BEAM Stories

For kids, summer is a time of popsicles, swimming and sprinklers, summer camp and late nights. For parents, summer is the ultimate logistics puzzle of caregiving while continuing work and life responsibilities with a shifting, unpredictable schedule. 

In true "summer" fashion, Amy's summer went haywire. She's coming back after a short break with this episode to explain more about what to expect from our upcoming summer series.

Show Notes

About Amy Kugler:

• Check out Amy's website and writing.

• Sign up for Unscripted, Amy’s bi-monthly newsletter.

About the Show: BEAM Stories is a production of BEAM, a venture dedicated to amplifying the untold stories of motherhood and building public/private/advocacy partnerships to shift policy for moms nationally and globally.

• For more information about BEAM, visit welcometobeam.com.

• Share your own perspective on BEAM’s website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We say "it takes a village" to be a caregiver, but we often don't give the praise to who actually makes up that group. As a mom, building a community that sees you in your many roles and helps lift the burdens is life-giving. 

Aunties - friends, blood relatives, it doesn't matter - are often the unsung heroes of making motherhood work. In this episode, Claire Gould -  founder of GetClarified and the most intentional auntie we know - discusses how she has chosen the auntie life and the intentional choices that support her life and the lives of so many around her. This conversation is a treasure trove of insight, wisdom, laughs, and a bunch of resources to learn more about how we can build a collective community that lifts everyone up.

Show Notes

More about Claire Gould & show mentions:

• Connect with Claire on Instagram

• Incredible humans mentioned in this episode (with links) include:

  • Tash Haynes: Instagram and website

  • Monique Melton: Instagram and Shine Bright School

  • Rachel Cargle: Rachel’s Instagram, The Loveland Foundation, @richauntiesupreme, and book A RENAISSANCE OF OUR OWN

  • Chrissy King: Instagram, website, and book THE BODY LIBERATION PROJECT

  • Ruby Warrington: Instagram and book WOMEN WITHOUT KIDS

  • Alok Vaid-Menon: Instagram and book BEYOND THE GENDER BINARY

  • JustUS Podcast: Apple podcast, Instagram, hosted by Tashira Halyard and Margo Lindauer

About Amy Kugler:

• Check out Amy's website and writing.

• Sign up for Unscripted, Amy’s bi-monthly newsletter.

About the Show: BEAM Stories is a production of BEAM, a venture dedicated to amplifying the untold stories of motherhood and building public/private/advocacy partnerships to shift policy for moms nationally and globally.

• For more information about BEAM, visit welcometobeam.com.

• Share your own perspective on BEAM’s website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where do we get the language for our goals and what we value? For most of us, defining our values was often billed as a team-building exercise, stuck in the middle of a corporate retreat. Today's guest argues that we need to have those leadership development conversations sooner, that they can be woven in the fabric of our discussions at home and in elementary school. 

As a certified master coach, Stacy Harris is passionate about helping anyone discover their values and purpose to make a lasting impact. As a mom and caregiver, she's exceptionally good at working with young adults to determine the values underlying behavior and coaching them to embody, explore, and uncover more about themselves in the process.

More about Stacy Harris:

• For more values exploration, visit www.myyearahead.com/BEAM. 
• Connect with Stacy on LinkedIn

Keep in touch with BEAM and Amy Kugler:

• Follow BEAM on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Amy on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Sign up for BEAM Stories for a free subscription

Produced by BEAM as part of the BEAM Media Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we hear the word “stress” as caregivers, our minds can go in a million directions. The American Psychological Association reports that 34% of adults report that stress completely overwhelms them on most days. And yet, if we can’t measure it and give ourselves the language to talk about its impacts, we can’t make a different in our world and society.

In this episode, Dr. Molly Dickens, a stress physiologist and founder of The Maternal Stress Project, argues that there are numerous inputs of stress impacting maternal health, many of which go unnoticed or unnamed. To figure out the full discussion and find solutions on individual, societal and policy levels, we need to map it all out.

More about Molly Dickens, Ph.D.

• Learn more about the Maternal Stress Project and subscribe here.
• Connect with Molly on LinkedIn

Keep in touch with BEAM and Amy Kugler:

• Follow BEAM on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Amy on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Sign up for BEAM Stories for a free subscription

Produced by BEAM as part of the BEAM Media Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you healing or are you coping? Of those who responded to our initial BEAM Survey, 76% of mothers and caregivers wanted to access mental health support and only about 45% sought some form of treatment. There's still a stigma around mental health treatment and barriers to access approachable, inclusive care. 

In this solo episode, Amy Kugler opens up about her history of counseling and therapy - specifically diving into her stories around her current EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). This vulnerable conversation covers pregnancy loss and conversations about high anxiety and depression.

If you have a story about your own journey with your mental health, we'd love to hear it. Please share it with us here: https://www.welcometobeam.com/share 

Show Notes:

• This episode is only to share one perspective and story around mental health treatment. It is anecdotal and not prescriptive on any mental health issues, nor should it be used to diagnose. 
• Learn more about various mental health treatments via SAMHSA.gov
• The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is free and confidential: 1-833-TLC-MAMA
• If you're struggling and need to talk to someone immediately, dial 988 for free and confidential support. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Michelle Stephens is a force of nature in her own right as a mom, entrepreneur, nurse practitioner, advocate, and more. We caught up with her in the middle of a big transition - closing one business and exploring what's next - to see what she was learning in the messy middle.  

Some people crave stillness in the transitions. Michelle can keep pace with the spinning world while noting the glimmers - the spots of opportunity - and holding them carefully while considering each next step. How does she do this? You have to listen to find out. 

Share your story here: www.proofofmom.co. 

About Dr. Michelle Stephens

• Connect with her on LinkedIn.

• Learn more about her former company Oath

About Amy Kugler:

• Check out Amy's website and writing.

• Sign up for Unscripted, Amy’s bi-monthly newsletter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leah Burns and Natalie Swanson would tell you that every flipped bowl of cereal is an opportunity to connect, even when it feels the opposite. But that's the beauty of more than 3 decades as speech language pathologists, focusing on early intervention, Autism Spectrum Disorder and more. These two moms have been around a while and have seen how connection builds confidence - both in our kids and ourselves.

Today's episode explores Leah and Natalie's journey to start Nuture the Bond, a space that provides strategies and resources for language development. Their holistic approach focused on connection instead of checking development milestones can be seen both in their business and in family life. Hear more about how they're growing as entrepreneurs in the same way their families are growing as learners: with connection. 

Have a story to tell? Share your story here: www.proofofmom.co. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Storyteller and news media veteran Jenna Hanchard is no stranger to advocating for herself - she's had to all her life. After giving birth to her first child in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jenna learned what building a birth and postpartum support system truly meant. She advocated for connecting and resourcing Black mothers and Black doulas.

She understood that, by the time her second child was about to be born, she needed to be surrounded by those who would honor her wishes, bring both her and her partner's cultural perspectives into the room, and support her first-born as they all started a new chapter as a family of four. 

Jenna and her 8-week old son joined us for a glimpse into motherhood in the delirious and wonderful moments of a new family being born - sleepless nights, big feelings, and more. 

To support Jenna's fundraiser for PCRF in honor of her amazing baby Soben, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paid Leave for All's Founding Director Dawn Huckelbridge is many things - mom, partner, and friend being chief among those. We want to add two more titles: magic maker and advocate extraordinaire.

In this episode, Dawn breaks down the drive and data behind a national paid leave policy. She shares her own mission of breaking down the political divide to get a policy passed, and how the Paid Leave for All organization and brands stopped business for one day to highlight the importance of supporting paid leave for millions of Americans. 

Join Paid Leave for All's fight by signing their petition with Glamour Magazine to pass paid leave here: https://www.glamour.com/passpaidleave

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Consultant and podcaster Stacy Heller is entering a new phase in life. With four kids in their twenties and a partner of more than 30 years, her role as a mom has shifted so much that she easily has the language of how to pivot and how to guide her family through the process.

In this episode, Stacy's honesty and candor exudes joy with raw vulnerability about how she's navigating unforeseen pivots and entering a new phase of motherhood with grown children. 

Have a story to share on the BEAM Stories podcast or Substack? Tell us here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.