Your Mom™

Your MomTM is back for season two!

Ashley Adamson and Lisa McCaffrey reunite to celebrate motherhood with a second season of Your MomTM. Enjoy their unfiltered conversations with moms of world class athletes and high achievers as they share personal stories of parenthood that feel both familiar and extraordinary.

We launched this podcast last year to celebrate and shine a light on motherhood. The moms we interviewed taught us a lot, but we came to realize that part of the real value of what we were doing was giving these women the space to reflect on their life experiences. They were all moms of exceptional people, but they were so exceptional themselves. After each episode, they expressed gratitude at being asked to share their story.

So this season, our north star remains motherhood. We will still be interviewing moms of highly successful people and sharing powerful stories like how Lisa McCaffrey once saved her entire soccer team from an earthquake. But we will also explore this broader notion of the power of storytelling in our lives. To help us, we’re adding two new regular contributors, Chantal Below and Betsy Bloom, who we consider experts in this field.

We are thrilled to be back, and we thank you deeply for being on this journey with us.

Please do us a favor and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts!

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

Your Mom's Super Bowl bonus week coverage rolls on with a two-for-one special, featuring two of the most special people we know.

Solomon Thomas and his mom Martha joined the set in Phoenix before hitting the red carpet for the NFL Honors awards ceremony last month. Solomon was the 2022 New York Jets' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and - like any man of the year would - he invited his mom to be his plus one.

Solomon played football with Lisa's son Christian at Stanford, and you can tell by some of the stories that start flying just how many memories these two families have shared.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is one of the league's most prestigious honors, recognizing an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Solly may not have won that award this year, but he's officially Your Mom's NFL Man of the Year and we think that's the vote that really matters anyways.

To learn more about the critical work Solomon and his family are doing to honor his late sister Ella, please go to their website: https://thedefensiveline.org/. And congrats again to Solomon, the inaugural Your Mom NFL Man of the Year!

--

You can support us by supporting our partners! We are able to keep growing and celebrating motherhood because of their support. Flexpower is a black-founded, woman-led company dedicated to helping you get moving and stay moving. Their natural pain relief products help calm your muscles, clear your head and nourish your skin. For 20% off their amazing products, use our code YM20.

Check out this episode and additional bonus material on Your Mom's YouTube page.

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

We're excited to bring you this conversation with former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman Foundation CEO Dan Futrell.

After a ten year career in the NFL, Jake is on a mission to help people heal and find balance through functional mushrooms. He talks with Ashley and Lisa about UMBO, his functional mushroom supplement company and shares why he is so passionate about destigmatizing the use of mushrooms.

Jake also remains dedicated to honoring his friend and former Arizona State teammate, the late Pat Tillman. He and Dan Futrell, a former Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer and platoon leader who now leads the Pat Tillman Foundation, are committed to carrying on Pat's legacy. Dan details some of the critical work the Foundation is doing with their scholarship program, whose mission is to identify remarkable veterans and military spouses as the next generation of leaders and help them scale their impact as they enter their next chapter of service through academic scholarships, leadership development, and a global community of supporters.

--

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

ps. Jake's mom Marilyn Plummer was one of our favorite interviews on the show, so go check out episode 6 if you missed it!

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

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!

-

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.

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

This week, Ashley introduces you to Chantal Below, who we are thrilled to have joining us as a regular contributor on season two. Chantal is a mom of three and an executive leadership coach who works with individuals and teams to challenge their own inhibiting assumptions, or, as she puts it, “giving people the space to pause, recognize their patterns, tendencies, impacts, and choices, and then make a decision about if it’s working.”

After spending time with her over the past six years, Ashley frequently proclaims that, “everyone needs a Chantal in their life”. While we work on cloning Chantal, this episode gives listeners access to her unique perspective and process. Ashley and Chantal’s conversation covers everything from our shared struggle for acceptance, the connection between our best traits and our biggest weaknesses, the power of reframing complacency, our immunity to change, and our ability to question the stories we tell ourselves. Plus, Ashley recounts a personal victory involving direct communication and trash cans.

Thanks as always for listening and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for bonus content!

--

More 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 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.

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