I know what it’s like to just not.
Just not try the new sport.
Just not sign up for the art class.
Just not join the group of people whom I assume are smarter than me. 
Just not take that professional leap.
Just not attend the event with people who seem to have it all figured out. 
Just not chase a dream. 
Just not admit I really want something.
Just not believe I’m worth it.

I’m curious if you ever get a case of the Just Nots?
Perhaps this happens to you when you think something miiiight be kinda cool, but then you decide it feels too risky, too scary, or too vulnerable. You start to make up a bunch of reasons that it’s just not the right time. Just not the right fit for you. 
Just not the next right step. And you end up Just Not doing the damn thing.  
And then, you find yourself sad, mad, disappointed, full of regret, maybe feeling some shame, and likely making promises about how next time you Just Will. 
In this episode I talk through what the Just Nots look like and how they can impact your life. Then, we dig into the Just Wills - the fun stuff - where all sorts of magic happens.  
It’s ok if you’re typically a Just Not kinda person. But, I think (hope) this episode nudges you to be a little bit more of a Just Will person.  

Link mentioned:
Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

810: When It’s Easier to Just Not

Ariel DeNey Rainey is a Global Creative Strategist and Urban Family Advocate whose work is inspired by her drive to galvanize moms and professionals to fight for change. She is also the mastermind behind the Hustle Mommies nonprofit organization and movement where she has connected hundreds of mothers to careers, personal development, celebrity engagement, grants and scholarships, and a plethora of other resources. Under Ariel’s leadership, the Hustle Mommies organization has multiple prestigious awards and accolades, most notably from President Barack Obama and The Obama Foundation. 
Since the 2020 pandemic, the Hustle Mommies helped to bury 16 kids who have been affected by inner-city gun violence. This led to the creation of the PAINT THE HOOD ORANGE initiative, a campaign to support efforts to end hood trauma within Black, urban neighborhoods, as well as the TASK FORCE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE, which is now advocating for policy change surrounding gun violence.  
Hustle Mommies is currently planning the first ever Million Black Mom March taking place in May 2024 where their current campaign is BLACK MATERNAL NEEDS MATTER - and all Shameless Moms are invited! 

Listen in to hear Ariel share:

How being a teen mom of 2 inspired the work she does today with her non-profit, Hustle Mommies

How government policy has destroyed safety across Black communities

The current state of Black motherhood in America

Why Hustle Mommies created the Urban Mom Collective National Coalition for Black Moms and how they are committed to policy change and how this is so critical in the wake of extremely harmful groups like Moms For Liberty

Her mission around PAINT THE HOOD ORANGE and TASK FORCE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

How white women can show up in advocacy and activism with humility and graciousness to listen and learn BEFORE speaking and offering support

How she recently ended up at the White House to share her work with Hustle Mommies

The Hustle Mommies Million Black Mom March in Washington DC in May 2024


 Links mentioned:

Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


Connect with Hustle Mommies: www.hustlemommies.org 


IG: @arieldeney @thehustlemommies 


Twitter/X: @ushustlemommies 



﻿We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

809: Ariel DeNey Rainey: Black Motherhood in America and Million Black Mom March

Today we are digging into the truth about resilience. Resilience has been branded as something that an individual should strive to have when facing adverse conditions. Resilience has been explained as something one can grow over time - which is true. We do become more resilient as we face more hardships. But, when we think of resilience in this way, we can quickly see how resilience is then required much more of certain people. In fact, we see that the most resilience is required of the people with the fewest resources. This feels backward, doesn’t it?  

Perhaps we need to look at the roots of the systems that set some folks up to require a lifetime of resilience to merely survive.  
When we look at resilience through this lens, we see…
The system tells you, “Practice resiliency!” when the system was not built with any tools or resources to support your resiliency.
The system tells you resiliency is your job alone when the system is beating down and failing large marginalized groups on a mass scale.
The system tells you resiliency is about the last few years, all you’ve been through, and how well you’ve adapted. When in truth the system has been beating down women, mothers, POC, and marginalized communities for centuries.
The system tells you resiliency is a problem solved through self-care when self-care won’t make any difference if you have to jump right back into the structures that harm you after your bubble bath.
The system tells you, “Look at you! You’re strong! You’re adaptable! You’re the model of resilience!” without acknowledging that it has no plans to evolve or change to make your life easier. Instead, you will have to be your strongest, most adaptable, most resilient self #everydamnday until you die.
When we take on our own resiliency as a personal project, the system keeps winning. The system is upheld. The system functions exactly as it was intended to. 
This episode explores how you can take care of yourself as you try to fit a tiny bandaid (your resiliency habits) on a large wound (the system in which, perhaps, you were never expected to fully succeed.)

