Hello and welcome to Episode #27 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast and the first of several I’ll be sharing for an initiative I’ve launched called Women Podcasters in Solidarity.

The Initiative is a commitment I’ve made, alongside some other amazing women podcasters, to raise awareness and dollars to uncover and dismantle the ways racism, both conscious and unconscious, are impacting our society. I planned the Initiative after viewing the haunting video of Philando Castile’s death and of his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her young daughter in the back of the cop car in its aftermath. But, the events of Charlottesville since then have brought another level of urgency to this effort.

I’m so grateful that I found Nicole Lee, an incredible African American woman and mother, as our first guest on this topic, to light the way for how we as mothers, and especially those of us who are white women like myself, can take steps to make a difference, beginning with our own children and our own communities.

Nicole is a strategist, executive coach and public policy advocate through her diversity and inclusion consulting firm, Lee Bayard Group, LLC. And she’s a practicing human rights attorney through the Black Movement Law Project she co-founded, which provides legal and strategy assistance to Black Lives Matter protestors and organizations. Social justice and human rights have been part of her character since she was a child where she got her pioneering spirit especially from her own mother, one of the first black women to be ordained in her Christian denomination.

Nicole brings her experience as a mother and advocate to training parents in how to have courageous conversations with our children about diversity, inclusion and equity. I had the opportunity to learn from Nicole on a recent webinar on the subject, an overview for a more detailed class launching in September, that was also attended by Mallory Schlabach who offers this week’s dedication.

Nicole and I start the episode with shared agreements and intentions for courageous conversation, committing to one another to come to the podcast recording with an open heart, a commitment to move through discomfort and risk imperfection. I vowed not to edit anything out and we both named a shared desire to plant seeds in mothers to raise awareness for themselves and their children.

We explored how we can open channels of communication with our children, holding a “growth mindset” for them in relation to diversity, allowing them to make mistakes as they share what’s on their minds and not “shushing” them when they do. Nicole also shared the importance of expressing our values to our children in ways that they understand.

When I asked her where we could invest in change, she challenged us to focus on our own communities and to identify some hard conversations we’ve been putting off. She emphasized the importance of introspective work to realize what’s in our way, determine what we need to be “ready” and then go get ready and have them.

I committed to doing this work and to having Nicole join us to continue the conversation and give me an opportunity to check in on my progress in the private Mother’s Quest Facebook Group on Wednesday, September 13th at 11:30 am PST.

As it has been for me, I hope this podcast episode, and the links and resources in the show notes, will be part of what you need to get ready to have the brave conversations with your own children and your own communities. As Nicole says at the end of our conversation, “we’ve got this.” We are not being asked to do anything that is not within our grasp. It’s not easy but we can get it done.

This Week’s Challenge:

Our challenge this week is to go back and process our own patterns and thinking about race, diversity and inclusion, to identify what courageous conversations we’ve been putting off, to get what we need to be ready, and then go have them.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How having an open heart and articulating intentions create meaningful opportunity for brave conversations about our differences

• Nicole’s reflection on why many black women may not want to talk with white women about racism and how to seek out spaces, and resources, to explore these issues if you’re white and have genuine intention to learn

• Nicole’s childhood and how she was driven at an early age to fight for social good

• An exploration of the E.P.I.C Guideposts in relation to the topic of diversity and inclusion

• The role mothers have in planting awareness and knowledge in their children that will help transform our society

• The importance of cultivating real friendships across differences and how color blindness and an unwillingness to have tough conversations can block authentic connection

• The importance of having a growth mindset in the context of race and not to “shush” our children when they share what’s really on their minds

• Expressing our values in a way our children will understand

• Ideas for investing and supporting the Movement for Black Lives and Nicole’s opinion that getting involved locally in advocacy on police relations, and having the hard conversations, in our own communities, are the most important steps we can take.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Women Podcasters in Solidarity

• Mother on a Quest: Nicole Lee

• Growth Mindset in Diversity

• Mother’s Quest Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten

• Explaining Charlottesville to my 7-year-old by Nicole Lee

• How to Deal with the Police/Parents Explain

• Lee Bayard Group, LLC – Nicole’s diversity and inclusion consulting firm

• Black Movement Law Project – Legal and strategy assistance to Black Lives Matter protestors and organizations where Nicole is a co-founder

• Nicole’s Upcoming Class on Courageous Conversations With Children

• The Movement for Black Lives

Announcements

Women Podcasters in Solidarity
After the events that took place in Charlottesville, I’m even more committed to a quest I’ve been on to understand the roots of racism and bigotry, how it still shows up today, and how I can become a better ally and advocate to fight against it.

I’m raising awareness for myself, and inviting you to do the same, through this special podcast episode. I’m also pledging to donate to an organization supporting the Movement for Black Lives and to invite you to donate too leading up to Giving Tuesday in November. More on this to come soon.

If you are a women podcaster yourself, I’d love for you to make a similar pledge to use the power of your platform for this cause. You can learn more and join the initiative by signing up at mothersquest.com/solidarity.

Mother’s Quest Circle Pilot
You’re a mindful mother. And being present for your children in these years when you’re raising them is your highest priority. You’re also committed to making a positive impact in the world, something that feels even more important with all the challenges we currently face.

If the description above sounds like you, the Mother’s Quest Circle Pilot, launching this fall may be right for you.  This signature offering provides inspiration, coaching and community to spark your E.P.I.C. life with intimate in-person reflective sessions over 3-4 months.

Click www.mothersquest.com/mothers-quest-circle to learn and apply by September 10th. Questions? Email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Visit the Website
If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Sign up! – Free 30 minute Discovery Session
I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action.

I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call by clicking this link if you’re interested in learning more.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Mallory Schlabach – Marketing Magic for Entrepreneurs
• Katharine Earhart of Alesco Advisors
• Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts
• Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner
• Genese Harris
• Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party
• Liane Louie-Badua
• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast
• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go
• Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
• Erik Newton of The Together Show
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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 this episode #26 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast, “Surrender and Embracing Difference” with TiLT Parenting for Differently-Wired Kids founder Debbie Reber. This conversation about seeing diversity as an asset, valuing and embracing difference, couldn’t come at a better time.

Debbie Reber is the founder of TiLT, an online destination aimed at helping parents raising differently-wired kids do so from a place of confidence, connection, and peace. She’s also host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, a life coach, speaker and a New York Times bestselling author of books aimed at raising self-esteem for young girls. Before becoming a writer, Debbie worked in children’s television, for a relief and development organization and at UNICEF.

Despite this long list of accomplishments, perhaps the greatest thing Debbie has done is become parent, advocate, homeschooler and champion for her own son Asher who is 13, has Aspergers, ADHD and is profoundly gifted.

After years of struggle with Asher, Debbie and her husband took a leap of faith in 2013, moving from the U.S. to Amsterdam where she stepped into her own hero’s journey to acceptance, surrender, and presence. In the process, she and Asher have come to an exceptional place, and share their lessons learned, wisdom and real life experiences to make sure other parents of differently-wired kids don’t have to journey alone.

Debbie and I had an amazing conversation, about faith, personal transformation through parenting and how to live an E.P.I.C. life of alignment. Debbie invites us to question hidden beliefs about neurodiversity, explore the judgements we make about children who are “differently-wired” and invite us to become more compassionate as a result. She’s also invited us to take her TILT 7 day challenge to support ourselves to gently shift our awareness.

This conversation was a year in the making and it was really powerful for me. I was reminded about the gifts our children bring us, even when they don’t come in the ways that we expected and it renewed my commitment to show up fully for my own children, embracing their differences and surrendering to the knowledge that life is a journey and not a destination.

Special Message for All of Us

I want to note that I bring this episode to you at a unique moment. At the time of this recording, the nation has endured tragedy and division in the wake of events at Charlottesville, fueled by hatred and fear about our differences. Days later, the universe provided us with awareness that we are bound together by something bigger than ourselves as people everywhere took in the total solar eclipse with awe.

The definition of eclipse means to darken and block out the light. We eclipse the light and love, and our common humanity, when we fail to recognize, understand, and celebrate our differences, whether that difference comes from the way our brains think in the case of differently-wired kids, the color of our skin, or the religion we follow. But, as Debbie so eloquently describes in our conversation, when we can see diversity as an asset and embrace difference, everything changes.

When I noticed that Miki DeVivo, another mom raising differently-wired kids, was launching her beautiful book of poetry this week, “The Naming of Real Things,” I asked if she would choose a piece for me to share as a lead into what felt like a sacred conversation with Debbie, as a prayer and invitation for all of us, during this challenging time, to move from darkness into more light, love and compassion for one another. Here it is...

From Miki DeVivo’s  new book of poetry, the Naming of Real Things

(shared with permission)

Love More

Love more fully.
Let your love fill in all the cracks
Like Japanese gold.
Raise your heart
To your lips and drink till you are full.

Love more widely.
Let your love widen beyond all the borders
Inflicted by man.
Raise your arms
To the sky in blessings spread wide.

Love more deeply.
Let your love deepen beneath the surface
Of skin and kin and the way we each choose to worship.
Raise your eyes
To see the raw humanity standing before you, pain and wisdom so deep.

Love more fiercely.
Let your love rage like fire and do not be silent.
Raise your voice
To power again and again, unflinching and fierce.

