The Merry Messy Moms Show

• How to decide the priorities and values for yourself and your family and why they're so important
• How to parent based on connection and relationship first, and correction last
• The importance of a morning ritual and how it can set your day up for less stress and success
• All about Meditation - what is it, how to do it and how it helps to lower stress, anxiety, and connect you to your intuition so you can make decisions for your life that are in your highest good

• Jen's website – jenriday.com
• Jen's podcast – Vibrant Happy Women
• Tony Robbin's Priming Method
• Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Free Guided Meditations
• See all of the episodes from The Merry Messy Moms Show here
• Join in the fun & conversation in The Merry Messy Moms Show Facebook group

Sometimes one of the most courageous acts of self-love is to throw out our social ideas of what it means to be a mom and do what we feel called to do instead. Follow our hearts. For Jen Riday, a podcaster, Life Coach, blogger and mom of six, that has meant choosing to prioritize her own happiness and to become an entrepreneur. She talks about her journey of going to rock bottom in her marriage and her own mental health, to turn it around to create a successful business and fulfilling life for her and her family.

• Jen's website – jenriday.com
• Jen's podcast - Vibrant Happy Women
• Books by Brené Brown - Daring Greatly, The Gifts of Imperfection, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting
• Big Magicby Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Four Tendenciesby Gretchen Rubin
• Better than Beforeby Gretchen Rubin
• See all of the episodes from The Merry Messy Moms Show here
• Join in the fun & conversation in The Merry Messy Moms Show Facebook group

Comparison is a topic we talk a lot more about these days because social media has really made it rear it's ugly head! And as moms, on top of the guilt we heap upon ourselves, comparing ourselves to each other can really make us miserable. In this episode, I share how I get myself that comparison trap with just a few simple tips.

• How to Break Free from Comparison and Find Peace
• Why We Are More than Our Labels
• Book - Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

This is the very inspiring story of Samantha Lee Wright, a mom of two, a doula, owner of an essential oils business, and the owner of the world's largest essential oils podcast, and her family's journey from extreme poverty and barely surviving, to now thriving and successful and the lessons she's learned about herself and life along the way. How she went from feeling like she deserved poverty and a life of struggle, to realizing she could overcome it with some dedication and belief. She really grew in strength as a mom, wife and woman. We got emotional while talking - it is quite a powerful story and I just know you're going to enjoy it!

• Her podcast - www.revolutionoilspodcast.com
• Her website - www.samanthaleewright.com
• Revolution Oils Business Bootcamp Podcast
• See all of the episodes from The Merry Messy Moms Show here
• Join in the fun & conversation in The Merry Messy Moms Show Facebook group
• Interested in a Young Living business? Feel free to email me at [email protected], or check out my story here.

With Thanksgiving upon us, this is a great week to talk about gratitude! These days, it can almost seem little cliché to talk about it. It's a word that's thrown around a LOT, which I think is a good thing. But gratitude really is powerful & it has helped me to improve my attitude & happiness, reduce anxiety & worry, be much more present with my kids and happier with my husband, & succeed in business. In this episode, I share some gratitude research and how I've easily incorporated it into my life.

• $5 Gratitude Journal (it's really cute!)
• Creating a Natural Home and the Importance of Gratitude with Sarah UmmYusuf of NaturesNurture.com
• How I Broke Free of Complaining and Found Joy
• How I Found Emotional Freedom
• Scientific Study on Gratitude from the University of Berkley, and the Universities of Miami & California
• Visit my podcast hub at My Merry Messy Life to become an insider (it's free!)

After giving birth, many of us mothers are left with bodies we barely recognize. Bulging bellies, leaking pee when we run or jump, and back pain. This is all the cause of what's called Diastasis Recti, which refers to a separation in the abdominal muscles that doesn't always go back after giving birth. In this episode, I interview Wendy Powell, the founder of MUTUsystem.com, which is an exercise and body confidence program that helps women heal their bodies and minds after giving birth.

