Your Mom™

The day after the Super Bowl, Chantal Below’s son was so devastated by the 49ers' loss that he requested to stay home from school. Chantal, who admittedly doesn’t care much about sports, was mystified by his utter desolation. This got us thinking: what is it about team sports that inspires such extreme emotions? Where’s the line between loyal fan and zealous fanatic?

In an attempt to answer these questions, we dive into the deep end of fan psychology: the intersection of sports and religion, the gender dynamics of emotional repression, and the toxicity of sideline critics. We question why certain “fans” spew negative comments on social media after a tough loss and others set cars on fire after a momentous victory.

We also celebrate the inspiring side of fandom: the community it creates, the resilience it engenders, and the respect it promotes for the players putting their bodies and souls on the line. As a lifelong sports enthusiast, Ashley shares how watching football kept her connected to her dad during a tough time in her life. As a mom and wife of avid athletes, Chantal acknowledges the magic in the madness of youth sports. And, as a longtime Buffalo Bills fan, our executive producer Betsy Bloom offers an ode to Bills mafia’s enduring loyalty even in the most trying times

So, whether your mental health hinges on a win or you watch sports for the snacks, we hope you’re a fan of this episode. Stay tuned next week for our SuperBowl recap with Lisa, who undeniably earned the right to skip school the next day.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Questions, comments, feedback? We love hearing from you, drop us a line [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening!

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About Chantal Below:

Chantal moved from the US to England in third grade. As an expat, she promptly began saying biscuit instead of cookie and spelling color with a ‘u’ in order to fit in. She never developed a love of cricket, but did develop a fascination with humanity, unconsciously examining how different cultures and beliefs expand or limit our choices.

After graduating from Georgetown University, she started her career as a 4th grade teacher with Teach For America, hoping to expand choices for too-often marginalized children in low-income schools. She loved the energy of the kids and the vibrancy of the community, but no one really wanted her teaching long division.

Since then, she’s been exploring the many dimensions of the human condition while avoiding math. She worked for years in the education non-profit world leading teams and developing leadership development programs. Then, she ventured out on her own and started Redcliff Coaching, Inc. She also attempts to parent three kids who are curious, compassionate, hysterical, and only vaguely pay attention to her advice. She lives in Oakland, CA.

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We’re still processing the Super Bowl, but in the meantime, we wanted to share an awesome conversation from Radio Row last week in Las Vegas.

Ashley had the chance to sit down with her longtime friend Christina Mack for a conversation that touched on everything from the health benefits of team sports to letting go of “mom guilt” to the power of female friendships.

Christina is the Chief Science Officer at global healthcare company IQVIA, and a lead sports science researcher for the NFL and NBA, or as Ashley often explains it, “she has a badass job.”

A highly respected voice in the professional sports industry, she frequently presents to owners on injuries, concussions, and the safety of the game. She’s also an advocate for women in STEM, a mom of three awesome kids, and a superlative scavenger-hunt-maker.

This may be one of our shorter episodes, but it’s chock full of incredible insights about being a parent, a professional, and a friend.

Thanks as always for listening, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! And a reminder you can watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

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

See you next week!

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

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

Ashley, Lisa and Hot Betsy recap the past month, including the highs and lows of the Super Bowl, exciting NFL combine results for Luke (or as Ashley’s daughter Cora now refers to him, Luke Skywalker), ongoing wedding plans (if you have any mother-son wedding dance suggestions, drop us a line), and the injustice of half-empty toothpaste tubes and faulty washing machines (any brands out there that want to set the record straight, feel free to sponsor the pod).

Come for the football scoop and stay for Lisa processing the fall-out from her viral moment.

Thanks as always for listening, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Questions, comments or feedback? And do you think Lisa should wear beige jorts to Christian's wedding reception? Email: [email protected].

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

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We’re halfway through what teachers and parents know to be “the thousand days of May”, a month of end-of-year celebrations, sports tournaments, field trips, dance recitals, and...the burnout that comes along with it.

Amid their hectic schedules, Ashley, Chantal, and Betsy found time this week to sit down and interview their family members: Ashley’s daughter, who just turned five; Chantal’s nine-year-old son and 11 and 14-year-old daughters; and Betsy’s husband. This is an exercise close to Ashley’s heart; she’s been on a year-long journey to sit down and record conversations with her immediate and extended family. In fact, she’s even starting a company based on this very concept (more to come on that soon!).

While Chantal and Betsy were initially hesitant to set aside the time (see above, re: the thousand days of May), they were both pleasantly surprised by how easy and impactful it ended up being. In the midst of to-do lists and daily tasks, we rarely sit down solely with the intention of learning something new about our loved ones.

Ashley has always believed in the power of preserving stories, and a recent experience only reaffirmed her conviction. A few weeks ago, Ashley’s father suffered from a stroke. While he’s now out of the hospital and recovering, there were a few hours where Ashley wasn’t sure if she’d ever speak to him again. In addition to her feelings of shock and grief, she felt a deep peace that she could only attribute to the fact that nothing has been left unsaid between the two of them.

So, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to sit down and interview your loved ones, it’s here. We’ve even got a few starter questions ready for you:

What is your favorite book?

How would you describe yourself?

What was the best gift you ever received?

What was the best gift you’ve ever given someone else?

Describe a perfect day. Where would you go, who would be there,what would you do?

What is the best quality in a friend?

What is important to you right now? (or who is important to you right now)

What do you think you are good at?

What is one of your favorite memories of us together?

How do you think we are alike? How are we different?

Is there a question you want to ask me?

What do you wish I understood? (And maybe...what do you wish I understood better about you?)

If you had a crystal ball that could tell you anything about your future, what would you want to

know?

Thanks as always for listening. Good luck with the final 500 days of May :)

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

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Our Super Bowl bonus coverage continues with Dr. Michael Gervais, a high performance psychologist who offers some of the most poignant parenting insights we've heard on this show.

Gervais trains the mindset skills and practices essential to optimal human performance. His clients include world record holders, Olympians, internationally acclaimed artists and musicians, MVPs from every major sport and Fortune 100 CEOs. Now he can officially add Lisa McCaffrey to his resume.

Gervais helps Lisa explore her game-day anxiety and why "arousal regulation" is they key to owning and controlling all of our experiences in life. He shares Ashley's favorite parenting analogy and explains why one of the most powerful moments as a parent is the car ride home.

Keep your eye out for his upcoming book on FOPO (Fear Of People's Opinions) which comes out later this year with Harvard Business Review. And if you aren't already a subscriber, go check out Gervais' fabulous podcast, Finding Mastery. You can thank us later.

This is Super Bowl bonus week on Your Mom. We'll be back to our regular scheduled programming next Tuesday!

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

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