Love more wildly.
Let your love wild like flowers blanketing a meadow in the spring.
Raise your feet
To dance among the blossoms, growing wild.

Love more warmly.
Let your love warm the icicles of contempt that pierce your heart.
Raise your glass
To the fountain of hope until your cup runneth over, sweet and warm.

Love more freely.
Let your love free from the small box you were told would keep it safe.
Raise your hands
To pick the locks and set yourself free.

This Week’s Challenge:

Question and explore your beliefs about neurodiversity. Raise your awareness and step into more compassion with Debbie’s 7 Day Challenge.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Debbie and I have connected as mothers of differently-wired boys, since Jonathan Fields and Harmony Eichsteadt, of The Good Life Project, made an introduction between us a year ago.

• How Debbie wrestled with an Evangelical Christian faith upbringing, the questions she explored about her own spirituality, and how she came to believe there is something greater that connects us all.

• The right turn Debbie’s career took from empowering young girls to championing her own “differently-wired” son and then building a community to support parents to champion their own.

• The unexpected gifts that raising Asher has brought to Debbie and her life and the key that helped her shift into acceptance.

• How Debbie followed her intuition and changed everything for the better, to make a big leap of faith, move to Amsterdam, and begin homeschooling Asher.

• Nature is Debbie’s church and how lacing up their shoes for long walks outside provides Debbie and Asher opportunity for deep connection.

• Debbie’s new book, coming out in spring 2018, to help parents of differently-wired kids realize they are not alone.

• How Debbie’s “self-interest” helps her prioritize creating space and time for herself.

• The quote from Shakepeare Debbie’s son Asher shared, on his podcast episode, as he reflected on the importance of risk and leaps of faith required in order to grow.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Miki DeVivo’s book “The Naming of Real Things”

• The Good Life Project

• Episode 53 of The TILT Parenting Podcast: Debbie and Asher’s TiLT Parenting One-Year Anniversary Special where Asher talks about his sleep-away camp experience

• Episode 18 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflections with my son Ryan Neale which Debbie and Asher listened to together

• TILT Parenting and the TILT Parenting Manifesto

• Debbie’s Differently Wired 7-Day Challenge

• TiLT Community Facebook Page

• Quote Asher used after his reflection on his sleep-away camp experience “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” -William Shakespeare

Announcements

Women Podcasters in Solidarity
In this week after the events that took place in Charlottesville, I’m even more committed to a quest I’ve been on to understand the roots of racism and bigotry, how it still shows up today, and how I can become a better ally and advocate to fight against it.

I’m raising awareness for myself, and inviting you to do the same, through a special podcast episode coming out in September.

If you want to listen to that episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and sign up for email updates at mothersquest.com. And if you are a women podcaster yourself, I’d love for you to make the pledge to use the power of your platform for this cause. You can learn more and join the initiative by signing up at mothersquest.com/solidarity.

Q and A with Debbie Reber
Join us on September 1st, Friday at 10:30 AM PST for a Q and A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group with Debbie to continue our conversation and check in on the challenge. Click this link to join the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group and get invited to the event.

Visit the Website
If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Sign up! – Free 30 minute Discovery Session
I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action.

I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call by clicking this link if you’re interested in learning more.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Katharine Earhart of Alesco Advisors
• Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts
• Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner
• Genese Harris
• Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party
• Liane Louie-Badua
• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast
• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go
• Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
• Erik Newton of The Together Show
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

I’m excited to bring this Episode #25 of the Mother’s Quest podcast to you with a podcasting leader, mentor and community builder extraordinaire- the insightful and passionate, Elsie Escobar.

A podcaster herself since 2006, at the time of this recording, Elsie is getting ready to be inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame at the upcoming Podcast Movement conference. Among many accomplishments, she’s being recognized for her two impactful shows about podcasting The Feed – The Official Libsyn Podcast and She Podcasts, the podcast for women about podcasting and new media from the woman’s point of view.

Elsie has a lot to say about podcasting… she’s a self-proclaimed die hard podcast junkie, who especially loves to help women like myself find clarity and power in our voice and shift the narrative to focus on the things that matter most, not the numbers or downloads, but the transformative power of podcasting and expanding our podcasting audience.

Elsie and her She Podcasts partner Jessica Kupferman have developed together an incredible Facebook group with thousands of members, many of us mothers, on a quest to bring our mission forward through podcasting while showing up fully for our children in the magic and also the mess of motherhood.

Pursuing podcasting and motherhood is Elsie’s She Podcasts partner Jessica, who dedicated this week’s episode to Elsie herself and spoke about Elsie’s tremendous empathy. This empathic quality of Elsie’s comes through in our conversation in the way she talks about “creating space” for her children, for her passion, for dialogue that elevates and for understanding the needs and behaviors of podcast listeners.

In this episode, we cover a lot of territory, from Elsie’s roots in El Salvador and how she saw her mother reinvent herself after they emigrated to the US to the power and potential of podcasting to reach the ears of those who are underrepresented and need it most.

It was such an honor to have this time with Elsie, to experience her fire and passion first-hand and hear her call to amplify women’s voices, change the conversation to the things that really matter, and  bring the transformative power of podcasting into our communities.

Elsie gave me a personal challenge to step outside of my digital comfort zone and go to my local library to find mothers where they are and bring Mother’s Quest to them. I’m inspired to expand and stretch my voice, my impact and who I reach and welcome into my community. I hope this conversation will inspire you to do the same.

This Week’s Challenge:

Elsie gave me a personal challenge to step outside of my digital comfort zone and go to my local library, mother’s groups, or homeschooling co-ops and talk to someone in person about the Mother’s Quest Podcast.

She also shares another challenge to everyone to affirm, and share something that you love. Do it until sharing what you love expands, gets to the language that matches up with us, and enables you to eloquently share things that drive you. Again, do this challenge in person, and not online.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Consciously cultivating our podcast messages and giving podcast listeners “words they can repeat” and integrate into their own lives.
• Elsies’ upbringing in El Salvador, move to the United States when she was 9, and seeing her mother step up and reinvent herself after emigrating to the United States.
• “Creating space” for conversations with her children, especially when emotions are charged, and how her own partner spoke honestly with Elsie during difficult days after her children were born.
• Using podcasting as a venue to create a more feminine impact, looking beyond more traditional masculine metrics.
• How having the right business coaches has helped Elsie be everything she can be.
• The importance for Elsie of being true to herself and how that enables her to attract people who support her and forms her community.
• How socio-economics and cognitive behaviors affect the growth of podcasting
• The importance of expanding podcasting to those who are underrepresented: seniors, those who don’t have access to healthcare, the ones that feel alone, people battling addiction, people who need to hear a voice that is like theirs
• A challenge to move beyond our digital comfort zones and reach into communities to expand our podcast audiences

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• DeRay Mckesson involved in Black Lives Matter
• She Podcasts
• The Feed: The Official Libsyn Podcast
• Joyful Courage Podcast Episode on Brain-informed Parenting
• The E-League, Elsie’s Podcast Coaching Program
• Podcast Movement 2017
• Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame 2017
• Thinx Panties
• Ep 24: Intersectionality and the Age of the New Heroine with Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin

Announcements

Q & A on the Transformative Power of Podcasting with Erica Gordon – Let’s continue this conversation inspired by Elsie’s episode with a Q & A in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group with side business success strategist Erica Gordon of the Moms With Dreams Podcast, the week of August 13th, exact day and time TBA. Click link to join the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group and get invited to the event.

Visit the Website – If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over towww.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Sign up! – Free 30 minute Discovery Session

I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action.

I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call by clicking this link if you’re interested in learning more.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts
• Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner
• Genese Harris
• Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party
• Liane Louie-Badua
• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast
• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go
• Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
• Erik Newton of The Together Show
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

—

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

Hello and welcome to this Episode #24 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. I’m so honored to bring you this important and powerful conversation today with Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin, who through her daily Resistance Lives on Facebook, guides thousands of us with a voice of reason and optimism during the twists and turns of today’s political landscape. 

Known as a “celebrated career coach” and “fearless entrepreneur” Elizabeth, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a J.D. from George Washington University Law School, transitioned from a fifteen year career as a Wall Street securities litigator and trial lawyer to found The Gaia Project for Women’s Leadership. The organization offers virtual and live programming that cultivates leaders from the ground up to to grow what they call “New Paradigm Women’s Leadership.”

Elizabeth is also a mindful mother. No matter how full her life gets leading women around the globe or fighting for our democracy, she prioritizes bringing presence and focus to her two children, both under the age of 5.

In this episode, we talk about how Elizabeth grew up in a very progressive community and had a strong intuition she would make a massive difference in the world. She attended her first protest when she was just 15 years old and now she’s leading a new awakening in activism - one that challenges her over 20,000 followers, of which I am one, to take daily political action, to truly listen to one another and to others with differing perspectives, and move forward as intersectional feminists, shoulder to shoulder. 

We also talk about the new heroine's journey where the heroine brings back the lessons learned along the way, her words of wisdom for me as I set out to raise awareness and create space for uncomfortable but important conversations about race, how we can “bear witness” for those who have different experiences than our own, and Elizabeth’s challenge to all of us to use our voice for change. 

We packed so much depth and wisdom in this conversation, including the first ever lightning round exploration of the E.P.I.C. Guideposts.

