It’s time for one more re-release before the start of Gaining Mom-entum’s second season! In honour of Abi’s CBC Life article being published last week (link below in Resources section), Meghan & Abi wanted to revisit their episode on friendship. Feel free to call your besties, your new friends, your old friends, and have a group listening party. After you do, get in touch with Abi & Meghan to let them know how you celebrate the friendships that get you through tough times and how you say good-bye to the friendships that tear you down. They want to hear from you!

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Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! This pod’s first season began with Meghan & Abi celebrating their friendship as they invited the GM community to get to know them. Throughout the season, they have talked about race & racism, gender, mental health, and consent. They could not have had the conversations they did in the ways that they did without this week’s topic: friendship. What better way to celebrate friendship than talking about their favourite celebrity besties? After discussing the celebrity BFFs they admire and wish they could be a part of, they dig right into parenting and friendships. Abi & Meghan talk about what they look for in parent friends, how their friendships have changed since having kids and celebrating the friendships in their lives. They get into the challenges they’ve faced in maintaining friendships since becoming parents, what they wish their friends knew, and friendship breakups. Abi gets in a couple of plugs for her upcoming CBC Life article on friendship. Then they discuss how becoming parents has helped them to be more assertive in their friendships. They contemplate whether or not they should be treating their friendships with the time and attention they give to their romantic relationships. And of course, Meghan & Abi take a mom-ent to celebrate their friendship.

As always, thanks for listening! Please spread the love by sharing Gaining Mom-entum with people in your life!

Follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & please leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

A few resources:

It’s not you, it’s we (Abi’s CBC Life article)

The Loneliness of Early Parenthood (The Atlantic)

15 Things My Childless Friends Need to Know (Scary Mommy)

12 Ways Friendship Changes When You Became A Dad (Fatherly)

It Takes a Village: 4 Lessons on Friendships and Parenthood (Psychology Today)

Surprise! You're having a... crossover episode! After listening to the season 1 episodes, Gaining Mom-entum on Gender Parts 1 & 2, Bell from the Thirst World Problems podcast reached out with some questions. Meghan & Abi are so glad that he did! The conversation that unfolded opened all of their eyes to some new perspectives. They covered a lot of ground during their discourse, from puberty to the gendered messages we send our children to consent (how much they loathe the expression "boys will be boys"). They also talked about gender exploration, the importance of curiosity, and intersectionality. They hope you will continue the conversation with them after you listen to this special bonus episode. As always, thanks for listening!

Special thanks to Bell from the Thirst World Problems podcast for inviting Abi & Meghan to have this conversation & for providing the audio! (IG: @thirstworldproblems, thirstworldproblems.ca)

Don’t forget to rate, review and, of course, follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum so you don’t miss an episode!

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Happy End of 2020! As we close out the shockingly long year that was 2020, it feels like the right time to reconnect with the Gaining Mom-entum community, both OG listeners and any first-timers who are joining along the way. So, please allow Abi & Meghan to reintroduce themselves. In this re-release of the very first episode of Gaining Mom-entum, we'll travel back to a time when the pandemic still loomed large, social distancing was a regular part of the lexicon, we were trying to find our footing as parents, and issues of social justice and equity were at the forefront of our minds... Who are we kidding? All of those things remain relevant at the time of this re-release. Time is a trip, y'all! We hope you enjoy getting to know Meghan & Abi (again)!

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Welcome to Gaining Mom-entum, the podcast about trying our best to parent our kids for the world we want them to grow up in and the world we live in now. This week Abi & Meghan admit to being nervous about starting this parenting podcast adventure. They introduce themselves and talk about why it is that they decided to start Gaining Mom-entum. They reminisce about the start of their friendship and keep it real talking about their pregnancies, and some of their highs and lows as parents. And of course, they talk about what you can expect from the pod in its first season.

Don’t forget to rate, review, and, of course, follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum so you don’t miss an episode!

