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Mother's Quest Podcast

Mother's Quest Podcast

Julie Neale

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Are you a mom who is ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life? A few months before a big milestone birthday, host Julie Neale, a life and leadership coach, community builder and mom to two high-energy boys, decided to stop sidelining her dreams and become the hero of her own journey. She created this show to help light her way by gathering words of wisdom and lessons learned from other mothers further ahead on their quest. Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, engaging mindfully with their children (E), passionately and purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), investing in themselves (I), and connecting to a strong support network (C). Come along with Julie and you are sure to find some treasures of your own.
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Mother's Quest Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Mother's Quest Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Mother's Quest Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

I’m honored to share this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. Thank you for showing up to this important conversation about two mothers and their quest for peace and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. Thank you for choosing to press play.

If ever there was a year demanding us to "show up" this has been one. From COVID to floods and fires and refugee crises...our consciousness has had a lot to hold. It can be all too easy to shut down. To throw up our hands. And to say "what can I do?"

That question "what can I do?" is one I asked myself during the crisis that unfolded in Palestine and Israel In May of 2021. For days, watching the horrifying headlines, I felt powerless. Then several truths came to me and an intention to find a path to action which I shared in a FB post, like sending a wish to the universe. The very next day, the “guides” I was looking for appeared. In a conversation with my mother, I learned about the Parents Circle, an incredible organization of Palestinians and Israelis who have lost children or family members in the conflict, and instead of turning to revenge, come together to work toward peace and reconciliation.

Soon after, I found myself recording a conversation with Layla Alsheikh, a Palestinian mother originally born in Jordan, who lost her son Qussay at the age of 6 months old. And Robi Damelin, an Israeli mother, originally from South Africa, who lost her adult son David while he was serving in the army.

Although today’s topic is especially heavy - one of loss and tremendous grief, Layla and Robi share their narratives with us for a specific purpose - to help us understand their experience and to support their efforts in bringing Palestinian and Israeli mothers in particular together to work toward change.

Inspired by all they shared with me, the week after we recorded, I began to raise money toward a fund to help them bring together bereaved Palestinian and Israeli mothers of the Parents Circle. Along the way, I’ve been moved by so many mothers who have already contributed. Mothers like Jena Schwartz, who dedicates this episode with a beautiful poem she shares at the end of this conversation. Jena was the first to donate and her powerful words are an invitation to you to say “yes” to this cause.

To date we have raised $5,000, half of the $10,000 goal I set. And we have more to go. Though the height of the crisis in May has receded from the headlines, violence continues in many forms, and the path for peace and reconciliation is needed more than ever.

I ask you to listen with an open heart, to follow the links in the show notes to learn more, to contribute in any amount meaningful to you, and to amplify the voices of Layla, Robi and others like them, mothers closest to this conflict. They are a key to any path forward.

In this episode we talk about:

  • The experiences of two mothers Robi and Layla - one Israeli and one Palestianian - who lost children in the conflict and turned their grief into a quest for peace and reconciliation.
  • The tremendous power of listening to bereaved mothers’ stories.
  • How Robi and Layla each got involved with The Parent’s Circle, an organization of Palestinian and Israelis that brings bereaved parents and family members together in solidarity.
  • How you can help support the Parent Circle and promote peace and reconciliation among Israeli and Palestinian families.
  • The importance of not importing the conflict into our own countriesWhy we shouldn’t position ourselves as Pro-Palestinian or Pro-Israeli but Pro- Peace.
  • How Robi and Layla sustain themselves and find continued hope, even in their loss.
  • Opportunities to get involved and how we can specifically support the mothers of the Parents Circle to come together.
  • Poet Jena Schwartz’ powerful poem “The Undefended Heart” and an invitation to contribute.

