path To Joy, Abundance and Wealth" here: https://shift2prosperity.com

Follow Sneha Jhanb 

• Website 
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Tiny Book Course

• Tiny Book Course - Begins 9/1
• 2021 Enrollment Closes August 20th!

Have you dreamed about writing a book? But you don’t want a “DIY” experience. You want to hire the best in the business, work with seasoned pros, and receive the highest level of support. This is for you. Learn more here.

Book Production Services

If more support is what you are looking for, you may want to explore their Book Production Package which includes copyediting and proofreading on your book manuscript, interior layout, and cover design to create a stunning book that you’ll be proud to share—and sell!

Learn more here. 

This Father’s Day 2021, many of us are re-emerging and with so much change, I find myself wanting to return to words of wisdom that can ground me during this time of transition. Rather than recording a new episode with a father this year, I’m putting together an episode to highlight my favorite insights from fathers I’ve interviewed since the podcast began. So stay tuned for that episode coming out soon. In the meantime, I wanted to re-release this full interview with my very own father, David Lieberman, with a dedication by my son Ryan, whose voice no longer sounds anything like this. Though so much has changed, the words from the dedication and the interview itself feel as true and powerful as ever. Sending love to my own Dad this Father’s Day and wishes for all of you to discover or rediscover connection and inspiration from the fathers and father figures in your life.

Much appreciation,

P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

Original Show Notes

Love of Family and Pursuing our Fate ~A Father’s Day Special~ with David Lieberman

What an honor it is to bring you this episode with my own father as one of two I’m having with men on the podcast this month in honor of Father’s Day.

Two things sparked my interest in having my father on the show now…first, a desire to feel more connected to my grandmother Molla, my father’s mother, who passed away years before I was born from pancreatic cancer. I wanted to hear from my Dad about his experience of his mother, how she shaped him, and the ways he notices her spirit living on in us today.

Related to this, I recently went to a workshop to learn about uncovering our family ancestry and at that workshop they discussed the power of oral histories. My Dad is a storyteller and I wanted to use this amazing platform to capture his stories and life lessons, for me, for my children and the Mother’s Quest Community.

The episode is an exploration of my father’s E.P.I.C. life, how his mother’s passion as a voice and elocution teacher shaped him into the powerful speaker and human being he is today, the moment he first saw my mom when she was just 11 years old, how he built a career and a family, and a love of golf to help him cope with the effects of Type 1 Diabetes. And, how he views love of family and the pursuit of fate as a theme that runs through it all.

This episode’s dedication was shared by Vanessa Couto, an astrologist who considers fate and what’s written “in the stars” for us as part of her exploration and practice. Vanessa honored her father Guido with this dedication and reflected on the ways that fate, legacy, and character help us live a life of purpose.

I loved reflecting on these same elements of my father’s life in this conversation. I wasn’t surprised that there were moments that made my Dad and I laugh and cry during along the way. But, I was surprised by the insights that emerged…about the ways in which my grandmother and my father’s qualities live in me. I’ve known I’m much like my mother, but it wasn’t until the end of this conversation that I realized that the “seeker” in me, the one who is always on a quest, comes from my father.

My Dad believes that fate play a role in all of our lives, but that we must actively pursue it to fully realize it. Our challenge this month is to reflect on the moments in our lives when we chose to pursue our fate and what happened as a result. Also, to notice and seize the new opportunities and possibilities that call us to take action today in our E.P.I.C. lives.

In honor of Father’s Day, I’d like to add one more challenge that we didn’t discuss in the interview but came to me as I wrote this introduction. Seek out the father or father figures in your life to ask them about and record the stories, lessons and insights they have to pass along to this and future generations.

I promise you’ll learn something powerful about yourself and how to more fully live your E.P.I.C. life.

**Stick around till the end for some light and funny bloopers from the interview.

This episode dedicated by:

Vanessa Couto – Artist, Astrologer, and Teacher. Visit her website at www.vanessacouto.com and connect on Facebook 

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• My father’s view on fate and how it has been a thread weaving through his whole E.P.I.C. life

• The ways my grandmother shaped my father and the thing she said to him that sealed his fate for a life he loved in California

• How fate brought my father and mother together, from his first site of her receiving a drama lesson from his mother, to summers as children and teens in a bungalow colony, to 50 plus years of marriage.

• Where the seeds for his playful nature and love for his children and grandchildren were planted early in his life

• How he pursued a career in a business he built, the people he met and helped along the way, and the importance of being a person of integrity

• The impact of Type 1 Diabetes and stress on his life and how his love of golf became his remedy

• Some funny stories of crazy things that happened to him, several involving the Wall Street Journal, and one that you may want to turn the volume down on if your children are listening with you.

• The favorite toasts passed down to him by his mother

This Week’s Challenge:

There are three challenges this week:

• One from me, to look back on our lives, notice the moments when we chose to seek our fate, the impact that has had on us, and to share it with our family members
• One from my father to continue to seek out our fate, taking action on opportunities even when we’re not certain what might come from it
• And one that emerged from my son Ryan, to share this episode with the fathers or father figures in your life, let them know how you appreciate them, and explore and record their stories and lessons learned.

Other Special Episodes with the People in My Life:

• Ep 40: Live the Movie Version of Your Life with Oscar®-Nominated Producer Rachel Winter, my childhood best friend
• Ep 34: Season Two Finale: The Power of Friendship and a 50 Year-Old Book Club with Fran Lieberman, my mother, and her friend Sandy Klasky
• Ep 18: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflectionswith my son Ryan Neale
• Ep 17: A Mindful Writer’s Practice with family friend Danielle Dutton

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Four of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to “dedicate” an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

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 Season Six of the Mother’s Quest Podcast and this special Mother’s Day episode, which shines a light on the untold stories and far-reaching impact of mothers and in particular Black mothers. For this episode, I had the honor of talking with Anna Malaika Tubbs, the brilliant biographer of the groundbreaking book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation.

In addition to being a mother to a 1 year old boy with another child on the way, Anna is an author, advocate, educator, scholar and Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Growing up abroad and influenced by her exposure to all kinds of cultures and beliefs, and by her own mother’s work advocating internationally for women’s and children’s rights, Anna uses an intersectional lens to advocate for women of color and to educate others.

During her time as an undergraduate student at Stanford University, Anna took from what she’d seen in her parents’ work and began honing her own identity as an activist. As the First Partner of Stockton, CA, she co-authored the first-ever “Report on the Status of Women in Stockton” to guide future policy decisions with the experiences of diverse women in mind. She’s published articles featured in the Huffington Post, For Harriet, Darling Magazine and Blavity, on issues ranging from mass incarceration to the forced sterilization of Black women, as well as the importance of feminism, intersectionality, and inclusivity. Throughout all her work and writing, she draws on her personal experience and extensive research to examine and make relevant gender and race issues in the US, especially the pervasive erasure of Black women.

In this incredible debut book, The Three Mothers, Anna celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America’s most pivotal civil rights heroes: Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. Alberta King, Louise Little and Berdis Baldwin were all born at the beginning of the 20th century, all were forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women, all forged their own unique paths, using their beliefs and talents to shape not only their children but those around them, and all three had to bury their children, two of them after losing their sons to gun violence.

In these mothers and their stories, amidst the pain and grief, there also existed vibrancy, love and conviction. One of my biggest takeaways from my conversation with Anna is the importance of acknowledging the continued injustices that Black women endure today and that although Black women continue to experience tremendous grief, they also experience joy and they are not “a conquered victim," but are living through life as whole human beings.

My Mother’s Day wish is that you will find time and space to slow down and truly listen to Anna’s insights about the mothers whose stories she so beautifully tells, that you will get and read her book The Three Mothers, and that you’ll join me in saying “yes” to Anna’s challenge. She asks that all of us advance our understanding of different forms of motherhood. Picking up books she says, especially those that focus on Black mothers and Black motherhood, can bring healing for everybody.

Much appreciation,

P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

In This Episode We Talk About:

• Anna's commitment to fighting the erasure of Black women's stories.
• What inspired Anna to focus her first book on the mothers of sons of the Civil Rights Movement.
• How painful moments like George Floyd's murder, and joyful moments like Stacy Abram's organizing in Georgia, had Anna editing and adding more relevance right up until the book was published.
• Anna’s decision to focus on MLK Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin as the three famous sons, and their mothers, Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin whose stories she would tell.
• The lessons revealed in Anna's book that all mothers can learn from across the E.P.I.C. guideposts.
• The importance of acknowledging that Black women are "not a conquered victim" but living through life as a whole human being.
• Anna's challenge for all mothers listening to expand our awareness through reading and her hope that this book will be seen as a celebration of Black womanhood.

