We all have to do things that overwhelm us. Things we dread and really, really, really don’t want to do. Things that scare the bejeezus out of us. But they have to get done. We have to put on our big girl panties and SLAY. This is tough and can be painful. Which is exactly why I thought you might find some joy and relief if I were to give you 10 Ways to SLAY.
Make sure to listen in as I expand on each of these and give examples of exactly how to use each tip. Also… This is a 2 Part episode! Yes – I have too much to say to get it all in one episode. What?? Me – too much to say… I know, total shocker…
Make sure you stay tuned for our next episode and listen in to episode 28 where I dive DEEP into #10 and teach you how to be a better quitter. You will thank me. Promise.
Misty Mozejko is a single mom who tells it like it is just as much as I do. I connected with her on Facebook and found myself totally crushing on her educational and often hilarious posts about womanhood, fitness/health, and motherhood.
In the 10 years since becoming a mom, Misty has lost 120 pounds, started her own fitness business, endured divorce, embraced single motherhood, started a women’s business group and proven that she is 100% unstoppable.
Listen in as she shares:
* Her weight loss story and journey into her own fitness business
* The truth about weight loss and body image insecurity
* The pros of single parenting (hint: she gets DAYS OFF – jealous much??)
* What she wants her son to learn from her mission
* Her advice to moms who feel short on resources to follow their passion
Where to find Misty and links mentioned:
Misty’s Boot Camp in Whitby, Ontario CA: www.10000strongbootcamp.com
Misty’s online community for female entrepreneurs: www.10000strong.com
Shameless Mom Academy Episode 13: How To Be a Better Stalker & Fangirl
I spent the first 30 years of my life trying to be perfect. What a waste!
I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life taking imperfect action. It has been a little scary – and 100% liberating. If I didn’t give up perfection, I would not own the businesses I own today. So much of my life would be different. So much of my life with be less than it is today.
Why?
Because perfect kinda sucks.
Perfect is an illusion.
True perfection is actually quite imperfect.
In this episode you’ll how to overcome perfectionism and why imperfect action is critical for making big progress in any area your life. We’ll also talk about Analysis Paralysis and why you must stop letting Good be the enemy of Perfect. This is especially for all my Type A Shameless Moms. Enjoy!
Links Mentioned:
I met Ophira in a hot tub in Sayulita, Mexico. It was just as romantic as it sounds. My husband and I had never before, nor have we ever since, made vacation friends. Meeting Ophira and her husband, Jonathan, was hitting the vacation friend jackpot. We know we’ll never get that lucky again.
When I met Ophira she was a stand up comedian in New York City. She still is. And she’s amazing. But since meeting her 6 or so years ago, she has endured the longest, darkest journey of her life – while still getting up on stage to make others laugh.
In this episode, Ophira and I talk about her life off stage over the last couple years. The life her audience couldn’t see. The life she couldn’t share. Because you can’t get on stage and laugh about cancer and miscarriages – until they are over. Then they are fair game for comedy content, right?
Ophira recently became a first time mom at 43 - after slaying the NYC comedy scene, landing a job at NPR, writing her memoir Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, and beating cancer. She literally did it all and did a lot of guys along the way (sorry, I had to throw that in there.)
This episode will make you laugh, for sure. But it will also give you some amazing perspective on the true pursuit of happiness.
Also, take note of the superpower Ophira wants to give all moms. We NEED this, ladies.
Connect with Ophira here:
Medium.com article: From a Cancer Diagnosis to Miscarriage to Pregnant – at 43
Ophira’s Memoir: “Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy”
Ophira on NPR’s Ask Me Another
Ophira’s Comedy Album: BANGS!
See Ophira live at SHIT SHOW on May 26, 2016 in NYC!
Last week was my Infirmary Tour. With my mom in town for a week, we visited sick & recovering friends/relatives and sat at my sister’s bedside as she successfully endured thyroid surgery.
Then Vinnie got a staph infection.
Then I got my period early.
Then I realized I had no tampons.
It was a week of not getting done any of the things I NEEDED to get done and not sitting in my own space to do the things I normally do.
This is me NOT at my finest. Not at my most positive. But still trying to be a damn Pollyanna.
It’s not all rainbows & unicorns, friends.
Oh, and apparently Vinnie likes my belly button.
Erin Brown is someone I have long admired. Erin is one of the first women I found online who was part of a much-needed movement to encourage women to STOP shrinking. Her words and philosophies have been hugely impactful and healing to me in the last 4 years.
Erin gives women permission to unapologetically stand in their space “As Is” (the name of her first book.) She is brilliant and graceful, but also bold, honest and raw.
I knew I wanted to interview Erin long before I launched The Shameless Mom Academy. So, it was an honor to record this with her.
Listen in and hear Erin share:
Links:
I was recently at two different events that both brought home the message, “How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything”. Receiving this message twice in a short period of time hit me over the head. I knew it was perfect for an SMA episode.
How do you do things? What is your attitude when times are tough? How do you model positivity and persistence?