Links mentioned:

Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


Book: Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi

Book: Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Book: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

808: Resilience Rant + 6 Ways to Raise Your Resilience

Dr. Hoyt is certified in Traumatic Stress Studies and is the founder of Mending Trauma, a digital mental health company that specializes in trauma recovery. As a former professor, Dr. Hoyt led research teams in Africa looking at mass trauma, agency, and forgiveness. She transitioned into the online mental health space during the pandemic in order to help fill the growing mental health need.
Dr. Hoyt is obsessed with teaching others to reprogram their brains and heal their nervous systems so they can break generational cycles and live with more joy. She is a mom of 5 kids, 3 of whom are differently abled. She lives with her husband and children in the Ozark mountains.
I appreciated this conversation with Amy beyond measure. As weird as it sounds, I love talking about trauma, especially with a seasoned expert. I had so many lightbulb moments with Amy, as I realized some of my own symptoms of trauma. Whether you have endured small or large-scale traumas in your life, it’s likely you will see yourself in parts of this conversation - allowing you to connect some dots that may lead to some healing. 

Listen in to hear Amy share:

What trauma is by definition:

The symptoms of trauma

The symptoms of trauma that are more prevalent in moms

The difference between hypervigilance and hyperarousal

The difference between trauma and toxic stress

The power of being benevolently curious

The two ways trauma is passed down to our children: genetically and through our own behavioral interactions with them 

How to use micro steps to start processing your trauma in gentle ways 

The importance of processing the collective trauma of COVID and its impact on our daily lives, our work, and motherhood


Links mentioned:

Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders


Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


Connect with Amy and her Team: www.mendingtrauma.com


Take the Trauma Quiz to find out your trauma response: www.mendingtrauma.com/quiz


Amy’s Podcast: The Mending Trauma Podcast


Amy on IG

Amy on FB

Mending Trauma on FB

Amy on LinkedIn


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

807: Dr. Amy Hoyt: Symptoms of Trauma and How to Start Mending Trauma

5 years ago, my husband and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary in New Orleans. It was a ton of fun. It was near the end of that trip that we started talking about, “What will we do for 15 years??”
Of course, 15 years felt like decades away at the time. And it kind of was. While 5 years is 5 years no matter how you measure it, the way the world has changed over the last 5 years feels like a lifetime of change at breakneck speed.  
5 years ago, we talked about how it would be so fun to celebrate our 15-year anniversary in Napa, with dinner at the French Laundry (a super fancy restaurant we had heard about through our restaurant industry friends.)  
This plan seems silly now. Spending that kind of money on a meal when my husband has been unemployed for months. And, even before his layoff, our priorities have shifted and evolved as the world has shifted and evolved.  
With so many unknowns, we had decided we would just go out to dinner at a modest local restaurant.  
And, it was perfect! It was exactly what we needed on that day. We didn’t need the thing we thought we wanted 5 years ago.  
While we once had these lavish expectations for this occasion, our reality called for something else. And that something else was exactly what we needed.  
That doesn’t mean that the lavish expectation isn’t still sitting with me. It is. But I have trained myself to let go of expectations because reality has shown up to laugh in my face so many times over the last few years. I know I’m not alone in this. I know most (all?) of you have also experienced this! 
So, as we navigate this world of managing our expectations vs. our realities, how do we sit with outcomes? In this episode, I share 6 outcomes I’ve experienced from sitting in reality when my expectations have been stolen, shifted, or flipped upside down.
Links mentioned:

Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders


Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

806: Managing Your Expectations vs Your Reality

Heather Salazar is the President and CEO of Pink Ribbon Good. As a breast cancer survivor, Heather knows firsthand what many women and men really need during their cancer battle: support. Through her work with Pink Ribbon Good, Heather makes sure individuals fighting breast and gynecological cancers are supported with healthy meals, rides to treatment, housecleaning kits, and peer support and education– all at no cost to the patient, and all because no one travels this road alone. Heather graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wright State University in Communication and Social Work. Heather and her family have been featured in People magazine, on The Today Show, and the Tamron Hall Show.
Heather and I decided to release this episode at this time because September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is likely that every single person who listens to this episode has had their life touched in some way by these kinds of cancers. If you haven’t yet, you will.  
Listen in to hear Heather share:

