Optimal Parenting Daily

Ever ask yourself these questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What’s my greater purpose?

Chances are that we all do, multiple times and at all different stages of our lives. If not to find the answers, to check in on those answers and affirm them and explore how they evolve.

Today’s episode is going to help with that process. First off, I read my personal mission statement to you - something that I’ve received a lot of feedback and questions on in my life.

Then I give you my secret sauce. I’m giving you the tools and coaching I give my clients. I unpack the process of establishing your own personal mission statement. Because this stuff is incredibly valuable and I want everyone to have it in their toolbelt of being a badass and balanced mama and woman.

When you have a clear mission statement, standards and values for your life -- and you stand for it and you hold it -- you lay this stake in the ground and create something on which you can move with powerful conviction. And I guarantee it impacts every aspect of your life from your health to your work to your relationships.

You’ll want a pen and paper or the notes app of your phone for this one to go through the following stages:

What are your core values?

What are your gifts, talents and passions?

What do your environments look like?

Write your mission statement!

And if you’re ready to explore this for yourself with extra support and accountability, I have spots available for one-on-one balanced lifestyle coaching. Please reach out with any questions to balanceandmotherhoodpodcast[at]gmail[dot]com!

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Where are you holding onto bull**** in your life that you need to let go of?

Today’s episode is a bit of mini-coaching session. A Monday Momtra with some punch. Tough love. Bold compassion. A gentle kick in the ass if you will. Because that’s what I’m here for and I got you, boo.

I don’t know exactly where you’re bull****ting yourself in your life or what it looks like but I can guarantee that we’re all working with some level of denial around something. And it helps to have others around us to hold us accountable, and ask the questions that help us explore and bring clarity.

And if you’re ready to start releasing this bull****, to take it to the next level and you’re clear it’s going to take some extra support, tools and accountability, I am here for you! I have a few coaching slots open this summer for one-on-one lifestyle coaching, in various time frames and capacities. If you’re serious about owning your sense of balance and experiencing it fully, boldly, unapologetically….reach out to me right now. Because it’s your life! What’s more important than that?!

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When you think about the emotions that come up in a challenging or painful situation, is excitement one of them?

Usually not, right?

But what if it was? What if it could be? I say we open ourselves up to the possibility that something can be rebuilt from the ashes of our breakdown. I didn’t always use to think this way though.

Today I’m sharing a situation that inspired me to explore the process of moving beyond the grief, frustration or anger that pops up in life circumstances. And it actually led to a couple of epiphanies around my past and future related to parenting, marriage and self-care.

So what are your challenges right now? And what are your possibilities within those challenges? I have a feeling this episode will prompt you to start looking at things differently and seeing opportunities to power up and experience more joy in your life, regardless of the things that get thrown at you.

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How do we solve those problems that pop up in our lives that just seem so unconquerable?

They either seem so big that we can barely wrap our minds around them or they repeat and recycle so often that the pattern seems unbreakable.

I’m pulling some wisdom from the great Albert Einstein for this one. A powerful quote to jumpstart some possibilities for moving forward. To create something different. To connect with ourselves, others and life. To put ourselves outside the box, change the perspective a bit, and level up in our mode of thinking and being.

Let this Momtra empower you this week with some Affirmation, Inspiration and Motivation to get creative with your problem solving, and be a badass while you do it!

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What was it like when you became a mama?

I love the journey of motherhood because we all have different beginnings and awareness around when and how the experience begins.

For some just thinking about becoming a mom is the beginning - no matter how old you were. Putting yourself in the space and visualization of being someone’s mama. For others it might be the moment they discovered they were pregnant. And then there’s birth day, or adoption day for many mamas.

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the story of the day I gave birth to my daughter Maya. It’s a rebroadcast from the podcast I host with my husband Matthew and I mention every now and then on the show, The Doing It At Home Podcast. The conversation is me, Matthew and baby Maya nuzzled on his chest, sitting in our bed with a recorded between us, about 6 days after our birth.

We go through the whole process of early labor, active labor, our team arriving and all the people we had at our house to support us, the birth and some of the initial postpartum experience as we settled into life as a family of 3.

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Do you feel comfortable being naked?

In today’s episode I’m diving into some of the programming around the shame we acquire towards our naked bodies. Because clearly issues around our nakedness are not inherent. We learn to cover up and hide and pervert our natural state. Where and how do we come up with those disempowering thoughts and beliefs?! (I have a few ideas on that…)

I’m also sharing some of the ways I’ve overcome my fear, anxiety and judgement around rocking my birthday suit. Then I get into fun ideas for things you can do naked in your daily life. Some are from my own naked self-love and care regimen and some are suggestions from fellow goddesses via social media.

The main thing I want to emphasize here is that no matter how often or what you do naked, it’s incredibly powerful to just love your body and embrace its pure, raw, beautiful essence.

Challenge yourself to be naked with intention after you listen to this. And heck -- listen while naked. Spoiler: I recorded the episode in the nude! My Elephant Journal article: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/11/how-3-experiences-helped-me-stop-my-body-shaming-start-loving-my-naked-self/

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Ever feel like it is your job to make someone feel a certain way? Like you are responsible for their well being?

Whether it is parents, spouses or children, we sometimes rope ourselves into the impossible task of taking on the emotional responsibility of another person's emotions.

I am here to tell you that this is not your charge. Be responsible for what you can influence. YOUR thoughts, words and habits.

Today's Mamtra is a reminder to release the extra baggage that is not yours to carry. Listen in and move into another week empowered with some affirmation, inspiration and motivation.

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How do you make friends when you become a mom?

This is one of the many questions I know I asked myself when I entered into this new phase of life, and I’m sure others do as well.

There’s so much other stuff that swirls around the topic of friendship: how do they evolve, what happens when people grow apart, what about my friends that don’t have kids, and how do I make time for these relationships?

I’m sharing some of the things I’ve learned about forging, keeping and releasing friendships. Also what it looks like to set intentions and boundaries with friendships.

And one of my secrets - the power of the acquaintance. Find out what I mean by that and all the other fun stuff in this episode. Because remember - friendship is the best ship! (c’mon...I HAD to throw that corny joke in there...it’s too good not to!)

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Ever feel like you’re stuck in the expectation or vision that someone else has of you?

Today’s Momtra is about staying away from the shadows of others - the dark places we can sometimes find ourselves when we want to hide from our own thoughts and desires.

Because it’s our purpose to shine, not duck way and play small.

The world needs you to be authentic and leave mediocrity behind. So listen in for your dose of weekly AIM - affirmation, inspiration and motivation!

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Today's episode is all about how to listen to advice, how to receive feedback, and when to ignore advice.

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