Here are my 8 Tips To Be Better At Anything
Links Mentioned:
http://fitbottomedmamas.com/2012/04/what-no-one-tells-you-about-infertility/
Here’s what I want my Mother’s Day to look like:
Wake up in a quiet space with no people around me
Lay in bed and read
Mimosa and french toast delivery
Get a massage
Go shopping
Lunch with unlimited wine (maybe with friends, not with family)
Catch up on Real Housewives
Unlimited dark chocolate consumption
Nap
Vodka gimlet happy hour with girlfriends
Date night with husband
I don’t want to:
Prepare any meals or snacks
Think about what the hell is for dinner
Do laundry
Do dishes
Empty the dishwasher
Go grocery shopping
I don’t want to negotiate:
How many bites of breakfast
Or lunch
Or dinner
How many minutes till naptime
What toys can come in the car
What toys can come in bed
What toys can go to school
How cracked the door is at bedtime
Is tonight bath night
Do we have to wash hair
Is mommy or daddy reading stories
I don’t want to look for:
The missing tiny, clear lego piece
The random toy someone gave us two years ago that is suddenly of the utmost significance
The beloved soccer shirt that must be worn everyday
I also don’t want to:
Pack a school lunch
Cut your bread the wrong way
Give you the wrong cup
Or the wrong spoon
Or the wrong napkin.
Oh, and I really don’t want to clean pee off the wall or poop off your bum – or the toilet seat, or the leg of your pants.
Furthermore, I don’t want to feed the dog, smell the dog, let the dog out, keep the kid from yanking the dog’s tail, or clean the dog’s diarrhea off the heated floors
The best gift you could give me is a day alone. A day where I would do everything I never get to do on my own timeline.
BUT, here’s what would happen… I would look at pictures of you. I would watch the video of your first bath. I would watch the video of you crawling on the beach and squawking like a seagull when you were 10 months old. I would watch the video of your first steps at Lala’s house, chasing a piece of cheese. I would look at that picture of us on the ferry to Nantucket where your hair is blowing in the wind and you are filled with bliss. I would look at the picture of you on your first day of preschool, filled with concern and cuteness. I would look at the picture of you this Christmas when you realized that the Santa dude brings PRESENTS. I would look at the picture of you laughing with your dad that I just took a couple weeks ago.
I would be away from you and all I would want is to be with you. Because that’s how it works, isn’t it? I need you as much as you need me.
So, we will spend mother’s day together. There will likely be some epic meltdowns, because history tells me that Mother’s Day is when those are most likely to happen. There might be a time out or two (for me, if not for you).
There will be wine and chocolate – but probably not in unlimited quantities, because I will want to be the one to read you bedtime stories and share your final snuggle of the day.
To all you mamas out there who want Mother’s Day to be about NOT being a mom for 24 hours, I HEAR you. And I raise a glass to you.
Being a mother to my Vinnie is the honor of a lifetime – although it usually doesn’t feel that way. But there are moments when it strikes me over the head – like the few times we have had to go to Seattle Children’s Hospital for little things and I have to hold back tears walking through the hospital doors because I am acutely aware that some kids walk though these doors and they never walk out.
I get to me someone’s mom. It is a job I will fail at miserably. But in spite of that it will always be my biggest and more proud accomplishment.
No matter what you do today, know that you are someone’s most special person. How lucky are you?? Happy Mother’s Day Shameless Moms.
I’m so grateful to my friend Jillian Mitchell for sharing her story of fostering to adopt her son, Fletcher. Jillian and her husband Matty went through quite the journey to find the family they were always meant to have.
As a young couple, Jillian and Matty set out to foster a child before ever trying to have biological children, knowing there are so many kids out there who need and deserve an amazing family.
On December 28, 2011, they received the phone call that made them parents and within hours they were bringing their son home with them.
What followed was over 2 years of highs and lows and a lot of love. They didn’t know how their foster story would end, but they were able to fully embrace Baby Fletcher as their son immediately, having agreed with each other early on that,
“Whatever child we bring home deserves all of our hearts no matter what happens. When they are with us we will love them like they will be with us forever, no matter what happens.”
For 2 years, Jillian and Matty worked through a grueling court mandated visitation schedule where Fletcher had time with his biological mom (sometimes 4 days a week – where he cried through entire visits as Jillian listened in from outside). They endured many court dates and changes of events & routines as Fletcher’s biological mom bounced in & out of sobriety and rehab.
On more than one occasion, they feared they may lose their son.
You will note how calm and graceful Jillian is as she shares their story. Even in the darkest moments of her life, knew she was with the family she was meant to have. She admits her gut told her, “I know it’s going to be okay because I know this is my son.”
I can’t thank Jillian and Matty enough for sharing their story. I hope it inspires another couple to go out and find the family they are meant to have.
This episode is pretty raw for me. It is not an easy thing for me to talk about, but I think it is an extremely important topic.
It deeply saddens me to see so many women consumed by shrinking. I want to change that and I think sharing my story can help a lot of women.
Today I share:
If you exercise consistently and make healthy food choices and struggle to lose weight, here are some tests you can ask your doctor or naturopath about:
*general blood work (including Vit D, Iron, Iron stores, B vitamins)
*thyroid panel (can be done with general blood work)
*fasting blood glucose series (this is multiple draws before/after sugary drink - this might only be relevant if you have a fam history of diabetes, but worth asking about)
*adrenal testing (spit test?)
*sleep study (only necessary if sleep apnea might be a concern - do you snore?)
*sleep consult (only necessary if you're routinely getting less than 7 hours of sleep)
*food sensitivity testing (can be done via blood draw)
I have found naturopaths are excellent at spending a lot of time really diving in and closely looking at this information, more than MDs. Most naturopaths will book a 90-minute intake appointment, which is really necessary to dig deep into your concerns.