Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen are the founders of Slumberkins, a brand that’s reimagining how parents approach emotional learning with their kids. As a former family therapist and special education teacher, they have poured their hearts into creating over a dozen characters and stories to help guide kids through emotions, and they are having  a big impact on parents too. In fact, they just published a book, All Feelings Welcome, just for parents, to embrace the full range of emotions, so we can break the cycles of burnout and over-pleasing.You're going to love hearing how their journey started, how Slumberkins has grown from it's humble beginnings, to Shark Tank, to an Emmy-nominated TV show. It’s a conversation full of heart, and I can’t wait to share it with you. 

5:00 How Slumberkins began 

10:30 Being kind to ourselves 

17:45 How Chatbooks is part of the Slumberkins story 

23:30 How the character Otter is helping military families 

24:20 Family transitions during divorce 

34:00 Be the friend that captures others motherhood moments 

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If you’ve spent time on Instagram or Pinterest then it is likely that you have seen Becki Owens work. She is one of the most sought-after interior designers known for her clean, modern, and inviting design aesthetic that millions have tried to replicate. When we recorded this episode with Becki last year I was so impressed with how down-to-earth she is when there are so many things she could brag about! So let me do some bragging for her… she has an exclusive furniture collection with Sam's Club called "Details by Becki Owens", Becki also partnered with Kuka Home to debut the "Becki Owens Home" collection, she has an ongoing collaboration with Surya, a paint collection with Dunn-Edwards, a line of lighting fixtures with Hudson Valley Lighting, and a line of delicious signature scents with Pura. She has a new product-focused Instagram page called Becki Owens Living that's dedicated to showcasing her own curated collection of home decor and furniture items along with some of her favorite design tips. 

So you can see why I was so thrilled to have her on the podcast to have her answer some of your toughest design questions! Like… What to do with a huge blank wall? Or how to swap out your "boob lights" for something a little more tasteful–c'mon you konw what I mean right?! Becki is the best and I know you're going to love learning from her and hearing why, with all she does, motherhood is priority #1!

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10:00 - How Becki got started in the design world 

22:00 - What to replace boob lights with in your home 

25:00 - What to do with a giant blank wall 

30:00 - Becki's dream client 

33:00 - Behind-the-scenes as an interior designer is not as glamorous as it looks 

35:30 - How Becki decorates for the holidays 

41:00 - How Becki Chatbooks and saves her family memories 

45:00 - What's next for Becki 

I'm willing to bet that struggling with body image and self worth is quite common for many of us. Almost daily I have to remind myself that how my body looks is the least important and interesting thing about me. But when I hear my teenage and young adult daughters body shame themselves I get down right angry. In my effort to find resources to help me help them I came across a book authored by sisters Lexi and Lindsay Kite called "More than a Body. -that book changed me! Both Lexi and Lindsey have PhDs in the study of body image and media from the University of Utah. Their research focused on harmful media messages, and they are considered experts in body image resilience and media literacy so I was thrilled when Lexi accepted my invitation to be a guest on the podcast a couple of years ago.  

A little more about Lexi and Lindsay: growing up as twins they faced constant comparisons about their appearance from friends and strangers alike. As the years went by they both found themselves critical of their bodies, so much so that they gave up something they both loved to do - competitive swimming. 

Years later the sisters went on to study body image and founded the nonprofit organization Beauty Redefined. For more than 10 years, the Kite sisters have been spreading their “More Than A Body” message. 

In this encore episode you will learn strategies for cultivating self-compassion and resilience and ways mothers can model body positivity. I  encourage you to listen with your daughters and/ or sisters and talk about your takeaways together. It has created some wonderful, healing conversations in my house.

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6:00 What is body image resilience?

7:00 What to do when you see a photo of yourself you don't like 

9:00 Thinking of your body as a project instead of an instrument 

11:00 How to face insecurities 

17:00 How to talk to daughters about body image 

24:00 Media literacy for kids 

33:30 Young girls and clothing 

38:30 Telling your daughters they are beautiful 

52:00 Magical Everyday Moment 

Wedding season is here and it is a great time to reminisce on your own love story. In this episode of The MomForce Podcast we are diving into the topic of "Empowering Relationships,"  with some incredible guests who share their insights on how to strengthen relationships. Hear from influencer and author Sazan Hendrix, professional dancer Jenna Johnson of Dancing with the Stars, design queen Julia Marcum, ballerina extraordinaire Misty Copeland, and entrepreneur and philanthropist Camila McConaughey as they discuss their personal experiences and offer tips to be a better partner. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from these amazing women and enhance your own relationships!

