Zen(ish) Mommy
Jessica Gershman
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Top 10 Zen(ish) Mommy Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Zen(ish) Mommy episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Zen(ish) Mommy for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Zen(ish) Mommy episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Overcoming Adversity as a Source of Inspiration with Real Estate Mogul Venus Morris Griffin
Zen(ish) Mommy
11/02/21 • 36 min
With a story of overcoming adversity to not only survive, but thrive, today’s guest is a source of inspiration to women everywhere. Venus Morris Griffin is an award-winning real estate agent, inspirational speaker, author of an upcoming book, and single mother of seven who unexpectedly became the sole provider for her family in 2011. Today, she tells the story of how she rose above her circumstances to become stronger than ever today. Venus shares how she received a call from a sex worker who was blackmailing her husband and explains why, while she is not responsible for the awful things that happened to her, she takes responsibility for the choices she made. In the face of adversity, she recommends always asking, what can I learn? Who am I and how can I be better for it? Venus gives us some powerful examples of how she has found a positive spin for the tricky hands she has been dealt in life, and how her own challenges have led her to refuse to judge others. She lets us in on her public speaking journey and how she chose this career in the hope of helping others before telling us why the first piece of advice she gives others is to take care of themselves.This episode is peppered with powerful pearls of wisdom that you can apply to your own journey, so we hope you will join us to learn from Venus’s remarkable story today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- The call Venus received from a sex worker blackmailing her husband.
- Her first reaction to defend her husband and not to believe the accusations.
- Insights into Venus’s childhood and the details of her mom’s alcoholism.
- Why she wrote the book to share her light and help others after experiencing darkness.
- Her message is that it doesn’t matter what happens to you; you can get through anything.
- Why it is so important to take responsibility in order to help people to get out of that cycle.
- How she chose to keep supporting her husband before he failed his lie detector test and was convicted of a terrible crime.
- The realization that education would distinguish her life from her brother and sister’s.
- How each of her children was conceived with a donor.
- Her belief in having a deep sense of who you are in order to do better.
- Why she chose to forgive her mother and her husband in order to move forward.
- What you should ask in adversity: what can I learn, who am I, and how can I be better for it?
- Why she refuses to judge others after having experienced her own challenges.
- Why she chose to become a public speaker: to help other people.
- Her advice to surround yourself with people who are better than you, competition is healthy!
- Why your work ethic will set you apart without you having to say anything.
- Her book, Validated, that is coming out towards the end of the year.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Venus Morris Griffin
Venus Morris Griffin on Instagram
Venus Morris Griffin on Twitter
Venus Morris Griffin on Facebook
Venus Morris Griffin on LinkedIn
Venus Morris Griffin on YouTube
Dr. Manasa Mantravadi explains how Plastics are Disrupting our Planet and our Children's Health
Zen(ish) Mommy
10/26/21 • 44 min
As moms, we want to take the best possible care of our children. Here to discuss how plastics may be affecting your children, and what you can do about it, is Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, a board certified pediatrician who launched the world’s first colorful stainless steel dishes for kids, Ahimsa. Tune in to hear about endocrine destructing chemicals and how they are considered to be the second greatest threat to human health, and the science behind how the endocrine system supports overall health. Dr. Mantravadi reveals some of the health problems she is treating in children that historically only affect adults and she tells us why we can’t leave environmental factors out of the conversation about children’s health. She assures us that small incremental change at a mass scale is a powerful tool to change the world, and tells us the story of how Ahimsa was started, with the philosophy of doing no harm as a hero product to champion the movement towards a plastic-free world. Join us today to hear all this and more!
Key Points From This Episode:
- What is meant by endocrine destructing chemicals and what this means for global health.
- The global health organizations that consider endocrine disrupting chemicals in plastic to be the second greatest threat to human health.
- How hormones create a communication pathway in the endocrine system.
- Some of the health problems she is treating in children that are new to this generation.
- Why we can’t leave environmental factors out of the conversation about children’s health.
- The oversights in the food industry, with 60 percent of 6,000 chemicals having been tested.
- How you can speak with your wallet to enact change in children’s products.
- Small incremental change at a mass scale as a powerful tool to change the world.
- The story of how Ahimsa was started with the philosophy of doing no harm.
- How Ahimsa was created with intentionality at a design, material, and concept level.
- Why, when you teach children healthy habits at a young age, they stick.
- Giving a big picture perspective to moms as a tool to empower them to make good choices.