I look forward to hearing about the ways in which this episode will inspire you and invite you to join the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group to share with us and participate in a special Q & A on Thursday, August 3rd at 11:30 am PST with activist, leadership specialist, and former NAACP Vice President Chandra Brooks. 

I left this conversation feeling more inspired than ever myself to step up and into the role of the New Heroine during these times. Moved by my experience with Elizabeth, I commit to daily political action, to stretch myself to have brave conversations and use my voice for change, to truly listen to others, and to consciously cultivate this Mother’s Quest community I’m growing. 

This Week’s Challenge:

Elizabeth asks us to think of ways we can stretch ourselves, outside of our comfort zone, to use our voice for good. And believe that we can change the world by making a difference even in one person's life. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Elizabeth’s unique upbringing in progressive New Hope, Pennsylvania where 50% of the population was gay and there was a strong counter-culture. 
• The necessity of letting go of our anger, being willing to listen, and leading from a place of healing to hold a vision for and create the holistic society we seek.
• The feminine energy and ongoing cyclical nature of the New Heroine’s Journey.
• The massive acceleration of purpose and mission brought about by our current political situation.
• Intersectionality within the Resistance and how women with privilege need to investigate our own internal biases so we can create a culture where everyone is safe regardless of our race, gender, sexual orientation or immigration status.
• Feedback for me on an initiative I’m exploring to raise awareness and funds for Black Lives Matter; the importance of listening and “bearing witness” for communities who have different experiences than ours.
• The profound moment of reconciliation at the Gaia Lead Conference that had everyone in tears.
• The importance of consciously cultivating the businesses, work-places and communities that represent all of us and how even the smallest gestures of reaching out can really make a difference.
• A lightning round version of how the E.P.I.C. guideposts are showing up in Elizabeth’s life and the lessons she’s learning along her heroic journey. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Gaia Women Lead Website
• RISE (Resist, Inspire, Speak, Empower): An Activist/Leader Bootcamp starting Oct. 15th to help us use our voice for change 
• #ResistanceLive
• Elizabeth's Speaking Tour Information & Tickets
• The Heroine's Journey
• Council on American-Islamic Relations
• The video I sent to Elizabeth before our podcast interview - Black parents explain to their kids how to deal with police
• The post that explains what happened when I committed to starting Mother’s Quest Two Trapped Birds: Opening the Door for Mother’s Quest
• Episode with Jenjii Hysten where we talk about her emotional Facebook live which first called me to "bear witness" regarding Black Lives Matter  Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten
• Episode with Women’s March Organizer Paola Mendoza Ep 16: Rising Up with Paola Mendoza 
• Episode with Kathleen Shannon where we discuss blocking our time Ep 20: On Being Mom and Being Boss with Kathleen Shannon 
• Sally Yates, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Siskind - women who are new heroines in their own ways

Announcements

Q & A on Activism and Intersectionality - Let’s continue this conversation inspired by Elizabeth’s episode with a Q & A in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group with activist, former NAACP Vice President and leadership specialist Chandra Brooks , Thursday, August 3rd at 11:30 am PST. Click link to join the group. 

Visit the Website - If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Sign up! - Free 30 minute Discovery Session

I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action.

I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call by clicking this link if you’re interested in learning more.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner (you can find her work here, proceeds of which are all donated to specific causes), who provided this week’s dedication to her mother Ginger Jenkins
• Genese Harris
• Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party
• Liane Louie-Badua
• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast
• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go
• Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
• Erik Newton of The Together Show
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

---

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

I’m excited to bring you this Episode #23 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. I’m just back from an amazing week at one of my most favorite places, UCLA’s Bruin Woods Family Camp in Lake Arrowhead, where I felt like I had an amazing reset…a chance to unplug and notice some patterns from a fresh perspective.

It’s so perfect then, that I came back to put the finishing touches on this episode with author of the Miracle Morning for Parents and Families, Lindsay McCarthy. I’ve been wanting to have Lindsay on the podcast for a while now; I knew I had a lot to learn from her about how to change my relationship with mornings, but I didn’t realize our conversation would inspire a collaborative 30 day Mother’s Quest Miracle Morning Challenge that will start Monday, July 17th.

Lindsay is a wife and homeschool mom of two kids. She is the co-author of The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families, has a facebook community of the same name, and is creator of GratefulParent.com where she blogs.

Lindsay and I have a lot in common in that neither of us could have imagined we would step into owning and sharing our voice and our story with others until fairly recently, she through her book and me through the podcast.

We go deep in this conversation about the epic journey that brought Lindsay from attending a conference where she met Miracle Morning author Hal Alred to essentially writing a manual for bringing the Miracle Morning practice to parents and families.

We talk about our mutual love of frameworks and acronyms and how she and her husband adapted the Miracle Morning’s SAVERS to create their own acronym, CHARMS, which brings Creativity, Health, Affirmations, Reading, Meditation, and Service to her children every morning.

I love how Lindsay brings intentionality and mindfulness to her parenting and how she’s living her own version of an E.P.I.C. life, one rooted in being an amazing mom and co-creating incredible learning experiences for her children. She helped me change my perception of what homeschooling can look like and realize that we are all like a homeschooling mom when we seek opportunities for our children to pursue their curiosity and passions.

I’m also impressed by how committed Lindsay is to this Miracle Morning practice which has dramatically changed her family’s life and the lives of so many others through her book and group.

I’m thrilled I finally got a chance to talk with Lindsay and that together we will create this collaborative challenge. I have a strong feeling that this Miracle Morning practice will make a huge difference for me and I know I need some support and accountability to make it happen. I can’t imagine a better guide than Lindsay and I hope you’ll choose to come along with us.

This Week’s Challenge:

Join us for the 30-Day Mother’s Quest Miracle Morning Challenge. Sign up to follow us with daily prompts and reflections in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Lindsay’s mother modeled creating opportunities for her children by setting up a field hockey team for her and other girls in their community.

• How attending Hal Elrod’s One Life Fully Lived conference in 2014 provided an opportunity for Lindsay to create what became like an operating manual for her family

• The importance of having a morning practice.

• How the C.H.A.R.M.S. (Creativity, Health, Affirmations, Reading, Meditation, Service) framework works in their family and how it can be adapted for other families.

• Tips on “Habit Stacking” and adding mindfulness and purpose to everyday activities.

• Working with a spiritual coach to support self discovery.

• Slowing down to have the space to create what you truly want.

• How Lindsay came to homeschooling her children, how she accesses other resources outside of her home as part of that, and how we are all homeschoolers in some way with our children

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families: How to Bring Out the Best in Your KIDS and Your SELF by Hal Elrod, Mike & Lindsay McCarthy

• The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod

• One Life Fully Lived Conference

• Gobundance, the company and mastermind of Mike, Lindsay’s husband

• Spirit Coach Training with Jenai Lane, Lindsay’s spiritual coach

• Make Me App

• Grateful Parent, Lindsay’s blog

• The Miracle Morning for PARENTS & FAMILIES Facebook Community

• The Miracle Morning Community

• 30-Day Mother’s Quest Miracle Morning Challenge at the Facebook Group

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Sign up! – Free 30 minute Discovery Session

I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and I’ve been having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action. I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call at mothersquest.com if you’re interested in learning more.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party, who provided this week’s dedication

• Liane Louie-Badua

• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast

• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go

• Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions

• Erik Newton of The Together Show

• Claire Fry

• Divya Silbermann

• Rachel Winter

• Caren and Debbie Lieberman

• Cameron Miranda

• Fran and David Lieberman

• Debbie and Alan Goore

• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

I’m excited to share this episode #22 with Kalika Yap, a serial entrepreneur, inventor, intentional mother, and business leader. She’s received tremendous recognition for her accomplishments, including being honored by the Anti-Defamation League, serving as a panelist with Magic Johnson on an Urban Economic Forum hosted by the Obama White House, and currently leading as the President of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Los Angeles Chapter.

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, 10 and 8 years old.

She's currently starting a company with her daughters, prompted by a school project, called Conscious Kids, a mindfulness resource for children. Believing that children have eyes all around and a unique perspective, she engages her daughters in defining the core values of their business and encourages them to explore their creativity.

Her current mission, through her branded commerce start-up, Orange and Bergamot, is to help 1 million businesses succeed and in turn create 1 million jobs by developing amazing brands. She shares about what helps her achieve ambitious goals like these while being present for her family: reaching out to others, being part of a tribe, being willing to ask for help, and developing “Keystone Habits,” like meditation.

Ultimately, she believes that the destination is the journey, and that the purpose of her life is to find joy and happiness while serving others.

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.

This Week’s "Opportunity for Growth":
Embrace meditation as a “Keystone Habit” and see how it can change your life

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Kalika's Relationship with her Mom grew stronger as she had kids of her own
• The Core Values in Kalika’s home and her businesses
• Conscious Kids, a company she is starting with her children, that gives them an opportunity to explore their core values and creativity
• Her bold mission to help 1 million businesses succeed
• The problem of women feeling guilty for wanting to positively make an impact and not being willing to promote themselves
• “Keystone Habits” that lead to other essential habits
• Kalika’s love of reading and learning and the books she thinks will most help us live our E.P.I.C. lives
• Look at life as a whole map or journey, and don’t judge it by days

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Consciouskidsco.com
• Entrepreneurs' Organization
• Citrus Studios
• Dr. Marshall Goldsmith
• Simon Sinek TED Talk on the Golden Circle
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz
• Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards
• Mavens Media Group
• Podcast Movement 
• She Podcasts Facebook Group
• Transcendental Meditation
• Oprah & Deepak’s Meditation Series
• Calm: Meditation App
• Vedic Meditation
• Unplug Meditation
• Meditation Short Courses at UCLA

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a complimentary discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets.

Guided Meditation and Q & A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group
Look out for our upcoming Facebook Live guest, Kari Azuma of the Conscious Mother's Coalition, who will lead a Guided Meditation and Q & A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group on the evening of Thursday, July 6th. This would be a great opportunity for practicing meditation as a keystone habit. Make sure to sign up to join the Facebook Group, if you're not yet a member, to get reminders and access.

Clarity Coaching (1.5 hr): E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session 

I’m particularly excited to invite you to participate in a signature clarity coaching offering called an E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session. If you’ve loved the interviews on the podcast and imagined what your own responses might be to my questions, this offering will give you that opportunity to go deep about the way in which the E.P.I.C. guideposts are showing up in your life, explore what you want more or less of in your life, and commit to key action steps.

We’ll record our conversation for you to listen to again and I’ll follow up by email to provide some accountability so you know you have a coach in your corner paying attention and cheering you on. Visit the work with me page at mothersquest.com to learn more and sign up.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Liane Louie-Badua, who provided this week’s dedication
• 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
• Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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 this very special Father's Day edition of the Mother’s Quest Podcast!

In honor of Father’s Day, I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with a friend, former colleague, mindful father to two children, and a champion for underserved youth in Los Angeles --someone who I admire deeply-- Tony Brown.  

Tony Brown is the Executive Director of Heart of Los Angeles, also known as HOLA, where he has touched the lives of thousands of children, helping to break the cycle of poverty, and replacing it with opportunity.

We met when we were both just out of college, working together at HOLA, where we instantly became friends and felt we were part of a family. In a nurturing environment that really does feel like family, HOLA provides underserved youth near downtown LA with exceptional programs in academics, arts, and athletics, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education, and strengthen their communities.

Tony has served as the executive director at HOLA since 2007 and has spearheaded incredible growth in the number of youth served, new buildings to house the programs, and relationships with world-class partners.

HOLA collaborates with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to furnish instruments and music instruction, with performances at major venues across California and abroad. Leading museums link HOLA with professional artists and exhibit student works, Bard College graduate students provide academic and music support, and the Los Angeles Lakers partner in sports programs.

For this work, Tony has received tremendous recognition, including a $200,000 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Innovation Award, accolades from the Center for Non-Profit Management and in 2014, he was featured as a TEDx Speaker.

In this episode, Tony shares how growing up in the 70’s, in a community without other black families, shaped his character and helped him develop tremendous patience and understanding.

He tells us how his mother challenged him, pushed him to become independent at an early age, and to become his best. And how he feels he’s on a quest himself to make the world a better place than how he found it, not only through his work at HOLA, but through expanding the understanding and world-view of his two young children.

We also talk about how difficult it is to sustain oneself amid the emotional and challenging work as an Executive Director and youth developer. And, how he learned the importance of literally “jumping back in the pool” to start playing water polo again, to relieve stress and reconnect with an essential part of himself he had begun to lose.

It was so wonderful to get a Dad’s perspective on the podcast and to see how the same E.P.I.C. guideposts resonate for fathers as well.  

I left our conversation inspired by how Tony brings a sense of patience, that he’s cultivated his whole life, to give young people at HOLA opportunities, the importance of “jumping back in the pool” to return to our true selves and the things that make us who we are, holding a big vision, and how we can do more together when we work in partnership.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Growing up in the 70’s as the only black family in a white neighborhood

• Teaching his children philanthropy, being mindful of the environment, and to always think about how to make the world a better place not just for themselves but especially for others

• How HOLA gives youth opportunities to find their best selves and find their passion and some E.P.I.C. snapshot moments with young people that have come full circle

• Acknowledging that the work will always be there and the importance of giving yourself the time and outlets to turn it all off

• Recognizing that as parents we should not be “orbiting” around our children, but guiding them and giving them responsibility and independence while they follow our lead.

• How we can do so much more when we work toward our big visions together.

• The power of partnerships and Tony’s challenge to us to reach into the community to create enriching after school opportunities for children who would otherwise not have access.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Heart of Los Angeles - HOLA provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities.

• Tony’s TEDx Talk: Putting Back What We Stripped Out

• Budget Philanthropist - The blog of 12 and 13 year old brothers Andrew and Jack Greff where they show that all that’s required is a love of humankind and a desire to improve the welfare of others to be a philanthropist.

• Mother’s Quest Podcast Episode #08 - Empathy, Acts of Kindness and Climbing Mountains with Erika Greff

• PACE Place - support for individuals and families as they reach their developmental potential.

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a complimentary discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets

Clarity Coaching (1.5 hr): E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session 

I’m particularly excited to invite you to participate in a signature clarity coaching offering called an E.P.I.C. Life Reflection and Strategy Session. If you’ve loved the interviews on the podcast and imagined what your own responses might be to my questions, this offering will give you that opportunity to go deep about the way in which the E.P.I.C. guideposts are showing up in your life, explore what you want more or less of in your life, and commit to key action steps.

We’ll record our conversation for you to listen to again and I’ll follow up by email to provide some accountability so you know you have a coach in your corner paying attention and cheering you on. Visit the work with me page at mothersquest.com to learn more and sign up.

Acknowledgements

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:

• Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast, who provided this week’s dedication

• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go

• Niko Osoteo

• Erik Newton

• Claire Fry

• Divya Silbermann

• Rachel Winter

• Caren and Debbie Lieberman

• Cameron Miranda

• Fran and David Lieberman

• Debbie and Alan Goore

• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

Hello and welcome to this episode #20 and the first in Season Two of the Mother’s Quest Podcast! 

This week’s guest, Kathleen Shannon, embodies the qualities of an independent, hard-working feminist. She also has this incredible generosity and openness and has impacted so many women, including myself, by sharing her experiences as a mother and an entrepreneur. 
 
Kathleen is the co-founder of Braid Creative & Consulting and the co-host of one of my favorites, the Being Boss podcast for creative entrepreneurs. Through her work at Braid Creative and Being Boss she has helped thousands of creative entrepreneurs from all over the world authentically brand and position themselves as creative experts, cultivate confidence in their business, and blend more of who they are into the work they do.

When she's not podcasting, writing a book, or shaping her next newsletter she's hanging with her husband Jeremy and their toddler Fox. 
 
In this episode, Kathleen reflects on the impact her mother’s total adoration and acceptance had on her, giving her the freedom to be herself along with the secure foundation to be creative and explore.
 
We talk about the challenges of motherhood, the profound experience of her home birth, the sleep deprivation she experienced in her first year, and the tough decisions she’s had to make to build her businesses and be fully present for her son
 
She also shares how she’s learned to ask for help. Her fiercely independent attitude made it difficult for her to get support from her network. But learning to lean on her support network allows her to make a passionate & purposeful impact beyond her son and in turn allowed her son to learn to love other people and experience opportunities that she alone can’t provide him.
 
Kathleen also shares how she invests in herself by prioritizing her health, creating white space, and owning her schedule. And, she gives us two challenges, the first to reach out to someone to care for our child and the second to spend some time with our calendars, designing our ideal week and noticing the gap between the ideal and the real. 

I loved connecting personally with Kathleen and left the conversation enriched by the spectrum between surrender and control, security and freedom and a sense of excitement for re-designing my time to allow for the full range of both. 
 
Topics discussed in this episode:

• Kathleen’s unusual and early first memory
• How freedom within the context of security allowed Kathleen’s creativity to thrive
• Kathleen's experience giving birth to Fox, which she says felt like seeing God, made her more connected to herself, and is the coolest thing she's ever done
• The impact of sleep deprivation and the importance of asking for help
• We don't have to be present for our kids 24/7 but we should be fully present in the moments that have the most meaning
• A recent example where Kathleen realized she’s really making the difference she wants to make
• Creating balance, white space, community, and the impact of one on one conversations
• The conflict of creating comfort and stability for Kathleen’s child while being creative and adventurous
• How putting relationships first and business second is what makes partnerships thrive
• Connecting the dots between being a mother and being a boss

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Being Boss Podcast
• Braid Creative
• Being Boss ClubHouse
• Being Boss and Being Mom Podcast Episode #8
• The Hero's Journey
• Attachment Parenting
• A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Mom - Is domestic life the enemy of creative work?
• Acuity Scheduling
• Google Calendar
• Mother’s Quest Episode #12: Breaking Bread and Building Bridges with Saadia Ahmed
• Kathleen's Crafting Your Ideal Day Worksheet
• FREE E.P.I.C. Planning, Reflection and Craft Your Ideal Week Printable

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and new weekly round-ups of "gems" I'm finding on my quest), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets 

Acknowledgements

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:

• Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go, who provided this week's dedication
• Niko Osoteo
• Erik Newton
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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/

I’m excited to share this special Mother’s Day episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast!

I originally envisioned this episode as a season one finale, with highlights from every episode of season one, but it ended up taking shape differently (even better in my opinion!) and became what will be an ongoing series that we’re calling “E.P.I.C. Guideposts.”

