Ep. 59: Here's to more side character energy in 2024
01/16/24 • 44 min
Our brains love a binary: extraordinary vs. ordinary, good vs. bad, motivation vs. laziness, beauty vs. brokenness. But, real life is rarely cut and dry. What do we lose in our attempt to have it all? What might we gain if we ditched the dichotomies?
Join Ashley Adamson and Chantal Below in their effort to live in the messy middle, to celebrate our scars, to acknowledge the blessings of a skinned knee, and to adopt some side character energy in 2024.
Like most things worth doing, embracing “both/and” thinking ain’t easy. It encourages us to put our problems into perspective. It challenges our core beliefs about success and satisfaction. It asks us to pay attention to ourselves and those around us.
And yet, this practice also allows us to release the pressure valve and reject the pursuit of perfection. It reminds us that, in the wise words of the great Jess Sims, “You are allowed to be a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same damn time.”
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About the hosts:
Chantal Below moved from the US to England in third grade. 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 supports leaders in all industries - with clients at Google, Homeless Prenatal Program, and to get out of their own way and live and lead in the way they most want.
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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Ashley Adamson is an Emmy-award winning storyteller and lead host for the Pac-12 Network. Honored by Cynopsis as a “Game Changing On-Air Talent”, her biggest achievement to date was being crowned the arm wrestling champion in third grade.
A native of Denver, CO, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College followed by a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
Adamson lives in San Francisco with her very handsome husband and two young children. In 2022, she started the Your MomTM podcast with Lisa McCaffrey to honor and celebrate the beautiful, messy randomness of motherhood. She dreams of one day becoming a professional karaoke singer in the Florida Keys.
Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].
Psst...our merch store is live! yourmom.co/shop
Our brains love a binary: extraordinary vs. ordinary, good vs. bad, motivation vs. laziness, beauty vs. brokenness. But, real life is rarely cut and dry. What do we lose in our attempt to have it all? What might we gain if we ditched the dichotomies?
Join Ashley Adamson and Chantal Below in their effort to live in the messy middle, to celebrate our scars, to acknowledge the blessings of a skinned knee, and to adopt some side character energy in 2024.
Like most things worth doing, embracing “both/and” thinking ain’t easy. It encourages us to put our problems into perspective. It challenges our core beliefs about success and satisfaction. It asks us to pay attention to ourselves and those around us.
And yet, this practice also allows us to release the pressure valve and reject the pursuit of perfection. It reminds us that, in the wise words of the great Jess Sims, “You are allowed to be a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same damn time.”
--
About the hosts:
Chantal Below moved from the US to England in third grade. 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 supports leaders in all industries - with clients at Google, Homeless Prenatal Program, and to get out of their own way and live and lead in the way they most want.
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.
-
Ashley Adamson is an Emmy-award winning storyteller and lead host for the Pac-12 Network. Honored by Cynopsis as a “Game Changing On-Air Talent”, her biggest achievement to date was being crowned the arm wrestling champion in third grade.
A native of Denver, CO, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College followed by a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
Adamson lives in San Francisco with her very handsome husband and two young children. In 2022, she started the Your MomTM podcast with Lisa McCaffrey to honor and celebrate the beautiful, messy randomness of motherhood. She dreams of one day becoming a professional karaoke singer in the Florida Keys.
Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].
Psst...our merch store is live! yourmom.co/shop
Previous Episode
Ep. 58: Your Mom's Mailbag
New year, new mailbag!
Your MomTM made it another year, and we’re kicking it off by answering your burning questions.
Topics include the imaginary matchup of Ed’s 1994 Super Bowl champion 49ers vs. Christian’s 2024 Super Bowl contending 49ers, McCaffrey wedding planning updates (featuring Lisa’s continued determination to sit down, shut up, and wear beige), instilling confidence in kids, and manifesting YourMom’s dream guests.
If like us, you struggle with New Year’s blues, we hope this episode provides a balm, or at least a welcome distraction from your holiday hangovers.
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You can watch this episode on our YouTube channel!
Please subscribe wherever you listen and drop us a line with any questions or comments - [email protected] - we love to hear from you!
Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].
Psst...our merch store is live! yourmom.co/shop
Next Episode
Ep. 60: Remembering Ella
"They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name on Earth for the last time.”
January 23rd, 2024 marks the six year anniversary of when a beautiful and brilliant young woman named Ella Thomas died by suicide. Last year, Ella's mother Martha Thomas joined Ashley and Lisa for an unforgettable conversation about love, loss and the incredible light her daughter brought to the world in the midst of her own darkness. Today we are revisiting some of that powerful interview as a way to help keep Ella’s name and memory alive.
You'll laugh as you hear Lisa McCaffrey describe how her friendship with Martha began on a recruiting trip for their sons at Stanford. You'll be inspired when you find out how Martha, her husband Chris, and their son Solomon channeled their grief into a higher purpose, as they work tirelessly to ensure no family has to suffer the pain and loss of losing a child to suicide.
To learn more about the critical work the Thomas family is doing around suicide prevention and mental health, please visit thedefensiveline.org. And if you or anyone you know is in crisis, text the word home to 741741.
We continue to hold the Thomas family and all those who are grieving a loved one in our hearts.
Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: [email protected].
Psst...our merch store is live! yourmom.co/shop
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