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Special thanks to Bell from the Thirst World Problems podcast (IG: @thirstworldproblems, thirstworldproblems.ca)

Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! This is the final episode of season 1 and we are making it into a spectacular. Meghan & Abi celebrate reaching the end of their first podcast season, complete with many callbacks to the episodes that have come before. After sharing what podcasts have grabbed their attention lately (and Abi effectively auditioning to be a co-host of The Connect podcast), they get right into their conversation on taking up space. Both Abi & Meghan are feeling super celebratory and reflective and it shows throughout their conversation. They talk about what taking up space looks like with both of their differing identity perspectives, how those lenses affect the way they’re raising their children to take up space, and how their children are motivating them to claim their space through podcasting. While reflecting on their first podcast season, they discuss what excited them about starting this journey, their fears, the lessons they’ve learned, and what their highlights are from the season. They shout out their collaborators who have helped along the way (Bell from Thirst World Problems, Evan Dysart, and Catherine Cachia). They talk a little bit about what they have planned for season 2 then they end the season the same way it began, by celebrating their friendship. Thanks for joining the Gaining Mom-entum community! Stay safe and see you in 2021 for season 2!

As always, thanks for listening! Please spread the love by sharing Gaining Mom-entum with the people in your life!

Follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & please leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Some Resources for Reading, Listening, and Learning:

I Deserve To Take Up Space, and I Make No Apologies (Scary Mommy)

Making Space for Yourself When You Become a Mom (Seleni)

When You Grow Up Feeling Like a 'Mistake' (The Mighty)

What Being Non-Binary in Female-Centric Spaces is Like and How To Be More Inclusive (Everyday Feminism)

Dear daughter: Be loud, take up space—your voice matters (Motherly)

A Beginner's Guide to Taking Up Space (Shine)

How 7 Women Take Up Space In Their Everyday Lives (Refinery29)

On Being A Woman Who Takes Up Space (Medium)

One more time, we’re gonna celebrate! This is the final minisode of Gaining Mom-entum’s first season and there’s an extra playful vibe to it. After Abi pulls herself together, she and Meghan start off by celebrating the work they’ve put in this season and thank the GM community for getting the pod to 2000 plays! (Seriously, thank YOU so much!) They talk about what this holiday season will look like for them with the COVID of it all and how Netflix holiday content is getting them through. They discuss listener feedback on the friendship episode and how common the experience of a friendship break up has been with listeners. Then it’s quiz time! Meghan & Abi round out the minisode by taking a Buzzfeed quiz to find out if either of them is a good friend. Turns out, the quiz may have been geared towards a slightly more high school-aged crowd than the two of them.

Are You A Good Friend? Buzzfeed Quiz

As always, thanks for listening! Please spread the love by sharing Gaining Mom-entum with the people in your life!

Follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & please leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! This pod’s first season began with Meghan & Abi celebrating their friendship as they invited the GM community to get to know them. Throughout the season, they have talked about race & racism, gender, mental health, and consent. They could not have had the conversations they did in the ways that they did without this week’s topic: friendship. What better way to celebrate friendship than talking about their favourite celebrity besties? After discussing the celebrity BFFs they admire and wish they could be a part of, they dig right into parenting and friendships. Abi & Meghan talk about what they look for in parent friends, how their friendships have changed since having kids, and celebrating the friendships in their lives. They get into the challenges they’ve faced in maintaining friendships since becoming parents, what they wish their friends knew, and friendship breakups. Abi gets in a couple of plugs for her upcoming CBC Life article on friendship. Then they discuss how becoming parents has helped them to be more assertive in their friendships. They contemplate whether or not they should be treating their friendships with the time and attention they give to their romantic relationships. And of course, Meghan & Abi take a mom-ent to celebrate their friendship.

As always, thanks for listening! Please spread the love by sharing Gaining Mom-entum with people in your life!

Follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & please leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Some Resources for Reading, Listening, and Learning:

It Takes a Village: 4 Lessons on Friendships and Parenthood (Psychology Today)

The Loneliness of Early Parenthood (The Atlantic)

15 Things My Childless Friends Need to Know (Scary Mommy)

12 Ways Friendship Changes When You Became A Dad (Fatherly)

Call Your Girlfriend podcast 

Minisode time! This week, Meghan & Abi check in with each other to see how they’re doing during these shorter days of fall. This past week was a rough one for them so they get into what’s been going on with them, including their parenting highs and lows. Then they discuss some of the feedback (or lack thereof) that they received from the Gaining Mom-entum community following the Get Fries With That episode on consent. They surmise that it might just be a tough time of year for people and we’re all just doing our best to get through the day until the sun starts shining again. Abi & Meghan round out the minisode talking about an awesome episode of the podcast AboutCONSENT, and what their takeaways are from the episode titled: How Kids Can Learn Body Safety and Why It Matters to Start Early.

AboutCONSENT Ep. 13: How Kids Can Learn Body Safety and Why It Matters to Start Early

As always, thanks for listening! Please spread the love by sharing Gaining Mom-entum with people in your life!

Follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & please leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Welcome back to Gaining Mom-entum! This week, Abi & Meghan have a conversation about consent. After checking in with each other, they take a walk down memory lane to what they remember learning (or not learning) about sex, body autonomy, and consent. They discuss why body autonomy and consent can be tough topics for parents to tackle. They also dig into the cultural conversation around consent and what has made it gain momentum in recent years. Meghan teaches Abi a useful acronym (FRIES) for learning what affirmative consent looks like. They talk about what conversations around body safety, body autonomy, and consent look like in their households, and where they think they’ll struggle along the way in their conversations with their kids. They are looking forward to hearing from the Gaining Mom-entum community about what these conversations look like across different households and how we can support each other to raise children who understand, respect and have expectations of affirmative consent. As always, thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe to then rate & review Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods. Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Some Resources for Reading, Listening, and Learning:

Consent (For Kids): Boundaries, Respect, and Being In Charge Of You by Rachel Brian

Consent For Kids (Blue Seat Studios video)

The Complete Guide to Teaching Kids Consent at Every Age (healthline)

Consent: What it is and why it’s important (Kids Help Phone)

It’s never too early to teach children about consent and boundaries (Washington Post)

Seven Steps to Teaching Children Body Autonomy (Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego)

The Ins and Outs of Teaching Body Autonomy and Consent (Autistic Mama)

ABOUT CONSENT podcast (Ep. 13: How Kids Can Learn Body Safety and Why It Matters to Start Early)

Sexual Consent - FRIES graphic (Planned Parenthood)

Note: This minisode was recorded on Monday, November 2nd before the events of November 3rd and whatever has transpired thereafter.

On this week’s minisode, Abi & Meghan discuss what the Gaining Mom-entum community shared about their experiences with counseling, self-care and making mental health a family affair. They’re hoping these mental health conversations have been helpful because at the end of the day, we’re all just doing our best. Then they discuss Halloween for probably a bit too long but they were on a candy high from eating their children’s Halloween hauls. They round out this minisode by completing a Buzzfeed self-care checklist. Turns out, they both have some work to do when it comes to their self-care practices. Complete the checklist yourself and see where you’re at. Feel free to DM us on Instagram or email us to share how it went for you and what you’ve taken away from it. (BuzzFeed Self-Care Checklist: https://www.buzzfeed.com/luisdelvalle/self-care-quiz-cause-u-deserve-it)

As always, thanks for listening!

Please follow/subscribe to Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods & leave a comment/review. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Follow us on Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Follow us on Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email us: [email protected]

Music by: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

At the end of Canadian Mental Health Awareness month, Abi & Meghan dive right back into part 2 of their conversation on parental mental health. They talk about surge capacity and what they do to navigate burnout. They discuss some of the barriers that prevent people from discussing and accessing mental health services, including the commodification of wellness. They do some heavy lifting on emotional labour and making mental health a family affair. And of course, no discussion on mental health would be complete without delving into self-care. They hope some of the ideas they shared will work for you too, and they’re looking forward to hearing from you (yes, YOU!) about what self-care looks like in your life. As always, thanks for listening! Don’t forget to follow/subscribe to then rate & review Gaining Mom-entum wherever you listen to your pods. (Be sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!)

Instagram: @gainingmom_entum

Facebook: Gaining Mom-entum Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Music: Evan Dysart (Follow Dysaart on Spotify and Bandcamp)

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

Resources for Reading, Listening, and Learning: