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Raising Highly Sensitive Children with Amy Vasterling 

If you or your child are easily overwhelmed by things like bright lights, coarse fabrics, and intense smells, and you have been described as too much, too sensitive, or too intensive, there is a chance you could be a highly sensitive person. Today's guest, Amy Vasterling, is a highly sensitive individual, who is navigating raising highly sensitive children, and she shares some incredible insights with us. We learn more about what high sensitivity means and the character traits that are synonymous with it. Being highly sensitive is not a disorder, and we must shift the paradigm to view it for its strengths rather than simply trying to make people fit into narrow boxes. Amy shares her own journey of learning about being highly sensitive, as well as examples of how her children benefitted when they were given the space they needed and allowed to tune into their intuition. As work on parenting techniques continues to expand and information becomes more accessible, we are in a position to constantly learn and grow as parents so we can be there for our children in the way they need. If you think that your child might be highly sensitive, this show is essential listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   A look into what it means to be a highly sensitive child. 

•   Why highly sensitive people often are not categorized. 

•   Most highly sensitive adults will either be INFJ or ENFP personality types. 

•   Some of the skills that highly sensitive people typically have. 

•   Why high sensitivity is not a disorder, but rather an evolutionary necessity. 

•   The importance of letting highly sensitive people process things on their own time. 

•   An example of how Amy gave her daughter the room she needed in a specific situation. 

•   Highly sensitive children know the path of least resistance and know what they need to do. 

•   Being conditioned into doing things you don’t like sets you up to not speak for yourself. 

•   Moving past the belief that high sensitivity is a problem.

•   Amy’s journey of discovering that she was a highly sensitive person. 

•   How Amy believes being a highly sensitive person has helped her as a businessperson. 

•   What you can do if you suspect you have a highly sensitive child. 

•   The two parenting techniques that work well for highly sensitive children. 

•   How parents can model behavior for highly sensitive children. 

•   Some of the work that Amy is doing with highly sensitive children.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Amy Vasterling

The Highly Sensitive Person

Sensitive The Movie

Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen

Love & Logic

Empath Mama

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Hey Mamas! Today we’re going to slow down and talk about the area of women in business. Here to guide our conversation is Sarah Olin, CEO and founder of Luscious Mother, whose mission is to support women in their pursuit and creation of great lives, however they define them. Listeners will hear all about the genesis of Sarah’s company, and what she considers to be ‘luscious’. Sarah tells us about the greatest gifts that coaching has given her, why it is so important to advocate for yourself, and how the pandemic has made everyone more equipped to succeed in the workplace. Sarah assures listeners that things are actually looking promising in the work landscape, where people are eager to hire great women. You’ll hear all about LUMO’s goals, and why Sarah believes that women should be asking for whatever it is that they need, unapologetically. She encourages us to remove imagined barriers to what you want to create and tells us how loving people helps them to see their own greatness. Join us today to hear all this and more! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, Sarah Olin, coach, CEO and founder of Luscious Mother.
• Her background in teaching yoga and how she still integrates a yoga practice into her life.
• Why she believes that all spiritual paths lead us to where it is that we want to go.
• How she talks about becoming a mother as the most ordinary extraordinary thing you can do.
• ‘Luscious Mother’ and how her company came to be, before changing it to ‘LUMO’.
• The story of how she put together a team of dynamic women to start the company. 
• What she considers to be ‘luscious’ and how that differs between people.
• Why she thinks that the younger generation is doing a great job: they have boundaries!
• How the pandemic has shifted priorities by limiting the list of responsibilities we all have.
• One of the greatest gifts coaching has given her: the understanding that she can’t do it all!
• Advocating for yourself and asking for what we want as an essential skill to win at work.
• How the pandemic has made everyone more equipped to succeed in the workplace.
• Why the landscape is looking good at the moment: employers want to hire great women!
• What women should be asking for: whatever it is that they need, unapologetically! 
• Sarah’s advice to ask for what you want and check it with a savvy friend.
• The extraordinary freedom that can be found in clear boundaries and why clear is kind.
• Removing imagined barriers to what you want to create and how loving people helps them to see their own greatness.
• LUMO’s mission: personal and professional development, putting women back in the driver’s seat of their lives.
• Why Sarah’s focus is on creating the best experience, with more joy for all women. 
• The importance of knowing what’s important to you and that you’re doing it, or working towards doing it. 
• Sarah recommends a book to Jessica and listeners: Essentialism.
• What dinnertime looks like at Sarah’s house: ‘high low, buffalo’ and gratitudes.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Sarah Olin on LinkedIn
Luscious Mother

Essentialism

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Everyone loves it when they get a compliment, regardless of how indifferent they may be to fashion. Today’s guest believes that having strong personal style goes far beyond trends and that how you represent yourself is incredibly important. Join us to hear from celebrity stylist, Lauren Messiah, who is revolutionizing the way people dress through her comprehensive approach to elevating personal style, working from the inside out. You’ll hear about the transformative path that led Lauren to coaching and how making herself over and starting a journey of sobriety turned her whole life around. Lauren shares how she observed a ripple effect of what clothing does to change women’s lives and why she chose to open her book, Style Therapy, with a selfie challenge to help readers to take stock of how they see themselves and how the world sees them. Lauren believes that, if you dress like you, you’re always in style. We hope you tune in to hear how Lauren helps everyday women build confidence and style! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• The transformative path that led Lauren into coaching. 
• How making herself over and starting a journey of sobriety turned her whole life around.
• Why Lauren believes that what’s on the outside is a visual representation of what’s inside.
• What she believes about looking good and how it far supersedes being a slave to fashion.
• Lauren’s work in retail before she became a celebrity stylist. 
• How she changed her career to give the celebrity treatment to everyday women.
• The ripple effect of what the clothing did for her clients.
• Her method of reading people and dressing them like themselves, just better.
• Why you have to elevate your inner self in order to elevate your outer self.
• The community that Lauren has created, known as the Style Confidence Collective.
• How you reach certain conclusions when you are ready for them.
• The selfie challenge that Lauren has included in her book, Style Therapy.
• Why it is powerful to take stock of how you see yourself and how the world sees you.
• How, if you dress like you, you’re always in style.
• Why self-knowledge and confidence are far more important than following trends.
• Which pieces in your wardrobe are going to last longest: the foundational ones.
• Why it is so important to have staples in your closet.
• Beyond Style, the six-week transformational journey that Lauren hosts a few times a year.
• How she wants women to own their power and embody purpose. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Lauren Messiah
Lauren Messiah on Twitter

Lauren Messiah on Facebook
Lauren Messiah on Instagram
Lauren Messiah on YouTube
Style Therapy
Style Confidence Collective

The Surrender Experiment 

Beyond Style

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A Compassionate Presence for Every Birth with Doula Katy Kelley

Today’s guest is doula, Katy Kelley, who has supported hundreds of couples as they brought babies into the world. We start the conversation with a definition for the word doula, which means a mother mothering, and Katy shares with listeners that she has learned something new at every birth, which she takes to the next couple. We dive into the four cornerstones of her practice: nurture, support, education, and celebration, and she describes the labour prep classes she offers in the privacy of a couple’s home. Find out why she believes that the birthing experience has become such an anxious time, why it is important to trust the birth process, and her belief that it is divinely planned, as Katy shares her advice that listeners be team players and trust the healthcare practitioners assisting you through your birth. Katy tells the story of the most meaningful birth experience she has had and what the journey to becoming a doula entails, as well as why she chose to become a childbirth educator. Learn how she aims to empower couples when she educates them leading up to a birth, what a doula can’t do in a birthing process, and how she uses essential oils and acupressure for pain relief. She also reveals her amazing success rate with vaginal births after C sections and tells us about the importance of educating yourself, knowing the medical field, and knowing that it is your experience in order to move through it in a relaxed manner. In closing, she shares some things that can make the birth experience more positive, including music, angel massage, reiki, and more. We hope you join us to hear from this highly experienced practitioner today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The Greek definition of the word doula, which means a mother mothering. 
• How many births Katy has been present for: hundreds and hundreds.
• How, through each birth, she learns something new to take to the next couple.
• The four cornerstones of her practice: nurture, support, education, and celebration.
• Her overall purpose to provide a positive environment.
• Why there is increased anxiety during the birthing experience: electromagnetic fields, stress, and not embracing the present moment. 
• The importance of trusting the birth process and the belief that it is divinely planned.
• Why it is important to be a team player and trust the rest of the team.
• The most meaningful birth experience Katy has had: seeing her granddaughter being born.
• The journey to becoming a doula and why she chose to become a childbirth educator.
• How she aims to empower couples when she educates them leading up to a birth.
• What a doula can’t do in a birthing process: birth the baby, mandated care, pain relief.
• How she uses essential oils and acupressure for pain relief. 
• Why a doula can be helpful for any kind of birth.
• Katy’s acronym for the word doula: devoted, observing, understanding, loving, and attentive.
• Why you have to have a connection with your doula.
• Katy’s amazing success rate with vaginal births after C sections.
• The importance of educating yourself, knowing the medical field, and trusting in your experience in order to move through it in a relaxed manner.
• Making the experience more positive with music, essential oils, angel massage, and reiki.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Katy Kelley on LinkedIn

