You've Got This, Mama - Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sabrina Greer - YGTMAMA Inc.
You've Got This, Mama - The Podcast, is a weekly reminder of just that! You do GOT THIS! Parenting takes a village, right? Well, here we are! From best selling author, and Clarity Coach for Mamas, Sabrina Greer, expect shame-free, judgment-free, telltale, #truthbombs about all things motherhood. It's raw, unedited, un-Pinterest-worthy and more refreshing than a cup of coffee after a night with no sleep. Sabrina shares her parenting wins (and f**k ups), interviews specialists, and other inspiring mamas in hopes to empower your motherhood and prove that you are NEVER alone!
Hi Mamas,
Welcome back to the show! This week, we have with us, Shantelle Bisson — an author, producer, parenting expert and regular contributor to Zoomer Magazine. She’s also the owner of Shantilly’s Place, a marina in Ontario’s Kawartha region. She has raised three fully functioning young adults and splits her time between the lake, Toronto and Los Angeles. At the age four, she was drawn to the stage like a moth to a flame, and spent all kinds of time working in television and film, which eventually led to writing, a natural transition when working in the show biz. She launched her book, Raising Your Kids Without Losing Your Cool — the first of many from the series! And we, at YGTMedia Co, are super excited to be launching the second part in the Without Losing Your Cool series.
Today’s episode does a deep dive in Shantelle’s world, her journey and how she came to be this powerhouse entrepreneur, wife, and mama that many see now. Spoiler alert—the glory is often within the grit and guts, and Shantelle’s journey is one that will leave you feeling inspired and empowered.
Many of us move through life, motherhood, relationships, and more on autopilot, almost mindlessly, day after day. Rarely do we pause with intention and ask ourselves the question — how do we want to lead? How do we want to live? And why?
Shantelle’s take on parenting is candid, refreshing, and gives every woman permission to own her motherhood with pride, sass, fun, love, and all the unapologetic vibes.
All of the “hoods”—motherhood, parenthood, adulthood, wifehood don’t happen in a predictable fashion. However, when they do come into our lives, it’s worth fighting for. And that is where commitment, radical responsibility for how you show up in your life, and love leadership comes into play.
Below are a few takeaways from today’s episode:
- You will have many moments where you question yourself on everything-- if you’re even cut out for love, marriage, parenthood. Listen to your gut, always. Don’t let the voice in your head win. You can end the cycle and rewrite the narrative.
- Parenting and marriage are not a one-size-fits-all formula. Embrace your relationships. Keep communication open always, and lead with love.
- It’s called real life, not reel-life. Live your life, Mama, beyond the highlight reel on social media. It won’t always be perfect, but it’s your beautiful chaos to embrace.
- Take time out to yourself, even if it’s 10 minutes here and there. Claim your moments of creativity, rest, fun, and more. Nobody’s going to hand it to you.
- Gratitude will always see you through. There’s a lesson in every hardship and heartbreak. Turn your mess into your blessings.
- Be the parent your child needs you to be, and the one you desire to be.
- Embrace your wholeness—your mood swings, your laughter, your grief, your anger. There is nothing normal about the world we are currently living in. It’s okay to feel how you feel. Give yourself permission to do just one thing a day, if that is all you can manage right now.
There you have it, Mamas! I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode! Stay tuned for more information on Shantelle's newest book at shantellebisson.com or connect with her on Instagram at @shantellebisson.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmedia.co #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Until next week!
Sabrina
Hey Mamas,
It's April Break and for many of us located in Ontario, this spring break looks much different, it feels much different. My, how our worlds have pivoted and adapted over the last year, so with that so too have our children and our businesses. Today's episode is an impromptu episode featuring none other than my incredible business coach turned publishing client and good friend, Lianne Kim. We are chatting about all things business, what it takes to build a business that brings us joy along with purpose, and Lianne's author journey as she penned her book, "Building A Joyful Business" -- designed for everyone and anyone who has a business or looking to start one and wants to get in on all the "how."
Lianne Kim is a world-class Business Coachwho helps business owners at all different stages through her online courses and coaching programs. She also runs an annual retreat for female entrepreneurs every January. She is the founder of Mamas & Co. - a community designed and curated to bring mama entrepreneurs together to support each other in their efforts to grow their businesses and host of The Business of Thinking Big podcast.
While she loves her work, Lianne’s #1 passion in life is spending time with her family. She is a wife, a mama to two adorable kids, and she loves going on family adventures, whether it’s traveling to a new destination as a family, or going on long bike rides. She believes that it is possible to have the life and business of our dreams.
Below are some key takeaways from today's episode:
💡Tenacity will win out over every obstacle, "I can't," and "Who am I to do this?" Keep going. Be willing to figure it out no matter what, not "as I can, when I can."
💡You have the choice to get back up, keep going, keep moving forward. Keep pivoting, adapting, and cutting away the pieces that no longer serve you. And replace them with things that bring you more joy.
💡" I am not the smartest girl or the quickest gal. In fact, I often say I'm late to the party on most things. I'm not the savviest or most sophisticated, not by a longshot. The truth is, I'm not special in any way. Except for one, I simply don't quit after people have told me something is a dumb idea or that's never going to work. Long after others have given up, I keep going. That's not to say I don't get knocked down, I do. And it's not to say I haven't lost my way a few times, but I always find my way back."
To connect with Lianne, follow her on Instagram at @liannekimcoach
We invite you to join Lianne's Virtual Book Launch Party taking place in the YGTMedia Celebration Pod over on facebook! Come immerse yourself in the full day celebration, win some cool prizes, plug into some incredible trainings, and a book reading from Lianne herself!
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Until next week!
Sabrina
Hey Mamas,
Today's episode is one that I am certain many of you will enjoy listening to as we talk about all things blended families. Let's face it, no longer is our family structure rigid and nuclear. In fact, blended families have always existed, but only over the last handful of decades have we as a society been more open and accepting of them. Raising children is hard work. Marriage is hard work. Navigating family dynamics in any family is hard work. But what happens when you're doing it all over again, in a new relationship and you both have children from prior relationships, and you come together to have an "our baby"? Yep, that's right, things get incredibly messy, but they are oh so worth it. And that is what we are going to talk about today. We are going to hang in the grey areas of motherhood and parenting, the ones we know we want to talk about, but aren't shared enough. Here's to every single mom, dad, and child navigating their perfectly unique blended family!
Say hello to Jamie Murray, a CFO at the commercial construction company she owns and operates with her husband, and now author to the much-anticipated new book out in April titled, “How Many Kids Do You Have?” Jamie became a mother at seventeen years old, then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master of Arts degree in Women’s Studies at Texas Woman’s University in North Texas. Before becoming an entrepreneur and author, Jamie was a high school English teacher for many years. Today she spends her days juggling the demands of running a family, a business and building a brand centered around saying out loud, what blended families all over the world are managing in silence. Jamie met her husband a decade ago, and each brought children from previous relationships. For years, Jamie struggled to balance her role as mom and stepmom, while trying to create a bonded blended family. After years of fruitlessly searching for a resource that reflected her family’s journey, she finally decided to create it for herself.
Below are some key takeaways from today's episode:
💡It is up to each of us to accept that we are not just like every other family. Our family dynamics are intense and rooted in heartbreak. That does not mean the world needs our blended families to succeed any less.
💡 Love all the children in your blend—mind, body, and soul—unequivocally, that is what matters most. Everything else is unnecessary. You might not be able to control court orders or custody arrangements, but you can control how you show up as a parent, to all children, including yourself.
💡We each have our own unique histories that make their way into the blend that is our blended family. We need not pretend each other’s personal history does not impact our family in the present. Our future could drastically change if we approached each other and the past experiences we being with us, with grace so we can evolve together, as a family.
To connect with Jamie, follow her on Instagram at @howmanykidsdoyouhave
Get your signed copy of Jamie's book here and start having the blended conversations today!
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Until next week!
Sabrina
Hey Mamas,
Wow, how has it been one full year of the pandemic? Anyone else feel like we are living in a time capsule of sorts? Or a sci-fi movie? So much in our lives has changed, yet on so many levels, some things still remain the same. You guessed it, I am referring to our thoughts, patterns, behaviors, and how we approach our life on the daily. This is why I am super excited to introduce you today to a very special guest. She is a dear client and author, and someone who I know can help you tap into your inner power and clarity in any area of your life.
Meet Anita Volikis -- she is a master life coach, lawyer, and author. Before becoming a coach, Anita practiced family law in Toronto for nineteen years. Anita helps her clients navigate life transitions with resilience. Anita is an NLP (neurolinguistic programming) practitioner and is certified in The Better Apart® Method for divorce professionals. She is committed to transforming the divorce narrative into something positive and empowering. Anita is the author and editor of two legal publications. She is co-authoring a book about women’s stories of resilience as well as her own solo book, both being published in 2021.
Below are some key takeaways from today's episode:
💡 At every step, no matter the circumstance, we hold the power. I know, you're probably thinking how do I hold my power or how do I have control over things/people/circumstances beyond my grasp? You're right, you cannot control what happens, but you can reclaim your power by choosing your response. By choosing how you move forward, what you focus your energy and thoughts on, the actions you take or don't take.
💡 Awareness will always precede clarity. In order for something to shift, you must have the awareness that some area of your life needs some TLC, some good old ctrl+alt+del. When we are aware of our thoughts, our triggers, our sensations, our needs, we then have the ability to get clear on how we want to feel, what we need to achieve a particular outcome, and of course, what we need to release.
💡Unless we are aware of our holding patterns, we cannot make long-term sustainable changes in our lives. To get different results, we must do differently. We cannot operate from the same area of woundedness. We need to feel our emotions, tap into our inner wisdom, our intuition. And we need to seek help and support from someone who has experienced similar things and comes out the other side thriving. A coach helps shine light on the areas you want to gain rystal clear clarity in while creating a safe space to help you get there.
To connect with Anita, follow her on Instagram at @anitavolikiscoaching or at anitavolikiscoaching.com
Check out her newest offer: Clarity Day and jumpstart your clarity and healing journey today!
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Until next week!
Sabrina
Happy International Women's Day (belated) and Women's History Month, Mamas!
Today's episode is one that celebrates us - as women - no matter who you are, where you're from, or what you do etc. Today's episode celebrates you and your story. We each have a story to share, a story that deserves to be told, a story that changes lives. A story that gives other women around us the permission they need to keep going, to let them know that they belong. They are enough and they are seen and heard.
I am so excited to share with you our guests today from the Collingwood Foundry x GirlTime Inc. Meet Ashley Lougheed, CEO and founder of Girl Time Inc., a social club for everyday women and women in business. Ashley’s mission is to create a community — a Kula (Sanskrit word for community) — for women, one where they can collaborate and create life-long friendships, live a healthy and active lifestyle, and inspire each other to grow both individually and as a whole. She is a leader and a learner, with a diverse education including an Honors Degree in Sociology, a Bachelor of Education, a Degree in Interior Design, and a Certificate in Event Planning. Ashley believes wholeheartedly that it’s time to connect and celebrate the rise of women as a collective vibration that is fuelled with love and compassion, bravery and greatness, empowerment, and the readiness to thrive. She saw the needs, wants, and interests of women new and local to our town, and has built a community to service those needs. At the end of the day, she is definitely a woman you want in your corner.
If there are a few things you take away in reflection, let it be these:
💡Share HERStory. Empower the women around you, truly. It's okay to let one another in. Heart-centred and mission-driven collaborations are the way to cultivating a sense of community, belonging, and writing our stories.
💡Your story matters. You belong. Take up as much space as you need, unapologetically. For far too long, women have been taught to view each other as "others" or competitors. She isn't your competitor. When one of you wins, all of you win. It changes the generational and sociocultural dialogue.
💡Be the one who goes first and paves a way for others. Kula means community, family, a space where everyone is welcome, as they are. Embrace the women within your community and don't be afraid to venture out and welcome others into your space. Curate the energy in your spaces but also be the light that gives others hope.
To connect with Ashley or Jenn, reach out to them at www.girltimeinc.ca or follow them on Instagram at @girltimeinc @diveheartfirst
To register for the HERstory event brought to you by Collingwood Foundry x GirlTime Inc, go to www.collingwoodfoundry.com/IWD.
The Collingwood Foundry and Girl Time Inc. featuring Sabrina Greer of YGTMAMA and musical guest Laura Conning of Route 26 are running this free (by donation - all donations going to Mamas for Mamas) online event dedicated to empowering businesswomen to deeply connect with their story and inspire them to share it by giving them the tools and tips to write and share it through books, podcasts, blogs, and more. Each attendee will be given the chance to work on their story and share it with the group. Additionally, one attendee will win a $3,000 Women in Business Grant. Plus, more gifts and prizes to be won between 7:45pm - 8pm to kick off the evening!!
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Until next week!
Hey Mamas,
It is officially March, and we are here, marchin' on, pun very much intended! How are you feeling? Today's episode is a short one because I wanted to kick off this month with some gratitude and reflection. In a few days, it will also be a year since our world and lives shifted. Some for the better, some incredibly challenging. But all of it valid. For many of us, we went into wearing all the hats, juggling everything on a 24/7 basis. For some of us, businesses grew, families grew, relationships blossomed. And for some of us, things fell apart... only to slowly guide us to where we are meant to be and within those moments, we still found grace, we found compassion, we found loss and love. We found ourselves. For some of us, the past year was a chance to be present with our families, a much-needed break, and respite from the daily hustle. For some, the year couldn't have gotten any worse. I've heard all perspectives. No matter what the past year looked like or felt like, in its own way, it taught many of us to be present. To cull away what no longer fits, to focus on what's truly important to us. To be whole in each moment.
In a few short days, it will be exactly 1 year since the Boss Mama Retreat was held, and while we would have loved for everything to return to "normal" or in other words, the way things were, we know that is likely not going to be the case for a while. But, in each moment, I remind myself that this too shall pass, and I know it will! And that's the thing with change. Life will shift, things will happen in the blink of an eye. Much of which, externally, is outside our control. However, internally, we have full control. We have choice. As my good friend, Sarah Swain of The Great Canadian Woman always says, "Your entire life can change in a year, only if you let it." Truer words couldn't have been spoken.
So today, as you listen, as you reflect, as all the emotions surface with each passing day, embrace them without guilt. It is okay to feel angry. It is okay to feel sad. It is okay to feel happy and celebrate. It is okay to feel whatever you feel. You are seen. You are heard. You are loved.
If there are a few things you take away in reflection, let it be these:
💡Inhale gratitude and grace. Exhale negativity. Let it all out. feel it out. Without guilt.💡 There is more to you than the titles and accolades. We are more than a mom, wife, friend, etc. Who are you at your core? What lights you up? Take the time to figure that out.
💡Even when we feel like our choices have been taken away from us, we still have a choice. To feel what we need to feel. To live how we choose to live. To simply be present.
💡In each moment, remind yourself that this too shall pass. Take in each moment for what it is. Notice the beauty in it. The lessons. The blessings. The gifts. Every moment sets you up for the next. So choose presence. Over anything else. In the ways that you and only you can.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Sponsorships: off for this episode
Hello Mamas,
How are you today? Do you ever feel like you’re wearing more hats than ever… mom, wife, partner, CEO or (insert your professional title here), boo-boo kisser, chauffeur, chef, best friend, and more… if so then today’s episode is just for you! Because we are more than just our titles and accolades we strive for. We are more than the hats we don every single day. And when we are able to tap into that something more, magic occurs and spreads itself into every area of our lives. But how do we find the magic in the mundane? How do we get unstuck when every day feels like a repeat of Schitt's Creek? How do we shake ourselves up and take charge of our lives and show up for ourselves? By finding our sparkle… our joy… that thing that lights us up and leaning all the way into it. No looking back.
We have with us today, the vivacious and soulful Carol Elizabeth. She is a self-proclaimed International Sparkle spreader. A former couch potato turned 2-time international fitness pro (at age 43 and 46) and a former SAHM turned 7 figure multi-business owner, Carol is passionate about helping women get out of the stuck that sucks and into the success that serves themselves and their communities.
Here are some key takeaways from today’s episode:
💡Change starts with us first. You have to do it for yourself, or else it won't be sustainable.
💡 There is more to you than the titles and accolades. We are more than a mom, wife, friend, etc. Who are you at your core? What lights you up? Take the time to figure that out.
💡Focus on the things that bring you joy. If it doesn't, it has to go.
💡Don’t take advice from anyone who isn't where you desire to be. Energy and thoughts are powerful. Monitor who you're around. What's in your newsfeed is feeding you, so choose wisely - online and offline. You have a choice.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Hello Mamas, we hope you had a special Galentines/ Valentines weekend celebrating love for yourself, your family and kiddos, and if you felt all the feels and emotions, or felt numb, that is okay too. How you feel matters. Your story and journey matter. For many of us, our kids return to school and for some, we are still in lockdown mode. But here's the thing that is different, you have evolved and grown so much over the past year! And with that, so has your life story, perspective, and journey. Something we have seen a rise in over the past year is the sheer amount of humans wanting to write their book, share their story, seize every moment, and make their bucket list items come true... even amidst a lockdown.
Today we have someone special... our developmental editor and creative partner, my biz bestie, my word unicorn/ brand jenga-ist (our authors keep assigning newer names to this storytelling whiz everyday)... say hello to Tania Jane Moraes-Vaz, a woman of many capes. Wife and mama. Self-expression mentor and storyteller, energetic lightworker, and overall creative strategist. 5x best-selling author, Host of The Holistic Warrior Life Podcast, and brand photographer. She is the Founder of The Holistic Warrior Life Co. and Warrior Life Creative Co.—a full-scale creative agency specializing in nurture content marketing for heart-inspired entrepreneurs and brands. Tania LOVES helping purpose-driven, heart-and-impact-centered entrepreneurs, authors, or personal/lifestyle brands show up online exactly how they want to be seen, heard, and felt through compelling copy and content creation that magnetizes their dream clients.
In today’s episode, learn how to:
💡Create a sacred space that fosters your creativity. Have your own hype party and then get an accountability buddy.
💡Prioritize your writing. Show up for yourself. Share your story. It can change lives, you better believe it. Your muse won't show up for you unless you show up for her.
💡The differences between traditional vs. self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Deep dive into what developmental editing and storytelling is, and why it matters when writing your book.
💡Write a book within 6 months. Yes, yes, you can. Simplify and demystify the process. If you have time to scroll social media, you have time to write one IG post... Do the math. 365 words for 90 days = 65K word manuscript.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! LOVE the idea of writing your masterpiece and sharing it with the world? Check out our signature program, Author Generator Society - the only mastermind-style group coaching program for authors where you will write your book in 6 months! Connect with a group of motivated humans by your side in the same boat as you, receive ongoing support and guidance from industry professionals, get real-time feedback on your work from experienced editors and best-selling authors, and have people holding you accountable to your work and deadlines!
Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Hello Mamas, we are so excited to bring you today’s episode! In true love-month mode, today we talk about the love between parents and children and conscious parenting. Today’s special guest who will forever change the way you view parenting and how you connect with your children.
Say hello to France Tailleur, a conscious parenting coach who infuses Human Design and helps parents in their journey to connect with their child. And truthfully, there couldn’t be a more perfect time to have her on the show because right now, there are so many parents struggling to connect with all the new rules and requirements. Over the past year, parents have been juggling the hats of teacher, guidance counsellor, mom, dad, friend, chef, chauffeur, and so much more. The resounding question I have come up for both myself and my clients is: How do I connect with my child when they're around all the time?
In today’s episode, learn how to:
💡Focus on love and play during your connection time with your child.
💡At the heart of all things lies a need for connection. Think of life from the perspective of your child, no matter their age.
💡Shifting from expectation to connection allows both you and your kiddo to fill your cups and you come back refreshed and energized.
💡Ask yourself this in every moment: Have I connected with myself today? Have I connected with my child today? And make connection a non-negotiable practice.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Please pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible women who need this.
Happy February! We made it! New month, new energy!
You may still be navigating homeschooling or distance learning or lockdown or quarantine or some version of whatever this crazy life is at the moment, but with February being the month of love, I wanted to talk about a different kind of love on the podcast.
No, not marriage or relationships, or motherhood and kids…
No, Mama, the love I am talking about is something that's actually a little trendy at the moment. You see it all around through the 1,000,001 influencers on social media, all the ad campaigns by retailers and your fave boutique shops… that’s right, I am talking about self-love…the nitty-gritty pieces of self-love and what it actually means.
I know, roll your eyes, I get it. We've all heard it, I preach about self-care and self-love all the time.
While it's become such a buzz word over the years especially this past year, many of us get locked in this idea that it's impossible to create the time and space for self-love/self-care. Or if we are doing so, we feel like we're doing it wrong, and that there's some magic pill that will help us love ourselves if only… I take another course…. Another mastermind… work with another coach… lose all the weight… accomplish ____ (insert your goal here).
And the truth is, self-love isn't all of those things that we think it is. We don't have to lose the weight in order to love ourselves. Self-love isn’t only body-love. It's not simply looking in the mirror saying, “I love you, I love that I'm so beautiful and so fit and so wonderful.”
Radical self-love is about deep trust and surrender. Deep faith in yourself. Feeling and embracing all the emotions that surface when you view a certain part of your body. Honoring your body for the beautiful temple and vessel that she is. It’s not about ego or conceit. It’s the ability to deeply feel your emotions. And I emphasize feeling, because I think we forget about this part. Often, it’s the feeling of being aligned, within ourselves.
So I like to call is M.B.S or mind, body, and soul (or spirit), depending on what resonates for you. I know, roll your eyes some more… but let’s break this down…
💡The root of what self-love is. It means making yourself a priority—making yourself, non-negotiable.
💡 True self-love is the embodiment of nourishing oneself.
💡Keep it simple. Keep it joyful and nourishing. Find 1 way you can nourish your mind, body, and soul.
💡 It’s okay to set something aside for a moment in time. But let that be a moment, and not days and months at a time.
Dr. Lisa and Hannah are on a mission to help mamas and babies alike so that moms who, for multiple factors, cannot produce breast milk naturally, have an alternative for breast milk if that is what they desire over baby formula. A few years ago, when more and more data started coming out about the importance of specific diet for the tiniest babies, think premature babies with a very low birth weight (under three pounds) whose mothers were unable to lactate due to stress, premature birth, and various factors, donor breast milk was a safe and good alternative. While donor breast milk may lack a bit of the biological antibodies of biological mother’s own milk, but it is still full of good nutrition. It is the preferred alternative to feeding formula to tiny premature baby as it could lead to life-threatening health complications.
Breastmilk is full of healthy nutrients for the baby, be it your own or a donor’s. For some reason, nowadays, a lot of women end up pumping and expressing their milk. Some benefits of feeding your baby breastmilk (yours or a donors), expressed, breastfed, or pumped include:
- A reduction in infectious diseases as they grow older.
- Decreased rates of ear infections and bloodstream infections, pneumonia urinary tract infection, meningitis, diarrhea, etc.
- It also decreases the rate of some other inflammatory diseases, even certain types of cancer.
Here are a few takeaways from today’s episode:
💡Give yourself and your body grace throughout this process.
💡If you are unable to breastfeed your baby, there are alternatives. Choose what works best for your baby.
💡Pay it forward and help change another baby and mama’s life. Donate your breast milk to milk banks.
