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Welcome back to the Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast! This Podcast is a place for all women to connect, educate themselves, and slow down. This month, we’re talking about how to bring a positive mindset into our homes to share with our children. While the act of replacing a negative thought with a positive one is simple in theory, in practice, it’s a lot harder to do. Jessica shares how she manages her mindset and guides her children as she teaches them to do the same. You’ll also hear what self care doesn’t have to include, and what it truly consists of, before Jessica leaves us with an encouraging message that we are worth finding a little bit of zen in our lives! Tune in to hear more today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: bringing a positive mindset into your home through quick and easy tips.
• What the Yoga Sutras suggest we do when a negative thought arises.
• What to do when you get stuck in ‘stinking thinking’: think of something you are thankful for.
• Examples of the simple things we can find gratitude for.
• The value of finding quiet time within the day. 
• Factors that cause us to get stuck in a negative mindset.
• An invitation to take five minutes out of your day for stillness and meditation.
• Allowing negative emotions to pass like clouds in the sky.
• Remembering that all your feelings are temporary.
• Why self care does not have to look like massages and getting your nails done.
• What self care does require: time spent prioritizing yourself.
• Catching ourselves before we go down negative roller coasters.
• Finding a little bit of zen in our lives.
• Knowing that you are worth it!

Tweetables:

“If you’re stuck in, what I call with my kiddos, ‘stinking thinking’, try to think of something that you are grateful for. Even just starting with a sunny day, or having breath in your lungs, or having an able body to walk and run and hug your children.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:25]

“Can you take five minutes out of your day for meditation? For just stillness, putting the phone away, putting the devices away, turning off Netflix, and just sitting with your emotions.” — Jessica Gershman [0:02:05]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

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Welcome back to this month’s series on mindfulness. During today’s mini conversation, we explore 10 simple tips to help you prioritize mindfulness in your day-to-day life. From mindful breathing in the morning, to body and breath awareness at night, today’s conversation teaches you how to use the rhythms of your day to create little pockets of presence and mindfulness that will change the way you live. You’ll hear how Jessica uses the natural rhythms of her day as triggers to practice mindfulness and pay closer attention to her communication processes. Next, Jessica shares some tips on how to approach your work mindfully, from sitting at your computer, changing your environment during your lunch break, and creating moments to pause and breathe throughout the day. She also introduces listeners to three practices you can build into your at-home habits to help you stay rooted in the present moment. Tune in to hear some powerful tips you can implement today. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: 10 tips to help you prioritize mindfulness in your everyday life. 
• Tip number one: starting the day with mindful breathing.
• The yogic belief that breath is the one thing that keeps you in the present moment.
• Tip number two: taking 10 mindful breaths throughout the day.
• Setting reminders on your phone to remember to take the time to breathe. 
• Tip number three: use the natural rhythms of your day as triggers to practice mindfulness.
• Jessica’s habit of noticing yellow things as she drives to remind her to take a mindful breath.
• Tip number four: bring awareness to your communication processes.
• Tip number five: becoming aware of your bodily sensations when you sit at your computer.
• Tip number six: change your environment at lunch and eat mindfully.
• Tip number seven: closing your office door to take a moment to pause and breathe.
• Tip number eight: taking a moment at the end of the day to retrace the day’s activities.
• Tip number nine: create an unwinding routine when you get home in the evenings.
• How the habit of washing your hands when you get home in the evening can be an opportunity to practice mindfulness.
• Tip number ten: bring awareness to your body and breathing when you fall asleep at night.
• An invitation to work these into your day as we prepare for next week’s episode on mindset.