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With a story of overcoming adversity to not only survive, but thrive, today’s guest is a source of inspiration to women everywhere. Venus Morris Griffin is an award-winning real estate agent, inspirational speaker, author of an upcoming book, and single mother of seven who unexpectedly became the sole provider for her family in 2011. Today, she tells the story of how she rose above her circumstances to become stronger than ever today. Venus shares how she received a call from a sex worker who was blackmailing her husband and explains why, while she is not responsible for the awful things that happened to her, she takes responsibility for the choices she made. In the face of adversity, she recommends always asking, what can I learn? Who am I and how can I be better for it? Venus gives us some powerful examples of how she has found a positive spin for the tricky hands she has been dealt in life, and how her own challenges have led her to refuse to judge others. She lets us in on her public speaking journey and how she chose this career in the hope of helping others before telling us why the first piece of advice she gives others is to take care of themselves.This episode is peppered with powerful pearls of wisdom that you can apply to your own journey, so we hope you will join us to learn from Venus’s remarkable story today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The call Venus received from a sex worker blackmailing her husband.
• Her first reaction to defend her husband and not to believe the accusations.
• Insights into Venus’s childhood and the details of her mom’s alcoholism.
• Why she wrote the book to share her light and help others after experiencing darkness.
• Her message is that it doesn’t matter what happens to you; you can get through anything.
• Why it is so important to take responsibility in order to help people to get out of that cycle.
• How she chose to keep supporting her husband before he failed his lie detector test and was convicted of a terrible crime.
• The realization that education would distinguish her life from her brother and sister’s.
• How each of her children was conceived with a donor.
• Her belief in having a deep sense of who you are in order to do better.
• Why she chose to forgive her mother and her husband in order to move forward.
• What you should ask in adversity: what can I learn, who am I, and how can I be better for it?
• Why she refuses to judge others after having experienced her own challenges.
• Why she chose to become a public speaker: to help other people.
• Her advice to surround yourself with people who are better than you, competition is healthy!
• Why your work ethic will set you apart without you having to say anything. 
• Her book, Validated, that is coming out towards the end of the year.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Venus Morris Griffin
Venus Morris Griffin on Instagram
Venus Morris Griffin on Twitter
Venus Morris Griffin on Facebook
Venus Morris Griffin on LinkedIn
Venus Morris Griffin on YouTube

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Hey Mama, have you ever heard the term ‘grounded’? You might already know what that means, but that doesn’t always make it easy to get there. So, how important are our feet to our overall wellness? Today’s guest, Dr Emily Splichal, is a podiatrist, human movement specialist and leader in barefoot science, focusing on functional and regenerative medicine. She believes that we hold the power to our own health and wellbeing in our own hands and this approach forms the foundation of her work with patients. Tune in to hear her story, and how she supports her patients to understand their own bodies. You’ll hear the science of why the health of your feet is so important, and listen to plenty of powerful practical advice to help you care for them.  Dr Splichal introduces us to a few of the products she has designed to help you to do just that, and offers listeners some tips on how to integrate foot care into our daily routines. We touch on caring for our children’s feet and do a deep dive into foot health during all three trimesters. Join us today to hear more! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, podiatrist and human movement specialist, Dr Emily Splichal. 
• Why she recommends seeing multiple doctors for different opinions and then making your own decision.
• Why she believes it is so essential to get good at being bad. 
• How your feet are the mechanical foundation of the body. 
• Her belief that modern footwear is a lot of the cause of the muscular problems that we see today.
• Why she tries to give her patients at least 30 minutes barefoot.
• Why it is beneficial to spend time in less structured shoes.
• Shoe brands she recommends: Vivo Barefoot, Xero Shoes, Feelgrounds, and more.
• Her relationship with high heels at this point in her life.
• A brand that is really working for her own child: 2 Tiny Feet.
• The importance of the care we do with our feet outside of shoes.
• How toe spacers can support your feet by creating space and straightening the digits.
• Why you need to work it into your schedule to take care of your feet while doing other things.
• Foot health during pregnancy and how best to support it through every trimester.
• How insoles, socks, mats, flooring and release tools to integrate the pyramidal texture.
• Her goal to force people to be conscious of their feet.
• Her definition for feeling grounded and why it is so important to connect with your physical body to find a feeling of aliveness.
• The role of movement in connecting you to your body so that you don't lose a part of yourself.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 20% Discount Code: ZEN20

Naboso
Vivo Barefoot
Xero Shoes
Feelgrounds
Flux Footwear

2 Tiny Feet
Dr Emily Splichal
Dr Emily Splichal on Instagram
Dr Emily Splichal on Facebook

Dr Emily Splichal on YouTube

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Season 4 Trailer 

Episode S4 Trailer: Show Notes. 

We can be both zen, and crazy, we can be both authentic, and insecure. It doesn’t have to be
 an all-or-nothing approach. The Zen-ish Mommy Podcast is here to equip you with the tools you need to create a better life for yourself. Each episode has actionable steps built into it to help you stay mindful and zen in your day-to-day life. If you’re looking for a little more, sign up for the monthly newsletter for access to exclusive conversations, yoga classes, recipes, all the
 products that Jessica loves, and more! Thank you for joining the Zen Mommy Community today. 

Key Points From This Episode: 

• Meet Jessica Nicole, or Jessica Gershman, and host of this podcast. 
• Why she doesn’t believe in an all-or-nothing approach. 
• The contradictions that can exist within us: crazy and zen, authentic and insecure, and more. 
• What she hopes listeners will get from the podcast: actionable steps to create a better life for 
• yourself. 
• The weekly tips she has built into the podcast: mindfulness tips, breath practices, and more. 
• Where to sign up for the monthly newsletter: thezenmommy.com 
• What you will get from the monthly newsletter: access to exclusive conversations, yoga 
• classes, recipes, and all the products that Jessica loves. 
• Tweetables: 
• “I started this podcast because I wanted every listener to hear a little bit of themselves in the guest.” — Jessica Gershman [0:00:11] 
• “What I really hope that you will get out of this podcast are actionable steps to create a better life for yourself, that you can educate yourself on different healing modalities, that you can understand what trauma is, have better sex, have better relationships. I want to do it all on this platform.” — Jessica Gershman [0:00:36] 
• Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: 
• The Zen Mommy
   Zen Mommy Instagram Zen Mommy Youtube Zen Mommy Facebook 

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Get a little taste of what Season 4 has to offer in the newly branded Zen (ish) Mommy podcast.  It is the hope of podcast host, Jessica Gershman, that you will hear a little bit of yourself in each on the of guests.  Jessica covers a wide range of topics from trauma and healing, to sex, drugs, relationships, and even secret tips of how to give the best blow job of your life.  You will never want to miss out of a single episode.  Be on the lookout for weekly mindfulness tips that you can incorporate easily into your life so that you can begin living for YOU.
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The United States of America is one of the greatest countries in the world, yet we have a maternal mortality rate of almost double other first-world nations. Where is the disconnect? Why isn't there a focus on maternal health both pre- and post-partum? One woman used her own experience as a catalyst for change. When Lydia Simmons was unable to obtain the level of healthcare support she needed postpartum, she knew that everything starts with food and nutrition. So, she started MOO, Moms Official Objective, to address the devastating effects of nutritional deficiency on mothers in America. During today’s conversation, Lydia shares what her own postpartum journey was like, and we discuss why the six-week postpartum appointment offered by doctors is simply not enough. You’ll hear her thoughts on what it would take for the government to better support women, and we unpack what ‘maternal morbidity’ really means. Learn why it is so important to have a postpartum plan and who you should communicate it to, as well as which nutrients are most important for a postpartum period and why. Lydia shares the inside scoop of what her products can offer, and introduces us to her newest product, which she is very excited about. Join us to hear all this and more today! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, Lydia Simmons, and her business, MOO.
• What her own postpartum journey was like, including postpartum depression and issues with milk supply.
• Why the six-week postpartum appointment is not enough to catch what you need.
• What Lydia thinks it would take for the government to better support women: to ask them what they need.
• Why it is so important to consider the entire spectrum, rather than only extreme cases.
• A definition for maternal morbidity by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Why it is necessary to have a partner in the medical profession to advocate for you.
• How we emphasize having a birth plan but don't emphasize the postpartum plan.
• Why it is so important to have a postpartum plan and communicate it to other people.
• The role of nutrition in a successful postpartum period.
• The full spectrum of women that Lydia seeks to support.
• Which nutrients are the most important for a postpartum journey: iron and iodine.
• Why sodium is important to help your body maintain hydration.
• Her favorite product from the collection: the postnatal. 
• Her newest product: a bag filled with herbal tea to balance the hormones.
•  

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

MOO on Facebook

MOO on Instagram 

MOO

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A quick Google search will tell you that the business of fertility is booming. But has anyone stopped to ask why fertility problems are on the rise? What do we actually need to know when conceiving? Today’s guest, Dr Aumatma Simmons, a holistic fertility expert helping couples to optimize all the aspects of their health in order to make a baby. Join us to learn the basics of what you should look for in your cervical mucus to track your fertile period, and to hear why Dr Aumatma believes we should assess our hormones on as regular a basis as we go for a pap smear. We take a moment to consider the freedom of choice we all have when it comes to having, or not having children, and how both choices are valid. We talk about the transition from focusing on doing, to focusing on being, necessary to conceive a child, and explore some of the toxin-free options that exist today, allowing us to live lifestyles that are completely toxin-free. Dr Aumatma tells us some surprising facts about the thyroid, still being explored by modern science, and she shares how she equips women to unravel the fast-paced lifestyles they have made for themselves. You’ll hear why your partner’s health matters, and what the basics are that they should consider during a fertility journey, including some lesser-known factors in male sexual health. Join us today to learn from another incredible expert in her field. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, holistic fertility expert, Dr Aumatma Simmons.
• Why in reality it’s not actually true that we have a fertility cliff we fall off at a certain age.
• Why she is a proponent for testing as soon as you can.
• What you should look for in your cervical mucus to track your fertile period.
• The guilt and shame associated with losing pregnancies. 
• Why Dr Aumatma believes we should assess our hormones like we do pap smears.
• Why people are free to choose whatever they want to when it comes to having children.
• The exciting time we are in where everything you put on your body can be toxin-free.
• How the thyroid works with T4, T3 and T2, which there are receptors for on the ovaries.
• How she begins to unravel the fast-paced life for women wanting to have children.
• Why prioritizing sleep is so important: your body produces melatonin when you sleep.
• How melatonin works differently in women and men.
• Optimizing cortisol and managing the cortisol awakening response.
• What you need to be aware of within your cycle even if you don’t want to have a baby.
• Why your partner’s health matters: sperm motility, sperm morphology, and sperm count.
• Factors in men’s health not traditionally considered in fertility: blood sugar, insulin, and homocysteine issues.
• The extreme decline of men’s sexual health which may lead to mass infertility.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Egg Meets Sperm
Fertility Secrets on Amazon
Holistic Fertility Centre
Dr Aumatma Simmons on LinkedIn
Dr Aumatma on Instagram

Dr Aumatma on YouTube

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