Your Mom™

If there was a Heisman Trophy for motherhood, Melissa Hutchinson would have our vote. In anticipation of this week's Heisman ceremony in New York, Ashley and Lisa chat with the mother of last year's runner-up, Aidan Hutchinson. Aidan was a standout defensive end at Michigan and is currently thriving as a rookie in the NFL with his hometown Detroit Lions.

Having competed in Miss Teen USA as Miss Michigan, Melissa has poignant insight on why the Heisman Trophy and NFL Draft process have more in common with beauty pageants than you might think.

In this wide-ranging interview Melissa opens up about her parenting philosophy, what it was like raising three children while pursuing a career in photography, and her steadfast commitment to faith and fulfilling their higher purpose as a family.

Also, Lisa manifests another big win that came to fruition this past weekend.

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Back in October, Ashley came across a Medium story written in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attacks: “To Be A Jew” by Rachel Wegner.

As Ashley read the first line–“I believe in the power of stories to bring people together, to build bridges and to create connection”–she stopped in her tracks. She had jotted down almost the exact same words during a previous conversation with our executive producer Betsy Bloom. The universe was sending a powerful message: reach out to Rachel to see if she would share her story on the pod. Long story, short: she generously agreed, and we are thrilled to now share it with you.

The Jewish holiday of Passover– which commemorates the Israelites' freedom from slavery in Egypt– begins at sundown on Monday, April 22nd and ends the evening of Tuesday, April 30th. It is a time of reflection and celebration, an opportunity to be together in community to acknowledge an ancient, complicated history and lift each other up with unrelenting hope for a future where all people are fully free.

In this episode, we explore Rachel's personal struggle with modern-day othering and her internal quest for freedom while also rejoicing in the moments that bring her light and keep her hope for a future of true togetherness alive.

We hope this episode inspires you to build your own bridges of connection, be they across the table or across the aisle. Chag Sameach!

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About Rachel Wegner:

"I am an educator and school leader with over 20 years of experience teaching and leading in schools. I believe education is freedom and it is the key to the Jewish concept of "tikkun olam" - repairing the world. When we know, love and serve students fully, we create the next generation of learners, leaders and listeners who believe in their abilities and have the skills to create change. I am passionate about equity work and it is at the center of what I do, what I believe in and what I have come to see as the most important work there is. I believe dialogue founded on trust, intentionality and vulnerability has the power to rebuild dysfunctional systems and structures so everyone has an opportunity to live their most meaningful life."

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Join Ashley Adamson and Lisa McCaffrey as they put a bow on the first season of Your MomTM, reliving their favorite moments both on the show and behind the scenes.

We hope you enjoy this fun and nostalgic conversation celebrating the many friendships formed and countless lessons learned over the past year. Stay tuned for a special guest appearance by their dear friend and biggest champion, Kim Neel.

There are so many people to thank along the way for making this happen, but no one has our gratitude more than all of you who went on this journey with us. Whether you listened to one episode or all 55 of them, thank you deeply for supporting our work and helping us carve out a community to celebrate motherhood.

We are forever grateful to the rockstar mom guests who shared their stories, as well as to our own families for allowing us to share theirs.

A reminder that you can watch this episode on our YouTube Channel. We will keep you posted on plans for season two, but for now we say so long, have a great summer and thanks as always for listening!

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Questions, comments or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].

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As Suicide Awareness Month comes to a close, Your MomTM shifts gears this week. Lisa and Ashley speak with a mom who is championing the fight for Suicide Prevention.

Martha Thomas, mother of NFL defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, lost her daughter Ella to suicide in 2018. In this wide-ranging interview, Martha opens up about the bright light Ella brought to the world, the darkness of her mental healthy journey (26:00) and what she wants all of us to understand about suicide (47:11). Learn about the family's non-profit 'The Defensive Line' which aims to reduce the stigma of talking about mental health and in turn reduce the number of suicides among young people, especially those of color (52:33).

There is something for everyone in this powerful interview. You'll laugh as you hear stories about how Lisa and Martha's friendship began at Stanford (4:06 ), and you'll be inspired by the way Martha channeled her grief and pain into a higher purpose, as she works to ensure no family has to suffer the pain and loss of losing a child to suicide.

To learn more about The Defensive Line go to https://thedefensiveline.org/

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].

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Fresh off her last on-air broadcast with the Pac-12 network, Ashley Adamson sits down with leadership coach Chantal Below and executive producer Betsy Bloom to process the sweet sorrow of “necessary endings.”

In our early years, endings are honored with graduations, diplomas, and yearbooks. But, as we get older and lose these rituals, it becomes harder to identify the “right” time to make a change or say goodbye. And, as Chantal points out, maybe there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” time, just choices and consequences.

And, what about those endings we don’t see coming: the last time we see a loved one before they die, the last time we eat at our favorite restaurant, the last time we tuck our kids into bed? How can we acknowledge the finales that conclude without fanfare?

Endings always leave us with more questions than answers. In the end, our most important lesson came from a children’s book: the power of embracing “maybe”. How fitting, then, that Ashley signed off from her final broadcast with this quote from Bruce Springsteen: “Maybe everything that dies, someday comes back."

You can subscribe for more episodes wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Questions, comments or feedback? Email: [email protected].

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].

Psst...our merch store is live! yourmom.co/shop