- How Dr. Mantravadi sees Ahimsa growing: to create a movement as a solution to the plastic problem, Ahimsa Home as a way to make your home cleaner and greener.
- What school cafeteria systems look like at the moment and how they need to change.
- The kids as the reason for doing anything.
- Dinner time at Dr. Mantravadi’s house: the children are involved in cooking dinner, plant-based food, and a lot of Italian and Indian food.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Manasa Mantravadi on LinkedIn
Ahimsa
09/08/20 • 39 min
Find more about Elizabeth and her online class schedule at www.ehfitness.com Show Notes.Today on Mom, Slow Down!, we talk to seasoned pilates expert Elizabeth Heidari who is aNASM and CES (corrective exercise specialty) personal trainer with PROnatal Fitness, TRXSuspension, and Pilates Mat certifications. The former professional dancer and choreographerhas worked with crazy big names like Madonna and Nicki Minaj, and she joins us on the showtoday to talk about how pregnancy and motherhood have changed her perspective on healthand fitness. A self-proclaimed Type A personality, Elizabeth has always been a go-getter whobattled to say no in her twenties. But now, as a mom of one, she has learned to be more gentlewith herself and embrace those off days, guilt-free. She talks about her passion for helpingespecially postpartum women who tend to suffer in silence, getting fired up about the need todismantle the myth that we women simply have to accept the hands we are dealt after childbirth.Regardless of how old your youngest baby is, you can always address the difficulties, whether itis getting your abs or your energy back. Our guest also shares her personal experience ofpregnancy, what she would do differently with subsequent ones, and why it is important to enjoythe process instead of wishing it over. We also talk about all-things-good like self-love, sayingno, and making those gut-based decisions. So be sure to tune in!Key Points From This Episode:• Hear why Elizabeth is a deserving badass who has worked with Madonna and Nikki Minaj.• How motherhood changed her perspective on health and fitness for herself and her clients.• Get a sense of the types of classes she teaches and the time slots she is looking at.• Finding the balance between pushing your body and knowing when to listen and slow down.• The types of clients she focuses on and the massive need for especially postpartum support.• Dismantling the myth that women have to live with the problems they experience as mothers.• The most common pre and postnatal issues that Elizabeth can help women with.• Dealing with the overwhelming societal pressure to get back into shape after childbirth.• Elizabeth talks about her experience of pregnancy, including getting on a train during labor!• Hear what our guest would do differently if she was to have a second little one …• The importance of enjoying the process of pregnancy and permitting yourself some time off.• Finding ways to relax away from your digital devices, from reading to arranging flowers.• Learning to say no to the non-essential and doing the gut-check before committing yourself.• Advice to 25-year-old Elizabeth about hustling, being kind to yourself, and toxic relationships.Tweetables:“I am very partial to women who are experiencing pregnancy or have experienced pregnancybecause I think there is a deficit in care postpartum. I feel like as trainers with prenatal andM--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jessica-gershman/support
Support the show (https://paypal.me/momslowdown)
09/28/21 • 43 min
Root Cause of Infertility and Hormonal Hell with Dr. Christina Burns
Committed, compassionate, and highly skilled in multiple disciplines, today’s guest, Dr. Christina Burns, is the founder of Naturna, an integrative health centre dedicated to the fusion of Eastern medicine and Western science. We open our episode by asking Dr. Burns to weigh in on whether or not infertility is on the rise, and she gives us her thoughts on IVF and pregnancy success in women over 35. Next, she weighs in on how constant stimulation impacts your nervous system and reproductive hormones and gives us her definition of what integrative health means. We touch on the areas where Western medicine falls short and Dr. Burns introduces listeners to the Eastern philosophy of the physician as a teacher, with the onus of becoming well falling on the patient. Her clients are often looking to get pregnant, with others going through peri-menopause and other versions of what she calls ‘hormonal hell’. She unpacks what she offers them, before telling us how COVID-19 has impacted her practice and sharing her views on the vaccine. She believes it is powerful to seek out knowledge in preparation for a fertility journey and urges listeners not to neglect the subtle interplay of different factors in your life. We hope you join us to hear from this inspiring expert today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Dr. Burns weighs in on whether or not infertility is on the rise.
- Why she believes that IVF has a place, but people seek it out too soon.
- Statistics around IVF and pregnancy success in women over 35.
- Environmental factors such as exposure to toxins and their effect on women’s fertility.
- The effect of constant stimulation on your nervous system and reproductive hormones.
- Her definition of integrative health: improving the paradigm of healthcare by integrating the different strengths of Eastern and Western medicine.
