A Thousand Tiny Steps

Austin sold her home and decided to travel the world with her husband and young kids. It has been a journey full of judgment, but also many life changing moments. In this episode, she describes her life on the road, how she keeps sane, and what her kids think of it.

Key Takeaways:

[1:48] How Austin became an au pair, sold her house and traveled the world

[7:19] What Boundless Life is all about

[9:48] Having time with kids and minimalism

[12:51] Not really knowing where we're going next on the road

[14:31] Getting judgment from back home and kids development

[19:42] How Austin's life compares to the one she had in America

[21:21] Schooling in other countries

[26:11] Getting judged from family and friends who don't understand

[33:51] Creating community while living abroad

[37:28] Traveling with kids so young and if they enjoy it

[40:43] Explaining the differences in cultures to children

[45:02] How Austin keeps her marriage solid while traveling

[51:05] Advice Austin has for people wanting to get into this

Resources:

• Aupair website

• Boundless Life

• Austin's Instagram

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The Molly B Foundation

As I look back on my childhood, I'm reminded of how my neighborhood has changed and the people around me are dying. I also am deeply thinking about the season of Molly, the choices I've made, and how I can honor her.

Key Takeaways:

[0:58] April is a significant month to me

[4:00] Missing the last week of Molly's life

[5:24] The good side of missing it

[8:33] Dealing with narcissistic tendencies

[13:13] My two childhood friends and the memories

[18:08] My neighborhood has changed

[18:48] The Bye Bye Birdie production

[19:54] The season of Molly, death week, and events

[24:25] Finishing the quarterfinals in CrossFit

[24:49] Seeing my old BU teammates

Resources:

• Last Day

• Power book

• Motherland book

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The Molly B Foundation

As Easter is passing it brings back all the memories of Molly. I sat down to watch some movies which just had me in tears and made me think back on all the choices I've made in my own life. I really recommend you watch them and see how you relate to them.

Key Takeaways:

[3:37] A movie about a boy with an abusive childhood and a dying dad

[7:26] What inspires me about the movie and forgiving myself

[9:32] My memories of Molly on Easter

[11:30] A movie about a mother who died and cleaning out her home

[15:24] I helped keep our family together after Molly died

[16:04] I regret missing Gracie's birthday and the impact

[18:59] People don't understand the memories are all we have

[20:41] The book Ordinary People and the impact it had on me

[22:02] The impact 700 Sunday's had on me

[23:04] What's the next for the Molly B Foundation

Resources:

• I Can Only Imagine

• Mercy Me

• The Noel Diary

• The Ordinary People

• 700 Sundays

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The Molly B Foundation

Jane and Skylar come on this week to talk about their journeys with epilepsy. From being discriminated at work to trying to find supportive relationships it's been a rollercoaster for them both. In this episode, we go on their journeys of being diagnosed, how that impacts their lives, and what they want people to know.

Key Takeaways:

[1:38] How Jane found out she had epilepsy, getting diagnosed, and type of seizures

[6:58] Skylar's first seizure and her type of epilepsy

[11:34] Skylar's seizure the night of prom and before graduation

[14:45] Being discriminated at work and not believed

[17:00] Wanting to feel like a normal adult who can have fun

[19:04] Trying medication that changed my mood drastically

[21:34] Skylar's experience trying multiple medication cocktails

[27:30] Being bullied due to epilepsy

[29:12] Not being able to drive

[30:06] Having supportive families makes all the difference

[31:09] Having non supportive partners

[32:41] What we want people without epilepsy to know

Resources:

• Skylar's podcast

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The Molly B Foundation

As I look back on women's history month I research how ads on women's health are often banned, women in history going on strike, and how I think feminism is used incorrectly. In this episode, I dive deep into the meaning of feminism and how I think we need to stop comparing men and women.

Key Takeaways:

[2:17] The biggest mistake feminism has made

[5:42] Women in Iceland going on strike for 24 hours

[8:30] Women in education take the brunt of unappreciated work

[10:45] Meta bans ads for anything around women's wellness

[17:15] It's still a struggle to get insurance to cover birth control

[19:12] Getting a hysterectomy approved is an expensive nightmare

[22:47] Should women's basketball teams make more than the men's?

[26:34] Women in history that stand out to me

[30:15] It's time to stop comparing men and women

Resources:

• Article on women in Iceland

• Article on banning ads

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The Molly B Foundation

I had a UTI and I had no idea. It presented none of the usual symptoms that happen to younger people so when I went into the ER and found out I had one I was dumbfounded. This was a learning experience for me and I hope more older women can hear this and get the help they need as well.

Key Takeaways:

[1:11] I didn't know I had a UTI, I had atypical symptoms at least to me

[7:21] Going to the hospital and finding out this is common in older women

[10:09] Being stressed out about medication and breastfeeding

[12:20] Research isn't done enough for women in the medical field

[14:49] Symptoms in older women for UTIs and why it happens

[23:39] Incontinence is another big cause of UTIs

[26:54] The problems that decreased estrogen cause

[30:05] I've learned a lot from this experience

[31:29] Ways you can support the MollyB Foundation

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The Molly B Foundation

I binged watched Six Feet Under, a show based on a real life family who owned a funeral home and how they went through grief. It was such a moving show that covered divorced, being gay, marriage, birth, and death that I felt a full spectrum of emotions. This comes at a time when I am creating some big events for the MollyB Foundation.

Key Takeaways:

[1:51] No one will ever miss Molly as much as I do

[3:22] Celebrating Molly's 21st as a fundraiser and all the other Molly events coming up

[9:17] Six Feet Under is a show I avoided for a long time

[12:04] My friends around me are dying

[13:36] You really get to see the lives of all the children in the show

[19:55] The final episode blew me away

[23:18] All these people go through terrible life events and still move forward

[24:37] I'm trying to protect Gracie from my true feelings

[26:26] All the different ways that people deal with grief

[27:59] We've kept the house, we just want to honor Molly

Resources:

• Six Feet Under

• Mary Lou blog post

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The Molly B Foundation

This episode is all about cherophobia and how whenever things start to feel good, I feel like I want to flee. It is about an aversion to joy often because of trauma and how when things start to go well, I often can bring stressful people into my life.

Key Takeaways:

[2:05] Cherophobia is a fear of joy and here are the causes of it

[4:20] I didn't want to let my guard down because then bad things would happen

[5:50] I recreate my trauma again and again

[10:20] Not wanting to take risks in my life or be too happy

[13:12] As I reflect on my past, I still have a list of things that make me unhappy

[15:58] I'm running, but not getting anywhere

[17:22] My past relationships had so much stress in them

[21:41] I'm constantly having to keep moving and be vigilant

[23:37] Looking at the goals I have to work on and how to move forward

[26:38] I feel better, like I can channel my own inner power now

[29:00] Looking at treatments for cherophobia

Resources:

• The Body Keeps the Score

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The Molly B Foundation

I recently discovered my old running logs and it was a treasure trove of information on how my life used to be between exercise, old boyfriends, and what my life was like before Molly died. So much of life has changed, and yet, it's like nothing has changed at all. In this episode, I explore my journals and the power of music.

Key Takeaways:

[1:41] Having a deep attachment to things especially after Molly died

[2:42] Creating an actual bedroom for Jack

[4:30] Finding my running logs and it's hard for me to write things down

[7:02] Tracking my running habits, periods of running, and no running at all

[13:18] Not running because of having kids and asthma

[15:55] I never seem to finish journals and it's a pattern

[21:34] Using music for therapeutic purposes

[27:49] Signing up for tap class, stopping, and starting again with Jack

[31:01] So much of my life is no different than 40 years ago

[32:19] What my new year could look like

[35:27] What's your favorite artist?

Resources:

• We Are The World

• Fast Car

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The Molly B Foundation

In this episode, I explore how and why different religions fast and what it says about society. It was fascinating to learn and all of the religions hold common themes. I also debate if fasting is healthy or not. It leaves me with one question: what does fasting mean to you?

Key Takeaways:

[0:57] Fasting as a Baha'i

[3:37] Jewish people fast for purification

[5:13] In Buddhism people fast for spiritual clarification

[5:48] Christians practice lent giving up food, an item, or a behavior

[7:54] Hindus mainly fast during festivals

[9:26] Mormons fast once a month

[10:57] Muslims fast for a month to teach self control and empathy

[11:51] Baha'i fasts last almost a month as a way to teach discipline

[12:09] Balancing the morality of fasting

[14:41] Pagan's don't fast voluntarily, but due to weather conditions

[16:38] I would get my runners to give up one thing for the season

[19:11] Is fasting healthy? The emotional attachments we have to food

[24:43] I'm most likely not going to fast this year because I'm nursing

[27:15] What does fasting mean to you?

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The Molly B Foundation