How she grew her family by adopting a baby whose mom, Alexis, had stage 4 cancer

The loss of Alexis and then Heather’s own breast cancer diagnosis shortly after Alexis’s death

How she started Pink Ribbon Good - as someone who hates pink ribbons

How she was able to charge forward and make assumptions that she would be successful in her mission even when she had self-doubt

How she is supporting food-insecure and transportation-insecure people who are in breast and gynecological cancer treatment

The sage advice of her investor, Pat, who gave her 45K and told her to go find doers, donors, door openers

Links mentioned:

Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders


Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


Connect with Heather and Pink Ribbon Good: Pinkribbongood.org


Pink Ribbon Good on Twitter

Pink Ribbon Good on IG

Heather on IG


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

805: Heather Salazar: Cancer Survivor and Change Maker

We are naturally programmed to find the shortest route from Point A to Point B. We want to be fast and efficient. We don’t want to waste time with unnecessary detours. We want to check the box that signals DONE. Mission accomplished. Task completed.  
However, if you look back at anything you’ve done in life that took a little extra time or required a detour (that might have been very frustrating at the moment), you can likely see some sort of gift or a little bit of magic that you wouldn’t have been able to receive if you swiftly moved from Point A to Point B without interruption, distraction or detour.
It is the detours and the squiggly, indirect routes from Point A to Point B that create space for unique opportunities to build relationships, learn some of life’s best lessons, charter new territory, practice a new skill, fumble and fail your way forward, grow in ways you didn’t know you needed to grow, find little bits of magic you didn’t know you were looking for. 
In this episode, I talk through why the squiggly, indirect route is often the best route - even if you’re the kind of person (like me!) who doesn’t like to waste a single moment on something that appears to be unnecessary at the onset.
Links mentioned:


Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders



Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat



We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

804: Sometimes It’s Better to Take the Long Route

Susie Pettit has been helping women live the lives they love for over 20 years. She is the podcast host of the Love Your Life Show, offers the super successful Parenting Teens Survival Course, and runs a monthly membership for Midlife Warriors. She is a certified Parent, Life + Wellness Coach, and a mom of 5 sons ages 18-25.
Susie helps women live lives that feel as good on the inside as they look on the outside. She spent more than half her life living a life she did not love; as a people pleaser and codependent perfectionist in constant pursuit of a ‘Martyr of the Year’ award. 
She has the breadth of experience to teach firsthand about setting healthy boundaries, beating your inner critic, conscious parenting, and how to use mindfulness-based tools to beat overwhelm and anxiety. 

Listen in to hear Susie share:

The benefits of parenting with faith in the universe over fear

What codependent parenting looks like

Steps to raise more confident, less anxious kids

The importance of parenting your tweens/teens/young adults differently than you parented your 0-9 year olds - moving from the role of “manager” to “consultant”

Your 3 most important jobs as a parent:

Some assumptions parents make that lead to unnecessary conflict or drama in the house

Her 5 Pillars of Parenting Teens


Links mentioned:

Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders


Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat


Susie’s special tips for Shameless Moms: https://smbwell.com/sara


Link to Co dependency quiz: smbwell.com/coda


Connect with Susie: smbwell.com


Susie on IG

Susie on FB

Get Susie’s newsletter: smbwell.com/subscribe


Susie’s Parenting Teens Program: smbwell.com/parenting


Susie’s Life Coaching Program: smbwell.com/lifeschool 


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

803: Susie Pettit: Codependent Parenting & Parenting Tweens/Teens

Before you jump to conclusions about the title of this episode, rest assured that I am not suggesting we take away back-to-school and live in eternal summer. Quite the opposite. Get those kids in school. Keep them there. For a very long time. No more summers, 3-day weekends, mid-winter breaks. None of it. All school, all the time. Ha!
Can you tell I’m thrilled that it’s finally back-to-school season?!
In this episode, I’m inviting you to Take Back Back-to-School by taking back this season to center yourself. You very likely just spent the last 3 or so months centering your kids, your family, and perhaps your extended family in one million ways. NOW?? This is your time.  
September is pretty much New Years for moms. Happy New Year! We made it!! 
Now that you made it, what will you do with this time, this season, these last 4 months of 2023?  
I’m going to invite you to take this time for you. Make it about your needs. Center yourself.  
In this episode, I’ll share 3 ways you can get started.  
Happy September, Mamas! Happy New Years! WE MADE IT!
Links mentioned:
Join My September Retreat for Women Leaders at Work: Influence & Ignite: Be the Boss Your People Have Been Waiting For: shamelessmom.com/leaders
Join my October Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs: Influence & Ignite: Be the CEO and Thought Leader You Were Born to Be: shamelessmom.com/bizretreat
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

802: Your Invitation to Take Back Back-to-School

Angela E. Matthews is an Investor, Investment Coach, and the founder of the Happy Investor Method™, where her goal is to make investing accessible and fun for all. As an experienced investor and investment trainer, she has conducted workshops, seminars, and one-on-one coaching with thousands of individuals and businesses from all walks of life. A first-generation investor, she was making $40,000 a year and had six figures in debt when she taught herself how to generate multiple 6 figures passively in the stock market, and has since helped others make thousands of dollars doing the same.
I absolutely loved this conversation. Ange took something that I find so daunting and unapproachable - the stock market - and made it simple, fun, and accessible! If you’re at all curious about making your money make more money for you in low-stakes ways (like $50, not $10,000!), you will love Ange and this conversation. 

Listen in to hear Ange share:

How she self-funded her 8-month maternity leave 

The power of making money make money for you

The mistakes she made early on in investing and how you can avoid the same mistakes

Specific steps to take to start investing in low-stakes ways in order to grow your learning curve and confidence

Why she works as a passive investor and how she differs from a day trader

How to choose companies to invest in

What apps to use for buying stocks 

The deep significance of building generational wealth for her and her children


Links mentioned:

https://happyinvestormethod.com/ 

Ange on Facebook

Ange on Twitter


Ange on Instagram 

Ange on LinkedIn


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

801: Ange Matthews: How to Make Your Money Make More Money

800!! UNREAL.  
I always joke that I am nothing if not consistent. Over the last 7.5 years, we have put out a new SMA every single Monday and Wednesday. And now we are up to 800! WOW. 
For funsies, I want to take you a bit behind the scenes for this episode. So, I’m answering some of the most common questions I get about hosting the show. I hope you enjoy this peek behind the curtain (and the little bit of tea that I spill.) 
In this episode, I answer these questions:

Do you ever run out of episode ideas or things to talk about?

Do you have a favorite interview?

Do you have a least favorite interview?

Have you ever not aired an interview?

What have been the biggest surprises over the course of 800 episodes?

What life lessons have you learned after creating so many episodes?

How has the podcast opened doors to new opportunities?


Also… THANK YOU. Whether you’ve tuned in to all 800 episodes of the show or you’re a newer listener, it is a HUGE honor to be in your ear. I do not take it lightly. Thank you for inviting me in. I truly love spending time with you each week. I see you and I appreciate you.
Xoxo, Sara
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

800: Behind the Scenes of 800 SMA Episodes!

Kelly Winkler and Kristi Fischer are both moms, former classroom teachers, yoga teachers, kids, yoga teachers, and trainers for Kidding Around Yoga. Both have had extensive experience working with children in various capacities and now are very passionate about sharing what they have learned with families and educators. In their podcast, Mindful Conversations with KAY, Kristi and Kelly share research-based tools and strategies to help increase mindfulness, self-awareness, connection, self-regulation, and peace in the home and classroom. In these fun and insightful conversations, they take a deep dive into all things kids yoga and mindfulness.

Listen in to hear Kelly and Kristi share:

How their experience as Shameless Moms (raising 6 kids between the 2 of them) led to their interest in and need for mindfulness practices

How Kelly’s teen daughter’s OCD led her to a meditation practice and inspired Kelly’s work with kids and mindfulness

Specific mindfulness techniques that can be used across different development stages

How to cue your kids into their body sensations before they get to a point of emotional dysregulation

The significance of modeling mindfulness to your kids

How educators can integrate mindfulness into their curriculum


Links mentioned:

Podcast: Mindful Conversations with KAY 


Connect with Kristi and Kelly and Kidding Around Yoga Resources: www.kiddingaroundyoga.com


KAY on IG

KAY on FB


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

799: Kristi Fischer and Kelly Winkler: How to Use Mindfulness for All Ages

This is a lighter episode that I’m hoping will give you a few laughs you didn’t even know you needed. 
I have so many “Nobody warned me!” moments in motherhood. On top of that, as a direct result of motherhood, I have these entirely new personality attributes that I never saw coming. Some of them are great. Some are downright alarming. I’m here for them all. 
In this episode, I share 8 weird things that happen to you in motherhood (that no one warns you about). I think some, if not all, of these will make you laugh. I hope you see yourself, laugh at yourself, and laugh right alongside me. And then, please join me on Instagram (@shamelessmomacademy) to share the weird things that have happened to you in motherhood that no one ever warned you about! 
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

798: 8 Weird Things That Happen to You in Motherhood

A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast interview with Brene Brown and Jim Collins and she shared this quote from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, “Uncertainty is chronic. Instability is permanent. Disruption is common.” Hearing this made me so mad that I immediately stopped listening. I later returned to the interview because I knew this was a lesson I needed to learn. A lesson around embracing change - and especially about embracing change as a constant.  
This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Embrace Change in order to manage your mindset in a world that seems to be evolving much faster than we can keep up with! 

ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. 

Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. 

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

797: One Shameless Thing: Embrace Change

Nadia Ahrens is a psychotherapist and spiritual life coach. A graduate of Columbia University, she's been helping women heal for over twenty years. Nadia believes that we all struggle and have trauma and tragedy to grow from, herself included. She shares her experience of losing her eight-year-old son in 2016, so she can be a beacon for others. Along with working 1:1 with her clients, she also leads workshops, online groups, and retreats. Nadia is also a hypnotherapist and uses this creative and spiritual modality in her work. Using a blend of clinical expertise and hypnotherapy, she helps women turn their wounds into wisdom.
I have worked with Nadia personally and referred others to her as well. Her work is so transformational. I am so excited to share her magic with you all. 

Listen in to hear Nadia share:

How to be intentional about how to give the best of us, not the rest of us

How she managed the grief of losing her son Jack when he was 8 years old

How she shifted from waiting to die to choosing to live after Jack’s death

Why she made herself sit in the black hole of grief before she started making her way out

How to check in on a grieving friend in a thoughtful and intentional way

The concept of soul work especially as you navigate hard moments or season

The importance of holding space for “this is happening for me” vs “this is happening to me”

What hypnotherapy is and what it is not - the myths and the truth around this powerful form of trauma healing


Links Mentioned:

Connect with Nadia: nadiaahrenscoaching.com


Get details on Nadia’s Fall Retreat: email nadia.ahrens@gmail.com


Nadia on FB 

Nadia on IG

FB Group


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

796: Nadia Ahrens: Grief, Loss, and Soul Work

WHO YOU ARE ANYWHERE IS WHO YOU ARE EVERYWHERE.
Who are you when you don’t have anything to gain?
Who are you when no one is watching?
Who are you when someone who has less than you needs something you have?
Who are you when you see someone struggling?
Who are you when there is an opportunity to share your time and resources?
Who are you when there is an opportunity to perform a random act of kindness for a stranger?
Last week, I was out on a bike ride and got a flat tire 5 miles away from home. I got off my bike to fix my flat and realized I had the wrong pump and without a valve adapter, there was no way I could re-inflate my tire. I did not have a valve adapter.
I sat there in the rain for about 20 minutes - sitting in the wet dirt on the side of the trail, with my bike disassembled.
The number of cyclists who rode passed me: at least 30.
The number of people who acknowledged a woman sitting in the rain on the side of a trail with a broken down bike: 0
When no one stopped for me after 15 minutes or so, I started trying to flag people down. 
I called out to folks as they approached me, “Excuse me, do you have a….”
And my voice would trail off as they whizzed by me without any sort of acknowledgment.
If you’re the person who whizzes by the woman in the rain with the broken down bike, I’m going to assume you are also the person who walks by the person experiencing homelessness and acts like they are invisible. I’m going to assume you are the person who speaks in meetings without asking those who look or think differently than you for their ideas and opinions. I’m going to assume are not teaching your children how to treat people who are different than you with kindness and compassion because you are not demonstrating that yourself (unless perhaps it benefits you.)
In this episode, I share how I finally got help, as well as how to check yourself in terms of how you show up for others.   