This episode’s challenge:

Both Layla and Robi challenge us to join them in fighting for peace instead of violence in the following ways:

  1. Contribute to the fund to help them bring together Palestinian and Israeli mothers
  2. Invite representatives of the Parents Circles to your groups, synagogues, churches, mosques and organizations to share their story.
  3. Follow the work of the Parents Circle and participate in their educational and awareness-building opportunities

About Layla:

Layla Alsheikh was born and raised in Jordan. She had a peaceful and normal upbringing and graduated with a degree in accounting and business management. She eventually met her husband in Jordan 1999 and moved to Bethlehem, where her husband lived for the wedding. However, a few years later tragedy struck her life.

In 2002, her 6 months old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli ...

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Mother's Quest Podcast - Ep 12: Breaking Bread and Building Bridges with Saadia Ahmed
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02/16/17 • 57 min

In Episode #12, I am honored to share this enlightening conversation with Saadia Ahmed, who I reached out to after the recent executive order on immigration to find out how I could become an ally to the Muslim community.

Saadia and her husband live in Los Gatos, California with their two children. She is a talented Financial Advisor serving high-level women professionals and entrepreneurs, couples and families. She is actively engaged in her local community, is a member of Watermark, and is passionate about issues and opportunities in the areas of education and empowerment of women.

She is also a bridge builder, and in this episode, she shares that after 9/11, she became heavily involved in outreach for her community and proactively pursued inter-faith dialogue as a way to find common ground with others.

We talk about some of the stereotypes held about Muslim women, how she has stepped into and developed leadership among the women in her community, and our mutual desire to reach out beyond our bubble, with curiosity, to better understand people with different beliefs.

Saadia and I have decided to become partners in this effort and plan to “break bread” together with other women to build understanding. This is the challenge we offer to you as well. I hope you leave this conversation, as I did, inspired to learn more about the people around us, and the shared values that we all hold dear, no matter how different we may seem.

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • The importance of building bridges of communication with our children and with those who are different from us.
  • Saadia’s move to the U.S. because of religious persecution in Pakistan.
  • The recent executive order on travel and immigration and how to become an ally to the Muslim community
  • Celebrating diversity through faith and reaching out to build bridges through “breaking bread.”
  • The importance of the examples we set for our children and of honoring our children’s individuality and views

Resources mentioned in this episode:

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial support:

  • Caren and Debbie Lieberman who dedicated this week’s episode to our mother Fran Lieberman
  • Cameron Miranda
  • Fran and David Lieberman
  • Debbie and Alan Goore
  • Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Announcements:

This episode #12 marks an important milestone. It is the number of episodes I set out to complete in my first season. I didn’t know what to expect when I started out on this podcasting path, but it has been all I hoped for and more.

So much more that I did decide to extend the first season another 6 episodes to take us through to April. The next episode will be another solocast and an opportunity for me to reflect on common themes from the first twelve episodes and some of the ways in which these interviews have enriched my life. And, I will give you a preview of the interviews ahead, so make sure to listen in on that episode for all the details.

And, if you would be open to spreading the news of my extended season, stay tuned for a link to my ThunderClap campaign. With your help, the day the extended season launches, there can be a thunderous announcement on social media to help reach more moms with these conversations.

Finally, I heard from so many of you that you loved last week’s episode with Kristina Kuzmik, the Truth Bomb Mom and that you, like me, are up for her positivity challenge. I created the Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets to help us record our weekly intentions using the EPIC Framework and reflect at the end of each day on that one positive thing we want to focus on. You can get the free download at mothersquest.com/reflectionsheets.

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Mother's Quest Podcast - Encore: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten
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05/30/19 • 56 min

