You've Got This, Mama - Podcast

Today we are talking about the concept that love is love and family is not defined by blood. Sabrina’s eldest was a ready-made, he is not “of her blood” however she thinks there is so much power in that. Their relationship is one of choice. She has chosen to see him as her son, and he has chosen to see her,as his mom. We have some incredible guests on the show today to talk about this very topic Hina Khan and Dina Ottoni-Battistessa.

Hina is a success coach and a registered psychotherapist, her mission in life is to help people provoke meaningful and lasting change in their lives. She is often called, on various TV and radio outlets as an expert in the field of the mind, human behavior and human potential. Hina currently lives in Toronto with her husband, two boys and a stubborn dachshund.

“It can be better than you expected!" ~Hina Khan

 

 

Dina has always been interested in child development and Education. After completing a degree in Liberal Arts and Women Studies, Dina went on to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Child Studies and Development. Although she loved her career working in the field, she needed to find a way to bridge her passion for being an entrepreneur with her advocacy and work in early learning and development. In 2014 Dina opened Akidemy Preschool which she co-owns with her best friend and business partner. She is also the mom behind the popular blog move.play.mom and she’s an upcoming co-author in You’ve got This, Boss Mama. When she’s not busy being a teacher, a mompreneur, writing or being a mom to 3 busy boys, you might just find her on site flipping or renovating homes with her hubby, Ben.

There are so many ways to be a mom outside of having a blood connection. In this day and age, we see so many veering away from the traditional nuclear family and there truly is a movement towards LOVE first! Hina and her husband always felt a calling to adopt, it was something they knew they would do. Their eldest son is biological, but they started looking internationally to adopt a child. This was not working out for them, so they went to look locally at the Adoption Resource Exchange. There they have all the photos and information of all the children who are with Children’s Aid Society who need homes. She remembers looking through this binder full of children and seeing her younger sons picture and saying to her husband: “That’s him, that’s our son.” She claims as soon as she saw him she knew he was born for her. They were not the ideal candidates for him, but by the grace of God, they got approved.

During this process, she would walk with her biological son with one hand, carry the picture of the boy who they wanted to bring home in her wallet and just think “What will it be like to walk with two boys?” Hina says that during this waiting period, she was ‘all-in’, she knew she would be devastated if they didn’t get approved so she didn’t try to hold back an emotional investment in the situation. To her, there was no way to ‘not get her hopes up’. They have kept an open relationship with his foster family and birth mom now because it is just more opportunities to surround him with people who love him. Hina feels that she cannot imagine a child more hers that she had birthed herself than her son who she adopted. It is a powerful concept surrounding love and she was able to manifest the son that was meant for her family. Hina feels: “It was a plan that got acted out but this plan was in place a long long time ago. That he was born for us.”

You do not need blood to bind families together, it is love that creates families. You can choose your family too. There are estranged families that don’t talk to each other. And there are non-blood families who are very tight. Love is the secret weapon when it comes to family connection.

Dina talks about the challenges she faces when some peop...

Today we are talking about the concept that love is love and family is not defined by blood. Sabrina’s eldest was a ready-made, he is not “of her blood” however she thinks there is so much power in that. Their relationship is one of choice. She has chosen to see him as her son, and he has chosen to see her,as his mom. We have some incredible guests on the show today to talk about this very topic Hina Khan and Dina Ottoni-Battistessa.

Hina is a success coach and a registered psychotherapist, her mission in life is to help people provoke meaningful and lasting change in their lives. She is often called, on various TV and radio outlets as an expert in the field of the mind, human behavior and human potential. Hina currently lives in Toronto with her husband, two boys and a stubborn dachshund.

“It can be better than you expected!" ~Hina Khan

 

 

Dina has always been interested in child development and Education. After completing a degree in Liberal Arts and Women Studies, Dina went on to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Child Studies and Development. Although she loved her career working in the field, she needed to find a way to bridge her passion for being an entrepreneur with her advocacy and work in early learning and development. In 2014 Dina opened Akidemy Preschool which she co-owns with her best friend and business partner. She is also the mom behind the popular blog move.play.mom and she’s an upcoming co-author in You’ve got This, Boss Mama. When she’s not busy being a teacher, a mompreneur, writing or being a mom to 3 busy boys, you might just find her on site flipping or renovating homes with her hubby, Ben.

