Jess Quarello and Taryn Lagonigro join the podcast to talk about their organization ELM, formerly known as Extra Lucky Moms.

Jess and Taryn catch us up on what they've been up to and the wonderful things ELM has done in the disability community. These two incredible women are extra lucky in many ways. They are parents to beautiful children, entrepreneurs and advocates.

At the start of 2024 I launched my own media company; Sprouting Productions, which focuses on producing top-notch podcasts. I have always loved the work Jess and Taryn do for the world and knew I wanted to produce a podcast for them. I'm happy to announce that The Extra Lucky Podcast will be launching in the Spring of 2024. You can find out more below.

The Extra Lucky Podcast website

Sprouting Productions website

Anya Raetsch is a big part of the reason why New Jersey will now be providing NJ students in sixth through 12 grade with free menstrual products.

Anya is a menstrual equity activist, who saw a problem and worked hard to find a solution. While attending her local NJ high school, Anya noticed a big need for her school to add FREE menstrual products to the girl's bathrooms. With the help of her Girl Scout Golden Award and Aunt Flo she navigated talking to her principal, Superintendents and boardrooms full of adult men.

Anya still works with New Jersey schools and the Period Equity project. She is currently a freshman in college.

Anya's social links:

Instagram

Aunt Flo Guest Blog

Ashleigh Frater the Anxiety Coach helping small female business founders and entrepenurs 

Ashleigh Frater is the anxiety coach you didn’t know you needed. Ashleigh and I talk about her journey becoming a coach and, imposter syndrome, work-life balance and more.

Ashleigh is also the host of her own podcast, Free from burnout available on Spotify! 

Here is a link to Ashleigh’s free Anxiety first-aid kit workshop: sign up here

You can check out Ashleigh's free resource here: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/64ede836f354e0ede26eea6d

Ashleigh's social links

LinkedIn

Instagram

Maryah Greene, a fellow Bank Street College of Education Alum joins me to talk about her debut children's novel Good Things.

🎓 We reminisce about our time and experience at Bank Street and the tools it provided us with to be successful.

🪴 While attending school, Maryah founded Greene Piece; a platform for plant lovers all over the world. Rooted in education and growth, Greene Piece is an accessible platform sharing plant knowledge and more.

📚 Maryah Greene's debut children's book Good Things is out now. We talk about the importance of writing books with heavy topics as the focal point. Good Things is an impactful picture book that depicts grief and loss while incorporating plants and growth.

Maryah's social links:

website

purchase Good Things on amazon

Reiner Kraft the creator of the High-Performance Mind program joins the podcast to talk about all things mindfulness.

Reiner has perfected the art of mind-management, biohacking, neurofeedback and more. He uses his personal and professional experiences in the world of mindfulness to help leaders manage their minds.

Reiner Kraft's links:

Website

LinkedIn

During Pride Month in June of 2023 I came across a segment on Bernie and immediately invited hero not the podcast.

Bernie Wagenblast's voice is quite familiar to those of NYC as she voices the subway's "Next Train" announcements. Bernie shares her journey growing up wishing she was a girl, finding her love for news and where she is today.

Bernie's socials:

LinkedIn

Sprouting Mind's socials:

website

additional links

Sprouting Minds update:

website

Erika Joy Sneath is an educator, author and cat mom. Erika chats about her experience as a new teacher and the little things she started to notice that would ultimately affect her teaching career. Erika shares the time she injured her ankle at work and how that left her with chronic pain. Her journey is about overcoming obstacles, understanding that who we are can effect our ability to separate work from life and how we can take our challenges and create something meaningful and beautiful from them.

Erika's socials:

website

Instagram

You can purchase her book on her website above or on amazon here.

Aaron Machbitz joins me to talk about his journey navigating his understanding and experience with mental health. Aaron is a former WWE wrestler who went by the name Jaxone Stone. After his sister died by suicide, Aaron began noticing how his WWE alter ego juxtaposed his real life personality. Aaron shares his struggles, wins and the tools he uses to help maintain his mental health. You can learn more about Aaron by clicking the links below.

Aaron's link.tree

You Are Loved

Sprouting Mind's links

Tyrel Hunt is the author, director and producer of The Sound of Southside. The Sound of Southside is based in Queens, NY where both Tyrel and I are from. He captures the beauty, hardships and obstacles the community faces. Though fictional, the characters and storyline feel real. Tyrel and I talk about how he conceptualized this idea and the obstacles he had to overcome to produce such a unique and beautiful piece of art.

Tyrel's socials:

website

instagram

Get the book here

the Sprouting Minds platforms