I’m honored to bring you a final episode in a weekly series I’ve released this May in honor of Mother’s Day and the Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge I facilitated in the private group. The other morning, as I searched my intuition for what episode to end the month with, in a flash I thought about this conversation with my friend Jenjii Hysten. At the 40 minute mark, the discussion, real and vulnerable, in which we talk about not only our differences as women of different races and religions, but also our common humanity as mothers of sons, still stands out as one of the most powerful moments in now over 60 conversations I’ve recorded. So much has changed since we released that episode. Trump, recently elected at the time of recording, of course has now been President for several years and his administration has only deepened the divides and injustices that were already with us. My son Ryan did decide to visit Jenjii and Franklin’s ministry, an experience that profoundly touched him and impacted the speech he shared at his bar mitzvah, a beautiful event that Jenjii and Franklin attended with their two sons. All our boys are now years older, and all deepened their own social awareness in ways both painful and empowering. And Jenjii and I have each stepped into our own activism in different ways, each committing to powerful conversations to build bridges of awareness, understanding and transformation. Ones that I’ve recorded with Mothers Against Police Brutality co-founder Sara Mokuria and with Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton are linked here. Jenjii says that she is still committed to Living out Loud, the guiding theme you’ll hear her talk about. But now she has a much clearer sense of what that really means. She is currently writing a book, and though she and her husband decided to close their ministry, their consulting business is thriving, they’ve joined another church where they preach, and she says she has learned that her life is her ministry. When we spoke today to catch up, I told Jenjii that sounded to me like one powerful Manifesto and possibly the title of her book. Whether you heard it once before, or its new to you, I hope you enjoy this episode. And that these reflections and the conversation that follows may spark you to claim your own manifesto, to reach out to build your own bridges of awareness and connection, and to live your own Life Out Loud. Much appreciation,

P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Click forward now to pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten

I am honored to bring you this intimate, inspired conversation with Jenjii Hysten, a mother, coach, and community leader who I deeply admire.

I have known Jenjii for almost a decade now, through my connection with her husband Franklin. But in recent months, Jenjii’s raw and vulnerable sharing about what it is like to be the mother of two black boys and fear for their safety, caused me to move past my worry of saying or doing the wrong thing and reach out to her in a whole different way.

Our honest conversation about the ways in which we’ve stepped out of our comfort zones to live out loud and forge connections with one another based on our common humanity, as mothers of sons, was one of the most powerful moments I have had yet on the Mother’s Quest Podcast.

Jenjii is an advocate, teacher, student, facilitator and a voice for the voiceless. She was born in Los Angeles but says that Oakland raised her. She studied Interdisciplinary-Studies with an emphasis on Urban/Economic Development at UC Berkeley, holds a CompassPoint Executive Director certificate and is an ordained minister.

In her early 20s, she worked with the Children’s Defense Fund for a program called Freedom School and says it saved her life. This is where she learned the beauty of Servant Leadership, which is one of her core values. As the Founder of SOS, Saving Our Sisters Saving our Selves, over the course of 10 years, she served hundreds of girls throughout the Bay Area. In her 20+ years working, Jenjii has served as a Program Director, Executive Director, Dean of Students, Curriculum Designer, started New Life Ministries with her husband Franklin, and is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Hysten Consulting, LLC.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. I was struck by the concept of rhythm, and how it can manifest in our lives, our children, our bodies, our communities, and perhaps most importantly, our collective humanity. I hope you will leave the conversation, as I did, inspired to think about the ways in which you can find your rhythm and live out loud in your own E.P.I.C. life.

In This Episode We Talk About:
  • Being on a quest to “live out ...
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I’m honored to share today's episode, a conversation three years in the making with Rachel Macy Stafford, that arrives during remarkably challenging times, just as we need Rachel’s wisdom most. Rachel is a writer with one goal: to help people choose love as much as humanly possible. A New York Times bestselling author, her latest book is Live Love Now: Relieve the Pressure and Find Real Connection with Our Kids. She’s also the New York Times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama, Hands Free Life, and Only Love Today; a certified special education teacher with a Master’s Degree in education; an in-demand speaker featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Global News, TIME.com, FoxNews.com, as well as in hundreds of other online and print publications and a beloved blogger who inspires millions in her weekly blog posts at HandsFreeMama.com and through her supportive Facebook community, The Hands Free Revolution. Like so many of her followers, I stumbled upon Rachel’s work years ago, and her writing immediately became a light on my path to more fully live my purpose. I'm so grateful that I had this time to talk with Rachel, to explore the threads of presence and authenticity that weave through so much of her journey, to understand that facing our truths is just the beginning of unexpected invitations, and to remember what’s possible for our children to live a present-filled, purpose-filled life when we step forward to do that first.

This conversation with Rachel and her beautiful new book, which I hope you will get and savor as I have been doing, will make you want to show up for yourself and your children in profound new ways and to embody her underlying message, to Live Love Now.

Much appreciation, P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

This Episode is Dedicated by Samantha Arsenault

Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic gold medalist, high-performance consultant, mental health educator, speaker, and entrepreneur – and she’s a mother of four and recovering perfectionist. Samantha holds a master's degree in education and spent six years teaching high school science and coaching swimming. After a near-death experience with her then 12- month old daughter, Samantha knew it was time to pay forward all she's learned about achievement, emotional resilience, rising from failure, and finding happiness.

In 2016, Samantha founded Livingstone High Performance in response to the mental health crisis impacting adolescents across the globe, specifically those in the athletic arena. LHP provides pillars of support to organizations, teams, and individuals to elevate mental health and improve performance, and build a more empowered village. In addition to private and group coaching, Samantha offers online courses and consults with teams and organizations on athlete wellness initiatives, leadership, strategic planning, rising skills, and developing high-performance cultures. She is a certified instructor of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement and Mental Health First Aid.

Samantha is an engaging public speaker who has more than 19 years of experience, which includes her TEDx Talk: The Weight of Gold: An Olympian’s Path to Recovery. She’s been featured as a keynote speaker, expert panelist, workshop facilitator, and seminar leader. She’s worked with high-school, collegiate, and professional athletes in a group and 1:1 setting; school districts; athletic departments; coaching organizations; women in business groups; wellness entrepreneurs; and national governing bodies, most notably, USA Swimming.

Samantha and her husband, Rob, live in the Berkshires with their four girls. To learn more about her offerings, go over to www.samanthalivingstone.com.

To learn more about her offerings, go over to www.samantha livingstone.com. You can join Samantha’s FREE 5-Day I AM CHALLENGE at www.samanthalivingstone.com/i-am-challenge

Facebook @slivingstonewellness

Instagram @slivingstn

Linkedin @sarsenaultlivingstone

In This Episode We Talk About:

  • The way Rachel's mother gave her the gift of “presence” even when she couldn't be physically present.
  • Rachel's quest for purpose and the legacy she wants to leave
  • How reflecting on the question "How do I d...
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If you’re anything like the vast majority of the mothers I’ve been talking with, you’ve been feeling disoriented and like you’ve lost yourself during these last few months. You may be wondering how am I ever going to come back home to myself?

I had been feeling this way too...overwhelmed with fear, moving through all the stages of grief, and juggling demands at home that now included supporting my children’s distance learning... on top of all the other things!

In this special Mother’s Day episode, I share how the E.P.I.C. Life framework itself, words of wisdom from past guests on the podcast, and a question my teenage son Ryan asked me, started to help me reclaim myself. Listen in for special clips lighting my way from episodes I’ll be re-releasing this week as part of a special series to light the way in the midst of challenge:

I also share about some epic plans for our third annual Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge, the one Graeme Seabrooke and I had created together in our conversation on the podcast two years ago. Taking place starting May 11th, in the free Mother’s Quest Facebook Group, it’s a 7-day journey to reclaiming ourselves, a chance to reflect together, along a new process I’m naming “CHOOSE,” and to create or refine our own manifestos for living our lives, yes even in the midst of a pandemic. Sign up here to join us.

As for me, I’ve learned on Mother’s Day, that in addition to spending time with my children, I need some time to myself. So, today I’ll be going on my favorite milestone hike, and when I reach the summit, I’ll sit down and listen to my favorite meditation, one called “Teshuvah” or “Return” in Hebrew, that brings new meaning to the idea of setting out on a journey and returning home. Of losing our center and finding it again.

So, this Mother’s Day, I invite you to find your center again as you listen to this episode, and ask yourself some of the same questions I’ve been exploring. In what ways have you been feeling trapped? When was the last time you felt connected to your purpose? And what might it take for you to open a door for yourself...to choose yourself...and to take even just one tentative step closer to your version of an E.P.I.C. life?

One Possible Next Step: Join Us for the Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge

The Mother’s Quest Manifesto Challenge is a 7-day experience that will move you through a series of reflective prompts to support you in creating or refining a "manifesto" of your own to become an anchor in your life in these years that you are raising your children.

In addition to reflective prompts that I'll share live in the group each morning, I've invited a different mother to also go live, to share their journey and manifestos and also to offer a tool or practice that would support the prompt we're reflecting on.

This year, I'll be exploring a new acronym mnemonic and framework "CHOOSE" that captures the process I went through when I claimed my manifesto...a process I realized has been with me in all the other times of my life when I shifted a perspective and moved myself forward in a powerful way.

Here is what’s in store for you in the next 7 days.

5/10 Mother's Day with Graeme Seabrook - Both Graeme and I will be live in the group at some point to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day, welcome new members, share about why we co-created the challenge two years ago, and set the frame for the week.

5/11 Day 1: C with Lindsay Pera - "Claim" the experience or opportunity in front of you that calls you to something different; sometimes these are even painful moments you would not choose for yourself. Sometimes these feel like a "sign" that calls to you in mysterious ways. What is the "spark" for you?

5/12 Day 2: H with Jadah Sellner - "Hold space for reflection" give yourself an opportunity to pause and mak...

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I’m honored to share this episode, the first I’m releasing after our lives have changed in immense ways due to this global pandemic. At a time when we realize how interconnected we all are, I’m honored to bring you a conversation with Dr. Belinda Arriaga, a leader at Bay Area Border Relief, about the incredibly important work she does championing families seeking asylum at the United States Mexican border. In addition to her advocacy through Bay Area Border Relief, Belinda is Founder and Executive Director of Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, a non-profit which stands for Believing in Latinos to Dream, dedicated to working with Latino rural youth, families, farmworkers, asylum seekers, and seniors living on coastside in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bringing her training as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco in the School of Education, as Co-Founder of the Half Moon Bay Latino Advisory, and founder of the Latino Trauma Institute. She’s beloved by those who know her as being a fierce advocate with a heart of gold.In this episode, Belinda shares about her own childhood immigration experiences journeying to America from Panama, how despite her mother’s instruction to keep her head down she learned to speak out and fight injustice, about our country’s history of honoring asylum as a human right, and now the ways in which our current immigration policies increase trauma for families fleeing violence instead of providing our protection, shelter and support. Belinda tells her firsthand accounts of the devastating conditions that families experience living in encampments on the Mexican side of the border now and also about miracles and community rising up to literally open doors. With faith in our collective generosity and hope for more miracles, Belinda and I spoke this week about what the families at the border need now. We want to invite you to say “yes” to the challenge of writing love letters in Spanish especially to the children there and also to send along children’s masks that can provide some protection from the spread of the coronavirus if it reaches their encampment. As we are sheltering in place, Belinda, the Bay Area Border Relief team and I invite you to follow the information in the show notes to take action within your homes, to send care packages that let these families know that they are not forgotten.

Much appreciation, P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

This Episode is Dedicated by: Vickie Giambra of ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy

Vickie Giambra is a Senior Staff Attorney with the ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and twice-exceptional daughter. She has been practicing immigration law since 2009. She began her nonprofit immigration law career when she joined Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in January 2017.

As a Managing Attorney, she led the General Immigration Program at Catholic Charities, which encompassed family immigration matters and provided a full range of immigration services for refugees and asylees. With a B.A., cum laude, in Latin American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, Vickie began her career working in HR and recruitment for a large international law firm in New York and London.

This sparked an interest in employment and immigration law, which led Vickie to enroll in the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in May 2009. She’s also a member of the Texas Bar and is also a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach.

ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy

Connect with Vickie:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Vickie’s Suggested Resources:

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I’m honored to bring this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast to you with mother, activist, writer, co-founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation and an inspiration to so many, Sybrina Fulton. The episode is the last in a series I’ve recorded for the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative on the subject of gun safety and the intersectional impact of gun violence on our communities. Unfortunately, Sybrina deeply knows the grief that comes in the wake of gun violence. But, after the deadly 2012 shooting of her beloved son, Trayvon Benjamin Martin, she felt compelled to rise up, literally pushing herself to get out of her bed, becoming the voice for her son and embarking on a journey to bring awareness to senseless gun violence and racial profiling. In 2016, Sybrina rallied to the forefront at the Democratic National Convention with a group of African American trailblazing women, connected by tragedy, who became known as “Mothers of the Movement” for the “Black Lives Matter” Movement the death of their children sparked. She didn’t stop there. In 2017, Sybrina co-authored her first book, Rest in Power, The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, a memoir recounting the death of her son, which became the subject of a docu-series that debuted this year, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, produced by hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. This intimate conversation, over a year in the making, was a unique opportunity to delve into Sybrina’s own journey, how the E.P.I.C. guideposts show up in her life and in her activism, and to hear her powerful call to action to invest in mothers, by reaching out to mothers grieving in our own communities and by contributing to her “Circle of Mothers,” a labor of love that came to her in her dreams. I’m grateful to activist Michael Skolnik, who dedicated this episode, for connecting me to Sybrina and for inviting us to spread this conversation far and wide and direct resources to help mothers turn their grief into healing and advocacy, following Sybrina’s powerful example. It costs $1500 to sponsor a grieving mother to attend Circle of Mothers. Michael and I have each pledged the first $3,000 to a GoFundMe campaign, each of us contributing $1500 to help a mother who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.

Much appreciation,

Julie Neale

P.S. Know someone who you think would appreciate this special episode? Share this conversation!

This Episode is Dedicated by: Michael Skolnik

Michael Skolnik was recently profiled in the NY Times and identified as “the man you go to if you want to leverage the power of celebrity and the reach of digital media to soften the ground for social change.” But, besides all of that, he is most proud to be the father of Mateo Ali, a rambunctious five year old.

He is the co-founder and partner of The Soze Agency, a social impact agency that partners with companies, non-profits, foundations and movements to create campaigns that uplift compassion, authenticity and equity.

He is a respected leader in the new social justice movement, and has helped ignite conversations around America’s relationship with race, the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and Eric Garner, and the Obama and Trump presidencies.

He is a prolific voice on social media with more than 350,000 followers, and a regular commentator on outlets such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

Michael serves on the Board of Directors for Rock The Vote, The Trayvon Martin Foundation, Policy Link, The Gathering For Justice and The Young Partners Board of The Public Theater.

Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter The Soze Agency Learn more about Michael Skolnik: https://about.me/michaelskolnik

In This Episode We Talk About:
  • What Sybrina wishes everyone would know about approaching a conversation with a mother who has lost a child.
  • My 14 year old son’s question to Sybrina about what it feels like when your calling and the powerful work you’re doing is sparked by a tremendous loss.
  • Why we need systemic and cultural change, and more awareness-raising conversations, to keep young people of color safe from racial profiling.
  • The tragic death of Chinedu Okobi, an unarmed young black man who was tasered to death by San Mateo County deputies, just 20 minutes from my own home.
  • The importance for grieving mothers to remember the things that they used to love and what Sybrina’s joyful outlet is
  • The Circle of Mothers and how the idea to create it came to Sybrina in a dream.
  • Sybrina’s ch...
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Mother's Quest Podcast - Ep 92: Showing Up with Shameless Mom Academy’s Sara Dean
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08/25/22 • 50 min

Today’s show with keynote speaker, business and leadership coach and Step into Your Moxie® facilitator Sara Dean, was five years in the making and worth the wait!

