This Mom Knows

"Do more for your family" and "Be present in the moment" are conflicting messages that moms hear everyday. You may have heard it described as being a Mary or a Martha.

Claire McGarry felt that tension and began to look deeper at that Bible story about those famous sisters. Along the way she discovered a gift from that story.

In this episode, Claire shares her G-I-F-T method where we

G-Gauge what our stress is
I-Invite it in
F-Filter through it with God's loving eyes
T-Transform it into grace at the feet of Jesus

Meet our Guest Claire:

Claire McGarry is the author of Grace In Tension:  Discover Peace with Martha and Mary, and the Lenten family devotionals, Abundant Mercy and With our Savior. She's the founder of mosaic of faith as well as a regular contributor to living faith Mornings with Jesus and Catholic Mom. She's also a freelance writer, and her work has appeared in These Days, The Secret Place, Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Keys for Kids, which is near and dear to my heart, is I looked forward to that arriving in my mailbox when I was a kid. And if that's not enough writing for you, she also blogs at shiftingmyperspective.com. Claire is a former lay missionary to Guatemala now living in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. 

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB - www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG - www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• Claire's experience as a lay missionary in Guatemala
• Reasons for moving to New Hampshire
• Claire's journey as a mompreneur and writer
• Balancing priorities between family and business
• Importance of quality time and values in family life
• Writing for God as Claire's top priority
• Establishing a routine for strategic planning and scheduling
• The tension between doing and being, exemplified by Mary and Martha
• The misconceptions and labels associated with Mary and Martha
• Recognizing the positive aspects of tension and stress
• The GIFT acronym: Gauge, Invite, Filter, Transform
• Applying the steps of GIFT to navigate stress and tension
• Seeking clarity and seeing situations through God's eyes
• Identifying the good and taking transformative actions
• Her favorite time saving gadget/tool

Resources mentioned:

You can go even deeper in the book she has written called Grace in Tension: Discover Peace with Martha and Mary.

Her book, Mary and Martha were from the Gospel Luke

Some themes you'll hear in this episode are:

• we need both doing and being, and
• right action with the wrong intention, or wrong action with right intention will leave us feeling unbalanced
• In doing or being, Jesus can help us realign and choose the best

Claire's favorite gadget is her DustBuster!

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-62 

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://shiftingmyperspective.com/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ClaireMcGarryAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairemcgarrywrites

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

Self-care. We know we need it, but we don't always know how to do it in a way that doesn't feel selfish.

Jenn Collins from Mama Needs Box joins us to help us solve that problem and make it a natural part of our mom life.

Meet our Guest Jenn:

Jenn Collins is the Chief Self-Care Officer at and founder of the Mama Needs subscription box. Jenn is on a mission to help mamas understand the need for self-care and give them the tools and inspiration to prioritize it. Married to her high school sweetheart and mama to three amazing kids, Jenn and her family live in North Carolina where they still can't believe that they get to see mountains every day.

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• The importance of self-care 
• Personal experience with burnout and the impact on motherhood
• Different seasons of motherhood and adapting self-care practices
• Seeking help and support from others in taking care of oneself
• Tailoring self-care activities to individual preferences and needs
• The importance of learning from each other in motherhood
• The impact of generational differences in motherhood and the changing roles of husband and wife
• The need for setting boundaries and saying no to prevent burnout
• Priorities and struggles in balancing business and family
• The concept and details of the subscription box for moms
• The role of community and mom teams in self-care
• Overcoming the belief of not having enough time for self-care
• Making use of fringe hours for self-care activities
• Her favorite time-saving gadget, system, or tools

Resources mentioned:

The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You by Jessica Turner

Jenn's favorite resource is grocery pickup

Get 15% off a subscription (or anything on the Mama Needs Box site) by using the code PODCAST at checkout at mamaneedsbox.com

http://www.thismomknows.com/system

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-61 

Connect with Jenn:

Website: https://mamaneedsbox.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamaneedsbox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamaneedsbox
Listen to the Mama Needs Podcast
Email:  [email protected]

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

You have a message to share! Maybe it's a life experience that shaped you, a topic you have a lot of experience with, or a situation you want to help people avoid.

Mary Snyder is all about helping women take the message they have in their hearts and turn it into a speaking career.

