Your Mom Friend

Every single time Dara writes even so much as a Facebook status, I rush to read it. She is that friend you have who says exactly what you were trying to find the words to say. Dara is a mom of three, a writer, an editor, and she will have a book out soon if I have anything to say about it. She hid in her basement to record this episode with me because mom life is real.

Anuradha is, quite simply, brilliant. She is seriously multi-talented, from biology to dance to history to Human Design - she just knows so much! I think it comes from being deeply curious about our world and about other people. She’s also one of the kindest people that I have ever met. Above all, Anuradha is a teacher and I have been so blessed to learn from her.

Tara is a self-care coach for women and a mom of two. She’s an entrepreneur and an inspiration to me, personally. Tara was the first person I met who took the idea of women taking care of themselves seriously enough to build an entire business around the concept. I will always be grateful that I met her when I did and for her friendship. There’s no one else I could think of for our Mother’s Day episode.

Dru is the mother of three incredible humans, a career makeup artist, & a co-founding member-owner of the Transformative Teaching Collective — where she facilitates intergroup dialogue around topics of racial and social justice for the purpose of healing.

At the center of her worldview is an urgency of living with audacity, curiosity, compassion and empathy.

This week I’m talking to Saira Rao about politics, race, and change. Saira Rao is a racial justice activist, former congressional candidate, and co-founder of In This Together Media, Race2Dinner and Healing from Hate. Rao's upcoming memoir, BROKEN NEWS, will be published in Spring 2020.

I was introduced to Saira through FB and her page regularly gives me life. She is an unapologetic truth-teller in a world that tells women, especially black and brown mothers, that we must lie to stay safe.

Nicole is an activist, business owner, coach, lawyer, and mom. From Haiti to Ferguson, she has led international and domestic investigations and missions documenting human and civil rights violations. From this work, Nicole has learned that each of us can be brave, courageous and visionary. Each of us can also give into our worst fears and settle for the life we have rather than the life we want. Nicole specializes in helping people have hard conversations and she is amazing at it!

Shannon and I dig into adoption, race, religion, politics, trauma, sarcasm, and ALL THE TOUCHING that happens when you have six kids.

Shannon Dingle is an author, journalist, & activist who breaks the rules about what's appropriate to discuss in public & what isn't. She doesn't shy away from the hard places, from politics & privilege to trauma & disability. She lives with her spouse & their six children in Raleigh, NC. Her first book will be coming out in winter 2021 with HarperOne.

Decolonizing Motherhood - what does that mean and how do we do it? Gayatri and I tackle childhood trauma, traditional expectations, patriarchy, capitalism, and the idea of the sacrificial mother.

Dr. Gayatri Sethi is an educator, mother, and aspiring writer-poet. She speaks, teaches and writes about decolonizing, identities and belonging. She is committed to healing anti-Blackness among brown folks in order to build learning and solidarity among marginalized folks across boundaries.

Lauren gives me hope every day that I can survive this whole motherhood thing. Her nest is empty, her kids all still like her, and her personal and professional lives are thriving. This episode is a love letter from an empty nester to all of those still in the trenches.

Tiana and I talk about her birth experience as a fat woman of color living in Germany and she brings a huge amount of humor to the trauma and reality of childbirth via c-section.

Tiana is a fat, certified holistic health coach who’s out to destroy the belief that you have to be skinny to be happy and healthy. She guides people feminine-of-center to reconnect with their bodies through pragmatic self-care practices so they can come to see that there is nothing wrong with living in a larger body.