Tavona Givens is a Shameless Mom to two sons, a coach, writer, speaker, and a widow. She has always been in the business of healing, as a massage therapist and reiki master for over 13 years. She has developed an exceptional way of building trust and connection with every person she works with. With the sudden passing of her husband in 2014, it has been her mission to create space for widowed mamas like herself to use their pain as a catalyst for growth. She is the proud mother of two sons James and Jordan. She lives for family, travel, waterfronts, podcasts, chocolate, laughter, and random acts of kindness. She holds a Bachelors in Liberal Arts, Master’s in Public Administration, and is VP of Education for ToastMasters. She is currently preparing to launch her own podcast.
Tavona life was flipped upside down literally overnight with the very sudden passing of her husband, James. I heard Tavona’s story a couple years ago when she first joined my community and I knew I wanted to have her on as a guest someday. I am so honored to have her here to share what grief has looked like for her.
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You are a leader. There is no way around it. #sorrynotsorry
You lead in your household. You lead in your community. You lead in your profession. You lead in your relationships.
You are a leader.
So, how are you stepping into that role? How do you lead with integrity? How do you lead with compassion? How do you lead with just the right amount of power and purpose to inspire others to follow?
There are 4 key characteristics to every great leader, whether they are leading a family of 4 or a multimillion-dollar organization: courage, confidence, compassion, and curiosity.
All 4 complement each other in a very synergistic way. And when you have all 4 dialed in you can lead in the most dynamic ways - where you’re working in your greatest strengths, inspiring others to take positive action, and having the most profound impact.
Listen in to learn how to more fully step into your role as a leader in order to get more of what you want and have the most impact along the way.
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Jessica Sinarski is a Shameless Mom of 3, a clinical supervisor, consultant, writer, and educator. She is the author of RILEY THE BRAVE (available in English and Spanish) and the founder of BraveBrains, an organization committed to helping adults living and working with children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or significant losses.
Jessica is a thought leader in connecting neuroscience with practice in adult-child relationships and has shared her expertise as a contributor to Fostering Families magazine, Adoptalk, blogs, and podcasts. She has trained thousands of parents and professionals across the country and maintains a private practice in Delaware, incorporating neurofeedback and attachment-based therapeutic models.
Jessica shares some GOLD here as it pertains to our brains, our childrens’ brains, and how we can reverse stress to the brain. I learned so much in this conversation. I think you will too!
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It is no secret that the people you spend the most time with will rub off on you. This begs the question - are you spending time with the right people?
Are you investing in relationships with people who inspire you, push you, hold you accountable, cheer for you?
Are you investing in relationships with people who have similar core values, who want to do good for the greater good, who want to elevate others as they climb, who want to elevate those who have less privilege?
Are you investing in relationships with people who are doing big things, scary things, great things - the things you want to do?
The relationships you invest in will determine your path, your growth, and your joy. And in many cases, they will clear the path for you, expediting your growth, bringing you joy you never thought possible.
Listen in to hear why you must get yourself in the room with like-minded mamas and my secret growth formula that makes the relationships you build in these rooms invaluable to your growth.
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Dana V. Adams is a Shameless Mom of 4 boys, the founder of the Life Mapping Institute, author of Live Your Gift and the Live Your Gift Companion Guide, and considered one of the country’s top thought leaders on the life mapping process. For decades, first as a student and now as a teacher and mentor, Dana has inspired, empowered, and led thousands to embrace their life’s gifts to live happy, abundant and authentic lives. She leads the highly acclaimed Life Mapping Workshop to corporations and individuals.
Dana’s life was deeply impacted by life mapping a few years ago, so she took it upon herself to reach out to the creator of the concept, Bill Cohen, to ask him if they collaborate - major Shameless move! He said yes and Dana has had the opportunity to build a truly transformational program at the Life Mapping Institute as a result of this collaboration.
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Do you suck at time management?
I get it. I’ve been there. Like, this week.
I have to laugh at the timing of this episode. I recorded it a few weeks ago, but at the time of writing this show description, my time couldn’t feel more tight. It has been one of those weeks where I’m constantly having to follow my own advice.
In a week when all the things are exploding and imploding, I’m having to be exceptionally clear around why I’m spending time on every single task - to make sure that I’m not prioritizing the wrong thing at the wrong time. This is HARD. This means that I’m dropping a few balls - on purpose. And that’s ok.
Time management is not about getting all the things done on time. It’s about getting the right things done at the right time. It’s about identifying what the “right things” even are.
Listen in to this episode to learn how to:
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Torie Henderson is a Shameless Mom of two teens, a master certified life coach, public school teacher, and creator of LifeCoachingforParents.com. She has helped hundreds of overworked and exhausted Supermoms transform their parenting, their careers, and their lives. Torie is host of the Supermom is Getting Tired Podcast and is devoted to helping moms release the burdens and the guilt so they can truly enjoy this time of their lives.
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I’ve known for the last few years that motherhood is a massive qualifier for any CEO role. For quite some time I’ve been compiling lists in my head of different ways motherhood prepares a woman to lead and negotiate and teach and advocate at the highest level.
But when I sat down to create a master list of the TOP ways motherhood qualifies a woman to be a CEO, I could barely contain my excitement. The thoughts that had been swarming in my head for years came pouring out and the connections were so clear and so obvious.
It is not a stretch by any means to state that motherhood qualifies you to lead at the very highest level. In fact, I would suggest that in some (many?) instances those who are not mothers are significantly less qualified to lead at the highest levels.
Motherhood requires you to be a master multitasker, people manager, time manager, negotiator, decision-maker, action taker, planner, budgeter, teacher, coach, mentor, visionary, value creator, boundary enforcer, teammate and advocate who can be patient, persuasive, compassionate, fearless, agile, empathetic, resilient, intentional, resourceful, disciplined, determined, and tenacious as all get out. Tell me what other role, job, experience would make you more qualified to be a CEO?
You are capable of being the CEO of your life, your household, your community, and any other organization you want to build or lead. If you’re not 100% certain of that already, this episode is for you. Listen in. More than once.
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Arianna Taboada is a Shameless Mom, maternal health researcher, author, and owner of a consulting firm that helps female founders intelligently design maternity leave plans that meet their business model and personal needs. She draws from her expertise as a maternal health professional, combined with her experience as a business owner and mother, to provide highly personalized services for service-based entrepreneurs. Prior to her consulting practice, Arianna worked on maternal health issues for over a decade as a health educator, a social worker in a mental health clinic, a reproductive health researcher, and a yoga therapist.
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