That's Total Mom Sense

Welcome back to That's Total Mom Sense, your trusted podcast decoding the world of parenting with the help of expert entrepreneurs, speakers, and authors. We've been away for a few weeks while I had the honor of speaking at The KNOW Summit in Phoenix, AZ and the MOM 2.0 Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. These events have been incredible, providing much inspiration and insight from powerful women making significant strides in their industries.

I thoroughly enjoyed these #IRL events and focusing on quality time with my kids as they end their first year of school, and am excited to be back in action with fresh episodes like live panel discussions, one on one interviews, and more. Thanks for your support! 

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One of India's first supermodels. Actor. Cancer survivor. Mother of twins through surrogacy. Woman of no fixed address.

Today I am honored to interview cross cultural phenomenon Lisa Ray.

She is an internationally acclaimed performer, philanthropist and star with a reputation for taking on challenging issue-oriented films. Raised in Canada by an Indian father and Polish mother, Ray was discovered while on vacation in India and went on to become not only one of the most successful cover models and celebrities in India but also an acclaimed, award-winning actress who starred in Canada’s Oscar nominated film, Water, amongst other prestigious credits. Named one of the ‘Ten most beautiful Indian women of the millenium’ by a Times of India poll, Ray cemented her profile as an iconic figure in India before leaving for drama school in London and opportunities around the world.

Along the way, Ray found time along the way to host her own entertainment show in India, filmed a landmark music video for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and became the enduring brand ambassador for Rado Watches.

In 2009, Ray attended the Toronto International Film Festival in support of her work in two films. The event marked an important public announcement, in which Ray chose to share her diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma with media and the public. The outpouring of support was immediate and overwhelming. She also started a blog (‘The Yellow Diaries’) to share her cancer experiences. Her forthrightness and humour in navigating a difficult illness have earned her the attention and respect of people from all corners of the world, as well as ‘The Voice Achievers Award, 2009’ and ‘The Hope Award, 2010’. Ray went on to help raise funds for the establishment of the first research chair for Multiple Myeloma at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Ray’s philanthropic interests range from taking part in the on-air drive for SickKids Hospital to Ambassador of Plan Canada’s ‘Because I Am A Girl’ campaign, a global movement that supports the rights of girls around the world.

In 2019, Lisa released her memoirs Close to The Bone. “An unflinching, deeply moving account of her nomadic existence: her entry into the Indian entertainment industry at sixteen; her relationship with her Bengali father and Polish mother; life on the movie sets and her brush with the Oscars; her battle with eating disorders; being diagnosed with multiple myeloma at thirty-seven; her spiritual quest; lovers and traitors, mentors and dream-makers; and the heartaches and triumphs along the way. It is also about Lisa's quest for love. Funny, charming, and gut-wrenchingly honest all at once, Close to the Bone is Lisa Ray's brave and inspiring story of a life lived on her terms.”

Lisa and her husband Jason Dehni have two lovely daughters, Sufi and Soleil.

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As the adage goes, “Nine months on; nine months off.” It takes about 9 months to put on the baby weight during pregnancy, and roughly that amount of time to lose it. But for many women, it’s not that easy. I know I can relate after having my twins! Now imagine having the added pressure of being in the spotlight on TV, which sadly does add 10 lbs, all while juggling life with a new baby.

Today, I’m interviewing someone who has done it all and more, Mara Schiavocampo. She’s a three-time Emmy Award winning correspondent for ABC News based in New York, chart-topping podcast host, and best-selling author of her memoir “Thinspired,” which documents how she lost 90 pounds after her first child. Unbelievable! Mara is a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and their rescue dog.

She’s here to tell us her story and give us some tips along the way. Get ready to get thinspired!

MEET MY GUEST:

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In 2006, Raegan co-founded aden + anais, the baby lifestyle brand globally recognized for its high-quality design driven muslin swaddles and baby products. Raegan continued to work full-time in her sales role at The Economist Group until May 2009 when she left to run aden + anais in a full-time capacity as the brand’s sole owner eventually selling the company in 2013 and continuing on as CEO until 2017. 

In 2014 Raegan was named as one of EY’s Entrepreneurs of the Year, considered one of the most prestigious business awards in the world. Raegan now serves as one of the judges on the program. aden + anais was named to SmartCEO’s 2015 Future 50 list, as well as by Crain’s New York Business for three consecutive years on their Fast 50 list. The Fast 50 feature highlights New York’s most successful and innovative companies for their growth, strategies and success. aden + anais was also recognized for a 338% growth rate and a reported revenue of $41.7 million in 2013.

Raegan has most recently co-founded Saint Luna, a premium moonshine brand that was released in the United States in March 2019.

Raegan sits on the board of directors for Hopeland, a nonprofit created to pioneer innovative solutions and build new partnerships to prevent family separation, reunify children who are separated from their families, and mobilize a movement of families to support children who are growing up outside of family care. 

Raegan is the author of What It Takes – the story of her entrepreneurial journey from the kitchen table to a 100 million dollar global business—being published by Portfolio – Penguin Random House in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, May 7th, 2019.

Currently, Raegan resides in DUMBO Brooklyn, with her husband and four daughters.

LINKS:

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When you think "mom fashion," it may sound like an oxymoron because moms are stereotypically viewed as frumpy and disheveled because we are too busy sacrificing for our kids. Hello! But it doesn’t have to be this way. We CAN look like a million bucks and we SHOULD spend time and energy to do so because it does wonders for our confidence and self-esteem, which makes us better as moms, at our jobs, and positively impacts every facet of our life.