It truly is liquid gold! Now this doesn’t mean that just because someone is unable to express breastmilk or chooses to formula feed, that’s a negative thing. Donor breast milk is a really safe alternative should you want that choice for your baby. All donors are vetted through a rigorous screening process, and are typically moms who are still actively breastfeeding their children or producing more milk than they need. What better way to help shape a community and save a child’s life than by donating your liquid gold, amirite!? It’s time to banish the stigma, help more babies and mamas in need, and help these babies get a strong start in life—one that’s nourished with liquid gold! Motherhood unifies us even if our liquid gold may be slightly different from one another!
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible womxn who need this.
See you next week!
Sabrina
Hey mamas,
We are back with another must-listen episode this week! This new year sure looks and feels different than the ones before, but one thing we know for sure is how we want to feel… how we want our kiddos to feel.
We are incredibly excited to share with you Jane Kristoffy, MEd, an educational strategist who helps students find their academic direction. She motivates kids to unleash their potential by helping them develop their learning and life skills, and find their passions and strengths.
A teacher and guidance counsellor for over twenty-five years, Jane founded Right Track in 2012. She’s a popular speaker on a variety of education and parenting topics, and a regular guest expert on national television news programs. She is the author of her first book titled, Launch Your Kid: How to Promote Your Child’s Academic and Personal Success (without being a helicopter parent), which is jam-packed with no-nonsense tips for parents about how to get their kids through school and ready for the real world!
Navigating change and setting our kids up for success sure looks different this year with remote learning and a whole lot of uncertainty times a million. As parents, we have been forced to pivot like never before. Adding to the many invisible hats we wear as mamas, we are now donning the hat of teacher, leader, guide, and more! The pandemic has tripled the motherload for everyone involved. It’s crucial to manage physical, nutritional, mental, and emotional health for parents and kiddos during these times.
Sabrina and Jane talk about parenting styles, letting go of the mom-guilt, and setting your children up for success at each stage, pandemic or not.
Some key takeaways from today’s episode:
💡Set them up for success by helping them love their time alone—be it play time, reflection time, or simply connecting with themselves or their siblings, or even with you.
💡 When you leave room for growth, exponential growth takes place. Children’s creativity and problem-solving skills thrive when left to their own imagination.
💡 Notice when your kiddos energies and focus are at their peak levels... What are they doing? How do they study? What is the one thing that gets them focused... and continue to nurture that.
💡What do you do to set yourself up for success, Mama? If we want our children to be/do/act a certain way, it starts with us. Children do as we do, not what we say.
💡Setting children up for success takes a village, don’t be afraid to ask for help from other professionals. Keep the lines of communication open with your educators, engage where you can, and leave the rest. We are all in this together, though it might look different for each of us and our kids.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible womxn who need this.
See you next week!
Sabrina
Connect with Jane at:
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: @jane_right_track and @janekristoffy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELIvationnation1/
Website: www.righttrackeducation.ca
LinkedIn: Jane Kristoffy
Hi Mama, and welcome to another week! Woohoo! We’ve made it one week into 2021 so far! And here we are, still remote schooling, working from home, momming, and doing all the things. But guess what, Mama? We’ve totally got this!
I know it may feel like our motherload often goes unnoticed, and the last year has heightened it more so for both parents everywhere. While the maternal experience is shared about more openly more and more each year, today, we are in for a treat! We bring to you a husband/ father/ therapist’s perspective on motherhood and mental health.
Meet Eli Weinstein, a social work therapist who has worked in a psychiatric hospital, intense outpatient clinic, and currently works in a community clinic in queens. He created ELIvation to fill a need to help those in struggling times and add extra inspiration and motivation into everyday life. Eli has been featured on Kelly Clarkson show, IVF Warrior, Fruitful, Breaking Taboo and on multiple podcast ranging from parenting, relationships, mental health, and infertility. His main goal is to help people on their journey to add support, care, empathy, expertise, and insight. He runs events, seminars, and individual coaching on topics from mental health awareness, public speaking coaching, relationship coaching, and confidence-boosting.
In today’s episode, learn how to:
💡Listen and hold space for one another. Tune out the noise. Listen with intention. It is a skill that can be developed.
💡It’s okay for your roles to be mixed and matched. Take a moment, breathe, and refocus on what you need to do in the moment.
💡It’s okay to pivot. It means you are readjusting, going with the flow so that you can handle what life throws at you. It’s okay to ease the pressure. Stop “should-ing” yourself.
💡Practice situational triage: Is this situation life or death? Can it be moved to later? Who/What do you need help or support?
I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Pay it forward to and share, share, share this episode and your takeaways on social media and tag us @ygtmama #youvegotthismamapodcast. Subscribe + Rate + Leave us a review as it helps get our message get in front of more incredible womxn who need this.
Hello Mama and welcome to the You’ve Got This Mama Podcast, season 2. What a year, amirite? But we survived it and here we are in 2021, new year, new vision, new perspective.
We took a short hiatus from the podcast (you’ve probably noticed that we’ve been away from it for a while) with intention of course.
2020 was a year for turning inward, a year for reflection, assessing where we needed to make some massive changes, and it’s also been a year of incredible growth.
It feels good to be back—more aligned, more intentional than ever, and more spaciousness, because that is where everything thrives.
Today’s episode talks about New Year’s Intentions vs Resolutions. You’re likely wondering… huh? How is that any different? Well, Mama, it is.
Especially given the year we had, and the year that awaits us with second lockdowns, schools closing down once again, forcing parents to pivot to homeschooling while working and all the things, yet again. Aka the same scenario repeating itself, but the difference this time around will be our intentions around it - how we can blend our lives together and still maintain our personal space, our mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing.
Here’s the thing, statistics show that 80% of people give up on their “resolutions” by January 17th to be exact, which is why it’s now been coined Goodbye New Year’s Resolutions day!
Have you ever wondered why we do that? Why do we say something only to self-sabotage our efforts that we deep dive into on January 1st? And most of all, why wait until the new year to start something new or make a change?
In today’s episode, learn how to:
💡Set intentions instead of resolutions so you can focus on long-term growth and change.
💡Stack healthy habits instead of cold turkey deprivation.
💡Focus on the journey, the growth, instead of the end destination.
💡Commit to how you want to feel. Commit to your WHY. Anchor into it!
Hello Mamas! We are so happy to be back in a groove with many more episodes coming your way... The balmy summer days are slowly turning into gentle, cooler days (hopefully on all fronts), and we are gearing up for September, not knowing what lies ahead. And that is even more reason why we are so excited to bring to you some truly special guests -- Anna Lozano and Lindy Sood -- Founders and CEOs of Love Powered Co - the affirmation company. They are moms on a mission to power the next generation of mindful leaders and make I AM affirmations a common practice in homes around the world. Their affirmations have been seen on The Marilyn Denis Show, Breakfast Television, Fox News, and enjoyed by influencers and celebrities including Sarah Landry of The Birds Papaya, Jaime King, Jully Black, Cheryl Hickey amongst many others! Wowza! Talk about powerhouses, amirite?! On the podcast, we chat with Anna and Lindy about the power of affirmations, how it changed their life and quite frankly, how they approached motherhood. Both of them were on their separate but simultaneous journey of self-discovery and personal growth, centered around self-love. Their lives were transforming before their eyes, these changes visible in the everyday nuances and intricacies of their life. While most people would consider affirmations unimportant or silly, Anna and Lindy leaned hard into practicing I AM affirmations in their household, so much so it became a daily ritual. They noticed how their energy level shifted whenever they would state an affirmation, and soon they noticed these feelings of positivity, confidence, inspiration, worthiness, calm, kindness, openness lasted long after their affirmation ritual was over. Imagine how powerful words can be -- to shape your thoughts, words, actions, and in essence, design your life. And more than that, if mindfulness practices are beneficial for us, as mamas, imagine the positive effects they have on our children! With these exact thoughts in mind, parallel life journeys, shared values, and a deep desire to birth something beautiful, life changing and meaningful, Anna and Lindy followed their creative and intuitive nudge to create affirmations that were powered with deep self-love, and so, Love Powered Co. was born. Some top takeaways from today's episode: Socio-cultural conditioning often teaches us to think that self-care, self-love is not important and those who do practice this are self-centered or self-absorbed. Well, Mama, here's a reality flash: Self-love, self-care, and self-worth are basic needs for you to not only survive, but also thrive in all areas of your life. You are not being self-centered when you affirm yourself. The way you speak to yourself is so important, Mama. Self-love is the highest form of kindness and love you can give to yourself. How you love yourself sets the tone for how you love others and the love you accept. And we all know the oxygen-mask-in-an-airplane analogy: Put your own mask on first before you go to help others. The same applies to motherhood, business, and your personal life. Instilling these practices within our daily routine is powerful, it makes a difference in our life and also impacts our kiddos. How beautiful is it to set the tone and raise empowered, conscious littles who know that the key to long lasting peace, joy, and success lies within themselves -- their self-love, their self-confidence, their self-worth. Everything you encounter in your life, motherhood, and business, there is an affirmation for that. Cheeky, we know! But it's true! Words are so powerful they have the power to shift your mood, your energetic vibration, and your whole life. That being said, embrace the squiggly lines and the highs and lows, the ebbs and flows. The journey to success in all areas of your life is non linear. Luck has nothing to do with it.
Hi Mamas, We are back after a bit of a hiatus... one that has been much needed... to reflect, to reassess, and pave the way forward on a wholistic lens. A lens where every voice is heard and shared. A platform where every story is heard and felt. The last few months have been months of reflection in light of the global pandemic, the #BlackLivesMatter movement and revolution, and much more. These last couple months have meant learning to take radical ownership toward being anti-racist, taking a step back to check my privilege while unlearning and relearning so many sociocultural narratives and dialogues, and truly creating a space for BIPOC voices to be heard, felt, and understood. Today's episode is special for so many reasons. This is a promise that no longer will I be silent, no longer will we be silent. This is a promise to honor the voices that have been oppressed for too long and hold space for their experiences. Today, we connect with Samantha Monpetit-Huynh, who is a mother of two beautiful girls, a core and pelvic floor rehab specialist who has been been in the fitness industry for almost 20 years. Samantha helps women take back control of their health, get off the hamster wheel of dieting so they can re-connect with their bodies, feel strong and build confidence once and for all at samcoretrainer.com Samantha is known extensively in her field and has appeared on several television shows as well as print media and was the resident fitness expert on the Marilyn Denis Show, a national award winning lifestyle show across Canada, from 2013-2017. However, today, we are not talking about any of that. Today's episode discusses the very real, raw, and vulnerable and much-needed conversation that is anti-racism. Today's conversation will crack your heart wide open because anti-racism work doesn't end within one week, one month, or one year. It is the work of a lifetime so that future generations of BIPOC will never have to experience the overt and covert oppression that still pervades our modern society. Samantha discusses how growing up in a biracial household often left her wondering, "Where do I really fit in?" In light of the Black Lives Matter movement that came to a collective uproar, it really has brought to light the racism that still permeates the daily facets of our lives. We don't see it, but it is there. And the only way to do away with it is to have a constant dialogue, unapologetically. We don't know about you, but we have been in a metamorphosis, we have been in a cocoon and our hope is that we, as a humans, emerge stronger and much wiser and empathetic than before. Sabrina and Samantha discuss certain key takeaways on creating a healthy, openhearted, and honest dialogue about White privilege, anti-racism, and the systemic oppression that takes place:
- Staying silent is worse than saying the "wrong" thing. Speak from your heart, own what you're being called out on, and do the work. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's uncomfortable AF, but it's so crucial to all of humanity.
- Understand the privilege you hold in society, and use that to pave the way for positive change, for anti-racism. Being anti-racist isn't a preference, it is a way of life. We have the ability as mamas to raise children who are empathetic, completely self-aware, and inclusive while respecting and honoring the diverse cultures around them.
- Stand in your truth. Speak up when you notice someone being racist - overtly or covertly. You won't always get rewarded for speaking your truth, but you will be creating the impact of a lifetime. Your littles are watching, listening, and feeling into everything you do and say.
- Allow your children to BE the change in this world. Children have hearts that are pure and full of love.
Ola Mamas, we are back this week with our very last episode in our Covid Compassion Project series with an episode that will hit home for many of you. Yes, it talks about self-care. I know we discuss that on the show in copious amount every single episode, but today's episode is special because it talks about self-care during change, being compassionate toward yourself, and all of the hard stuff, the icky stuff we know we meed to do because its good for us and our sanity, but never get around to doing. Joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Leah Katz, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist practicing in Portland, Oregon. Originally from New York, she completed her doctorate training at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. While living in New York, Dr. Katz worked at a community clinic where she led several groups, treated individuals and couples in therapy, and taught a course in Health Psychology at Stern College for Women. We deal with change every single day - some big, some small, and some of it, life-changing. Well, Mama, I think it is safe to say that 2020 has been the year of colossal upheaval and change. And you know what, as moms, we are built for change. We are built for colossal upheaval every single day, from the time we become pregnant, until our littles are all grown up. Being a mom changes you in so many ways, but all for the better. However, how often do we embrace that change with compassion, with kindness, with wholehearted surrender? So often, our desires shift, our life shifts, our goals shift. Everything we once knew to be dear changes. Right now is no different. Mama, we always pressure ourselves to do more, be more every single day. We juggle it all round the clock, it just never stops. But one thing is for certain, if you are not whole, if you are not healthy (emotionally, mentally, and physically), everything else will cease to exist. You are needed. You are human first. Right now, our homes are not only where we eat, sleep, breathe and live. They are also our offices, our schools, our space of 24/7 coexistence with our families. And I don't know about you, but as much as I love my family to pieces, this mama needs her sanity. And that is in the form of daily self-care. Now I know, you're likely thinking, "Sabrina I don't have time to paint my nails and take a lavender salt bath." And that is okay. That is one part of self-care. The self-care Dr. Leah and myself talk about on the show is one where we get sustenance through periods of change, one that grounds us, mothers us, and supports us every single day. As moms, the first thing we let go of is taking care of ourselves. This looks like reheating the same cup of coffee 5x a day, eating crumbs or leftovers, reshuffling "our" plans over that of our partners' and children. Self-care in this context is literally stepping outside for 10 minutes and taking a deep breath. It could mean reading 10 pages of a book you love everyday. It could mean waking up an hour earlier than your family so you can get some movement in your day or meditation or whatever it is that anchors you and fuels you. Self-care is what will set you up for success during times of massive change. And change is constant, amirite?! Self care is also being accepting of yourself, surrendering to your day, to the moment. You do not have to save the world in a day, Mama. I repeat, you do not need to save the world every single day. You just need to save yourself and your family first, and that means putting on your oxygen mask first. Here are some of the things we talk about today: - Leading your children by example, and that starts with self-care. They watch everything - what you say, do, who you are. Your actions matter, Mama. Teach your kids to take care of themselves and nourish themselves by doing so for yourself. - Fuel your mind, body, and soul every single day. This will look different everyday,
Hey Mamas, Happy Belated Mother’s Day! We hope that you were pampered, nourished, and nurtured this weekend - no matter what that looked like. That being said, our COVID Compassion Project series continues to gain momentum and is changi...
Hey Mamas, another week, another day, but hello May! Our Covid Compassion Project series is still going strong and today we have a juicy, and much, much needed episode to help you with all things business and learning to adapt and pivot during these interesting times. We always hear the saying in business and life, "prepare for impact," but how often do we actually do so? Today's episode features Emily Reagan who is a mom of four, an air force wife, a digital marketing consultant and founder of vacrashcourse.com (http://vacrashcourse.com/). She has a background in journalism and electronic media. As a scrappy military wife who has moved every two years, Emily has worked in various jobs related to public relations, marketing, sports media relations, journalism, and video production. Finally her random skillset has come together as a freelancer “VA” (virtual assistant), where she helps creative entrepreneurs take their talents online, grow their social media presence and build their sales funnels. She quickly booked out and didn’t like turning down clients, so she trained her smart military spouse and mom friends to learn digital media tech skills and take on clients as their own. She calls her Digital Media VA Crash Course graduates “unicorn VAs” because they have all the resourceful qualities, online insight and implementation skills that online business owners are looking to hire first... Aka that total magical package. In today's episode, Sabrina and Emily talk about all things business, how to adapt, and of course how to prepare for impact. For many of us who are in business or who are considering starting an online business during a time of crisis, today's episode will shake you up and give you the encouragement and boost you need to jump feet first, all-in. So... without further adieu, here are our top takeaways from today's episode which we know will be highly valuable for all those tuning in or reading in: 1. Physical distancing, not social distancing. Why? Because now more than ever, we need community, we need connection. So yes, we are physically distant during this time, but socially more present than ever. Plug into online communities, podcasts. Have a porchside conversation with a friend. Better yet, mastermind with your biz besties and get the wheels in your biz turning, which brings us to our main point... 2. Adapt and pivot. Don't shut down. We repeat, do not freeze. Mamas, we know firsthand how it feels to have all this doubt and uncertainty swirling around when faced with crisis, but isn't that why we exist? Navigating a crisis is literally a mom superpower; we do this with our littles every single day. We do the damn juggle all day, everyday. Right now isn't so different. Use that fuel to launch your business, to make that side hustle your full time gig. To not go back to corporate. To forge your own path. For those of you in businesses that are a bit more brick and mortar, have a sit down meeting with yourself (and your team if you have one), and ask yourselves how you can pivot. What can you offer en masse at an accessible price that still brings home the income sustainably? Can you do online classes, courses, consultations, porch side deliveries? The world is literally your canvas right now. This is the much needed pivot many of us needed, the reset we were longing for (even if the circumstances are not ideal), the time we craved to work on our businesses and side hustles, the opportunity to create the life we desire, the type of "normal" we have the power to curate and create once things open up and everything is functional again. One thing is for certain, things will never go back to "normal,
Hello Mamas, our special #CovidCompassionProject series continues to spread hope, positivity, and tons of tips and strategies to help you make the best of this time at home for yourself and with your family, no matter the current state ci...
Welcome, Mama, to the next six weeks otherwise known as the COVID Compassion Project where we do a deep dive into "how" to juggle life and motherhood during these difficult times. Our second episode in this special series features the incredibly stylish, savvy, and creative, Maria Swann — a professional wardrobe organizer and style branding strategist. She is also a mother and wife in a fun, blended family and created her business for the quintessential busy women who just want to look good and feel good, so they can show up powerfully no matter where they go. In her years of working in corporate America and in conversation with many clients, she realized there were women who lacked confidence because of how they looked. Maria knows and believes that women who feel good about themselves are more confident — they are the ones who ask for raises, speak up in meetings, negotiate the deals, and show up in life ready for whatever comes, Instead of hiding in a corner tugging at a top that doesn't fit well. In today’s episode, Sabrina and Maria chat about all things style, looking good and feeling good, and how everything in our lives gets so much better when we feel good about ourselves! Yes, Mama, you heard that correct! We know you’re currently at home juggling even more than you normally would (the everyday juggle was hard enough as it is). We see you donning the multiple capes and hats between online client meetings, homework with the kiddos, and lunch, dishes, laundry, repeat! You take care of everyone else and your own needs and style go out of style, right? Just because we are living through a pandemic at the moment doesn’t mean we cannot and should not feel good about ourselves. You are beautiful and enough, in the skin and body you currently have! So how can you show up a bit differently for yourself? How can you revel in the body you currently have, how can you feel more at home in your own skin? Maria’s overall philosophy: Simplify to amplify! Own your style!
Make minor adjustments in your daily routine such as taking a little extra time to go through your skincare routine… Take that extra time to do your hair (even if that is the only thing you do in the morning), and gosh, have your juice/coffee/morning fuel before you go in Mama mode for the rest of the day! Those little tweaks make a massive difference! Too sick of an overcrowded wardrobe and don’t want to shop for new things at the moment? No problem! Gather the family for a mini fashion show and choose your top 5 outfits for a casual - just-hanging-out-but-still-business look (no pj’s or yoga pants allowed for this one!) Create a capsule wardrobe! Sure you might be all comfy cozy in those pjs, but having a quick top or dress to slip on will uplift your mood instantly! You’ll show up like you mean it even more online and offline It’s all about the simple things! Are you hanging on to outfits that no longer fit you? Ask yourself why? This time is all about growth and healing on so many levels. Perhaps you hang onto old outfits because they remind you of a happier, fun time in your life — we hear ya, Mama. But hanging on to old stuff that no longer fits is no fun — mentally, emotionally, and of course, literally. Instead, offer your gently used items to another friend or loved one or donate them in a fellow mama or biz clothing group! You never know whose day they might brighten. Identify your style! Is is always having accessories such as jewelry? Or is it hats? Perhaps it’s scarves or a simple shirt dress? Figure out what your unique go-to style is and curate your wardrobe around that! Style is forever.
We are back, Mamas and we are back with a special series of episodes dedicated to helping you thrive during this global pause. It's been almost a month since we have been wearing all the hats, full-dang-time! Welcome to the next six weeks otherwise known as the COVID Compassion Project where we do a deep dive into "how" to juggle life and motherhood during these difficult times. Our first episode features Krista Lockwood, a decluttering specialist who teaches and empowers moms to create a minimalistic lifestyle so they can shift the focus off of the stuff in their home and onto the people inside it. Currently, as a global collective we have been thrust into a new normal which involves homeschooling, parenting, working - all in the same environment, day in and day out. Virtual hangouts and conferences, physical distancing (for now), and of course the very real grocery store lineups outside, and the TP shortage (or should we say TP mindset?) We have been forced to adapt, evolve, and shift the way we live our life, and Mamas, we at YGTMama are leaning in full force. And when you really think about it, as mamas, we are built for this. We are equipped for pivoting on the fly! Krista and her family of five moved cross country from Alaska to Florida with nothing else but 3 suitcases that held all of their family belongings. It was this move that jumpstarted her love for minimalism and decluttering. The more she decluttered, the simpler her life became. She regained control of her time, energy, and wellbeing. Her family spent more time together with each other versus constantly fielding all of the things strewn across the house. Sabrina and Krista discuss the energetics behind having a cluttered home and a cluttered life and mind. True story, Mamas, while we cannot control the overflow of laundry, we can certainly spend some moments each day releasing the stuff we no longer need. And there is no perfect time than the present to do so. To get clarity on what you have, how much you have, and why you continue to hang onto it. In a time where many of us are hoarding things, emotions, and anything else out of safety, ask yourself how you can evaluate everything with a discerning eye and release it with kindness and gratitude. Trust that you have more than enough and that you will continue to be supported. Consider this time as a cocoon and mama metamorphosis. Start laying the groundwork for what you want your life to feel like and how you want to feel once this situation resolves itself. Choose to show up for yourself and get started one outfit, one room, and one piece of furniture at a time. These projects do not need to be massive, nobody expects you to declutter like a Love it or List it marathoner. They can be a small-one-shelf-or-drawer a day project. Before you know it, you will feel so much lighter mentally and emotionally. Choose to simplify your life and trust that you will always have exactly what you need to carry you through! Love yourself through this chaos and truly lean into what will give you room to breathe, 'cause Mama you've totally got this! To learn more about Krista and her work, or to connect with her, reach out to her on her social media platforms listed below. Website (http://motherhoodsimplified.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monasharma/?hl=en) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonaSharmaWellness/)
Wowza, Mamas, what a week and a bit it has been! It feels like the world has been shoved into a literal pause and reformation with the Coronavirus pandemic. Lives are changing as we speak, businesses and corporations are forced to adapt and evolve now more than ever, our kiddos are home for the next few weeks, and overall, as a society, we are practicing social distancing - can you say massive change or what?! If this week has taught us anything, as mamas, it is this: We have successfully navigated the time change, Friday the 13th, province and nationwide school closures, and a bit of snow, and a global pandemic all in one week! I joke, but no, seriously. It really makes you think. Change is the only constant and as mamas, our lives are forever changing rapidly right from the start of our motherhood journey.