Meet our Guest Mary:

Mary is a speaker, event, and tour producer. One of her favorite things is to emcee events for other speakers. Mary has a passion to help women take their message that is burning in their heart and start a speaking career. She's the host of Take the Stage Podcast and founder of Activate Your Speaking Career. But more than that, she's a mom and grandma and loves life in a small town in Alabama. 

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• Mary's desire to help women start a speaking career
• Mary's journey as a speaker
• Motivation behind Mary's transition from being a speaker to starting a speaker training business
• Shifting to working in the speaking touring world before the pandemic hit
• Starting a podcast for speakers during the pandemic
• Finding time for creativity and starting a business
• Balancing home, family, and building a business
• Strategic time management, setting priorities, and delegating responsibilities 
• Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship
• Understanding the seasons of life and adapting to change
• Recognizing that success takes time and consistency
• Favorite time-saving gadget

Resources mentioned:

Recipe Activate your speaking career; check out her courses at https://maryrsnyder.podia.com/ and register at https://maryrsnyder.com/activate-wait-list/for a Perfect System: http://www.thismomknows.com/system

Mary's favorite time saving gadgets are her timer and Asana for project management

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-60

Connect with Mary:

Website: https://www.maryrsnyder.com/ 
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/MaryRSnyder
Facebook Speaker Group: https://www.facebook.com/Takethestage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MaryRSnyder/

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

Who's on your Mom Team? We have lots of conversations about how people, systems, and even gadgets can nicely fill spots, but we don't often talk about the most important member - Jesus. 

Heather Jonsson from the Bold Mercies Podcast is with us today toshares her experience of digging out of overwhelm and giving Jesus a leading role on her Mom Team.

Meet our Guest Heather:

Heather Jonsson is mom to five teens and tweens, mostly teens, and a proud Air Force spouse. She and her husband have been married for 21 years and currently call Florida home. When she's not nurturing her children, you can find her teaching, writing, or podcasting. In all she does, though she desires to shine a spotlight on the glories of God and His enabling power to walk in faith.

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website: https://www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• Heather's experience as a military spouse and the number of places she has lived
• The challenges and glitches involved in packing and moving as a military family
• Overview of Heather's blog and podcast
• Overwhelmed as moms and the need to find ways to overcome it
• Comparison of parenting experiences between the early years of marriage and the teen years
• Heather's perspective on the different stages of parenting and the challenges and joys they bring
• Encouragement to young moms that parenting does get easier as children grow up
• The fun aspects of parenting teenagers and the opportunities for bonding and shared activities
• Heather's favorite time-saving system

Resources mentioned:

Bold Mercies Podcast  http://heatherjjonsson.com/boldmercies/

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.10.10.NIV;   https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/JHN.6.35,48,51

Kay Arthur and Precepts Studies

How to Organize Anything in Your Mompreneur Life: http://www.thismomknows.com/system

Heather's favorite system is how she does laundry!  Need help on a laundry system for yourself?  Check out this post on doing laundry and some great tools to make laundry fun and easy. 

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-59

Connect with Heather:

Website: http://heatherjjonsson.com/
Facebook: hhttps://www.facebook.com/heatherjjonsson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherjjonsson
Listen to her podcast Bold Mercies

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

You're a mompreneur and your business is on it's way. But are your protecting your hard work?

Andrea Sager from Legalpreneur joins us to share why every business needs to have the right protections in place.

Sponsored by Podcast VA Association https://www.podcastvaassociation.com

Recipe for a Perfect System: http://www.thismomknows.com/system

hownotes: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-58

FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows

Remember when your kids were little and you and your kids got together with all the other moms and their kids? When you had support and community? And then they became middle schoolers, and you found yourself a little bit more on the fringes with less mom community.

Kim Caifano from Middle School Mommer is with us today to talk about being a mom in these middle years as well as starting a business during and for the middle school years.

Meet our Guest Kim:

Kim Caifano is a writer, speaker, and founder of MiddleschoolMommer. The middle school years can be lonely as a mom, but Kim loves to walk with moms through these formative years of parenting. Kim grew up in a small town of 647 people and moved straight to downtown Chicago after college graduation for a marketing job. Talk about culture shock. She currently lives in Geneva, Illinois with her husband and her three kids. 

