Sara Haley is a mom of two little dudes and personal trainer with a specialized focus on the postpartum core.  She helps mom heal Diastasis Recti and pelvic floor dysfunction.  She is on a mission to get more moms talking about these very normal conditions.  She is also a ton of fun – which makes it really easy to talk to her about postpartum peeing and such.

Warning: Sara and I talk (and laugh) about all things peeing and vagina related on this episode.  You’ll find it very informative.  You’re welcome.

In this episode, Sara shares:

• How to squeeze workouts into a busy schedule
• 3 reminders to motivate you to workout
• 5 things not to do after having a baby
• How to get started with diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor and core dysfunction
• Tips, tools (and toys!) that help heal diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction
• The risks associated with letting pelvic and core injuries go untreated

Links Mentioned:

Belly bandit – belly wrap

Elvie Pelvic Floor Exerciser: video with discount code!

Say No To Crunches Challenge

Healthy Choices Food Challenge

Sara’s Website: SaraHaley.com

Sara on Facebook

Sara on Instagram

Sara on Periscope

Sara on YouTube (tons of excellent videos and workouts!)

Sara’s Postnatal YouTube playlist

My home workouts are a KEY part of my day, 5 days a week.  The convenience of home workouts make them a total no brainer for me.  It’s easy to over think and over complicate home workouts.  I want to help you with that!  No need to spend a ton of money. No need to spend oodles of time sweating alone in your basement.  Home workouts can be super efficient and effective, done in 10-30 minutes, 3-5 days a week!

Reasons to workout at home:

1. Save time
2. Save money
3. Model healthy habits to your kids
4. Engage your kids in your workouts

How to decide what equipment to get:

1. Consider your goals 
2. Know thyself – don’t opt for something boring that will collect dust (aka $3,000 treadmill)
3. Space constraints 
4. Budget constraints 

You can read the full show notes at www.shamelessmom.com

Today I am talking with Dr. Jennifer Freed, a child psychologist and the co-founder of AHA! (Attitude.Harmony.Achievement.), a youth-focused non-profit that works to end bullying, improve self-esteem, and empower teens through emotional learning and creative expression. 

AHA! was founded in response to the Columbine tragedy and here I am recording this interview 2 days after the Orlando massacre.  I think you’ll agree the work of Jennifer and her organization has never been more imperative.  

When I scheduled this interview it was intended to be about bullying – which Jennifer and I discuss in depth.  But, we also talk through some things you can do to work through the Orlando tragedy.  This is a deeply sad time for many people and I wanted to use Jennifer as a resource for those of you who may be struggling in processing the Orlando event. 

In this episode, Jennifer shares:

• How to take care of yourself and your emotions after a time of crisis (like the Orlando tragedy)
• How to introduce young kids to different emotions
• What 3 things to do when your child/teen is experiencing challenging or overwhelming emotions
• What do to and what NOT to do if your child is being bullied
• What steps to take if your child is exhibiting bullying behavior
• Why it’s inappropriate to label a child a “bully”

Links Mentioned:

eMotion Cards 

Book: The Second Family by Ron Taffel

Dr Robert Brooks

Dr. Jennifer Freed and all her books & resources : http://www.jenniferfreed.com/

I think many of us are struggling to recover from the trauma of the Orlando Massacre.  I took all of last week to think about how I could address this on the podcast.  This episode is what came out of my week of reflection.  

I want to be more shameless.  I mean, it’s the only way I can really own The Shameless Mom Academy, right?  So, here I am – more shameless than I have been on any other episode.  

I want you to know I stand for:

• Equal rights
• Women
• Children

I hope you do too.  

I also want you to know I have zero time or patience for:

• The NRA
• Anyone who is cool with the legalization of weapons of mass destruction
• Old men making rules for young women
• Using religion as a crutch for homophobia
• Brock and Dan Turner
• Lack of empathy 

We’re all in this together, yet we stand so divided.  If we treated other people the way we want our children to be treated everything would be so different.

If you’re a lover of a good To Do List, but not great at accomplishing the big items on your list, you NEED a little lesson in GSD.  

Remember, every time you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to many other things.  