This week on the podcast, we have Allison Lockett, a Toronto-based career coach who helps people identify and lock down their dream career, and thrive doing it. Through courses and coaching programs, her work raises consciousness around our working lives, and empowers individuals to live their calling. She incorporates deep corporate experience in consulting and HR leadership, together with extensive creative and spiritual training, to bring a fresh take on career development and using work as a vehicle for personal growth. Allison has an MBA, is a certified yoga teacher and is emerging as a leading voice in the career space.
Allison’s journey into entrepreneurship and first major shift into personal development truly began when she went on maternity leave with the birth of her daughter. Diving down the Google rabbit hole, she discovered a whole new world full of self-development and online entrepreneurship, which sparked the thought, “There has to be something different for me out there.” And so, she spent time dabbling and experimenting with various business ideas. However, her journey into full-fledged taking-the-leap entrepreneurship took place much later as she continued to develop the confidence and courage to own her gifts and share them unapologetically with the world.
Leaning into the unknown is hard, change and growth are also hard. Correction, it feels uncomfortable because you are being led by something greater than yourself - the Universe, Source, God - whatever you relate to, will direct you and redirect you toward where you’re meant to be. As moms, our priorities practically evolve overnight, the moment we learn we are going to have a tiny human to nourish and nurture. Allison discusses how every woman’s journey into motherhood is unique, she too realized that while she loved being a mom, she also very much was a career girl at heart. Although her lifestyle drastically shifted once she became a mom, she realized that she still wanted to nourish her ambition and dreams, still make an impact and do work that is purposeful.
Both Sabrina and Alison discuss how important it is to still fan the flames of your own dreams, nurture your identity as a woman before you took on the titles and roles in society. Especially in our rapidly evolving society, workplace structures and norms are shifting and if this past week was any indication, more and more corporate careers are shifting toward a remote-work and flex-work lifestyle. As a society, we have been so ingrained to fit into this archaic box, which then follows us into our career choices and jobs, however, you are only as good as your ability to adapt - you just have to identify a work option that works for you and your family. And Mama, it is totally 100% possible to change your careers after you have kids. Please don’t guilt yourself, it might take you some time to get to where you need to get to, but please take that first leap of courage, and continue on with fierce confidence that you have so much to offer from your years and decades of experience personally and professionally.
This week, in our very special series of episodes featuring our wonderful panel of speakers at our upcoming Boss Mama Retreat, we have my dear friend, Mona Sharma. For more information about how to join us in person for a beautiful day filled with joy and inspiration, check us out here.
As a celebrity wellness educator who recently appeared on Red Table Talk as Will Smith’s holistic nutritionist and mind/body coach, she is also the founder of XicamaTM, an innovative line of functional food and beverage products that deliver the gut- and immune-boosting benefits of the superfood, Jicama. Her early years were spent living in an ashram while learning about the power of food as medicine, yoga, and meditation to heal the body. After overcoming two heart surgeries, experiencing chronic anxiety, and burning out in the corporate world, she returned to her Ayurvedic roots and began her own healing journey, healing herself from the inside out. As a result, she takes a holistic view while partnering with functional medicine doctors to optimize each person’s unique constitution.
In this episode, Mona and Sabrina chat about living a balanced, empowered, holistic lifestyle on a daily basis. Nobody can just jet off to Bali or go to an ashram for a month or two to recharge and rejuvenate themselves -- mind, body, and soul. But what we can do is implement the principles of “food is medicine,” “movement renews your energy,” and “meditation will heal your soul.” We are so often bombarded with messages of dieting, exercising, looking “fit,” looking “good,” but whose ideals are you living up to anyway? Moreover, as women, as moms, although the juggle is real between kids, a partner, your career and social life, and everything in between, how do we recharge our life, our minds, our souls, and our bodies?
We are responsible for the health of our families, but how can we ensure that we also take care of ourselves, without the guilt, without the shame, without the constant pressure of societal expectations? One of the ways we can do this is by nourishing our minds and bodies with delicious, nutrient-rich foods.
Yes, mama, nobody likes to spend two hours in the kitchen meal prepping on the weekend, but taking the time to prep your meals and batch your recipes every weekend will get both you and your family into a routine (which is ahhhmazing especially when you have young wee ones who are always watching!). But more than that, imagine coming home to ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat food instead of scrambling at the last minute wondering, what on earth shall I make for dinner tonight? Or going on a hangry takeout dinner spree and ordering the sweet-salty-fried-processed food orchestra for you and your family.
Instead, prep your smoothie the night before with some quality fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and some protein sources for you and your kiddos. Have your list of non-negotiables every single morning - be it drinking a glass of warm water with some lemon, getting in 5 minutes of reflection/meditation, moving your body through some exercise and stretches for another 5-10 minutes… What are your pillars? Your kids and family will follow in your footsteps slowly but surely, but the trick is to create a routine of your non-negotiables, little eyes and ears are always watching and listening, even if you think they’re not. Healthy habits build a healthy mind, body, and soul.
Instead of overwhelming yourself with doing a 360-degree turn and shocking your system with a total habit change, how about implementing small changes daily into your life and making them a part of your routine? This is also known as habit stacking and helps with long term sustainability and will stop you from “falling off the wagon” and instead, help you embody and truly live a holistic lifestyle. This will also help you balance and manage the emotions that co...
This Episode is the first of a very special series of episodes featuring our wonderful panel of speakers at our upcoming Boss Mama Retreat. For more information about how to join us in person for a beautiful day filled with joy and inspiration, check us out here.
Leisse Wilcox is a professional human and real-life adult who helps women find clarity in what they want, confidence in who they are, and the courage to stay true to both. A passionate speaker, writer, coach, podcast host, taco enthusiast, and mom of three, her entire experience has been about coming home to her truest self, and to call herself “beloved.”
Through lots of life lessons learned, Leisse taught herself to turn difficult and ugly into something purposeful and beautiful, using a process she calls “Emotional Alchemy.” Leisse genuinely believes that changing the world starts by making the changes we want to see within ourselves, first. When we find true clarity, confidence, and courage, we start a ripple effect that makes huge waves in the world around us.
Leisse's work is centred on giving people permission to be their authentic selves. There are so many stories that are told about us that we internalize. There are so many things that can happen to a person that could tank their identity. We choose to carry the burdens of other experiences and transmuting them into something that is truly and uniquely our own. For Leisse, her battle with breast cancer and subsequent double mastectomy and chemo treatment was the spark that lit her drive to change the negative into the positive. Looking back at the trauma from her life, she took a simple mindset shift and made those ugly uncomfortable experiences have better meaning and purpose in her life. We need to take the negative experiences and turn them into the positive in our lives. We cannot control the experiences, but we can control how much power we give them in our lives. We can feel the ugly, hard feelings, but we don't have to live there. By naming your feelings you don't have to feel isolated and burdened by them. You are giving yourself permission to sit in the feelings, it shifts you back into the driver's seat and you can control the path the feelings take you. When you examine the triggers and your current state, you can direct where the feelings take you.
We are constantly bombarded with messaging that we are not enough. We are marketed towards not being enough, not having enough. Our loved ones can reverberate the message that we are not doing enough. We are surrounded by negative. They have their own perception of us and we carry these heavy messages. When our brain identifies with truth, it clings to that truth and does what it can to remain in the known truth. We begin to attract the negative to keep us in the truth we believe when we believe in the negative. But when we choose to change our truth, we start to consciously attract the things we want to be surrounded with.
As a parent, when we reflect on our own negative experiences we start to see the patterns of the issues we had in childhood. By identifying and being conscious of how we thought about growing up, we can reflect on the attitudes we want our children to reflect. When we support their voices and autonomy, we give them the identity they need to own their own truth, and strength and emotional maturity needed to protect their truth. Children want to be seen and heard, and they want permission to be themselves without the fear of rejection or isolation. These are universal traits of the human experience. Our children want the same thing we do as adults. It is important to slow down and let our children direct their own lives. Our kids don't have to be how we want them to be, as long as they can belong to the group in a compassionate, kind way. Our job is to teach them how to act in those ways.
Suzanne Colmer is the founder of Your Shop Girl, a style and image consulting company in Toronto. She specializes in closet cleanses and educational shopping experiences and what she knows best is how to develop a wardrobe that you actually use 100% of. Suzanne is a graduate of George Brown’s Image Consulting program and has enhanced her studies at both the Sorbonne University in France and The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Often sought out by media as a style expert, she has been featured in The Toronto Star, on Rogers TV, CBC Radio, City Line, and Global TV.
Suzanne marries the art of dressing with the science of it, and she'll explain to us how establishing a foundation for your clothing and allows you to coordinate multiple outfits with minimal pieces.
With the start of the new year, people start taking inventory of their wardrobes, their habits, and their goals. Suzanne sometimes forgets she's in fashion because she sees how people present themselves as so much deeper than just dressing people like barbie dolls. She wants to understand who people are and who they want to be in order to accurately help people present themselves to the world. As a sociology and philosophy major, she is fascinated by the one on one with people. Seeing people make the connection between why they like something and how they can replicate the things that work for them. Pairing the understanding of what works with the knowledge of fashion and clothing, Suzanne loves the transformations in her clients.
Moms put themselves on the back burner. With a long list of other people's needs coming before ours, we neglect our needs. How many of us are like Sabrina, and haven't bought a new item of clothing (besides socks and underwear) in years? Do your clothes fit you still? Have you changed in the last 5 years? Has your wardrobe? Finances are tight and obligations are many. How do we start?
Start with taking inventory of your closet. Does everything fit who you are right now? Are they you? From age, body changes, and life changes, you have to look at who you are right now and what you want to portray to the world. Can you come up with 3 words to describe how you want to be seen? Approachable? Effortless? Dramatic? Fashion-forward? or Minimalistic? Find your ideal style words. It can be slightly difficult, so try finding 10-12 pictures on something like a Pinterest board that inspires you. Or maybe they are the same types of outfits. Find words that you would use to describe those pictures and find the common ones on your board.
When you're shopping for clothing, you can put together 100 different outfits that would look good on you, but only 2-3 of them would be ones that made you feel your best. When you reflect on your style and how you want the world to see you, the outfit that makes you feel good is the one you want to wear. A fashion consultant like Suzanne takes their clients through a process to uncover these outfits. Tailored to the individual, Your Shop Girl begins with an understanding of the style that would work for them. Sometimes they will go through closets and pick out the pieces that would work, or they skip that step and start fresh. From there, Suzanne discusses the benefits of capsule wardrobes. Not wanting to take longer than necessary each morning, by having pieces that work with 2-3 other pieces in your wardrobe you have the ability to build an outfit.
Capsule wardrobes are thought of as made up of 6 clothing options, organized like a pyramid. With a layering piece at the top to design the capsule around, like a cardigan or a jacket, you pair it with 2 bottom options underneath. Under that would be 3 top options that would work with both the bottoms and finally, 4 accessories that would change the look for the outfits. Any piece from the levels would coordinate with the other levels of the pyramid,
Lisa is a social media coach who is passionate about helping female business owners shine online, with social media plans that are smart, simple and stress-free. Lisa left the corporate marketing world 9 years ago to work as a freelance social media consultant and community manager and loves being her own boss. She has had the honour of appearing as a speaker and panellist on the topic of social media and blogging at various conferences. She lives in Toronto with her husband, two kids and dog - who are all huge Marvel and Star Wars fans!
Sabrina has worked with Lisa before as a professional social media coach, but today's topic is on kids and social media, from introducing them online to protecting them from the pitfalls social media has. What about social media should we allow our kids into, and what does it mean to cultivate a healthy online presence? Lisa says the best way to teach your kids responsible internet habits, is by modelling a responsible relationship with our phones. If we take a moment to think, a pause while we scroll, are we modelling good behaviour for our kids? The next thing that's important is to teach them how to use social media. Isolating them and keeping them offline keeps them from learning how to properly use social media. Eventually, they will get access, and if they aren't given the tools to know how to be safe, it could be a nightmare. One of Lisa's common rules amongst families is that if you wouldn't say it to a person's face, you shouldn't say it online. Lisa will engage her kids and even share articles she finds on her media and show them the emotions and power behind social media and the ability to share stories and information.
One problem with social media is that there is always a new platform or new technology, and staying informed on the best practices while trying to teach your kids best practices? Lisa started allowing her 9-year-old daughter to text friends and family using iMessage. The devices are owned by the parents and they have full transparency with spot checks. Lisa will log into her daughter's Instagram account and will check new message requests, follow requests, and will ask her daughter who they are. Lisa is very transparent that she is not reading what the messages contain, but is checking who is reaching out. But Lisa is also transparent about the risks with her daughter and will discuss the predators and harm that has happened through social media. By being transparent about what the checks are and what she is looking for, it establishes trust in the relationship, and her daughter will come to her and ask questions if there is ever any interaction that seems suspicious.
Both Lisa and Sabrina talk about the importance of trust in the relationship with your child, and to enforce boundaries that have been established in the household. They have to be consistent and enforced, however, they look for your family. Boundaries do not just exist for kids, however, and setting intentions around your screen use is reflected in your kids. Sabrina even suggests introducing intermittent fasting for screens, at least an hour before bed and not having it be the first thing you do in the morning. Lisa suggests setting times when no electronics are on, for everyone in the family. As in, not during dinnertime or at a restaurant. Have a family meeting and everyone comes up with the rules and they can all work together to abide by them. The kids want a little bit of autonomy and a bit of privacy while talking to their friends and engaging online. As long as the trust and the rules are being met, with proper guidance and transparency on who they are talking to, good habits can be encouraged.
Social Media Addiction is a problem. Lisa has introduced social media and online tools to her children as early as 6.5 years old. From the beginning, Lisa has encouraged the boundaries and rules with her family and includes family-wide restri...
Jenna Kim Jones is a clean stand up comedian who performs regularly nationwide. Jenna has three comedy specials which are played regularly on Sirius XM. She was the featured comedian on Sirius XM’s Channel Laugh USA in September 2016 and August 2018. Jenna also released a video special with Dry Bar Comedy called “Jenna Kim Jones: Fun to Hug” that is available to stream on Amazon Prime. Jenna is the co-host of the television series Random Acts and has a daily podcast she hosts with her husband called Couple Friends!
As a mom of two, Jenna is no stranger to the chaos and with a 4 and 2-year old, she is busy. Jenna brings fun and brightness to the grey areas of motherhood, the areas that get swept under the rug and dismissed. How does Jenna find the humour in motherhood? Sometimes it is difficult. Jenna shares with us one of many episodes in motherhood where nothing goes right. Bubbles, a newly crawling baby and a door locking toddler inspired Jenna to start seeing that there can be laughter found in the most stressful situations and sometimes all you can do is laugh at the impossibility of it. All of these hard moments can be hilarious. By focusing on the outrageous, she can laugh at the hardest days. By searching out the humour, it can lighten the heavy work of motherhood.
Finding her mom friends helped her learn to let things go. That it doesn't matter if you don't know what you are doing half the time, because they don't know either. By having mom friends that compare each other or compete with the milestones. Kids don't remember the small stuff like when they were potty trained or bottle-fed, kids remember the love, and parents that do everything in their power to make sure their kids are happy and healthy. Sometimes we just have to let it go.
Try every day to laugh with your kids. Some days just feel like everyone is grumpy and combative. Jenna checks in to see if everyone has laughed together. Kids should know what it feels like to just laugh. We all have those days where it feels like every other minute is a time out or a mess. We should do whatever it takes to make them laugh, silly clothes, silly faces whatever is needed to laugh, even on the really bad days. Laughter always lightens the mood.
It's important to teach our kids that it is okay to cry, it is okay to laugh, that feeling all the emotions is what a human needs to do. When we expect them to bottle all the feelings up they never learn how to regulate all of those big messy feelings. So when they cry just let it out. When they laugh, go big and be silly.
Jenna has done stand up for a long time and self-released her own special right before getting pregnant with her first daughter. Her career started to take off as she started her family, and her podcast, Couple Friends, came out after shifting her direction and focusing on family and the transition to finding friends while parenting. Couples Friends is a short little pick me up that lets the humour in every day. It’s so hard to find couple friends. And then when you do they, like, want to hang out. Problem solved! Let Jenna Kim Jones and her husband #AL be your virtual couple friends. JKJ and #AL are the married couple friends you really want to see but, like, you’re also kind of tired and maybe we can do it another time? They get you. And you get them. Listen to them talk about nonsense, play games, and ramble on about life. They’ll never talk politics and best of all, they’ll never ask you to babysit their kids so they can go on date night.
Couple Friends Podcast Instagram: @jennakimjones jennakimjones.com
This episode features a very special guest for Sabrina, her first ever personal coach, Chris Atley. She is known for her ability to help business owners reduce the overwhelm, and move through the obstacles keeping them from realizing their business dreams and lifestyle goals. Chris is an award winning coach, TEDx speaker and bestselling author. She has been featured on media outlets such as Bloomberg Radio, Fox, ABC and the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. The number one topic for women right now is self-care. Chris is convinced self-care is almost as important as breathing. And sometimes it is simply breathing. It is hard to separate out what is self-care when we are marketing images of spa days and chocolates. It may be a bit of a buzzword right now, but it is about honouring yourself and doing things that make you feel happy and more at peace and calm. We need to fill up our cup in this way first, so we can give to other people. Appreciating and honouring ourselves so we can provide to our families. It could be daily habits, once a month massage. But finding a ritual in your day will help alleviate the stress that wears us down. Start scheduling self-care as an appointment. You wouldn’t skip a doctors appointment- don’t skip one for yourself. Make sure to plan it for a time when you are energized and excited. Mornings give ample opportunity for time to yourself, enjoy coffee and set a good foundation for your day. If waiting until the end of the day, it gets pushed off from being tired, rushing through bedtime routines, etc. Sabrina and Chris have faced all of the excuses from not being a morning person, to not being able to wake up that early and more. It could start with walking the dog each morning, or getting out of the house. Self-care needs to work for you. If you really are not a morning person, try it at night. Make this work for your family and your schedule. Work with your support network and trade off time, ask your partner, a friend, whatever resources you can pool. Balancing little kids sleep schedules and a solid self care routine in the mornings don’t always align, but the key is to make sure your needs, including sleep are being met. Try nap time, or involving the kids in your meditations or affirmations like Sabrina did. Chris focuses her coaching on building an abundant mindset in her clients. She focuses on what our thoughts and beliefs are deep down so that we can see how we are showing up in life. Chris helps people manifest their biggest dreams and goals by shifting their mindset into a nurturing, flexible growth. As moms we are told we are “just a mom”. Between the full time work of the invisible motherload, on top of the children and losing our identities when we become mothers, we can lose focus on ourselves.
Following a path on how thoughts shape our reality and focusing on the study of miracles, Chris has developed a podcast on One Simple Truth, a deep dive into the study of miracles in a nondenominational way. She focuses on how to remove the roadblocks in our way. By breaking down the complex ideas behind these mindset shifts, it makes the practice more approachable and accessible, and you learn how to apply this on the practical level. You can understand it on a higher level, but applying it practically can take more understanding. How to start your mindset journey:
Get clear on what we want and believing it's possible. Look to someone else who does believe if you’re having trouble believing it. Find a role model and believe its possible. Get clear on what your beliefs are deep down. If you are not where you wanna be, there is a belief somewhere that is affecting how you are showing up. If it has not shifted emotionally or in our subconscious, it will be manifesting in our day to day. Analyze how you feel about success. What do you really believe? Be ready to receive.
Jackie Rockwell is your Crunchy-Mama BFF, here to support you on your journey to feeling your best as a confident mom. She is a coffee lover and a dancing queen!! She lives in Oregon with her Sexy-Rexy husband and three kiddos who are often found roaming around the neighborhood. She is the founder of Motherhood Inspired, an intentional platform that encourages mamas to prioritize their self-care through small things like eating meals while they’re still hot and through larger things, like regularly scheduled time to do what they want (hello snuggling up with a good book and a glass of wine!). She believes it is important to spend at least as much time caring for yourself as you spend caring for everyone around you. She’s on a mission to ditch #momguilt and banish the mom-shaming. She believes that moms don’t have to feel stuck in their motherhood. And she offers private coaching to busy moms who are ready to feel confident and balanced in their motherhood. We all have the power within us to live full and abundant lives and learning to manage your personal finances is a major portion of that. She is the creator of the online budgeting course, The Confident, Wealthy Mom which teaches moms how to stop putting things on the credit card without pinching pennies!
Self-care has been a topic that has really started gaining more awareness. The more you repeat things and hear it from other people, the more it resonates and sinks in, and starts to make sense. Jackie is a bookkeeper by trade and started looking at her family’s finances when she had children. She wanted to help other women and she also saw how self-care affected her life and her family’s life after becoming more aware of it. She has always scheduled a weekly time for herself, and her kids see her prioritizing herself. Instead of placing everyone else before her, she began prioritizing her well being, with yoga and nutritious meals. Something Sabrina agrees with is that self-care is often something you need to book like an appointment that you cannot miss. So what does self-care look like? It is not just bubble baths and cake. It can be setting boundaries, having a cup of tea, or choosing water over soda, and there are lots of ways we are already implementing self-care. Instead of feeling guilty for not doing enough, we should be appreciating what we already do to take care of ourselves, and also growing that and discovering how can we be intentional about doing more. In Sabrina’s Boss Mama Mastermind, they devote an entire week of the curriculum to self-care and have a worksheet that breaks down each section of time into mind, body, and soul. Mind, something that stimulates and inspires your mind like listening to a podcast or reading a book. Body is anything physical, like yoga or dancing or going for a walk. Soul is focused on your prayer, journaling or meditating, something more spiritual that connects you to your heart space. So when you break it down in this way, it makes it much more approachable when blocking it in your schedule. 30 Easy Self-Care Ideas from Jackie breaks down what self-care can look like and is sorted into blocks of time, whether it be 5 or 45 minutes. Having a guide available gives more direction when looking for things that inspire you. What did you use to enjoy before the daily grind took the opportunity away? Self-care is not just for mamas of young children either, there are constant phase changes that accompany raising humans, from daycare to school to leaving the home, we need to keep our focus on who we are as people. Things can always change, so we need to nurture and give ourselves grace and keeping our capabilities in mind while we focus on our core values. It is important to follow that inner voice.
The Confident Wealthy Mom is a budgeting course that walks moms through how to create an ideal budget for their family. There are three steps to Jackie’s “Pathway to Confidence”.