There are so many ways to be a mom outside of having a blood connection. In this day and age, we see so many veering away from the traditional nuclear family and there truly is a movement towards LOVE first! Hina and her husband always felt a calling to adopt, it was something they knew they would do. Their eldest son is biological, but they started looking internationally to adopt a child. This was not working out for them, so they went to look locally at the Adoption Resource Exchange. There they have all the photos and information of all the children who are with Children’s Aid Society who need homes. She remembers looking through this binder full of children and seeing her younger sons picture and saying to her husband: “That’s him, that’s our son.” She claims as soon as she saw him she knew he was born for her. They were not the ideal candidates for him, but by the grace of God, they got approved.

During this process, she would walk with her biological son with one hand, carry the picture of the boy who they wanted to bring home in her wallet and just think “What will it be like to walk with two boys?” Hina says that during this waiting period, she was ‘all-in’, she knew she would be devastated if they didn’t get approved so she didn’t try to hold back an emotional investment in the situation. To her, there was no way to ‘not get her hopes up’. They have kept an open relationship with his foster family and birth mom now because it is just more opportunities to surround him with people who love him. Hina feels that she cannot imagine a child more hers that she had birthed herself than her son who she adopted. It is a powerful concept surrounding love and she was able to manifest the son that was meant for her family. Hina feels: “It was a plan that got acted out but this plan was in place a long long time ago. That he was born for us.”

You do not need blood to bind families together, it is love that creates families. You can choose your family too. There are estranged families that don’t talk to each other. And there are non-blood families who are very tight. Love is the secret weapon when it comes to family connection.

Dina talks about the challenges she faces when some peop...

Today we are talking all things health, wellness, and body image. Between You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama in the submission phase and all of the content that is flying around out there, there is an amazing number of mamas who are experts on this topic. We are excited to have Mona Sharma and Tara Butterwick here with us to discuss all things mindset, health, and wellness.

Mona is a mama x2, Holistic Nutritionist, yoga instructor, and Meditation/Wellness Coach. Her passion is to help her clients discover their unique path to feeling healthy, energized and beautiful; both inside and out. After leaving her high-powered, high-stress, corporate role in the luxury beauty industry, she turned her attention to her healing. She recovered from two heart surgeries, chronic anxiety, and long-term hormone imbalance and quickly discovered that she was in control of how she could feel and heal her body. Her global clientele includes CEO’s, professional athletes and celebrities, working with each of them to optimize their fitness, health and overall well being.

 

 

 

Tara is a certified personal trainer and mama motivator helping thousands of women embrace postpartum fitness through her popular blog and well-known alias TopKnot Mommy. She focuses on positive living, allowing mamas to be fit healthy and real. She’s changed the game of “post-baby body” image and continues to inspire and motivate women all over Canada and the US. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama and mama to two littles.

When it comes to postpartum health and wellness, everything comes down to mental health and mindset. Mona takes us through the direct correlation between your mindset and the thoughts that you have and the impact that it has on your body and your cells. As she points out, there is very little talk about it. As women when we go into pregnancy, we are very aware of the risk of postpartum depression. After doing some research, Mona found out that postpartum depression can last up to seven years after birth. This is something that is not widely publicized and can affect so many mamas. She recommends taking a global look at how you are feeling, how are you fuelling your mind and your body? She advises to put warm, soothing food in your body and steer clear of packaged goods; this will help at a cellular level. From a mindset standpoint, gratitude is so important. Mona acknowledges that it has been very popular on social media (#gratitude) and almost overused term, but she challenges are we stopping and embracing what gratitude is?

Here is an exercise she uses:

Every morning when you wake up, go through the ‘movie reel’ in your head of what you are grateful for. It doesn’t have to be about the ‘things’, it can be about the feelings you have, the enjoyment you get from drinking your morning coffee, the sun coming up, it being warm outside, the people you are going to see that day, the new underwear you have that might make you feel sexy, whatever it is...the simple things that put you in a state of gratitude.

She guarantees that these are the things that will change your state, and when you can change your state right from waking up in the morning, that’s going to impact the rest of your day. Another practice she uses is throwing on her favorite song that makes her feel happy in the morning while cooking breakfast or going to work out. She guarantees that if you do this, change your state from the get-go, you will be amazed at the difference in your day. She assures that it will not only affect you but your family as well.