Living an E.P.I.C. life has become a guiding framework for Mother’s Quest. So often as mothers, we invest so much of ourselves in our children and their dreams, that we let our own fade to the background. 

My mission with Mother’s Quest is to become the hero of my journey and the author of my story while providing inspiration, coaching and community to help you do the same. 

EPIC captures this idea of creating a life filled with the things that matter most. It’s also an acronym mnemonic for the guideposts that I believe help us live such a life while we’re raising our children. 

So, for this episode, we decided to highlight moments from season one, selected from some of our listeners, that connect to each of the four guideposts. You’ll hear what was special about the moment from the voice of one of our listeners and then hear the piece itself. 

E.P.I.C. Guideposts in this Mother’s Day Episode 

ENGAGED - You are mindfully engaged with your children and family
Sunit Suchdev shares her reflection on my special episode with my son, Ep 18: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflections with Ryan Neale. In this episode, Ryan reflects back that in being “a little selfish” in creating Mother’s Quest I’ve given him so much more than if I only focused on my children.

PASSIONATE - You are passionate & purposeful, making a difference beyond your family
Wendy Reina called in on the powerful impact that Ep 16: Rising Up with Paola Mendoza had on her. In this clip, Paola shares how her passion as a filmmaker and activist led to her role in creating the Women’s March and how she teaches her son the responsibility of using your privilege to help others. 

INVESTED - You are invested in yourself
Lena Ayala-Velasquez shares her reflection on Ep 14: Breaking the Mold and Finding your Worth with Amanda Steinberg on the importance of taking risks and how the “cost” of taking a risk may actually be lower than the cost of not investing in ourselves. 

CONNECTED - You are connected to a strong support network so you are in community on the journey
Saadia Ahmed, one of our previous guests, highlighted her connection to Ep 07: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten which highlights the importance of forging connections with one another based on our common humanity. I also share how this episode set in motion a series of events which were transformative for my whole family and led to an incredible E.P.I.C. life snapshot for Jenjii’s family and my own.

If you’re new to the podcast, this episode will be a great introduction to Mother’s Quest and will hopefully spark you to go and listen to the 18 episodes that are waiting for you. 

And if you followed along the whole time, this episode should be a helpful reminder of some of the amazing moments and lessons.

I'd love for you to visit the website at www.mothersquest.com to explore new coaching offerings, blog posts and more. Read below for announcements about all the ways you can get and stay connected!

Looking forward to a fantastic Season Two with you beginning on June 1st. Happy Mother’s Day!

xoxo,

P.S. Please help us spread the word and reach more mothers with these conversations by pressing send on this email and/or sharing our posts on social media

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and new weekly round-ups of "gems" I'm finding on my quest), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

You can also explore the new coaching offerings, sign up for a discovery session, and download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets 

Acknowledgements

Heart-felt appreciation for the women who shared their reflections on the E.P.I.C. Guidepost episodes - Sunit Suchdev, Wendy Reina,  Lena Ayala-Velasquez, and Saadia Ahmed.

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:

• Niko & Rigette Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
• Erik Newton
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/

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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 so honored and excited to bring you this Episode #18 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast with a very special guest, my own son Ryan Neale.

One of the great lessons I’ve learned is the importance of marking milestones and honoring endings so that you can thoughtfully open a new chapter.

As Ryan approaches his bar mitzvah in April, becoming a “Jewish adult” and entering his teens, we decided we would spend his thirteenth birthday together, going on a “milestone hike” ‘and then recording an episode of the podcast at a recording studio in San Francisco.

It was a magical day of reflection, revelations for both of us, and a lot of laughter. I’m honored to bring highlights of all of that to you through this episode.

You’ll hear Ryan share eloquently and honestly about his appreciation for the support that helped him conquer his developmental delays, how his own fears manifest in his life today, and how, in his next chapter, he wants to trust more and move through his fear. Because, he says, he wants to live with a YOLO (You Only Live Once) mindset.

Ryan reflects on snapshot moments from his life, about his deep love for his younger brother, his experience finding a group of friends and a school program where he could thrive, receiving the academic achievement award, and the moments he hopes he’ll be able to look back on with pride at the next milestone.

Ryan also gets a turn to ask me his own questions and give me feedback. I had an opportunity to share the biggest lesson my mother gave me, to always appreciate every stage of life you’re in when you’re in it, and acknowledge what I wish I could change about myself.  

I also heard Ryan reflect back that in being “a little selfish” in creating Mother’s Quest I’ve given him so much more than if I only focused on my children.

There’s a game we play with Erik Newton (whose studio we recorded in) as our game show host, a lot of laughter and some comical out-takes that you’ll want to stick around for at the very end.

I felt so blessed to create this experience with Ryan and to share it with you. I take with me the importance of marking these rites of passage thoughtfully with our children, what a privilege it is to be witness to the development of another human being as a mother, a reminder of how powerfully our children see and know us and help us grow, and what fun it can be to create new experiences together.

Ryan and I will never forget how we spent his thirteenth birthday together. We hope you’ll leave this episode inspired to mark a milestone in your life, with your children, and make some life-long memories of your own.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Our meaningful and magical milestone hike through Laurelwood Park

• How you cannot see yourself fully through the mirror but can through your loved ones

• Life happens fast, appreciate every aspect of your life as you're in it because before you know it you'll be on to the next 

• Take life in small steps and the snapshot moments that Ryan most remembers from his 13 years

• Ryan’s love for his brother Jacob and what Ryan said the day Jacob was born

• The impact living my E.P.I.C. life has had on Ryan

• How things that are scary can at the same time be beautiful and Ryan’s commitment not to let his fears stop him from living his YOLO (You Only Live Once) life

• The pact Ryan and I made to help us with our biggest area of growth, our management of time

• Erik’s takeaway: “Parenting is an opportunity to be vulnerable in a way that is unprecedented.”

Resources mentioned 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

Announcements:

 I hope this conversation sparked something that will inspire you to mark a milestone in your E.P.I.C. life. If you live in the bay area and want to participate in a group milestone hike I will be leading this spring or if you want to sign up for a coaching session so I can help you mark a milestone wherever you are, send an email to julie@mothersquest.com and put milestone in the subject heading.

The season is coming to a close and will start up again in May. Please make sure you’ve subscribed, signed up for email updates at mothersquest.com and joined the Facebook group so we can keep in touch and you’ll get notified when the next episode comes out.

Be Part of the Finale!!

I’ve extended the deadline for your submissions to be featured in the finale through April 6th and will release the finale later in April.

So, if you haven’t yet called in, and there is a moment from the season that made a difference for you, please go to mothersquest.com, look for the purple phone icon, and leave me a message with your name, favorite moment from the podcast and how that moment impacted you. I would love to include your voice in the season finale.

Let's Stay in Touch

If you haven’t yet visited the website, I want to invite you to head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list to have show notes delivered to your inbox, click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

Finally, I invite you to schedule a free 15 minute planning session where I can help you bring more intention to your life using the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets which you can download for FREE at www.mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets. Email me at julie@mothersquest.com to set a time.

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:

• Erik Newton and The Together Show Podcast who dedicated this week’s episode of the podcast
• Claire Fry
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

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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

I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Danielle Dutton, acclaimed Margaret the First author, whose own mother instilled an appreciation for reading and education early in her life. Danielle and I spent many family holidays together growing up because our mothers have been life-long friends. But, it’s been years since I’ve spoken with Danielle and it was such a joy to hear about the E.P.I.C life she is living.

Danielle is the author of three books, most recently Margaret the First, based on the life of Margaret Cavendish, a 17th century Duchess who wrote and published poems, plays and other works during a time when “being a writer” was not an option for most women. 

In addition to being an author herself, Danielle also co-founded, with her husband, the independent press called Dorothy, a publishing project. The press came from her own desire to create more space for innovative works by female authors. It is named for her great aunt, a librarian who drove a bookmobile through the backroads of Southern California, delivering books to underserved desert communities. 

Born and raised in California, Danielle now lives in Missouri, where she teaches in the writing program at Washington University in St. Louis and enjoys time with her husband and eight year old son, both writers themselves.

Danielle and I talked about the small steps she took along the way in her life, from working in a book store in England to taking a writing class and then applying for her MFA on a whim, that brought her to where she is today.

She shares with honesty how she has moved through depression and anxiety and how she has become a kinder person since becoming a mother to her son, who she says is hilarious and her favorite person in the world.  

We also discuss the importance of a mindful daily practice. How Buddhist meditation has begun to transform the way she thinks about herself, helping her to go down the “right roads” in her thoughts. And she shares how the books she has authored came from both a mindset of patience and a commitment to daily writing.

I found Danielle to be totally delightful and was inspired by her honesty, her sincerity and this way in which she comes across at the same time relatable and brilliant.

I hope you will join me in exploring the resources she shared in Buddhist meditation and also in following through on her challenge to read more, read books we wouldn’t normally read, and make time and space for a writing project of our own to emerge. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The impact Danielle’s mother had on her life and on her own journey as a mother 
• The unique gifts her great aunt, a librarian, sent her as a child that planted seeds for Dorothy, the feminist press Danielle co-created
• Danielle’s struggle with anxiety and depression and how mindfulness and meditation has helped her
• The various, but significant, shifts that Danielle has experienced to get to where she is today
• How her son is her favorite person and how becoming a mother has changed her
• The need Danielle saw in the cultural conversation of including more women writers and their voices in the literary world 
• Neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to change and adapt
• How her press became part of Danielle’s support network and why a community of self is also important

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dorothy, a publishing project - Danielle’s press
• Danielle’s book, Margaret the First: A Novel
• The Wallcreeper by Nell Zink
• On Being with Krista Tippett, a podcast
• Tara Brach, a psychologist and proponent of Buddhist meditation
• Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard
• Modeh Ani Morning Prayer/Song (version by my cantor Elena Jagoda) that I sing each day after a short morning meditation
• A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Announcements:

If you haven’t yet visited the website, I want to invite you to head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list to have show notes delivered to your inbox, click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

Help me Create the Finale!! - I would love to hear your favorite moments from the podcast and how what you're learning impacts your E.P.I.C. life. I plan to highlight those moments from the different episodes, and your voices, in the season finale coming in early April. So do head over to mothersquest.com by March 31st and use the voice message tool to tell me who you are, your favorite moment, and the impact it's had on you.

Finally, I invite you to schedule a free 15 minute planning session where I can help you bring more intention to your life using the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets which you can download for FREE at www.mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets. Email me at julie@mothersquest.com to set a time.

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:

• Claire Fry who dedicated this week’s episode of the podcast
• Divya Silbermann
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

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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

The value of putting yourself in someone else’s perspective, with compassion, is something that this week’s guest, filmmaker and activist Paola Mendoza, consciously creates through her storytelling.

And, boldly moving forward through difficult times is something Paola talks passionately about-- as she reflects on how she moved from feelings of failure after the election and rose up, channelling those emotions into a passionate co-creation of the Women’s March--what became the largest world-wide gathering in history.

In addition to being a key organizer and the Artistic Director of the Women’s March on Washington, Paola is an acclaimed actress, director, screenwriter, and author.

She was recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film for her body of work which includes Refinery 29, BROKEN TAIL LIGHT, FREE LIKE THE BIRDS, and Z for ZENDAYA. She made her narrative directorial debut with the film she wrote, starred in and co-directed about her mother, Entre Nos, which had its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded Honorable Mention.

Entre Nos told the deeply personal story of Paola, her brother, and her mother’s journey as immigrants to the United States from Colombia and the challenges they experienced. It went on to win over twenty awards at film festivals from around the world and ultimately became the novel, The Ones Who Don’t Stay.

Paola shares about the impact her mother had on her, what it was like to tell her mother’s story, the role of art in building compassion, and what it means to step into activism from a place of love, and the things you stand for, but also for what you boldly stand against.

We spent time talking about moving past fear, sacrificing your privilege, and teaching your children to do the same in order to help others.

These were things Paola powerfully demonstrated just two days after we recorded this interview, when she was arrested for civil disobedience at the Day Without a Woman strike in New York City.

Paola is a strong force but also has a softness about her, which comes through as she talks about her relationship with her four year old son, Mateo, how time with him is part of her self-care, and how they spend what they call “Adventure Fridays” together. I heard about her solid partnership with fellow activist, entrepreneur and storyteller Michael Skolnik and about the E.P.I.C. snapshot moment Michael captured of Paola taking in all she created the day of the Women’s March in D.C.

Looking back, I’m amazed that Paola was so present during her conversation with me given what she was in the midst of organizing just days later. I could tell she did so because she wanted me and those listening to know how important it is to take action based on our beliefs, that activism takes many shades and forms, and that with privilege comes tremendous responsibility to participate in our political system and stand for social justice.

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 in this episode:

• 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

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, I want to invite you to head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list to have show notes delivered to your inbox, click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

Help me Create the Finale!! - I would love to hear which are your favorite moments from the podcast and how what you are hearing and learning is impacting your E.P.I.C. life. I plan to highlight those moments from the different episodes, and your voices, in the season finale coming in early April. So do head over to mothersquest.com and use the voice message tool to tell me who you are, your favorite moment, and the impact it has had on you. 

Finally, I invite you to schedule a free 15 minute planning session where I can help you bring more intention to your life using the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets which you can download for FREE at www.mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets. Email me at julie@mothersquest.com to set a time. 

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

• Divya Silbermann who dedicated this week’s episode
• Rachel Winter
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

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

I'm excited to share this Episode #15 with you-- a conversation with Karen Baker, a mentor of mine who played a pivotal role in connecting me to a career of service.

It’s not surprising because connecting people to service is Karen’s super power. Karen has been making matches her whole life, but she currently brings this gift to her role as the Chief Service Officer of CaliforniaVolunteers, where she serves under Governor Brown. Karen has 20 years of innovative leadership in all facets of the service and volunteering sector, including local and national non-profits and federal agencies. In 2008, she was appointed by Former California Governor Schwarzenegger to serve as the first-in-the-nation state cabinet Secretary of Service and Volunteering.

Karen is also an amazing mom to 2 children, Ella and Christopher, both adopted at birth by Karen and her husband. In our conversation, we talk about the ways in which Karen’s parents and seven siblings inspired her to be of service to others, how she brings that service to her work at CaliforniaVolunteers, and how she has learned to put needs out there and watch as a community rises up to meet them, most recently experienced as Karen led efforts to respond to the Oroville Dam disaster.

We also talk about her experience parenting children with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, how she using a morning playlist and thoughtful nighttime ritual in between the “madness in the middle,” to ground herself and her children, and how she is learning to take time and find new ways to invest in herself and her relationships. 

It was a total joy for me to reconnect with my mentor Karen and I left the conversation so appreciative of the work she does in my state of California, reminded of the importance of using our superpowers to benefit others, and inspired to engage my own children in service. I hope you too find this conversation an inspiration to uncover and channel your family’s superpowers to create a service legacy.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Karen used her superpower, helping people find their vocation and passion, to set me on my career path after college
• The lesson Karen’s civically-minded parents imparted to her and her siblings of the duty  to people who have no one else to support them
• Book-ending your day between the “madness in the middle” with a  morning playlist and a thoughtful question before bedtime
• Moving from isolation to community when raising children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• The power of putting your needs out there and having faith that the right people will come into your work and life to fill those needs
• Living a life of service and utilizing your superpowers to give and receive positive energy and find solutions
• Karen’s recent E.P.I.C. life moment when she was called by to respond to the Oroville Dam disaster and saw a community rise up to meet the needs

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Heart of Los Angeles Youth, the incredible organization that Karen connected me to that set me on my career path after college.
• CaliforniaVolunteers - addresses state and community challenges by investing in high impact service solutions, while leveraging public, private, and nonprofit partnerships and resources.
• AmeriCorps - provides thousands of Americans of all ages, abilities and backgrounds with intensive full- and part-time opportunities to serve their communities and build the capacity of grassroots organizations to meet local environmental, educational, public safety, or other human needs. http://www.californiavolunteers.org/index.php/AmeriCorps/
• Being Boss Podcast - Episode 79 - The Chalkboard Method
• Mother’s Quest Podcast - Episode 14 with Amanda Steinberg of the DailyWorth
• E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets to help you start recording weekly intentions and daily gratitude.
• Democracy jeans, the E.P.I.C. jeans, created by my very own sister, that Karen Baker and I were both wearing when we sat down to do our interview

Announcements

If you haven’t yet visited the website, I want to invite you to head over to mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list to have show notes delivered to your inbox, click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me.

I would love to hear which are your favorite moments from the podcast and how what you are hearing and learning is impacting your E.P.I.C. life. I plan to highlight those moments from the different episodes, and your voices, in the season finale coming in early April. So do head over to mothersquest.com and use the voice message tool to help me create an amazing season finale.

Finally, I invite you to schedule a free 15 minute planning session where I can help you bring more intention to your life using the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets which you can download for FREE at www.mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets.

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

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

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

Hello and welcome to Episode #14, the first interview in the extended season of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. Starting with today’s interview of Amanda Steinberg, I'm excited to bring you six more episodes to light our way to an E.P.I.C. life.

I reached out to Amanda because I am ready to re-write my money story and she was uniquely qualified to guide me. Amanda is the Founder and CEO of DailyWorth.com and just published a book titled “WORTH IT: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms”.

This past summer, Amanda was chosen as one of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 and recently was named to Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business – all for good reason: she has revolutionized the relationship between women and their finances.

Amanda empowers women to explore the equation between their self-worth and their net-worth and to resist the conventions that keep us from viewing money as a source of personal power.

In our interview, with her new book as a back-drop, Amanda shares candidly about the ways her mother shaped her relationship with money, how after a divorce she re-built her life and re-wrote her money story when she found herself in debt and under the weight of a mortgage she couldn’t sustain, and how founding the Daily Worth and now Worth FM is breaking the mold by bringing information and resources about money to women in unique ways.

Amanda and I talk candidly about how her book, and a spreadsheet she shared in her Facebook group, inspired me to sit down with my husband, for the first time in our 20 year marriage, to understand our finances and determine our net worth, the number Amanda talks about as mattering most.

Amanda’s honesty, humor and ability to make a conversation about money and investing in ourselves accessible has already shifted my life. I hope you too will be inspired by Amanda to break your own molds, find your worth, and re-define your relationship with money.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Breaking the mold of societal norms for women and mothers
• The gift of sharing our mistakes and imperfections with our children
• How Amanda invites her children into discussions about money and shows them, through her example, how money can be used as an engine for change
• Redefining women’s relationship with money through a metaphor of roots and wings.
• How you can identify your “money type” and how the Worth FM platform will customize advice based on your type
• The benefit of playing video games for experiencing failure as something that will happen again and again
• The importance of taking risks and how the “cost” of taking a risk may actually be lower than the cost of not.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• This article referencing the Harvard study which outlined that love and household chores are among the most important things to provide your children for their success.
• DailyWorth - Helping women earn more, save more, and spend smarter.
• The DailyWorth Newsletter - sign up here.
• WORTH IT: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms by Amanda Steinberg.
• Worth It Facebook Group you can join after purchase of the book.
• MoneyType™ Assessment - Reveals your unique perspective when it comes to money. Your MoneyType™ Report will give you insights into how you think about and manage money.
• WorthFM - a savings and investment platform designed to guide you step-by-step.
• One Light Global - An organization that helps create global peace through providing direct humanitarian aid to people in crisis, assisting them in establishing successful new lives, helping them heal from the devastation of war and trauma, and establishing platforms for peace and collaboration between groups in conflict.

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

• Rachel Winter, who provided a "dedication" to Felicity Huffman in today's episode
• Caren and Debbie Lieberman
• Cameron Miranda
• Fran and David Lieberman
• Debbie and Alan Goore
• Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Announcements:

Much gratitude for everyone who spread the news of my extended season to help reach more moms with these conversations by supporting the ThunderClap Campaign.

I invite you to schedule a free 15 minute planning session where I can help you bring more intention to your life using the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets which you can download for FREE at www.mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets. Click here to schedule a call.

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.

In this interview, I am excited to share a deeply personal and reflective conversation with Amber Lilyestrom, a transformational branding and business strategist, writer, speaker and host of The Soul Fueled CEO Podcast. Amber has also been a coach and champion for me as I’ve created Mother’s Quest and leads a community of soul-fueled CEO’s that has become an important source of support.

From the moment she answers my first question, you will experience how Amber brings this combination of simultaneous vulnerability and crystal clarity. She brings those gifts along with her own trial and error experiences as an entrepreneur and mother to help visionaries, leaders and what she calls “disruptivators” turn their passions into heart-centered brands and thriving businesses.

It was the birth of her daughter, and becoming a mother, that caused her to proactively design her life and business after working for 10 years in collegiate athletics marketing for her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. And, it is her desire to seize life, new experiences and new opportunities that led her to become Mrs. New Hampshire 2016.

In our conversation, Amber shares how speaking our truth allows us to live joy-filled lives. She opens up about her traumatic experience as a childhood survivor of sexual abuse, how that event shaped her relationship with her mother, and how it also shaped her own journey in motherhood and business.

I loved hearing about how Amber lives her E.P.I.C life by coming home to herself and therefore coming home to the ones she loves. I left the conversation grounded and ready to let go of judgment, to live my truth and to design my life.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Amber’s entrepreneurial mother influenced her life
• The profound importance of speaking your truth and how Amber is helping other survivors of childhood sexual abuse through sharing hers
• How Amber's near-death experience during the birth of her daughter inspired her to live her life differently
• Having the courage to have hard conversations
• Helping women “come home” to themselves
• Letting go of judgment and pursuing something for the fun of it
• The Law of Attraction
• Weaving intentional actions for yourself into your life in order to be your best self

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Emerging Women’s Power Circles, where I connected with a circle of champions and supporters during the time I was launching Mother’s Quest http://www.emergingwomen.com/power-circles/
• Amber’s interview on The Mighty Mommies Show Podcast with Whitney Lang:http://www.whitneylang.com/podcast-blog/2017/1/7/heart-centered-momming-with-amber-lilyestrom where she shares the full story of the birth of her daughter
• Amber’s podcast, The Soul-Fueled CEO
• The Soul Fueled CEO™ Academy
• Amber’s website to sign up for email updates and find her social media handles www.amberlilyestrom.com
• Haven New Hampshire, an organization supporting men, women, and children affected by domestic and sexual violence: http://havennh.org/
• Abraham Hicks

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.

In this interview, I am excited to share a thoughtful and honest conversation with wife, mother, freelance television anchor/reporter, volunteer for philanthropic causes and entrepreneur, Erika Greff.

Erika lives in the heart of New York City with her husband and two sons, ages 13 and 12. I came to know her over the summer, when we were both grieving for the loss of our mutual friend, Leslie Fischer. Erika and I talk about how her boys comforted her the day of Leslie’s funeral and wanted to take positive action in Leslie’s honor that day.

In our conversation, she shares the ways in which she and her husband have encouraged her sons to focus on empathy, gratitude and daily acts of service, which her sons document on a website they created called budgetphilanthropist.com.

We also discuss how Erika has found herself at a career crossroads, after 18 years as an on-air correspondent for PBS’s Nightly Business Report. And, how freelance journalism has given her an opportunity to engage herself and her boys in conscious decision-making about the projects she pursues.

She gets honest about her new entrepreneurial passion, a media company to inform children about the news in their world. And she shares how she perseveres through frustration to find the path to her vision, even going mountain-climbing with her boys to symbolically face the fear of failure in her new venture.

I hope you get inspired, as I did, about consciously instilling the values of kindness, empathy and acts of service in your children. And that you realize you are not alone if you too are struggling to make a new vision become real.  

I feel enriched by the generosity Erika so freely shares and excited to explore the resources she recommended to become a “financial grownup” and to cultivate daily kindness in my children. I am grateful she and I have connected and I know our friend Leslie would be too.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Erika’s parents taught her that self-esteem is about the things you do, not the things you have
• The way Erika’s children practice and document daily acts of kindness
• Driving in the car and bedtime as great opportunities to connect with your children
• Involving your children in decision-making about your own life and career
• The challenges of pursuing a new venture and working through fear of failure
• The concept of a favor bank – help other people and they will help you in return

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Budget Philanthropist – the website where Erika’s son’s chronicle their acts of kindness.
• The specific blog post where Erika’s children reflect on how they supported their mother the day of Leslie’s funeral 
• How to Be a Financial Grownup by Bobbi Rebell
• Random Acts of Kindness – Become a RAKtivist
• Episode 00 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast where I reflect on the Mother’s Quest Mantra inspired by Leslie

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.

In Episode #7 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast, I am honored to bring you this intimate, inspired conversation with Jenjii Hysten, a mother, coach, and community leader who I deeply admire.

I have known Jenjii for almost a decade now, through my connection with her husband Franklin. But in recent months, Jenjii’s raw and vulnerable sharing about what it is like to be the mother of two black boys and fear for their safety, caused me to move past my worry of saying or doing the wrong thing and reach out to her in a whole different way.

Our honest conversation about the ways in which we’ve stepped out of our comfort zones to live out loud and forge connections with one another based on our common humanity, as mothers of sons, was one of the most powerful moments I have had yet on the Mother’s Quest Podcast.  

Jenjii is an advocate, teacher, student, facilitator and a voice for the voiceless. She was born in Los Angeles but says that Oakland raised her. She studied Interdisciplinary-Studies with an emphasis on Urban/Economic Development at UC Berkeley, holds a CompassPoint Executive Director certificate and is an ordained minister.

In her early 20s, she worked with the Children's Defense Fund for a program called Freedom School and says it saved her life. This is where she learned the beauty of Servant Leadership, which is one of her core values. As the Founder of SOS, Saving Our Sisters Saving our Selves, over the course of 10 years, she served hundreds of girls throughout the Bay Area. In her 20+ years working, Jenjii has served as a Program Director, Executive Director, Dean of Students, Curriculum Designer, started New Life Ministries with her husband Franklin, and is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Hysten Consulting, LLC.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. I was struck by the concept of rhythm, and how it can manifest in our lives, our children, our bodies, our communities, and perhaps most importantly, our collective humanity. I hope you will leave the conversation, as I did, inspired to think about the ways in which you can find your rhythm and live out loud in your own E.P.I.C. life.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Being on a quest to “live out loud” and what that means for your life
• How our kids show us who they are through their words, actions, dreams, and challenges
• The importance of passion and purpose
• Being a servant leader and in turn, raising them as well
• How Jenjii’s own battle with diabetes saved her and taught her about following her body’s rhythm and the importance of sleep, exercise, food and stress reduction
• My visit to Jenjii and Franklin’s church and how humanity connects us regardless of class, race or religion

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Mother’s Quest Founder’s Circle at mothersquest.com/about
• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• The Safe, Natural, Whole-Body Approach to Managing Your Glucose Levels and Losing Weight by Dr. Don Colbert
• Hysten Consulting and Jenjii Hysten on Facebook
• New Life Ministries

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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).

Learn More at www.mothersquest.com

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

In this episode, I was honored to have a conversation with my children’s holistic pediatrician Dr. Elisa Song, founder of Whole Family Wellness, creator of the online resource Healthy Kids Happy Kids and an amazing mother to her daughter and son.

If you tuned into Episode 5, you know Elisa gave me permission to replay her interview of me from her Thriving Child Summit, where we talked about my motherhood journey with my older son, how Elisa became a key part of the puzzle to help him thrive, and what led me to create Mother’s Quest. In this interview, I got to turn the tables and learn about the influences that shaped Elisa and how she approaches living an E.P.I.C. life.

Elisa is a board-certified, Stanford-, NYU-, and UCSF-trained holistic pediatrician. In 2005, she forged a daring path, by going out on her own and founding Whole Family Wellness, an integrative pediatric practice in Belmont, CA – one of the first and most highly regarded holistic pediatric practices in the country. She’s also a lecturer for the Center for Education and Development in Clinical Homeopathy (CEDH), Academy for Pain Research, Institute for Functional Medicine, and Holistic Pediatric Association, among others.

Through Whole Family Wellness, and now with her online resource Healthy Kids Happy Kids, Elisa helps thousands of parents, like me, get to the root causes of health concerns for our children. And, she helps us understand how to heal them from the inside out, utilizing conventional pediatrics along with functional medicine, holistic nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils.

In this conversation, Elisa and I talk about how the legacy of brave women in her life, making courageous choices, impacted her and her sisters and set them all on a path to become healers and helpers. Her grandmother and mother, who both came to America from Korea, instilled independence, strength, and “grit” in her, which she relied on to follow her passion in integrative medicine. We also talk about connected parenting, the importance of scheduling special time with our children, and the need to prioritize our own health and well-being, something Elisa and I admit we both need to focus more on.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Elisa is such an inspiration and source of wisdom and healing for my family. I am thrilled to share her with you.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How my own “growth mindset” was challenged when Elisa and I lost the recording of our first interview
• The legacy of strong, independent women in Elisa’s life and how it impacted her journey
• Parenting by connection and scheduling in “special time”
• Finding time for silence, including in your own mind
• True healing, not just putting a bandaid on children’s symptoms
• Eudaimonia, which is a Greek word meaning happiness and human flourishing

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The article which references Stanford researcher Carol Dwek’s work on growth mindset vs. fixed mindset and an article directly from Carol Dweck
• Healthy Kids Happy Kids, Elisa’s online resource
• The Thriving Child Summit, an online conference for parents who want to learn how to help their children THRIVE!
• Hand in Hand Parenting and the special link to Patty Wipfler’s interview from the Thrive Summit
• Mindshare Summit
• Episode 5 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast where Elisa interviewed me, www.mothersquest.com/podcast

This week, I am taking a break from podcasting for the holidays, so thought I would take this opportunity to bring you a previously recorded interview that was done of me by Dr. Elisa Song for her Thriving Child Summit. Elisa is my children’s pediatrician and the founder of Healthy Kids, Happy Kids, an online resource for pediatric holistic health which hosted the Summit.

The conversation was an opportunity for me to reflect on my own experience as a parent, especially when we faced developmental delays and health challenges with my older son, how my experience leading a process called “reflection” inspired me to focus my coaching practice on mothers, and the inspiration and plans for Mother’s Quest in the months before the podcast launch.  

I hope you will enjoy getting to learn a little more about me and my journey as a mother, and how moments of pause and reflection contribute to me living my E.P.I.C. life and helping my children to thrive. I think you will also enjoy hearing from Dr. Elisa Song and I look forward to bringing you my interview with her in the first week of the Mother’s Quest Podcast in 2017.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How my work leading a process called “reflection” with youth developers and educators inspired me to work with moms and found Mother’s Quest
• The process I pursued to champion and heal my son that could be a guide for any parent facing challenges with their children.
• The ways in which I utilize my coaching skills in parenting my children
• The myth of the “perfect” mom

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Thriving Child Summit

• The Mother’s Quest Podcast - listen and subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mothers-quest-the-podcast/id1180233121?mt=2

• The Mother’s Quest Facebook group - join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

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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).

Learn More at www.mothersquest.com

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

In this episode, I’m honored to have a conversation with two amazing mothers to their 8 year old daughter, Oakland-based life and business partners Lynn Johnson and Allison Kenny.

They are the co-founders of Spotlight: Girls, which celebrates and activates girls and women through multi-media learning experiences and products. Through their Go Girls! summer camps, after-school, and school break programs, elementary and middle school girls build social/emotional skills through acting, music, media, dance and visual arts activities.

Lynn, the CEO of Spotlight: Girls, has over 25 years experience as a teaching artist working in diverse communities all over the United States.  She is a sought-after facilitator and speaker and serves on the National Advisory Board of Teaching Artists Guild and the Board of Directors of the How Kids Learn Foundation.

Allison is a writer, blogger, and actor.  She is the author of Starring Celia - a chapter book about a 4th grade girl who goes from being bullied to becoming a Go Girl! and Go Squirrel! - a series of coloring books aimed at teaching young readers complex social/emotional lessons through social stories. In her own words, Allison shares the “adventures of their queer, multi-racial, adoptive family” on her blog RaisingaGoGirl.com.

In this conversation, Lynn and Allison talk about how their mothers, each in different ways, instilled the value of community that influenced the creation of Spotlight: Girls. We explore how they are making a difference beyond their family by igniting a Compassion Revolution with their programs, inspiring belief in the power of girls and women to be changemakers in the world, to take center stage in their lives, and to make brave and bold choices. And how the Go Girls! 5 point Culture Code, like the Mother’s Quest E.P.I.C. framework, provides a powerful guide that Lynn, Allison and their daughter have fully integrated into their lives.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. I was struck by how powerful a metaphor theater and the arts can be for how to live your live. I hope you will leave the conversation, as I did, inspired to think about the ways in which you can “take center stage” to live a Go Girl! and E.P.I.C. life.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The importance of community and how Lynn and Allison’s mothers both instilled this value
• How Lynn and Allison’s vision of making interesting art sparked the beginning of their business and family life
• How the election results impacted them and how they started to heal by following one of the Go Girls’ teachings of going fully into your feelings
• How Lynn and Allison bring mindful, therapeutic parenting and social play to their daughter
• How the Go Girl’s! 5 point Culture Code can help us and our children to take center stage in our lives and see confidence as a verb
• How parents should care for themselves the same way they care for their children

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Lynn and Allison’s business, Spotlight: Girl, http://www.spotlightgirls.com
• Allison’s blog, Raising a Go Girl, http://www.raisingagogirl.com  and the specific blog post she mentions http://www.raisingagogirl.com/if-i-took-care-of-myself-like-i-took-care-of-my-daughter/
• The Go Girls! 5 point Culture Code, http://gogirlscamp.com/methodology/
• Go Girls! Camp, http://www.gogirls.com
• The Art of Raising Peaceful & Powerful Girls, http://go.spotlightgirls.com/raising-peaceful-and-powerful-girls-free-e-book

The Mother’s Quest Facebook group - join http://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest

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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).

Learn More at www.mothersquest.com

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

In this episode, I’m excited to be reunited with an old friend and former colleague, Rootopia founder Michelle Ratcliffe. Michelle is a farm to family specialist, who aims to help mothers raise happy, healthy kids and help our nation’s farmers prosper. She is a mom to two boys, and lives on a 4-acre farm near Portland, Oregon.

As a first-generation American who struggled in school, digging in the earth and growing food grounded Michelle and turned her onto academics. Over the past 20 years, she’s been researching ways to get more local healthy foods on our plates and advocating for policy changes that would do that. Michelle earned her doctorate in Agriculture, Food and the Environment from Tufts University with research focused on the impacts of school gardening on adolescents. Her research into school gardening was vital to the gardening and childhood obesity efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama, which led to Michelle’s recent visit to the White House to celebrate the White House Kitchen Garden Dedication.

In this conversation, Michelle and I talk about the transformative experience we had creating a community garden with young people over 15 years ago and how the honesty of Michelle’s students course-corrected her to the meaningful career path she is on today. Michelle shares the importance of being rooted in her family and their health, as well as the importance of community and civic-mindedness. And, we explore stepping forward with faith on your path, taking the next right step, even when you don’t yet know exactly where it will take you.

During this holiday season, I hope this episode will inspire you to get more grounded with your family by saying no to over-scheduling and yes to cooking, eating and spending quality time with your children.

Looking to make an end of the year donation? Consider Alternatives in Action, the non-profit youth development organization celebrating 20 years of service, where Michelle and Julie worked together. www.alternativesinaction.org

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The importance of being present and intentional in your family’s life
• Don’t try to do too much and be “scheduled out” - rest and recuperation is important for your health.
• Aligning priorities with reality and investing deeply in your values
• Letting go of your ego and sense of self that is wrapped in work
• Creating an environment where magical moments can happen.
• Having the faith to create before knowing how it will all turn out

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Michelle’s website, Rootopia - http://rootopia.com/
• The Mother’s Quest Circles (launching in January, 2017; sign up for the email list at www.mothersquest.com to get announcements or join the Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest)
• Alternatives in Action, a non-profit that believes in the power and promise of young people in our community, and is also where Julie and Michelle met and worked together -https://www.alternativesinaction.org/
• Michelle's story of faith reclaiming her barn  http://rootopia.com/reclaiming-our-barn/
• Oprah Winfrey interview in which she talks about taking the next right step, and that there are no mistakes -https://youtu.be/dGgb1PwH7mo  The full hour-long interview is here: https://youtu.be/6DlrqeWrczs
• Roasted Roots and Leaves recipe from Rootopia -http://rootopia.com/roasted-root-vegetables-and-kale/

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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).

Learn More at www.mothersquest.com

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/