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• The desire to create a business and make money from writing
• The decision to specialize and find a niche in middle school parenting
• Balancing writing, entrepreneurship, and family life as a mompreneur
• The integration of marketing knowledge and experience in building a business
• The challenges and steps involved in writing and publishing a book
• Establishing a personal brand and expanding it beyond writing
• The importance of recognizing the backstories of admired individuals
• Constant learning
• Recognizing gaps and seeking help or hiring assistance
• The process of starting a business and finding the right people to help
• Kim's business approach and her role as a writer, speaker, and founder of Middle School Mommer.
• Feelings of isolation and the importance of community support for middle school moms
• Market research and struggles experienced by middle school moms
• The difficulties of reaching and engaging middle school moms as an audience
• Balancing the integration of the business with family needs and battling mom guilt
• The all-or-nothing mentality and the importance of not giving up until achieving pride in one's work
• favorite time-saving tool

Resources mentioned:

Brian Dixon  https://www.briandixon.com/ and Hope Writers https://www.hopewriters.com/

WhatWomenWants https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/what-women-want-2000

The Three Amigos https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/three-amigos-1986

Episode 34 with Adriana Cagan on Living Your Priorities

Mom Walks series by Rebecca Prenevost

Kim's favorite time-saving resource is her Roomba

Recipe for a Perfect System: http://www.thismomknows.com/system

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-57 

Connect with Kim:

Website: https://www.middleschoolmommer.com/

(where you can sign up for her conversation starter download)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middleschoolmommer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleschoolmommer

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

When you sit down to work do you spend more time preparing to work or actually working?  Today we talk about the key components that you need when designing your workspace.

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• Importance of an uncluttered workspace
• Sorting and purging clutter to create a permanent home for items
• Essential items for a workspace, such as pens, paper, and tools of the trade
• The need for power and convenient outlets
• Benefits of having a second monitor for increased productivity
• Choosing a suitable bag for a portable workspace
• Duplicating essential items for a portable workspace
• The significance of planning for portability
• The inclusion of extension cords and charging cords in the bag
• Portable options for a second monitor
• Organizing pens and paper in a bag for easy access
• Keeping duplicate tools of the trade in the bag
• Considering additional items for specific needs (e.g., fingerless gloves)
• Identifying items that need to be duplicated and those that remain in both workspaces
• Seamless transition between workspaces for uninterrupted work

Resources mentioned:

Episode 51: 3 Essential Systems for Your Business

Laptop Backpack

Computer Mat

File Organizer

Extension cord

2nd Monitor

Pencil Case

Webcam

Fingerless Gloves

Recipe for a Perfect System: https://www.thismomknows.com/system

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-56 

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

Riley Whitson knows all about meal planning with Plan to Eat.  Meal planning is one of the 3 key systems that will let you put your energy into more important things, and Plan to Eat is exactly what you need.

Meet our Guest Riley:

Riley Whitson is Director of Marketing Communications for my favorite tool Plan to Eat. She has worked for Plan to Eat for the last seven years and in that time has held many different roles and holds a certification in meal planning. She's a mom of a feisty two year old little girl. And over the last two years, she has discovered just exactly how important meal planning is to the life of a family.

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• How Riley ended up working at Plan to Eat
• The importance of meal planning in family life
• The overview of Plan to Eat as a digital meal planner
• Meal planning strategies
• Allowing kids to cook using the app's recipe book and steps
• Exporting the shopping list for grocery pickup or delivery
• How meal planning helps with intentional food choices and introducing new foods
• The convenience and time-saving aspect of having a meal plan and grocery order in place
• Sharing the workload of cooking with family members to make it more manageable
• Customizing Plan to Eat to fit individual needs and preferences
• The satisfaction of having a well-organized shopping list and a stress-free mealtime experience
• The transition from being a personal chef to using Plan to Eat for personal meal planning

Resources mentioned:

Check out her Recipe 
Sign up for 45-Day Free Trial of Plan to Eat: https://www.PlantoEat.com/hi/ThisMomKnows
Riley's favorite resource is Instacart

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-55

Connect with Riley:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantoeat/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantoeat/
Website: https://www.plantoeat.com 
Email:  [email protected]

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

We're celebrating and it's all thanks to you!

Did you know most podcasts don't make it past 10 episodes? (True story!) But thanks to you, This Mom Knows is 1-year old!