As a mom, we have these expectations of ourselves, we are always chasing the: ‘I’ll work out next week’ or ‘I’ll start the diet tomorrow.’ The ladies discuss that it does not always have to be a big 2-hour workout ordeal, it can be a walk here or 20 minutes of strength training ther...

Today we are talking all things health, wellness, and body image. Between You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama in the submission phase and all of the content that is flying around out there, there is an amazing number of mamas who are experts on this topic. We are excited to have Mona Sharma and Tara Butterwick here with us to discuss all things mindset, health, and wellness.

Mona is a mama x2, Holistic Nutritionist, yoga instructor, and Meditation/Wellness Coach. Her passion is to help her clients discover their unique path to feeling healthy, energized and beautiful; both inside and out. After leaving her high-powered, high-stress, corporate role in the luxury beauty industry, she turned her attention to her healing. She recovered from two heart surgeries, chronic anxiety, and long-term hormone imbalance and quickly discovered that she was in control of how she could feel and heal her body. Her global clientele includes CEO’s, professional athletes and celebrities, working with each of them to optimize their fitness, health and overall well being.

 

 

 

Tara is a certified personal trainer and mama motivator helping thousands of women embrace postpartum fitness through her popular blog and well-known alias TopKnot Mommy. She focuses on positive living, allowing mamas to be fit healthy and real. She’s changed the game of “post-baby body” image and continues to inspire and motivate women all over Canada and the US. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama and mama to two littles.

When it comes to postpartum health and wellness, everything comes down to mental health and mindset. Mona takes us through the direct correlation between your mindset and the thoughts that you have and the impact that it has on your body and your cells. As she points out, there is very little talk about it. As women when we go into pregnancy, we are very aware of the risk of postpartum depression. After doing some research, Mona found out that postpartum depression can last up to seven years after birth. This is something that is not widely publicized and can affect so many mamas. She recommends taking a global look at how you are feeling, how are you fuelling your mind and your body? She advises to put warm, soothing food in your body and steer clear of packaged goods; this will help at a cellular level. From a mindset standpoint, gratitude is so important. Mona acknowledges that it has been very popular on social media (#gratitude) and almost overused term, but she challenges are we stopping and embracing what gratitude is?

Here is an exercise she uses:

Every morning when you wake up, go through the ‘movie reel’ in your head of what you are grateful for. It doesn’t have to be about the ‘things’, it can be about the feelings you have, the enjoyment you get from drinking your morning coffee, the sun coming up, it being warm outside, the people you are going to see that day, the new underwear you have that might make you feel sexy, whatever it is...the simple things that put you in a state of gratitude.

She guarantees that these are the things that will change your state, and when you can change your state right from waking up in the morning, that’s going to impact the rest of your day. Another practice she uses is throwing on her favorite song that makes her feel happy in the morning while cooking breakfast or going to work out. She guarantees that if you do this, change your state from the get-go, you will be amazed at the difference in your day. She assures that it will not only affect you but your family as well.

As a mom, we have these expectations of ourselves, we are always chasing the: ‘I’ll work out next week’ or ‘I’ll start the diet tomorrow.’ The ladies discuss that it does not always have to be a big 2-hour workout ordeal, it can be a walk here or 20 minutes of strength training ther...

So many of us get stuck in the Groundhog Day that is early motherhood. Isolation, depression, stress. Constant arguing over meals, sleep, and spilled non-dairy milk. Our guest today has done an amazing job of arming expecting mamas and, well ALL mamas really, with the ACTUAL tools it takes to be a mom. Sunit Suchdev is a living goddess guru mama!

Sunit is a business and mindset coach with a passion for all things health and wellness. After receiving an undergraduate degree in health sciences, she spent the next 20 years of life dabbling in all sorts of industries but has always maintained a training and coaching component to everything she does. She is a certified life coach and meditation teacher and is finishing up her Functional Nutrition Practitioner certification. Sunit is fellow podcaster and host of "The High Vibe Life". She is the founder of the 40&Such movement which inspires women to enter their 40s the healthiest they've ever been. She wears many hats but her favorite is her mom hat. She is a mom to twin boys and loves being able to shape the future through her own parenting.