This episode we are talking farm life and parenting on a working farm! Danielle French and her family live at South Pond Farms in the Bethany Hills of Southern Ontario. She is the founder of South Pond Farms, a culinary destination for weddings, farm to table suppers and workshops. Danielle was born in Germany, grew up in Vermont, and came to Canada via McGill University in Montreal. In 2006, looking for a simpler way of life for her four daughters, she moved from Toronto to a farm. Danielle wanted to connect to a rural way of living. She met her partner, Shawn, when searching for someone to help her rebuild the old barn on the property. Danielle loves to create unique settings and menus for the many events she offers at South Pond Farms. Danielle is also the host of a television series called Taste of the Country, formerly on Netflix in eleven countries now on YouTube and the Cottage Life Channel in Canada, where she shares her tips and secrets, trials and tribulations of life and work on the farm.
With four daughters ages 5-12, Danielle wanted to bust out of the "urban path" that she found herself stuck in while living in the city. She wanted to embrace a different kind of world while farming and growing your own food. While going through a divorce and managing the busy shuffle, she had to totally shift her perspective on life and spending time alone while leaving her life and friends behind. She found farm life to be insulated and insular and had to reflect on how to be happy within herself. Sabrina finds her boys have been able to go outside and explore and play and have thrived when given the opportunity to grow up on a farm. Danielle found the stress of the divorce and other factors that were physically manifesting in her daughters, and she had to let go of the need for control during the changes. One of the reasons Danielle started her business from home was the provide a chance to change the focus to growing things, instead of micromanaging the transition.
South Pond Farms was started out of a desire for Danielle to learn how to make cheese. Owning a sheep dairy farm, Danielle went to Vermont to take classes on cheese. Noticing they were making bread for farm suppers, which they hosted and sold out all season long, Danielle shifted her focus on to creating more than just cheese, and look into dinners and breads. She started a meal delivery service that could be ordered every week and delivered on Fridays. Her children watched her excitement as the business grew with deliveries to Toronto. Danielle continued to develop her skills running a business and working with customers and food in general. She knew she needed a proper kitchen to handle the growth of her business, and that led her to meet Shawn, who understood barn structures and how to renovate and even inspired more growth. People began approaching her for weddings and other events on her beautiful land. She continues to add more food and more recipes and space to her farm while looking at the broader picture of her land. Now, 12 years after moving there, she still continues to expand and prioritize breaking bread with friends and family.
Danielle did not want to sacrifice family time and meals with her daughters and being home with them after school. The impact of weekends being booked and having guests over were an adjustment and the kids had to adjust to having to help the business and having guests come to their space and their home and sharing their life. But Danielle continued to share her stories from the day to day operations and included her children along the way. Her oldest daughter is now studying sustainability and Danielle believes the creation of this business has inspired her daughters to be proud of her accomplishments. With mom-guilt always on our brains, we sometimes feel the time we have to sacrifice for the business is taking away from our children,
Maran is the founder of My Kindness Calendar - an innovative new tool to actively engage kids and support parents in practicing kindness together. Maran is passionate about empowering families to raise kind, compassionate and empathetic kids in an easy and accessible way, as she aims to do with her two kids at home. In her pre-mom days, Maran worked in senior leadership at one of Canada's leading social enterprises focused on youth empowerment and social justice, and as an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer in Toronto. She's also been an opera singer and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and plans on lots of similar adventures with her kids as they grow up.
While on maternity leave with her second, Maran found the holiday season was too focused on the 'getting' aspect. Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas, her 3-year-old daughter was preoccupied with what toys and gifts she was going to receive. When December came, she decided to create a "Kindness Advent calendar" and DIY'd a list of nice things to do for loved ones on colorful paper to surround a tree they crafted on the way. Rather than a toy or a chocolate, she wanted to balance out the conversation without taking away the gifting. It prompted many conversations from how to be a good big sister, a good friend and what it meant to be kind. Other friends and family members would visit and see the project and wanted to replicate the conversations that were happening. Maran decided to recreate this project so people who didn't have the time to DIY this project like she was able to, making it accessible and easy, and reusable. Rather than focusing on the punitive "Santa is watching!" Sabrina and Maran wanted to focus on giving back and how it does feel good to be able to offer and give things and actions for other people, rather than focusing on what we get.
This is a reusable, premium fabric-based deco that is super durable and can be used every year. And it gets played with, scrunched up and stuck places it's not necessarily supposed to be stuck. Every aspect of the design was meant to remove barriers and also be beautiful since it is being on the wall of your home. It grows with the children and isn't a kiddy design. This calendar has been sent all over the world, and knowing that the advent has spread internationally gives Maran the drive and passion to continue to grow.
Maran receives lots of positive feedback, especially on the conversations that come from focusing on the giving rather than the getting. She hears a lot from parents that it even reminds them to be kind to themselves as well. She can approach other situations and people with kindness. Starting a business as a mother often comes from things we want from and with our own children, and we want to replicate and give those opportunities to other parents. Getting the daily reminder to focus on those things like kindness and sharing, rather than another toy.
Sometimes we think that gifts of kindness are time-consuming or depends on resources we may not have access to, like time and money. But when it comes to acts of kindness, the small things count too. Maran wanted to capture a spectrum of things you could share kindness, whether its in your family, your neighbors, and yourself. The most popular kindness act is baking cookies for neighbors. Especially in the city, we can find ourselves isolated from our community. Another popular one is to tell someone why you love them, and why they are special to you. There's also some environment-friendly ones, like have an electricity-free night. It even starts conversations about issues on a global scale. Being kid-focused, most of the acts of kindness are executable without needing to invest money. There is even a 5-minutes or less sets, that focus on time friendly acts like holding open a door or picking up trash. It doesn't have to be complex, it is more about the repetition of thinking abo...
Kim Vopni is a mom of two, a personal trainer and owner of Bellies, Inc and The Vagina Coach. She is the author of Prepare To Push, Your Pelvic Floor The Inside Story and Pregnancy Fitness published by Human Kinetics. She is also a speaker and a women's health educator who passionately talks the taboo. She has a busy online coaching practice and also offers DIY pelvic floor fitness programs for women in pregnancy and beyond. Growing up terrified of childbirth, Kim’s relationship with her mother gave her another woman’s experience with motherhood. After not wanting children most of her life, and choosing to focus on herself and her journey with physical fitness and well being. Following her journey and watching her sister grow into motherhood, Kim decided to have a child and being curious, leaned into the experience and used a pelvic floor trainer Epi-No, recommenced by her midwives (unfortunately no longer available in Canada). Following the success of her birth and loving the experience, she became a distributor for the product. After being laid off from her job, she leaned into selling this product and using her network of midwives, she learned more about pelvic floor therapist, something she had heard of and learned more about. Tying her connections to physical health and wellbeing prior to kids, she became the Vagina Coach.
Even though Kim “talks the taboo” the topics she shares and discusses are things people with vaginas deal with regularly. Historically its a topic of shame and embarrassment, and Kim’s goals are to destigmatize and make our vagina health less clinical and more relatable. The over-medicalization of childbirth has led women into fear-based reactions and interventions, rather than trusting the process of childbirth, when our bodies have been designed to go through this. But with the rise of social media, and being able to bring awareness to the options available. When given the information, women are able to make the best choice for their bodies. We talk so openly as mothers about what is going on with our children, but we will have so much shame and embarrassment when trying to talk about what’s happening to us. From incontinence to bowel issues and pain, it is important to share the issues we face to ease the anxiety and shame, and to heal. Kim works with women in all stages of motherhood, from postpartum to menopause, she works with anyone who has female anatomy. She works with people in prevention or for correction of issues. Kim wants people to take control regardless of their symptoms or lack thereof. The most common issue women face post-childbirth is leaking when they laugh stress urinary incontinence, from exerting a force that the muscles don’t have the strength to manage. Urge incontinence is also the sudden urge to use the bathroom without warning. The second would be prolapse. Over 50% of women have some degree of prolapse. Back pain is also another issue, that is very common with pelvic floor weakness. Often times a chiropractor for the pain, yet it is closely tied to the pelvis. Diastasis Recti is another closely tied symptom of pelvic floor challenges. A lot of women cope with these issues and often don’t realize how closely tied they are to pelvic floor health. We see dentists for preventative care, why can’t we normalize seeing the dentist? Having these conversations early, and often would do wonders for empowerment, movement, birth and general wellness. When we don’t know these things are associated you can work on healing them. When we are aware of what the issues are and how to manage them, we are in a position of power and can control the things we do to counter the symptoms. Therapy can help more than a surgical intervention because we are learning different strategies to prevent problems and optimize the outcomes. When we break a leg we go to physiotherapy after surgery to heal the muscle and body after a traumatic injury for rehab.
Tanja Shaw is a sought-after lifestyle coach, successful entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and is one of 500 Certified High-Performance Coaches in the world. As the founder of Ascend Fitness + Lifestyle, a holistic health coaching studio in Chilliwack, BC, and The Whole You Transformation Project™. Tanja has built a credible reputation for helping 1000s of men and women feel GOOD in their bodies, through her powerful holistic focused health, fitness, nutrition and personal development programs.
Through motivational speaking, coaching and training Tanja inspires audiences and clients around the world to challenge current beliefs and bust through limitations to get to the next level in their life- not just in the health space, but in relationships, career, and overall quality of life. Tanja’s offers the perfect balance between practical strategies and shifts in perspective and mindset to help others feel good, and to have the freedom to fully experience life. This episode you will learn practical strategies and how to shift your perspective and mindset. How to implement and make the changes in our thinking. How does wellness, fitness, nutrition, etc. tie into mindset coaching. Diet plans/meal plans/ workout plans focus on the what to eat, when to eat, what workouts to do. But they don’t tell you what to do when you really want another glass of wine, or if you have eaten something off-plan. They don’t help you implement the how or why. Tanja has been redirecting her practice away from weight loss focused and more towards whole wellness based on how we think. We shame ourselves, and guilt ourselves and beat ourselves up so often, we wonder why we give up. Or slip up and go off-plan and it impacts our ability to keep going. We need trust and kindness in order to like someone. How often do we treat ourselves like a good friend? Are we lacking trust and being nice to ourselves? Do we cancel plans to ourselves, show up late or not at all? Sabrina suggests calling out your “mean girl” that we all have who lives in our brain, and in her Boss Mama Mastermind, they even name their mean girl in the first week. By doing this we can associate all those negative, unkind things to this mean girl and not let her get in the way of our progress. We can move our guilt and shame to the mean girl. She wants to keep us small, and safe, and the things we say to ourselves are always the meanest. The problem with simply dismissing what she says is that we often feel what we think. It's similar to the feelings nightmares can leave us with, where we know it isn’t real but we can still wake up in a panic, experiencing the feelings of fear and anxiety. We have thoughts that go on all the time, and depending on how much attention you give your mindset, 70% of those thoughts could be simply brain errors, stories we were told as children or things we thought that we don’t need to hold on to anymore. Tanja talks about how the biggest barrier to sustainable change is when we are not on our own side. We often fight against ourselves instead of on the same side. It takes a lot of practice and work to get on the same team, but it is such a powerful step, to think about things in a new way. Things from the past can creep in. Everyone has a history and a past. We carry our stories and history with us. Like an onion, there are layers to us that need to be peeled every so often. Working with a coach, you can work on identifying and shedding the layers we need to in order to continue sustainable changes. Bringing up weight loss (which is a frequently reoccurring goal for a lot of people), Tanja suggests that when you focus on nourishing the body and mind, you’ll find a healthy body. And a healthy body no longer needs to hold on to the excess, so weight loss is a natural consequence of taking care of ourselves. Sustainable change happens in spaces where we feel safe. And often, the mean girl, society,
Christina is a contributing author in the upcoming You've Got This, Healthy Mama book. She studied at the University of Toronto and received a Masters in Exercise Sciences, with a focus on exercise and the nervous system. She is also a certified Pilates and Franklin Method educator, who balances this with motherhood (to three) and the help she provides at the family business. Her ultimate goal is to promote healthy living, teach body awareness and help people achieve the flexibility that a fit and healthy body and mind will give them. In 2017, she founded her own business called Matters of Movement, which is a Pilates-based movement practice.
After trying to balance motherhood and the schedules of other studios, Christina was inspired to start her own studio that would be flexible to her needs as a mother. Her passion for movement and helping people become more connected with their bodies and physical selves Christina decided to name her business Matters of Movement. Movement from the perspective that it is affected by our nutrition, our mental state, our socioeconomic status, and societal expectations. The expectations we set on our relationship with movement can be the hurdle that prevents a regular relationship with moving.
Through a set of 10-minute workouts, Christina helps to lower the barriers to movement. Christina set out a 10min workout challenge through her network that led to countless other positive changes in their lives, from increased water consumption to more mindful eating and a healthier mental state. When there are multiple barriers to gaining movement in motherhood, it can be even harder to overcome high expectations. One way Christina suggests you incorporate movement into your day is to commit to 2-5 minutes of some physical exercise, like a plank in the living room, or squats in the middle of the kitchen. The best part of including this daily habit is that your kids will begin to notice you. They will see your commitment to exercise and taking care of your body and begin to join in and develop those healthy habits on their own. Before you know it, you can build in 20 minutes of exercise without much hassle.
We also want to change the conversation about exercise in general. A lot of focus is on weight loss, or muscle tone or figure-shaping, and while that may be a piece of it, the other benefits are important to keep in mind, too. You will sleep better, your mood will be lighter, and you will be more in tune with your body's food needs. Christina aims to get you fit to live the life you want to live. When your physical self restricts your ability to live how would make you happy, she wants to help. Regular movement can also improve your healing from any traumatic injuries that can impact your daily habits.
It can be a challenge to balance the invisible workload of motherhood. Christina suggests getting a partner, if available, involved in helping create space for movement. She also suggests you find an activity that you enjoy and want to do, whatever it may be. Dance classes, group classes, nature walks or whatever speaks to you personally and you look forward to doing. Being outside in nature is refreshing in itself, surrounded by the earth and air, wind in the leaves on the trees, and pairing that with movement is an incredible tool to engage your senses and your body and bring your mindset into the present.
Self-care is often the first big challenge for moms. Christina has a retreat she is running September 29th. When Christina started seeing negative views in herself regarding self-care posts on social media and recognized it as a need for her to take a time out and take care of herself. After a childless vacation, she felt invigorated, calmer and more centered with herself and better able to take care of her kids. Getting space away from the kids and space to reconnect with yourself is the...
Dr. Carly Crewe is the mother of twin three-year-old girls, a Canadian small-town family doctor from rural Alberta and an online anxiety coach for moms. After suffering considerably with her own postpartum mental illness, Carly became passionate about helping women overcome their own mental health struggles across the spectrum of motherhood.
Carly is extremely passionate about mental health education and advocacy, with a special focus on maternal mental health. In her clinical work as a family doctor, she spends a large proportion of her time helping to optimize mental health patients through counseling and medications as well as running postpartum support groups in her local community.
Carly was recently awarded the Outstanding New Professional Award by the Alberta College of Family Physicians in recognition of her exemplary work-life balance and dedication to her family, patients, colleagues, and community. Through her private coaching, group coaching program and online course, Carly provides the education and support for women to adopt healthy mindsets related to their anxiety, learn strategies to manage their thoughts and emotions in the moment and regain control of their lives so they can be present and do motherhood on their own terms.
Remember to do motherhood on your own terms. There are so many choices and drama around doing things "right" and we often lose the perspective that there is no "right". How much of our anxiety is built from someone else telling you to parent and what the correct way is when it doesn't align for you. How much stress do we place on our shoulders based on this fact?
What is anxiety? Where does it come from? Everyone feels anxious at some point, it has evolved from our fight or flight evolutionary response. Needing to be alert and aware all the time is coded into our DNA from the time we lived in caves and under constant threat. Now in modern society we still have the anxiety response but it is triggered by things that may not be a direct threat, but it still causes the anxious response. It's important to learn how to manage the anxiety so that it is an appropriate response if needed, say if your child is about to run into the street. It can protect us, but it can also be harmful.
In a recent New York Times article, How Parents are Robbing Their Children of Adulthood, the concept of "snowplow parenting" is discussed. Parents can have a habit of removing all obstacles and plowing the way for our children because we as parents are so anxious and worried about our children so much. We are not allowing them the autonomy to explore and learn the hard way and allow them to make mistakes and get hurt. We learn from our mistakes, and we need to allow our children to make them. We pass anxiety on to our children when we "snowplow" parent. We mitigate our own discomfort when we clear the way for our children to not get hurt. But when we get hit with something that triggers our anxiety, we have to bring out the strategies that help every time we are faced with our anxious moment. When we eliminate the stressors in our child's life we limit their ability to learn how to mitigate that discomfort for themselves. We need to manage our discomfort so that they can manage their own discomfort. It is important to end this loop and let our children fail and fall.
By removing all the obstacles, we are preparing our children for a false world. A lot of mothers struggle with anger while raising children. And from the feelings of anger comes the feelings of guilt and shame for being angry at very real things to be angry about. But our children need us to get angry. They need their most loving person to get angry with them so they can learn how to regulate it and adjust their actions. They need to learn the limits of human interactions and learn boundaries and what happens when you press against someone's boundaries.
After a small hiatus with summer coming to a close, we are back with a new season of You've Got This, Mama: The Podcast.
Lately, Sabrina has been focusing on the concept of renewal. With every seasonal shift, Sabrina takes the time to reflect on her growing and changing, and with the "Mama New Year" - September is a big month for new beginnings at YGTMama! The Boss Mama Mastermind We have the special Renewal Edition of the Boss Mama Mastermind beginning September 16th. This is such a powerful, transformational course. We thrive watching women shift their focus and grow and change into the strong present, focused mamas they want to be. Inspiring such deep, connected relationships out of the safe space created by the women in the Mastermind.
The pressure of the hustle, pushing the grind out and set high goals for ourselves and our businesses. Sabrina shifts the focus from the destination, where our internal GPS is headed, to the journey. There will be roadblocks and hurdles during the drive that we will miss if we are focused solely on the destination. We can't ignore the view along the way. Look out the window. Get lost, it's okay. There is no harm in exploring and trying new things. There is nothing wrong with experimenting before you settle into your path. Set the destination
One of the guest speakers in the Mastermind talks with the group about being present. Anxiety comes from fear of the future, and depression comes from holding on to the past. If you can be present, and not worry about the past or the future, you can alleviate those anxious, depressive thoughts that can be holding you back during your journey. It is about shifting your perspective.
You've Got This, Mama & You've Got This, Mama, Too Second Edition - Release September 10th, 2019
Real raw stories of motherhood, of the triumph of grief. Beautiful joy and complete chaos. Real moms, not professional writers, are sharing their truth. Members of our virtual village tell us their stories to build a safe space of vulnerability. By sharing their stories and journeys, we open up to other women going through the same experiences and can lend hope and strength to others. Knowing that you're not alone is the biggest thing. Knowing that what you're experiencing and that someone else has come out on the other side, can help when you're swallowed by the burden of isolation. Our goal with these books is that they are meant to inspire you and empower you.
Some of you may wonder why we are releasing a second edition closely after the first. A deeply personal shift in the direction of the books led Sabrina to start her own publishing company in order to retain the authentic creative direction she knew the community and mamas needed. She wanted these books to be born from a vulnerable open, raw space that she could foster and protect without the worry of exploitation and violation. The second edition is full of new content from over 40 of the YGTMama authors, with a new focus and new energy.
On another personal note, after a successful summer move to the farm, Sabrina is excited to start bringing some fun forest life adventures soon, more kids, more puppy and now including chickens!
Head over to Amazon to order your copy of the new books today! Help us get to bestseller list!
You’ve Got This, Mama Second Edition Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2lFhAOu You’ve Got This, Mama Second Edition Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/2m8LQS1 You’ve Got This, Mama, Too Second Edition Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2k8yLaB You’ve Got This, Mama, Too Second Edition Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/2lFinyW
Jessica is a mom of one, soon to be two, a business owner, a writer, and a marketing coordinator navigating all things motherhood and trying to inspire other mamas with the real and vulnerable! She has been featured on Yet Mama, the Modern Day Psychic and Baby Post. She is a soon to be coauthor in You’ve Got This, Modern Mama and one of the founding members of The Boss Mama Mastermind.
Starting from a passion for creation and a choice to join YGTMama’s Boss Mama Mastermind. Using her skills in sewing to make scrunchies, she uses that platform to develop a community of moms that desire to Live Lightly. There is so much nonsense out there and negativity with trapping ourselves in comparison and guilt. Having the space to nurture authentic relationships with other mothers who face the same isolating struggles we face in modern motherhood. There is so much judgment from the ‘other side’ regardless of your perspective. Sacrifice has been held as a pillar of motherhood, often at the cost of their dreams. Scrunchie Mommie and YGTMama want to flip the script on modern motherhood and give permission for moms to take care of themselves and chase their dreams. Jessica’s dream of owning a business and crafting handmade scrunchies seemed hard to reach, but she found strength in the community to arrange space in her life and her brain to allow the dream to manifest. It is important to give yourself permission to enjoy your dream and get to go to work, not seeing it as taking time away from your family but using it as a way to fill your cup.
Using turning 30 as a catalyst for change, Jessica chose to leave the chaos of her 20s for a more confident, accomplished and hopeful decade to come. Rather than letting other people judge and dictate how she felt about herself, she is stepping into her power and pulling other mothers up with her. With her new decade also comes a new baby! A new fall collection of scrunchies and a new baby, the upcoming months will be exciting for The Scrunchie Mommie. For Jessica, the best piece of advice she could offer her younger self would be to let go of the fear of the change, to go for it and not let it hold you back. You will never regret trying, but you will regret not trying.
"Let go of the fear of the change, to go for it and not let it hold you back. You will never regret trying, but you will regret not trying."
As an upcoming YGT Modern Mama coauthor, Jessica talks about her passion for work and entrepreneurship as a key facet to being a modern mother, feeling empowered to choose a more non-traditional role as a provider, not solely a nurturer. Rather than letting the feelings of isolation snuff her passion, she chose to chase her dream and found the strength and motivation to thrive. For more information on Jessica’s company and blog, head to the amazing website for more info. Her shop page for scrunchies is here, and join the dialogue with her on her IG feed. And be sure to look out for her upcoming contribution to YGTModernMama.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all the stuff? Appointments, clutter, shopping, groceries, ballet, and summer camp registration. Every ball in the air leads to pretty tired arms. In this episode, we break down the struggles modern moms face when it all gets to be a bit too much. Sabrina is talking with Renae Fieck about how to simplify and declutter our homes and our heads. Renae is a mom of 3, an occupational therapist, and advocate for moms who desire more grace, space and rest within their lives. She has found strength beyond her own to navigate life's struggles.
Multiple miscarriages, life with 3 kids, working mom life, stay at home mom life, and a husband with a brain tumour and seizures. She now has a passion to connect with other amazing women and inspire women to uncover their own worth, live in the rawness of life, and let go of the constant chaos. She is the host of the annual More than Mom Summit, The Great Clutter Clear Out Challenge, and the podcast The Charis Project: Grace and Intention For Everyday life. As a recovering multitasker, and overachiever, Renae has been lead through challenges that made her reevaluate the pieces of her life that were not fitting. She found that commonly, overworked moms try to do everything we were able to do before kids, after them. Struggling when comparing to other moms and women on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram and not being able to measure up to the collective Supermom phenomenon. We talk about the highlight reel frequently here, but Renae sees the complication of wanting to be a Supermom that wants to have the perfectly decorated life, the coordinated outfits and a craft room to rival Martha Stewart. When we understand that this is unachievable and unrealistic, we remove the burden of performing. Struggling with motherhood, a traumatic brain injury, the mounting stress of balancing every need for her family, Renae faced the mounting disappointment of her life not following her intended journey. Taking inventory and investing in her personal growth, she built her community of postpartum moms around her for support. A journey of personal development and wellness lead her to declutter her space and her home in order to declutter her mind and her relationships. By simplifying the junk in the way, she culled all the items that stopped serving her. Little things that accumulate over years of accepting items that fit at the moment, but don’t serve our overall wellbeing. By examining the parasitic expenses, both with our time and our money, we can analyze our habits and interrupt the ones that no longer fit our ideal. Learning to let go of the things we hold on to for the “somedays” gives us room for the items we need now. The dusty guitars, golf clubs and the collection of jeans that no longer fit, are ready to be released. When you are ready for them in your life, you can welcome them then. Renae helps families break down the emotional needs when we sort through our overwhelming clutter. Breaking it down into one area and one task a day or week can remove the pressure of fixing everything at once. The culture of instant gratification that has been building in our modern Amazon-fueled society has created a spending habit that ends with clutter we don’t really want or need in our homes. When we practice intentional gratitude, we shift the perspective from immediately satisfying that need to acquire, to practicing active gratitude for the things that truly matter. When we focus on gratitude, we simplify the wants and grow appreciation. Each year, Renae hosts the More than Mom Summit, which is a month-long program to inspire, grow and collaborate with women and moms while navigating their journey to simplification and appreciation. Her goal with each summit is to provide a space for us to share our authentic real stories. By holding conversations about the real struggles and...
Tracy is a corporate service analyst and solo mama to a spirited four-year-old. She is a certified life coach and the founder and CEO of TLK Empowerment Solutions — life coaching for single mums looking to move past the hurt and trauma of their abusive relationships, to find peace and joy to live their best life.
Over the years Tracy found herself attracting "damaged" —emotionally unavailable men who somehow always needed hand-holding and the fixing. It finally dawned on her when she found herself in a verbally abusive relationship with her then-fiance, with whom she also had a newborn baby. The abuse got progressively worse and she knew she needed to find a way out. Somehow. For her and her little boy.
It is her soul’s mission to help women understand their worth and teach them how to heal through a combination of practical tools, a ton of compassion, and a touch of ‘woo.’
The comparison trap we often talk about at YGTMama affects mothers in abusive relationships, too. "My abuse isn’t as bad as my neighbors, I’m just weak." But that is not always the best way to heal. Shame is shame, loss is loss, pain is pain. What causes our pain isn’t as important as coming together as a community and sharing their stories to protect and help one another. Talking about it isn’t bad, you need to talk about it to heal and to shine a light on the abusers, even if it doesn’t fix them.
One of the most important lessons you can learn in your relationships with other people is that you have to accept that you cannot change another person. You cannot force them to heal or love them into loving themselves enough to grow. What you can change is your reactions to the situation, you can change your path and your decisions. You don’t have to resign yourself to what you have, giving up your dreams of happiness, however, that looks. If that means ending your relationship with the wrong partner, remember that it is better to come from a broken home than be in one.
Tracy Lynne is creating a community to give permission to other women that this is okay, and to give validation that stories like this can share that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. She shares her biggest struggle as a solo mom, with all the responsibilities of running her business. It is not for the faint of heart, but the biggest struggle is balancing her time, between work, her child, and her passions. Women have been socialized to put themselves last, and everything else first. But when we don’t take care of ourselves we are not able to be there for our kids. It is essential for us to find a balance between being a mom and taking care of ourselves. The biggest skill to learn is how to let things go. Find permission to give yourself patience and grace and not hold yourself to an unattainable standard.
Learning about how generational conditioning can help us heal past traumas based on how our parents’ parented. Our moms gave up their dreams and were conditioned to accept their situations when they weren’t given a choice to live differently. Healing, giving space for our experiences, can help to stop the pain being passed on to future generations.
By accepting mom-guilt and what it is, where it comes from and how to stop it. Embracing the emotions, analyzing the triggers and understanding the psychology behind why you feel that way can prevent the guilt from consuming you. Your children will not remember the 20mins you spent answering those emails or shaving your legs. They will remember the quality of the time you do spend with them when you can. Focusing on the minute details can overwhelm the bigger picture of motherhood.
Tracy Lynne shares the deeply personal story of her past relationship with the father of her child, and how she learned to take control of her journey and grow into the mother she wanted to be.
This episode features a very special guest for the YGTMama crew. Dr. Gillian Sawyer is a motherless mama of two girls, a women's health advocate, founder of The Postpartum Pilot, co-creator and co-host of Movement & Motherhood retreats, Creator of the Mama Reconnect Project, soon to be podcast host, doc at Mama & Me Chiropractic, coffee lover & forest dweller. Sharing life, as it is, one story at a time.
Gillian lost her mother to cancer tragically when her firstborn was six months old. Navigating the transition to motherhood while grieving the loss of her own, guided Gillian to sharing her own story. Finding the power to connect with other people. We all have a story, and knowing that you aren’t alone can lend strength to fight for yourself. Discussing the importance of really being true and authentic to dig into our story and share it with others, Gillian finds it is healing not only for the person sharing, but everyone listening. Finding that common experience with other people is so powerful. On her retreats, Dr. Gillian finds that in-person meetups truly connect her with other mothers. Building a community of support face to face to hold physical space for the women to create a space to heal together and know that we are not alone. We bring up the importance of sharing your story. What is your real, raw story? What are you suffering from in silence? When we choose to be brave and share all of the ugly we don’t talk about enough, we find others struggling with the same. We don’t need to hide and isolate our pain and struggles when we can find strength in sharing and honoring those issues with other women and mothers. Sharing your story can lend someone else reading or listening, the strength they need to share their own to someone in their life, move forward in their healing, giving them permission to heal. Motherhood is overwhelming, life-changing, and can be incredibly difficult to navigate. From body changes to mental load increases, Dr. Gillian shares that the one thing she wished she knew before becoming a mother is that it is okay to not be okay. When we compare our lives to the highlight reels on Instagram it can be easy to fall into self-doubt and question ourselves as mothers, spouses, women, and friends. This is why we believe so deeply in sharing the raw authentic mess that is raising these incredible tiny humans. We need to remind ourselves that our children love us so deeply and fully, we are their entire world and they won't be traumatized by not going to the park one day.
Sabrina and Gillian talk about how we all need to take care of ourselves in order to properly care for our children. You cannot fill from an empty cup. It is not selfish to take a little to fill you own. We all need a refill from time to time. The Postpartum Pilot was created out of a need to help navigate motherhood and give strength through the sharing of stories from mothers in all stages, a place to be seen and heard and validated. As a chiropractor, Dr. Gillian often sees mothers dealing with physical pain, but she also digs into the mental well-being and focuses on building a supportive environment for the new mother. As a forest-dwelling, nature lover, Dr. Gillian and Sabrina delve further into exploring how the environment we choose to raise our families in, can affect the experiences of childhood. Letting children have natural unstructured play time can help them thrive. We could all use a bit of unstructured time to fuel our own growth.
Dr. Gillians #1 Postpartum tip: Learn how to breathe again to connect your breathing pattern with your core and encourage pelvic floor repair postpartum. Check her website for more information and tutorials. If you’re interested in following Dr. Gillian and want guidance with navigating the mama journey, you can find her at www.gilliansawyer.
This episode definitely excites us here at YGTMama. Have you ever stood in front of your closet and moaned, “I have NOTHING to wear!?” This episode is for you. Today, Sabrina is chatting with Mavis Huntley from Smithery, an online and by-appointment studio that helps women shop their shape.
New moms, experienced moms, women, and femmes, have pretty much universally stood in front of their closet and had nothing to wear that felt right. Or perhaps it doesn’t fit like it used to, it's worn out, holes in the crotch, and stains that you swore would come out in the wash. Especially those of us with young children, who has time to shop? Are you browsing Joe Fresh sale rack after your weekly grocery shop? How many times did you order from the sale online only to discover how much it doesn’t make you look like the model from the browser window?
This is where Mavis comes in. Her experience as a woman led her to become co-founder of a company with her stylish business partner to help women find clothes that work for them. By making personal shopping attainable for women, Smithery guides women into feeling good about what they wear every day. At Smithery their customer base is 80% "new moms", essentially moms who have kids between one and seven years old. Their bodies have changed, their lifestyles have changed and they have no time to shop. Smithery offers tips and advice for those ladies to gain their confidence back on this wild ride of motherhood.
Not only curating the most flattering cuts for each body shape, but Smithery also models the clothes on REAL women representing different shapes and sizes. Smithery’s proprietary Shape Finder and signature in-studio Style Sessions will teach you your body shape and the tips for how to dress for your shape. Mavis' mission is to make sure every woman who shops with them leaves feeling confident, empowered, and never feels like she has nothing to $#@%! wear again!
The first place to start is with your body shape. Most of us are familiar with the traditional fruit-based system, but who really wants to be compared to food when talking about their bodies? Smithery’s Shape Finder changes that dialogue with their letter system, which helps women better understand how to shop. Mavis goes into detail exploring how each letter is different and how to determine your own shape! If you can’t quite find your shape, or find the choices a bit overwhelming, Smithery offers in-person consultations. You can get a rack pulled just for you based on a questionnaire you answer prior to your consultation that focuses on your lifestyle, budget and style preferences.
The next big question is how can you build your closet without spending SO much money. Especially with families, many of us don’t have the disposable income to be purchasing new clothing every season. With body changes, weight fluctuations and insecurities, it's difficult to shop! 90% of the items on Smithery are under $150. The rest of the items are considered “Third Pieces”, like a denim jacket, duster style jackets, and blazers. The best foundation piece, however, is a good pair of pants. If you get the right pair, you can wear them multiple times a week. From there, try mixing and matching with what you already have and love from your closet and soon you will find your closet is full of pieces that all work together to create multiple outfits. What about those holes in the crotch leggings? Time to let them go.
Styling your wardrobe to suit you is about feeling good in your own skin. It’s not vanity to be confident. Exterior beauty can mean different things to everyone, people are attracted to different things. But to feel good about yourself is the most important. You’re not dressing to impress anyone else, you’re dressing to feel good. When you dress to feel good, you feel confident in what you're wearing and that makes you...
Sabrina is so excited to be back! After a brief hiatus, she is right back in the studio to deliver you the positive, encouraging words you can expect from You've Got This Mama, the podcast. This episode’s theme is “You Cannot Be Everyone’s Cup of Tea”. Sabrina explores how tough this mindset can be to process as a recovering people-pleasing perfectionist herself.
In the world of motherhood, womanhood, business, we fall into the comparison trap so often, impeding the sense of community. It fosters competition and jealousy. At YGTMama, we want to foster community over competition. We want to encourage people to step into their power and not drag people down with negativity. After a particularly demanding stage of growth, Sabrina discusses how the seasonal transition from the damp, muddy spring into the beautiful blooms of summer have inspired her to take inventory of how she cultivates her own garden.
Like gardens, people go through seasons and how they are tended, directs how they grow. It is painful and uncomfortable. Growing pains are real. Sabrina explores her own seasonal transitions as she embraces the new changes in her life. As in nature, personal transition and growth are moving forward and changing the structure of things. In fact, long-time followers know growth is one of our favourite topics here at You've Got This Mama!
How do you like your tea? Light and sweet, coconut milk, black, we all like it differently. There are so many varieties of tea, and so many varieties of people. So when we try to be the best person for someone else, it will never work. We can't be everyone’s cup of tea. What other people think of you, is none of your business. You don’t need to worry about what other people are thinking of you. Everyone is more concerned with themselves. Keep this in mind next time someone may rub you the wrong way, or if you have a negative interaction.
The important lesson to learn is that you can't make everyone happy. Not all of the time, it's not possible. This doesn’t mean you should go around burning bridges, but that you just need to be you. You only need to focus on what you are doing, not who is doing what. Do you, in motherhood. Don't worry about who is co-sleeping, or breastfeeding or bottle feeding. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Your child is your child and you are you. And what works for you is not going to work for somebody else. And somebody else's opinion of you isn’t your business.
When it comes to business, there’s going to be so many people that judge your success, that want you to fail, that don’t trust or believe you, and that question your integrity. It could be jealousy, anger, any number of things motivating them. But you can't allow that to stop you or get in your way, because then those people win. You continue to manage your own stuff and do you. You let what they think about you to be their business.
When it comes to friendships and relationships, it is the same. You cannot be everyone's cup of tea or best friend. If your friendships are rich, it doesn’t matter how many of them you have. It has been said that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend this most time with. So who are you spending your time with? Who are you giving your energy to? Who are you allowing to influence you?
Back in your garden, if you were a seed, ready to be planted, what type would you be? Would you be a perennial that grows and take care of themselves, and can be left untended? Without changes have a fixed mindset that allows for simple maintenance. But is it a vegetable, rose, or something else? You want to grow. With a growth mindset, you can actually become smarter and more intelligent. What type of garden do you have, and do you want that to change?
How are you tending your garden? Is there adequate light or is something blocking the sun?
Welcome to April. This is another ‘Share Your Truth” episode, the second in the series where we share the true story of one inspiring mama. We couldn't think of a better fit. Saira is a relatable woman. Her story is a challenging one but if you listen with an open mind and heart you will be able to see yourself in her story. Saira Amjad is a Pakistani-Canadian Poet, Best Selling Author, Certified Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, ex-Corporate Professional, Self-Love Advocate, and a Single Mom. Her new book ...And So She Rises has become an international bestseller on Amazon, which is a deeply intimate collection of poems about her struggle through a failed arranged marriage, a suicide attempt, sexual abuse, pressures of being “the perfect Muslim woman”, and learning how to love herself. Saira has invested thousands of dollars in her personal development to learn, grow, heal, and expand in order to rebuild her life alongside her young daughter. Saira has emerged as an inspiration for men and women around the globe as a strong and compassionate woman. She recently launched Saira Amjad Inc., through which she helps CEOs and Entrepreneurs revive their relationships, break-up with their fears, and accelerate their healing. She empowers her clients with the necessary tools and knowledge to rise above adversity and fall in love with themselves all over again because she believes that no one should ever have to live in fear, hate, lack, abuse or depression. Saira has always been ambitious, she had a career in the corporate world prior to the bulk of her journey. She was also coined a rebel in her family and culture. She was the first woman in her family to pursue a post-secondary education. This was an unusual path for a Muslim woman. She always had a negative opinion of marriage because arranged marriage was common in her family. Saira lost track of her health at one point in her obsession with success. She was at her lowest when her parents arranged for her to be married. Shortly after she quit her corporate job and was wed. She was in love and excited, they moved to Saudi Arabia even though her husbands family intentions were Canadian immigration. The marriage started to break down, Saira conceived in an to attempt to save the marriage. She stayed in Saudi Aribia for nearly a year. She realized many of her actions were a reflection of her mothers. "Saudi Araibia is like heaven for Muslims" so Saira wanted to stay because for much of her life she considered herself a bad Muslim. Saira took a lot of abuse and toxicity from her and her husband's families and was still struggling with bad health even after her daughter was born. After a long time dealing with abuse and poor health, a dear friend reached out with an opportunity with an MLM company. She dove into using healthier products and personal development. This was a big turning point in her life. She went to a seminar and learned about new concepts like manifestation and personal growth. She woke up. She left her husband and went to court to get custody of her daughter. During the custody battle and tough more tough times she continued her personal development journey. She invested about $50-$60K in her self-improvement over the years on courses, and seminars. Saira now has a book, a modest clothing line, and mentors and guides women (and men) on how to heal from trauma with her online courses and coaching programs. Saira attributes her ability to rise above adversity to personal development and growth. There are a lot of free resources available to start your journey. They mamas open up about what it means to be a perfect Muslim woman. Saira half way though her corporate career removed her hijab, she wore short sleeves, she had male friends and was independent. This was considered rebellious to her culture which is very much still the case. There is typically very high expectations for women to be in the home,
Sticking with the theme of inspiring women for the month of March, Sabrina interviews You've Got This, Boss Mama contributor, and serial entrepreneur Jaimie Jolly. They talk about all things living off-grid, raising children in the bush and building a successful business while living in the country. Jaimie knows a thing or two about beauty: as a professional make-up artist, permanent make-up artist and educator, elite micro-blading technician, health and wellness consultant and certified aesthetician, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her craft, making her one of the most sought after beauty professionals across Canada. Jaimie has worked out of boutique salons throughout the country, continuously staying on top of the newest trends and techniques. A natural-born entrepreneur, Jaimie has founded 3 enterprises, including owning and operating her own spa, all before the age of 30. She currently coaches other women in business, networking, and skills development. Jaimie's got a mighty impressive bio, but don't be intimidated. She's as down to earth as they come. Quick with a laugh, and low maintenance, this beauty professional lives east of the Muskokas in the off-grid cordwood home she and her husband built in the bush. Here, you'll find them raising their 3 kids, tending to their animals, and mucking around outdoors. You might say Jaimie leads a double life: homesteader and jet-setter. Sabrina shares her obsession with off-grid living and her now, not-so-secret desire to be that family. She shares her favorite homesteaders, YouTube sensations Wild Wonderful Off-Grid or you can follow them on Instagram too! Jaimie shares that she grew up in suburban Toronto, she loved going to the cottage growing up and moved to that small town when she was 19. She talks about her “dirty hippie husband” who was the one that introduced her to off-grid living and a greener way of life. She was the girl that was used to having really hot showers and blowdrying her hair daily and dove into a massive change when she became a woman living off-grid, in a yurt and being a little bit different. The mamas dive into what it looks like and takes to raise children with free thinking rather than over scheduling and over stimulating. Living in the bush means playing with dirt and animals, without the common distractions so many of us have in our lives today. She shares how off-grid living has provided perspective in a sense. Things that we so often take for granted, like clean abundant water, are things you learn how to respect. She talks about how it is really all her children know, as they have never experienced a different lifestyle. Her children do go to school, although she dabbled in home-schooling for a while. The mamas talk about the infamous mom guilt and how we stress ourselves out about the smallest things. Sabrina shares that kids will not remember the little things and these will not traumatize them for life. We need to learn to stop helicopter parenting and let them be wild. Children need a certain level of autonomy and freedom to explore their own surroundings. They talk about what a yurt is and the structure of what it really means to be "off-grid" from a government perspective. Jaimie and her family lived in the yurt for two years before they built the rest of their house, now the yurt remains their master bedroom. She shares some funny #yurtlife stories, like finding a snake trapped in the wall. Jaimie explains the intricacies of her "double life" and what it really means to be a successful business owner and also live in the bush. She has a feminist point of view when it comes to the beauty industry and about how women should feel. The beauty industry often gets a bad reputation for encouraging women to butcher themselves. Jaimie stands strong in her advocacy to support women feeling beautiful, whatever that means to them. She is very passionate about her work and loves wh...
Aimee is Mama to two beautiful girls, Eliza Rose & Lindie Fern, and is expecting Baby #3 any day now. This year she and her husband, Chris, will be celebrating their 10 year anniversary. She is a co-author in You’ve Got This Mama, Too, set to be released next month and loves writing on her blog. Aimee became a Down syndrome advocate after discovering that her youngest daughter, Lindie, had Down syndrome the day she was born. She loves educating others on the beauty that can be found in a Down syndrome diagnosis, all while vulnerably shedding light on the challenges that come with raising a special needs child. Aimee shares her story, the real version of what a surprise Down Syndrome diagnosis means. She shares that awareness and education are key tools in dealing with the shock behind a surprise. The first year was the hardest. Aimee shares that her daughter Lindie’s first birthday was a massive milestone because she felt as though her birth was not the celebration it deserved to be. Aimee’s biggest challenge in dealing with a special needs child is all of the appointments, the doctors and experts. The community has been a big deal for this family. The down syndrome community is really powerful. Aimee shares the importance of giving yourself grace in these kinds of situations. It is easy to fall into the trap of blaming yourself for things, but surrendering, accepting what you have and being grateful will provide you grace. Aimee explains the technical side of Down Syndrome. Most people have 46 chromosomes but people with Down syndrome have an extra copy of the 21st one. Some of the visible characteristics include lower set ears, palmer crease, thicker neck, and almond shaped eyes. There are also a lot of health issues too like duodenum, heart defects, feeding issues, low muscle tone and lots of developmental challenges. Sabrina asks Aimee what she loves about Down syndrome. Aimee says the main thing is how sweet and easy Lindie is. Not as a generalization but, typically people that have Down syndrome have really great personalities. Lindie is really outgoing and great with people. She also shares that being a mom of a child of special needs has given her a lot of perspective and gratitude for life. She feels like she is an exclusive member of an amazing club. Sabrina asks what the biggest challenges are. Aimee admits that her biggest challenge has been all of the appointments. Therapy, doctors, it is a juggle. She often feels alone. Even with a supportive husband and a great community, she tends to bear the weight of the workload. Aimee discusses the relationship between her two daughters and how great they are together. Aimee is also expecting a son in about a month, there are concerns about Lindie’s adjustment but Aimee is confident that being sandwiched between her two siblings is going to be incredible. The mamas talk about the importance of awareness and what World Down Syndrome day represents. We celebrate on 3/21 because Down Syndrome is when someone has 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. One of the things the community does is wear mismatched and crazy socks. If you would like to keep up with Aimee you can follow along on Instagram or her blog.
Shayla is a motivated mom boss devoted to a life of family, friends, and fitness. She completed her commerce degree from the University of Calgary and has been working in the direct sales industry for 13 years. She was offered a sole proprietorship for Vector Marketing that has flourished into one of the top-ranked offices in all of North America. Her team finished #1 in Canada last year and are on pace to surpass $1million in sales this year. She spends her days mentoring the next generation of young business owners. Shayla is committed to helping people live a life that satisfies their values, which she models by being a present mom, wife, leader and business owner. Shayla and her husband Brad had traveled the world with their kids Carter & Brooklynn. She believes that consistently growing her capacity is the key to experiencing more of the amazing opportunities life has to offer with the same about of time. When Shayla's plate gets full, she gets a bigger plate. Shayla is beyond grateful for the life she has created and is excited about the future as she continues to learn, grow and dream. Sabrina pulls out that as moms we make a lot of excuses as to why we can’t do, X or Y or Z. We have a tendency to harness the negative self-talk. Shayla is breaking barriers and stepping outside of the box as a leader for women. Next, they dive into the intricacies of the “busy” culture. What is it that we are so busy doing? Don't we all have the same 24 hours in a day? Shayla explains that what keeps her in line is being really well planned and organized. She likes to review 18 months ahead for her planning regime. She explains that she and her husband have a date night every Wednesday night. She also shares that she takes every Wednesday off of work, it does not exist in her work world. This helps tame the busy-ness and reset mid-week. She protects this with the support of a great team and family. It is imperative to get your village on board with your scheduling. Shayla dives into how she created The MomBossConnection and explains that it is all about. Success can be defined in so many ways. Her version of success with MomBossConnection was to get like-minded moms together and empower one another. The mamas dive into the stigma around the word “boss” as they have been getting some flack from the masses on this word. Being a boss is not a literal term. It does not mean you are bossy or the boss of people, it means owning your life, being in control of what you do. You are driven, motivated, in the driver’s seat. The mamas dive into the myth that is work/life balance. Shayla uses the analogy of her life as a pie. Her hubby is a piece, her kids are another slice, business, all of it just pieces of a larger pie. With mile-long to-do lists Shayla picks a focused five, she shares the structure of this helpful tool. Multi-tasking is a swear word in Sabrina's house. You can connect with Shayla on Facebook or Instagram don't forget to follow along with the MomBossConnection too.