Sara is the creator and host of the Shameless Mom Academy Podcast, a top rated podcast with over 600 episodes and 5 million downloads. As you’ll hear her share in this conversation, Sara’s biggest passion is helping women own their space. After enduring her own identity crisis following the birth of her son, Sara took her background in psychology/health/wellness and rebuilt her identity, one step at a time.

Today, Sara motivates and inspires women to stop shrinking and start shining and she’s been stretching herself to do the same, moving beyond her podcast microphone and onto new stages, including speaking for Amazon, the City of Seattle, Charles Schwab, Inspired Mama, WE Ignite, Alt Summit, and She Podcasts Live to name a few. Sara’s ability to show up, with a “sticktoitiveness” she says is in her DNA, enables her to achieve incredible things, like training for the triathlon she is in the midst of now. What I so appreciate about where Sara is on her journey, is her intention to move beyond the doing for doing sake to a thoughtfulness about what matters most and why, a shift she opens up about.

I hope this conversation, and the challenge Sara offers us to cut the crap and calm the chaos, inspires us to show up as Sara does, with humility and bravery, honesty and humor, and as she says, shameless #everydamnday.

About Sara:

Sara Dean is a keynote speaker, a business and leadership coach, and a Step into Your Moxie® facilitator. She is also the creator and host of the Shameless Mom Academy Podcast, a top rated podcast with 5 million downloads. Sara’s biggest passion is helping women own their space. After enduring her own identity crisis following the birth of her son, Sara took her background in psychology/health/ wellness and rebuilt her identity, one step at a time. Sara motivates and inspires women to stop shrinking and start shining #everydamnday.

Sara has spoken for Amazon, the City of Seattle, Charles Schwab, Inspired Mama, WE Ignite, Alt Summit, and She Podcasts Live. She has been featured on the Dr Phil Show.

When she’s not supporting Shameless Moms, you’ll find Sara with her husband and 10 year old son – trying to keep up on video game jargon and baseball stats.

Connect with Sara:

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • The social media post Sara shared five years ago that made me want to meet her at our first podcasting conference!
  • The impact on Sara of being raised by her mother who was a nun for 16 years
  • The power of routine and the need for flexibility
  • Why showing up is in Sara’s DNA
  • How Sara is moving out of her comfort zone to have more impact
  • Using rejection as fuel to keep going
  • Sara’s simple self-care tip for investing in herself
  • Going back to what makes us feel reconnected with ourselves
  • The power of finding your people in the same place and time as you
  • What it means to Sara to be a “Shameless Mom”

Resources and Topics Mentioned

You Might Also Want To Listen to My Interview with Sara On Her Podcast: https://shamelessmom.com/episode/julie-neale-and-caren-lettiere-sisters-making-magic-in-e-p-i-c-ways/

This Episode’s Challenge:

Calm your chaos and let go of your crap. Sara wants you to think of what you really need right now, and how you can let go of extraneous junk in order to get what you want out of the season you’re in.

Join us at Sara’s free online workshop entitled, “How to Calm Your Chaos and Let Go of Your Crap”. You can register ...

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This Throwback Thursday’s minisode is inspired by the photos, posts and stories from so many of you about your children’s new beginnings at the start of this school year. Recorded a few years ago, it outlines my secret to a powerful start that we can share with our children...an experience called a “Milestone Hike” that I’ve done in person and now virtually for many years.

In this Minisode I Talk About:
  • How/when I learned about the importance of ending well to begin well at the youth development organization Alternatives in Action
  • The transformative Milestone Hike Experience I had on my 40th birthday
  • How I’ve used the same components of that hike to acknowledge milestones with my son Ryan (we even recorded a podcast episode about one on his 13th birthday!) including Back to School Milestone Hikes
  • The ways I have taken that experience to create signature Mother’s Quest opportunities for reflection

Hope this supports you or a mother preparing for Back to School in your life!

