Your Mom™

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."

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

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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!

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

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We’re thrilled to introduce you to our executive producer, Betsy Bloom. Everyone agrees that Betsy Bloom has a name made for showbiz, so it’s only natural that she join us in front of the mic in addition to her work behind the scenes.

While Ashley and Betsy first met via their husbands (Ashley’s husband’s Chris is best friends with Betsy’s husband Mac), they quickly forged their own love affair. Ashley recalls first falling in love with Betsy when she heard Betsy recite her vows on her wedding day; while Ashley wasn’t the intended recipient of the vows, Betsy is glad they landed with such a receptive listener.

As Ashley began to brainstorm starting a storytelling company, she found herself wanting to talk through the idea with Betsy. Meanwhile, Betsy was struggling with post-pandemic teacher burnout and looking for a different creative outlet. When Ashley called to discuss working together, Betsy interpreted it as a sign from above and jumped at the opportunity. The two have been collaborating and swapping stories ever since.

Join Betsy and Ashley as they discuss the cathartic power of storytelling, interactions with online trolls, and what teachers wish parents understood about kids. Stick around until the end to hear their contingency plan should their husbands decide to run off together.

Thanks as always for listening, please rate and subscribe wherever you listen and if you'd like to watch this episode on YouTube please click here.

As always, please send any comments or feedback to [email protected].

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More about Betsy Bloom:

As an only child with an active imagination, Betsy spent much of her time reading and inventing stories. In middle school, she was an inaugural member of the club “Spin-A-Storytellers”, and she still has the t-shirt to prove it. Her love of language continued through her time at Colgate University, where she earned a B.A, and after graduating, Betsy worked in book publishing, where she engaged with literature in a new way, working directly with authors (meeting Judy Blume remains a career highlight).

Betsy left publishing to earn a Masters in Literature from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf College of English, where she spent four summers studying stories, writing essays, and consuming obscene amounts of Vermont cheddar; she also met her husband through the program.

While earning her degree, Betsy made a career transition into teaching English; seven years later, it remains her most challenging and rewarding professional experience to date. Betsy and her husband reside in Buffalo NY, (Go Bills) where they are currently renovating a hundred-year-old home, binging The Great British Bake Off, and testing the area’s best wings.

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.”

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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

We’re thrilled to celebrate Mother’s Day with the inimitable Molly McGrath and her incredible mom, Deb!

Molly currently serves as a sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC Saturday college football games, as well as college basketball. She is also the devoted mom of Ray (3) and Pierce (1). Molly went into labor with Ray the night of the 2021 National Championship. Since then she has covered three National Championships, including one while eight months pregnant with Pierce. One of her proudest moments was finding out that she was nominated for a Sports Emmy while nursing Pierce at just two weeks old.

Ashley and Molly are connected not only as sports broadcasters and moms, but also as Boston College alums (Go Eagles!). During her time at BC, Molly created the student reporter role and received the “Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Excellence.” According to Lisa, Ashley won the “Best Bar Hopping Award”, which is basically just as impressive.

Meanwhile, Lisa and Molly bonded over the shared struggles and joys of being a #boymom. And though this interview was their first official meeting, tune in to hear why Lisa had her eye on Molly for many years.

Just when we thought we couldn’t cram any more love into this episode, Molly’s mom Deb joined us as a surprise guest. Deb is a retired cardiac nurse and former head of her department at San Francisco General. She currently volunteers for Hospice and cares for Molly’s father, who is terminally ill with lung cancer. She is, in Molly’s words, “a saint.” No one could hold back the tears as Molly and Deb shared their mutual love and admiration for each other. We don’t pick favorite episodes, but if we did, this one would be up there...

On behalf of all of us at YourMom, Happy Mother’s Day love to all the moms and mother-figures out there making the world a better place. We love you.

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We also know for many people, Mother’s Day weekend can be a painful time. In honor of anyone facing and grieving the loss of their own mom, we recorded an episode last year with Yogi Roth to pay tribute to his late mother, Devorah Channah Roth. We hope you can find comfort in Yogi’s story and Devo’s lasting memory.

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

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