Hello March! With International Women's Day just around the corner, it only made sense for the theme this month on YGTMAMA to be inspirational women! We are diving deep into the triumphant stories of overcoming. These women push past the limits of the societal norms, they have figured out how to design a life that suits them. Deirdre Slattery is a retired physical education teacher and sports coach turned transformational fitness and health coach, a personal trainer, 5x published and 1st place fitness model, 4x published co-author and lead author of her first book launching this year. Her background is Bachelor of Kinesiology, and Bachelor of Education. She is a motivational speaker and solo mama to a teenage girl.
In this episode, Deirdre and Sabrina start off strong and they dive right into what it means to own your life. Deirdre admits that it didn't come easy for her. She spent many years doing what she thought she should be doing, not what set her soul on fire. She talks about the courage it takes to follow those nudges that our intuition gives us so often. They speak to the ease and comfort that comes along with "one-day" goals. "One day when I ___, then I will___." This inspiring mama right here can attest to what it means to take the reins back and get back into the driver's seat of your own life. It is normal to have excuses. "I'm too; old, poor, ugly, fat, unworthy . . . " Well, this beautiful FORTY-SIX-year-old woman is here to prove to you that those are all just stories that happen between your ears.
“It's about being stronger than your excuses.” ~ Deirdre Slattery
Deirdre explains that our power really comes from how we manage our excuses and emotions. We all get them; negative thoughts and self-talk, lack of will power, defeat, feelings of unworthiness. This is our egos trying to keep us small and away from our full potential. It is sooo often, especially in motherhood, guilt, and fear that fuel these emotions and anxieties. She encourages our listeners to strive for what truly brings us joy and makes us happy. As mamas, we have a responsibility to our children to model the behaviors we want to see in them. As a mama to a teenage girl, Deirdre shares the immense importance in this.
"I've got beautiful eyes watching my every move. When I step up into my power, she is my biggest cheerleader and is always in my corner." ~ Deirdre Slattery
The girls chat about what it means to be a BOSS MAMA and that really the definition is having control over your life. Being the sole decision maker when it comes to the energy you allow into your circle and having control over how you spend your time. Time is truly the only renewable resource, how are you going to spend it? Deirdre shares that she wasn't unhappy in her small town teaching job, she just knew her soul craved more and that she was destined to be more, for her daughter and herself. Now she inspires women everywhere to step into the best version of themselves, without the guilt and the shame that can accompany such success. Deirdre will be sharing her website with our community soon and her online programs but for now you can catch up with her on Instagram, and her business Facebook page.
Sticking with the theme of LOVE for February we are interviewing a special guest to share her powerful story with us. YGTMAMA is starting a series, every month one episode will be dedicated to #shareyourtruth and rather than focusing on a specific topic, one incredible mama will share her powerful story with us. We couldn't have asked for a better guest to kick it off then Adrian. Adrian C. Collins is a fellow author, she writes about the real-life complexities of being both a birth mother and an adoptive mother. She has testified before the Colorado Senate committee on behalf of the Colorado Children First Act, been a guest on various podcasts, and featured on Today Show Parents and Today.com. She has been published in various publications including Today Show Parents, Grown and Flown, The Daily Signal, The Hill, CBN News, Christian Post, Her View From Home and BLUNTmoms, and is the adoption blog manager for Hope’s Promise, a faith-based adoption agency. Adrian studied journalism at Point Loma Nazarene at University in San Diego and is married to her high school sweetheart where they currently reside in Castle Rock, Colorado. Adrian completed her first memoir about hope and healing through the journey of adoption. She is a wife, a birth mom, an adoptive mom and mom of five children. In this episode Adrian shares that her journey has taught her to make peace with difficult decisions, fight off fear, guilt, and shame and she encourages moms to do the same. Her story is powerful and she shares it so vulnerably in hopes to help other mamas on their path to acceptance. Adrian’s core value arose from her powerful story. She starts in college. She, like so many of us, she tried to paint this version of perfection. She attended a religious school, was very involved in extracurricular activities until one day she found out she was pregnant. She was with her now-husband and high school sweetheart, but they didn’t know how to handle the pressures of this pregnancy. She hid it and felt intense shame. She was forced to make a heart-wrenching decision to put her baby girl up for adoption. She had to wrestle with the fear, fear of judgment, fear of shame, fear of guilt and loss. She needed to make a decision based on love and give her baby girl the best life she could. Leaving the hospital without her baby girl was the hardest thing she had ever done, the grief and loss are indescribable. She did have hope that when the time was right she would be reunited with her baby girl but she felt unworthy of love and lived with massive shame. Striving for perfection and not allowing room for mistakes stops us from growing.
“I’m not called to be perfect, I’m called to be the best that I can be.”
She continues the story, Adrian marries her high school sweetheart and they go on to have happily have three sons. While her heart mourned her baby girl, she felt a responsibility to be the best mama she could be to her children and also give back where she knew her knowledge could help others. She began volunteering and advocating for mothers dealing with difficult decisions. She opens up about one meeting she had, with a family friend. She was pregnant and shaky. The conversation was unexpected and the woman asked her to adopt her unexpected child. The transition was challenging from birth parents to adoptive parents and a lot of fears surfaced again pertaining to adequacy and capabilities. Adrian knew this was the right move for their family though and she loved that baby boy as her own.
“Love isn’t divided into tiny pieces, it is meant to expand and extend out to others.”
Adrian continues with the story. They bring home this sweet baby boy, brother to her three children. A couple of weeks later they received a phone call from her twelve-year-old daughter. Adrian hadn’t shared yet with her boys that she had given a child up for adoption.
The theme on YGTMAMA this month is LOVE. Today we are diving into divine love and all things spirituality with the one and only Cassie Jeans.
Cassie Jeans is a #1 best selling author, an inspirational speaker, and a dedicated leader for women who want to fully embrace all aspects of their soul and take full ownership of their life. She is an advocate for the transformational power self-worth has in a woman's life and has a gift of eradicating self-doubt and limiting beliefs using the power of words, practical step-by-step solutions and the wisdom of intuition. She is interested in what lights up a person's soul and guides them to see that by following that path alone all other core desires will naturally fall into place. She is a contributor in You've Got This, Mama, Too and host of In The Bedroom with Cassie Jeans - a podcast that will surely light up your soul.
The ladies dive right in. Sabrina admits that spirituality has not always come easily to her. Growing up with a non-practicing Catholic mother and an atheist father, religion was not something engaged in or talked about in the home. She admits that she has always thought religion and spirituality were synonymous. It actually wasn't until she became a mother that her spiritual practice developed and evolved.
Cassie shares her journey and answers questions around how we can be more soulful in our relationships and bring mindfulness into parenting.
"Motherhood is a divine experience, our children can be our greatest teachers." ~ Cassie Jeans
Spirituality and soulfulness do not require grandiose life changes. What lights you up? What feels good? What has you curious? You do not need to go on a six-week hunger strike or a vow of silence to practice more mindfulness. Sometimes it is just sitting with your breath and taking in your surroundings. Cassie shares that nature is her temple and she is incredibly connected with Mother Nature and all of its beauty. "I learn so much from flowers, the water, grass." She also explains that she sees this in her children as they develop and grow, the oneness with the earth and that is a beautiful thing. Cassie mentions some of her favorite reads that will help engage that curiosity in your soul. Light is The New Black and Women Who Run With The Wolves are two of her favorites. You can also pick up a copy of Cassie's first book Her Art of Surrender.
To find Cassie you can hang out with her on Instagram and follow along with her word butter, musings! Also, head over to Cassie's website you can join her 10-day gratitude challenge or access her coaching services.
The theme on YGTMAMA this month is LOVE. We are talking all about love. Self-love, romantic love, love for a child, divine love. With Valentines Day in a couple of days we wanted to chat about the languages of love, so today #onthepodcast we are diving into, and analyzing Gary Chapman's Languages of Love with my friend and original Mama Tribe contributor, Habiba Jessica Zaman.
Habiba Jessica Zaman has a master’s degree in professional counseling specializing in trauma, she is also the therapist and is owner of North Star of Georgia Counseling. With fifteen years of work experience in the counseling field including advocacy, guidance, and education, she believes that as awareness of one’s fears, perception, desires, and strengths increase, one can make successful life changes. She has nine publications that started with a children’s book published in 2012, But I’m Just Playing, and her latest Dear Time due to be released this year. She is also part of the original Mama Tribe and in three of the four, You've Got This, Mama books.
The 5 Languages of Love are:
expressing regret. accepting responsibility. making restitution. genuinely repenting. requesting forgiveness.
Sabrina shares her language and Habiba explains what it means and describes the details of each one. It can be confusing at times because, for most of us, we receive love differently than we give love.
Habiba explains that these languages are used in every relationship, not just romantic ones. Co-workers, family, friends and our children. Everyone has a love language and a way to give and receive love. She shares some tools for teaching your partner how to speak your language even if they are a little apprehensive about taking a test.
The ladies dive deep into the true meaning of the different languages. Words of affirmation - these are not compliments, more acknowledgments; that you are doing a good job or being appreciated for example. Acts of service - taking things off your plate, making your life easier. Receiving gifts - a physical manifestation of love, not necessarily big expensive fancy gifts. Physical touch - this does not need to be intimate but pats on the back, hugs, cuddles.
Habiba talks about how powerful curiosity can be. Using phrases like "I wonder" and "what if?" Can be very helpful in discovering the love language of others. It is important to ask questions so we are not imposing our own values and ways of receiving love on to others. They also discuss the importance of removing the ego from the equation. When we feel judged, the ego shows up. These languages are not simple but can really strengthen your bond.
It is very unusual for couples to have the same love language. She explains why and simple ways of sharing yours with your partner.
Children give love the way they receive it because that is the only way they know ow, then they turn into teenagers and do the same and then adults that do the same. This is why it is important to be open and clear about your way of receiving love as an adult, it is not always obvious to the partner.
Next, they dive into The 5 Languages of Apology.
expressing regret. accepting responsibility. making restitution. genuinely repenting. requesting forgiveness.
Habiba explains how these can actually be more important than love languages, especially in non-romantic relationships.
To connect with Habiba, on Instagram. Also, check out her website for updates and her books.
TRIGGER WARNING Today #onthepodcast we are talking about a topic that often gets overlooked or passed into the shadows. It is never easy to experience but as an onlooker or a friend sometimes we have no idea what to say or do. What is an appropriate response? How should I react? In today's episode, we dive deep into the grey areas of grief with Danielle Williams. For Bell Let's Talk day we were going to do an episode on mental health awareness but, Bell has already done such a great job. We wanted to bring awareness to another topic that often gets ignored due to discomfort and fear.
After the loss of their firstborn son Roark, Danielle Williams put pen to paper, and waded through the mountain of heartache by becoming a self-proclaimed “grief student.” It was during grief group therapy that she professed how she would die if she lost another child. Just a year later, Danielle would birth a still baby girl, named Ellie. Danielle is an entrepreneur at heart, and an avid early riser, coffee drinker, and spirit junkie. She is the grateful mother of two earth-side girls, and, two angel babes --- and is lucky to have married the love of her life. Danielle firmly believes that there are gifts in all trauma - our goal is to find them and then share them with the world.
Danielle shares the heart wrenching and tragic story of the loss of their first-born son, Roark. How she and her husband adopted the mantra Hakunah Matata (no worries) and how Roark got his name. The story is tough but Danielle has such a beautiful way of sharing her pain. She also explains what words of comfort in this sort of tragedy really look like and what got her through. She intimately shares that it does not upset her when people talk about Roark, she thinks about him every day anyway, it makes her feel supported to speak openly about her loss. She labels herself the guardian of his memory.
Danielle shares her techniques in moving through grief. Nature became their church.
Get your body moving. Get outside, connect with nature. Learn to slow down.
She shares what it means to her to be a "grief student" and how she discovered the lessons in loss and grace and gratitude in grief. Gratitude keeps coming up on the show. Danielle and Sabrina dive deeper into what it means to have a conscience gratitude practice.
Sabrina reads a beautiful piece from Danielle's chapter in You've Got This, Mama, Too.
"At first, grief is like a huge boulder — unmanageable and too heavy to carry. It keeps you paralyzed and is exhausting. But it doesn’t stay that way. It transforms with you, becoming lighter and easier to carry. Until one day, you realize it’s much more like a marble in your pocket. Always with you, never gone. Though much lighter. This marble will be oh so shiny, absolutely adored, immensely loved, and always needed." ~ Danielle Williams
Danielle says a major thing that helped her, was finding other stories that were similar and in turn sharing hers. Human connection is what we crave, what we need in our grief. Danielle didn't talk about her miscarriage at eight weeks. After Roark she didn't care, she talked about what she wanted and how. Then after Ellie was born, still, everyone wanted to see her healthy baby and not talk about the grief. Danielle is very raw in her social media and shares her truth and musings to help other people.
"Grief comes in ebbs and flows, it never goes away; it's not a linear thing."
Sometimes it is important to share things that are awkward, challenging, difficult and scary. Here on this podcast, we vow to dive into the grey areas, the unspoken because we feel deep healing and the ultimate connection comes from that. Danielle shares that we are not immune to trauma, we are not immune to suffering and it's really naive to think we only get one thing in life that h...
Today #onthepodcast we are talking all things intention setting, balancing business and babies, manifesting your dream life and discovering your passion work.
This is a topic close to our heart at YGTMAMA as our host Sabrina Greer is in the throes of all of it being a mama to three young boys and growing this crazy beast of an empire.
Kari Keating is a transformational business coach, lifestyle entrepreneur, host of The Work Hard Mom Hard Podcast and mother of three boys under the age of six. Her zone of genius is all about helping you create a clear strategy to grow your impact, maximize your income and find true fulfillment in the work you do. She's laser-focused in getting you out of your head and into action so you can make the impact you crave and the income you deserve.
Work Hard Mom Hard is a podcast dedicated to Mom's who are working hard to build their business while raising their babies. Each week Kari dives into mindset, motivation, inspiration and practical tools to help you find clarity in the chaos.
We start the show off by commiserating about being boy-moms, both Sabrina and Kari have three young boys and this is what originally connected them on Instagram. Boys are a busy breed full of tons of physical energy but oh so fun and as you can see from the photo above, super adorable!
We dive a little deeper into the evolution of Kari's business. To understand where she is going, she thought it was important to know where she came from. She started off in a seventeen-year corporate career for one of the largest athletic companies in the world. She talks about the career map, you know - knowing exactly how much money you are going to make, what the next few years are going to look like and how exhausting this corporate structure can be. She was time poor and looked forward to the fifteen minutes she got in the pumping room after she had her first two babes. She got a lot of inspiration from her father and always had a pull towards serving others on a large scale. The girls chat all things health and wellness, side hustles, network marketing and what it means to be a Boss Mama. Kari shares her struggles moving from the corporate mindset of working for someone else to the transition of being an entrepreneur and your own boss.
"You cannot create a 7-figure business without doing the inner work." ~ Kari Keating
Kari shares that fear and resistance is the root of so many problems in business and life. Personal development is key when it comes to overcoming adversity and the tough times. She invites us to not apologize for who we are and for being in messy action. Sabrina asks Kari for any advice for mama listeners wanting to leave their 9-5 jobs or the corporate world. She suggests that gratitude is number one. Be thankful for the life you have. Embrace where you are. She also encourages you to find something, mentors, community and a company that aligns with who you are and what you want to be contributing.
"To have a sustainable business you need to leverage what you know and solve a problem. Ask yourself - what am I good at? What is a need in the marketplace? How can I make a $1K offer that you can get in front of your ideal client 10x?"
Stay tuned for her upcoming program on how to get from $0-$10K.
Next, the girls dive into setting intentions. Kari follows Danielle Laporte's framework of core desired feelings. She shares hers with us and details how she implements them in this busy, chaotic life. She references Jim Kwik - leaving space for magic. Kari leaves space between to-do lists for magic. She tends to lean more towards meditation and getting out of your head then aggressive scheduling.
"What I don't want to do is get to the goal and have not enjoyed the journey." ~ Kari Keating
Kari's core desired feelings:
Today #onthepodcast we are talking all things self-love, body positivity and Momfidence (mom+confidence *get it?) with the one-and-only, Courtney St. Croix.
At YGTMAMA we love this topic because it is something that every mama, heck, every woman deals with at some point on her journey. "Am I worthy?" "Wouldn't I be better if I looked more like insert celebrity girl crush here?" "Do I look fat in this outfit?" "I'm disgusting." You get the gist, right? We are our own worst critics, and this needs to end NOW! We couldn't think of a better guest to assist with this!
Courtney St Croix is a Women's Confidence Coach, 2x Best-Selling Author, Top-Rated Host of The Momfidence Podcast, Fitness and Wellness expert, and Mama to a feisty, self-assured three-year-old daughter. Courtney has been a leader in the Canadian Fitness Industry for close to two decades and inspires women of all ages to fall in love with fitness, whatever that means for them. After struggling with personal body image and confidence in her twenties and then most recently through her postpartum experience, she realized there's a missing link between fitness culture and what it means to be healthy at any size, in both body and mind. She now educates women all over the world about the difference a positive mindset can make for not only your quality of life and self-esteem but for your fitness success as well.
We open the show with a grand entrance, diving right in! Sabrina reminds mamas that our bodies are freaking miracles that created and housed LIFE for nearly ten months. Ummm not only are we great but moms are magical unicorns. Courtney warns our listeners that the common comparison trap isn't only relevant to others Instagram highlight reels, but it is possible to fall into comparing ourselves to previous versions of ourselves. When we become moms our not only do our bodies change but we change, in essence, as a woman. It is important to not only embrace this but love this beautiful version of you.
We get the Coles notes version of the evolution of Courtney's business. She started as a blogger; not unlike our Sabrina, she has always had a passion for writing and documented many of her experiences through journaling. Her background is in fitness, and this is her area of expertise, so she started blogging more frequently about this. Her body image posts got the most traction, and her followers loved seeing a "not so typical" body type woman speak to these topics. Her strongest values stand for being healthy and having confidence at ANY size. This lead to confidence coaching and creating her amazing #MomfidentAF Self Love Journal and the girl's version too.
Next, we dive into postpartum body image issues. Changes in our stomachs, stretch marks, a little extra around the midsection, saggy boobs, and all of the rest. Courtney advises that it is best to look for accurate representation on social media. There's so much smoke and mirrors in the media that it can be easy to feel inadequate. Sarah Nicole is one of her faves. Courtney encourages us to dig into how you are feeling when you are experiencing setbacks with confidence. Maybe you are struggling with something else that is keeping you in a negative headspace. Something that helps her is journalling, getting difficult feelings out on paper. She also suggests giving yourself love, meaning when you feel bad about something like a roll or stretchmark, touch the area and say a positive affirmation.
Sabrina talks about the definition of health being sound in mind, body, and spirit. Guess what mamas? Health is not your waist size or what the scale says. The girls move into talking about setting realistic goals when it comes to health and fitness. Courtney shares her thoughts on new years resolutions. Courtney uses words/intentions rather than rigid resolutions. Her words for 2019 are 'EVOLVE' and 'EMBRACE' and she goes on to expla...
Welcome back Mamas and Happy 2019.
2018 was a pretty crazy year, wasn't it? I don't know about you but I am so happy to be back. I thoroughly missed the podcasting game and all of you! Today I dive into what I do instead of New Year's resolutions.
Listen, I've got nothing against resolutions if they work for you, but for me, it just sets me up for disappointment and failure due to unrealistic expectations and rigid deadlines. As mothers, we have no choice but to be flexible, amirite? We don't know from moment to moment what is coming at us next, let alone a few months from now. I am not suggesting to stop setting goals for yourself, quite the opposite actually, I am suggesting setting fluid, flexible goals and encouraging you to go easy on yourself with said goals.
On today's episode, the very first episode of season two, I, Sabrina Greer, share with you, not my recap of 2018, not my goal setting strategies or hopes and promises for 2019, I share a simple life-shift that works for me in hopes to empower you and set you up for success in the coming year.
Did you know that 86% of people that make new years resolutions, give them up by January 17th? I came across this staggering statistic in my research and it got me thinking . . . WHY?
I believe it is the rigidity of resolutions. There is little room for error. They force you to go cold turkey, and like a bad diet, do not net long-term results just quick fixes. I share with you my personal formula that has worked for me several years in a row now. Toxicity Detoxing.
Toxicity Detoxing requires you to look at the things in your life that are no longer serving you.
I made a list of five, however, subcategories are welcomed here.
Toxic People/Relationships - Maybe someone you follow on Instagram makes you feel bad about yourself? A mommy-group you are a member of is constantly shaming others, in turn, making you feel anxious or less than? Maybe your MIL is a real piece of work? Is a childless friend consistently guilt-trippin' you? Bye... I am not suggesting cutting people off or out of your life completely but, what would happen if you spent less time, less energy, less mental space on these relationships? Jim Rohn says "you are the sum of the five people you surround yourself with." Who are you becoming? Who are you showing up as? I say - see ya to any toxic person or relationship that is no longer serving you! It is normal for friendships to change and evolve. Do not let toxic relationships or people hold you back. Toxic Behaviours/Habits - Is your new year's resolution to quit smoking? Wake up earlier? Get to the gym five days a week? Maybe you drink eight cups of coffee a day and your resolution is to quit caffeine? I may not be a practicing psychiatrist but psychology 101 taught me this - harsh and rigid rules like these set you up for failure. Try a day-by-day approach, small actionable steps that get you closer to your desired outcome. We have all heard "it takes 21 days to change a habit" right? Well if this is the case and you quit by the 17th, we don't stand a chance. I believe in fluidity and flexibility, being kind and gentle with ourselves, celebrating our wins, even the small ones and not getting bent out of shape about our setbacks. Life is too short sista! Toxic Substances - what have you noticed is not serving your body? Coffee? Wine? Dairy? I do not believe in crash diets (not saying I haven't tried them all) but what if you just ate what nourished your body and felt good, rather than following some trend of the moment? Hey if Ketosis is your jam or Atkins works for you, power to you Mama. My point is, what works for one blood, body, energy type can't possibly work for all. Do what feels good and empowers YOU. Toxic Environments - Have you been binge-watching Netflix series Tidying Up? Me too.
Today’s topic is all about something that is near and dear to YGTMama, as we here have always had a philanthropic heart. It was by way of divine intervention, coincidence, fate, whatever you’d like to call it, that these amazing guests we have today were brought into our community. We have the incredible women from Mamas for Mamas here to share their mission and movement!
Shannon Christensen is the founder and Executive Director for Mamas For Mamas. Which is a Canadian award-winning charitable organization that supports mothers in crisis, and provides ongoing support to low-income Mamas and their kids. The mission is to change the landscape of poverty through innovative approaches to financial barriers faced by struggling families. Shannon holds a masters degree in psychology and started her career as a trauma counselor for women, children, and men dealing with trauma and the effects of abuse. Her passion for helping people overcome hardship is reflected in her tireless work to give a voice to those who have been silenced. It’s a movement, not a moment.