This Episode's Challenge:

Anna invites us to think about what we can all read to advance our understanding of different forms of motherhood. Picking up books that focus on Black mothers and Black motherhood can bring healing for everybody. The more we are informed, the more conscious we become. 

Anna’s next recommendation after finishing her book: The Power of Purpose by Alicia Garza which begins with a powerful description of the impact of Alicia’s mother on her. 

Learn More More About Anna:

Anna Malaika Tubbs is an Author, advocate, educator, and a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Anna grew up abroad in Dubai, Mexico, Sweden, Estonia, and Azerbaijan. Influenced by her exposure to all kinds of cultures and beliefs, Anna is inspired to bring people together through the celebration of difference. Motivated by her mother’s work advocating for women’s and children’s rights around the world, Anna uses an intersectional lens to advocate for women of color and educate others.

During her time as an undergraduate student at Stanford University, Anna took from what she’d seen in her parents’ work and began honing her own identity as an activist. She served as the president of Stanford’s Black Student Union when she was only a sophomore and she was also the Executive Director of Stanford’s Alternative Spring Break. In these roles, she organized rallies and events focused on the concerns of the Black community, she fundraised money for women’s clinics in the Bay Area and grew her passion for advocacy and social justice.

As the First Partner of Stockton, CA, she co-authored the first-ever “Report on the Status of Women in Stockton” to help guide future policy decisions with the experiences of diverse women in mind.

Anna is also a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant who has worked with companies and individuals interested in progressing their DEI goals.

Anna has published articles on issues ranging from mass incarceration to the forced sterilization of Black women, as well as the importance of feminism, intersectionality, and inclusivity. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, For Harriet, Darling Magazine, and Blavity. Her first book, titled The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, is being published by Flatiron Books in February 2021.

Grab a copy of Anna’s The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation HERE!

Follow Anna:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Anna Malaika Tubbs’ Website

Additional Resources:

• The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart by Alicia Garza
• Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro. Based on the unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin 
• Mother’s Quest Ep 55: From Grief to Advocacy and a Circle of Mothers with Trayvon Martin’s Mother Sybrina Fulton

Announcements: It’s Mother’s Quest May!

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you’ll seize this holiday as an opportunity to say “yes” to yourself. We’ve declared it Mother’s Quest May in our community and have so many wonderful things to share with you as the month progresses: 

• The podcast season launch with this episode
• My first publication the Mother’s Quest Inspiration Guide
• A self-guided version of the annual Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge 
• And a live virtual “Yes Day for Moms” that I’m co-facilitating with the amazing Graeme Seabrook. 

Join the free Facebook Group and sign up for email updates at www.mothersquest.com to learn all the details and come along with us during this special month.  

Acknowledgments:

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Amanda Kruger Hill
Graeme Seabrook
Anne Armstrong
Herve Clermont
Samantha Arsenault
Vickie Giambra
Casey O'Roarty of Joyful Courage
Kathie Moehlig or TransFamily Support Services
Anne Ferguson of MamaFuel
On the Move and etsuko Kubo
Kate Amoo-Gottfried
Nicole Lee
Olivia Parr-Rud
"Vince" of the While Black Podcast
Sara Brannin-Mooser
Lindsay Pera
Julie Castro Abrams
Alexia Vernon
Brooke Markevicius
Democracy Clothing
Michael Skolnik
Helgi Maki
Kari Azuma
Tamara Sobomehin
Katie Krimitsos
Carrie Caulfield Arick
Rachel Rosen
Chandra Brooks
Jen Simon
Monisha Vasa
Celia Ward-Wallace
Vanessa Couto
Desiree Adaway
Rachel Steinman
Katie Hanus
Denise Barreto
Sage B. Hobbs
Samantha Nolan-Smith
Jody Smith
Emily Cretella
Collette Flanagan
Titilayo Tinubu Ali
Carly Magnus Hurt
Lizzy Russinko
Suzanne Brown
Mara Berns Langer
Mallory Schlabach
Katharine Earhart
Jessica Kupferman
Jen Jenkins Dohner
Genese Harris
Tonya Rineer
Liane Louie-Badua
Cristin Downs
Erin Kendall
Niko Osoteo
Erik Newton
Claire Fry
Divya Silbermann
Rachel Winter
Caren and Debbie Lieberman
Cameron Miranda
Fran and David Lieberman
Debbie and Alan Goore
The Sustainable Living Podcast
Samantha Arsenault
Attica Locke

Support the Podcast

In loving memory of Edd Conboy, who through the gift of reflection helped me see myself so that I may also see others.

