Erin and Patricia discuss Erin’s gestational process toward her dream life and vision for her future. This was the first collaborative episode pre-recorded for Season 2, do we hope you enjoy the fruits of the early creative process, too!

About Erin (in her own words):

The beautiful life around me is not a mistake, and the miracle of my journey is in no way lost on me. From being nearly swallowed by addiction, chaos and trauma to walking a spiritual path of safety, ritual and love. I have learned to cultivate a new existence that is rooted in nurturing my body and mind, connecting with my own feminine embodiment, releasing guilt and shame and giving birth to my voice.  All of this growth has led me in the direction of sharing those gifts with other women, and creating a way of merging that energy to help us stand in our power and own our stories. I’m growing this community in my business, space.s, and finding ways to continue to cultivate continued growth in my own life as a measure for the true potential of every woman to succeed. 

Connect w/ Erin:

Instagram:  @picketfenske

Linktree :  https://linktr.ee/picketfenske

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

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Happy Birthday Patricia!

In today's episode, Particia shares 29 important lessons/reminders in life that we all need to hear, as she celebrates her 29th birthday.

1. It’s not about you. 

2. Communicate directly about desires, wishes, & expectations. 

3. Be present. This moment is a gift and will only happen once, so enjoy it.

4. Give a gift to your future self. 

5. Learn more about finances and interest rates

6. Have a filing cabinet

7. Be open to things looking different than you imagined

8. Compromise

9. The beauty industry is a lie. 

10. Have a baby. 

11. Becoming a parent can give you more purpose— a stronger why. 

12. Value your time. 

    1. Look at your calendar and audit what actually serves your current goals/ desires. 

13. There is no perfect time. 

    1. This relates back to give a gift to your future self. 

14. Say yes to pre-emptive therapy/ support. 

15. Get a dog. Or a hamster. Or make a friend with one. 

16. Have social media & phone boundaries 

17. Be a tourist in your own backyard 

18. Go to sleep earlier 

19. Designate at least one night for no tv. 

20. Start that dream project. 

21. Take small steps. 

22. Do it scared and even though you don’t feel ready. Create deadlines & accountability for yourself. 

23. Do something with your photos!

24. Self-care can be short. 

    1. 5 minute qigong or CBD rub

25. Visualization breaks instead of scrolling. 

26. Read more. 

27. Meal prep— make foods that are easy to eat later. 

28. Remember who you are and what’s important to you. 

29. Create your own seat at the table. 

    1. Ex: start a podcast, host an event, VCBW panel (party idea

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

@patricia.cosulich & @the_transitions_podcast

If you’ve ever been curious about surrogacy and how it works, this episode is for you! In this panel, Patricia interviews Candice Swanson and Ariel Taylor about their experience as multiple-time surrogates, who it can benefit, ethical and legal considerations, myths, and more! Candice and Ariel bring unique perspectives as citizens of different countries (the US and Canada!), and additionally have other professional experiences in the birth world. 

Candice Swanson is a single mom to 2 kids living in southern California running a luxury photography business and a 2nd time surrogate and loves the beach!

Ariel Taylor is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Psychotherapist who has been involved in the surrogacy and fertility community since 2015 and has guided countless couples and individuals on their journey to parenthood. After her own complicated miscarriage as a surrogate in 2016, Ariel discovered that there was very little specialized counseling for her painful situation and realized a much larger need for mental health professionals that deeply understand the fertility world. She opened Carried with Love (CWL) to provide 100% virtual support for those struggling with infertility, loss, pregnancy challenges or postpartum mood disorders. Ariel has carried 5 babies as a gestational surrogate which resulted in 4 live births – the most recent in the summer of 2023. Although Ariel is now retired as a surrogate, she continues to be an active presence in the fertility community and leverages her strong social media following to normalize all roads to parenthood for women and couples around the world.

Connect w/ Candice:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candiceswansonphotography/

• Website: www.candiceswansonphotography.com 

Connect w/ Ariel:

• Website: https://carriedwithlove.com/ 

• Instagram: @carried.with.love

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

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Maternal Mental Health is a topic not often openly discussed. Particia and Kayanna dive into some of the challenges and expectations new moms face post child birth. We have access to great resources, and it’s really important to find what resonates with you. Motherhood is a huge change; it's a beautiful transition into a new version of ourselves. There can be many bumps along the road of motherhood but it is all manageable with the proper care and support. 

Kayanna Campana is the founder of Caring Connection Counseling in Ventura, California. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and maternal mental health specialist focusing on perinatal mental health and major life adjustments. She is also a wife and mother to three little boys and doesn’t have a lot of spare time these days so she has minimal hobbies outside of what’s mentioned above. She believes life adjustments should be approached with some humor, a balanced perspective and a whole lot of grace.

Connect with Kayanna:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caring.connection/

Website: www.caringconnectioncounseling.org

Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/kayanna-campana-ventura-ca/358774 

Resources Mentioned:

• Postpartum Support International https://www.postpartum.net/ 

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

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Patricia interviews her former professor, Dr. Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick. They dive into the concept of gestation within social movements and the elements involved in creating them, as well as his personal journey as a mid-career academic considering how to add a new challenge or adventure in his life.

Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick is an author, speaker, and educator. His work focuses on social change as it relates to society, politics, and technology. He holds academic positions in the United States and England and speaks regularly about human rights, social movements, slavery, trafficking, and new technology.