Tweetables:

“Yogis believe that the breath is the one thing that keeps you in the present moment. There’s no way to breathe for yourself in the past, and there’s no way to breathe for yourself in the future. So the breath is always our guide to bring that monkey mind back to the present.” — Jessica Gershman [0:00:46]

“There’s no better way to start your day than with a few mindful breaths.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:07]

“Life is full of interruptions, and all the interruptions that happen throughout the day can really be the anchor and reminder for us to breathe mindfully.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:51]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

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Welcome to another mindful moment. Today we are talking about meditation and what it has done for me. It is no secret that meditation is very easy to resist and avoid. But in this episode of The Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast, you will hear all about why it is something you can include in your everyday life and improve at it as well! We discuss what exactly meditation is, how Jessica has gotten better at meditation, the changes she has noticed since she started meditating, and her favorite meditation mantra. Thank you for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why meditation is easy to resist. 
• How Jessica has started trying to get better at meditation. 
• The changes Jessica has noticed in herself since she started meditating. 
• What meditation actually is.
• Jessica’s favorite meditation mantra. 

Tweetables:

“They say we resist what we really need.” — Jessica Gershman [0:00:43]

“I’ve noticed that I’ve become less reactive.” — Jessica Gershman [0:02:58]

“Meditation is not about stopping thinking 80 000 thoughts a day. It’s impossible to stop thinking. But it’s really about building this practice of awareness and observation.” — Jessica Gershman [0:03:48]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

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Zen Mommy Youtube

Zen Mommy Facebook

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What if all that we inherit from our parents extended far beyond the physical and personality traits we’re aware of? We all have trauma in our families, to some extent, but which factors decide whether that is passed down to our children? Today’s guest, Mark Wolyn, has deeply researched the idea of inherited family trauma, and published his findings in his book, It Didn’t Start with You. It explores, at length, the ways in which the trauma our parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents experienced can be passed down through our genetics. Join us today to hear about Mark’s own search for healing, after inexplicably losing vision in one of his eyes, before coming to learn that he needed to heal his bond with his mother. Learn about how human foundations for trust in life are formed, and what fascinating results epigenetic testing in mice has revealed about generational trauma. We also dive into how Mark distinguishes between attachment and generational trauma, and how he proceeds according to the diagnosis, before we hear how you can support your child’s healing at any age. Thanks for tuning in to hear all this and more today! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Meet today’s guest, Mark Wolynn, and hear about his research into inherited trauma. 
• The book he has written, It Didn’t Start with You, which explores this idea in great depth.
• What generational trauma means and how the stress response is passed on. 
• Genetics, epigenetics, and the molecular changes that happen after we experience trauma.
• How we usually think about our stress responses and relationship to anxiety and depression.
• What prompted Mark’s research: inexplicably losing vision in one of his eyes.
• How his search for healing led him to repair his relationship with his parents, through a path of resolving his own relationship with anxiety. 
• Generational behavior he identified in his mother and sister, fearing they would never see their mothers again.
• Healing the bond with his mother, restoring his vision, and developing his healing method.
• The foundation for having trust in life, starting with your relationship with your parents.
• Testing for generational trauma in mice and how their brains replicate the stress response.
• Epigenetic testing in baby mice.
• How sons and daughters are equally impacted by their mother and father’s trauma.
• Triggering events that mirror our parents’ trauma or take us back to very early memories.
• The epigenetic component to how we repeat cycles within parenting.
• How breaking the bond with our mothers can be like breaking the bond with ourselves.
• Learning to listen to your trauma language in order to understand the root of your responses.
• The question that reveals whether you are dealing with attachment trauma or generational trauma.
• Deciding what to do once you have identified the kind of trauma you are dealing with.
• What children reveal: what’s unresolved between the parents, and what we experienced at their age.
• Why it is important to teach our children what happened in the family, and help them to sit with uncomfortable emotions at any age.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Mark Wolynn

Mark Wolynn on Twitter

It Didn’t Start with You

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There’s nothing better than getting out into nature to invite mindfulness into your life. If you’re in the habit of listening to podcasts while walking outside, then starting a mindful walking practice is a natural next step. Proven benefits of mindful walking include reducing blood pressure, regulating heart rate, producing feelings of overall wellbeing, and more. During today’s conversation, Jessica Nicole talks listeners through a mindful walking practice. While she encourages listeners to try to do this in nature, this practice will also produce benefits on a treadmill. Join us as Jessica helps listeners to bring their attention to the sensations in the body, and the emotions within, to experience yourself fully and without judgment. Thanks for tuning in! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: a mindful walking practice.
• Expert opinion which says that all you need is 30 minutes of walking per day to keep active.
• Benefits of mindful walking include reduced blood pressure, regulated heart rate, feelings of wellbeing, and more. 
• How mindful walking improves the awareness practice to quieten the mind. 
• A reminder that it’s not about stopping your thoughts.
• Beginning the practice by bringing awareness to the weight of your feet on the earth.
• Bringing awareness to your body’s breathing in a normal, gentle way.
• Noticing your natural gait, the length of your stride, and the surface you are walking on.
• Becoming aware of the different sensations in your feet within your shoes.
• Moving your awareness upward to your ankles, knees, thighs, and hips.
• Relaxing your muscles and observing how that changes the experience of walking.
• Bringing awareness to the spine and sacrum, and upward.
• Paying attention to the belly.
• Relaxing your jaw and your eyes as you take in the world around you.
• Noticing your feelings and allowing them to come and go without attaching onto them.
• Bringing your awareness to your emotional state without labels.
• Experiencing yourself fully without judgment.
• An invitation to keep returning to this meditation.

Tweetables:

“Not only are there physical benefits of walking, but in itself mindful walking can reduce blood pressure, heart rate, reduce our stress, create these feelings of wellbeing, provide better, more restful sleep, and improve our mood.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:12]

“Whether it's for 30 seconds or 30 minutes, you can take this mindful walking practice with you wherever you go.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:48]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

Zen Mommy Instagram

Zen Mommy YouTube

Zen Mommy Facebook

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There is so much support out there for breastfeeding, and not nearly as much for pumping. Having to pump milk often feels like a necessary evil, especially when you have more than one child. Today’s guest, Alex Sinikas, is on a mission to improve the experience of breast pumping. A female engineer who found breastfeeding deeply uncomfortable, she has done all the research on breast pumping. This led her to create the Milkdrop breast cushion to offer other breastfeeders the most comfortable pump that will be on the market today. Her aim is to transform the pumping experience into something enjoyable so that you no longer feel like a cow! She is here to tell you everything you need to know about pumping, introduce you to some of the amazing products on the market today, and how to get the best possible results. Thanks for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, Alex Sinikas with Milkdrop.
• Jessica gets real about her own experience with pumping.
• Alex’s tumultuous journey to feeding her own newborn daughter.
• How 85% of women own pumps, and 15 to 20% use them every day.
• How education about the right style and size pump that could prevent nipple injury and pain.
• The role of changing your mindset in supporting your pumping process.
• Reframing pumping as an opportunity to take time out for yourself.
• How we could benefit from systemizing education around pumping.
• Challenges in breast pump design with regard to size and shape.
• The prototype process she tested on herself before landing on the final product.
• What she learned from the survey process.
• Why you should never turn the suction up so high that you are in discomfort or pain.
• Common mistakes in breast pumping, including getting the size wrong.
• What she wants people to know: that it can be a comfortable and satisfying experience.
• Her No Nonsense, No Judgment Guide to Pumps and Pumping.
• What she recommends to slow down: take the time while you are pumping for yourself.

Tweetables:

“The data suggests that 15% of women will have an actual nipple injury, pain, or damage from pumping. One of the things that could help that is education about getting the right style and the right size pump for you.” — Alex Sinikas [0:10:51]

“There are brilliant pediatricians, brilliant lactation consultants, family doctors, and medical researchers who are looking at this, but it’s not systemic. It’s not trained at the level where you’re going to get a basic standard of care in this topic from anyone.” — Alex Sinikas [0:13:49]

“If you’re not a feminist by the time you get into baby rearing, you definitely are by the time you are done.” — Alex Sinikas [0:18:40]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Milkdrop Pumps

