Jon Acuff is the New York Times-bestselling author of five books.   His most recent book is FINISH.  He's helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, Staples, and the Dave Ramsey Team. Most recently he's spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at companies such as Microsoft, Nissan and Comedy Central. Featured regularly on national media, Jon has been seen on CNN, Fox News, Good Day LA and several other key outlets.

FINISH is easily one of my favorite books of 2017, as it weaves interesting research, hilarious anecdotes, and easy to implement advice into a simple, fun, and inspiring read.  If you’ve ever quit something, this book is for you.  If you want to finish more things with more ease, this book is for you. If you need a reset in working toward your goals, this book is for you. 

After reading FINISH, I knew Jon would be a really fun and fascinating interviewee and he did not disappoint. 

Listen in to hear Jon share:

• Why finishing something is much harder than starting it
• How your secret rules hold you back in life
• The link between perfectionism and NOT finishing things
• Why you need to choose what to bomb
• The power of Noble Obstacles and why you need to get over them

Links Mentioned:

Jon’s Book: FINISH

Jon’s Course: Finishcourse.com

Jon’s Website: www.Acuff.me

How to read more: http://www.Acuff.me/read

I’m not gonna lie.  I’m in major hustle mode right now and that is not my favorite place to be.  But sometimes it’s necessary.  I’m not at my best when I’m hustling.  I get frustrated and anxiety ridden and just downright cranky.  

However, I’ve gotten better at checking myself over the years, so I’m actually able to manage myself at these times in my life without making myself or those around me too crazy.  

A pivotal moment happened this week that really helped me realize how far I’ve come when it comes to managing the hustle, managing expectations, finding the silver linings at all times, and connecting to my gratitude #everydamnday. 

I think my lessons might help you.  Listen in and let me know!  As always, we’ll continue this conversation over on Instagram and Facebook at The Shameless Mom Academy. 

Links Mentioned:

• Sponsors:
• • Esight: offering legally blind people the technology to actually see and interact with their environments in ways they never thought possible.  Go to www.EveryoneDeservesToSee.com for more info.  

Whitney Nicely went from no investments (or strategies) to 19 houses, 19 apartment units and 7 chunks of land in less than three years all bringing monthly money to her bank account on auto pilot.

She has traveled the United States speaking on stages, teaching her simple strategies, and meeting with other successful real estate investors- and still buying houses the way she teaches others.

Whitney is a dog mom to Abby the Labby-130 pounds of loving fur, wifey to Jason East- an apartment investor, stepmom to Gavin (12) and Harrison (10).

Since 2016, Whitney has led and trained hundreds of future real estate rock stars to grow their portfolios, collect checks and achieve financial freedom. 100's of real estate newbies are securing leads, signing deals and scaling their dream incomes through the First Deal Done Fast Program.

Whitney is a WEALTH of information and she shares a ton of knowledge in this episode.  Get ready to learn some powerful ways to get involved in real estate in low rise, but profitable ways!

Listen in to hear Whitney share:

• How you can get involved in real estate in low-risk ways that still financial reap benefits
• Why it’s important for women to have a real estate portfolio
• The truth about flipping houses on HGTV 
• Different ways you get in the real estate market  (I’m sure some of these will be new to you!)
• How to circumvent risk when starting out
• How to get into real estate without investing your own money and still make money every month

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Whitney: https://www.whitneynicely.com/

Whitney on Facebook 

Whitney on Instagram 

15 Ways To Be A Badass #everydamnday PDF: email Sara at mailto:into@shamelessmom.com

This episode is to give you power and might to make you do the things you want to do and need to do – BUT – you might be a little scared to do.  

I’m inviting you to take action, baby steps if necessary, to live a bigger, bolder, braver life.   Here’s how…

15 Ways To Be A Badass #everydamnday

1. Take one small step toward a big goal 
2. Stop worrying about what other people think
3. Exude confidence
4. Be relentless
5. Always find the silver lining 
6. Be a better stalker
7. Lead with kindness
8. Do what’s right even when it’s hard
9. Find your voice and use it
10. Say NO more often
11. Say YES more often
12. Write new endings to your toughest stories
13. Make mistakes 
14. Practice gratitude   
15. Be mighty, but also be humble

Be sure to listen in to hear me go into detail on each of these. 

Also, I made you a free download to go with this episode!  Email me at info@shamelessmom.com if you want to see the beautiful “15 Ways To Be A Badass #everydamnday” art I had created for you to download, print and share with others! 

Links Mentioned:

SMA Episode 13: How to Be A Better Stalker And Fangirl

Katie Anthony is a writer and mother of two boys, ages 3 and 5. She knows a lot about backhoe loaders, velociraptors, and rage. Her writing has appeared in BUST.com, Scary Mommy, Mamalode, and the PEPS Blog. She swears and blogs about parenthood, feminism, and scotch at KatyKatiKate.com.

I was introduced to Katie via one of my favorite podcasts, For Crying Out Loud.  Co-hosts of FCOL, Lynette Carolla and Stephanie Wilder Taylor, read a piece of Katie’s writing that had me so fired up, I couldn’t help but Facebook stalk her (my favorite pastime and one of my best skills) and beg her to come on my show.  

