Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! It is Mental Health Awareness month so please take this as a reminder to make sure you’re checking in with yourself and those around you to see how you’re all doing. Meghan & Abi kick things off by checking in on how they’re talking to their kids about mental health. They discuss the global phenomenon that is Squid Game and Meghan compares it to Yo Gabba Gabba. Then, this week, Abi & Meghan are lucky to be joined by their guest, and one of Meghan’s sister-cousins, Katelyn. Katelyn is a registered nurse working on the frontlines on an ICU floor. So, as you can imagine, this conversation gets raw and real about what it is like for her working on the front lines of the pandemic. Katelyn shares why she became a nurse and what she likes about being one. They talk about mental health and self-care. She takes Meghan & Abi behind the scenes of what her day to day looks like now versus what it used to be like (hint: it is much more physical now than it used to be), and how she is managing her work life all while having become a first-time parent during the early days of the pandemic. She shares how working on the frontline has affected her home life and her family and how she is relearning her coping mechanisms. They conclude the convo with Katelyn sharing what she hopes people will take away about what it’s really like working on the front line during this pandemic.

As always, thanks for listening! Share Gaining Mom-entum and follow/comment/review wherever you get your pods.

IG: @gainingmom_entum

Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Music: Evan Dysart (Spotify and Bandcamp; Extended Cut of Podcast Theme for Gaining Mom-entum)

Artwork: Catherine Cachia (IG: @catherinecachia, catherinecachia.com)

Resources:

Brains On podcast (Ep: The heroes we need to defeat the coronavirus)

Resources for Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 (Canadian Mental Health Association)

Care for Caregivers (CMHA BC & SafeCare BC)

COVID-19: Support for Workers (Ontario)

The Frontline Fund

Mental Health Resources COVID-19 (Alberta Health Services)

Resources for staying well during COVID-19 (Canadian Medical Protective Association)

COVID-19 Resources (Shared Health Manitoba)

How businesses and employees can stay safe while operating during COVID-19 (Government of Canada)

Season 3 of Gaining Mom-entum is almost here! Until then, please enjoy the final re-release of our Gaining Mom-entum summer hiatus. Meghan & Abi will be back with brand new episodes of Gaining Mom-entum starting Thursday, September 2nd!

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Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! This week, Abi & Meghan are joined by guests, Megan and Gray, to talk about parenting children who are neurodiverse. The conversation is open and honest with Megan, Gray, and GM’s very own Meghan, sharing what their parenting journey has been like with their children who have gifts that are often overlooked by society. They discuss knowing and learning about their children’s brain wiring, embracing it, and erasing the stigma. They share what they’ve learned about themselves on their parenting journeys, how they want to show up for their kids and support them through mindfulness, intentionality, patience, and reframing the conversations they have with/about their children. They talk about whether or not they owe people an explanation when a complex moment occurs in public (spoiler: they do not), which leads to the idea of divesting from giving energy currency to people who seek to make life harder and more uncomfortable for their families. They discuss pushing back against stereotypes and expectations of what neurodiversity looks like and how they advocate for their children academically, emotionally, and socially. They wrap up the conversation by sharing what other parents can do in their own homes, with their own kids to create a more accepting, respectful, kinder world for children who are neurodiverse, including letting children be who they are and not who people think they should be.

As always, thanks for listening! Share Gaining Mom-entum and follow/comment/review wherever you get your pods.

IG: @gainingmom_entum

Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Music: Evan Dysart (Spotify and Bandcamp)

Artwork: Catherine Cachia (IG: @catherinecachia, catherinecachia.com)

Resources: (Please see season 2, episode 8 for full resource list)

Bright and Quirky

The Neurodiverse Classroom by Victoria Honeybourne

Some Brains by Nelly Thomas

The Whole Brained Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson 

Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! Though Meghan & Abi are on hiatus for the summer, they are still committed to keeping up with the Gaining Mom-entum community, so please enjoy this supersized, remixed re-release of the Gaining Mom-etum on Gender episodes from season 1. In this re-release, Abi & Meghan wonder why some people have such a hard time with the idea that gender exists beyond the binary. They talk about growing up as girls and what they have internalized and carried with them into adulthood about gendered norms. They discuss what stereotypes that other people have tried to impose on their children and what they’re trying to push back against. They focus on the gendered nonsense they’re trying to be aware of and combat against in parenting their kids, talk about the insidious gendered messages that society passes onto children, and why talking about feelings makes their job as parents easier. They finish off with a discussion on creating a safe space for children who are non-binary. As always, thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum & turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!

As always, thanks for listening! Please share Gaining Mom-entum with all of the wonderful people in your life!

IG: @gainingmom_entum

Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Music: Evan Dysart (Spotify and Bandcamp)

Artwork: Catherine Cachia (IG: @catherinecachia, catherinecachia.com)

Resources: