Sendy Mom

Discover the inspiring story of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun—royal portrait artist, mother, and survivor of revolution. This episode is for moms balancing creativity, confidence, and the challenges of raising young adults. Learn how one woman painted her way through fear and found courage in every brushstroke.

Takeaways:

👉🏼 Elisabeth's life exemplifies talent and resourcefulness.

👉🏼 Art can provide healing and distraction from woes.

👉🏼 Self-image is within our control and affects confidence.

👉🏼 Engaging conversations can enhance relationships.

👉🏼 Motherhood often involves navigating heartbreak and estrangement.

👉🏼 Children's choices can lead to unexpected paths.

👉🏼 Resilience is key to personal growth and reinvention.

👉🏼 Creativity should be encouraged, even if it makes a mess.

👉🏼 Focusing on positive qualities fosters compassion and understanding.

👉🏼 Courage and adaptability are essential for success.

Chapters:

00:00 The Artistic Legacy of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

01:51 Giving Children a Space to Be Creative

04:04 How Beauty Relates to Self-Confidence

07:05 How to be a Good Conversationalist

09:29 Painting the Best Parts of Royalty

10:55 Navigating Relationships and Boundaries

12:37 When Children Become Young Adults

17:11 Elisabeth's Legacy

Mentioned in the Show:

Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded

"Souvenirs of Madame Vigée Le Brun" by Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.

The Rise & Fall of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun - Europe's First Modern Woman | Part 1 | Free Documentary

The Rise & Fall of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun - Europe's First Modern Woman | Part 2 | Free Documentary

“Discovering Joy: Creativity Lessons from Clara Schumann”

Wiki Art

"How To Have Hard Conversations with Your Kids"

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What if your creativity wasn't competing with your motherhood — it was proof of it? Denise Gasser is a painter, creative mentor, and mom of four boys who has spent 18 years proving that art and chaos can not only coexist, they can fuel each other. Her viral series Art After Motherhood was born from the interruptions, not despite them. This conversation will give you permission to stop choosing between who you are and who you're raising.

Meet My Guest:
Denise Gasser holds a BFA, has exhibited across North America, and has sold her work worldwide — but what makes her remarkable to this audience is how she's woven all of it into life with four boys. She founded Art After, a painting series that leans directly into the intersection of motherhood and creativity, and she mentors artists who need clarity, courage, and a push to keep going. In 2025 she's focused on making big art happen on small budgets, and proving that access to creativity shouldn't require a perfect studio or a quiet house.

What you’ll Hear:

♛ Why your creative identity and your mom identity are not in competition
♛ How Art After Motherhood turned interruptions into the whole point
♛ The role of community in keeping artists from quitting
♛ How to find your creative outlet even inside the chaos
♛ Why self-doubt hits artists hardest — and what Denise does about it
♛ Making real art on a real budget

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Denise Gasser

18:23 Artistry and Courage in Expression

20:19 ADHD Diagnosis as an Adult

24:00 Learning Resilience from Your Parents

26:22 Recognizing What You Don't Know and Continuing Forward

31:28 Navigating Self-Doubt and Intuition

33:39 The Compulsion to Create

37:20 Balancing Art and Motherhood

39:47 Navigating Financial Stability as an Artist

45:20 The Importance of Community in Art

57:31 The Motherhood Series: Art After Motherhood

01:05:18 The Importance of Intentions Over Goals

01:09:11 Modeling Resilience for Children

01:10:38 Navigating Motherhood and Self-Care

01:15:53 Rapid Fire Questions

01:23:31 The Gesture Series: Art for Everyone

Resources:
DeniseGasserArt - Instagram

denisegasser.com

20. Art After Motherhood: Creating Without Guilt

If you loved this, check this out:

14. From Opera to Sculpture: Overcoming Fear on Stage and in Art

27. Anxiety, Faith, and Falling Upward with Karissa Dodds

44.From Nepal at 15 to Launching An Art Business: Leslie Morley on Faith, Fear, and Creative Calling

Coaching & Subscribe:

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What does it mean to be “Figureoutable”? Listen as we explore what it means to be truly free by believing in yourself. Gain confidence in your ability to figure things out and trust your creativity and ingenuity. You can be the entrepreneur you believe you can become as you figure it out and just send it!

Takeaways:

👉🏼 Margarete Steiff changed the world for children everywhere.

👉🏼 Freedom is believing in yourself and taking action.

👉🏼 Success requires hard work and belief in oneself.

👉🏼 Margarete faced significant challenges but persevered.

👉🏼 She invented new ways to overcome her limitations.

👉🏼 Her business started from a small felt clothing shop.