To celebrate we're highlighting your favorite episodes of this past year.

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - www.thismomknows.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG - https://www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Resources mentioned:

Episode 3: Jenn Uren on Overwhelm
Episode 5: Crystal Paine on Love-Centered Parenting
Get a copy of Love-Centered Parenting
Episode 6: Jenn Uren on Adoption & Trauma
Episode 35: Jenn Uren on The 90 Day Year
Episode 39: Emily Morgan on The Power of Delegation
(also check out Episode 48: Jenn Uren on What is a System (and Why Does it Matter)?)
Episode 41: Melissa Tubergen on Non-Profits are Entrepreneurial too!
Episode 43: Carolyn Dun on Generosity
Episode 44: Jenn Uren on Your Mom Team
Episode 45: Amanda Cunningham on Creating the Solution You Need
Episode 49: Jenn Uren - It's About Time

Recipe for a Perfect System: http://www.thismomknows.com/system

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-54 

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.

Kate Kordsmeier knows being a mompreneur means that we have to wear many hats. But just because we are responsible for something doesn't mean that we have to trade our time to get it done. Kate has leveraged systems - especially evergreen funnels -- effectively turning a significant portion of her income into a passive revenue that allows her to invest her energy into the things that matter to her -- especially her growing family.

Meet our Guest Kate:

Kate Kordsmeier is a writer, educator and creative entrepreneur. She lives in Atlanta with her husband Matt and their two kiddos, Jackson, and Gemma and their three, fur babies Scout, Boo, and Finch - and yes, they are named for the characters and To Kill a Mockingbird. She left a flourishing freelance writing career to start a holistic wellness blog called Root + Revel, which became a multi six figure business. She now teaches other heart centered online entrepreneurs to monetize their online business with sustainable tactics that don't result in burnout or selling their soul. She does this through two courses that she offers and she's also a fellow podcaster. And you can hear her on the podcast Sucess with Soul. 

Connect with me and let me hear your thoughts:

Website - http://www.thismomknows.com
FB - www.facebook.com/thismomknows
IG - www.instagram.com/thismomknowspodcast

Topics we cover:

• The concept of working smarter, not harder, and scaling income without burning out
• Kate's transition from a freelance food and travel writer to starting a holistic wellness blog called Root + Revel
• Kate's motivation for starting the blog
• The growth of Root + Revel into a six-figure business
• The success of Root + Revel as a blog, even during periods of inactivity
• The misconception that blogging is just a personal space rather than a real business
• The changing landscape of blogging as a business tool
• The importance of incorporating a blog component into any business for organic traffic and lead generation
• The importance of delegating tasks to free up time and energy for more strategic and high-impact work
• Repurposing podcast content into blog posts for better accessibility
• The struggle of driving traffic from podcasts to websites and the importance of creating SEO-friendly blog content
• The podcast as a credibility builder and nurturing existing audiences rather than gaining new ones
• Monetization strategies for podcasts, including using them as a marketing strategy and promoting other products or services
• Challenges of balancing home and business priorities, particularly during the pandemic
• The importance of outsourcing and employing help to maintain balance and reduce stress
• Leaning on existing products and implementing evergreen models for scalability and passive income
• The process of tweaking and planning ahead to optimize passive income streams
• Advice for mompreneurs, emphasizing the significance of having a blog as a home base for business and leveraging it 

Resources mentioned:

Listen to her podcast, Success with Soul 

Register and grab her Free Webinar Masterclass on “Six Systems  for Six-Figure CEO’s https://katekordsmeier.com/6-systems to get 2 free bonuses.

Kate's favorite resource is Cyclical Living.  Learn more in the book Woman Code or Do Less.

Link to transcript: https://www.thismomknows.com/blog/episode-53 

Connect with Kate:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/katekordsmeier/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KateKordsmeier  
Website:  https://katekordsmeier.com/ 
Email:  [email protected]

About This Mom Knows

Moms know a lot of things, and when we start talking, ideas form, energy builds, and we take action. This Mom Knows is a place for moms to mompreneurs to find encouragement, connection, and maybe even collaboration but most importantly community with moms who know.  So, grab a cup of coffee, maybe a paper and pencil to jot down an idea or two, and let's discover what This Mom Knows.