Look Ma No Hands

Parenting is full of pivotal moments that ask us to summon the highest version of ourselves (and all of our courage) without warning. From ushering his daughter through her first day of Kindergarten to giving the sex talk, Matt Brand, the author of "Nature and Nurture: one father's journey through the fog of parenting," is talking all about what it's been like to raise two daughters in a world of countless outside influences, and how he's made it through some of parenting's biggest challenges.

Brand's recent book is a compilation of 15 years of stories he's written down as his parenting journey has unfolded, and each chapter speaks to a new and different milestone or pivotal moment that he learned from along the way. His wisdom and storytelling is funny, relatable and will warm the hearts of those least-likely to pick up a book on parenting.

To pre-order "Nature & Nurture, A Journey Through the Fog of Parenting," click here.

Have you ever been to a psychic? Do you think it's all just a bunch of hocus pocus or are you a true believer? Either way, Psychic Julee is here to help you hone your own psychic abilities and really get what you want out of life (hint: it's not about "wanting.")

In this episode, we discuss:

How Julee sees the future

How you can see your own

How to really listen to your intuition and know how you feel about things

How to get what you want out of life

Auras and what they mean

How we're really doing as a planet and society (it's not what you think!)

DISCOUNT CODE exclusively for "I just have to say..." listeners! Use code LAURA10 at psychicjulee.com for 10% off of your session with Julee!

I originally shared this podcast on 5/23/24, and I'm re-broadcasting it so it's available on this feed as I switched feeds from the original about a month ago. Here's the original summary:

This is my first official interview on this podcast and trust me, you don't want to miss it! Listen the whole way through to hear one of my most beloved podcast guests from my previous podcast, Look Ma' No Hands, weigh in on:

Harrison Butker

What she wishes she could tell her younger-mom self

What she wants you to know about your kids getting older

How it feels to be a Stay-At-Home-Mom after running a successful online business for over 10 years

Her next project

Two-Way Journaling - what it is and why it helps with anxiety (guys, you have to hear this - it's amazing!)

How to calm the other voices so you can really hear your own

There isn't a single minute of this podcast that I would skip over. I love chatting with Megan and her candor truly lends itself to so much laughter, healing and the feeling of "oh, thank goodness...I thought it was just me!"

I hope you enjoy this episode. A few product links related to what we discussed (links go directly to Megan's Amazon Storefront where applicable):

⁠Missha BB Cream (I'm personally obsessed, and it's $10)⁠

⁠Loreal Lumi Glotion (I called it "Sublime Bronze" on the podcast but that's a different product. This is what Megan shared that I use every day.⁠

⁠Elf Halo Glow Blush - one of my all-time favorites from Megan's recs

I know I've said it before, but DO NOT MISS this one-of-a-kind episode of "I Just Have to Say with Laura Max."

Matchmaker Gaby Aratow of Keeper Introduction Services (KIS) here in Aspen, Colorado isn't wasting one minute of our hour-long episode with boring conversation. In this densely-packed exchange, we discuss:

What makes people a great match

Why some great matches don't stay together

Why some great matches do

The power of monogamy and commitment

The two types of people who choose to get divorced, and why one of those types often regrets it

Ashley Madison and what the millions who've subscribed to it says about our society and culture

The one kind of person she can't set up, even if she finds a great match for them

Did I mention you DON'T want to miss this episode?! For more and to inquire about working with Gaby and getting on her database, visit her at keeperintros.com.

I met Catalina Gallegos on my first day of freshman year at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. 21 years later (!!!) she's coming on the podcast with her 10+ years of experience in research and the field of psychology to talk about how habit stacking and other happiness and productivity hacks have optimized her joy in life as a mother of three.

In this episode, we discuss:

How to really let go of "bad" habits

How to support ourselves in starting new, positive habits

Giving ourselves "cues" to do the things that are good for us

Miscarriage, pregnancy loss and surrender

Reframing the things we don't enjoy

Finding joy and time for ourselves when life is really, really busy

About a week ago, half of my social media shared the now-viral AI image with text that read "All Eyes on Rafah." The other half shared another viral AI image, "Where were your eyes on October 7th?" This contrast underscored our state of division as we find ourselves injesting more and more conflicting news on the war in Israel each day.

My guest on this podcast, Daniel Farber, lives in Jerusalem, Israel, and was there with his family on October 7th and on each day since. His commentary on how social media effects how we interpret war stems from his own personal experience, as well as a stunning experiment he conducted on instagram. Daniel served in the IDF and has extensive commentary on those videos you might be seeing of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Tune in e to hear what he wants everyone to understand about what they're seeing unfold on TikTok, one 15-second video at a time.

"What Season am I in?"

It's a quiz I've taken way too many times, and I always come out with a different answer! Natalie is on the show to set the record straight and help me get closer to the answer, and to help anyone listening know how to dress their best each day. Even more, we go into:

How to look your best and gain the TRUST of your audience on Zoom with one very surprising trick (I was shocked by this one, and by how important it is!)

How to use social media to your benefit (and not your detriment) when trying to find clothes you love

How to maximize what's already in your closet

What she wants you to know about doing hard things and the power of patience (it's not what you think)

Why you should shop in a department store even if you can't afford it (I've never heard this advice before - trust me, you want to hear what she has to say!)

Natalie Weakly is a public speaker and image consultant and the founder of Signature Style by Natalie Weakly. Her website, natalieweakly.com, is a proud product of my very own marketing and web design company, Maxwell Media, and we both hope you'll check it out and enjoy it!

Do you struggle to make big and small decisions?

Are you wondering if those signs life is giving you are real or imagined?

Have you gone through a major life change and want to hear about what you can look forward to in your next chapter?

In this chat with Julie Lauren, host of Hashtag No Filter, we're talking about signs from above, growth after major change, and how our lives have changed - and changed us - in the last few years.

I'm officially saying goodbye to Look Ma' No Hands - come join me and subscribe to 'I just have to say by Laura Max" on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen here.

I spent the month of May really swimming upstream as a parent. That's when I had a realization about parenting advice that I'm sharing with you today.