In Part I of Episode 22 of The Infinite Capacity Podcast, Andrea Morton of Think To Thrive Coaching interviews Leslie McCaddon Mendoza, an extraordinary woman and mother of many with a big, beautiful blended family whose experiences will feel so familiar to moms everywhere; she is a smart, hard-working woman who has spent a lot of her time and energy as an adult taking care of her growing family.

Leslie shares with listeners how she met and fell in love with her first husband Mike; and what they experienced as they navigated their eldest son’s diagnosis and journey with childhood leukemia when he was a little boy. 

Leslie studied acting at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and creative writing at Chapman University; she is a writer with articles published in Time Magazine, Scary Mommy, Her View From Home, TAPS magazine, and many local newspapers. She is also a certified life coach, helping to guide widowed moms and other mothers on how to change the stories they tell themselves that are holding them back from their dreams, and to learn to create a life they truly love.

Don't forget to look for Episode 22: Part II where Leslie continues sharing her powerful life story!!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

If you're a mom who has ever compared yourself with another mom, guess what? You're human and you're also totally normal.  Comparing is something that people of all ages and from all backgrounds do!  In many ways, understanding how to compare two similar things is a survival mechanism.  (Think about figuring out the difference between an edible plant and one that isn't! That's a good skill to have!)

Join host Andrea Morton of The Infinite Capacity Podcast this week to learn about 'mom comparison' including its benefits and drawbacks.  We'll look at the wisdom of Brene Brown and examine the social comparison theory, including upward and downward social comparison!  This episode covers what researchers and experts are saying about how social media affects social comparison between mothers... and how this ultimately affects their emotional health. Dig deeper to understand more about the 'dark side' and downsides of engaging in social comparison as a mom.

This episode features 5 simple tips to help midlife moms stop comparing ourselves with other moms so we can focus on our own strengths & live more happily and fully!  A worthy listen!!!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

When Jill Winter woke in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 she was thrilled and excited to spend time with friends and enjoy live music at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival.  There were a lot of great live acts playing and she'd been working incredibly hard back at home in San Diego... time to have some fun!

Country music singer Jason Aldean was performing on stage when, just after 10pm, an event occurred that would change Jill's life, and the lives of hundreds of others, forever.  For reasons that remain unknown to this day, a man began shooting automatic rifles at the crowd from his suites on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel... killing 58 (plus others who have passed away since from their injuries) and wounding many hundreds.  As of 2021 this remains the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

Jill's harrowing story of what happened to her that evening and how it changed everything (her priorities, dreams, plans, lifestyle, work, friendships and more) calls us all to dig deep to ask ourselves the hard questions that we so often avoid as we sleepwalk or push through day-to-day life... about what really matters, and how we want to dedicate whatever time we've got in this beautiful world.  For mothers, this conversation is especially poignant.

Join us now - nearly four years later - to hear about Jill's uplifting journey from survival to recovery, rebuilding and starting a whole new life and avocation as Lead Peer Mentor* for the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center where she has been instrumental in co-establishing and implementing the HEART peer support initiative for the Route 91 community.  Jill Winter is an inspiration and also a wonderful, warm-hearted human to spend an hour with!

If you or someone you know has been affected by the Route 91 shooting, other traumas or PTSD, check out the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center for support and resources:

https://www.vegasstrongrc.org/





*This title has been updated.

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

Mamas, have you ever had a friend that kept choosing the wrong people to date, again and again?  Have you known someone who finally reached their target fitness level, celebrated, stopped taking care of themself and ended up right back where they started?

Do YOU ever mess things up for yourself? 

For example, do you tend to pick fights when what you REALLY want is to feel closer to someone? Or, do you talk negatively about your boss when deep down what you actually want is to get a promotion or some recognition at work?

Episode 19 of The Infinite Capacity Podcast is all about SELF-SABOTAGE in its many forms... including procrastination, perfectionism, negative self talk, failing in advance, reactive decision-making, ignoring your physical health, and much more.

This week you'll hear stories about other moms dealing with this tricky problem; learn all about what self-sabotage is and how to recognize when you're doing it... AND get to know what the experts say about how you can finally change (plus end!) the sneaky habit of sabotaging yourself and your own dreams and goals.

A must-listen episode!!!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

June Bayha was pregnant with her first child and just about to start maternity leave in 2003 when she received a surprising call from her boss who shared news that would forever alter the direction of her career. He told her that she had received an excellent performance review and also... that she was fired.

Blindsided and devastated, June gave birth days later.  

This was far from the first bump in the road for June, whose unique life journey had followed the American Dream. She arrived in the United States as a small child with no English and little support, facing tremendous obstacles for many years. With hard work, heart and grit, June eventually earned a university education and worked her way up to becoming a widely respected leader in her field.

Yet it is in the details of June’s story, culminating with being fired, that listeners will understand how she has now become - nearly 20 years after that call - the inspiring woman that she is today... founder and leader of Bayha Group, a highly successful company that helps public schools secure millions to implement programs that empower youth to connect to their life’s purpose. (Since 2015, her company has helped public school districts and other clients receive over $60 million in grant funding!)