- Where Western medicine falls short: lifestyle solutions like food, sleep, and stress.
- The Eastern philosophy of physician as teacher with empowerment through knowledge.
- How integrative medicine draws on Western, Eastern, naturopathic, and functional medicine.
- The clients that usually approach Dr. Burns: those who have exhausted their options.
- Why relying on a cycle tracking app is not reliable, and how there are other ways to do this.
- Peri-menopause and how this often affects high-functioning women.
- The ‘hormonal hell’ that many patients go through that leads them to approach Dr. Burns.
- How she hasn’t seen her practice change that much since the pandemic.
- The growing interest in natural medicine following the advent of COVID-19.
- Her views on vaccination: people should have a personal choice based on their health.
- Why you should separate being vaccinated from your fertility efforts.
- The power of seeking out knowledge in your preparation to start a fertility journey.
- How Dr. Burns deals with stress: acupuncture, herbs, diet, rest, meditation, and vitamins.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Dr. Christina Burns on Instagram
Naturna Institute on Instagram
Support the show (https://paypal.me/momslowdown)
Healing Sound Baths with Sarah Gardner
Episode S2E12: Show Notes.
Have you ever felt down and unable to pull yourself out of a funk? When the thought of even trying to meditate or start a yoga practice seems like too much? Well, this episode might just have some answers for you! Have you heard of sound baths? They’re not actually baths at all, but rather an immersive sensory experience where healing sound waves wash over the body, activating the parasympathetic nervous system with very little effort on your part. Want to learn more? Luckily, today’s guest will tell you all you need to know. Sarah Gardner, known as The Gardner Girl, is a sound bath artist and mindfulness facilitator who works with corporate clients, athletic teams, coaching cohorts, students, families, and individuals to provide the ultimate experience in passive self-care. In this episode, Sarah shares her personal path to healing and highlights the very real correlation between sound and the human body, explaining how sound baths activate our natural rest, digest, and heal response and some of the other benefits you can receive from a sound bath session. To find out more, tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
• Find out why Sarah doesn’t refer to herself as a sound healer.
• Her personal path to healing, which began with understanding that it must start within.
• Some of the incremental lifestyle changes she made that amounted to a greater change.
• Understanding that healing paths are non-linear and continuous.
• The energetic catalyst that was Sarah’s first sound bath experience.
• What is a sound bath: an immersive sensory experience involving healing sound waves.
• The very real correlation between sound and the human body.
• How a sound bath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s natural rest, digest, and heal response.
• You don’t need to be coherent to absorb the benefits of this practice; go ahead, take a nap!
• Sarah explains why she calls sound baths a “meditation hack.”
• How sound affects everyone differently depending on our individual human biofields.
• Hear why Sarah doesn’t recommend a sound bath if you have unresolved trauma.
• Learn how she plays the bowls intuitively and improvises depending on the session.
• The imposter syndrome Sarah had to overcome to begin practicing as a sound bath artist.
• Sarah shares her self-care practice, which includes listening to ASMR.
• Some of the other instruments used during sound baths and why the human voice is one of the most powerful modalities.
Support the show (https://paypal.me/momslowdown)
Creating and Keeping Chemistry with Alicia Davon
Zen(ish) Mommy
12/14/21 • 40 min
Creating and Keeping Chemistry with Alicia Davon
Creating chemistry takes skill. Along with her husband, Erwan, today’s guest, Alicia Davon, has helped over 12,000 singles and couples have exceptional relationships. She is a relationship and romance expert who has a deep and caring interest in women’s sexual and relationship satisfaction after a profoundly transformative experience in her early college days. During today’s conversation, we talk about how she came to be in the business of counseling couples and how she met her husband, Erwan, through his Pleasure Course. She explains to us what it really means to lose chemistry, what intimacy means, and why it is different for most people. Alicia also introduces us to some of the tools that she and Erwan use to guide their clients, including the 12 structured touching techniques and four practices she trains people in: meditation, psychological inquiry, body practice, and sensual practice. We hope you join us to hear all this and much more today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- What it was like for Alicia to grow up with great parents in Los Angeles.
- The crisis point she experienced at UC Santa Barbara, where she became depressed.
- How her spiritual exploration lead to a realization that there was more to being a woman.
- The story of how she met her husband, Erwan, through his Pleasure Course.
- Alicia confirms that what we are missing as women is the connection to our body.
- The multifaceted reasons that chemistry wears off, including the lack of novelty.
- What losing that chemistry really means and how you can learn skills to regain it.