Sunit takes us through how her business has morphed from its inception. As an “older” Mom of to twin boys at the age of thirty-seven, she watched women around her deal with motherhood. What she soon came to realize was that preparing for motherhood wasn’t simply painting the nursery and having all the baby clothes ready. She really figured out the mindset and the true planning it takes to thrive in motherhood. She wasn’t perfect but she felt that she had success considering she had twins so she wanted to pay it forward and help other moms. This is where Modern Mommy Prep School and her podcast was born from. In the beginning, it was all about new moms, as her audience grew up in motherhood so did the topics she would coach on. This summer her podcast rebranded to “The High Vibe Life”, as she now is passionate about all women living in their highest vibration regardless of whether they are a mom or not. At the end of the day, her heart lies with inspiring women to live their best life and create change in the future by raising good little humans and adjusting mindset. Sunit strongly feels that this cannot happen unless moms are coming from the best place possible. This is why she firmly believes that women should care for themselves first so they can show up for their kids.

Sunit shares some of her tips in how to promote mindfulness and meditation in kids. She says that the secret is that kids more than anyone else are naturally mindful. The only thing that is going on in their brain is just being focussed on the moment and what they are doing. She claims that it is quite easy to get kids to meditate because they are already there in their brains most of the day and mindfulness is just one step away from meditation. She recommends starting as early as possible, with a picture or inanimate object.

Here is an example:

Show your kids a picture of a snowman, and say to them: “See this snowman. I want you to look at the snowman then I’m going to take it away and you’re going to close your eyes and for one minute you’re going to think everything you can about that snowman. Try to remember everything. What colour was his nose? Was he wearing a hat? Was he hot? Was he cold? Did he have a sweater on?” Then as their age progresses you can ask them to imagine a snowman or a snowflake. You can ask them to pick something that they want to think about. All you are doing is guiding their mindfulness and meditation. When that minute is up then you get them to talk about it. Ask them questions. What did your snowman look like? How many buttons were on his coat? The idea is to just guide what they are focussing on. This is the first step to meditation. Sunit also recommends a few other tools to guide mindfulness like the raisin exercise or the stuffy exercise.

So many of us get stuck in the Groundhog Day that is early motherhood. Isolation, depression, stress. Constant arguing over meals, sleep, and spilled non-dairy milk. Our guest today has done an amazing job of arming expecting mamas and, well ALL mamas really, with the ACTUAL tools it takes to be a mom. Sunit Suchdev is a living goddess guru mama!

Sunit is a business and mindset coach with a passion for all things health and wellness. After receiving an undergraduate degree in health sciences, she spent the next 20 years of life dabbling in all sorts of industries but has always maintained a training and coaching component to everything she does. She is a certified life coach and meditation teacher and is finishing up her Functional Nutrition Practitioner certification. Sunit is fellow podcaster and host of "The High Vibe Life". She is the founder of the 40&Such movement which inspires women to enter their 40s the healthiest they've ever been. She wears many hats but her favorite is her mom hat. She is a mom to twin boys and loves being able to shape the future through her own parenting.

Sunit takes us through how her business has morphed from its inception. As an “older” Mom of to twin boys at the age of thirty-seven, she watched women around her deal with motherhood. What she soon came to realize was that preparing for motherhood wasn’t simply painting the nursery and having all the baby clothes ready. She really figured out the mindset and the true planning it takes to thrive in motherhood. She wasn’t perfect but she felt that she had success considering she had twins so she wanted to pay it forward and help other moms. This is where Modern Mommy Prep School and her podcast was born from. In the beginning, it was all about new moms, as her audience grew up in motherhood so did the topics she would coach on. This summer her podcast rebranded to “The High Vibe Life”, as she now is passionate about all women living in their highest vibration regardless of whether they are a mom or not. At the end of the day, her heart lies with inspiring women to live their best life and create change in the future by raising good little humans and adjusting mindset. Sunit strongly feels that this cannot happen unless moms are coming from the best place possible. This is why she firmly believes that women should care for themselves first so they can show up for their kids.

Sunit shares some of her tips in how to promote mindfulness and meditation in kids. She says that the secret is that kids more than anyone else are naturally mindful. The only thing that is going on in their brain is just being focussed on the moment and what they are doing. She claims that it is quite easy to get kids to meditate because they are already there in their brains most of the day and mindfulness is just one step away from meditation. She recommends starting as early as possible, with a picture or inanimate object.

Here is an example:

Show your kids a picture of a snowman, and say to them: “See this snowman. I want you to look at the snowman then I’m going to take it away and you’re going to close your eyes and for one minute you’re going to think everything you can about that snowman. Try to remember everything. What colour was his nose? Was he wearing a hat? Was he hot? Was he cold? Did he have a sweater on?” Then as their age progresses you can ask them to imagine a snowman or a snowflake. You can ask them to pick something that they want to think about. All you are doing is guiding their mindfulness and meditation. When that minute is up then you get them to talk about it. Ask them questions. What did your snowman look like? How many buttons were on his coat? The idea is to just guide what they are focussing on. This is the first step to meditation. Sunit also recommends a few other tools to guide mindfulness like the raisin exercise or the stuffy exercise.

Today we are chatting with a couple of incredibly powerful women about a potentially less desired topic.  Our intention is to bring awareness to mamas and families dealing with premature birth. In honor of World Prematurity Day this coming Saturday, November 17th, we are talking about our tiny warriors and their warrior mamas. We are speaking about the miracles that exist to provide hope and to empower the mamas in the trenches of dealing with prematurity, the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and all of the fears and anxieties that come along with it. We have some incredibly inspiring and well-versed guests who have plenty of experience with this: Charleyne Oulton and Riana Luck.

 

 

 

Charleyne is a confident and happy mom of three children who were all born prematurely. Charleyne has a passion for writing and is a well recognized published author with Golden Brick Road Publishing House and regular contributor for YGTMAMA. She is a popular health and wellness coach with It Works, works in the Royal Canadian Navy as a Reservist and is a Pisces who lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This Mama Too and You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama.

Charleyne shares a brief snippet of her story. She has three children that were all born prematurely, within thirty-two months of each other. She had no idea that she was at risk for premature delivery. She was so uneducated around any other possibility of a birth plan other than a full term healthy pregnancy. She claims that it was horrible and terrifying, an event that she still suffers from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) because of. Her first son’s birthday brings up mixed emotions, joy is combined with having to relive really scary times. Her second pregnancy had her more prepared with the risks of premature delivery only because of her previous experience. The lead up to her son Jeffrie’s birth was terrifying but born at twenty-eight weeks, he was a fighter and her strongest preemie. Less than a year later her daughter Juley Anne was born at twenty-six weeks, at less than 2 lbs. Her pregnancy was the most joyful pregnancy. She knew that she was going to have another preemie, her waters ruptured at twenty-two weeks and she was encouraged to terminate the pregnancy because the baby would not be viable at that time. She chose life and decided to try to try to keep her inside as long as possible. Combined she spent 110 days in the NICU with what she calls her little ‘miracles’.

Riana is the mom of five; seven-year-old triplet boys, a four-year-old daughter, and a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Four out the five were preemie babies that spent a total of 119 days in the NICU. Riana is also an owner of two businesses, one being a successful cheerleading gym in Red Deer called Premier Academy, and co-owner of three others. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Boss Mama.

Riana shares that one of the biggest struggles from her NICU time was when she had other children at home depending on her and missing her. With her triplets, although it was hard, it was expected and they knew what they were in for. There were no other children at home who also needed attention, so they could devote all their time to be in the NICU. When her waters burst early with her last pregnancy she walked into the hospital in tears. She knew the long road ahead, and a lot more tears were shed as a coping mechanism. She also praises our outstanding health care system: “It’s amazing what they can do for these little babies.”

We are here to bring awareness to this difficult topic. Riana starts off by sharing her two different NICU experiences. Her triplet sons were born at thirty-one weeks, five days, which was expected and actually very good for triplets. Even though almost thirty-two weeks is a great milestone for triplets,

Today we are chatting with a couple of incredibly powerful women about a potentially less desired topic.  Our intention is to bring awareness to mamas and families dealing with premature birth. In honor of World Prematurity Day this coming Saturday, November 17th, we are talking about our tiny warriors and their warrior mamas. We are speaking about the miracles that exist to provide hope and to empower the mamas in the trenches of dealing with prematurity, the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and all of the fears and anxieties that come along with it. We have some incredibly inspiring and well-versed guests who have plenty of experience with this: Charleyne Oulton and Riana Luck.

 

 

 

Charleyne is a confident and happy mom of three children who were all born prematurely. Charleyne has a passion for writing and is a well recognized published author with Golden Brick Road Publishing House and regular contributor for YGTMAMA. She is a popular health and wellness coach with It Works, works in the Royal Canadian Navy as a Reservist and is a Pisces who lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This Mama Too and You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama.

Charleyne shares a brief snippet of her story. She has three children that were all born prematurely, within thirty-two months of each other. She had no idea that she was at risk for premature delivery. She was so uneducated around any other possibility of a birth plan other than a full term healthy pregnancy. She claims that it was horrible and terrifying, an event that she still suffers from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) because of. Her first son’s birthday brings up mixed emotions, joy is combined with having to relive really scary times. Her second pregnancy had her more prepared with the risks of premature delivery only because of her previous experience. The lead up to her son Jeffrie’s birth was terrifying but born at twenty-eight weeks, he was a fighter and her strongest preemie. Less than a year later her daughter Juley Anne was born at twenty-six weeks, at less than 2 lbs. Her pregnancy was the most joyful pregnancy. She knew that she was going to have another preemie, her waters ruptured at twenty-two weeks and she was encouraged to terminate the pregnancy because the baby would not be viable at that time. She chose life and decided to try to try to keep her inside as long as possible. Combined she spent 110 days in the NICU with what she calls her little ‘miracles’.

Riana is the mom of five; seven-year-old triplet boys, a four-year-old daughter, and a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Four out the five were preemie babies that spent a total of 119 days in the NICU. Riana is also an owner of two businesses, one being a successful cheerleading gym in Red Deer called Premier Academy, and co-owner of three others. She is also an upcoming contributor in You’ve Got This, Boss Mama.

Riana shares that one of the biggest struggles from her NICU time was when she had other children at home depending on her and missing her. With her triplets, although it was hard, it was expected and they knew what they were in for. There were no other children at home who also needed attention, so they could devote all their time to be in the NICU. When her waters burst early with her last pregnancy she walked into the hospital in tears. She knew the long road ahead, and a lot more tears were shed as a coping mechanism. She also praises our outstanding health care system: “It’s amazing what they can do for these little babies.”

We are here to bring awareness to this difficult topic. Riana starts off by sharing her two different NICU experiences. Her triplet sons were born at thirty-one weeks, five days, which was expected and actually very good for triplets. Even though almost thirty-two weeks is a great milestone for triplets,

This episode leaves us here at YGTMAMA a little torn. We think it is an important topic and needs to be talked about. Sabrina has personally suffered silently with aspects of this issue. The mandate of YGTMAMA is to service mamas by talking about the grey areas we encounter on this journey that is motherhood. So this may not be an interesting or popular topic with every mama, but it is certainly an issue that affects some of you out there.

We struggled with the questions: Is it too controversial? Will we lose listeners and community members? Will we hear #truthbombs we are not ready to hear? You see there are some mixed emotions and powerful stigmas associated with motherhood and the consumption of alcohol. How much is too much? Are we numbing a deeper issue? Isolation, boredom, postpartum depression. Has society encouraged a new demographic of the ‘Wine Mom?”

You see, Sabrina is the proverbial "wine-mom", we sometimes do playdates with a 'traveler' in the form of a wine filled adult sippy cup. Just 'one glass with dinner' is not the way it goes in her household. We here at YGTMAMA enjoy wine, Sabrina worked in the beverage alcohol industry for many years. It wasn't until becoming a mother though, that she started seeing her consumption as a potential 'problem'. Sabrina found herself drinking not for enjoyment, but necessity, to calm her shattered nerves after a long day of baby talk, temper tantrums and wiping butts.

This episode is not to judge or make mamas feel bad about their habits. We have society and other mommy groups for that. Or to say that every mama who needs a glass of wine to unwind after a tough day of mommin’ is an alcoholic. This episode is to empower mamas and let them know IF they are struggling with something (anything really), they are not alone. This episode is to ignite the conversation without the shame and embarrassment. Not unlike the #metoo movement, sometimes it is not easy to come forward and speak up. This is the safe space to do so!

We have some fabulous guests with us today to shine some light on the darkness: Jillian West AKA Soberlicious Mama and Heidi Smith.

Jillian is a Mother of 3 girls and wife to James West. She is an active member in the recovery community and very passionate about helping women, especially mothers, live a life free from addiction to any and all substances. Jillian is an advocate for women entrenched in the sex trade wishing to exit. You can follow her on social media where she features her life as a Mama, an influencer and her personal recovery journey. Jillian is an upcoming co-author in YGTM2. She is the creator of the Soberlicious Mamas Support Group and a personal trainer specializing in Postpartum Fitness.