I’m honored to bring you this special bite-sized reflection from my own E.P.I.C. Life as a bonus to Season Five. 

The show has been on a pause between seasons and will begin again in May, in time for Mother’s Day. Until then, I invite you to catch up on episodes that you’ve missed, including the Season Five finale with my mentor and former colleague, Leslie Medine. The finale was dedicated to Edd Conboy, a special person who was a coach to both of us and led us for years through a process called Adult Reflection.

Edd suffered from a stroke and passed away on March 20, 2020. In my conversation with Leslie, I committed to writing and recording a love letter to Edd and sharing it on the podcast. It was therapeutic to write the letter, share it with others from my Reflection Circle grieving Edd’s loss, and to record it for you.

Thank you for listening and witnessing. I hope learning about Edd’s impact will touch you and inspire you to think about someone in your life who you’d like to honor.

Dear Edd,

As I write this, I hope that you know how loved you are. How much you are missed. And how much you have made an everlasting impact on me and so many of us.

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since you died. You slipped into a coma, just as the world was slipping into what has felt like an alternate reality. In December, I interviewed Leslie for the podcast and held space for the ways that you impacted her.

In perfect synchronicity, before I released that episode, I found an email that you wrote at the same time of year, the winter solstice 15 years ago, on the darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Your words reminded me that the light we so often seek, especially in our darkest days, resides within ourselves. Which was so fitting, because one of your greatest gifts was to create reflective space, get curious and ask a powerful, illuminating question that would help me, Leslie and so many others find our answers within.

As we reach this anniversary of your death, we are reemerging in many ways. We are also approaching another seasonal milestone, the spring equinox, which miraculously occurs this year today, on March 20th, the anniversary of your passing. Therefore, this moment that we remember and honor you, as I record this to bright sunshine and spring flowers blooming, is the moment that represents the balance of light, of new beginnings, a festival of awakening, and rebirth.

I’ve been wondering what messages you have for us Edd. What are you trying to tell us about darkness and light? About seasons? About the power of pause and reflection? About moving from darkness to light. And seeing again in new ways. 

These were the words you shared in that email at the winter solstice:

“For the last few months I have had the great good fortune to be surrounded by some extraordinary young people (some of them are on this list!).  

Gradually, they are infusing me with hope, and even a little faith.   Being with them has brought me to realize just how much I am dependent on them to make meaning of my life long after I am gone.  I am aware more keenly than ever that this moment I call a lifetime is all I have right now.  And that awareness is unimaginably liberating – a healing gift that lightens the load when I can stay in that awareness.   I hope within this expansive moment, we all have many more little moments to share, moments like glass beads for all of us to string together.”

I thought about these glass beads that you speak of...and realized they are a metaphor for what you created in our lifetime with you. You brought us clarity, you brought us connection, you instilled in us the realization that we can be and bring our fullest selves to one another, that we can love and be loved for who we are and who we are becoming. 

In your presence, I learned to hold tension, to examine thoughts and feelings, even when they're uncomfortable, so that I could see and understand myself in new ways. With your coaching, I learned that when things feel the most overwhelming, it’s because I’m holding too much or trying to hold too much by myself, and that so much more is possible when I welcome others in. You helped us realize that alone we are but single glass beads, but that we can create something of beauty and value when we come together.

Edd, I wonder if your spirit is aware somehow of the legacy you have left us. If you know that you brought us together again, some of us who had not been in regular communication with one another for over a decade. After your passing, we met on zoom every first Sunday for the entire last year, a challenging year filled with wildfires, sheltering in place, racial reckonings, and one of the most historic elections of our lifetime. We acknowledged that we could not have made it through the year without one another and without your lessons.

The last time we gathered, we honored the anniversary of your passing. We imagined a virtual unveiling of your headstone and what words we each would inscribe on it. These are the words I shared and offer to you.

In loving memory of Edd Conboy, who through the gift of reflection helped me see myself so that I may also see others.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have known you Edd, to have been coached by you, apprenticed by you, and known by you. Your legacy truly lives on in all of us.