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

795: Who You Are Anywhere Is Who You Are Everywhere

Using your voice can be downright scary. But it can also be the most powerful tool you have. When you use your voice you expand and extend your edges. You move that line where your comfort zone ends and your discomfort begins and your comfort and capacity around using your voice grows tremendously. 
This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Use Your Voice in order to stand up for yourself, the people you love, and the ideas you want to share with the world. 
ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism, and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. 
Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. 
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

794: One Shameless Thing: Use Your Voice

Content Warning: this episode talks about murder and the prison system.  
Sabrina Justison is a curriculum developer, speaker, and writer, wife to Fred, and mom or step-mom to 7 grown kids, plus grandmother to 6. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, PrisonCare. One of those grown kids is "J," who is mentally ill and in prison, serving a very long sentence for murder. Sabrina is an advocate for people like J who are incarcerated, in particular those living with mental illness.
The need for sweeping prison reform is undeniable for sure, but in the meantime, while we wait for legislation and funding, no matter WHAT our politics are, we can offer tangible support to the people inside the fence, simply because they are in need, and they matter. In particular, the mental health needs of prison residents AND corrections staff are overwhelming. For example: on average, three Corrections Officers die by suicide every day in the US. Incarcerated individuals are more than twice as likely to be significantly mentally ill than those outside of prisons.  
Through PrisonCare, Sabrina is committed to humazing people who are incarcerated and supporting the mental health of our incarcerated community members and Corrections Officers. 
Listen in to hear Sabrina share:

What it has been like to be the mother of a child who is serving a very long prison sentence for murder

How she took her background in psychology and the arts to found her non profit, PrisonCare

How she started to pick up the pieces and move forward after her son was incarcerated

The critical lack of mental health support in prisons and jails

How we, as a society, have completely dehumanized prisoners and created a system that is harmful to prisoners and all of society

The surprising parallels and similarities between the lives of the prisoners and Corrections Officers in the prison system

What PrisonCare does and how to adopt a prison

Links mentioned:

Learn about Prison Care: prisoncare.org


Connect with Sabrina: sabrinajustison.com


The Prison Care Podcast: theprisoncarepodcast.buzzsprout.com 


Sabrina on Facebook

Prison Care on FB

Private PrisonCare FB Group

Sabrina on Instagram

PrisonCare on IG

Sabrina on Twitter

PrisonCare on Twitter

Sabrina on LinkedIn

PrisonCare on LinkedIn

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

793: Sabrina Justison: What Happens to a Mother When Her Son Is Incarcerated for Murder

You may know by now that I could preach all day about how women are programmed by the patriarchy to show up in this world in very specific ways that primarily (and almost exclusively) benefit white men. Please know when I say “patriarchy” I am referring to a system that is not only harmful to women but also undermines and completely stunts the emotional development of most men. This system benefits few, but the few who benefit have the most tremendous power - globally.
Our patriarchal society has created tons of social constructs that lead us to unknowingly behave in ways that benefit some (men) while holding others back (including but not limited to: women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with neurodiversities, people with disabilities, and people with larger bodies)
Over the years, I’ve talked about mom guilt as a social construct and imposter syndrome as a social construct. Both of these social constructs are part of a system that intentionally makes women and moms think and behave in specific ways that ultimately limit how they show up in the world. These limitations create more space for others (men) to have more opportunities to find success, build wealth, and amass power.  
I recently started doing some thinking on perfectionism as a social construct. Once I started thinking this through, I knew there had to be research to back up my hypotheses. So, I went and found it. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about perfectionism as a social construct. We will dig into different forms of perfectionism, as well as how you can start to reject perfectionism in order to get out of your head and get on with your life. Buckle up. This is a good one!
Links mentioned:
NYU Article: Problematizing Perfectionism: A Closer Look at the Perfectionism Construct
Harvard Business Review Article: Perfectionism Is Increasing, and That’s Not Good News

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

792: Perfectionism as a Patriarchal Social Construct

There should be no shame in your quitting game. For years now, I have preached to my clients, “Be a quitter!” Rather than always adding more to your plate in an effort to overdo, overproduce, and over-prove yourself, how about releasing things from your plate as your needs, desires, values, and schedule change over time? 
This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Quit Something in order to make more space for the things that are most important and fulfilling to your right now.
ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism, and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another.
Enjoy this shorty episode and know that I am in this with you…Always!
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get Started

Download the App