Shameless Leadership

Megan Flatt is a Shameless Mom to her son Brady who is 9.5 and her daughter Rylan who is 7. She is also a business growth strategist for female entrepreneurs, specifically mom entrepreneurs, who want to lead thriving businesses while remaining present for all the other important things in their lives. Megan believes women make great business owners because we are mothers, not in spite of it. You can almost always find her with a latte in hand, a stack of post-it notes at the ready and a random lego figure in her pocket. Like me, Megan had a come-to-Jesus kinda moment when her children were very small and she realized she needed to make some changes in her professional life, as well as get over some long-standing beliefs she held around being a stay at home mom vs working mom. This conversation is fun and inspiring. I am so delighted to be connected to Megan. I love her mission and message and I think it will resonate strongly with so many of you. Get ready – Megan is going to get you fired up about your mama superpowers!Listen in to hear Megan share: Our mutual love of school supplies, post-it notes, and organizational ideas Her dream of being a SAHM vs her reality All about the Mama Advantage and the data supporting it How to find and protect your Grade A time How (and why) to build a platform, not a pedestal How to manage your Decision Budget Links Mentioned: Connect with Megan: Meganflatt.com Freebie: Manage your week on your terms with Megan’s workflow template Thank you to our sponsors: Canvas People: To get a FREE 11x14 canvas print (just pay shipping) of any of your photos, text SHAMELESS to 99000. Canidae: We talk about families, and your pet is an important part of your family and they deserve the best. Go to www.canidae.com/podcast to try CANIDAE for free by requesting a free sample and get other special offers! Weebly: Build a beautiful website and a successful online business with Weebly. Go to Weebly to get 15% off your first purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On my recent girls trip to Sedona, a hot topic came up about being a moderator vs an abstainer. This conversation was inspired by two of the women I was with sharing their experiences feeling overwhelmed when trying to moderate alcohol and food in their life.One woman shared her story of giving up alcohol two years ago because it had become so exhausting to manage her relationship with it. She found herself constantly negotiating with herself about when she would drink, how much she would drink and her struggle to maintain boundaries that felt good to her. She ultimately gave alcohol up all together – which felt terrifying at the time. She equated it to a breaking up with a boyfriend. Two years later she can see how much freedom she has regained in choosing to be an abstainer when it comes to alcohol. Another friend shared her struggle with consistently making food choices that support her goals. She talked about the struggles she has when she allows herself to indulge in treats but then finds it taking days, weeks, sometimes months to get back into food routines that support her health goals.Like the friend who struggled with alcohol, this woman finds her relationship with food to be consuming to the point of often being exhausting and overwhelming. Perhaps abstaining from indulgences would be more liberating??There is a lot of societal messaging around moderation. But for some people, moderation is actually much harder work that abstaining from something all together.Often the “treats” we try to enjoy in moderation make us feel worse instead of better – even though we think the indulgence will feel fantastic in the moment. If the aftermath is fraught with regret, remorse, and frustration, then moderation is not really an effective habit, is it?In this episode, I dive more deeply into this conversation and into some of Gretchen Rubin’s teachings on the topic of moderating vs abstaining. It’s pretty fascinating. I think you’ll find it interesting and helpful if you ever struggle with maintaining habits that best support your goals.Please share this with other Shameless Moms in your life who might find value in this conversation.Links Mentioned: SMA Ep 200 with Gretchen Rubin: The Four Tendencies Article: Gretchen Rubin on Abstainer vs Moderator Thank you to our sponsors: Prep Dish: To get your first two weeks of paleo/gluten free meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists for free, go to Prep Dish. Canvas People: To get a FREE 11x14 canvas print (just pay shipping) of any of your photos, go to Canvas People and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gina Fresquez, MS, CHC, Clarity and Confidence coach and #1 international best selling author, is the founder of The Women’s Side Hustle Society, where she is committed to empowering ambitious, soulful side-hustling women to bring their biggest entrepreneurial dreams to life in a way that’s infused with confidence, joy, ease, and freedom—without having to sacrifice their health, sanity, or lifestyle.After spending many years in corporate sales and nutrition, Gina’s dream of becoming an entrepreneur came true in 2012, when she started her first side hustle. Since then she has enjoyed the journey of strategically and intuitively coaching her clients through mitigating fears, breakthroughs, transitions, and transformations of building a successful business in a way that feels good to them. Gina accomplishes this through one-on-one coaching, masterminds, and women’s retreats. She also loves sharing stories of other amazing, successful side-hustling women on her podcast, Women’s Side Hustle Society.Gina is also a Shameless Mom to 3-year-old Ezra who was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder 6 months ago. Gina had long wondered why Ezra’s behavior was such a departure from her and her husband’s calm, chill ways. After a powerful conversation with a preschool teacher, Gina took action to learn more about how Ezra learns and experiences the world and it’s changed her as a mom. Listen in to hear Gina share: Her experience parenting a child with SPD – the signs, the treatment, and daily coping Learning self-regulation with SPD Why she walked away from a corporate job she loved How her side hustling resulted in her becoming an international best selling author How you can go about finding your own soulful side hustle How to “take the stairs” instead of taking a risky leap into new territory Links Mentioned: Website: ginafresquez.com Free book: 21 Tips to Time Freedom Book: Women Who Influence Podcast: Women’s Side Hustle Society Gina on Facebook Gina on Instagram Join the Women’s Side Hustle Society Facebook group  Thank you to our sponsors: Canidae: We talk about families, and your pet is an important part of your family and they deserve the best. Go to www.canidae.com/podcast to try CANIDAE for free by requesting a free sample and get other special offers! Weebly: Build a beautiful website and a successful online business with Weebly. Go to Weebly to get 15% off your first purchase. Care.com: Save 30% off your Care.com Premium Membership by going to www.care.com/shamelessmom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last weekend I got to spend 4 days with friends from high school. We had not all been together for any length of time in 24 years. It was magic.A few nights after I returned, I attended a happy hour with a bunch of preschool moms from Vinnie’s class. Also, magic.These two events, while very different, had a lot of similarities. This got me thinking about the value of friendships and how we can find them and fuel them.Listen in to hear me share the 3 C’s of friendship: Connection Camaraderie Curiosity I address each C and dive into how you can use it to deepen the friendships in your life. I also give you some solid pointers on finding friendships and connections if this is a struggle for you. This is a good one – one worth sharing. Please share this episode with the other Shameless Moms in your life. If we all have more Connection, Camaraderie, and Curiosity in our relationships, the world would be a better place.Links Mentioned: SMA Ep 118 with Shasta Nelson: How to Deepen Friendships, Health & Happiness Book: Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown Thank you to our sponsors: Lola: Get 100% organic tampons delivered right to your door for 40% off. Go to Lola and use the code SHAMELESS40 at checkout. Bioclarity: Get your first month for $9.95 + free shipping. That’s a $20 savings! Go to Bioclarity and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kym Campbell is the creator of the free 30 Day PCOS Diet Challenge and The Beat PCOS 10 Week Program where she seeks to help women overcome their PCOS diagnosis by applying evidence-based approaches to food, exercise, and emotional wellness practices.After having struggled with health issues since her early teens, it wasn’t until her 30’s when she began struggling with infertility that Kym was diagnosed with PCOS. After a long journey of completely transforming her health through diet and lifestyle changes, Kym fell pregnant naturally after years of failed IVF treatments.When not busy supporting women with PCOS, Kym’s other passions include writing and recording music, surfing, and spending quality time with her husband and her 10-month-old son.PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is much more common than you might think and many women go undiagnosed despite their symptoms of irregular periods, unexplained weight gain, hormonal imbalances and more.One of the great things about a PCOS diagnosis is that it is often very treatable through lifestyle changes, rather than long-term medications (that come with lots of side effects). Kym talks in depth about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.It is very likely that someone close to you struggles with PCOS – perhaps undiagnosed. For those who go undiagnosed, there is often a tremendous amount of shame around their symptoms and their bodies that seem like they are failing them at times. If you think this episode might be helpful to a friend or family member, please share it with them.Listen in to hear Kym share: Kym’s story about the impact of PCOS on her life Common symptoms, struggles, and health concerns around PCOS How PCOS impacts fertility The 3 pronged approach to treating and managing PCOS long term The most common missing link in treating PCOS  Links Mentioned: The Free 30 Day PCOS Diet Challenge Kym’s blog - http://www.smartfertilitychoices.com/ The Beat PCOS 10 Week Program Kym’s PCOS Support Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors: Weebly: Build a beautiful website and a successful online business with Weebly. Go to Weebly to get 15% off your first purchase. Canidae: We talk about families, and your pet is an important part of your family and they deserve the best. Go to CANIDAE to try CANIDAE for free by requesting a free sample and get other special offers! Casper: Get $50 toward select mattresses by visiting Casper and using code SHAMELESS at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you struggle with chronic worry or anxiety, it is very likely you go through life spending more time dreading what lies ahead than dreaming about the magic you may be about to encounter. Can you relate?As someone who has made it my lifelong, full-time job to worry about everything (I mean everrrrrything), I can tell you I have wasted a lot of time and energy dreading, well, life.And it has been a total waste.Dread doesn’t serve you. At all.Dread doesn’t make your outcomes better. It doesn’t get you to your goals faster. It doesn’t make anything enjoyable.Dread makes you feel powerless, exhausted and often defeated – before you’ve even tried taking action. Like I said – a TOTAL waste.On the other hand, dreaming is expansive and promising. It helps you feel optimistic, hopeful, inspired and energized.Dreaming about your day instead of dreading it can change the way you approach a situation, the way you take action, and the outcomes that you create for yourself.So, how do we go from dreading to dreaming???Listen in to this episode to learn how to: Change hopelessness into hopefulness Visualize a future you’re totally fired up about (whether it’s just getting through today or powering through the next 5 years) Turn anxiety into action. Thank you to out sponsors: Canvas People: To get a FREE 11x14 canvas print (just pay shipping) of any of your photos, text SHAMELESS to 99000. Tula: TULA is the first skincare company to combine probiotics with other key ingredients to address all your skin’s needs. To get 20% off your order go to Tula and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate Swoboda (aka Kate Courageous) is a Shameless Mom to her three and a half year old daughter, the Director of the Courageous Living Coach Certification and creator of YourCourageousLife.com, where she teaches people how to change old patterns of self-doubt and create courageous habits (and courageous lives) using the neuropsychology of habit-formation. She helps individuals who feel stuck start connecting to their most courageous selves, and she helps companies to create more innovative office cultures where teams at every level feel valued for their contribution to the whole.Kate was deemed one of the top 50 bloggers in health, fitness, and happiness by Greatist. She has contributed to Entrepreneur, USA Today, Forbes, Lifetime Moms, The Intelligent Optimist, MindBodyGreen, Business Insider, and more.Kate works with companies, teams, and individuals around the topic of courage as it relates to personal development, releasing overwhelm, business and marketing, money mindset, wellness, increasing emotional resilience, and healthy goal-setting using habit-formation techniques.Her first book, The Courage Habit: How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life (New Harbinger Publications) has just come out and you’ll definitely want to order it after hearing this interview.Kate and I dug into a lot of great topics here, but I think I was most delighted by one her response to my final question, “What makes you a Shameless Mom?” Make sure you pay special attention to that!Listen in to hear Kate share: How to get out of fear-based patterns and habits How to incorporate courage based habits Her thoughts around perfectionism, pessimism, martydom, self-sabotage 4 essential behaviors that cultivate courage and emotional resilience Why fear thrives in isolation and how to find your community How to get around the fear of shining too brightly in your life Links Mentioned:Kate on FacebookKate on InstagramKate on Twitter Kate on PinterestProgram: The Courageous Living ProgramCertification: The Courageous Living Coach CertificationProgram: The Coaching Blueprint digital marketing programBook: The Courage HabitFree resources for listeners/viewers: Your Courageous LifeThank you to our sponsors: Songfinch: Create a personalized song for a special person or occasion using the Songfinch platform of over 300 professional musicians. To get 10% off your Personalized Song From Scratch, go to Songfinch and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Efy Tal: For beautiful jewelry, you will never want to take off, go to Efy Tal and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout to save 25% of your entire order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I made a major life decision and transition a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to share it with you today, as it very much impacts our future together in the Shameless Mom Academy!Today I talk you through how I made the big, terrifying, overwhelming, and very responsible decision to sell my gym, Sync Fitness.I share why you should not wait until your fully ready for change before you make big moves.I walk you through how you can prove your strength, power, and resiliency to yourself so you can feel inspired to take on new challenges.I teach you the value of leaning into all things exciting and scary – and why these are very specifically the thing you must lean into!Warning: this episode may just inspire you to go take a flying leap! JThank you to our sponsors: Weebly: Build a beautiful website and a successful online business with Weebly. Go to Weebly to get 15% off your first purchase. Bluum: Join a monthly subscription box for pregnancy through preschool. Bluum boxes are curated for your child’s age and stage and continue to grow with your child as they get older. Go to Bluum and use the code SHAMLELESS at checkout to get a free box with any 6 or 12-month subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I recently got an email from Shameless Mama Megan about her experience taking a stand against sexual abuse against children that is happening in the LDS church.Megan shares how she stood up for herself and her beliefs even though her entire family did not have her back. She stood up through tears and discomfort. She used her voice even when it was shaky. She didn’t back down, even when that would have been the easiest way out.Megan’s story is a powerful example of how practicing using your voice can change your life. Megan identifies herself as an introvert and a typically quiet person. But now she is also a marcher, a truth teller, an advocate, and a podcast celeb (after thousands of people hear her story here!) Thank you for letting me share your story, Megan. Your voice matters. Your voice is NEEDED. Keep speaking, sister. It only gets more powerful, life-changing, and life-giving from here.Listen in to hear Megan’s full story that is guaranteed to light a fire in you this week. Then, will take you through 4 ways to build your own stage, just like Megan did. I will also give you 10 warnings around what to expect when you build your stage, so you aren’t surprised when your knees shake – and you can look forward to the exhilaration that comes with owning your voice.Links Mentioned: Protect LDS Children Facebook page SMA Ep 69: How to Be A Nasty Woman Thank you to our sponsors: Butcherbox: For grass fed beef, organic chicken and heritage breed pork delivered to your door go to Butcher Box and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout to get FREE bacon and $20 off your first box. Weebly: Build a beautiful website and a successful online business with Weebly. Go to Weebly to get 15% off your first purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah K Peck is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. She hosts the weekly Startup Pregnant podcast, and she and her husband are the instigators behind More Women’s Voices, a website that promotes women speakers and entrepreneurs.She’s a 20-time All-American swimmer who successfully swam the Escape from Alcatraz nine separate times, once wearing only a swim cap and goggles to raise $33k for charity: water. To date, she’s written for more than 75 different web publications and has delivered speeches and workshops at Penn, UVA, Berkeley, Harvard, Year of the X, Craft & Commerce, WDS, and more. She’s currently writing a memoir of her experience working in the tech startup world while she was pregnant with her first kid.Sarah is full of energy and passion around her messaging for moms and entrepreneurs. She is also very realistic and reasonable. She has simplified her life to make her dreams and desires very clear. By living with less, she has been able to create more for herself and her family on every level. Listen in to hear Sarah share: Why she left a startup to start her own startup early in motherhood How she created time and money for herself to afford starting her own business (and some super simple budgeting tips!) How to do less in order to accomplish more Why you need to write your personal philosophy and how to make it actionable and not too “fluffy” Links Mentioned: Connect with Sarah: Sarah K Peck Startup Pregnant: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Twitter Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Thank you to our sponsors: Songfinch: Create a personalized song for a special person or occasion using the Songfinch platform of over 300 professional musicians. To get 10% off your Personalized Song From Scratch, go to Songfinch and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Canvas People: To get a FREE 11x14 canvas print (just pay shipping) of any of your photos, text SHAMELESS to 99000. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices