Today’s conversation is very special to us because it’s our final episode here at The Mom Wants More Podcast. One of our favorite lines from the MWM Manifesto is “We reserve the right to pivot”, and simultaneously this year we’ve both felt an internal pull towards some of our individual creative pursuits. Though this episode may feel like it’s coming out of left field to you, our listeners, it has not been a quick decision or one we’ve taken lightly. We absolutely adore working together here the on the podcast and this message of encouraging women to uncover and pursue their passion in the middle of their right now lives will always be the heartbeat of the work we both do. It simply happens to be that this work is taking us in new directions! We are deeply grateful for each one of you who’ve tuned in to listen and follow along, and we are honored to have served you in this space. While it’s bittersweet to close the chapter, we are both in full support of each other and excited for the new ways we can keep spreading this message of empowerment to the women in our lives!

Mom Wants More

Farewell Episode with Amber & Alana

Alright ladies, let's talk about it: body image struggles. We've all had them, and depending on the season of life/motherhood you're in, you may find yourself facing new or different challenges than you ever have in the past. Our bodies are constantly changing, and they're also constant companion as we walk through life- so we may as well invest in making that relationship a positive one! We understand that this can be a deeply personal and emotionally charged subject so we are entering into this conversation with gentleness and care. We're not here to tell you to change your figure, to make yourself smaller, or more fit, because we don't believe you owe the world any specific version of your body. But you DO owe it to yourself to feel at home in it, to find peace, and to practice loving it so that you can show up confidently in the world as your whole self. This episode will help you: Unpack & let go of body shame Take ownership of your health & wellness Trade hopelessness and overwhelm for hope & vision Utilize simple tools for listening to your body, fueling your body, and moving your body from a place of love, not pressure 

Overcoming Body Shame with Shannon Parker

We've never met a woman who doesn't care about her body, and we've also never met a woman who hasn't struggled in her relationship with it in SOME way or another. You might be wondering what Body Image has to do with a podcast that helps women pursue their passions, but truly, we believe it has everything to do with it. The way we feel in our bodies directly affects how we show up in the world. It affects our energy, our mood, our confidence, and certainly our creativity too. Ladies, you don't owe the world any specific version of your body, but your do owe it to yourself to feel at home in it. Today on the podcast we're getting vulnerable and opening up about our own struggles in this arena because we trust that it's a helpful conversation for anyone wanting to come home to the body they live in and practice loving it, however that may look for you. Come join the conversation!

Loving the Body You Live In

We can't think of a better way to kick off our theme of Body Love this month than with the incredibly talented, stunning, sparkly light of a human that is Arielle Estoria. She's a Poet, Author, Speaker, Emcee, and Model and we think Chandler Bing put it best when he said, "Could I BE any more excited?" If you've ever struggled to find peace in your physical body, if you've wondered HOW you can actually practice body love, or if you're struggling to come home to yourself after having babies or any other kind of life change, DO NOT MISS THIS EPISODE! It's one of our all time faves and we just know you'll love it too! This is not a conversation about fitting in, shrinking down, or changing your appearance. This is a conversation about fully inhabiting the body God gave you with confidence, peace, and unflagging joy. Enjoy listening, friends!

Coming Home to Your Body with Arielle Estoria

This month's behind the scenes episode is a little different from our usual tone, but that's because life as we know it suddenly has a different tone. Alana & I are sharing what life is like over here as we all are experiencing this worldwide event through our own personal lenses. We're sharing what's working for us during this time, what's not working, and what we're loving. We really got vulnerable as well as practical in this episode and we hope that it will help you navigate your own thoughts and feelings today. We're all in this together. Wishing you health and peace, friends!

Behind the Scenes: March & COVID19

We'll be the first to admit it: Making new friends as an adult is hard. Heck, simply maintaining old friendships is hard, depending on your season of life. Today we sat down with friendship researcher (Yep! It's a thing!) Noelle Rhodes for an honest, refreshing, and PRACTICAL conversation about the importance of female friendships. If you're struggling to find true connection or you find yourself settling for "virtual friendships" over real-life friendships, you don't want to miss this episode! We talk about why they matter, where to find them, how to create healthy boundaries within friendships, and simple, actionable ways to cultivate them in our right-now life.

The Importance of Female Friendships with Noelle Rhodes

Can we be honest? Finding, building, and maintaining healthy and thriving friendships seems a lot harder in adulthood. Can we get an amen? It's not quite as simple as asking someone on the playground if they "wanna be friends?" anymore. But one thing's for sure- whether you're an introvert or extrovert, a mom of littles or an empty nester, we ALL need friendship in our lives. It's a form of human connection, self care, and fun! That said, it's often easier said than done. We get it. If you're feeling frustrated or discouraged by this area of your life, then come close and listen in, sister, because we're getting real about what it takes to create,nurture, and maintain lasting healthy friendships. We're getting down to the nitty-gritty of boundaries, expectations, valuing real life connections instead of settling for "virtual" friendships, and HOW to actually make and keep friends.

Navigating Grown-Up Friendship

Last month on the podcast we explored the theme of Comparison and as we shift gears into this month's theme of Friendship, we can't think of a better transition than THIS week's conversation! Pursuing your passion can feel like lonely work at times but one of the best ways to combat comparison & competition is by finding your people, connecting with them, supporting them, and even collaborating with them. One way to do that is through a mastermind group. We've been blown away by the positive impact this has has in our own lives this year. Curious about what a mastermind is or how it works? Well today we're peeling back the curtain and introducing y'all to the members of our real life mastermind group. We're sharing some basic info on WHAT a mastermind is, how you can run it, and hearing from each of the ladies in our personal mastermind group on how it's impacted their businesses and personal lives.  

Meet Our Mastermind

Well it's been minute since we've recorded a proper behind the scenes episode, but don't worry, we're covering it all in this ep! Alana & Amber each share one thing that's working, one thing that's not working, and one thing they're loving so far in 2020! We're including all the fun links below so you don't have to worry about FOMO, but mostly we just hope these episodes create a bit of space for you to consider what your answers to these questions would be! Plus, we just love to dish. These eps are personal, casual, and a lot of fun. Grab your favorite bevvie and enjoy!

Behind the Scenes: February

One of the reasons we created this podcast is because we believe that leaning into our God given gifts and strengths truly helps us become better mothers. Today on the podcast we sat down with Becky Keife, author of No Better Mom for the Job to discuss how we can parent with confidence, avoid the pitfalls of comparison, celebrate our individual strengths as as a mom, and both find support and offer support to our fellow moms. Ladies, if you find yourself stuck in negativity, insecurity, or overwhelm, do not miss this one! You are the best mom for this job! Becky Keife is the Community Manager for DaySpring's (in)courage, a widely followed online community where authentic, brave women connect deeply with God and others. She is also a popular speaker for MOPS groups and other women's events, and is the author of the new book, No Better Mom for the Job: Parenting with Confidence (Even When You Don't Feel Cut Out for It.) Becky is a huge fan of Voxer, Sunday naps, and moms in the thick of it. She and her husband live near Los Angeles where they enjoy hiking sunny trails with their three spirited sons. 

Parenting with Confidence with Becky Keife

We've all heard the famous quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy", and today on the podcast we're diving into this uncomfortable topic because as moms and creatives we're deeply aware of how true this statement is. If you're trying to improve your career, your mothering, your wellness, your marriage, your creative work, or just about any other area of your life, there's a good chance that you'll encounter a perceived disparity between your reality and the woman next to you. It's all too tempting to believe that she has it easier, or better, or that her "success" is a threat to your own. The bummer is that when we fall into patterns of comparison or envy, we are the undoing of our own goals and desires. When we're busy obsessing over everyone else, there's not enough time and energy left to actually run in our own lane. In today's episode we're diving into what triggers comparison, what it looks like, simple ways we can actively combat it, and a surprising twist on how we can use it for good. Grab your favorite bevvie and come join us!

Letting Go of Comparison

We all know that Comparison can be a harmful trap, but unfortunately knowledge alone isn't enough to keep us from encountering it in our everyday lives. Sometimes it may be just far enough under the surface of our conscious mind that we never even notice we're operating from a place of comparison or insecurity. Today we sat down with Richella Parham, author of Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison to break down different types of comparison (maybe they're not ALL bad?) as well as how we can remove the comparison traps hidden in plain sight among our daily habits.  

Connection VS Comparison with Richella Parham

Today's episode is our fourth and final installment of our Start Your Year off Right mini-series and we are so excited to dive in because this is where the rubber meets the road, y'all! All the reflecting, dreaming, and planning we've done this month has all been leading up to this: actually getting started. We know that starting is often the hardest part so this episode is the perfect mix of gentle encouragement, tough love, and practical help. We're sharing all of our best tips and tools in this episode, so be sure and tune in and then come join us over in the Mom Wants More Podcast Community on Facebook where we can personally cheer you on as you get moving towards your dreams and goals in 2020!  

Start Your Year Off Right Series: TAKE ACTION

Welcome to Week 3 of our Start Your Year off Right Mini-series! Here on the podcast we're spending the whole month of January focused on stepping into a brand new year (and a new decade!) with intention and joy. We know that expectations and pressure can feel high around this time of year so we've put together a plan to help you ditch overwhelm, get clarity, create a plan, and GET MOVING towards your dreams and goals this year. This week we're building on the last two weeks of reflection and dreaming and we're getting super practical about how to make a plan of action to launch you forward. In today's episode we cover: Reverse Engineering your dreams into plans Creating a realistic roadmap Breaking down your big goals into small, measurable steps Counting the cost Carving out actual time and space in your life for your biggest goals We've got some great (FREE) resources to help walk you through this process with us so be sure to grab those at HERE. 

Start Your Year Off Right Series: PLAN

Welcome back to Week 2 of our Start Your Year off Right Miniseries! We'd like to emphasize that "right" only applies to you and how YOU want to intentionally launch into the new year. Your dreams and goals are going to be just as unique and nuanced as you are so while we know there's no cookie cutter approach to this, we do believe that having a clear understanding of WHAT your dreams and goals are is a crucial and life giving step before moving forward. So this week, for our second installment, we're diving into the importance of dreaming, unpacking any unnecessary guilt around it, and offering you some fun and playful ways you can start dreaming about what you truly want out of 2020. Grab some earbuds and let's do this! Don't forget! We've got some great (FREE) resources to help walk you through this process with us so be sure to grab those here.

Start Your Year Off Right Series: Dream

The Mom Wants More Podcast is for women who have a dream in their heart and a passion they want to pursue, women who believe that motherhood is their most important calling but not their only calling. Writers, Alana Dawson and Amber Salhus, discuss the tough topics that no one talks about when you set out to follow your dreams. Listeners will gain inspiration and encouragement from bi-weekly interviews with women who are uncovering and pursing their passion in the middle of their right now life. Women who have made their passion into successful businesses, side-hustles, or simply something they love to do. 

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