👉🏼 The Teddy Bear became a symbol of joy and comfort.

👉🏼 Margarete's legacy continues to inspire women today.

👉🏼 Creativity can emerge from constraints and challenges.

👉🏼 Believing in oneself is the first step to success.

Chapters:

00:00 An Example of Figuring Things Out: Margarete Steiff

01:10 Freedom is Believing in Yourself

04:06 Overcoming Limitations: Margarete's Story

08:16 Definition of "Figuroutable"

11:13 Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Thriving Business

12:19 The Birth of the Teddy Bear

14:10 Legacy of Resilience and Joy

Mentioned in the Show:

https://corporate.steiff.com/en/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarete_Steiff

Margarete Steiff - film in German

Mixing Music Podcast

BYU Pathway

Piano Marvel

Better Practice App

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

What does it look like to move to a foreign country at 19, build a life of radical hospitality, and still find the faith to hold everything together when tragedy strikes? Heidi Aeschbacher has done all of it. In this episode, Becky sits down with her dear friend from Zürich, Switzerland — a woman who turned a broken childhood into a life defined by courage, service, and an open door for everyone. And when her husband and two sons were hospitalized after a devastating car accident, the miracles she witnessed will stop you in your tracks.

Meet my Guest:

Heidi Aeschbacher moved to Switzerland as a new bride at just 19 years old and never looked back. Raised by loving grandparents after a difficult childhood, she chose early on to let her circumstances shape her compassion rather than her limitations. Today she teaches children dance, music, and creative problem-solving through open-ended storytelling, and serves as director of Frauen am Brunnen in Zürich — a community dedicated to strengthening women who are already doing good in the world. She is, quite simply, a friend to everyone she meets.

What you’ll Hear:

♛ How a hard childhood becomes the foundation for deep empathy
♛ What it takes to build belonging in a country that isn't your birthplace
♛ The car accident that hospitalized her husband and two sons — and the miracles that followed
♛ Why "strengthening the strong" is its own form of courageous service
♛ How to approach strangers like they're already your friends
♛ The small, sacred moments worth slowing down to notice

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Friendship Origins

01:49 Defining a Sendy Mom

04:32 Heidi's Childhood and Influences

07:50 The Role of Support in Struggles

10:01 How To Make Friends

12:42 Pursuing Passions in the Arts

16:10 Following Intuition and the Spirit

18:54 Overcoming Adversity and Experiencing Growth

21:51 Teaching Creative Problem Solving

24:36 Family Tragedy

30:13 Learning to be Still and Hear Him

31:59 Facing Medical Challenges with Faith

33:50 The Power of Meekness and Silence

34:35 Midway

36:16 Miraculous Healing

39:34 Angels on Earth

44:48 Drawing Strength Through Relationships

47:23 Building a Community Through Common Beliefs

48:59 Looking Towards the Future

50:24 Love Where You Are Now

52:02 Rapid Fire Questions

Resources:

19. Faith Pioneer: Building Women's Community in Switzerland

If you liked this, you'll love:

Bonus 8: The Power of Kindness: Insights from Mother Teresa

10. Fostering Growth, Creativity, and Courage in Children

20. Art After Motherhood: Creating Without Guilt

Coaching & Subscribe:

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In this Bonus Episode of the Sendy Mom podcast, we are going to dive into the works and life of Mary Oliver. We talk about narratives teaching through metaphor. Through nature, Mary Oliver takes us through themes of courage, stillness, and grace. In her poems, Mary emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the world around us and finding meaning in everyday experiences. Poetry can inspire resilience and connection. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own lives and the metaphors that shape their journeys.

Takeaways:

👉🏼 Mary Oliver's poetry invites readers to see the world differently.

👉🏼 Nature serves as a powerful metaphor for personal transformation.

👉🏼 Every narrative carries meaning if we choose to interpret it.

👉🏼 The journey of life is filled with struggles and beauty.

👉🏼 Paying attention to the world can lead to profound insights.

👉🏼 Courage is about embracing one's own story and journey.

👉🏼 Self-reflection can be nurtured through gratitude and mindfulness.

👉🏼 Metaphors in poetry can guide us toward understanding ourselves.

👉🏼 The act of storytelling connects us to others and to nature.

👉🏼 Living a life of purpose means aligning passion with daily actions.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Poet Mary Oliver

02:25 The Power of Poetry and Art

05:08 Mary Oliver: A Life of Solitude and Connection

07:24 Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

08:47 The Swan by Mary Oliver

10:54 The Journey by Mary Oliver

12:28 Overcoming Self-Loathing with Gratitude

14:42 The Challenge of Paying Attention

16:01 The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Mentioned in the Show:

How to Not Die in the Wilderness

Hazel’s Story of Faith, Courage, Hope, and Addiction Recovery

Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems by Mary Oliver

Poetry Foundation

Mary Oliver Authoress on Amazon - many books poetry to choose from!

