Never The Empty Nest

Today’s nest-guest takes all of us on a journey from the divine feminine to the Black Madonna, who represents transformation through fire. In fact, the very core of this episode is about transformation itself; what it means to start again. The ladies talk about holy places – from Christchurch to Tinder and The Corner Bar;  the airline industry and what it means to be a Swuban (Swiss-Cuban for those wondering). It all ends in a meditation for everyone, which will hopefully lead to yet another tiny moment of transformation.

While Vanessa is away at the Latin Grammys, the authors and creators of the book Designing Motherhood join the nest to talk about the framework of reproductive justice, about how their own nests have led them to who they are and what they believe about looking at motherhood through the lens of design. Nicole, Amber, Michelle and Jackie talk about the power of unconditional love, nursing, the ways in which we can be better here in the States, the choices mothers have had to make, and how to make those choices easier in the future. Vanessa will be very sorry she missed this!

Vanessa, Nicole, and Jackie, have had a conflictive couple of weeks. They talk about the how, the why, the what, and whether they were actually having conflicts or crises – there’s a difference (Yoda mom explains). They discover that conflict is essential, as in all story, but they also talk about how to get out of it once you’re in the stew too long. Plus, Vanessa gets the giggles (uncontrollable) and Yoda mom apparently has a “little text voice” (sorta like Jiminy Cricket).

Vanessa is still away, this time she’s on a biz trip with her husband, and let’s just say mom and sister do a little behind-her-back gossiping. What starts out as an episode about how the pandemic has changed the nest, ends up being a “chisme-fest.” They also go into Nicole’s baby-steps back into the actor’s life again, dog pee, and an old job at a nightclub Nicole used to have. Somehow, the boomerang catches all of this.

This week it’s just Jackie and Nicole talking about the decision to stay home with the kids, losing yourself, finding yourself, and making your way back into the workforce.  Mostly, they talk about the respect that’s missing on both ends of the mom spectrum – the full-time (sometimes over-time) working mom, and the “stay-at-home” (whatever that means). They also do a little reflecting on Nancy Meyers, who according to Yoda mom, “knows life.”

So many theories throughout the years. Piaget, Maria Montessori, and, let’s not forget, good ‘ol Doctor Spock (not to be confused with Spock, Leonard Nimoy’s character on Star Trek, although child-rearing can sometimes feel like you’re drifting in space). In this episode, the Garcia sisters and their mom talk about nature, nurture, how all their kids are different, and the constant decision making that goes into your particular child’s development. There’s a whole Nicole-geek-out-session on Montessori…there’s also that.

In this episode the ladies discuss what it means to "go with the flow," and boy does flow meander across some tricky channels and pretty broad oceans. Also, Taika has the croup and we discover that Nicole is the "deli meat" of the group. Yoda-mom gets a little germ-phobic and we come to realize that even though we're trying to go with the flow, we might all be just a little traumatized by this pandemic. Nevertheless, the nest persists.

This is a special, unedited, bilingual bonus episode – and one wild ride of a story. We are releasing it just in time for the feast day of St. Lazaro, Dec. 17th!

It’s the story of Heriberto Canela, who left Cuba during the Mariel Boatlift. His arrival in the United States was epic, but to add to that, he promised to return for his parents. So, after arriving in the States, he threw himself to the sea again. The near-death odyssey that ensued is detailed here straight from Heriberto himself, joined by his wife, and his son, actor, Jason Canela, who carries his dad’s legacy forward. Pirates, puking, shots fired, betrayal, illness, being lost at sea, promise, hope, family – you name it, this story has it. Tune in for more!

For this episode, we welcome Zelmira Crespi, Vanessa’s sister-in-law, mother of five and co-author of Happy Mom, Happy Kid. She tells of her journey into motherhood and what it was like to learn, in your late twenties, that your first born would have Down Syndrome. We talk about the blessing, chaos, madness and method of big nests, and what it means to not lose yourself inside them. Meanwhile, our kids decide to mirror the subject of the episode and barge at our door, barnacle up against us, and challenge the quiet of the episode. We even have a little bit of an echo in this one. Alas! That’s… reality, as Yoda mom says.

Art is very much a part of our podcast—music specifically – a song is at the center of it. Just as there is a song at the center of the freedom fight for Cuba right as we record and release this podcast. These songs, the emotions they bring forth, are the history and the hope of our intimate and greater nest. We unpack all of this here, alongside a prophetic letter from our grandfather (and Jackie’s dad) and the plunge our grandmother (and Jackie’s mom) is taking into a kind of madness – which is also linked to the bigger nest of Cuba.