- How becoming a parent impacts your connection to your own sexuality and pleasure.
- One of the keys, which is to make time and space for the relationship.
- The set of 12 touching practices that Erwan and Alicia have developed for couples.
- How couples often have the same goal but different ways of getting there.
- What intimacy is and why it is different for most people.
- Why sex is only as good as the woman is enjoying it because, biologically, we carry the heat.
- Why men and women have to go at the woman’s pace in order to have a positive experience.
- Why it is important to do self-exploration in order to know what you like.
- Alicia explains why prioritization is the key to sustaining a good sex life once you have kids.
- Why prioritizing pleasure doesn’t have to just be sexual.
- The four practices Erwan and Alicia train people in: meditation, psychological inquiry, body practice, and sensual practice.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Alicia Davon on LinkedIn
Alicia Davon on Facebook
Erwan Davon Teachings on Instagram
Erwan Davon Teachings on Facebook
Erwan Davon Teachings
Erwan and Alicia Phone: +415 3089 580
'This Couple Trains People to Have Hour-Long ‘Extended’ Orgasms'
'The 5 Keys to a Successful Relationship'
Creating and Keeping Chemistry with Alicia Davon
Zen(ish) Mommy
12/14/21 • 40 min
Creating and Keeping Chemistry with Alicia Davon
Creating chemistry takes skill. Along with her husband, Erwan, today’s guest, Alicia Davon, has helped over 12,000 singles and couples have exceptional relationships. She is a relationship and romance expert who has a deep and caring interest in women’s sexual and relationship satisfaction after a profoundly transformative experience in her early college days. During today’s conversation, we talk about how she came to be in the business of counseling couples and how she met her husband, Erwan, through his Pleasure Course. She explains to us what it really means to lose chemistry, what intimacy means, and why it is different for most people. Alicia also introduces us to some of the tools that she and Erwan use to guide their clients, including the 12 structured touching techniques and four practices she trains people in: meditation, psychological inquiry, body practice, and sensual practice. We hope you join us to hear all this and much more today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- What it was like for Alicia to grow up with great parents in Los Angeles.
- The crisis point she experienced at UC Santa Barbara, where she became depressed.
- How her spiritual exploration lead to a realization that there was more to being a woman.
- The story of how she met her husband, Erwan, through his Pleasure Course.
- Alicia confirms that what we are missing as women is the connection to our body.
- The multifaceted reasons that chemistry wears off, including the lack of novelty.
- What losing that chemistry really means and how you can learn skills to regain it.
- How becoming a parent impacts your connection to your own sexuality and pleasure.
- One of the keys, which is to make time and space for the relationship.
- The set of 12 touching practices that Erwan and Alicia have developed for couples.
- How couples often have the same goal but different ways of getting there.
- What intimacy is and why it is different for most people.
- Why sex is only as good as the woman is enjoying it because, biologically, we carry the heat.
- Why men and women have to go at the woman’s pace in order to have a positive experience.
- Why it is important to do self-exploration in order to know what you like.
- Alicia explains why prioritization is the key to sustaining a good sex life once you have kids.
- Why prioritizing pleasure doesn’t have to just be sexual.
- The four practices Erwan and Alicia train people in: meditation, psychological inquiry, body practice, and sensual practice.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Alicia Davon on LinkedIn
Alicia Davon on Facebook
Erwan Davon Teachings on Instagram
Erwan Davon Teachings on Facebook
Erwan Davon Teachings
Erwan and Alicia Phone: +415 3089 580
'This Couple Trains People to Have Hour-Long ‘Extended’ Orgasms''The 5 Keys to a Successful Relationship'
10/15/21 • 1 min
In today’s mini convo, Dawn Fable of the Press Pause Project reveals how she knew that CBD was working for her at a family Thanksgiving dinner that she was hosting. She tells the story of how she got everything ready, cleaned the house, and welcomed 18 family members, only to realize that she didn’t have enough plates to serve dessert on. Next, she reveals that she served her guests on Fourth of July paper plates, and didn’t care at all! This was the moment where she realized that CBD was allowing her to be present and appreciate her life in a meaningful way. Tune in to hear her tell the story!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Why Dawn remembers the moment she realized CBD was working for her: it was fresh.
- The story of how she hosted Thanksgiving dinner with 18 family members which previously would have made her very nervous, and calmly got everything ready.
- How she didn’t have enough plates for dessert and served it on Fourth of July paper plates.
- The fact that she didn’t care at all, which was unusual.
