A Fresh Story

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 4

We had the honor of talking to Amanda Montei, the author of Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent, & Control. We talked about the transition into motherhood, the #metoo movement and motherhood, the relationship between joy, sex and being a new mom, and her journey to sobriety in new motherhood. We chatted about the response to the book in the world, and we had an honest conversation about domestic equity, women’s work, body agency, motherhood and feminism, and the state of being a mother in our society today.

Amanda is also the memoir Two Memoirs (Jaded Ibis Press) and a collection of prose, The Failure Age (Bloof Books). Her work has been featured at The New York Times, The Guardian, ELLE, TIME, The Cut, Mother Tongue, Slate, Electric Literature, Vox, Rumpus, Salon, The Believer, Ms. Magazine, Poetry Foundation, and in numerous literary journals. She was a 2020 Best American Essays notable.

She is currently a lecturer at California State University, East Bay and in 2024 will begin teaching creative writing in the Stanford Continuing Ed program. She has taught and presented work at Columbia University, New York University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, University of Virginia, State University of New York at Buffalo, Diablo Valley College, and others.

Amanda has been teaching writing for over a decade at the college level and at various arts organizations, including at Catapult, Corporeal Writing, Hugo House, Writing Workshops, and Write or Die. Her work has received support from In Cahoots, Riverrun Foundation, and Juniper Writer’s Institute.

She holds an MFA in Writing from California Institute of the Arts and a PhD in English literature from SUNY at Buffalo. She runs the popular newsletter Mad Woman and lives in California.

Enjoy this episode with Amanda, check out Touched Out, and follow Amanda on Instagram and her website. You can subscribe to her Substack Mad Woman here.

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 6

We had the honor of talking to Certified Professional Coach and CEO, Liz Brunner. We had an in-depth conversation about balancing the private and public persona, authenticity and vulnerability, her career pivots and fresh starts in life, and her passion for storytelling. We chat about being grateful for our community and supporters, and how she supports her clients in finding their voice these days.

Liz Brunner is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and the CEO and founder of Brunner Communications and best-selling author of Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams Into Your Next Chapter, recommended on Forbes. She is a keynote speaker at corporate conventions, including Stifel, the Barron’s Women Summit, the CoreNet Global Summit, as well as numerous colleges and universities. Leveraging more than 35 years of media and communications experience, expertise, and leadership, Brunner is sought by high-profile individuals and organizations to build meaningful reputations and powerful brand identities within their markets.

In February 2020, Liz launched her podcast, "Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner," where guests share their stories of re-creation, transformation and how they have created their “next chapters” inspiring others to live their best, most authentic lives as well. Liz’s podcast has won multiple awards for “Best Host” and “Best Lifestyle Podcast” by the Communicator Awards.

In 2020, Liz founded the Brunner Academy of online learning, providing access to high quality speaker training. Her flagship public speaking course, “How to be a Rock Star Public Speaker," is receiving high praise: “Liz Brunner is one of the top professional speakers in the world… and one of the best teachers of speaking in the world.” – Brian Tracy, International Speaker, best-selling author and consultant

In 2023, Liz's highly acclaimed book, Dare To Own You, placed in the Silver/ 2nd Place category for "Self-Help" of the annual Feathered Quill Book Awards and was also a Finalist in the category of "memoir/ biography." It is available on Amazon and Audible and at Barnes & Noble.

Enjoy this episode with Liz, check out Brunner Communications, and follow Liz on Instagram and Twitter.

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 5

We had the honor of talking to Nikki Pebbles, the founder of RYB Fitness. She's on a mission to inspire and empower people to unleash their full potential and live their boldest lives. With her Master’s in Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, she is an international award winning fitness instructor and has worked with some of the biggest wellness brands in the world, including Google. With over 12 years as a Special Populations Personal Trainer, she is passionate about helping make movement accessible AND fun. She has been featured in Self Magazine, Women’s Health, In style, The New York Post, and The Times of London.

We talked to Nikki about leaving an emotionally abusive relationship, and how blocking her ex from her life was the bravest decision she made, how she pivoted her career during the pandemic lockdown, and her mission to help people feel embodied and inspired in their lives. We also chatted about being neurodiverse, finding love again, and how we can live our best lives, even when stuff seems to be falling apart. Nikki is inspiring, creative, energetic, and a beautiful soul. If you need a reminder to “choose your greatness,” take a listen to this episode with Nikki Pebbles.

