Moms with Dreams Show

Danielle Watson is a TEDx speaker, author and host of the Danielle Daily Show. Her book, Dear Self, I Love You! Keep Going & 365 Inspiring Notes from My Bittersweet Year of Heartbreak and Healing, reveals the raw pain of loss, the beauty of an unexpected love and the power of being ok with things not being ok.

In this episode, Danielle shares her journey of healing through writing and why she calls herself an accidental author. She opens up about a personal experience that taught her the lesson of being ok with things not being ok and how her perspective shifted as a result of her experience.

For the introvert in you who aspires to become a speaker, Danielle talks about how she manages and shares some of her success strategies to get prepared and energized to take the stage. As a fellow introvert, I can both relate to what Danielle shares and appreciate her strategies.

Where You Can Get a Copy of Danielle's Book:

http://amazon.com/author/daniellewatson

Where You Can Connect with Danielle Online:

Her Website: http://danielle-watson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedanielledaily/

Danielle's Parting Words of Wisdom:

"No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what you have done or what you will do, you are an incredible being and you are so worthy of your own love. Foster that, cultivate that, and celebrate how incredibly amazing you are. Love on yourself like no one can ever love on you. Watch what loving yourself does for other people."

I hope you enjoyed this episode and got something that you can apply in your life. If you're looking for support in any area of your life, I am here to be that just for you. I'd love to hear your challenges, where you are in your life right now and where you'd like to go. You can email me directly at [email protected] or leave a message in the comments below.

Until next week, reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference.

Much Love,

Erica

This week I have the honor of introducing you to Andrea Helander, an entrepreneur at heart. She is the founder of Andrea Helander Designs, Inc., a full-service luxury interior design company specializing in new construction. Andrea also owned and operated Mrs. French, a boutique pick-up and delivery laundry service, a high end women's designer apparel direct sales business, is a trained yoga instructor and most recently owns a skin care business with a billion dollar international brand.

Andrea is passionate about outdoor adventure, travel, running and spinning. She is always pursuing expansion, joy and enjoys sharing with others how to live a beautiful life through her Bathroom Banter and one-on-one coaching.

In this episode, Andrea reveals her journey from being an overworked single mom and business woman to finding gratitude, self-awareness and her greatness.

Andrea shares lessons she's learned about the importance of being grateful, practicing regular self-care and focusing on the simple things in life that we easily overlook while living our busy lives.

I felt refreshed after hearing Andrea's story and I'm sure that you will appreciate her insight, especially as a young mom. There are some things that we can only learn through experience. In those special instances where you have an opportunity to learn from someone else's experience, you gain wisdom.

Where You Can Connect with Andrea:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.matthewshelander?fref=search

Website: www.ahelander.myrandf.com

Andrea's Parting Words of Wisdom:

"Life is about growing into yourself and growing into yourself again. Take time to listen. It's those things that make you most uncomfortable that lead you to your greatness."

I hope you enjoyed this episode and were able to take something valuable and apply it in your life. As moms, we are always trying to get it right. Andrea is living proof that it's ok to accept that we won't always do it right, but as long as we are learning, growing and grateful, everything that we go through is worth it.

If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to share below or you can email me at [email protected].

Until next week, remember to reclaim your dreams, do what you love and make a difference.

Much Love,

Erica

This week I introduce you to Maura Kolkmeyer, the CEO of Sitterly Students. Maura is a strategy consultant turned bootstrapping entrepreneur with a knack for connecting people and building communities. After graduating early from Seton Hall University, Maura started Sitterly Students to help hard working families find local college student babysitters for part-time care.

Fascinated with the power of strong relationships that build successful futures, Maura helps organizations, students and young professionals build their futures through brand consulting, strategic planning/communications, facilitation and web development.

In this episode, Maura shares her motivation behind her company and what drove her to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Her passion for helping families shines through as she shares her story and her favorite testimonial from one of her families.

I love Maura's humility as she explains that she "didn't really create anything" – she just "put a structure around an existing need". Her company, Sitterly Students, provides an amazing service for working parents while helping college students gain work experience and earn extra money.

In addition to child care services during regular working hours, Sitterly Students offers non-traditional services such as late-night and weekend sitters as well as transportation to get children to and from their scheduled activities.

Maura is planning to launch her mobile platform that will give busy parents easier access to the information they need to find the right sitters for their children.

During our talk, Maura graciously extended a gift of 50% off a new membership with Sitterly Students. You can take advantage of this offer by visiting http://sitterly.co/dreams. Use code: DREAMS

To connect with Maura online, visit:

Website: http://www.sitterly.co

Twitter: @maurakolkmeyer, @sitterlystudent

Instagram: @maurakolkmeyer, @sitterlystudents

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Sitterlystudents

Maura's Parting Words of Wisdom for Hard-Working Parents

"Thank you for all the work that you do because I think a lot of it goes unseen and unthanked."

I hope you enjoyed this episode with Maura Kolkmeyer and I hope you were inspired to start something new. Have you discovered a solution to a need in your community? If so, I challenge you to be creative and take action to help out. You never know – you could end up starting an amazing business, too.

By the way, I'd love to have you join me in the celebration of my 100th podcast episode! I am so grateful that we've made it this far and I want to show my appreciation by celebrating with you.

If you love this show, I would love to hear from you. I'm asking my podcast listeners, guests and supporters to share their comments and I will include them in this celebratory episode. If you'd like to be a part of this monumental moment, send me an email at [email protected]. I'm excited and look forward to celebrating with you.

Until next week, reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference!

In this episode, you'll join me for lesson 3 in my Live An Extraordinary Life Series, where I talk to you about why it's important for you to follow your dreams and never give up. I explain the amazing thing that happens in your life when you pursue your dreams and how you can impact the lives of others simply by following your heart.

I often hear people say that they wish they would have done something that they really wanted to do like travel abroad, visit exotic islands, go back to school, start a business, tell their story, and the list goes on. But for some reason, they have told themselves that it's too late to pursue their dreams at this stage in life.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Too many people give up on their dreams prematurely and miss the blessing of living a purpose-driven life.

I don't want you to give up, so I share 3 practical steps to keep you motivated and on track with living out your dreams.

I wholeheartedly believe that as long as you are still alive, it's not too late to live out the dreams that were carefully planted in your heart. You were born to live your dream and to share your gifts with the world.

After you've listened to this episode, I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you and being back with you next week.

All My Best,

Erica

P.S. If you missed the first two lessons in this series, you can listen to lesson 1 here and lesson 2 here.

If you've ever found yourself doubting your personal value or feeling like you're not worthy of something that you really want – like happiness, love, success or anything else - you are so not alone. As I discuss this with my guest, Kia Urso, you'll hear that this is a common thing among women.

Kia Urso is the CEO of Speaker of Life, a motivational speaker, Founder of the Women in Business Pageant, and co-owner (with her husband) of K & J Construction. She's a corporate trainer on leadership, effective communication and customer service. Kia is also a loving wife and mom.

In this episode, Kia shares how she "accidentally" got started as a motivational speaker and what she discovered after she embraced her calling. She offers tips for new speakers on getting over the fear of public speaking as well as tips to improve your speaking skills.

Kia illustrates the struggle women have with accepting their value and discounting their worth and she shares insight on how to rebuild low self-esteem.

Lastly, we talked about one of my favorite topics – how to transition from full-time employee to full-time entrepreneur. Listen and get Kia's wise words on this.

Kia is excited about her first annual Women in Business Pageant happening in Clearwater, FL on July 7th-8th.

You can connect with Kia Urso and learn more about her pageant by visiting her website, www.womeninbusinesspageant.com. Also check out Kia's Facebook page.

This episode will inspire you to embrace your value, self-worth and never discount yourself again.

If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts, I would love to hear from you. Post below or you can send me a private email at [email protected]

We're quickly approaching episode 100! This is a HUGE milestone for me and I plan on celebrating in a BIG way with you. If you're not a subscriber, please do so over at http://ericagordonlive.com/podcast. You don't want to miss any episodes as we get closer to this monumental event.

I look forward to being back with you next week for the next lesson in my Live an Extraordinary Life Series.

Peace and Blessings,

Erica

I had the pleasure of interviewing Stacie Walker, best known as an international bestselling author, award-winning podcast personality, business strategist and mentor. As a business strategist, Stacie helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs put themselves first so they can design a beautiful life doing what they love. She teaches her clients and students how to infuse the power of collaboration and social platforms to rapidly accelerate business growth.

In this episode, Stacie and I talk openly about how, at the height of her success as an entrepreneur (earning five figures each month), she had to completely walk away from her business. Stacie talks about the condition of her health and the changes she made in her business when she decided it was time to go back.

Stacie shares her experiences and strategies so you can avoid the painful process she went through to learn what she knows now. I love that Stacie has no reservations about sharing and genuinely wants you to learn from her mistakes.

You can learn more about Stacie Walker at http://staciewalker.com or connect with her on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/staciewalker

Instagram: https://instagram.com/staciewalker

Facebook: https://facebook.com/staciewalkermedia

You can join her Facebook group, Elite Society of Ambitious Moms: https://www.facebook.com/groups/virtualsolopreneur/

In this episode, I introduce you to Kristin M. Young, The Marriage Enthusiast, "hopeless romantic" and founder of Living the Vows, LLC. Kristin is on a mission to bring the enthusiasm and magic back to married life.

You don't have to be newlyweds to appreciate this episode - this interview is for married couples in all stages. If you're looking to spice up your marriage and find the magic that brought you together in the first place, then you'll love Kristin's perspective.

During our conversation, Kristin talked about the biggest challenge that married couples face and how to overcome it. She discusses how marital trials can strengthen marriages and help couples grow closer. Kristin emphasizes the importance of effective communication and she reveals the one thing that wives should do before approaching their spouse to have an "honest conversation". And of course I wanted to hear Kristin's opinion about the impact of social media on marriages in the U.S.

Before closing out, Kristin reminds you to make your own definition of love and live it.

You can find Kristin at:

www.livingthevows.com

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @Livingthevows

Email: [email protected]

What's one thing that you're going to implement in your marriage that you heard Kristin mention here?

I'd love to hear your takeaways and thoughts. You can leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time – reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference.

Hello there! Thanks so much for joining me for another episode on the Moms With Dreams Show! This episode is lesson two of my new series, Live an Extraordinary Life, and I'm talking with you about learning how to react when life happens. If you missed lesson one, you can go back up to http://ericagordonlive.com/89 and check it out.

No matter how much we like to think that we're in control, we're not. Life has a way of reminding us of this truth when we least expect it. Over the past few weeks, I've had my share of unexpected events popping up. You may have experienced what I'm talking about – like an unexpected flat tire, one of your kids misses the bus and you have to leave work to take them home, or something else outside of your normal routine. Today my daughter was locked out of the house and I had to leave work and let her in. Stuff happens – it's a part of life.

I know you've probably heard this quote before: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens". In this episode, I share a personal challenge that I've been dealing with and how it reminded me to control my reaction so I could get through that situation.

I teach you three ways to react when life happens and show you how applying these lessons will keep you in your power and help you move beyond the situation with less stress and frustration.

After you've listened, I would love to read your thoughts and comments.

When was the last time life happened and took you off course temporarily? How did you react? Now that you have these tools in your toolkit, how will you react the next time the unexpected happens?

Leave your comment below or you can send me an email at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.

I'll be back next week with another episode to keep you inspired.

Until then, reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference.

All My Best,

Erica

As you probably know, each week I typically interview amazing women from all over the world with a purpose to inspire you and show you what's possible for you to create in your life. Every now and then I sprinkle a few awesome men in there, too. From time to time, I like sharing an intimate space where I teach a topic that I feel is relevant to you and will help you in your journey to your dreams. Today's episode falls into that category, but it's even better than one of my regular solo episodes.

Today this is the beginning of a new series that I'm sharing exclusively with you, my podcast listener, called Live An Extraordinary Life – One Step At A Time. This series is designed to help you live an extraordinary life – one step at a time. Together we'll cover various aspects of life and business and I will reveal how you can take small steps to create extraordinary living.

In this episode I share a personal story about a lesson that I learned from my mother as a little girl and how that lesson ended up hurting me later on in life. Through this story, I show you how the importance of discernment and self-trust and how I realized what

I hope you find this episode valuable and get something that you can apply now to help you in this area.

Be mindful that learning to trust yourself takes time just as with any new behavior.

Be patient with yourself. It's ok if there are moments when you don't know what to do. It's in those moments when you can reach out to someone in your inner circle for advice. Prayer is also an essential component to living an extraordinary life. God will never lead you astray, so go to Him and ask for discernment in situations when you are uncertain.

Now, I'd love to hear from you. Do you struggle with trusting yourself? Have you learned how to trust yourself as you've gone through certain experiences in your life? I'd love to hear your take on this topic. You can leave a comment over on Ericagordonlive.com/89 or if you want to share a private comment, you can email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you and being back with you next week. Until then – reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference. Talk to you soon!

This week I had a ball interviewing my guest, Lorna Reid. Lorna is an amazing woman with an invigorating passion for life that began when she was a little girl. In this interview, Lorna shares her perspective as an African-American woman with over 30 years of experience as an Information Technology professional in corporate America. We talk about the movie, Hidden Figures, the struggles she's faced as a single teen mom while pursuing a higher education, climbing the corporate ladder and what inspired her to start a side business.

Lorna is honest about her life experiences, lessons learned and how all of this helped her become the vibrant woman she is today. She shares how she manages to "work hard and play hard" with a busy lifestyle as well as her plans to grow her side business.

If you're looking for a book to help you with forgiveness and growth in other areas of your life, Lorna suggests that you read Iyanla Vanzant's book, Tapping the Power Within: Introduction to Self-Empowerment for Black Women.

As we closed our conversation, Lorna shared three of her daily affirmations as her parting words of wisdom:

1. I choose to be happy because it's good for my health.
2. I am at home in my body; all is well.
3. Life supports me in every possible way.

You can connect with Lorna via her:

Website: https://lornareidphotography.smugmug.com

Email: [email protected]

I hope that you are inspired to play full out. Lorna's story inspires me to keep pursuing my dreams and the things that I love in life. I want the same for you, too. If you're wondering how to get started doing what you love, then I would love to help you with that. Simply reply in the comments below or send me an email at [email protected].

I look forward to hearing from you and will be back next week with another episode. In the meantime, reclaim your dream, do what you love and make a difference.

Xoxo

Erica