Mother's Quest Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Welcome to this special episode, one I recorded in the days leading up to the holidays and the winter solstice, the darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. 

This season, when the nights are long and the light feels scarce, invites us to pause, reflect, and seek warmth and meaning in intentional ways. And this year especially, the darkness has felt more than seasonal. In the face of heartbreaking events unfolding in the world, I've found myself needing practices and perspectives more than ever that help me stay grounded, connected, and hopeful. It was from this place that I found myself returning again to the Mystics Almanac. 

This fall, I had the honor of contributing another piece to the Almanac, a powerful creation by my friend and mentor Lindsay Pera. Years ago, inspired by the enduring legacy of the Farmers Almanac, Lindsay envisioned something similar but more mystical—an annual guide grounded in her beautifully illustrated Oracle Deck, woven with astrological insights, divinations, and reflective writings from a diverse circle of contributors. The Mystics Almanac isn't just a book of forecasts and dates. In Lindsay's own words, it's a mirror, a guide, and a reminder that we are not alone on this path. I've turned to the Almanac for this reason myself over the years; and it was especially poignant and supportive of me and my family in the days before my father passed away.

The months before writing my piece for the Almanac felt incredibly heavy. In my own motherhood journey and in our country and the world, it seemed that not only were things in crisis, but that they were collapsing. Past stories, systems, and patterns revealed their cracks, leaving me disoriented and searching for new footing. I returned often to the Mystics Almanac and drew cards from the Mystics Oracle Deck. Again and again, I pulled the "Fear" and the "Beneath" cards, mirrors of all I was experiencing in the not knowing. As I sat with these cards, I realized that my personal feelings were also reflected in our collective story.

Echoes of History

As I listen to and read from historians, I keep noticing how much this moment echoes others in our history. The turbulence and backlash of Reconstruction, when newly won freedoms were met with violence and suppression. The Gilded Age, when vast inequality and political corruption left ordinary people struggling while the wealthy few consolidated power. The 1930s, when economic collapse and widespread fear created conditions that allowed authoritarian movements to rise across the world.

Each of these times brought real devastation and loss. And yet, they also carried seeds of transformation. Reconstruction, though violently cut short, planted the roots that later grew into the Civil Rights Movement. The abuses of the Gilded Age gave rise to reforms in the Progressive Era. The despair of the Depression led to the New Deal, the creation of social safety nets, and labor rights that reshaped American life. And though the 1930s brought the world to war, its aftermath renewed global commitments to democracy, human rights, and rebuilding, even if those commitments have been fragile and incomplete. 

History does not repeat, but it does rhyme. Life moves in spirals, not straight lines. We return to familiar struggles, facing injustice, violence, and division, but when they arrive again, we are not the same as before. We come with new perspective, new resilience, and often hard-earned wisdom we did not have the last time around.

Guiding Lights

This summer and fall, I found myself asking "how should we navigate this new ring of the spiral?" How might we mother ourselves, our children, and our communities through the darkness of collapse without losing faith that something transformative is taking root beneath it all?

Just as the Mystics Almanac draws on cards to illuminate the energies of the year, I decided to turn to the Mother's Quest Podcast as my own kind of oracle, revisiting conversations from episodes with mothers whose wisdom can light our way. Three voices called to me most strongly: the Mystics Almanac's own intuitive strategist Lindsay Pera, From Scratch author, producer and screenwriter Tembi Locke, and the Revolutionary Love Project civil rights leader Valarie Kaur.

Lindsay's words deepened the concept of the spiral itself as a guide. Life, she confirms is not linear but more like a nautilus shell, circling back with new perspective. Challenges return, not as failures, but as invitations to greet them with greater compassion for ourselves and others. She likens our lives to the rings of a tree, each year holding stories of hardship and growth. What once felt like collapse can, with time, be recognized as part of a larger pattern of healing and becoming.

Tembi reminded me of the power of ancestry and constellations. Raised by an "ecosystem of women," her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she carries the resilience and faith they instilled. She told the story of the Drinking Gourd, the Big Dipper, which enslaved people once followed north to freedom when no maps existed. Her wisdom for now: when the path ahead feels uncertain, we can still orient ourselves by what is larger than us, our ancestors, the stars, our deepest faith, and we must remember that no one travels alone.

Valarie recalls the birthing room, her mother's hand on her forehead, whispering "You are brave" as she felt generations of women standing invisibly at her back while she labored. In the midst of growing authoritarianism, she has famously posed the question: "Is this the darkness of the tomb, or the darkness of the womb?" Her story reminds us that every labor, whether giving birth, raising children, or rebirthing a nation, calls for courage, community, and the breath of our ancestors at our side. Even when the contractions feel painful and relentless, transition always comes before new life.

Going Deeper

Together, these voices remind me that we are never meant to find our way alone. For more connection, I also invite you to pause and reflect and notice how these themes are showing up in your own life. Grab a pen and a journal and pause as needed to respond to these questions: 

What wisdom might you want to carry with you into the year ahead?

Where in your life right now are you navigating crisis and collapse? What might help you trust it as part of the spiral?

Who are the mothers, ancestors, or teachers at your back that you can call on for courage and light?

What lessons have you been circling back to? How can you meet the return of familiar challenges differently this time?

If the darkness of this moment might be both tomb and womb, what must you release, and what are you quietly nurturing toward birth?

Closing Wish

I have a closing wish for all of us. As we move into the year ahead, may we meet the spiral with compassion and perspective, may we orient ourselves by the constellations and the strength of our ancestors, and may we trust that even in the most painful contractions, something new is waiting to be born. 

Related Episodes and Links

• Right Livelihood, Magic, and Meaning with Lindsay Pera of the Modern Mystics Institute

• Light For These Pandemic Times: Space, Grace & Love Planted Across Generations with Tembi Locke

• Mothering as Revolutionary Love

• The Mystics Alamanac use the code JULIE to get $5 off created by Lindsay Pera, illustratrions by Sarah Love McCoy 

• EPIC Year Planner + Plan With me Sessions use the code JULIE to get $5 off

In a world heavy with heartbreak and injustice, I've been searching for ways to stay grounded in my humanity…ways to resist not only despair, but also the systems of harm and oppression around us.

My guest today, Kaitlin Curtice, calls this practice living resistance. Kaitlin is an award-winning author, poet, and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation who writes and speaks at the intersections of spirituality, identity, and collective healing. Through her work, including her book Living Resistance and her upcoming release Everything Is a Story, she invites us to become more fully ourselves, to honor the gifts we already hold, and to let those gifts ripple out in love, courage, and care for the world.

Her life has been shaped by liminality, existing between her Native American heritage and a Southern Baptist Christian upbringing. This in-between space has given her a unique lens on how we find belonging and move toward healing in a fractured world.

In our conversation, Kaitlin shares how resistance is not a single act but a continuous practice of becoming and being. She reflects on how it can be gentle and fierce, personal and political, and she offers practices for grounding ourselves in the midst of life's spiral journeys. We closed with her Resistance Commitment—a poetic call to action that reminds us that living resistance means tending to our inner lives while courageously shaping our collective future.

I'm so grateful to my friend and former guest Rachel Macy Stafford, who first connected me to Kaitlin. Rachel's dedication to Kaitlin in this episode captures what Kaitlin offers the world—a call to link the best parts of ourselves so we can move forward together.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Growing up in liminality, navigating the complexity between Native American and Southern Baptist cultures
• The cyclical, spiral nature of growth and how we revisit challenges with new wisdom
• Discovering your unique voice and purpose through what has "always been there for you"
• Living resistance as a daily practice, using our everyday lives to push back against injustice and nurture a sense of  wholeness
• Embodiment practices that can reconnect you with your body after trauma
• How rock climbing became Kaitlin's  family's  practice for presence and connection
• Building community in both physical and virtual spaces and the importance of "third places" where you can be fully yourself
• Seasonal living as an alternative to linear goal-setting
• The power of words, poetry, and storytelling as forms of spiritual activism and as sources of healing 

About Kaitlin

Kaitlin Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. She also speaks on these topics to diverse audiences who are interested in truth-telling and healing. 

As an inter-spiritual advocate, Kaitlin participates in conversations on topics such as colonialism in faith communities, and she has spoken at many conferences on the importance of inter-faith relationships. Kaitlin leads workshops and retreats, as well as lectures and keynote presentations, ranging from panels at the Aspen Climate Conference to speaking at the Chautauqua Institution and at universities, private retreat centers, and churches across the country. 

In 2020 Kaitlin's award-winning book Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God won Georgia Author of the Year in the religion category. Native explores the relationship between American Christianity and Indigenous peoples, drawing on Kaitlin's experiences as a Potawatomi woman.

In 2023, Kaitlin released two books, first, Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day, which examines the journey of resisting the status quo of hate by caring for ourselves, one another, and Mother Earth, and second, her first children's book called Winter's Gifts: An Indigenous Celebration of Nature, which is the premier book in a series of four books on the four seasons coming out with Convergent, RandomHouse Books. Her second book in the series called Summer's Magic was released in 2024.

Besides her books, Kaitlin has written online for Sojourners, Religion News Service, On Being, SELF Magazine, Oprah Daily, and more. Her work has been featured on CBS and in USA Today. She also writes essays and poetry for The Liminality Journal and spends her time supporting other authors as they navigate the world of publishing. Kaitlin lives near Philadelphia with her partner, two dogs, and two kids.

Connect with Kaitlin:

• Website | www.kaitlincurtice.com
• Instagram | www.instagram.com/kaitlincurtice

Explore Kaitlin's Writing:

• "Living Resistance" by Kaitlin Curtice
• "Everything is a Story" by Kaitlin Curtice – available for preorder 
• Liminality Journal (Kaitlin's Substack)

This Episode's Challenge:

Kaitlin offered us a beautiful challenge to shift from linear thinking to cyclical thinking. She invited us to try two practices: first, draw five circles on paper representing different aspects of your life (work, family, hobbies, etc.) to see the vastness of who you are from a bird's eye view. Second, instead of making yearly resolutions, evaluate your life every season – asking what needs to shift in your daily rhythms, self-care, and relationships as the seasons change. As she put it "We don't have to expect so much of ourselves… It's a lot more tender to us if we say, "I'm going to try this out for the next few months." Both practices help us look at our lives without judgment while gently challenging ourselves to grow.

Related Episodes: 

• Ep 74: Living and Loving with Authenticity with Hands Free Mama Rachel Macy Stafford
• Ep 16: Rising Up with Paola Mendoza
• Ep 94: Dear Body: Reflections on Embracing and Embodying 50

This Episode is Dedicated by Rachel Macy Stafford

Rachel Macy Stafford is a New York Times bestselling author, educator, and speaker with over 25 years of experience in teaching and writing. With a Master's degree in Special Education and a background as a certified special education teacher, Rachel brings a heart-centered approach to her work—emphasizing connection, inclusion, and self-awareness.

Since 2014, Rachel has published five bestselling books, including Hands Free Mama, Only Love Today, and Soul Shift, and expanded her reach with an audio series and book from Sounds True. Rachel also created a transformative eight-week online course that has engaged over 15,000 participants and writes Rachel's Treehouse, a Substack newsletter dedicated to cultivating meaningful connection, self-compassion, and collective care through weekly essays and monthly live teachings.

Rachel leads retreats and workshops at renowned centers like Kripalu, Omega Institute, and the Art of Living Retreat Center, and speaks at events across the country.

🌱Experience Rachel's Work… 

 If you're navigating a season of change, letting go, or becoming…

You're not alone. Consider joining me in person or in the Treehouse this fall:

🌿Only Love Today: A Restorative Retreat for Givers

🗓 November 7–9, 2025

📍 Art of Living Retreat Center, North Carolina

This soul-soothing weekend is for those who give deeply and often forget to receive. We'll rest, reflect, and reconnect with the parts of ourselves we've put on hold. There's still space to join—learn more or sign up here.

🏡Rachel's Treehouse

Part journal, part gathering place—Rachel's Treehouse is where Rachel reflects on midlife, empty-nesting, and what it means to dream again. If you've been asking, "What now?" This is a space to land, reconnect, and rediscover. Join the community here.

—

Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

In celebration of our 100th episode, we invite you to help us spread the word by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Help us reach 100 + reviews to honor 100 + episodes of the Mother's Quest Podcast!

You can also support the podcast by making a contribution or joining one of our memberships at Ko-Fi.com. 

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest

Welcome to this first episode of Season Nine of the Mother's Quest Podcast with a returning and special guest, my own son Ryan Neale.

I first sat down to record an episode with Ryan in 2017, on his 13th birthday, after we embarked on a milestone hike, using the ascent and descent at our local Sugarloaf Peak to pack up the lessons of his first 13 years of life and my first 13 years of motherhood. 

At that time, Ryan knew he wanted to close out his teenage years the same way he began them. So this past March, in what felt like the blink of an eye, his 20th birthday approached and Ryan returned from college so we could set out on the trail again.

Though the path was familiar, we soon recognized just how much we each had grown, maturing through heartache and triumph in our own ways.

We knew we would want to record our reflections from the hike again in a special recording studio and with the support of someone who might help us go even deeper. The answer to our quest appeared in the form of Tricia Creason-Valencia, co-founder of PowerHouse, and who Ryan and I have been partnering with on a new initiative, the Autism Storytelling Project.

It therefore also felt right to invite Tricia to dedicate this episode. Listen in for her beautiful dedication. You'll also hear her voice toward the end of our conversation, asking us each a question that brought us both to tears. 

Along with some tears, there were many moments of insight and even some laughter, as we share about this 20 year milestone in both of our lives, the lessons we've learned about our neurodivergent identities especially, and about the exciting chapters unfolding for us.

It was a gift to experience this and also to share it with you. Ryan and I both hope this conversation inspires you to find your unique way to mark the milestones in your life, to reflect mindfully with your children, and to give yourselves opportunities to see one another, champion one another, and to grow alongside one another.

About Ryan Neale

Ryan Neale is a neurodivergent sophomore at UCLA, planning to double major in Communication and Disability Studies with a minor in Film Studies. He is part of the College Scholars Program at UCLA and recently was selected as part of the 2023 Chancellor's Leadership Program cohort. He is passionate about neurodiversity advocacy and sharing his own experiences to pave the way for others. He is currently a staff member at the Bruin Resource Center, where he is a student lead on a new campus-wide neurodiversity initiative, the Bruin Neurodiversity Collective, to make UCLA more inclusive for students like him. This summer, he served on staff for the Stanford Neurodiversity Project – Research, Education, and Advocacy Camp for high schoolers wanting to create neurodiversity advocacy projects. He was also a speaker at the 2021 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit and has been a guest host on the Mother's Quest Podcast. Ryan was diagnosed with autism at the age of 18 months old and also identifies with ADHD and anxiety.

Connect with Ryan

• Website | www.ryanjneale.com
• LinkedIn |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-neale-031112176/
• Instagram | @ryan.neale04

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• The origins of our first milestone hike and why it was important to Ryan to end his teenage years in the same way he began them. 

• Ryan's grappling with his autistic identity, and how his desire to be "normal" over his teenage years was like navigating a "toxic ex." 

• Our growth and learning journey as a spiral, inviting us to revisit similar challenges but with new levels of self-awareness and knowledge. 

• How Ryan's perception of autism shifted over time, from internalized ableism and heavy masking toward self-acceptance and more authenticity.. 

• My diagnosis of ADHD just before my 50th birthday and how my own perceptions of neurodiversity have shifted. 

• The ways that both of us used our voices to highlight gaps in support for neurodivergent students at UCLA and how that led to Ryan co-founding The Bruin Neurodiversity Collective. 

• Ryan's first quarter at UCLA crash and burn and how writing his story about that experience for Business Insider was a turning point. 

• How Ryan putting himself out there and experiencing rejection after rejection ultimately led him to the greatest gift of all. 

• The letter of acknowledgment I wrote for Ryan about all the qualities I see in him. I read through tears but am so glad I persevered and could share it with him (and you!)

• The power of mother and son sharing and growing alongside one another. 

This Episode Dedicated by: Tricia Creason-Valencia and The Autism Storytelling Project

Tricia Creason-Valencia is a dynamic force in the world of filmmaking, education & community building. Through the art of storytelling, Tricia weaves her own raw narrative of mothering, making movies, resilience and rediscovery. As an Emmy-Nominated Director/Producer, Motivational Speaker and Co-Founder of PowerHouse, she pioneers the way for women, people of color and youth to amplify their voices and claim their power through creative expression. She believes, deep in her soul, that truth-telling fosters empathy and connection, serving as a catalyst for social change.

• Tricia Speaks! | SPEAKER | CO-FOUNDER | FILMMAKER - Link-in-bio
• LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/flacafilms/
• Instagram | @flacafilms

About The Autism Storytelling Project

The Autism Storytelling Project empowers young autistic people who aspire to tell authentic autistic stories through creative expression by awarding unrestricted grants. The goal of the project is to expand understanding about autism by elevating stories about the personal experiences of autistic young people ages 16-25 in Santa Clara County, CA. All forms of art and creative expression are welcome, but the story must focus on the artist's lived experience as an autistic person, or on autism as a whole. Connect with the Autism Storytelling Project:

• ‌Website | Autism Storytelling Project
• Instagram | @autismstorytellingproject

About PowerHouse 

PowerHouse is a creative co-working space for women+ entrepreneurs, video and podcasting production studio and venue for professional development & creativity workshops committed to amplifying women's voices. PowerHouse is a women & minority-owned social entrepreneurship venture in the heart of downtown San Jose founded by Farran Tabrizi and Tricia Creason-Valencia.

• Website | http://Powerhouse-SJ.com
• Meet the Co-Founders | PowerHouse-Founders — Tabrizi Productions - Bay Area Videography | Corporate Video | Animation | BRAND VIDEO | VIDEO EDITING‌

Other Related Episodes and Resources: 

• YOLO (You Only Live Once) and Other Milestone Reflections *Revisited* with Ryan Neale

• Embracing Neurodiversity and Being an Adult with Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ryan Neale
• Learning Outside the Lines in College with Neurodivergent Advocates Ryan Neale & Jonathan Mooney
• Neurodivergent Students In College: Support Your Child With Lessons Learned From Ryan and Julie
• Ryan's Business Insider Article - I'm an Autistic College Freshman at UCLA. I Wore Myself Out Socially.

Mother's Quest May Gift Guide – Gift Yourselves and the Mothers You Love Beyond Mother's Day!

Put yourself on your priority list and choose something special for yourself this Mother's Day. Take a peek inside the Mother's Quest Gift Guide at some of my favorite things I've curated for you. 

Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

In celebration of our recent 100th episode, we invite you to help us spread the word by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Help us reach 100 reviews to honor our 100th episode milestone of the Mother's Quest Podcast!

You can also support the podcast by making a contribution or joining one of our memberships at our Patron Page on Ko-Fi.com. 

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest

I'm honored to bring this special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast to you with mother, activist, writer, co-founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation and an inspiration to so many, Sybrina Fulton. 

The episode is the last in a series I've recorded for the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative on the subject of gun safety and the intersectional impact of gun violence on our communities. 

Unfortunately, Sybrina deeply knows the grief that comes in the wake of gun violence. But, after the deadly 2012 shooting of her beloved son, Trayvon Benjamin Martin, she felt compelled to rise up, literally pushing herself to get out of her bed, becoming the voice for her son and embarking on a journey to bring awareness to senseless gun violence and racial profiling.  

In 2016, Sybrina rallied to the forefront at the Democratic National Convention with a group of African American trailblazing women, connected by tragedy, who became known as "Mothers of the Movement" for the "Black Lives Matter" Movement the death of their children sparked. 

She didn't stop there. In 2017, Sybrina co-authored her first book, Rest in Power, The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, a memoir recounting the death of her son, which became the subject of a docu-series that debuted this year, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, produced by hip-hop mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.

This intimate conversation, over a year in the making, was a unique opportunity to delve into Sybrina's own journey, how the E.P.I.C. guideposts show up in her life and in her activism, and to hear her powerful call to action to invest in mothers, by reaching out to mothers grieving in our own communities and by contributing to her "Circle of Mothers," a labor of love that came to her in her dreams. 

I'm grateful to activist Michael Skolnik, who dedicated this episode, for connecting me to Sybrina and for inviting us to spread this conversation far and wide and direct resources to help mothers turn their grief into healing and advocacy, following Sybrina's powerful example. 

Michael and I have each pledged the first $3,000 to the campaign, each of us $1500 to sponsor a different mother to attend Circle of Mothers. I hope you'll open your hearts and minds to Sybrina's story, visit mothersquest.com/circleofmothers and join us in contributing to her mission. 

Much appreciation, 

P.S. Know someone who you think would appreciate this special episode? Push forward and share this conversation!

Michael Skolnik was recently profiled in the NY Times and identified as "the man you go to if you want to leverage the power of celebrity and the reach of digital media to soften the ground for social change." But, besides all of that, he is most proud to be the father of Mateo Ali, a rambunctious five year old. 

He is the co-founder and partner of The Soze Agency, a social impact agency that partners with companies, non-profits, foundations and movements to create campaigns that uplift compassion, authenticity and equity.

He is a respected leader in the new social justice movement, and has helped ignite conversations around America's relationship with race, the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and Eric Garner, and the Obama and Trump presidencies.

He is a prolific voice on social media with more than 350,000 followers, and a regular commentator on outlets such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

Michael serves on the Board of Directors for Rock The Vote, The Trayvon Martin Foundation, Policy Link, The Gathering For Justice and The Young Partners Board of The Public Theater.

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
The Soze Agency
Learn more about Michael Skolnik: https://about.me/michaelskolnik

• What Sybrina wishes everyone would know about approaching a conversation with a mother who has lost a child.
• My 14 year old son's question to Sybrina about what it feels like when your calling and the powerful work you're doing is sparked by a tremendous loss.
• Why we need systemic and cultural change, and more awareness-raising conversations, to keep young people of color safe from racial profiling.
• The tragic death of Chinedu Okobi, an unarmed young black man who was tasered to death by San Mateo County deputies, just 20 minutes from my own home.
• The importance for grieving mothers to remember the things that they used to love and what Sybrina's joyful outlet is
• The Circle of Mothers and how the idea to create it came to Sybrina in a dream.
• Sybrina's challenge for all of us to open our hearts and to reach out to mothers, across differences, who have lost their child to let them know we care.
• Why investing in mothers is the most powerful lever to impact gun control.

• Trayvon Martin Foundation
• Circle of Mothers
• Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story
• Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin
• Remembrance Weekend: Peace Walk on February 9th followed by the Remembrance Gala on February 10th
• Article from CNN about Chinedu Okobi - Facebook executive says unreleased video calls into question police account of brother's death
• GoFundMe for Circle of Mothers
• Women Podcasters in Solidarity website

• Ep 37: Generations Rising for Gun Safety with Gloria Pan
• Ep 54: Superheroes, Fighting Patriarchy, and Courageously Defeating Gun Violence with Ladd Everitt

And in Last Year's Series on Anti-Racism and Police Accountability:

• Ep 27: Courageous Conversations about Race with Nicole Lee
• EP31: Brave Spaces and Solidarity with "Rad Women" Author Kate Schatz
• EP33: Beyond the Trauma: Legacy, Compassion and Change with Mothers Against Police Brutality Co-Founder Sara Mokuria

For this week's challenge, Sybrina asks us to reach out to a mother who has lost a child and be a support to them. Take them out, let them know you are here, organize something for a group. Let them know that they are not alone. 

You can also show your support, and invest in the healing of mothers who can lead the way forward, by contributing directly to the GoFundMe campaign and sponsor mothers to attend this year's Circle of Mothers event. We have a goal to raise $15,000 and send 10 mothers, at $1,500 per person, who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend. 

CLICK HERE 

After the death of her beloved son, Trayvon Benjamin Martin, in February 2012, Sybrina Fulton was charged with a new mission. A desire to transform family tragedy into social change allowed her to establish the Trayvon Martin Foundation in March 2012.

As Fulton traverses the globe, she passionately embarks on a journey designed to bring awareness to senseless gun violence and serves as an advocate to families, the catalyst for her dream project, the "Circle of Mothers." Winning the national support of president-elect Hillary Clinton, Fulton rallied to the forefront in 2016 at the Democratic National Convention with a cadre of African American trailblazing women known as "Mothers of the Movement." The women, connected by tragedy, are the inspiration behind the "Black Lives Matter."

In 2017, Fulton co-authored her first book, Rest in Power, The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, a memoir recounting the death of her son, and the subject of a six-part docuseries, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, produced by hip-hop mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter for Paramount Network and BET (July 2018).

Bestowed with many distinguished awards, Sybrina Fulton has represented the United States at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss racial discrimination; the National Urban League, Black Lives Matter, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, The Triumph Awards (2016), Essence Festival & Conference (2017, 2018), and was selected as the White House's guest of honor for the unveiling of former President Barak Obama's initiative, "My Brother's Keeper." Fulton is also one of the 2018 recipients of VH1's Trailblazer Honor Award.

A Miami native and graduate of Florida Memorial University, Sybrina Fulton, along with her son, Jahvaris, are on a mission to build better, safer communities. She is a proud member of the Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Metropolitan Dade County Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

She created the Circle of Mothers as a way to empower women. The purpose of the Circle of Mothers is to bring together mothers who have lost children or family members to senseless gun violence for the purpose of healing, empowerment, and fellowship towards the larger aim of community building. 

Connect with Sybrina at: Facebook Twitter Instagram
www.circleofmothers.org
www.trayvonmartinfoundation.org

As of December of 2018, 644 children and 2,729 teens have been killed by gun violence in the US this year. If you feel  pain at the loss of so many young lives full of promise, imagine the devastating grief experienced by the mothers they've left behind.

On May 16, 2014, Sybrina embarked on a powerful call to action to support and invest in mothers, by reaching out to mothers grieving in our communities. The Circle of Mothers, an annual retreat for women who have lost a child to senseless gun violence, was born. 

It costs $1,500 to sponsor a mother who would otherwise not be able to participate in Circle of Mothers. Activist Michael Skolnik and I have pledged the first $3,000 of this $15,000 campaign, 2 toward our goal of 10 women we hope to send. 

I pray that one day we won't need The Circle of Mothers, because we've brought an end to gun violence in the US and no more mothers will have to grieve the theft of their children's lives.  

Until then, I hope you'll open your hearts and minds to Sybrina's story, lift up grieving mothers who seek healing, and invest in them to lead the way forward.

Support the Campaign

Tragically, I have now lost count of the number of mass shootings have taken place just in the time since the Women Podcasters in Solidarity selected "gun safety" as the issue we want to shine a light on this season.

Grateful to partner with Cristin Marie and Elsie Escobar on bringing this season of the Initiative to life. It is my deepest hope that through the power of podcasting, the episodes we will record, the conversations we will share with our listeners, and the dollars we will collectively raise toward gun safety causes, will save lives.

Please take a look at Cristin's post here and say "yes" to the Initiative yourself or help spread the word to reach other podcasters who would want to join.

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Virtual Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 8 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

• Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
• To consciously live their version (not someone else's) of an E.P.I.C. life
• To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the sessions
• To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

If you're looking to start the year strong, the Circle is a great way to make an investment in yourself and what matters most to you. Apply here to add your name to the wait list.

Learn More

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Michael Skolnik
Helgi Maki
Kari Azuma
Tamara Sobomehin
Katie Krimitsos
Carrie Caulfield Arick
Rachel Rosen
Chandra Brooks
Jen Simon
Monisha Vasa
Celia Ward-Wallace
Vanessa Couto
Desiree Adaway
Rachel Steinman
Katie Hanus
Denise Barreto 
Sage B. Hobbs 
Samantha Nolan-Smith
Jody Smith
Emily Cretella
Collette Flanagan
Titilayo Tinubu Ali 
Carly Magnus Hurt
Lizzy Russinko 
Suzanne Brown
Mara Berns Langer
Mallory Schlabach 
Katharine Earhart
Jessica Kupferman
Jen Jenkins Dohner
Genese Harris
Tonya Rineer
Liane Louie-Badua
Cristin Downs 
Erin Kendall 
Niko Osoteo 
Erik Newton 
Claire Fry
Divya Silbermann
Rachel Winter
Caren and Debbie Lieberman
Cameron Miranda
Fran and David Lieberman
Debbie and Alan Goore
The Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

—

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

I'm honored to share this episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast, the second in a series I'm recording for the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative on the subject of gun safety and the intersectional impact of gun violence on our communities.

As the mother of two boys, I was interested in having a conversation with an expert on this subject who's also a man and a father and I'm so grateful to have found one willing to go deep and be vulnerable in gun prevention advocate Ladd Everitt.  

Ladd has been involved in this movement since 1993, when his life changed forever after a man boarded a rush hour train on the Long Island Railroad and opened fire with a handgun, killing six and wounding 19. This train was the one Ladd took regularly and he realized that it easily could have been him killed that day.
 
That moment sparked Ladd to attend the Million Mom March in 2000 in Washington DC, where despite the fact that he was a single man with no children, he found himself stepping into leadership for a local chapter and working alongside mothers for gun safety.  

More than two decades later, he has become a father himself, and is still deeply committed to this work. After 10 years as a strategic communications and social media specialist with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Ladd took the position he holds today as Director of One Pulse for America, a gun violence prevention group established after the Florida Pulse Nightclub shooting by acclaimed actor/LGBTQ rights activist George Takei.
  
Ladd brought honesty and clarity to the conversation as we traced his E.P.I.C. life journey, from growing up as a young boy influenced by Marvel comics, to stepping into his own powers as a caring father and a decades long gun control advocate.
 
I appreciated Ladd's humility as he expressed how the trauma of doing this work has impacted him, his own growing pains as he's learning about and confronting racism and patriarchy, and the importance of giving the microphone and following the lead of young people, who he says are the emotional and cultural leaders of the movement today. 
  
Ladd leaves us with hopefulness about the possibility for real change after the mid-term elections along with a challenge to hold our elected officials accountable, beginning with a specific request of Nancy Pelosi to focus on new and bold, not watered down, gun policy changes. 

I was inspired by the example in Ladd of a white male leader, connected to his emotions, doing meaningful work, and looking for ways to share his privilege and influence with voices that should have more representation in the movement. Ladd and I both left the conversation feeling enriched by the opportunity to talk through complex issues. I'm excited to invite you in to listen with us and then move into action for gun safety alongside us. 

Much appreciation, 

Julie Neale

P.S. Know someone who you think would appreciate this episode? Push forward and share this conversation!

Helgi dedicated this episode to all mothers affected by cycles of gun violence, who witness and deal with its aftermath for generations, especially the mothers affected by the terrorist attack in Pittsburgh, in the anti-Semitic hate crime shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday, October 27, 2018. They deserve our heartfelt, meaningful support in the wake of life altering gun violence. 

Helgi is a lawyer and the founder of traumainformedlaw.org - an initiative to help justice professionals and communities reduce the impact of  trauma and violence on public health.  You can learn more about her work at the links below.

The Trauma-Informed Law Project
Trauma-Informed Law On Twitter
Tree of Life Congregation

• How Marvel creator Stan Lee influenced Ladd's own development and the ways that Stan's depiction of women and people of color changed over time

• The tragic event that became a wake-up call and sparked Ladd's passion for working toward gun safety.

• Ladd's first experience working toward gun control after the Million Mom March

• How young people are the emotional and cultural leaders of the gun control movement now and Ladd's fear that they may start listening to adults

• The vicarious trauma and harassment that those on the frontlines of gun advocacy work experience

• The exploration of toxic masculinity in the movie "The Mask You Live In" and why Ladd believes it's crucial to teach boys that crying is a healthy way to express their emotions

• The importance of fighting back against stigmatization of the mentally ill

• Ladd's experience being arrested, along with Michael Skolnik and other male activists, while protesting on behalf of women during the Kavanaugh hearings

• The Universal Background Check and why is it important.

• The book on Ladd's desk when we conducted our interview that he's reading to help him learn how to confront racism and white fragility

• His Challenge for all of us to hold our newly elected officials accountable for bold gun policy  

• Women Podcasters in Solidarity

• Million Mom March

• Writer Jena Schwartz's daughter's post about her experience with a school lockdown.

• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo

• LA Times Op Ed

• The Mask You Live In

• One Pulse for America FB page

• "Challenge" Action Alert

• EP31: Brave Spaces and Solidarity with "Rad Women" Author Kate Schatz

For this week's challenge, Ladd challenges us to focus on what he believes is the most important issue related to gun safety: to get serious about disarming violent people in our country.

Ladd asks us to follow through on his One Pulse America Action Alert: To Tell Presumptive Speaker Pelosi to Make Assault Weapons Ban a Priority

Follow the links below for more information:

https://www.onepulseforamerica.com/action-alert/tell-presumptive-speaker-pelosi-to-make-assault-weapons-ban-a-priority/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1779750855570640/

And read Ladd's recent OpEd in the LA Times on this subject

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Other websites:

https://medium.com/@LaddEveritt

I want to let you know about a special end of the year campaign as part of the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative to raise money for the mothers, caretakers and activists on the frontlines of gun violence prevention. To make sure you get notified about the campaign, sign up for email updates at www.mothersquest.com and follow the Mother's Quest page on Facebook. You can also reach out to me at julie@mothersquest.com if you'd like to be one of the first to "seed" the fund with your contribution. 

Tragically, I have now lost count of the number of mass shootings have taken place just in the time since the Women Podcasters in Solidarity selected "gun safety" as the issue we want to shine a light on this season.

Grateful to partner with Cristin Marie and Elsie Escobar on bringing this season of the Initiative to life. It is my deepest hope that through the power of podcasting, the episodes we will record, the conversations we will share with our listeners, and the dollars we will collectively raise toward gun safety causes, will save lives.

Please take a look at Cristin's post here and say "yes" to the Initiative yourself or help spread the word to reach other podcasters who would want to join.

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Virtual Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 8 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

✨Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
✨To consciously live their version (not someone else's) of an E.P.I.C. life
✨To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the sessions
✨To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

If you're looking to start the year strong, the Circle is a great way to make an investment in yourself and what matters most to you. Apply here to add your name to the wait list. 

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Helgi Maki
Kari Azuma
Tamara Sobomehin
Katie Krimitsos
Carrie Caulfield Arick
Rachel Rosen
Chandra Brooks
Jen Simon
Monisha Vasa
Celia Ward-Wallace
Vanessa Couto
Desiree Adaway
Rachel Steinman
Katie Hanus
Denise Barreto 
Sage B. Hobbs 
Samantha Nolan-Smith
Jody Smith
Emily Cretella
Collette Flanagan
Titilayo Tinubu Ali 
Carly Magnus Hurt
Lizzy Russinko 
Suzanne Brown
Mara Berns Langer
Mallory Schlabach 
Katharine Earhart
Jessica Kupferman
Jen Jenkins Dohner
Genese Harris
Tonya Rineer
Liane Louie-Badua
Cristin Downs 
Erin Kendall 
Niko Osoteo 
Erik Newton 
Claire Fry
Divya Silbermann
Rachel Winter
Caren and Debbie Lieberman
Cameron Miranda
Fran and David Lieberman
Debbie and Alan Goore
The Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

--

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

The last few weeks where I live, in California, have been a challenging time.  Wildfires raged in Southern and Northern California, taking lives and destroying so much (including my beloved childhood summer camp, Hess Kramer) and causing us to stay indoors or wear masks due to the unhealthy air quality.

Through it all, I found myself coming back to the lessons on choosing gratitude in this "Revisited" episode with Nancy Netherland and the dedication from my friend Lizzy Russinko. Just over a year ago, challenged by another wildfire in Sonoma County, Lizzy found reprieve in the connection and hospitality of a neighbor and made a commitment of her own to reach out.

If you, like me, are getting ready to gather with family or friends, I encourage you to find some time to listen to this episode with Nancy, to think about where you can find magic and meaning during even the most difficult times, and to join Lizzy in her commitment to pay forward kindness in some way to those who are suffering right now.

In Northern California, much needed rains have come and the air has been clearing. I'm grateful for many things…. to breath a little easier, for my family, for women like Nancy Netherland and Lizzy Russinko who inspire me with their own E.P.I.C. life stories, and for the opportunity to reflect on the meaning in my own life, with members of the Mother's Quest community like you.

Feeling thankful for so much and sending wishes for you to "choose gratitude" today too.

XOXO,

• Lizzy's story of connection and commitment amid the wildfires last year
• Resiliency and mindfulness during traumatic events
• The importance of creating magic in our lives
• "Gratituding" as a verb and how to "choose gratitude"
• Nancy's favorite book "Man's Search for Meaning"
• Advocating for your children's health
• The importance of community, especially as a caretaker
• Building deep relationships with people of differing viewpoints

• Gratitool
• Choosing Gratitude
• Hepatitis C information
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Commonweal – where Nancy learned her framework for self-care
• Clinical Trials  a site that is open to the public to find life saving clinical trials
• UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
• These Inspirational Notecards that Lizzy and her family will be passing around to her community

Building on Nancy Netherland's story, this challenge came last year from Lizzy Russinko who committed to leave note cards of encouragement and hope around town for her neighbors to find and give, as their community in Sonoma County coped with the wildfires last year. This was their little way of injecting magic and meaning into a time of significant adversity and change. Lizzy invites us to do something special to bring comfort in our neck of the woods.

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 6 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
To consciously live their version (not someone else's) of an E.P.I.C. life
To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the sessions
To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

Add your name to the wait list to be the first to find out when our Virtual Circle begins in 2019.

Join me for "Spark Your E.P.I.C. Life," a four session series of one-on-one coaching sessions based on the signature process I've been using in the Mother's Quest Circle experience.

I have space for three clients to experience an intensive, one-one-one, four-session coaching process. Could this be you?

*Do you feel like you're on the threshold of a powerful shift in your life?

*Are you ready to spark new perspectives, new ways of being, and some E.P.I.C. action of your own?

*Have you wanted to participate in the Mother's Quest Circle but the timing wasn't right or you prefer to work one-on-one?

Interested? I'd love to schedule a time to check-in about what's happening in your life and how this could support you.

Sign up for a discovery session at this link or message me some times that could work for you if you don't see something that fits your schedule.

https://mothersquest.as.me/discoverysession

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

—

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

I'm thrilled to share this episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast with mother, coach, entrepreneur and mind-body wellness expert Erin Stutland. Through her signature Shrink Session workouts and Soul Strolls, which combine principles from dance, yoga, meditation and more, Erin helps over 70,000 people in 155 countries to transform negative thinking into possibility and tap into their own inner strength. 

I bring this episode to you as I participate in Erin's free five day movement and mantra challenge. I first discovered this challenge three years ago, and ever since, her inspiring videos have become a key part of my morning practice. So, it was surreal in the best way, when I had the opportunity to talk live with Erin about movement, motherhood and her own E.P.I.C. life. 

The ability to embody leadership, to create movement in our bodies and our lives, is the gift that Erin brings to all those she reaches through her products, programs, and soon-to-be-published book Mantras in Motion.

In this conversation, I loved learning about how Erin developed these gifts from an early age, growing up in Chicago where her own mother allowed her the freedom and permission to move, play and pursue her passion for dance. Recently a mother herself, Erin brings this awareness and the gift of movement to her own baby daughter. 

There was a lightness and grounding quality in talking with Erin that I so appreciated, as we explored everything from the lesson she learned about leadership while shepherding goats in Israel to how she brought her whole self and integrity to hosting a reality television show. 

I was grateful to be immersed in Erin's perspective and challenge this week, which coincided with our mid-term elections in the United States. On election day in particular, I noticed my anxiety rising, and was able to consciously transform Erin's movement mantra of the morning "This is my time," to "This is our time," envisioning the progressive leaders I supported successfully winning their elections. 

That invitation to change my "inner landscape" as Erin calls it, through mantra and movement, made a huge difference in my outlook. A day later as I record this, I'm sitting with mixed feelings about the outcome of the election, but also a determination to move into action. 

I hope after listening today, that you, like me, are inspired by the lessons Erin has shared with us and the gift of her Soul Stroll, to get moving and stay moving toward the change in our lives and in our country that we seek. 

Much appreciation, 

P.S. Know someone who you think would appreciate this episode? Push forward and share this conversation!

• Favorite mantras that Erin and I brought to this episode as our intentions for the conversation.
• The importance of guiding from behind and moving our own egos out of the way when we parent (and what this has to do with goats!)
• The power of MOVEMENT in our lives and the impact of shifting our inner landscapes.
• How using movement can help us be more present for our children.
• Why a body at rest stays at rest, and moving is often the last thing we want to do. But, our lack of desire to get moving is not a reflection of how we'll feel once we get going.  
• Bringing consciousness to how we invest and care for ourselves and why it's natural to make different kinds of investments at different times in our lives.
• Erin's soon to be published book – "Mantras in Motion"
• What to do when you're feeling stuck, anxious, or depressed
• Erin's challenge and gift to us to make time for a "Soul Stroll"
• The story I shared with Erin about Jacob and Taekwondo that she says she'll remember

• Ep 52: Third Chapters, Raising Adults, and Loving Ourselves with Julie Lythcott-Haims
• Ep 38: Making Space and Finding Rhythm with "Kindie Rock" Star Laurie Berkner
• Ep 51: Equanimity & The Calm In the Storm with Mindful Parent Michelle Gale
• Say It. Sweat It. Get It. Free Five Day Challenge
• The Jacob and Taekwondo Video

Kari Azuma supports mothers to powerfully design their lives. Check out Kari's new program – THRESHOLD, an immersive retreat into the depths of womanhood and motherhood to reclaim your power and unleash your highest self.

Threshold

Website

Facebook Business Page

Personal Facebook Page

Instagram

For this weeks' challenge, Erin encourages us to take a Soul Stroll and discover what a 20-minute walk can do to reduce your stress and renew your perspective. You can use this free link to access your special Soul Stroll, led by Erin, with inspiring music and mantras to accompany you.

When you feel like you don't want to move, just put on your shoes, flip-flops or slippers and take a walk outside your house with no intended destination in mind, only the thought "I'm just gonna go out for a walk".

Erin is a mind-body wellness and fitness expert. She is the host and life-style coach of Z Living's cable series, Altar'd. Nominated for a Real Screen award alongside Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, the show returns for its second season this fall.

In January 2019, she is publishing her first book, Mantras in Motion: Manifesting What You Want through Mindful Movement, which explores her proprietary approach to creating meaningful change by harnessing the body's mental, physical, and spiritual energy through stories, journaling exercises, meditations and movement.

Erin is the creator of several mind-body fitness programs including her signature Shrink Session workout and Soul Strolls and has appeared on The Rachael Ray Show, People.com, Fox News, Glamour Magazine and more.

She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband Lance and daughter, Kwynn.

Learn more about Erin by visiting these links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
Pre-order her new book here

Tragically, I have now lost count of the number of mass shootings have taken place just in the time since the Women Podcasters in Solidarity selected "gun safety" as the issue we want to shine a light on this season.

Grateful to partner with Cristin Marie and Elsie Escobar on bringing this season of the Initiative to life. It is my deepest hope that through the power of podcasting: the episodes we will record, the conversations we will share with our listeners, and the dollars we will collectively raise toward gun safety causes, will save lives.

Please take a look at Cristin's post here and say "yes" to the Initiative yourself or help spread the word to reach other podcasters who would want to join.

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 10 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
To consciously live their version (not someone else's) of an E.P.I.C. life
To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the sessions
To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

If you're looking to end the year strong, now is a great time to make an investment in yourself and what matters most to you. Apply here. Application closes tomorrow!

Sign up today to come along with me on Erin's week-long challenge where she will give you super short, easy to follow workouts, that combine movement and mantras, to inspire you, physically, mentally and spiritually. During the challenge, I'll release an episode on the podcast with Erin to give you insight into her journey and why movement plays such a powerful role in her life.

A big THANK YOU to our "patrons" for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Kari Azuma
Tamara Sobomehin
Katie Krimitsos
Carrie Caulfield Arick
Rachel Rosen
Chandra Brooks
Jen Simon
Monisha Vasa
Celia Ward-Wallace
Vanessa Couto
Desiree Adaway
Rachel Steinman
Katie Hanus
Denise Barreto 
Sage B. Hobbs 
Samantha Nolan-Smith
Jody Smith
Emily Cretella
Collette Flanagan
Titilayo Tinubu Ali 
Carly Magnus Hurt
Lizzy Russinko 
Suzanne Brown
Mara Berns Langer
Mallory Schlabach 
Katharine Earhart
Jessica Kupferman
Jen Jenkins Dohner
Genese Harris
Tonya Rineer
Liane Louie-Badua
Cristin Downs 
Erin Kendall 
Niko Osoteo 
Erik Newton 
Claire Fry
Divya Silbermann
Rachel Winter
Caren and Debbie Lieberman
Cameron Miranda
Fran and David Lieberman
Debbie and Alan Goore
The Sustainable Living Podcast

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

This conversation with best-selling New York Times author and Ted talk speaker Julie Lythcott-Haims was over two years in the making and yet came just at the right time.

Author of How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success and Real American: A Memoir, Julie's interested in the human experience and writes non-fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry with the aim of helping humans thrive.

She has a JD from Harvard Law School, an MFA in writing from California College of the Arts and holds her BA in American Studies from Stanford University, where she later returned to serve as Dean of Freshman and Undergraduate Advising, among other roles.  She currently lives in Silicon Valley with her partner of more than thirty years, her two teenagers, and her mother.

Born to an African-American father and a British mother, Julie moved often in her childhood from Nigeria to New York to Wisconsin to Washington D.C., where her father was part of the Carter Administration, and then back to Wisconsin again. Along the way, she struggled to find her identity as a bi-racial woman who faced stereotypes and micro-aggressions about her blackness that sent her on a journey from self-loathing to self-love, something she reflects on with powerful honesty in her memoir.

Themes of self-exploration, self-sufficiency and service weave thread through this incredibly enriching conversation with Julie. We discuss her healing journey with her mother and how that impacts how she parents her children today. Julie shares the lessons that she learned about how to successfully raise adults from her years as the Dean at Stanford and extensive research that informs her best-selling book and popular Ted talk on the subject.

She reveals the way that she has daringly made career pivots that others thought were crazy, what's next on the horizon for her, and how she may even create her own radio show one day. And, we talk candidly about her journey to embracing self-care, about her commitment to her partner of over thirty years, and to the impact on her body and sexuality of moving toward menopause.

I was struck by Julie's continued evolution in her own awareness, and her commitment to personal growth and to pursuing her own purposeful path, parallels evident in the wisdom she holds for us about how to raise our children to be healthy adults. Finally, I'm inspired by her bold challenge to us, to look at how stereotypes and biases about black people show up in ourselves, and to do the conscious work of taking them apart.

This conversation is a powerful one that has already begun to shift my awareness. I look forward to hearing what Julie's life lessons, wisdom, and revelations shift for you when you listen. 

Much appreciation, 

P.S. Know someone who you think would appreciate this episode? Push forward and share this conversation!

• Julie's journey of healing with her mother, now 80 years old, and how a third chapter of their relationship led to reciprocal learning across three generations, between Julie's mother, Julie, and Julie's daughter.

• What happens when our egos impact our parenting and the power of realizing that we are not our kids; they're not a mini-me, a pet, a trophy or a bonsai tree. They are their own person.

• What Julie's experience as a Stanford Dean taught her about how to raise adults, including the two most essential things she learned kids need: to do chores and to be loved.

• How a commitment to life-long learning inspired Julie to make daring career pivots, from attorney to school administrator to writer.

• The three more books  that Julie knows she has inside of her.

• Julie's own evolution in her understanding of what self-care means and the ways that she invests in herself today.

• The practices Julie has committed to with her husband to keep their thirty plus year connection strong.

• The impact of peri-menopause and menopause in how we feel in our bodies and on our libido in particular, and my commitment to focus a future episode on this subject.

• The importance of becoming aware of the stereotypes we hold about black people and Julie's challenge to us to consciously undo them.

• Thriving Child Summit – Dr. Elisa Song's Summit where I first learned about Julie.
• How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
• Real American: A Memoir
• Julie's Ted Talk On How To Raise an Adult – the one Chris and I watched and then discussed with Ryan 
• Ep 05: Live your E.P.I.C. Life to Help Your Children Thrive – my conversation with Dr. Song from the Thriving Child Summit
• Ep 46: "Owning our Truth" with Renegade Mothering's Janelle Hanchett
• Women Podcasters in Solidarity where you can find the episodes I recorded on the subjects of anti-racism and police brutality 

Tamara Sobomehin, chasing the human dream, working to unleash the brilliance and potential of people by cultivating a culture of positive creation supported by the foundation of effective human and technical systems. Dedicated in honor of Tamara's mother Paula Denise Lacy.  

Street Code Academy – The organization Tamara runs with her husband Tunde. 
Recharge Ravenswood – The website to learn more about Tamara's campaign for Ravenswood City School Board. 
Team Esface – The exceptional basketball program, founded by the Sobomehin brothers, that Ryan participated in and where we first met Tamara and her family. 

For this week's challenge, I encourage you to read Julie's powerful memoir, The Real American, to explore the impact of stereotypes about black people on her life experience. Then, follow Julie's invitation to notice when stereotypes about black people kick in for us. She says, "If you're not loving black people, ask yourself why? Be interested in that. Black people are humans worthy of love, compassion and care like anybody else is. If you notice a stereotype kicks in when you see a black person, see if you can immediately say to yourself – what would I do if this was a white person? Or a person of any race other than black? When a stereotype pops up, name it and tell yourself I'm discarding it. Try interacting with that person as if they were your own brother, sister, grandmother, father, friend or family."  It's our job to acknowledge the impact of stereotypes and biases and undo it.

Julies Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 10 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

• Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
• To consciously live their version (not someone else's) of an E.P.I.C. life
• To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the sessions
• To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

If you're looking to end the year strong, now is a great time to make an investment in yourself and what matters most to you. Apply here. 

Say It. Sweat It. Get It. Challenge

Sign up today to come along with me on Erin's week-long challenge where she will give you super short, easy to follow workouts, that combine movement and mantras, to inspire you, physically, mentally and spiritually. During the challenge, I'll release an episode on the podcast with Erin to give you insight into her journey and why movement plays such a powerful role in her life.

Starts Mon. Nov. 5th! Sign up Today!

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

Hello and welcome to this episode with mindfulness educator, corporate trainer, podcast host and author of "Mindful Parenting in a Messy World," Michelle Gale. 

This conversation, rooted in how to bring more equanimity to our lives–finding our center of calm in the storm–came to me just when I needed it most, during a start to my fall season marked by big school transitions for my children, travel away from home, and supporting my family after my father's bypass heart surgery. 

In the midst of all of that, it was such a gift to have this time with Michelle, whose journey brought her from working in technology startups like Twitter to a deep dive in mindfulness training. Michelle draws on that training today as an advisor to organizations like Wisdom 2.0, in trainings with corporations like Disney and Google, for summits and workshops for parents that she organizes, and as a parent with her own two boys at home. 

An awareness of our impact in the day to day, through being a mindful parent, is something that Michelle embodies in her own parenting, in the appreciation she describes for her own mother, a single parent who adopted Michelle at the age of four months old, and in the ways that she makes mindfulness relatable and accessible to those she teaches. 

I learned so much from Michelle in the time we spent together, about answering our own calls for life-long learning, about slowing down, raising our awareness and making the implicit explicit, of the importance of bringing compassion, especially during times of transition, and how to draw on our experience as mothers as a source of learning and transformation.  

When we began, I asked Michelle to lead us through a Three Breath Practice which I heard her share about on Deborah Reber's TILT Parenting Podcast. The practice became the bookends for this episode, the opening that allowed us each to make intentions for our time together, and the challenge that Michelle invites us to integrate into our lives. 

As you listen to this episode, I invite you to slow down by taking your own three breaths with us, tap into Michelle's intention for finding "equanimity," your center in the midst of chaos, and open yourself to Michelle's wisdom. If you do, I'm certain you'll find more of your calm in the storm and connect more fully to your own mindful parenting in a messy world. 

• The Three Breath Practice and how I've begun using it to help me make better decisions about how to use my time.

• The concept of "equanimity" and the importance of creating awareness and space for our discomfort so that we can come back to our center.

• Michelle's appreciation for  "Attachment Theory" through the lens of her own experience being adopted at the age of four months. Also the realization that she doesn't have a newborn photo and how that drove her inquiry about who was mothering her before she was adopted.

• Michelle's journey to mindfulness and how she roots her practice in the day to day experience of mothering, especially in the challenging moments, like when our children can't fall asleep alone or when they struggle with homework.

• Michelle's ritual before sitting down to do creative work that she has introduced to her children as well before they do homework.

• Michelle's passion for changing the landscape of how corporations think about supporting parents and the E.P.I.C. snapshot moment that happened for Michelle during a training at Macy's.

• How her experience in circle and community enabled Michelle to call more of that connection into her life and more about the tools she uses to "call in".

• How Michelle is bringing her mindfulness practices to her health, especially as she navigates the transition to menopause and the hormonal swings and changes that come with it.

Tilt Parenting Podcast: Michelle Gale on the Power of Mindful Parenting in a Messy World

The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less by Christine Carter

Jonathan Field's Good Life Project Community where Michelle and I first connected

Wisdom 2.0

Katie Krimitsos, CEO & Founder at Biz Women Rock and the Women's Meditation Network and the host of the Meditation for Women Podcast. Katie's beautiful dedication shines a light, through the example of her mother Linda, of the ways we can make an impact in our day to day lives through being a mindful, loving parent. 

You can connect with Katie on Facebook,  Instagram or through her website.

Michelle encourages us to find a place in our life where we can consciously use the 3 Breaths Practice that she modeled in the episode. The practice includes: 

1. Focusing on your breath coming in and out
2. Letting your body relax; and,
3. Asking yourself, what's really important and what really matters? 

By noticing an area of our lives that needs more consciousness (like reaching for our phone for distraction for instance) and using this practice, we can invite more intentionality, awareness, connection, and equanimity into our lives.

Michelle Gale is the podcast host and author of the book "Mindful Parenting in a Messy World",  a mindfulness teacher, executive coach and a corporate trainer. She works in corporations, schools and communities teaching and speaking to fellow parents about mindful parenting.
 

Michelle's Website

Facebook

Twitter

Michelle's Mindful Parenting Resource List

I'm so excited to be part of a special program, Journey to Right Livelihood as a learner. And as an affiliate, I'll also offer Mother's Quest bonuses to deepen the experience for members of my community who decide to come along too.

If you're interested, you can learn more at this link and also come over to my private facebook group, where I had a conversation with the founder, and one of my teachers and mentors, Lindsay Pera. It's not too late to join us!

Click www.mothersquest.com/community to request to join and listen to our conversation 

Expert advice to find more peace, ease, presence and spaciousness in your family through the Online Conference hosted by Michelle and a phenomenal group of mindfulness experts. Learn more and purchase the conversations if you choose by visiting the site here.

If you're on a quest to live an E.P.I.C. life, but you've been feeling challenged, isolated, or unsure of the path ahead, the Mother's Quest Circle may be the source of connection you're looking for.

The Mother's Quest Circle provides inspiration, coaching and community for an intimate group of no more than 10 women who are ready to say "yes" to:

• Reflect together, in a community of like-minded mothers, on what matters most
• To consciously live a more E.P.I.C. life
• To take bold action toward one of the E.P.I.C. life guideposts before the end of the session
• To hold space for sharing, coaching, and championing one another so we are "in community" on our journey

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

---

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/

Welcome to another new episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast, one I'm sharing after a short break, so I could focus on transitioning my children into the new academic year, welcoming in the Jewish New Year and supporting my parents as my father recovers from bypass heart surgery (he is doing much better and already plotting to get back on the golf course!)

During this time of reflection and connection to family, it feels right to bring forward this episode on ancestry with Nicka Smith, a professional photographer, speaker, host, and documentarian with more than 19 years of experience as a genealogist. 

I learned about Nicka through my friend and previous podcast guest Jenjii Hysten, one of Nicka's biggest cheerleaders, who regularly acknowledges Nicka's expertise in African ancestored genealogy and her ability to connect young people to their ancestry. Nicka's experience and accomplishments are vast: she has edited and designed volumes of family history that include narratives, photos, and genealogical information and is the host of BlackProGen LIVE, an innovative web show focused on people of color genealogy and family history.

Using Nicka's life experience, this episode goes deep in how to give ourselves permission to step into becoming our own family historians, the importance of connecting the threads of our ancestors to who we are today, the challenges and emotions involved in tracing genealogy for African American people whose ancestors were enslaved, and the idea that we can become today the ancestors we aspire to be for our descendants by taking the political and social action our times demand. 

With Nicka's guidance, I've started the process of connecting the threads of my ancestors. To be honest, I was a little skeptical that I would find anything particularly interesting. But, while visiting my parents in Los Angeles, my mother and I stayed up late on the couch looking on ancestry.com at documents connected to her mother, my grandmother, Ruth. 

My mother shared details about Ruth's life in a previous episode's dedication, that I'll link in the show notes. We knew that her mother had married (what we say in Yiddush) a "nogoodnick" who left my grandmother destitute with three young girls to raise on her own. 

That night on the couch, we found a strange named document connected to my grandmother's records titled Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York City. We clicked on the link and soon saw evidence that my grandmother and her youngest sister had been left in the care of an orphanage. But that some time after, my great grandmother, came back to get them. My grandmother, who was only 2 at the time, never spoke of this to us and may not have known.  But now my mother and I know that our ancestor, against the odds, found a way to reunited with her children. Had she not, my grandmother's fate would surely have been different, and my mother and I might not have been here today. 

I know now that my discoveries as my family historian are just beginning. I hope this episode and what I uncovered about my great grandmother give you permission to step into becoming your family historian, to explore the untold stories of your ancestors, and to weave the threads between yourself, your ancestors and your descendants, that will help you more fully live your E.P.I.C. life. 

Much appreciation,
Julie Neale

• How a simple hobby back in college turned out to be Nicka's passion and purpose in life.
• The diverse community and landscape that shaped Nicka's worldview
• The layers to Nicka's "genealogical cake" including revelations she learned about her family ancestry: the Native American blood in her family, the fact that her great great grandfather was legally married to a white woman in the late 1800's, and that her ancestors were enslaved on the same plantation for more than 30 years by a slave-owner from western Massachusetts.
• Nicka's ancestor who took great risks to advocate for his birthright as a Cherokee Freedmen to the Committee on Indian Affairs and the impact that had on Nicka.
• How Nicka's 3 year old son teaches her to experiment and to explore new experiences
• How we can use tools like ancestry.com and a database of documents to help us explore our lineage..
• The life-long trauma experienced still by Nicka's grandmother's grandmother, in her 90's,  from being forcibly separated from your parents during their enslavement and how that connects to the children separated at the border today.
• The case of Plessy vs. Ferguson and how the descendants of slaves and slave owners now unite to fight for civil rights 
• The threads that connect us to who we are across generations and the ways that Nicka's ancestors activism have shaped her own.
• Nicka's challenge for me and for you to step into the role of family historian 

Nicka's Website

Black ProGenLive  – Nicka's YouTube show with twice monthly broadcasts feature a panel from BlackProGen and friends discussing a myriad of topics in the world of genealogy.

Coming to the Table Post about Researching Slaveholding and Slave Trading Ancestry

Birthright: 8 Generations of Cherokee Freedmen and Our Story of Redemption

Plessy and Ferguson: Descendants of a divisive Supreme Court decision unite to create a civil rights organization

Ancestry.com – start here to set up an account and step into your own role as a family historian

Family History Is at the Heart of Pixar's Coco

Kamala Harris' remarks on Separating Families at the Border and How We Will Be Judged Harshly

Episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast with the dedication from my mother to my grandmother Ruth

Episode with my father David Lieberman, inspired by an oral history and genealogy workshop I attended

Carrie Caulfield Arick, the founder of Ya Ya Podcasting, a company that helps podcasters put their best voice forward. She's spent over ten years putting together her own family tree and assists her father, historian at Seabreeze Park in Rochester, NY piece together the stories of notable park guests and employees through genealogical research.

You can connect with Carrie on Facebook,  Instagram or through her website.

Nicka challenges everyone to give yourself permission to step into the role of family historian. Sign up for an account with ancestry.com and begin with yourself to trace your family tree backward. Investigate to trace your own lineage and see how history repeats itself.

Take a deep dive, and ask yourself these questions: How did we get here? Who immigrated? Why? And apply that to your present.

We start today, Thursday September 26th!! 

I'm so excited to embark on this program, Journey to Right Livelihood as a learner. And as an affiliate, I'll also be offering Mother's Quest bonuses to deepen the experience for members of my community who decide to come along too.

If you're interested, you can learn more at this link and also come over to my private facebook group, where I had a conversation with the founder, and one of my teachers and mentors, Lindsay Pera.

Click www.mothersquest.com/community to request to join and listen to our conversation 

Read the blog post HERE

If you'd like to make a contribution to Mother's Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to "dedicate" an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

—

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/