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What happens when the life you've built looks good but doesn't feel good? In this episode, Becky sits down with Hazel Mason — life coach, addiction recovery counselor, and someone who has lived the hard way through alcohol addiction and an ongoing eating disorder. Hazel now helps women break free from the beliefs keeping them stuck, and this conversation is full of courage, faith, and practical tools you can use today.

Meet My Guest:
Hazel Mason is a Certified Life Coach and Substance Use Disorder Counselor who has been working with women since 2012. Drawing from her own recovery journey, she helps women shed the need for external validation and reconnect with their authentic selves — because true worth comes from the inside, not from how your life appears to others. She also created The Inner Circle, an exclusive online coaching community that extends the powerful connections women experience at her retreats. Hazel is a wife and mom of two teenagers who relocated from Southern California to Highland, Utah during Covid — and yes, she still hunts for shells at the beach whenever she can.

What you’ll Hear:

♛ Why community is non-negotiable for women doing hard things
♛ How addiction quietly shifts from fun to destructive
♛ The family patterns that shape (and distort) our self-identity
♛ How to let your kids be fully themselves — without losing your boundaries
♛ Why vulnerability is the fastest route to real connection
♛ How healing starts with honest faith in who you actually are

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Recovery Stories

04:22 Understanding the Role of Community in Recovery

09:28 Personal Journey: From Pain to Purpose

17:16 Parenting and Emotional Awareness

24:01 Midway

26:02 Coping Strategies and Self-Regulation

35:29 The Importance of Authentic Connections

38:47 Processing Trauma and Healing

42:56 The Role of Vulnerability in Relationships

47:44 The Power of Community and Support

53:36 Understanding God's Unconditional Love

55:58 Rapid Fire Questions

Resources:

18. Faith, Courage, Hope: A Story of Addiction Recovery

If you liked this, you'll love:

1. Radical Acceptance with Miriam Wood

25. Embracing Change, Making Choices, and Finding Joy: Jen Lambert’s Inspiring Story

39. When Life Falls Apart: Navigating Crisis with Clarity and Compassion

Coaching & Subscribe:

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In this episode, Becky Brouwer explores the life of Emma Smith, a remarkable woman known for her resilience, faith, and courage. Through her journey, Emma faced numerous challenges, including the trials of losing children, persecution from those outside her faith, and the complexities of polygamy. Despite these hardships, Emma's dedication to her family and her role in the church's early leadership are highlighted, showcasing her strength and unwavering belief in her husband, Joseph Smith, who restored the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter days.

Takeaways:

♛ Emma Smith was a woman of resilience, faith, and courage.

♛ She was dedicated to her husband and children.

♛ Emma's desire for wisdom was a guiding principle in her life.

♛ Dealing with Regret at the end of the day

♛ Everyone needs to be seen and acknowledged.

♛ Emma's marriage to Joseph was one of equality and partnership.

♛ She faced constant persecution and hardship throughout her life.

♛ Emma played a significant role in the establishment of the Relief Society.

♛ The complexities of polygamy brought Emma feelings of betrayal.

♛ Emma's later life was marked by her unwavering belief in Joseph.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Sendy Mom Podcast

01:15 Spotlight on Emma Smith: A Woman of Resilience

03:43 Emma's Life and Challenges

07:12 Trials and Tribulations: Emma's Endurance

09:51 The Complexity of Polygamy

14:50 Emma's Legacy and Final Days

Mentioned in the Show:

First: The Life and Faith of Emma Smith by Jennifer Reeder

Women of Faith in the Latter Days, Volume One, 1775-1820 by Richard E. Curley Jr and Brittany A Chapman

Church History Matters Podcast from Scripture Central

Sendy Mom Recipes for Life with Sherrie Gavin

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In this episode, Becky Brouwer sits down with her sister Carrie Sybrowsky to explore the joys and challenges of intentional motherhood. They discuss resilience, teaching values, the role of boredom in creativity, and Carrie's journey through cancer, homeschooling, and founding Hyde Park Academy.

Meet Carrie Sybrowsky: Carrie is Becky's favorite sister (according to her!) and the 5th of 12 children from Twin Falls, Idaho. She holds a Masters of Education from Utah State University and co-founded Hyde Park Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting parents in educating their children. She is thoughtful, intentional, and deeply committed to family.

