As I’ve had a frustrating day, this reel on six techniques to combat the freeze response were just what I needed. It has motivated me and made me think about what my ikigai is most of all. In this episode, I explore the different times of my life and my ikigai then. 

Key Takeaways: 

[2:34] Six Japanese techniques to combat laziness or freeze response 

[4:23] Ikigai or your reason for living is the first technique 

[22:28] Kaizen or the theory that you can change for the better

[24:52] The pomodoro technique for time management 

[28:15] Hara Hachi Bu, eating until your 80% full  

[31:32] Shoshin is being curious about mundane tasks 

[35:42] Wabi Sabi is the philosophy that the most beautiful art has flaws 

[39:38] This is what I needed today, finding my ikigai 

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There is a lack of third spaces or places to spend time with one another that don’t cost money and cultivate social connection these days. It’s changed so much from when I was young and has impacted my social relationships. In this episode, I explore how I don’t spend enough time cultivating third space activities for myself. 

Key Takeaways: 

[2:58] Third spaces are diminishing for Americans 

[4:28] Times have changed since when I was younger 

[6:48] Third spaces helped me through my abuse 

[9:53] People are much more focused on their career these days

[12:26] Gen Z cares more about what people think

[13:15] I struggled to find my third space after college 

[18:53] Being unhealthy by diving head first into relationships 

[20:49] My free time has been spent coaching or helping others 

[22:52] Working remotely took away my friends social interaction 

[25:48] How my families third space activities have changed 

[27:43] I don’t spend enough time cultivating third space activities 

Resources:

• Article on third spaces

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Today, I’m taken back to a memory of my childhood and how I can’t undo the terrible things that have happened in my life. Accepting my brokenness as a part of my reality is what's needed to find the wholeness from me. In this episode, I contemplate what I first needed to break like my kitchen and my yard in order to fix them. 

Key Takeaways: 

[0:48] I raised my siblings and it was a chaotic time 

[5:14] I felt like everything was out of control and the self blame 

[6:33] Fighting with Gracie and Kenny 

[9:42] Dealing with death week, Mothers Day, and the gala

[11:49] Kintsugi theory, ripping up the old to see the new with my kitchen and yard 

[14:33] I can’t undo the bad things that have happened to me

[16:37] Digging up shit, invisible scars, and what it says about our society 

[20:36] Why does my life never change? 

[23:36] I wasn’t chosen to have these terrible things happen to me

[25:44] Accepting my brokenness and the wholeness that can come from it 

[28:21] We’re all doing the best we can 

[30:09] What do you need to break in order to fix?

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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