Also, I’d love to hear from YOU: What are your Back to School Rituals that help you start the year well? Please join us in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group to share or email me at [email protected]

Much appreciation,

Julie Neale

Listen to my episode with Ryan that we recorded after our Milestone Hike on his 13th birthday. He has grown and changed so much since then and will be starting college in just a few weeks. I’m so glad we have this almost like a time capsule of that period in his life.

http://mothersquest.com/ep-18-yolo-you-only-live-once-and-other-milestone-reflections-with-ryan-neale/

Fall 2022 Spark Your E.P.I.C. Year Virtual Hike – Two Dates!

If you’d like to go on a reflective milestone hike (virtually!) with me and others from the Mother’s Quest Community by your side, we’ve opened up registration for the Fall Spark Your E.P.I.C. Year Virtual Hike. Choose from two dates:

You can sign up here for Thursday, Sept 29th from Noon – 1:30 pm PST: https://mailchi.mp/mothersquest/septvirtualhike22 You can sign up here for Saturday, Oct 1st from 10 – 12:30 pm PSt: https://mailchi.mp/mothersquest/octvirtualhike22

Full Episode Show Notes

Check out the full show notes from the original episode here: Back to School Milestone Hike: My Secret to Starting The School Year Well

Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

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Mother's Quest Podcast - Ep 09: The Soul-Fueled Truth with Amber Lilyestrom
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01/26/17 • 58 min

In this interview, I am excited to share a deeply personal and reflective conversation with Amber Lilyestrom, a transformational branding and business strategist, writer, speaker and host of The Soul Fueled CEO Podcast. Amber has also been a coach and champion for me as I’ve created Mother’s Quest and leads a community of soul-fueled CEO’s that has become an important source of support.

From the moment she answers my first question, you will experience how Amber brings this combination of simultaneous vulnerability and crystal clarity. She brings those gifts along with her own trial and error experiences as an entrepreneur and mother to help visionaries, leaders and what she calls “disruptivators” turn their passions into heart-centered brands and thriving businesses.

It was the birth of her daughter, and becoming a mother, that caused her to proactively design her life and business after working for 10 years in collegiate athletics marketing for her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. And, it is her desire to seize life, new experiences and new opportunities that led her to become Mrs. New Hampshire 2016.

In our conversation, Amber shares how speaking our truth allows us to live joy-filled lives. She opens up about her traumatic experience as a childhood survivor of sexual abuse, how that event shaped her relationship with her mother, and how it also shaped her own journey in motherhood and business.

I loved hearing about how Amber lives her E.P.I.C life by coming home to herself and therefore coming home to the ones she loves. I left the conversation grounded and ready to let go of judgment, to live my truth and to design my life.

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • How Amber’s entrepreneurial mother influenced her life
  • The profound importance of speaking your truth and how Amber is helping other survivors of childhood sexual abuse through sharing hers
  • How Amber's near-death experience during the birth of her daughter inspired her to live her life differently
  • Having the courage to have hard conversations
  • Helping women “come home” to themselves
  • Letting go of judgment and pursuing something for the fun of it
  • The Law of Attraction
  • Weaving intentional actions for yourself into your life in order to be your best self

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Do you enjoy this podcast and want to support more meaningful conversations such as these? Visit the Mother’s Quest Patreon Page to become a regular patron or visit this link - www.mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter to make a one-time donation.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Mother's Quest Podcast have?

Mother's Quest Podcast currently has 152 episodes available.

What topics does Mother's Quest Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Purpose, Society & Culture, Parenting, Kids & Family, Selfhelp, Motherhood, Personal Journals, Family, Personaldevelopment, Podcasts, Inspiration and Selfcare.

What is the most popular episode on Mother's Quest Podcast?

The episode title 'Ep 86: On a Quest for Peace and Reconciliation Parent’s Circle Interview With Parents Circle’s Layla and Robi' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Mother's Quest Podcast?

The average episode length on Mother's Quest Podcast is 55 minutes.

How often are episodes of Mother's Quest Podcast released?

Episodes of Mother's Quest Podcast are typically released every 12 days, 18 hours.

When was the first episode of Mother's Quest Podcast?

The first episode of Mother's Quest Podcast was released on Nov 25, 2016.

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