Katie Kabel is the founder of Kabel Styles and is my personal stylist. After spending over 20 years working in retail, Katie left work to start a family. She always enjoyed working, and knew she wanted to return to work when the time was right. She was eager to get back to doing what she loves; cultivating meaningful relationships, making women and men feel confident and empowered. Working as a personal stylist allows her to fulfill her desire to be productive and creative while still attending to the needs of her young family.

Being a personal stylist is so much more than dressing an individual, it’s about a relationship of trust, gratitude, and commitment. Giving someone the confidence to walk into an interview, go on a first date, tackle a new life adventure, or simply putting a smile on their face. That’s why she doesn’t just label herself as a personal shopper/stylist but also as an image consultant. Listen in to Katie's top tips for moms on the staples they should have in their closet and what pieces they should consider that are flattering, functional, fashionable, and fun!

Meet My Guest:

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Hitha Palepu is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer. Her blog, Hitha On The Go, reached hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide and became known for its travel and productivity content. Her first book, How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip was published by Clarkson Potter in 2017. It has been released worldwide, translated into German and Italian, and is currently in its 3rd printing with 50,000 copies in circulation. Hitha and the book were featured by the New York Times, People, Travel+Leisure, and Elle. She is also the creator of #5SmartReads, a daily curation of the 5 must-read stories that reaches over 30,000 readers. Through here work and lifestyle content, she aims to provide simple solutions for women to live their best lives.

Meet My Guest:

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Soon after Meenal Lele's first child was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, new research upended decades of allergy advice. The LEAP study found that consistently adding allergenic foods beginning at four months of age could drastically reduce the rate of developing food allergies. The American Academy of Pediatrics subsequently began recommending that parents give allergenic foods to their babies early and often.

As Meenal struggled to prepare allergens three times a week for her second child, she realized how hard it was to mix nuts into baby food without exposing his older brother or contaminating the blender. There had to be a better way! She took my background in chemical engineering and worked with food scientists to develop a solution.

Lil Mixins is specially prepared to blend smoothly into breastmilk, formula, or baby foods, so it’s simple to give to infants. They use the best quality ingredients and no additives or sweeteners – the same way you would make it yourself, but without the mess. And they've made it so one jar of each product will last from early infancy until your baby can start to eat whole foods.

Their goal is to make early introduction easier for busy moms.

Meet My Guest:

Mom Haul:

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From the physicality and load of taking care of your kids, making strides in your career, keeping your marriage or partnership together or dating if you’re solo parenting, to working out and taking care of yourself, do you constantly feel bogged down, burnt out, and like you’ll never really be happy. I’m joined by an expert who reprogramed herself and is helping others reframe their mindsets to live their best lives.

Heather Chauvin is a leadership coach who helps ambitious, overwhelmed women break free from their fears to courageously and authentically live, work, and parent on their own terms. She’s a TEDx Speaker, Author of Dying To Be A Good Mother, and host of the highly loved Podcast “Emotionally Uncomfortable” with over 8 million downloads, and counting. Heather started her career as a social worker helping adults understand children’s behavior. But it wasn’t until 2013 when a stage 4 cancer diagnosis pushed her to take a deeper stand for change, uncovering how cultural expectations sabotage our dreams. She has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Real Simple Magazine, Mind Body Green, Google, and more. When Heather isn’t working, you will find her living out what she teaches which may include kayaking Alaska, snowboarding, hiking, or anything else that challenges what she believes is possible for herself (and inviting her children along the journey).

Meet My Guest:

Press:

• HEATHER CHAUVIN: Events, Features, and Interviews

Sponsor:

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With the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade where about half the states in the US which bans abortion, having kids learn about sex has become crucial. But how young is too young?

Many of us feel it’s awkward, may not want to divulge too much, just want to preserve their innocence, and so on. So how do we go about it? My guest today is here to help!

Amy Lang, MA has been a sexual health educator for over 25 years. With her lively, engaging, and down-to-earth style she helps parents become their kid’s go-to birds and bees source. Amy’s books, online solutions center, and podcast show parents that they can become their kid’s go-to birds and bees source.

She also provides childhood sexual development and sexual abuse prevention training for early childhood and youth-serving organizations. Amy is still married to her first husband and they are getting the hang of parenting their recently launched man-child. She lives in Seattle WA and you can learn more about her work at BirdsAndBeesAndKids.com and BBKPros.com.

• WEBSITE: BirdsAndBeesAndKids.com

• THE WASHINGTON POST: Stuck at home? Now’s the time to have these important talks with your kids.

• 15% discount for The Birds and Bees Solutions Center for Parents

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Are you burnt out doing the admin, accounting, and email correspondence for your business or personal brand in addition to managing your home and taking care of your family. You’re not alone. And thankfully, there are professionals out there who can help you take a load off. Today I’m joined by Amanda Rush Holmes who knows this conundrum all too well as an entrepreneur and busy mom. So she aimed to find a resolution.

Amanda is the CEO of The Virtual Assistant Studio and host of the Millennial Mom Movement Podcast. The VA Studio is a virtual assistant agency that supports bloggers and influencers. Amanda teaches moms how to build profitable virtual assistant businesses in her signature course, Full Time VA.

She built a six-figure online business in just 4 weeks - all in the middle of a global pandemic. She's committed to spreading her knowledge on the inner workings of the influencer world, how to grow and scale with a small audience, and a small budget, and how to generate consistent revenue, all while working less.

When she’s whipping up new marketing strategies or helping women and moms scale their businesses, you’ll find Amanda running around after her two boys, iced coffee in hand.

Meet My Guest:

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Hiccapop OmniBoost Travel Booster Seat ("The hiccapop chair! My almost one year loves sitting in this, and we love that it’s portable and easy to clean!" - Amanda)

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