What You'll Hear:

• A Sendy Mom does hard things and is resilient
• Motherhood is a pursuit of happiness, not just a role
• Boredom fosters creativity in children
• Education should encompass the whole child
• Agency comes with responsibility in parenting
• It's okay to reset expectations and try again

Chapters:

00:00 Who is Carrie Sybrowsky?

02:37 Defining a Sendy Mom

04:52 The Pursuit of Happiness in Motherhood

10:36 Learning to Let Go as a Parent

12:58 Finding the Right Educational Path

16:45 The Role of Hyde Park Academy

18:15 Helping Children Contribute and Deal with Boredom 24:31 Navigating Cancer, Homeschool and COVID

30:33 Resetting Expectations: Teaching Responsibility

37:13 Carrie's Plan to Be a Good Person

39:36 Community and Humanity: Lessons from History

46:45 Rapid Fire Questions

Resources Found Here:

17. The Joy of Motherhood and Hyde Park Academy

If You Loved This Episode, Try:

5. Seizing Opportunities: Adoption, PhD, and Saying Yes

8. Fierce Family Love: Traditions, Europe Bike Trips, and Courage

42. How to Connect with Your Children: The Surprising Science of "Good Enough" Parenting

Free Coaching & Subscribe:

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👉 Email Becky: [email protected]

Becky's Free Coaching Calendar

This episode of the Sendy Mom podcast explores the life and legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a pivotal figure in the women's rights movement. The host, Becky Brouwer, delves into Stanton's early life, her challenges against societal norms, her friendship with Susan B. Anthony, and her relentless fight for women's rights, including suffrage and education. The conversation also touches on the importance of resilience in parenting and the lasting impact of Stanton's work on future generations.

What you’ll Hear:

• Parenting with Resilience – Teach children independence and problem-solving by allowing them to navigate challenges on their own.
• Courage to Stand for What’s Right – Elizabeth Cady Stanton boldly fought for women’s rights, even when it was unpopular.
• The Power of Friendship & Advocacy – Her partnership with Susan B. Anthony strengthened the women’s suffrage movement despite challenges.
• The Long Game of Change – True change takes time. Stanton never saw women gain the right to vote, but her work laid the foundation for the 19th Amendment.
• The Influence of Mothers – A mother’s words and values shape the next generation, even when the results aren’t immediately visible.
• The Solitude of Self – Stanton believed in self-reliance and personal responsibility, a principle that applies to both parenting and personal growth.
• Legacy of Courage – “The best protection any woman can have is courage.” Her example reminds us to stand firm in our convictions.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Elizabeth Cady Stanton

02:50 Early Life and Influences

05:30 Challenging Societal Norms

08:15 Friendship with Susan B. Anthony

11:26 The Fight for Women's Rights

14:10 Parenting and Resilience

15:05 Conclusion and Legacy

16:07 Outro with music and words 3-7-25.mp3

Mentioned in the Show:

Not For Ourselves Alone

In this episode, Becky Brouwer sits down with Rikki Riggs — seeker, wanderer, and passionate advocate for truth, nature, and human potential. They dive into imaginative play, wilderness therapy, homeschooling, and why stepping outside your comfort zone is the key to raising independent, courageous kids.

Meet Rikki Riggs: Rikki is a deep seeker of truth with a passion for the earth and for people. As a mother of 4 daughters, she has taught them to be strong women who contribute to the world in unique and startling ways. She has a light you will not be able to resist.

What You'll Hear:

• Imaginative play is crucial for children's development
• Encouraging risk-taking leads to personal growth
• Wilderness therapy can provide transformative experiences
• Nature fosters deep connection to oneself and spirituality
• Novelty in life contributes to happiness and freedom
• It's never too late to change your path

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

03:06 Imaginative Play and Parenting

06:41 Pursuing Passions and Overcoming Fear

09:29 Anasazi: A Wilderness Therapy Program

14:07 The Importance of Change and Growth

19:09 Breaking Family Expectations

25:14 The Adventure of Exploration

33:35 Education Outside the Classroom

41:14 Unschooling Goals and Lessons

44:27 Rapid Fire Questions

49:30 Survival and Spiritual Guidance

58:03 Finding Vortexes in the Wilderness

Resources Found Here:

16. How To Not Die in the Wilderness and Learning to Smell the Daisies

If You Loved This Episode, Try:

44. From Nepal at 15 to Launching An Art Business: Leslie Morley on Faith, Fear, and Creative Calling

2. Cautiously Crazy

36. Normalize the Risk: 7 Lessons from Jenn Drummond on Setting Impossible Goals

Free Coaching & Subscribe:

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👉 Email Becky: [email protected]

Becky's Free Coaching Calendar