Define the Narrative: Recent Episodes
Ann Argo
The number of women who have chosen to create their own family grew exponentially during the global pandemic of 2020. Ann Argo, an educator and only parent to a nine year old boy, has created a podcast to support the contemporary needs of this tribe of women as they live in their definition of family, an uncharted one for many. Each episode centers around a topic relevant to the mental, emotional, and physical topics unique to this community of women. The Define the Narrative podcast is a grounding place for women who want to learn, grow, and thrive in their definition of family.
What drives someone to abandon a successful engineering career with prestigious companies like McLaren to tackle one of society's most challenging taboos? For Jeremy Indica, it was the resurfacing of childhood trauma at age 25 that set him on an unexpected journey of healing and advocacy.
Jeremy's story is remarkable not just for what he gave up, but for what he's building. His organization, Something to Say, aims to break the silence surrounding child sexual abuse through creative approaches that engage rather than alienate. As a former aerospace design engineer, Jeremy approaches this complex issue with both emotional intelligence and analytical precision, developing innovative ways to bring these difficult conversations into the mainstream.
Throughout our conversation, Jeremy candidly shares his evolution from private healing to public advocacy. He describes sleeping on couches, depleting his savings, and facing regular criticism to pursue this mission. What stands out is his nuanced understanding of the challenge—recognizing that while teaching children protective strategies is important, placing the burden of prevention solely on them is fundamentally flawed. His perspective that we must equally address potential offenders represents a significant shift in how we approach child safety.
The discussion takes us through Jeremy's work in schools, where he delivers age-appropriate education about personal boundaries without introducing fear or over-complicating concepts beyond children's developmental understanding. His reflections on managing his own mental health while working with such challenging material offer valuable insights for anyone in advocacy fields.
Listening to Jeremy's vision for turning Something to Say into a household name and eventually creating transformative films that spark widespread societal change reveals the scope of his ambition. His journey reminds us that sometimes our greatest contribution comes not from following established career paths, but from having the courage to address problems others avoid.
Whether you're interested in child safety, advocacy work, or personal transformation, this conversation will leave you reflecting on how breaking taboos and speaking difficult truths can create meaningful change in the world.
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Jen shares her inspirational journey as a new mother navigating the world of single motherhood by choice, touching on themes of societal expectations, financial considerations, and emotional resilience. Her reflections highlight the importance of personal choice in defining one’s family narrative and the lessons learned from both heartache and joy.
• Jen's journey begins with a pivotal doctor's appointment that prompts her to reconsider motherhood
• Financial readiness plays a crucial role in the process of assisted reproduction
• Emotional challenges linked to fertility treatments and the importance of processing grief
• Jen’s values and the input of family in her decision-making reflected in choosing a donor
• Hope for the future includes openness to relationships and possibilities of more children
https://linktr.ee/definethenarrative
www.definethenarrative.us
IG/ Substack @definethenarrative
FB: Define The Narrative Page
definethenarrative@gmail.com
It's your life- Define the Narrative! Check out our website and let us know what's on your mind. www.definethenarrative.us
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IG: @definethenarrative
FB: @Ann Argo
Enjoy this episode of Define The Narrative Podcast with my very special guests Jane Mattes, Mikki Morrissette, Sarah Kowalski, and Mali Bain as we discuss the last forty years of women creating a family of their own. Follow on Instagram to stay connected @definethenarrative.
Below is the information where you can find and follow my guests:
Jane Mattes
Single Mothers by Choice.org can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Singlemothersbychoice and on Twitter @SingleSmc https://twitter.com/SingleSmcMikki Morrissette
Choice Moms can found at :https://www.facebook.com/mmorrissette1https://www.facebook.com/ChoiceMomshttp://choicemoms.org/@ChoiceMoms on Twitter
Sarah Kowalski
Motherhood Reimagined SMC Community which includes monthly online meetups, guest expert interviews and tons of how-to guides can be found at https://motherhoodreimagined.com/single-mom-by-choice-community-forum/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodreimagined/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodreimagined
Mali Bain
Choosing Single Parenthood: Stories from Solo Parents by Choice
@nextgenstory
https://www.nextgenstory.com/
It's your life- Define the Narrative! Check out our website and let us know what's on your mind. www.definethenarrative.us
Follow us:
IG: @definethenarrative
FB: @Ann Argo
1:00 The Inspiration
3:33 Age Limits
5:37 The Nannies
11:30 How Many Families are vacationing with you
12:32 Sleeping Arrangements
14:13 Dietary Choices
15:10 Medical Care
16:40 Excursions
23:04 Vacation Goals for Moms
26:35 The History of SoMoS Retreats
30:15 Where to Find More Information
30:33 Tania’a Journey and the Family She Created
It's your life- Define the Narrative! Check out our website and let us know what's on your mind. www.definethenarrative.us
Follow us:
IG: @definethenarrative
FB: @Ann Argo
Are you raising a competent eater? Do you worry your relationship with food will prevent you from raising a child who has a healthy relationship with food?
Carol Danaher from the Ellyn Satter Institute shares The Golden Rule, also known as the Division of Responsibility that frees parents from being too controlling when it comes to their child's eating habits.
Publications referenced in this episode can be found at: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/product-category/books-videos/
Carol Danaher, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She received her Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene & Public Health. She is on the faculty and board of the Ellyn Satter Institute. Carol’s career in public health nutrition has focused on the feeding relationship and includes program development and administration within county-level public health, local Head Start Programs and other nonprofit childcare organizations. Carol worked for the Food and Nutrition Service of USDA conducting analysis and evaluation on our nation’s food and nutrition programs for children and families. Volunteer work in Jakarta, Indonesia led to her interest in Public Health. Carol’s work with children includes being a middle school teacher, a Girl Scout leader for 12 years, a Cub Scout leader and spending as much time as she can with her children and granddaughters.
It's your life- Define the Narrative! Check out our website and let us know what's on your mind. www.definethenarrative.us
Follow us:
IG: @definethenarrative
FB: @Ann Argo
Mali is a former high school teacher with a background working in university, non-profit, and philanthropic settings. She is a facilitator, personal historian, and parent of a two-year-old daughter.
00:35 Finding Stories in Canada
2:08 Mali's Background
3:15 Themes of The Anthology
5:55 Mali shares about the stories in the anthology and reads excepts
10:40 Double Donors
12:10 Semantics of Motherhood vs. Parenthood
15:20 Call to Action for Volume 2
16:10 Cover Artwork and Design
16:40 Next Gen Story Custom Publishing
17:42 Envisioning 5 and 10 Years From Now
20:45 Launch and Thinkers & Triers Q&A
www.choosingsingleparenthood.com
www.nextgenstory.com
1:06 Masculine Energy: Is Our Business Sense Too Much In Dating?
6:22 It Is So Important For Us To Be Playful With Men
8:42 Trust Your Gut, It's A Numbers Game
9:42 How To Fit Dating In As An Only Parent
13:00 The Best Example, Socialize and Date
18:07 R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
23:11 Epiphanies
:30 The Biggest Struggles Women Have In Modern Dating
3:33 Modern Dating
12:34 What Women Need to Understand About Men
12:48 Men's Purpose
14:26 Seek To Understand
15:36 Finding The Perfect Man is Like Finding That Great Pair of Shoes
17:49 Define The Narrative
1:11 When To Start Looking for Childcare
2:22 Get On How Many Waiting Lists?
3:27 If First You Don't Succeed
4:40 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
7:54 What Questions To Consider?
11:27 The Perfect Ratio
13:12 The Importance Of Staffing
14:27 Bumps In The Road
0:45 Motherhood Reimagined, The Book and The Business
1:58 The Consequences of A Patriarchal Family Structure
3:02 You Really Are Not The Only Person In This Space
4:15 The Number One Obstacle...
5:59 You WILL Forget The Stress of The Struggle
7:22 The Most Surprising Outcome
10:00 Suggestions for Women Who Might Struggle to Afford Fertility Treatments
12:18 To Freeze Your Eggs of Not
15:04 A Fertility Doula Described
16:05 Affordable Support Services Offered Through Motherhood Reimagined
1:30 A Point of Passion
3:45 Should women freeze your eggs?
5:24 Checking Your Fertility
9:00 Choosing A Sperm Bank
11:18 What is the starting treatment for a woman using donor sperm to conceive?
13:15 How do you find the right Fertility doctor?
17:10 Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR)
19:15 COVID Vaccine Recommendations
19:55 Diverse Families
1:16 Jane's thoughts on a generation following in her footsteps
4:15 Jane weighs in fertility education and the age of conception
5:48 Janes thoughts on egg freezing
8:00 The daddy question
12:05 Supporting your child's school in understanding the family
15:48 Healthy Adult Relationships
18:42 40th Anniversary of singlemothersbychoice.org