Koa Hughes was born and raised in the Okanagan, where she still resides with her Spouse (Duffy) and 2 children. With a B.A in Psychology and Indigenous Studies, Koa did not expect to end up in the Construction industry; however, Koa is now the COO of the Award Winning Home Building Company, alongside her business partner/spouse, Duffy. Koa has been featured in Mint Magazine for People to Watch 2018, her company has won many awards within B.C, including Business of the Year, and this winter you will see Koa on Network Television, in a Documentary about the life of Entrepreneurs. Before meeting her Duffy, Koa was a single mom, and needed the help of Mamas For Mamas on many occasions, just to get by. Koa has never forgotten about how much Mamas For Mamas helped her when she was in need and was committed to giving back when she was able. Now, Koa is the Sustainable Nourishment Coordinator at Mamas For Mamas.
We are most excited to chat with our first ever celebrity guest Jillian Harris! The host of “Love it or List It Vancouver”, spokesperson for international brands, interior designer, and publisher of original lifestyle content, Jillian Harris is a quintessential busy-bee who pours her heart and soul into every endeavor. Jillian’s signature blend of high-brow / low-brow style makes her relatable to both small-town and city gals alike. With creativity and infectious energy, Jillian’s love for fashion, decor, food, fitness, travel, and family is fully expressed at JillianHarris.com and through her collaborations. Her other happy place? Surrounded by family & friends at home in Kelowna with her fiancé Justin, son Leo, new daughter Annie, and their boxer pup Nacho Cilantro.
Shannon shares that Mamas for Mamas was born out of her yearning to connect with other moms over something other than whether you bottle or breastfed. She felt that there was too much mom-shaming & drama going around. Her main mission at the beginning was not necessarily poverty driven but more connecting all moms from different socioeconomic backgrounds to donate, share and support with each other so that they could make the journey of motherhood more supportive and inclusive. She wanted more of the village that we seem to have lost along the way. She shares that one day she came across a post from a 19-year old pregnant mother of 2 who could not afford groceries. This pulled at her heartstrings so she took up a collection and went to buy her groceries. The feeling she got from doing this inspired her to start up a peer-to-peer Facebook group called Mamas for Mamas, which went from 300 to 3000 women very quickly. This was working for basic stuff, like re-distributing baby toys and clothes to other mamas in need, saving them from the landfill, and creating community; but what Shannon soon realized is that there were o...
Today is a topic near and dear to YGTMama. We are looking at not only identifying as a BOSS but as a BOSS and a MAMA. When you are climbing the corporate ladder it can feel like you have no power over your life, punching in and punching out every day. It’s easy to look at entrepreneurs with envy and wonder how on earth they did what they did? Then… when motherhood happens, the task can seem even more daunting. How is it possible to start a business or write that book or do that thing (whatever it is you are passionate about) with tiny humans in the picture? Well, Sabrina figured it out and so did fellow Boss Mama Lianne Kim.
Lianne Kim is the Founder of Mamas & Co. an online community of over 300 Mamapreneurs across Canada and beyond. Mamas & Co. aims to help mama entrepreneurs fast-track their business success by giving them direct access to the people, skills, and resources they need to succeed. With two decades of experience in sales and marketing, Lianne is also a business strategist and coach with her company Think Big Sales Consulting. She is wildly passionate about helping female entrepreneurs; she offers coaching, consulting and online courses for every stage of business owner. Her goal is to empower mamas all over the world to create the business and life of their dreams! She herself is also a mama to two kids, Julia and Alex.
‘Boss Mama’, ‘Mamapreneur’, ‘Mom Boss’, these are all catch phrases that identify a massive movement towards women and moms starting their own businesses. Lianne feels that that movement is happening quicker in Canada compared to our neighbours to the south, due to the fact that our maternity leave is longer. Women in Canada now get up to eighteen months off. These months are important for mamas to create a strong bond with their infants. She also thinks this is a big time for self-reflection and questions like - what is my life really all about now? You re-evaluate your role as a mom, a wife, a partner, a friend and a career person. In Lianne’s experience, with maternity leave, she had all this time to think about what she really wanted to do with her life. She felt that high school, university, first jobs, second jobs, promotions, husband, and kids all just flew by in a blur of milestones. Most likely this is the case with a lot of moms, so when their priorities shift in that year off, they have time to think and more questions start to surface like - what is my next move?
Being a boss does not necessarily mean that you are a boss of people, it is about being the boss of your life, essentially taking control of your own life. What was once important before, may no longer be important now and passions you may have pushed aside when you were younger in order to work at your ‘real job’ may start to resurface. Women are taking their power back by being the boss of their own life. They want to be present with their kids but they also want to do something for themselves. Lianne adds to this by sharing personally it was a bit challenging starting a family, at times she wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. So when it finally did, it she wondered if she could create her dream family life, what else could she do? At the time she was selling over two million dollars a year in high-end travel as well, she questioned what would happen if she channeled all that work into something she was personally passionate about, what could she make for herself?
Finding what you love, so you can do more of what you love, so you can be with your kids more, who you love...this is what it’s all about. It’s not about balance, it’s ever moving, ever evolving. Lianne prefers to use the word ‘fulfillment’ instead of balance, as balance is not something that is attainable; being fulfilled is. To Lianne, you’re never going to be fulfilled being good at one thing, we want to find those few things that really light us up and run with them.
Today we are talking about the concept that love is love and family is not defined by blood. Sabrina’s eldest was a ready-made, he is not “of her blood” however she thinks there is so much power in that. Their relationship is one of choice. She has chosen to see him as her son, and he has chosen to see her,as his mom. We have some incredible guests on the show today to talk about this very topic Hina Khan and Dina Ottoni-Battistessa.
Hina is a success coach and a registered psychotherapist, her mission in life is to help people provoke meaningful and lasting change in their lives. She is often called, on various TV and radio outlets as an expert in the field of the mind, human behavior and human potential. Hina currently lives in Toronto with her husband, two boys and a stubborn dachshund.
“It can be better than you expected!" ~Hina Khan
Dina has always been interested in child development and Education. After completing a degree in Liberal Arts and Women Studies, Dina went on to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Child Studies and Development. Although she loved her career working in the field, she needed to find a way to bridge her passion for being an entrepreneur with her advocacy and work in early learning and development. In 2014 Dina opened Akidemy Preschool which she co-owns with her best friend and business partner. She is also the mom behind the popular blog move.play.mom and she’s an upcoming co-author in You’ve got This, Boss Mama. When she’s not busy being a teacher, a mompreneur, writing or being a mom to 3 busy boys, you might just find her on site flipping or renovating homes with her hubby, Ben.
There are so many ways to be a mom outside of having a blood connection. In this day and age, we see so many veering away from the traditional nuclear family and there truly is a movement towards LOVE first! Hina and her husband always felt a calling to adopt, it was something they knew they would do. Their eldest son is biological, but they started looking internationally to adopt a child. This was not working out for them, so they went to look locally at the Adoption Resource Exchange. There they have all the photos and information of all the children who are with Children’s Aid Society who need homes. She remembers looking through this binder full of children and seeing her younger sons picture and saying to her husband: “That’s him, that’s our son.” She claims as soon as she saw him she knew he was born for her. They were not the ideal candidates for him, but by the grace of God, they got approved.
During this process, she would walk with her biological son with one hand, carry the picture of the boy who they wanted to bring home in her wallet and just think “What will it be like to walk with two boys?” Hina says that during this waiting period, she was ‘all-in’, she knew she would be devastated if they didn’t get approved so she didn’t try to hold back an emotional investment in the situation. To her, there was no way to ‘not get her hopes up’. They have kept an open relationship with his foster family and birth mom now because it is just more opportunities to surround him with people who love him. Hina feels that she cannot imagine a child more hers that she had birthed herself than her son who she adopted. It is a powerful concept surrounding love and she was able to manifest the son that was meant for her family. Hina feels: “It was a plan that got acted out but this plan was in place a long long time ago. That he was born for us.”
You do not need blood to bind families together, it is love that creates families. You can choose your family too. There are estranged families that don’t talk to each other. And there are non-blood families who are very tight. Love is the secret weapon when it comes to family connection.
Dina talks about the challenges she faces when some peop...
Today we are talking all things health, wellness, and body image. Between You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama in the submission phase and all of the content that is flying around out there, there is an amazing number of mamas who are experts on this topic. We are excited to have Mona Sharma and Tara Butterwick here with us to discuss all things mindset, health, and wellness.
Mona is a mama x2, Holistic Nutritionist, yoga instructor, and Meditation/Wellness Coach. Her passion is to help her clients discover their unique path to feeling healthy, energized and beautiful; both inside and out. After leaving her high-powered, high-stress, corporate role in the luxury beauty industry, she turned her attention to her healing. She recovered from two heart surgeries, chronic anxiety, and long-term hormone imbalance and quickly discovered that she was in control of how she could feel and heal her body. Her global clientele includes CEO’s, professional athletes and celebrities, working with each of them to optimize their fitness, health and overall well being.
Tara is a certified personal trainer and mama motivator helping thousands of women embrace postpartum fitness through her popular blog and well-known alias TopKnot Mommy. She focuses on positive living, allowing mamas to be fit healthy and real. She’s changed the game of “post-baby body” image and continues to inspire and motivate women all over Canada and the US. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama and mama to two littles.
When it comes to postpartum health and wellness, everything comes down to mental health and mindset. Mona takes us through the direct correlation between your mindset and the thoughts that you have and the impact that it has on your body and your cells. As she points out, there is very little talk about it. As women when we go into pregnancy, we are very aware of the risk of postpartum depression. After doing some research, Mona found out that postpartum depression can last up to seven years after birth. This is something that is not widely publicized and can affect so many mamas. She recommends taking a global look at how you are feeling, how are you fuelling your mind and your body? She advises to put warm, soothing food in your body and steer clear of packaged goods; this will help at a cellular level. From a mindset standpoint, gratitude is so important. Mona acknowledges that it has been very popular on social media (#gratitude) and almost overused term, but she challenges are we stopping and embracing what gratitude is?
Here is an exercise she uses: Every morning when you wake up, go through the ‘movie reel’ in your head of what you are grateful for. It doesn’t have to be about the ‘things’, it can be about the feelings you have, the enjoyment you get from drinking your morning coffee, the sun coming up, it being warm outside, the people you are going to see that day, the new underwear you have that might make you feel sexy, whatever it is...the simple things that put you in a state of gratitude. She guarantees that these are the things that will change your state, and when you can change your state right from waking up in the morning, that’s going to impact the rest of your day. Another practice she uses is throwing on her favorite song that makes her feel happy in the morning while cooking breakfast or going to work out. She guarantees that if you do this, change your state from the get-go, you will be amazed at the difference in your day. She assures that it will not only affect you but your family as well.
As a mom, we have these expectations of ourselves, we are always chasing the: ‘I’ll work out next week’ or ‘I’ll start the diet tomorrow.’ The ladies discuss that it does not always have to be a big 2-hour workout ordeal, it can be a walk here or 20 minutes of strength training ther...
So many of us get stuck in the Groundhog Day that is early motherhood. Isolation, depression, stress. Constant arguing over meals, sleep, and spilled non-dairy milk. Our guest today has done an amazing job of arming expecting mamas and, well ALL mamas really, with the ACTUAL tools it takes to be a mom. Sunit Suchdev is a living goddess guru mama!
Sunit is a business and mindset coach with a passion for all things health and wellness. After receiving an undergraduate degree in health sciences, she spent the next 20 years of life dabbling in all sorts of industries but has always maintained a training and coaching component to everything she does. She is a certified life coach and meditation teacher and is finishing up her Functional Nutrition Practitioner certification. Sunit is fellow podcaster and host of "The High Vibe Life". She is the founder of the 40&Such movement which inspires women to enter their 40s the healthiest they've ever been. She wears many hats but her favorite is her mom hat. She is a mom to twin boys and loves being able to shape the future through her own parenting.
Sunit takes us through how her business has morphed from its inception. As an “older” Mom of to twin boys at the age of thirty-seven, she watched women around her deal with motherhood. What she soon came to realize was that preparing for motherhood wasn’t simply painting the nursery and having all the baby clothes ready. She really figured out the mindset and the true planning it takes to thrive in motherhood. She wasn’t perfect but she felt that she had success considering she had twins so she wanted to pay it forward and help other moms. This is where Modern Mommy Prep School and her podcast was born from. In the beginning, it was all about new moms, as her audience grew up in motherhood so did the topics she would coach on. This summer her podcast rebranded to “The High Vibe Life”, as she now is passionate about all women living in their highest vibration regardless of whether they are a mom or not. At the end of the day, her heart lies with inspiring women to live their best life and create change in the future by raising good little humans and adjusting mindset. Sunit strongly feels that this cannot happen unless moms are coming from the best place possible. This is why she firmly believes that women should care for themselves first so they can show up for their kids.
Sunit shares some of her tips in how to promote mindfulness and meditation in kids. She says that the secret is that kids more than anyone else are naturally mindful. The only thing that is going on in their brain is just being focussed on the moment and what they are doing. She claims that it is quite easy to get kids to meditate because they are already there in their brains most of the day and mindfulness is just one step away from meditation. She recommends starting as early as possible, with a picture or inanimate object.
Here is an example:
Show your kids a picture of a snowman, and say to them: “See this snowman. I want you to look at the snowman then I’m going to take it away and you’re going to close your eyes and for one minute you’re going to think everything you can about that snowman. Try to remember everything. What colour was his nose? Was he wearing a hat? Was he hot? Was he cold? Did he have a sweater on?” Then as their age progresses you can ask them to imagine a snowman or a snowflake. You can ask them to pick something that they want to think about. All you are doing is guiding their mindfulness and meditation. When that minute is up then you get them to talk about it. Ask them questions. What did your snowman look like? How many buttons were on his coat? The idea is to just guide what they are focussing on. This is the first step to meditation. Sunit also recommends a few other tools to guide mindfulness like the raisin exercise or the stuffy exercise.
Today we are chatting with a couple of incredibly powerful women about a potentially less desired topic. Our intention is to bring awareness to mamas and families dealing with premature birth. In honor of World Prematurity Day this coming Saturday, November 17th, we are talking about our tiny warriors and their warrior mamas. We are speaking about the miracles that exist to provide hope and to empower the mamas in the trenches of dealing with prematurity, the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and all of the fears and anxieties that come along with it. We have some incredibly inspiring and well-versed guests who have plenty of experience with this: Charleyne Oulton and Riana Luck.
Charleyne is a confident and happy mom of three children who were all born prematurely. Charleyne has a passion for writing and is a well recognized published author with Golden Brick Road Publishing House and regular contributor for YGTMAMA. She is a popular health and wellness coach with It Works, works in the Royal Canadian Navy as a Reservist and is a Pisces who lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This Mama Too and You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama.
Charleyne shares a brief snippet of her story. She has three children that were all born prematurely, within thirty-two months of each other. She had no idea that she was at risk for premature delivery. She was so uneducated around any other possibility of a birth plan other than a full term healthy pregnancy. She claims that it was horrible and terrifying, an event that she still suffers from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) because of. Her first son’s birthday brings up mixed emotions, joy is combined with having to relive really scary times. Her second pregnancy had her more prepared with the risks of premature delivery only because of her previous experience. The lead up to her son Jeffrie’s birth was terrifying but born at twenty-eight weeks, he was a fighter and her strongest preemie. Less than a year later her daughter Juley Anne was born at twenty-six weeks, at less than 2 lbs. Her pregnancy was the most joyful pregnancy. She knew that she was going to have another preemie, her waters ruptured at twenty-two weeks and she was encouraged to terminate the pregnancy because the baby would not be viable at that time. She chose life and decided to try to try to keep her inside as long as possible. Combined she spent 110 days in the NICU with what she calls her little ‘miracles’.
Riana is the mom of five; seven-year-old triplet boys, a four-year-old daughter, and a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Four out the five were preemie babies that spent a total of 119 days in the NICU. Riana is also an owner of two businesses, one being a successful cheerleading gym in Red Deer called Premier Academy, and co-owner of three others. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Boss Mama.
Riana shares that one of the biggest struggles from her NICU time was when she had other children at home depending on her and missing her. With her triplets, although it was hard, it was expected and they knew what they were in for. There were no other children at home who also needed attention, so they could devote all their time to be in the NICU. When her waters burst early with her last pregnancy she walked into the hospital in tears. She knew the long road ahead, and a lot more tears were shed as a coping mechanism. She also praises our outstanding health care system: “It’s amazing what they can do for these little babies.”
We are here to bring awareness to this difficult topic. Riana starts off by sharing her two different NICU experiences. Her triplet sons were born at thirty-one weeks, five days, which was expected and actually very good for triplets. Even though almost thirty-two weeks is a great milestone for triplets,
This episode leaves us here at YGTMAMA a little torn. We think it is an important topic and needs to be talked about. Sabrina has personally suffered silently with aspects of this issue. The mandate of YGTMAMA is to service mamas by talking about the grey areas we encounter on this journey that is motherhood. So this may not be an interesting or popular topic with every mama, but it is certainly an issue that affects some of you out there.
We struggled with the questions: Is it too controversial? Will we lose listeners and community members? Will we hear #truthbombs we are not ready to hear? You see there are some mixed emotions and powerful stigmas associated with motherhood and the consumption of alcohol. How much is too much? Are we numbing a deeper issue? Isolation, boredom, postpartum depression. Has society encouraged a new demographic of the ‘Wine Mom?”
You see, Sabrina is the proverbial "wine-mom", we sometimes do playdates with a 'traveler' in the form of a wine filled adult sippy cup. Just 'one glass with dinner' is not the way it goes in her household. We here at YGTMAMA enjoy wine, Sabrina worked in the beverage alcohol industry for many years. It wasn't until becoming a mother though, that she started seeing her consumption as a potential 'problem'. Sabrina found herself drinking not for enjoyment, but necessity, to calm her shattered nerves after a long day of baby talk, temper tantrums and wiping butts.
This episode is not to judge or make mamas feel bad about their habits. We have society and other mommy groups for that. Or to say that every mama who needs a glass of wine to unwind after a tough day of mommin’ is an alcoholic. This episode is to empower mamas and let them know IF they are struggling with something (anything really), they are not alone. This episode is to ignite the conversation without the shame and embarrassment. Not unlike the #metoo movement, sometimes it is not easy to come forward and speak up. This is the safe space to do so!
We have some fabulous guests with us today to shine some light on the darkness: Jillian West AKA Soberlicious Mama and Heidi Smith.
Jillian is a Mother of 3 girls and wife to James West. She is an active member in the recovery community and very passionate about helping women, especially mothers, live a life free from addiction to any and all substances. Jillian is an advocate for women entrenched in the sex trade wishing to exit. You can follow her on social media where she features her life as a Mama, an influencer and her personal recovery journey. Jillian is an upcoming co-author in YGTM2. She is the creator of the Soberlicious Mamas Support Group and a personal trainer specializing in Postpartum Fitness.
Heidi Smith is a professional business woman - CEO of Addictive Designs Inc., Operator of Right Sized Coaching and Founder of Arch Angels Society; that supports new moms in recovery. However, her greatest title is ‘mom’. She is a full-time mom to her son Rocco 12, and stepmom to Savannah 17 and Jacob 15. It is Heidi’s mission to unify those that are recovering from what was lost. She is an outspoken, feisty advocate around recovery and has been heard and seen in media across North America over the last 7 years. She believes that everyone is recovering from something. Heidi is in full-time recovery from her addictions and trauma - none of which works against her. She is here to smash the stigma around addiction by letting it fuel her passions with design, media, and coaching. Heidi will always stand on the frontline supporting Women and Moms in recovery - showing them that they too can be their true authentic self. You can follow her journey on social media too
We want to preface this again by saying we are not here to judge. Wine is talked about a lot on this show and we have no negative judgments towards the ‘wine moms’ out there.
Today we are going to talk about all things new mom, from infant sleep to breastfeeding and everything in-between with The Mama Coaches- Carrie Bruno and Amanda Archibald.
Carrie is the founder and CEO of the nationwide company, The Mama Coach. She leads a team of committed Registered Nurses who are passionate about supporting women through all the stages of motherhood. She is a mama herself, of two little boys, who are the reason behind The Mama Coach. She believes all mamas should be able to find sleep and feeding solutions from a health professional that are tailored to them in a non-judgemental way.
In this episode, Carrie explains why she started The Mama Coach. She started the company when her boys were little because she was looking for a way to spend more time with her family. She is a Registered Nurse and lactation consultant and was passionate about helping other families achieve sleep and feeding success in the newborn phase. She believes that these two things are completely linked, so she wanted to bring all of her research to other families so they could all start getting some sleep as well. And her company grew! What makes them different from other companies is that they provide an in-home consultation with all families.
Carrie talks about how as new mamas we end up relying on Google for our sleep questions. This can be totally overwhelming as there is so much information and judgment out there. She shared the mantra of The Mama Coach, which is: “It’s only a problem if it’s a problem for you!”. It is not up to anyone else in your world to tell you how things should be in your life as a Mom.
“It’s only a problem if it’s a problem for you!” ~ Carrie Bruno; The Mama Coach
Amanda is first and foremost she is the mama to her spirited little girl Emily who will be two-years-old next month. Amanda received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from BCIT with a specialty in Perinatal Nursing and worked in labour and delivery and postpartum care in Vancouver and Calgary. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and the owner of The Mama Coach in Vancouver providing Prenatal education, Lactation Consulting and Sleep Consulting for new mamas and their families. She loves caring for the families she works with and when she is not working you will find her exploring her city, out on a long run or checking out a local brewery!
The ladies delve into the #1 most Googled newborn sleep question: ‘When should my baby be sleeping through the night?" Carrie affirms there is no one right answer and no secret sauce to that question because it’s very personal. Everyone has different thoughts of what ‘sleeping through the night’ actually is. She says that there is a general guideline out there that at either three months old and/or thirteen pounds you should be able to teach a newborn to sleep through the night. As a nurse, she would argue that it would be incredibly stressful developmentally for baby and mom (aka a lot of crying) for this to be true. With The Mama Coach programs, they start with feeds, with the hopes that the babies learn the skills and sleep through the night when they’re ready. They start with changing what the middle of night feedings look like by teaching the babies a trick. She purports that it’s really about helping the baby learn how to “eat when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired.” This does not have to be a boot camp like experience. Carrie tells us that often just by getting the science and timing behind your baby's sleep schedule can fix things almost to the finish line.
Next, the Mamas move onto the dreaded ‘sleep-training’ debate. Carrie feels that whatever method you choose to get your baby to sleep, be it ‘cry-it-out’, co-sleeping or everything in between nobody should judge either way. There is a solution out there that will work for you and your family,
If you don’t recognize this face it is because she is the mastermind behind the scenes, as Sabrina mentions in this episode “the glue that holds this together”. In today’s episode, we are simply just checking in. Episode 8 marks the halfway point for Season One and it is time we hear from all of you. We want to know what your burning questions are. Do you have a topic suggestion you NEED to hear about? Are you or do you know the perfect Mama nominee to be a guest on the show? On today’s show, we recap episode seven all the way back to episode one and allow you to be involved in shaping the episodes of the future. Who better to discuss than our very own producer Meghan Krmpotic?
