I am filled with excitement and gratitude as I bring you this Episode #13, a solocast. It is an opportunity for me to reflect on the milestone of completing the first twelve episodes I set out to record when I launched the podcast, the common themes and lessons I have found among them, and the ways in which my life has been enriched as a result.

I open with honesty about the challenge I had recording this solocast and how and why I decided to bring you an unedited second version, one in which I didn’t worry about flaws or strive for perfection.

I also share a dedication with you to a woman whose words have been an anchor for me the last few months, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I let you in on some areas in my life where I am feeling challenged and how I carefully selected topics and guests in the extended season, another six episodes, to support me in these areas.

Finally, I let you know about a few ways you can lend your support, through spreading the news of the extended season utilizing my Thunderclap campaign or by helping me create the finale, calling in with your favorite moments and the ways in which they have impacted you.

In this episode I share:

• How coaching from Episode #9 guest Amber Lilyestrom and a visit to Dr. Angela Wu helped me record a second version of the solocast with more ease
• Highlights of a “Letter to a Young Activist” and other words from Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, that have been an anchor for me
• The three P’s I have seen weave through all the podcast episodes, the Power of Perspective, the Power of Metaphor and the Power of Connection
• My desire to grow in how I approach money, become a better activist, nurture my creativity, and make quality time for my children... and how that influenced the next six episodes.
• Some background on the confirmed guests: Daily Worth CEO Amanda Steinberg, Karen Baker of California Volunteers, Paola Mendoza, Creative Director of the Women’s March, Danielle Dutton, author of Margaret the First and founder of the Dorothy Project, and my very own son, in honor of his milestone birthday.
• My plans for the season finale and how you can bring your perspective and voice to it

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Do Not Lose Heart; We were made For These Times by  Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés website - www.clarissapinkolaestes.com
• Focus on our Goodness: A Framework for my Activism Inspired by my Four-year Old posted on the Mother’s Quest blog in January 2017
• The She Podcasts Facebook Group
• Dr. Angela C. Wu’s Healing Center
• The First Season of the Mother’s Quest Podcast
• • Ep 00: Planting Seeds for Mother’s Quest – An Introduction
  • Ep 01: The Spiritual Mindset of Abundance with Navjit Kandola
  • Ep 02: Unmasking Motherhood with Katherine Wintsch
  • Ep 03: Cultivating a Healthy Family with Michelle Ratcliffe
  • Ep 04: Taking Center Stage as a Go Girl! with Lynn Johnson and Allison Kenny
  • Ep 05: Live your E.P.I.C. Life to Help Your Children Thrive
  • Ep 06: Healthy and Happy with Dr. Elisa Song
  • Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten
  • Ep 08: Empathy, Acts of Kindness and Climbing Mountains with Erika Greff
  • Ep 09: The Soul-Fueled Truth with Amber Lilyestrom
  • Ep 10: Choosing Gratitude and Glitter with Nancy Netherland
  • Ep 11: “Flawed” with Truth Bomb Mom Kristina Kuzmic
  • Ep 12: Breaking Bread and Building Bridges with Saadia Ahmed

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial support:

• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Announcements:

As you know, I will be extending the season for six more episodes! And if you would be open to spreading the news of my extended season, sign-up today for my ThunderClap Campaign. With your help, the day the extended season launches on March 2nd, there can be a thunderous announcement on social media to help reach more moms with these conversations.    

Still available for download is the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets to help us record our weekly intentions using the E.P.I.C. Framework and reflect at the end of each day on that one positive thing we want to focus on. You can get the free download at mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets.

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Want to join the patrons above and help support more meaningful conversations such as these? Visit the Mother’s Quest Patreon Page to become a regular patron or visit this link www.mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter to make a one-time donation.

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

In Episode #12, I am honored to share this enlightening conversation with Saadia Ahmed, who I reached out to after the recent executive order on immigration to find out how I could become an ally to the Muslim community.

Saadia and her husband live in Los Gatos, California with their two children. She is a talented Financial Advisor serving high-level women professionals and entrepreneurs, couples and families. She is actively engaged in her local community, is a member of Watermark, and is passionate about issues and opportunities in the areas of education and empowerment of women.

She is also a bridge builder, and in this episode, she shares that after 9/11, she became heavily involved in outreach for her community and proactively pursued inter-faith dialogue as a way to find common ground with others.  

We talk about some of the stereotypes held about Muslim women, how she has stepped into and developed leadership among the women in her community, and our mutual desire to reach out beyond our bubble, with curiosity, to better understand people with different beliefs.

Saadia and I have decided to become partners in this effort and plan to “break bread” together with other women to build understanding. This is the challenge we offer to you as well.  I hope you leave this conversation, as I did, inspired to learn more about the people around us, and the shared values that we all hold dear, no matter how different we may seem.  

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The importance of building bridges of communication with our children and with those who are different from us.
• Saadia’s move to the U.S. because of religious persecution in Pakistan.
• The recent executive order on travel and immigration and how to become an ally to the Muslim community
• Celebrating diversity through faith and reaching out to build bridges through “breaking bread.”
• The importance of the examples we set for our children and of honoring our children’s individuality and views

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabary
• The True Islam Campaign - where you can explore eleven truths about Islam and sign up to become a Muslim Ally
• My blog post “Focus on Our Goodness” where I reflected on moving from negativity into action after the immigration ban
• Unbubble to get connected online to people with differing viewpoints

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial support:

• Caren and Debbie Lieberman who dedicated this week’s episode to our mother Fran Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Announcements:

This episode #12 marks an important milestone. It is the number of episodes I set out to complete in my first season. I didn’t know what to expect when I started out on this podcasting path, but it has been all I hoped for and more.

So much more that I did decide to extend the first season another 6 episodes to take us through to April. The next episode will be another solocast and an opportunity for me to reflect on common themes from the first twelve episodes and some of the ways in which these interviews have enriched my life. And, I will give you a preview of the interviews ahead, so make sure to listen in on that episode for all the details.

And, if you would be open to spreading the news of my extended season, stay tuned for a link to my ThunderClap campaign. With your help, the day the extended season launches, there can be a thunderous announcement on social media to help reach more moms with these conversations.    

Finally, I heard from so many of you that you loved last week’s episode with Kristina Kuzmik, the Truth Bomb Mom and that you, like me, are up for her positivity challenge. I created the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets to help us record our weekly intentions using the EPIC Framework and reflect at the end of each day on that one positive thing we want to focus on. You can get the free download at mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets.

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Want to join the patrons above and help support more meaningful conversations such as these? Visit the Mother’s Quest Patreon Page to become a regular patron or visit this link www.mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter to make a one-time donation. If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

I am excited to share this vulnerable conversation with the Truth Bomb Mom, Kristina Kuzmic. Energetic, funny, and honest, Kristina has an in-your-face perspective on issues of parenting and life in general. She has become a Youtube sensation with her “mom-centric” videos about raising children and juggling all of life’s challenges, with over 200 million views across media outlets and websites worldwide.

Kristina and her husband currently live in Southern California, where her most important, rewarding, and exhausting careers include being a sanitation engineer, chef, chauffeur, and conflict resolution guru for her three (mostly satisfied) clients – her children.

In this episode, we talk about Kristina’s experience growing up in America, shaped by an escape from war-torn Croatia. She shares how on a whim, she went from being a divorced mother on food stamps to winning a cooking show on Oprah’s OWN Network in 2011.  How her satirical YouTube video, “4 Reasons Women Should NEVER Breastfeed in Public,” went viral and why Kristina believes it is her community that is responsible for her reaching a half a million followers.

We get honest and emotional about our flaws and insecurities but also our impact and the power of sharing these with our children. Finally, we reflect on our shared experience of losing a baby in utero and how for both of us, focusing on just one positive thing on that day shifted our perspective and changed everything.

I hope you leave this conversation, as I did, inspired to keep turning the pages in the chapter of your E.P.I.C.life, staying true to your mission, owning your flaws, and paying attention to one positive thing every day. I was so grateful for this time with Kristina and I know you will be too.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How growing up in war-torn Croatia and her subsequent immigration to the U.S. impacted her life
• How her mother influenced her parenting by striking a healthy balance between enforcing rules and fostering joy  
• Why she named her company “Flawed” and how she has let go of perfection
• Her journey from Oprah to YouTube
• The importance of community and of women who champion each other  
• How to turn down the volume on our inner critics
• What my son said to me that Kristina says she will never forget

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Kristina’s viral video: 4 Reasons Women Should Never Breastfeed in Public (a sarcastic take on the arguments against breastfeeding)
• Visit Kristina on YouTube: www.youtube.com/stickycook
• Visit Kristina on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KristinaKuzmic
• Mother’s Quest Theory of Change
• Previous Mother’s Quest Episodes Mentioned: Ep 09: The Soul-Fueled Truth with Amber Lilyestrom and Ep 00: Planting Seeds for Mother’s Quest – An Introduction
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
• Kristina’s Positivity Challenge - and sign up here to download the free "E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheet" and start capturing your gratitude daily.

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial support: 

• Cameron Miranda - who provided a "dedication" for this episode
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Would you like to dedicate a podcast episode to a special mother in your life? Leave me a note here and I will get back to you with all the details!

Do you enjoy this podcast and want to support more meaningful conversations such as these? Visit the Mother’s Quest Patreon Page to become a regular patron or visit this link - www.mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter to make a one-time donation.

I am thrilled to share this heartwarming conversation with Nancy Netherland, a healthcare advocate and a self-proclaimed mom-ologist with on-the-mom training in infectious disease, hepatology, rheumatology, gastrointestinology, and glitterology.

Nancy is also a healer and an artist.  She is a mom to two mermaids ages 9 and 10 and works as a writer and data strategist for non-profit and safety-net healthcare entities. In the past five years, she has helped secure over $100-million in grant funding, influenced international policy, and provided research for publications and speeches presented before the UN, WHO and the US Congress.

In our conversation, we explore how Nancy’s parents instilled a sense that anything is possible, something she has needed to draw on as she faced the loss of her husband and the serious, chronic illnesses of her daughters. She shares how she and her girls cultivate generosity and pay that generosity forward through something they created called “gratitools.” And, we talk about how she has developed relationships with other parents of sick children, despite their vastly differing viewpoints, a message deeply needed during today’s divided times.

I was moved to tears by Nancy and how she consciously chooses gratitude to ensure she and her children experience joy and laughter in the midst of adversity. I hope you will join me in saying yes to Nancy’s challenge... to find the magic not only in the everyday, but especially in the midst of something hard.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How her parents influenced her childhood by teaching her that anything is possible
• Resiliency and mindfulness during traumatic events
• The importance of creating magic in our lives
• “Gratituding” as a verb
• Her favorite book “Man’s Search for Meaning”
• Advocating for your children’s health
• The importance of community, especially as a caretaker
• Building deep relationships with people of differing viewpoints

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Gratitool
• Choosing Gratitude
• Hepatitis C information
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Commonweal - where Nancy learned her framework for self-care
• Clinical Trials  a site that is open to the public to find life saving clinical trials
• UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

A big THANK YOU to our first "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial support: 

• Fran and David Lieberman - who provided a "dedication" for this episode
• Cameron Miranda
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Do you enjoy this podcast and want to support more meaningful conversations such as these? Visit the Mother’s Quest Patreon Page to become a regular patron or visit this link - www.mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter to make a one-time donation.