Enjoy this episode with Nikki, check out RYB Fitness, and follow Nikki on Instagram, TikTok, and her website.

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 3

This conversation includes a detailed discussion on eating disorders.

We had the honor of talking to Cole Kazdin, author and journalist of the groundbreaking book What’s Eating Us. Cole Kazdin is a writer, performer and four-time Emmy Award-winning television journalist. She has written for VICE, TIME, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The Daily Beast, and many others, and has produced for Good Morning America, Nightline and World News Tonight. She has told stories live on The Moth's Mainstage across the country and The Moth Radio Hour on NPR. Her first book, What's Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety (St. Martin's Press) blends personal narrative and investigative reporting to reveal disordered eating as an epidemic crisis killing millions of women.

We chatted with Cole about her journey with eating disorders, why she decided to write What’s Eating Us, what she found in her journalistic journey of the book, and how it’s all…really about hope. We discussed the concept of being “cured,” from eating disorders, growing up in diet culture, intuitive eating, and how we can give ourselves grace when it comes to our own relationship with food and eating.

Enjoy this episode with Cole, check out What’s Eating Us, and follow Cole on Instagram and her website.

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 2

We had the honor of talking to Lindsay White, founder and CEO of The Little Milk Bar. The Little Milk Bar is a brand that empowers breastfeeding moms, giving them permission to feed their baby whenever and wherever you need to with or without a cover. Lindsay lives in Salt Lake, Utah with her 3 kids and husband.

We chatted with Lindsay about why and how she founded The Little Milk Bar, and how she grew the company from a mere concept to a multi-million dollar brand, which is proud to be community first, always.

We talked about the power of community, especially in motherhood, and how Lindsay believes in collaboration over competition. We were blown away with her genius marketing concepts, and we get into the nitty-gritty about branding, color design, fonts, and take an inside look at The Little Milk Bar and her entrepreneurial journey.

Enjoy this episode with Lindsay, and check out The Little Milk Bar on their website, Instagram, and TikTok.

A Fresh Story, season 5, episode 1

We’re so excited about Season 5 of A Fresh Story: Women’s Voices Making Change! On this sister episode, we introduce Season 5 and what’s to come. We chat about our new Ambitious Woman: Female Founder Networking Group, and chat about our own journey in the world of Venture Capital. We discussed why we’re so excited to introduce the world to these 11 women making change in the world with their voice this season, and what’s coming on on Season 6 of A Fresh Story in January (Season 6 is “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Divorce But Were Afraid to Ask”).

So, without further adieu, please remember to rate, review, and certainly subscribe to this season of A Fresh Story so you can hear from the below women! Take a quick listen to this episode to hear more about them and why we’re so excited to share these conversations.

Interested in attending our Ambitious Woman: Female Founder Networking Call? Click here for more info!

She was working in a bridal shop, in Flushing, Queens...when she had a Fresh Start. On this very special sitcom-fresh-start bonus episode of A Fresh Story, Olivia and Jenny do a deep dive into Fran Fine's Fresh Start with the Sheffields. If you need a little laughter in your life, take a listen to this episode, where the sister break down The Nanny theme song, talk about the Jewish Joy in the show, and chat about why sitcoms, generally speaking, are all about Fresh Starts. Plus, they talk about their undying love for classic Nick at Nite, and Jenny uses the phrase, "body be banging." It's an unhinged sister episode that'll leave you laughing, we promise.

Hosted by sisters and co-founders of Fresh Starts Registry, A Fresh Story features raw, vulnerable, and honest conversations with guests about brave life decisions, bold moves, big ideas, and fresh starts. Join us to laugh, cry, and chat about courageous choices and new beginnings.

Learn more at: http://afreshstory.com/

A Fresh Story, season 4, episode 10

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and we’re honored to hold space for these profound stories. These stories may be of grief, but they are also of hope, resilience, and most of all, unconditional love. As a reminder, be gentle with your heart, and if you are not able to listen to this episode at the moment, we understand and we are holding you close. We know these conversations will change you as they have changed us.

It’s no surprise that everything we do a Fresh Starts boils down to the concept of support. We are here to bridge the gap between those who need support and those who want to support others. This is especially true when it comes to supporting our loved ones experiencing pregnancy and infant loss. As we talked to these amazing women and experts, we asked them: how can we support someone experiencing loss? What should we say? What shouldn’t we say? We have answers for you! (PS. You can find all of our Simple Scripts to Support People for free here!)

On this episode, you will hear from: