I'm Not A Regular Mom, I'm A Cool Mom: Recent Episodes

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Hey hey hey!

How’s it going? Hope your toes are extra-warm in some nice thick socks and that you didn’t brave the snow today ☃️ I’m curled up with a bowl of creamy mushroom soup and getting ready to watch the new season of Ozark. How about you?

I’m super excited to finally share this episode of my podcast, which was recorded late last year. I interview Allison Ackerman, dear friend and marketing extraordinaire of Cortland Consulting. We talk about how she handles running a full-time consulting business while having a new baby (Jude 😍). We also go into detail about the pros and cons of working for yourself, managing work-life with home-life, and my favorite piece of advice so far… “It’s only mayonnaise.” You’ll understand once you listen :) Enjoy!

Sending big hugs your way,

Jane

*an earlier upload of this podcast was accidentally the unedited audio. I’ve corrected the issue and uploaded the correct audio now.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janearielkatz.substack.com

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Hello everyone!

On this episode of my new podcast, I interview Ariel Scheer Stein, who runs the lifestyle blog Ariel Loves and recently founded her new business, Jewish Family Magic.

Ariel is the mom of two beautiful girls, Adina and Noa, who are almost 5 and 3! We talk about what it was like to start her business with a small baby, and then two. We talk about “balance” and really, about the myth of “work-life balance.” We cover invisible labor, especially for working mothers. Where inspiration comes from and how to get started (just go for it!) and finally, we talk about the role that religion and community play in our life as moms.

I hope you enjoy the episode! Feel free to comment with questions or feedback for me or Ariel.

Biggest hugs,

Jane

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janearielkatz.substack.com

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Hello friends-

In this episode of my podcast, I speak with Tessa O’Connell, a digital marketing and PR expert working in fashion, about her story and how she became a mother. Tessa had many ups and downs, spent time on bedrest, and ultimately delivered her baby Poppy early. She had to deal with an unexpected c-section after being induced, personal time in the ICU after blood loss, and later, visiting Poppy for weeks in the NICU. Tessa shares all of this with a smile, and a healthy dose of humor, and I have the utmost respect for how she handled all of this while living at her in-laws house during COVID.

This is a long episode filled with tons of information and wise insights. I’m so excited to share it with you and I believe that for so many of you who didn’t have the picture perfect story either, you will connect with Tessa’s words. And for those of you like me, who had an uncomplicated and easy pregnancy, you will feel grateful for that, and you will see (even more clearly) what kind of warriors women truly are.

Sending the biggest hugs,

Jane

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janearielkatz.substack.com

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Hello everyone!

I’m so excited to be sharing the second episode of my new podcast, also called A Work In Progress. I feel like- at the very least- my editing ability has gotten 10% better this time around 😂

In this episode, I interview a fantastic New Yorker and friend, Kayla Zionts. Kayla has a Masters in Early Childhood Education. She has 10 years of experience working in various roles with babies through age 6 both in general ed, special Ed, and integrated education settings. She’s passionate about instilling values of kindness, inclusivity and empathy in young children. Finally, she lives on the Upper West Side with her husband Andrew, son Noah (13 months) and rescue dog Parker!

In this episode, we go into detail about what it was really like to become a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic.. We talk about how much fear there was (and continues to be) surrounding everyday tasks for new moms (always) but especially in these last two years. We have a frank and honest conversation about all of the experiences that Kayla didn’t get to have as a pregnant woman, and the associated grieving process. We really get into the “big feelings” which is a new term Kayla introduced me to, and one that I already love and use regularly.

Give it a whirl and as always, I welcome your feedback, comments, and questions. Most importantly, the kindest thing you can do if you enjoy this newsletter/podcast is to share it with a friend who would also get a kick out of it.

Big hugs,

Jane

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janearielkatz.substack.com

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Hello everyone! If this was a corporate email I would say “Happy Tuesday! Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today.”

A year ago my husband (and the biggest supporter of my crazy ideas) told me to think of goals in more binary terms. When your goal is binary, you either do it or you don’t do it. 0 or 1, no in between. This was one of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve been given. It has pushed me to take chances and “just do it” instead of thinking constantly about perfecting something, or making sure that it’s 150% ready, or even that I’m 150% ready. Nothing is ever perfect nor is it safe from evolution. Volume 2.0 will always be better, and the sooner I allowed myself to accept that, the faster I could move forward with my creative pursuits.

When I started thinking about recording a podcast, I found myself writing lists for weeks. I was contacting friends for research purposes, writing down ideas, thinking about the different seasons and the chronology of episodes. On and on I planned, but of course, time waits for no one. Soon several months had passed and I hadn’t really moved much closer to my goal. I was still just ideating in circles. Preparing to be perfectly ready and yet… Finally, I remembered the advice that Brandon had given me and I thought to myself: enough. I needed to simultaneously stop and start. Stop planning, start moving forward.

I’ve never in my life recorded a podcast and there is simply no way I was going to be a pro right off the bat. We all know the ten-thousand-hours-rule. I just have to do it, and do it again, and then do it again! Dive in head first. After I bought (and wore) the shoes that inspired my year of yes, I was on a roll and I knew that I needed to let go of the fear and the doubt. I had to stop worrying about what others would think or about who would like (or hate) the pod, and go for it.

The plus-side of these binary decisions is that you move quickly. The down side is also that you move quickly. This means that there is less room for research and imperfection while you figure out the nooks and crannies of everything that you are doing. So bear with me, friends.

Episode 1 of my podcast is shared above, so give it a listen. I interview my friend from high school, Yana Kofman of Kofman Wellness, who is a licensed mental health counselor. We talk about what it’s really like to come home with a newborn. How it feels to walk out of the hospital doors without a single clue as to what comes next. We discuss the insane hormonal rush, which brings both deep elation and deeper exhaustion. We share the confusion, the doubt, the tears. The uncertainty, the love, the sleepless nights. We talk honestly about our own experiences, and Yana also talks about what she commonly experiences with her postpartum patients.

The audio recording is not perfect, and there are a few minutes at the beginning that I should have edited out. There are more questions that I wish I had asked looking back, but hey, as my friend Tessa said “it’s a WIP, baby.”

Yes, yes it is. and yes I am.

There will be a new episode coming out every few weeks or so, but the schedule isn’t iron clad. Hopefully, the podcast feels like a coffee talk with a close mom friend. No b**t, no sugarcoating, no guilt. Real, raw, honest, much like this newsletter. My guests this season have babies or toddlers, so season 1 will be most relevant for those who are in a similar stage of life: thinking about babies, having babies, wanting to have babies, or missing the days when your kids were babies.

If you listen to the episode, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. And if you’re passionate about motherhood and want to talk about your experience on the pod, shoot me a note.

I’m looking forward to sharing more on this topic with you, and don’t worry, my regular newsletter will still continue :) You can’t get rid of me so easily!

the bigget hugs,

Jane

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janearielkatz.substack.com