 

Heidi Smith is a professional business woman - CEO of Addictive Designs Inc., Operator of Right Sized Coaching and Founder of Arch Angels Society; that supports new moms in recovery. However, her greatest title is ‘mom’. She is a full-time mom to her son Rocco 12, and stepmom to Savannah 17 and Jacob 15. It is Heidi’s mission to unify those that are recovering from what was lost. She is an outspoken, feisty advocate around recovery and has been heard and seen in media across North America over the last 7 years. She believes that everyone is recovering from something. Heidi is in full-time recovery from her addictions and trauma - none of which works against her. She is here to smash the stigma around addiction by letting it fuel her passions with design, media, and coaching. Heidi will always stand on the frontline supporting Women and Moms in recovery - showing them that they too can be their true authentic self. You can follow her journey on social media too

We want to preface this again by saying we are not here to judge. Wine is talked about a lot on this show and we have no negative judgments towards the ‘wine moms’ out there.

This episode leaves us here at YGTMAMA a little torn. We think it is an important topic and needs to be talked about. Sabrina has personally suffered silently with aspects of this issue. The mandate of YGTMAMA is to service mamas by talking about the grey areas we encounter on this journey that is motherhood. So this may not be an interesting or popular topic with every mama, but it is certainly an issue that affects some of you out there.

We struggled with the questions: Is it too controversial? Will we lose listeners and community members? Will we hear #truthbombs we are not ready to hear? You see there are some mixed emotions and powerful stigmas associated with motherhood and the consumption of alcohol. How much is too much? Are we numbing a deeper issue? Isolation, boredom, postpartum depression. Has society encouraged a new demographic of the ‘Wine Mom?”

You see, Sabrina is the proverbial "wine-mom", we sometimes do playdates with a 'traveler' in the form of a wine filled adult sippy cup. Just 'one glass with dinner' is not the way it goes in her household. We here at YGTMAMA enjoy wine, Sabrina worked in the beverage alcohol industry for many years. It wasn't until becoming a mother though, that she started seeing her consumption as a potential 'problem'. Sabrina found herself drinking not for enjoyment, but necessity, to calm her shattered nerves after a long day of baby talk, temper tantrums and wiping butts.

This episode is not to judge or make mamas feel bad about their habits. We have society and other mommy groups for that. Or to say that every mama who needs a glass of wine to unwind after a tough day of mommin’ is an alcoholic. This episode is to empower mamas and let them know IF they are struggling with something (anything really), they are not alone. This episode is to ignite the conversation without the shame and embarrassment. Not unlike the #metoo movement, sometimes it is not easy to come forward and speak up. This is the safe space to do so!

We have some fabulous guests with us today to shine some light on the darkness: Jillian West AKA Soberlicious Mama and Heidi Smith.

Jillian is a Mother of 3 girls and wife to James West. She is an active member in the recovery community and very passionate about helping women, especially mothers, live a life free from addiction to any and all substances. Jillian is an advocate for women entrenched in the sex trade wishing to exit. You can follow her on social media where she features her life as a Mama, an influencer and her personal recovery journey. Jillian is an upcoming co-author in YGTM2. She is the creator of the Soberlicious Mamas Support Group and a personal trainer specializing in Postpartum Fitness.

 

Heidi Smith is a professional business woman - CEO of Addictive Designs Inc., Operator of Right Sized Coaching and Founder of Arch Angels Society; that supports new moms in recovery. However, her greatest title is ‘mom’. She is a full-time mom to her son Rocco 12, and stepmom to Savannah 17 and Jacob 15. It is Heidi’s mission to unify those that are recovering from what was lost. She is an outspoken, feisty advocate around recovery and has been heard and seen in media across North America over the last 7 years. She believes that everyone is recovering from something. Heidi is in full-time recovery from her addictions and trauma - none of which works against her. She is here to smash the stigma around addiction by letting it fuel her passions with design, media, and coaching. Heidi will always stand on the frontline supporting Women and Moms in recovery - showing them that they too can be their true authentic self. You can follow her journey on social media too

We want to preface this again by saying we are not here to judge. Wine is talked about a lot on this show and we have no negative judgments towards the ‘wine moms’ out there.