Connect with Austin:

http://www.austinchoifitzpatrick.com/

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

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Sarah and Patricia dive deep into the topic of entering motherhood. Sarah shares her experiences with her birth processes and postpartum journeys, and how unique each experience will be for every mother.

Sarah Marie Bilger is a mom of two, wife, certified nutrition professional, doula, and podcast host. She is on a mission to cultivate intentional conversations around the early years of motherhood and spark curiosity during pregnancy, birth, and most importantly postpartum for all those who are involved.

Connect with Sarah:

• Podcast: Entering Motherhood Podcast

• Instagram: entering_motherhood

• Facebook: EnteringMotherhood

• Services: Birth and Postpartum Services

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

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In this unique episode, Patricia and her writing mentor, Catherine Filloux, interview Effy Redman about the gestational process for her memoir, Saving Face.

About Effy, our featured memoirist:

Effy Redman’s writing investigates the intersection of disability and identity, building bridges in minority communities. Drawing from her journey as a lesbian with Moebius Syndrome (a rare condition of facial paralysis), she writes into the experience of otherness, finding resilience beyond the shadows. Her first book—SAVING FACE—a memoir of living with physical disability—will be published by Vine Leaves Press in March 2024. Redman has  published work in The New York Times, Vice, Ravishly, Chronogram, Berkeley Poetry Review, and Iron Horse Literary Review, among other places. She holds an MFA in Memoir from CUNY: Hunter College, where she received an Honorable Mention for the Helen Gray Cone Fellowship, and a BA in Literature/Drama from Bennington College, where she was an Ellen Knowles Harcourt Scholar and a Bennington Scholar.

About Catherine Filloux, our cohost:

For the past three decades, French Algerian American award-winning playwright, librettist and activist Catherine Filloux has been traveling to conflict areas writing plays that address human rights. Filloux’s new play “How to Eat an Orange” opens this season at La MaMa Theatre in New York City, and her new musical “Welcome to the Big Dipper” (composer Jimmy Roberts, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”) premieres Off-Broadway this season at the York Theatre in New York City; a National Alliance for Musical Theatre finalist. Catherine’s new play “White Savior” is nominated for The Venturous Play List. Her many plays have been produced around the U.S. and internationally. She is the librettist for four produced operas, broadcast on Cambodian national TV, on Broadway on Demand, chosen for Opera News Critic’s Choice; and “Orlando” is the 2022 Grawemeyer award winner--the first opera by a woman composer and woman librettist in the history of the Vienna Staatsoper. Catherine has traveled for her plays to countries including Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Morocco, Northern Ireland; and to Sudan and South Sudan on an overseas reading tour with the University of Iowa's International Writing Program. Filloux received her French Baccalaureate in Philosophy with Honors in Toulon, France, and is the co-founder/co-director of Theatre Without Borders. www.catherinefilloux.com

How to Buy Effy’s Book:

You can pre-order Saving Face at https://www.vineleavespress.com/saving-face-by-effy-redman.html. There are options here to purchase Effy’s book on bookshop.org, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Effy encourages readers to use bookshop.org, because this venue supports local bookstores.

Connect with Effy:

• Website: www.effyredman.com

• Instagram @effyredman38

• Facebook: Effy Redman

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

@patricia.cosulich & @the_transitions_podcast

This episode is ALL about Patricia’s personal experience as a first-time mom and pregnant lady:

• What she learned

• What she experienced (feelings, moods, different trimester symptoms, food cravings, exercise – and so much more!

• Tips on education and support 

Tune in and be sure to let us know what resonated most, whether you’re pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant, have kids already, or maybe you were just curious!

Resources Mentioned:

• https://evidencebasedbirth.com/

• https://www.postpartum.net/

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

@patricia.cosulich & @the_transitions_podcast

Patricia has been through SO many changes in the past two years since she first started the podcast. This includes feeling optimally healthy after years of feeling ill, completing multiple Spartan races, completing coach training, starting her own business, getting married, moving, and starting a new family (including a Morkie puppy and a baby on the way!).

Kabir, a former guest on episode 39, offered to interview Patricia about this period of massive transformation. Here is the result.

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

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@patricia.cosulich & @the_transitions_podcast

Hi, I'm Patricia Cosulich-Smith, a certified life coach, podcaster, playwright, social innovator, and expectant new mama. Oh, and obviously the host of this the Transitions podcast. In keeping with the show's history of highlighting life transitions, I decided to launch a new season focused on the theme of gestation because it is top of mind for me as a pregnant lady/new mom. So there will be some pregnancy and new parent content balanced with other content about the gestational process for ideas, creative work, businesses, and movements more broadly, and even a little social science thrown in

Here's the official season Description Gestation: the central theme of season two is an exploration of the growth period that precedes the birth of ideas, art projects, movements, and even life itself. It embodies the liminal space where potential is nurtured and shaped, representing not only the physical journey of pregnancy, but also the creative evolution of concepts, the planning of social movements, and the development of innovative projects and works of art.

Through in-depth conversations with a diverse range of guests, we will journey through the rich tapestry of gestation, uncovering the stories of visionaries, activists, and creators who have harnessed the power of this formative phase to bring about significant change and give life to their aspirations.

I'm excited. You're hopefully excited. Text this trailer to your bestie and let's make change our bitch.

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Ready to make a change? Book your free Explore Call with Patricia.

Patricia’s 1:1 and group coaching programs are about becoming the active designer of your life through any transitional phase. Learn more at https://www.patriciacosulich.com.

Share this episode and tag us on social media!

@patricia.cosulich & @the_transitions_podcast