Luckily, she was flattered by my stalking and said YES.  

Phew. 

Katie is an amazing witty writer and a truly talented truth teller.  I kind of want to live in her head.  I think you will too after you hear this interview. 

Listen in to hear Katie share:

• How writing became her therapy in motherhood
• Why she just can’t keep quiet about the ways she sees men abusing their power
• All about her buddy Chad, who you know too, btw
• How she is managing newfound fame and glory after going viral (for real) a few weeks ago
• Why she asks her readers for money (gasp) 

Warning: this episode contains explicit language and a decent amount of F bombs.  We opted not to edit them out, as they are relevant to Katie’s writing, her personality, and her story.  Enjoy them all!

Links Mentioned:
Katie’s Blog (including posts on Harvey, Scott, Kevin and Chad): www.katykatikate.com

Katie’s Book: Feminist Werewolf

Support Katie on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katykatikate

Katie on Facebook: www.facebook.com/katykatikate

Katie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/yokatykatikate

Scott Rosenberg article

http://deadline.com/2017/10/scott-rosenberg-harvey-weinstein-miramax-beautiful-girls-guilt-over-sexual-assault-allegations-1202189525/  

For Crying Out Loud podcast episode where I found Katie 

Book: Hunger by Roxanne Gay

Book: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Melanie Shankle is the New York Times bestselling author behind Nobody’s Cuter Than You, The Antelope in the Living Room, Sparkly Green Earrings and her newest book, Church of the Small Things: The Million Little Pieces That Make Up a Life.  She first shared her hilarious observations and loving wisdom on The Big Mama Blog, which helped define a new genre of blogging for women as it attracted a devoted audience now thousands deep. The Texas A&M graduate is also a guest blogger for high profile outlets and an in-demand speaker at events across the country. A proud Texan, self-professed Target junkie and lover of Anthropologie sales, Melanie calls San Antonio home with her husband Perry, teenage daughter Caroline, and two wild dogs Piper and Mabel.

I had a great time preparing for this interview and reading different pieces of Melanie’s writing.  I highly recommend you check out her blog, The Big Mama Life, and her books!

Listen in to hear Melanie share:

• How she has grappled with and come to embrace raising an only child
• Things she wish she’d known earlier- related to motherhood, womanhood, and perms
• The “lies of unicorns and perfect mothers”
• How she sees women living more shamelessly today than ever before
• Why moms need to push their boundaries in front of their kids

Links Mentioned:

Melanie’s Website: http://www.MelanieShankle.com

Melanie on Instagram: @MelanieShankle

Melanie on Twitter: @bigmama

Book: Church of the Small Things: The Million Little Pieces that Make Up A Life

Here we GO!

We are about to dive into the holiday season.  Are you ready?  

I love the holidays and would be happy for them to last for months on end, but I know they can add stress and chaos for a lot of people.  

I want you to be conscientious about how you enter into your last 2 months of 2017 so you can actually enjoy with ease.  

Today I’m going to give you my Three G’s to enjoy this season with ease.  Take notes, write out your template (I’ll teach you how!) and share it with me on Facebook or Instagram at The Shameless Mom Academy!  

Links Mentioned:

Sponsor: CanvasPeople – go to http://www.canvaspeople.com and use the code SHAMELESS to get your FREE 11x14 canvas of any photo of your choice (just pay shipping!)

In addition to being a Shameless Mom to Charlie (14) and Pepper (9), Nichole Nordeman is an award winning singer-songwriter and acclaimed worship leader who just wrote her first book, Slow Down: Embracing the Everyday Moments of Motherhood. The book is based on Nichole’s song “Slow Down” that pulled the heartstrings of mothers everywhere—with 14 million views in five days and has exceeded 21 million total views. Nordeman’s viral video showcased the reality of how fast children grow up and why it’s important for parents to be intentional. 

Slow Down discusses the heartfelt feelings and memories of parenthood in her book—it is filled with stories, song lyrics, photos, wisdom, and encouragement. Nichole encourages parents to be intentional and slow down, so that they can appreciate the beauty and joy of raising children. 

Nichole and I had such and enlightening and powerful conversation about the joy and pain of parenting.  I will fully admit that I did some stalking of Nichole before and after our interview and I have just fallen in love with her music and her writing.  I am so honored she made time to share with us in the Shameless Mom Academy.  

There are a lot of treasures in this interview.  I hope you love them all.  

Listen in to hear Nichole share:

• How to step away from the traps that pull us out of our own reality
• Why it’s ok to be ok with average
• What actual steps we can take to slow down and be more intentional
• How to manage emotion around the limits of our precious time in motherhood
• How to manage the inevitable pain and joy of motherhood
• The importance of always maintaining your identity outside of motherhood 

Links Mentioned:

Nichole’s Website: http://www.nicholenordeman.com/

Nichole’s Book: Slow Down – Embracing the Everyday Moments of Motherhood

Nichole on Facebook

Nichole on Instagram

Nichole on Twitter

Nichole’s Album: Every Mile Mattered 

YouTube video: Slow Down

SMA Ep 149: Stop Saying Sorry