June leads Bayha Group with passion and purpose, committed to equity for youth AND to creating the work environment, compensation and benefits for her predominantly female team that she herself would most have loved to experience professionally. It is truly incredible to see what a female founder, CEO and mom of two can create for other women and mothers in the workplace!

This episode will leave you cheering for working moms!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

Setting healthy boundaries is an important part of building strong relationships and enjoying a work/life balance.  Many women know this and want to set a boundary in their life but they aren't quite sure how to create one or how to know if a boundary they've already set is actually healthy.

In this episode of The Infinite Capacity Podcast, midlife mom coach Andrea Morton hosts a deep dive into healthy boundaries explaining what a boundary is, how to know when it is time to create one, how to know what kind of coach or therapist to work with when creating different kinds of boundaries,  punitive vs. healthy boundaries, the steps involved in creating a healthy boundary and much more!

Using examples drawn from real life, the discussion will show how important emotions are in the establishing of boundaries and share thought provoking stories about how relationships can be protected or damaged by boundaries (or the lack thereof).

This episode is for any mother who has ever felt drained by a relationship in her life, or who has suspected she might need to create a personal or professional boundary.

Also, for those who may want to work with a licensed therapist on issues of creating boundaries for their physical safety - as promised in the episode - here are 3 resources in the United States that support mothers who need to protect themselves and their children:

www.thehotline.org
https://www.childwelfare.gov/
https://centerforjudicialexcellence.org/resources/domestic-violence-child-abuse-resources/

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

As one of eight children, Crystal Haitsma always thought she'd become a mother someday AFTER she completed her degree in psychology and started her career.  So when she and her husband discovered that they were going to have a baby while she was still an undergrad at university, they had to dig deep to figure out how they could both finish their degrees while figuring out how to be parents.  By the time she graduated Crystal was pregnant with their second baby!

During these years Crystal read, "Hold On To Your Kids," by Gordon Neufeld and learned about the attachment theory of parenting.  The theory (aka positive parenting, conscious parenting or intentional parenting) became a bedrock for Crystal and her husband over the coming years as they continued to raise and homeschool their (now) four children. Crystal spent more than a decade reading and taking courses, becoming an expert in the field, and earning her certification as a life and parenting coach.  Today she is a highly successful parenting coach specializing in what she likes to call 'radical connection parenting,' and running her popular By Design membership program.

Crystal shares here the poignant story of her second son and his journey toward a diagnosis with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD... and how building an intentional relationship with him based on these innovative parenting principles shifted their family experience away from out-of-control tantrums, stress, loneliness and sorrow into one of connection, growth and mutual understanding.

This beautiful episode is a must-listen for all parents!!!  
You can enjoy listening to more of Crystal's work and stories on The Freedom Moms Podcast.

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

Have you heard of an 'emotional vampire'?  This term is commonly thrown around to describe someone who makes the people around them feel drained or depressed after spending time together.

In Episode 15 of The Infinite Capacity Podcast, Andrea Morton of Think To Thrive Coaching will explore this topic of emotional vampires in depth, sharing where it originally came from and how the idea of an emotional or energetic drain can affect your important relationships.

Morton will share helpful tips for what to do when you think you are dealing with an emotional vampire in your life, and also offer a life coaching perspective / mindset shift for how to successfully engage with (or set boundaries for) those people that you find  exhausting to be around.

Warning: This episode may make you think hard and even have the side effect of improving your most challenging relationships!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

Countless families around the world are grappling with addiction and the pain and destruction it can leave in its wake.  In episode 14 of The Infinite Capacity Podcast, Andrea Morton of Think To Thrive Coaching interviews Emily Christensen, who learned her own infinite capacity for healing and forgiveness after her father's addiction ripped their family apart.

Now a gifted life coach who specializes in helping families to prevent addiction in their children, Emily speaks first hand about the crippling pain and fear that may first accompany the discovery of an addiction in your family.  She explores the strength and mindsets that can help family members of an addict to develop true compassion and understanding, and keep bridges of communication open.  

Emily will also share the power of fostering deep connection and dialogue with our children in order to support them and help them from falling into addiction as a coping mechanism.  Her insights shared here are life changing!

This interview is a MUST LISTEN for any mother, of any age.

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching

In Episode 13, Andrea Morton of Think To Thrive Coaching explores the fear of failure and negative self-talk that many of her clients experience; and how these two elements can work together to STOP a midlife mom from putting herself 'out there' and dedicating consistent positive energy toward making the real changes that she wants to see.

This episode will reveal the surprising side-effects of making a goal and sticking with it, and the strong allure of "the couch." Morton will also explain the power of working with the concept of your 'future me' (your 2.0!) to overcome any fears or hesitations... so you can move forward with ease and confidence on your exciting journey toward becoming the best version of you!

Need some coaching feedback about your own life? Ask Andrea your question by emailing [email protected]!

You can also reach out via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @thinktothrivecoaching