2:00 Forbidden love with influencer and author Sazan Hendrix 

5:30 Professional dancer Jenna Johnson on working with her spouse

7:45 Family movie night and date night traditions with Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia 

9:30 Misty Copeland on growing up with a single mom and how amazing single parents are. And how grateful she is for her supportive partner. 

10:40 Camila McConaughey on how she keeps curiousity alive in her marriage with Matthew McConaughey. 

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In this episode of The MomForce Podcast titled "The Power of Showing Up," Vanessa Quigley chats with Dr. Tina Bryson, an expert in parenting and child development. They explore the essential role of the "4 S's" – Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure – in fostering secure attachments and emotional resilience in children. Dr. Bryson highlights that showing up consistently and empathetically is crucial for a child's development and well-being.

This episode is packed with practical parenting tips and insights into creating strong family bonds, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their parenting skills.

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More on the research from Chatbooks and HP about strengthening families.

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Dr. Lisa Damour has been a huge resource to me on my parenting journey. She the mother of 2, the host of one of the top parenting podcasts Ask Lisa, and a New York Times bestselling author three-times over–In fact she wrote 2 of my all time favorite parenting books Untangled and Under pressure and I've heard amazing things about her latest book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. I was so honored to have her as a guest on the Momforce Podcast years ago to talk about the deteriorating mental health of kids and teens these days.

In this encore episode you will see that Lisa is a welcome voice of reason committed to  “Untangling Family Life” as she calls it. I love how she's able to explain calmly and rationally how we can best help our kids. In this conversation we talk a lot about stress and I love her nuanced approach–so often we assume it's bad and try to avoid it at all costs. But really, the stresses of life, are not only inevitable but can also be beneficial in certain contexts. especially for adolescents, as it's what helps them learn to navigate challenges and build resilience. I know you will love learning from Lisa and gleaning from her wisdom for your own family.

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Addiction can be a heavy topic which is why I am so glad we have Moira Kucaba at the helm of the conversation! She bravely shares her story and shows that there is always a path forward – and it is usually not a straight line. 

As a high achieving student and athlete Moira fell into alcohol and substance abuse during her high school years. Soon she found herself completely taken over by her addictions. By age 21, she confronted her addictions head-on, transitioning from alcohol and drugs to battling an eating disorder for a decade. Through her recovery process, Moira credits her faith and supportive community for helping her gradually reclaim her life. 

Now, as a thriving entrepreneur, devoted mother of two, and esteemed career coach, Moira's resilience shines through. Join us as she shares invaluable insights and tools for confronting life's challenges. She shares what has helped keep her sober for more than 20 years

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As we head into Mother’s Day this year I want to share some wise words from some of the women who have joined me over the years on The MomForce Podcast. Through 5 seasons we've talked about everything from infertility, to adjusting to life with a newborn, to how to get your teenagers to talk to you. I hope you can take this super-cut episode as my little Mother’s Day gift to you!  

Time codes: 

2:00 Sharon McMahon

5:40 Myriam Sandler

8:03 Jennifer Borget

11:25 Ralphie Jacobs 

15:22 Myriam Sandler

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Join Abby Cox as she shares her inspiring journey from small-town farm life to residing in the governor's mansion in Salt Lake City. Growing up in the small town of Fairview, Utah she never imagined herself living a life in politics. Since becoming First Lady, Abby created the “Show Up” initiative, which invites everyone to show up in their community through service opportunities. 

This year she has refocused her efforts on the larger nationwide initiative of “Disagree Better”. Meant to help ease the political discourse that has gotten so impassioned over the years. 

During the conversation, Abby shares how she has personally learned how to “Disagree Better”. She explains what she does when she disagrees with her husband or kids on political issues, how we can better understand each other, and why it is important to never stop doing the work. 

Known for her incredible talent on the dance floor, Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy has helped so many women who struggle with infertility feel seen and known as she has shared her journey to becoming a mother. We originally aired this episode last year and had an incredible response from our community so I wanted to share it again. Jenna’s adorable baby boy Rome is now 1 and has accompanied her on tour with the Dancing with the Stars team. 

Jenna is a bright light in the dance community and you're going to love learning more from her including what it was like meeting her husband on Dancing with the Stars and how they ultimately fell in love and started their family. 

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