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

1. Prioritize the things that will move you closer to a goal or forward in some area of your life
2. Stop doing the mundane things that don’t move your forward (you don’t have to fold the laundry, people)
3. Create a functional GSD 
4. Be ok with the incompletion of insignificant tasks 
5. Manage Parkinson’s Law more efficiently

Ok, don’t hate…. 

Y’all know I love my wine.  Love. 

And I know I’m not alone.  You love it too, right??  

We’re in this together.  

I recently had a long wine/weight loss convo with my gym members here in Seattle and I thought it would be worthwhile to share the conversation with you.  So, here goes…

Today you’ll learn:

• The truth about alcohol and weight loss
• What happens to your blood sugar regulation when you drink
• Why drinking wakes you up in the middle of the night
• Why drinking makes you hangry and carb crazy
• How drinking helps you store fat

I will also give you 6 tips to drinking smarter!  Don’t worry I’m not going to ask you to give up your precious nectar.  Like I said, we’re in this together. 

Links Mentioned:

Shameless Mom Academy Episode 18, Jill Coleman: How To Eat Every Damn Day

Girls Gone Strong Article: Wine and Your Waistline: How Alcohol Affects Your Health, Hormones and Fat Loss

I asked Halley Bock to join me for an interview after reading her article on Passion vs Purpose recently.  I didn’t know she was such well rounded badass who has owned her space for quite some time – as in owning her company, owning her path to motherhood, owning her relationship with herself, and owning her upcoming book.

Halley is a leader in every way – with a mission to lead more people into revering their relationship with themselves.  

Halley is also a mom to two kids - and she and her wife both got to experience the joy (and hell) of pregnancy and childbirth.  I was particularly excited to ask her about the role of Family Manager, which often falls upon the mom.  When there are two moms, who gets that role?

Listen in to hear:

• How Halley and her wife Deli became the moms to two fantastic kiddos
• How two moms rule a family – and who is the Family Manager
• The BS that is work/life “balance”
• The loss of connection through conversation
• The disconnection between your life and YOU
• How to follow your passion and find your purpose
• The perfect superpower Halley and Deli want to give all moms

Related Links:

www.HalleyBock.com

Life Incorporated on Instagram

Article: Passion or Purpose: Which Should You Pursue?

Today I’m going to get you all caught up my current life craziness, which mostly entails the #damndog’s diarrhea and more IVF “fact finding”.  From there we’ll dive into meditation.  

I fully admit to being a sucky meditator, but I think it’s important and potentially critical at this time in my life, so I’m determined to stick with it.  

Today, I’ll share with you:

• Why I’m meditating 5 days a week
• How to keep meditions super simple 
• The meditation app I’m using (that I love!)
• The benefits of meditation
• How meditation can impact weight loss, sleep, depression, anxiety, quality of life
• Why YOU should meditate too – even if you suck at it

Related Links:

Article: 10 Science Based Reasons to Start Meditating Today

Headspace App

If you haven’t already listened to Episode 27, 10 Ways to Slay, go listen to that first.  THEN, hop back here to learn how to Be A Quitter.

I want to lead a quitting revolution.  Can we all quit the things we hate to create more space for the things we love?  The world would be such a better place.  I mean, no laundry would ever get done, but who cares?!

I get super annoyed when I hear “inspirational” quotes about not quitting – like these:

“Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.”

“Failure only happens when you give up trying, so never quit.”

“Quitting is not an option.”

I call BS.  

There is a time and a place for quitting.  And you probably often ignore the signs you should quit something because you have been trained to persevere and be a maryr.  Enough of that crap, already. 

Please Be A Quitter when something or someone:

• Does not serves you
• No longer brings you joy and satisfaction
• Fills you with dread/misery/rage
• Holds you back from progress in your life
• Has evolved into a place that no longer brings value to your life

Be A Quitter because:

• You deserve joy and peace
• You deserve space for new and better things
• You time and space is sacred.  Treat it that way by not filling it with crap.

Listen in to get my 3 steps to practice in your journey to becoming a better Quitter.  

And remember, if it’s not a HELL YES, it’s a HELL NO. 

Who’s joining my Quitting Revolution?

“Quitting is leading too.” Nelson Mandela