Meghan has always been passionate about the entertainment industry, leading to a successful ten-plus year career in television production. She worked on numerous number one Canadian reality TV shows before taking a break to realize her true dream job, being a Mama! Understanding the fast-paced world of Hollywood North was not conducive to a growing family she joined forces with an incredible health and wellness company and rapidly worked her way to the VP level. She is now a Regional Vice President with Arbonne International, an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This Mama, Too, our incredible producer and mama of three awesome little ones Gracie (7) Alexander (4) and Frankie (2).
Meghan and Sabrina start with recapping Episode 7- Canna Mommin’ they revisit some funny web browser stories and talk about their opinions and predictions on what legalization in Canada means. “At the end of the day, I think people mostly fear change,” says Sabrina. Meghan agrees and thinks this is a step in the right direction. Change can be a good thing.
They move on to Episode 5 - Let’s Talk About Sex brought to attention by more funny web browser stories. This episode is really great because it dives into the practical and tangible tools around sex after babies. For those who haven’t tuned in yet, there are even links to porn, ask Meghan’s hubby about that one.
The ladies move on to Episode 6 - Moving Through Fertility. This one hits home for Meghan having dealt with multiple personal losses. Meghan shares some of her journey into motherhood with the listeners and the ladies dig deep into mindset, positivity, and perspective when moving through a difficult season in life. “Sharing our journey is what is needed to move forward” Meghan claims and talks about how we need to support one another rather than compare our stories. We need to break out of the code of silence and shame.
This is a good segue into speaking about Episode 4 - Mommin Is A Mindset. They revisit the concept of “feel the heal” from author Kristin Hallett. Meghan also talks about how mindset plays a huge part in mom-life “we are always a work in progress, it is important to remember that these little people are mirrors reflecting parts of you that need work”. The Mamas talk about the big picture and Meghan gives the priceless advice that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Life is too short to not take everything as a learning experience. Sabrina quotes “grow through what you go through” and talks about how all things are temporary, the good and the bad.
“We are always a work in progress, it is important to remember that these little people are mirrors reflecting parts of you that need work”. ~ Meghan Krmpotic
Next, they reflect back to Episode 3 - Threenagers vs. Teenagers and discuss their boys turning four, starting school and all of the fun that comes with that season, reminiscing on the threenager days of not so long ago. They both question why starting school comes with an onslaught of illness and endless gross and again remind each other that this is all temporary much like the baby brain from e001.
Lastly, the ladies revisit Episode 1 - Insane In The Baby Brain...
With cannabis legalization just around the corner in Canada, we wanted to sneak this episode in before the country is swarmed with the madness of legislation and politics. In true YGTMAMA form, we wanted to discuss the topic of cannabis but pertaining to parenting, motherhood specifically. We see so much romanticizing of alcohol use in motherhood. The whole “Mommy-juice” and “Wine-O-Clock” phenomenon, but when it comes to cannabis there are still some pretty heavy stigmas and judgments associated.
Today we are hopefully going to debunk some of the myths and de-stigmatize the issues around marijuana. We couldn’t think of better guests to do that with than Devon Scoble and Irie Selkirk.
Devon Scoble is a mom, editor, and cannabis enthusiast. A former food and lifestyle writer, she moved onto the cannabis beat after a series of health issues forced her to give up eating gluten. Devon is currently the content director at Hempster, a cannabis education site with a health and wellness focus, and at Natural Care, a cannabis prescription service for seniors. When she’s not talking about how much she loves weed, she’s probably out adventuring with her six-year-old son, her partner, and their dog.
“There are different properties and different strains that can encourage different attributes...Start low and go slow.” ~Deven Scoble
Irie is a mom of an eleven-year-old daughter, six-year-old son and seventeen-year-old stepdaughter. She is the co-founder of the Green Tent and a freelance cannabis consultant. She also has founded a Toronto-based Facebook group for like-minded Cannabis-using parents to share and connect free of judgment and stigma called CannaMama Collective.
“Cannabis keeps patience and kindness in my heart.” ~ Irie Selkirk
Devon sees herself as an agent for cultural change in terms of the cannabis. Both mamas entered into the cannabis world by using it for its medicinal properties and it evolved from there. They both realized that this was an industry that needed more in terms of educating the public and policy makers on it. Irie shares: “We would like to guide the conversation as to how women look at cannabis, make sure that everything is education based. And help women craft their relationship to cannabis as legalization rolls out.”
As we jump into the topic of starting the conversation about cannabis with our kids, both mamas give us some tips. In Irie’s home, cannabis has always been presented to her kids as medicine, this conversation got tougher when her eleven-year-old asked why her mom was using it when she wasn’t sick. She explained to her daughter: “It’s Mom’s cup of tea”, basically anything can be solved by using it. Sometimes it’s a check-in, a start-up or a wind-down in dealing with all the things that happen in our life. Her short answer is that we need to talk to our kids openly about cannabis and educate them that it is a very safe substance that is coming out of 100 years of prohibition with a lot of misinformation about it.
Devon recommends starting the conversation with kids similar to having the sexual education talks. By explaining that cannabis is for adults, to be careful around it, and take the questions as they come. Then answer them matter-of-factly. Right now we are raising “cannabis-normalized generation”, who are learning to take it at face value.
Devon grew up in a cannabis normalized household but her education was still very fear based. “Don’t tell anyone or I will go to jail”, her father would threaten. He would caution her that it is safe, but still, they had to be careful about what they said. Now that we are moving into legalization there is a higher interest in lower dose strains, CBD strains and it’s not about trying to get as high as possible with the smallest amount of marijuana now.
Today’s episode might be a trigger for some. October is Infertility and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month and we thought it was important to talk about this topic that is very real for so many.
There are so many people that struggle with this on so many levels. Today we have three very special guests. Not only are they all upcoming contributors in the YGTMAMA series, but they all study and practice different kinds of medicine specializing in fertility. It’s incredible how little resources and education are available and how unspoken these issues actually are. The incredible struggles, the massive percentages, the undiagnosed reasons. Today we are going to get super raw and real about infertility and pregnancy loss and hopefully help and empower a lot of mamas.
Justine is a CIHR funded post-doctoral fellow working in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Her research is in the area of health behaviour change and she is specifically using evidence-based strategies, such as self-compassion, to help people feel great – whether it is dealing with the multiple demands that come with being a mother or coping with chronic illnesses. As a new mother herself, she is well versed in the ups and downs of motherhood, and the importance of self-care so that you can be the best YOU possible.
Justine explains in this episode that she battled with what Canadian doctors diagnosis of “unexplained infertility”, she and her husband struggled for over two years to get pregnant with no real justification as to why they could not. It was only when they went to see an autoimmune infertility doctor in Las Vegas, that they got some answers. He explained to them: “There’s no such thing as unexplained infertility, it's just undiagnosed and it’s just finding the right healthcare professional who can figure out what's going on.” Justine wishes that she didn’t feel so alone while she was going through her infertility struggles. She advises women if you don’t feel supported with the healthcare professionals who you’re working with, don’t give up, keep searching. She assures us that there are people out there who can help you, so pull them together, there are people who are out there who will believe in you.
Hillary is a naturopathic doctor focused specifically on the areas of fertility, prenatal, postpartum and children. Puzzling cases put fire in her belly and she is passionate about helping women. She has aspirations of becoming Prime Minister however, she takes it as a major accomplishment when her kiddos give her an award for the best tummy tickler. Hillary thrives in chaos, is obsessed with chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and loves to belly laugh!
Hillary explains that in the naturopathic field they are always trying to look for the root cause as to what issue is going on and treat it from a holistic standpoint. Instead of using pharmaceuticals they treat with homeopathy, high dose nutritional supplements and herbal medications. She describes the field’s main purpose as: “Helping the body shift back to its own normal healthy template again versus band-aiding the situations.” She feels very strongly about working side by side with Western medicine doctors to help support their work with naturopathic medicine.
Leisha loves skiing in the mountains, floating in the ocean and Bananagrams. She values connection, especially family game night with her kids. She has a daughter who is 10 and a toddler whom she has decided inspired the movie boss baby. She is a Chinese medicine doctor and acupuncturist. Her practice focuses on fertility, prenatal, postpartum and being well. She is inspired by the resilient women she has the privilege of walking beside.
Leisha delves into what Chinese medicine is and explains that it works along the same principle as naturopathic medicine in that they look to the root cause of the issue.
Today we are talking about SEX and opening up (pun intended) about all things sex after children. We have all been there, right? Where sex feels like a chore after a full day of mommin’? There are some days where Sabrina would rather watch paint dry then put her sexy face on, and she adores her hubby.
We have two amazing and very different guests on today to talk about all aspects of sex after kids. Kelly Swartz is an erotic expert and will be talking about libido, psychology around sex, self-intimacy and all things 'sexy times'. Heike Ulmer is a pelvic floor physio, midwife and doula and will be speaking more about the technical and physical aspects of sex, post children.
Let’s dive into where no Mama has gone before.
With more than ten years of experience in the area of sexuality and expression, Kelly moved from Mexico to Toronto in 2016. She has an M.A. in Critical Theory focused on Erotic Literature, an (almost-completed) Ph.D. in Erotic Literature, and as a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, she is sought out for her knowledge, counsel, and wisdom. She is a published author on themes of an erotic nature. Kelly helps navigate topics that are usually laden with ignorance, taboos, and shame using humor and a holistic approach in which all areas of our lives are connected through her company Awoken Beauty. She is also a master dragon fermenter, with two kiddos (dragons) under the age of three and is currently fermenting her third who will come out into the world this month.
Heike is a German midwife with ten years of experience in her field who moved to Toronto with her family in 2016. In Germany, much as in Canada, midwives have the care of their clients during pregnancy, labor, and post-pregnancy, and have the care of the newborn baby. In Germany, they also help mothers with conceiving, breastfeeding, and childbirth recovery. She is also trained in Homeopathy and Acupuncture. On top of all this, she is a proud Mama to her two kiddos.
Kelly asserts that the number one reason why couples are not having sex after babies is EXHAUSTION. But also, EXPECTATION. There is a certain expectation that things are going to go back to the way things were pre-babies, similar to how we feel about expecting our bodies to go back to the same as they were before childbirth. She claims it will never go back, it will just be different. Everything is going to change. The attention you pay to your partner is going to be less. You can’t have the same sex. It just has to be different. She explains that you can’t have the same intimacy you had before. We think because we are spending so much time with our partner caring for the babies that we are spending time together, but in fact, we are not.
She discusses intimacy with yourself and how important it is. According to Kelly, you need to relearn what your body is like and what your new body desires your new sexual preferences. She asks: "How do you expect to be desirable to yourself if you haven’t reacquainted yourself with your new body? “Everything changes when you become a parent, so why wouldn’t sex change too?”
"How do you expect to be desirable to yourself if you haven’t reacquainted yourself with your new body? Everything changes when you become a parent, so why wouldn’t sex change too?” ~ Kelly Swartz
Kelly educates our mamas that our brain is our largest sex organ and the one that is the least used, so in truth, sex is in the brain. She claims, “You don’t really need to put your sexy face on, in truth you have to put your sexy brain on, in order to have your sexy times.” She teaches people to be more intimate with yourself, so you can be more sexual with your partner.
Heike talks about what the parameters are physically after having a baby.
Mommin’ is not an easy feat, certainly not one that is meant to be braved alone. In today’s episode, you will meet some of the original Mama Tribe and learn from their varying perspectives about how motherhood can be filled with joy even during the difficult and dark times if you just shift your perspective.
The thought that ‘mommin is a mindset’, that in some way we have the ability to control our thoughts and reactions, even in the craziest of chaos is kinda exciting, right? We couldn’t think of a better lineup then these three besties to share their journeys and experiences with you on how we can consciously change our perspective in all areas of life, including motherhood.
Jess is Co-Founder of the Love for Lewiston Foundation. Which was established in honor of her son Lewiston who passed away as an infant from a rare genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). She also has a really awesome apparel line that raises funds for the foundation, she blogs, teaches fitness and pursues the things that make her heart soar.
Jess uses social media, Instagram specifically, to share the realness of life and to show other Moms that they are not alone. She feels social media can be such a connector for all Mamas when it is real and raw.
Kristin works for the Calgary Flames, as their host. She has worked behind, and in front of, the camera for over ten years - including stints at Breakfast Television and CTV Morning Live Winnipeg. Kristin is also the author of the beloved children's book, “Bee Love”.
Kristin shares that when you are seeing and hearing other women be vulnerable about their mama struggles, it opens up a floodgate and allows you to feel safe in being vulnerable as well. All the filters are removed, and you to be able to shameless and unapologetic in your ‘Momming’. It’s a trickle effect.
Jodie recently achieved one of her dreams and became an entrepreneur by opening Calgary’s first specialized injectables clinic Beauty PHI Medical Aesthetics. Her biggest dream of all - to be a Mama, was realized three years ago times two when she had her twin boys!
Jodie shares how writing in You've Got This, Mama, stepping outside of her comfort zone and being vulnerable has helped so many other Moms. This is what being real and sharing your story on larger platforms can actually do. It is also exactly what the mandate of this podcast is.
All the Mamas agree that it takes a village, and there is no shame in asking for help. The ladies talk about how when you become a mom, friendships may shift, your village may shift or it may deepen. Jess urges you always reach out to the village when you need help, people, especially moms are more than open to helping.
In You've Got This, Mama, Jess shares: “In losing Lewiston’s life, I found mine”. A major life event can shift your whole perspective on life. In Jess’ opinion, before faced with the crisis of losing her son, she had chains and barriers that held her back. She told herself stories that she wasn’t good enough to live the big life or follow her dreams. For their family, losing Lewiston shifted their perspective on how they wanted to live their life. Jess claims that after that loss, she finally found the freedom that she had been searching for such a long time. “I believe I found my purpose and that is to show other people on how to live their life to the fullest”. She wants to show other moms that there is joy after loss. Every day, Jess gets up and wants to make each day count.
“I believe I found my purpose and that is to show other people how to live their life to the fullest”. ~ Jessica Janzen Olstad
Kristin discusses why miscarriages are sometimes downplayed in our society.
We are going to dive into two specific age groups today, that typically earn a bad rep. Teenagers vs. threenagers. We will chat similarities and differences and everything in-between in hopes to empower mamas who are maybe struggling with the drama of it all.
Our two amazing Mama guests today are in the thick of it with each of these age groups. Sarah Rosensweet is a certified Peaceful Parenting Coach. She lives on Toronto Island with her husband and three “big” kids. Sarah helps parents become the parents they want to be, with a non-punitive, connection-based approach that that feels good and works too.
We also have Laura Williams, a Calgary based Mama of four children who is passionate about healthy living and raising independent children. Laura knows threenagers well, as three of her four children are three-year-old natural-born triplets.
We start by getting into the nitty-gritty of brain development, Sarah gives it to us layman terms. The reason why threenagers and teenagers are so similar is that both age groups are in a really similar place both psychologically & emotionally. They are both moving out within the world and their family, testing their independent wings. Brain development wise, there is a renovation that happens with the amygdala and the limbic system at both ages. This is the more emotional side of the brain where all of the “big feelings” happen. It takes a few years for the prefrontal cortex (the reasoning side of the brain) to catch up. So you get high emotions with both age groups and a lot of very unreasonable reactions.
Laura agrees, we as Mamas need to remind ourselves that it’s all relative, their anger is the way they are feeling their anger, whether it is over juice cup colors or jeans that are in the laundry. They are defining who they are, impulsiveness and irrationality is something they both share. We need to remember that the drama is real for them.
They both give us some us some techniques on how to deal with these age groups. Sarah remarks that with teenagers, the only thing you to have to influence them with is your relationship. In terms of discipline, you can’t physically stop them anymore. You’re really relying on your connection with them and your relationship with them. “Having teenagers is like closing your eyes and stepping off the edge of a cliff and hoping that it’s not too high...you really just have to take this leap into the dark and hope that everything you’ve done in the first twelve or thirteen years has put them in a position that they’ll make good choices” Sarah claims.
“Having teenagers is like closing your eyes and stepping off the edge of a cliff and hoping that it’s not too high...you really just have to take this leap into the dark and hope that everything you’ve done in the first twelve or thirteen years has put them in a position that they’ll make good choices” ~ Sarah Rosensweet
Laura agrees that building the relationship through the threenagers years is so key. Respect your teenagers or threenagers. Start honesty from the get-go. In terms of discipline and consequences both our Mamas claim that you need to look at the repair within the child themselves. How can you as a parent help empower them to maneuver solutions and not fix it for them?
Sarah encourages our Mamas, that everyone is doing the best they can, both as parents and kids. Generally, our kiddos really want to be good, if they’re not being good, then there’s a reason for it. It may be that they are tired, hungry, feeling disconnected or they're going through a leap in brain development but they are not just trying to be difficult. She affirms, that if we can remember that as parents, we can come from a more patient place.
Both guests agree you need to focus on self-regulation & self-care when dealing with threenagers and teenagers.
Ever forget your keys in the refrigerator for days in the newborn haze? Poured orange juice in your coffee? Showed up at the wrong time and day to an appointment? Well, you are not alone, so has our host Sabrina Greer.
Let’s be honest people, how many of us have googled “is baby brain real?” On today's show, we’ve invited some real pros to join us today and dive into the psychology and science behind the infamous “baby brain” or “momnesia”.
Tia Slightham is an incredible parenting consultant and founder of Tia Slightham, Parenting Solutions
She is also an author in the YGTMAMA series, blogger, entrepreneur and a mother to two sweet boys Hudson (9) and Beckett (7).
Tia was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a mama and has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. Tia’s passion to help children has come full circle, now teaching parents how to decrease their parenting struggles.
Habiba Jessica Zaman is a powerhouse psychotherapist and founder of North Star of Georgia, Multicultural Counseling & Consulting.
She has a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling specializing in trauma with 15 years of experience working in the counseling field, including counseling, advocacy, guidance, and education.
She is an author of 14 publications including recently published Beautifully Bare, Undeniably You, and a children’s book, published in 2012, titled But I’m Just Playing. Habiba is of Bangladeshi and American descent. She is a mom of two boys Riu and Luca and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her family.
“We kind of actually do lose our mind in that kind of sleep deprivation, you add all the hormonal things to that and it’s like a double whammy” ~Tia Slightham
Listen in to hear Sabrina and our guests as they share some hilarious new Mom stories and delve into the truths about baby brain. Tia notes that “We kind of actually do lose our mind in that kind of sleep deprivation, you add all the hormonal things to that and it’s like a double whammy”. Habiba agrees that “we can all sit back and say that this definitely happens, it’s a chemical thing, it hormonal, it’s sleep deprivation, it’s all of the above”.
“We can all sit back and say that this definitely happens, it’s a chemical thing, it hormonal, it’s sleep deprivation, it’s all of the above”. ~Habiba Jessica Zaman
Our experts share some tangible tips for our Mamas on how to get through the brain fog. Habiba shares an important tool from her counseling background that can be applied to all new Mamas, the acronym HALT: (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If you are more than any one of these at any given time, you are your own worst enemy, so literally, halt and take a pause!
Habiba gets real about the link between baby-brain and postpartum depression, as it is the most common complication of childbearing. If you think you may be experiencing postpartum depression the 10-question Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a valuable and efficient way of identifying patients at risk for perinatal´ depression. The EPDS is easy to administer and has proven to be an effective screening tool.
Major takeaways from our guests during this “baby-brain” phase is don’t expect perfection and whatever habits you’re making, be prepared to break them! New Moms need to give themselves a break in the beginning phases especially, as Tia notes: “Don’t be so hard on yourself because everything is fixable”. In the thick of it, everything seems impossible, but nothing ever is Mama, we promise! Resources from our Incredible Mama Guests: From Tia Slightham
FREE PDF Guide: “How To Get Your Newborn To Sleep Without Sleep Training” (Birth-3 Months) PDF Guide: “Parenting Doesn’t Have To Be That Way”: 7...
The very first ever episode of You’ve Got This, Mama – The Podcast. Learn a few things about our host, Sabrina Greer that you likely didn’t know and spend 20 minutes with her heart as she “barfs” her vision for this podcast and community all over you, she knows there is not enough barf in your life, Mama.
We know you are probably thinking, here we go again, another “how to be a better mother” podcast or better yet another “I drink wine at noon to tolerate my kids” podcast.
No offense to either of these genres but seriously, it has been done, right?
"There is no way to be a perfect mother… but a million ways to be a good one.” ~ Jill Churchill
This podcast is simply a safe space where Sabrina and her guest co-hosts, other amazing Mamas, can share their truths, about all things motherhood. This is best expressed through the wise words of Jill Churchill - “there is no way to be a perfect mother… but a million ways to be a good one.” So every week Sabrina and her co-hosts will share their Mama wins, the losses and well, everything in-between because, that is real and that is motherhood.
Now, a little bit about our host Sabrina Greer. She has worn dozens of hats in her thirty-six years of life, including but not limited to: an international model, a student, an employee, a corporate minion, a bartender, a server, an entrepreneur, a deckhand on a luxury yacht, a health and wellness consultant, an event planner, a manager, a director, a volunteer...the list goes on. But her favorite hat is the one she currently wears, the one placed atop her head by three tiny humans, her Mama hat.
Sabrina went from globetrotting and navigating the catty seas of the competitive, female-dominated modeling industry, to the male-dominated, fast-paced corporate events world to being a mom, to three boys in three years. To say she was overwhelmed and struggling with identity would be an understatement.
So began her journey into looking for acceptance, comradery, support. There were a few seemingly judgment-free resources but true colours always shone through. She felt isolated, uncertain, lost. It was then she realized that writing was still a therapeutic outlet and reading the stories of other mothers were a savior to the soul. She found a tribe in the collective voice of the diverse breed of the mother.
"I found my tribe in the collective voice of the diverse breed of the mother." ~Sabrina Greer
This was how “You’ve Got This, Mama” the book, community, blog and now podcast were born. Sabrina set to work to recreate “the village” for other Mamas in a series of beautifully curated stories written by moms, for moms on all different platforms.
Learn about some new up and coming additions to the YGTMAMA brand and get that much-needed reminder that you are not alone, your village is here, with us. Every week we will be interviewing some of our past contributors, future contributors, specialists and all types of mamas. Every episode, our Mamas will be giving us their favorite Mama hacks, self-care rituals, recipes, tips, books and products that make their lives easier and more enjoyable. If you have any amazing Mamas we need to chat with or topics you want us to explore please send them our way!
Please enjoy and you know what? If you don’t, holler at us and let us know what we can do better, after all, Sabrina is a brand new Podcast Mama learning the ropes as she goes. If you can leave us a review, rate us and subscribe we will shout you out on Instagram and be forever grateful.
Please join the tribe over at www.instagram.com/ygtmama. We even have a little surprise for new subscribers. To get more info on the stories we share here, our books, blog, and community, go to www.ygtmama.com/.
subscribetothetribe
Resources from Sabrina:
You've Got This, Mama is a friendly reminder you are doing a great JOB, after all, that is what this gig is. Parenting takes a village, right? Well, here we are! From the best selling author, of the You've Got This, Mama book series, expect shame-free, judgment-free, telltale, #truthbombs about all things motherhood. It's raw, unedited, un-Pinterest-worthy and more refreshing than a cup of coffee after a night with no sleep. Sabrina will share her parenting wins (the other stuff too) and interview specialists, and inspiring mamas in hopes to empower your motherhood. Remember, you've got this!