- How this made her realize that CBD was allowing her to be present and appreciate everything.
Tweetables:
“It’s funny because I did not have enough place settings for dessert. I served our Thanksgiving dessert on Fourth of July paper plates, and it was so abundantly clear to me because I couldn’t have cared less!” — Dawn Fable [0:00:53]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Dawn Fable on LinkedIn
Press Pause Project on Instagram
Press Pause Project
09/12/21 • 0 min
During today’s mini convos, we check in with online dating coach, Perri Schneider, about the pros and cons of dating pre- and post-COVID. Perri’s main insight is that the casual style of surface level dating pre-COVID has transformed into a space where everyone is in pursuit of finding a connection, rather than dating casually. In our second mini convo, Perri tells the story of returning to a cool bar after an awkward date, and seeing the guy still waiting for his Uber! Tune in to hear more.
Key Points From This Episode:
- The casual style of surface level dating pre-COVID that primarily focused on hook ups.
- How the pandemic forced people to realize their need for connection.
- How isolated men realized that they wanted relationships instead of casual dating.
- How this has leveled the playing field between men and women.
- The positive impact that everyone is in pursuit of finding a connection.
- Perri’s dating story of returning to a bar after ending an awkward date.
Tweetables:
“During the pandemic, we were isolated and lonely and sad and we really deeply craved connection and a partner. Both men and women are like, okay, I’m ready to get deep with someone.” — @SchneiderPerri [0:00:37]
“With the pandemic, we did pause and we did take a really good look at our lives and where we’re at. Is this what I really want? Do I want to be myself? No, I want a partner. I want to do life with someone.” — @SchneiderPerri [0:01:24]
“The positive side is that everybody is in pursuit now of finding a connection.” — @SchneiderPerri [0:01:38]
“I didn’t even think that he was still there – that he was still waiting for his Uber! It was so bad.” — @SchneiderPerri [0:00:52]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
10/02/21 • 5 min
Leveling the playing field with anti-racist practices is an essential element of modern parenting. Today’s guest, Mercedes Samudio, believes that teaching your children about different cultures should be as normal as teaching them the other basics of life. She is an advocate for admitting what you don’t know and then doing the research to educate yourself and your child. She also emphasizes the importance of modeling diversity in your own life in order to pass this principle along to your child. Mercedes reassures us that the goal is not to be perfect, but to be a full human and to show your child how to be a full human too. We hope you join us!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Why it is important to acknowledge what you know and don’t know.
- How she asks clients what they know about themselves in order to share with their family.
- Why you should take advantage of online resources to research and educate yourself.
- What she tells parents she works with: as you teach your child the basics of life, teach them the basics of body parts, cultures, and more.
- How you should be honest with your children about what you don’t know.
- Modeling diversity in your own life before you teach your child about differences.
- Realizing what you are not modeling is an opportunity for you to change.
- Why it’s not about being perfect, but being mindful about your own life.
- Why the goal is to be a full human and to show your child how to be a full human as well.
Tweetables:
“Just like with everything else I talk to parents about, you teach your child about their nose and their mouth, teach them about their body parts. You teach your children how to be polite and how to have manners, teach them about other cultures!” — Mercedes Samudio [0:01:16]
“When your child has questions, think, ‘do I know the answer?’ before you give it to them and say, ‘I don’t know a lot about that, but let me get some information. Maybe we can talk about it this weekend.’” — Mercedes Samudio [0:02:05]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Support the show (https://paypal.me/momslowdown)
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FAQ
How many episodes does Zen(ish) Mommy have?
Zen(ish) Mommy currently has 276 episodes available.
What topics does Zen(ish) Mommy cover?
The podcast is about Mom, Yoga, Health & Fitness, Fashion, Parenting, Sex, Kids & Family, Fertility, Dating, Alternative Health, Divorce, Women, Motherhood, Lifestyle, Self-Help, Mental Health, Family, Wellness, Self Help, Podcasts, Marriage, Relationships, Health, Advice and Mindfulness.
What is the most popular episode on Zen(ish) Mommy?
The episode title 'Teaser: The Subtle Interplay of Lifestyle Factors in your Fertility Journey with Dr. Christina Burns' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Zen(ish) Mommy?
The average episode length on Zen(ish) Mommy is 26 minutes.
How often are episodes of Zen(ish) Mommy released?
Episodes of Zen(ish) Mommy are typically released every 2 days.
When was the first episode of Zen(ish) Mommy?
The first episode of Zen(ish) Mommy was released on Aug 19, 2020.
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