Work Like a Mother

Today, Bridget chats with “Inventing Anna” and “Scandal” actor, Katie Lowes. 

This week, Katie joins us to discuss launching her podcast, Katie’s Crib, navigating pregnancy and postpartum in Hollywood and why access to quality child care matters. Katie keeps it real and connects with the challenges that all moms face, juggling career and family.

Links Referenced in the Episode:

NeighborSchools Blog- Don't have time to listen? Read the blog with highlights from Katie's episode

Katie's Crib- Check out Katie's awesome podcast. She keeps it real with all things parenting. 

Rapid Fire Responses:

Mom Gear- Boogie Wipes! Is your kid's nose also a faucet? Katie couldn't rave about these enough! 

Who to Follow on IG- @janetlansbury, @kids.eat.in.color @workspaceforchildren @busytoddler @food_for_tots @drbeckyatgoodinside @manifestdestini 

Today, Bridget chats with Dr. Amber Thornton Clinical Psychologist and Millennial Motherhood Wellness Expert and Founder/Creator of Balanced Working Mama. 

Dr. Thornton wasn’t sure that she wanted to become a mom because she was fearful that she would have to give up her career, her identity and her drive. Instead, Dr. Thornton sets really clear boundaries that empower her to pursue her career, prioritize her family and also center her own wellness. Dr. Thornton shares a lot of practical tips to help moms unapologetically take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others.

Links Referenced in the Episode:
NeighborSchools Blog- Don't have time to listen? Read the blog with highlights from Dr. Thornton's episode.

SudShare- Laundry Service that Dr. Thornton raves about
S4 EP 7: The Moms are Not OK- The episode of The Double Shift featuring Dr. Amber Thornton

Today, Bridget chats with Katherine Goldstein- Journalist, and Creator and Host of The Double Shift Podcast.

Once Katherine became a mom, she became acutely aware of how society was failing mothers. She, like so many of us, fell victim to blaming ourselves rather than acknowledging that the challenges that mothers face are societal issues. But then Katherine channeled her journalist skills to “stop feeling guilty and start feeling mad”. Katherine is a passionate advocate for mothers. She uses her platform as a podcast host of the award winning Double Shift and as a writer to inspire other moms to advocate and take action. 

Links from Today's Episode
NeighborSchools Blog - If you don't have time to listen to the whole episode, go check out the highlights on NeighborSchools' blog

Chamber of Mothers- The advocacy group that Katherine recommends.  The Chamber of Mothers is a collective movement to focus America's priorities on mothers’ rights. Their first goal is to secure federal paid family and medical leave.
The Double Shift- Katherine's award winning podcast
The Double Shift Newsletter- The Double Shift is going on indefinite hiatus but stay up to date on their amazing work through this newsletter
American moms: let's stop feeling guilty and start getting mad- Katherine's article in the Guardian

Rapid Fire Responses:
Mom Gear- Medella Freestyle Hands-free Pump
Who to follow on IG- @babiesafter35
Mom Hack- TickTick- Katherine's list app that she, her husband and her caregiver all use 

Zoë Ruderman, editor of PEOPLE digital, was excited to quickly get pregnant after she and her husband decided to start a family. However, that elation was shortlived when Zoë had her first miscarriage. Zoë and her husband endured repeated miscarriages and were eventually advised to try IVF to conceive. Though Zoë never lost faith that she would one day get pregnant and have a family, she kept her IVF journey private to protect herself from needing to spend the emotional energy to explain her journey to others. Inspired by her own path to parenthood, Zoë launched the podcast, Me Becoming Mom. The mission of Me Becoming Mom is to destigmatize the many paths to parenthood. She wants people to hear the stories of celebrities to normalize the many ways that people can start families. 

Links Referenced in the Episode: 

Podcast: Zoe’s podcast, Me Becoming Mom

Article: to read more about Me Becoming Mom 

Book: Emily Oster’s Book, Expecting Better that Bridget and Zoë nerd out on in the episode 

When Keri Setaro and Ashley Hearon-Smith auditioned and were casted as “mom friends” on their first podcast, Scary mommy speaks, neither of them envisioned their careers revolving around the topic of motherhood. Yet these two moms and (actual) close friends help other moms find themselves outside of their roles as mothers in their new podcast, Momtourage. Keri said it best- motherhood is messy, hard and beautiful. These two will help you laugh hysterically and feel less alone as they keep it real about all things motherhood.

Jenny scoured the internet for helpful information about introducing real food to her 6 month old twins. Her three year old was a picky eater and she wanted to avoid the same situation with her twins. She ended up down the endless google rabbit hole. Why wasn’t there a singular resource for parents to reference when introducing solid foods to their kids? Jenny decided to create that resource for parents, one ingredient at a time. Solid Starts help parents feel confident introducing real food to their littles through a finger food first approach.  Parents love having a resource to create a healthy food culture with their families. 

Michele’s son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. Suddenly she and her family stopped getting invited over to friends’ houses for dinner and were asked to leave restaurants and shows. Michele and her family were rocked by the social isolation and the doors that were closed to them. Though Michele didn’t previously consider herself a runner, she started running daily to take care of herself and cope with the challenges she and her family faced. And then she decided to tackle the societal issues impacting her family by founding KultureCity. KultureCity is a non-profit which creates sensory accessibility and full inclusion for those with invisible disabilities. 

Amanda Beard's entire life has revolved around the water. When the 4X Olympic swimmer finished her competitive swimming career, she just couldn’t stay away. The mom of two co-founded a learn to swim school in Washington State to pass on her love of swimming and promote water safety. Amanda serves on the board of Hope Floats as an advocate for water safety and drowning prevention. 

Sarah built a career as a leader in ecommerce working for more than two decades for various companies. Yet, when Nanit approached Sarah, she jumped at the opportunity to switch careers to help parents use technology to ease their worries. With little kids at home, Sarah could connect and relate to parents who were looking for any tools and tricks to make parenting a little easier. 

Shalini Sekhar fell in love with wine, but she never imagined this love affair with wine would turn into a career. She initially studied music and earned her masters in Music Performance. She began working in a tasting room to pass the time while searching for a teaching job when she and her husband relocated to California in 2005. But soon she realized that her passion for wine was pushing her to pursue a full-time career in the wine business. She’s now widely recognized for her success, including accolades like Winemaker of the Year and has paved the way as a woman of color in the wine industry. All while juggling life with two kids and navigating a hectic schedule because the wine harvest doesn’t follow traditional 9-5 hours.