Milkdrop Pumps on Instagram

Milkdrop Pumps on Facebook

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On the Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast, we love to have conversations that feel like we’re talking with our girlfriends and, today, we are doing just that; on the topic of orgasms! We all know that orgasms have great benefits, from improving your immune system to boosting heart health, elevating your mood, and even helping you focus, but what if you could extend your orgasm to last minutes, hours, or even days? Today’s guests, Erwan and Alicia Davon, have become the go-to experts for those seeking relationship support, with Erwan founding the Davon Method in 1995 and Alicia joining him in 2003. Together, they have supported over 14,000 singles and couples in finding relationship success. Beyond sharing the principles of their daily extended orgasm practice, Erwan and Alicia educate listeners according to what an orgasm is (and isn’t) and how the blissful state of experiencing an orgasm can become a state of mind. Join us to hear plenty of powerful insights from their experience and teachings today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Alicia experienced extended orgasm for the first time during sex with Erwan.
• Why presence is the cornerstone of sex and relationships.
• Erwan’s wrestle with spirituality and sensuality and how he chose to integrate them.
• The anti-pleasure rhetoric most people don’t know they are living by.
• What is essential to giving pleasure to others: paying attention to what works for them.
• Basics men need to know, such as paying special attention to the clitoris.
• Defining orgasms: involuntary contractions in the genitals, abdominal ridging, darkness around the eyes, flushing, increased heart rates, and more.
• What an orgasm is not: ejaculation or edging.
• The natural trajectory of orgasm: arousal, plateau, sensation, and rapid decline.
• Keeping yourself above that line by being relaxed while you are over it. 
• How you can turn the intensity up and down when you are having an extended orgasm.
• The clitoral stroking process that leads to extended orgasm. 
• How Erwan and Alicia embrace this practice every morning.
• How clitoral stroking can help you to enjoy other sex acts more.
• Clitoral stroking versus oral sex.
• The role of both sexes within extended orgasms and sex.
• How extended orgasms can be a vehicle for a better relationship.
• Why the Davon Method includes everything from mastery of relationship, sensuality, psychology, conditioning, and more. 
• How they came to do live demonstrations of the extended orgasm practice. 
• Where to start: the Mastery of Relationships course, private courses, and the Sensuality and Expansion course. 
• The free Love Life Consultation that Alicia offers to people via phone call on 415-308-9580.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Davon Method on Instagram
Free Love Life Consultations

Mastery of Relationship Course
The Pleasure Course
Alicia Davon on LinkedIn

Erwan Davon on Twitter

Erwan Davon on LinkedIn

Erwan and Alicia Davon

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This month we’re talking about mornings and meditation. Today’s mini episode is a resource to help you start the day. It’s a short, five minute, good morning meditation that you can return to every morning as you start to build your own mindfulness and meditation practice. Join Jessica as she guides listeners to start the day with a mindset of confidence and clarity through breathwork and mantras. You’ll find an easy seat before tuning into your breath and repeating the mantras of welcoming a new day, a clear and focused mind, presence and awareness, calm and centered, and awake and ready. Lastly, you’ll slowly and mindfully welcome a new day as you bring your attention to your surroundings. Thanks for joining in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• What today’s episode consists of: a five minute good morning mindfulness meditation. 
• Jessica’s hope that you will return to this meditation every morning as you build your practice.
• Getting comfortable and finding an easy seat.
• A reminder that these five minutes are simply for you to just be.
• Taking a deep breath in and elongating the spine.
• Allowing the shoulder blades to drop as you breathe out and elevate the heart center.
• Lengthening inhales and softening exhales.
• Recognizing your own innate ability to solve any problem that may arise.
• Finding a feeling of confidence and capability. 
• Five mantras as you breathe: welcoming a new day, clear and focused mind, presence and awareness, calm and centered, and awake and ready.
• Allowing those words to resonate through the body.
• We repeat the mantras in step with our breath, once again. 
• Spending the last few moments in silence as we contemplate the possibilities of the day. 
• Slowly and mindfully welcoming in the new day.
  
  

Tweetables:

“This month, we are tackling mornings and mindfulness, and how YOU can start your day.” — Jessica Gershman [0:00:30]

“Begin to recognize your own innate ability to solve any problem that arises throughout your day. Without the added distraction or worry, you feel both confident and capable.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:49]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

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Today’s guest, Tiffany Yelverton, is a master sex coach, sex toy scientist, and orgasm guru, committed to helping women connect with themselves at their sexual core. Her goal is to leave people feeling sexier in and out of the bedroom, and she’s here today to give us all the tips on how to give an amazing blow job! Join us to hear Tiffany’s own story of becoming comfortable in her body after ending a relationship with a narcissist, before she shares how to prioritize your own pleasure along with your partner’s. We talk about initiating the conversation about having better sex, and introducing sex toys to the experience, before touching on mindset, and hearing about Tiffany’s favorite positions. Join us to hear all her thoughts on the relational and sexual aspects of connecting with your partner today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s topic: blow jobs!
• Meet today’s guest, Tiffany Yelverton, master sex coach, sex toy scientist, and orgasm guru.
• Tiffany’s journey to becoming comfortable in her body. 
• How ending a relationship with a narcissist sparked her journey to self-confidence and love. 
• The importance of knowing what works for you in order to educate your partner.
• Why Tiffany recommends initiating the conversation outside of the bedroom.
• What to do if your man is not very open to suggestions.
• The bottom line of blowjobs: both people need to enjoy it!
• Why mindset is so important.
• Finding your partner’s unique rhythm, exercising your jaw, and using sex toys.
• Using your hands and eyes to enhance the experience.
• Creating a dialogue around what your partner wants.
• Her favorite position to give a blowjob in.
• Tiffany’s answer to the age-old question: swallow or spit?
• Understanding that everyone’s bodily fluids are different. 
• Drinking orange juice to open up your throat.
• Why everything in her product line is body-safe, medical-grade, and non-toxic.
• What happens at Tiffany’s soirees; how she breaks the ice and creates a container.
• How resentment builds when you are not having regular, good sex with your partner.
• Why foreplay begins at the end of the last encounter according to Esther Perel.
• The importance of planning for sex, especially if you have kids.
• Her favorite sex toy for couples: the Lelo Tiani.
• Her favorite sex toy for solo play: the Lelo Enigma.
• Where to find Entice Me and Tiffany Yelverton online. 
  
  

Tweetables:

“Now that I am sexually free and have orgasms it really has changed my mindset and given me so much body confidence and sexual confidence that I love my body.” — Tiffany Yelverton [0:04:02]

“It’s really difficult to tell someone what you want and how you work if you don’t know it yourself.” — Tiffany Yelverton [0:09:50]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Tiffany Yelverton

Entice Me

Entice Me on Instagram 

The Lelo Tiani

The Lelo Enigma

Esther Perel

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Sticking to a morning meditation practice isn’t easy, especially when you’re a mama! During today’s mini episode, Jessica shares 5 tips to help you stick to your morning meditation practice. Tune in to hear how to make meditation a non-negotiable part of your daily routine through setting aside the time, linking it to an existing habit, and using the RPN method (rise, pee, meditate). You’ll also learn about the value of reconnecting with your motivation for meditating, and creating a cozy morning meditation space where you’ll want to retreat to before you start your day. Tune in to hear more today! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: 5 tips to help you stick to your morning meditation practice.
• An invitation to share your feedback on the guided meditation we shared last week.
• Tip one: set aside time on your calendar.
• Tip two: tie it to another morning habit.
• Tip three: use the RPN (rise, pee, meditate) method.
• Tip four: reconnect with your motivation for meditating.
• Tip five: create a cozy morning meditation space.
• Why meditating in bed can make you feel more tired. 
• How a meditation cushion can resolve this problem.
• Jessica encourages listeners to take these tips and work them into your day. 

 Tweetables:

“Set aside time on your calendar. The mornings are a perfect time to carve out those five minutes for yourself.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:01]

“Make meditation the first thing you do before any of your other habits so that it naturally leads to one another.” — Jessica Gershman [0:01:40]

“It’s easier to stick to a positive habit when you’re clear on why you want to do it.” — Jessica Gershman [0:02:12]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Zen Mommy

Zen Mommy Instagram

Zen Mommy Youtube

Zen Mommy Facebook

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