Links from This Episode

• Go straight to the MuTu program
• My story with the MuTu program
• My Almost Natural, Quite Traumatic Birth Story
• My 15 min arm workout
• Last week's episode - How to Fit in Exercise as a Mom and Actually Stick to It

As mamas we are super busy attending to everyone's needs in our household and it can be super tough to fit in a regular exercise routine. I went from never being able to stick to a fitness schedule or eating healthy to regularly exercising doing things I love, losing some weight and feeling very proud of myself by just changing three things! And they're probably not what you think. Listen to hear my top three tips to fit in exercise as a mom and stick to it!

Links in This Episode

• MuTu System for restoring your pelvic floor after having babies
• 6 Exercises for Strong and Sexy Arms and Back (my own personal arm workout routine)
• Louise Hay's book, Mirror Work
• Ask and It is Given, book by Esther and Jerry Hicks

In this inspiring episode, Tamara shares a story to which so many of us mothers can relate. How we start off our adult lives with dreams of a career and find that motherhood changes our dreams quite dramatically. In Tamara's case, she went from dreaming of being a psychologist and having her own practice, to being a stay at home mom at the age of 25. Even though she loved her role and was very happy to be a mom, she did feel lonely with postpartum sadness. She turned to crochet for connection and fulfillment, which eventually led her to start her blog.

What started as a small website where she shared crochet patterns with friends and family, has turned into a huge success - crochet books, conferences, speaking engagements, online crochet classes and more! Her business success also gave Tamara the courage and confidence to lose more than 100 pounds, and has given her family the gift of having two parents who work from home and can spend more time with them than ever.

• Mooglyblog.com
• Tamara's book, Quick Crochet for the Home
• Tamara on Facebook
• Tamara on Pinterest
• Tamara on Instagram
• Tamara's Crochet-A-Long (CAL)
• The Merry Messy Moms Show Podcast Hub
• mymerrymessylife.com

Self Care may seem cliche by now, but it truly is so important for moms and caregivers! We cannot pour from empty cups. We become better mothers when our own needs are met first and we feel like we have something to give. In this episode, I share how I went from spent and empty, to filled up and empowered by just changing a few things!

As a mom, it is not easy to fit in extra time for self care. It's something we'd all like to have, but pretty much laugh at the thought of actually getting it! What if I was to tell you that you can get your cup filled up and reduce stress and anxiety, without having to change much of anything in your daily schedule? Well, I've been able to do just that and share with you how in this episode!

Links in this episode:

• Podcast hub page
• My Merry Messy Life on Instagram
• My Merry Messy Life on Facebook
• Recommended book - Love Yourself, Love Your Life by Louise Hay
• Join my podcast email list to get updates when new shows air!
• Podcast Facebook Group - The Merry Messy Moms Show

Sarah from NaturesNurtureBlog.com shares with us her passion for having a natural and green home, the small, baby steps she took to get there and how it also led to her starting her blog in 2011. We talk about that work/life balance as a work at home mom and how she was able to launch her blog during nap time and bedtime and how she and her husband work together to make her blog successful. She also shares her top tips and advice for overwhelmed moms who are looking for friendship and connection and how she created a practice of gratitude with her children.

Links in this Episode:

• http://naturesnutureblog.com
• Nature's Nurture app
• Nature's Nurture on Instagram
• Motivational speaker, Lisa Nichols
• Beeswax wraps
• Natural Parchment Paper (to replace aluminum foil)
• Silicone mats for baking
• Microfiber cloths for cleaning
• "The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting" by Brene Brown

About Sarah

Sarah UmmYusuf is a non-toxic living mentor and teacher who loves helping people take charge of their family's health. She created Nature's Nurture in 2011 to document her journey to a non-toxic home, and to give others the confidence and peace of mind they need to protect their families from harmful chemicals. When she's not busy reading product labels or making her own cleaning products, you can find her chasing after her three kiddos and drinking lots and lots of coffee.