Hi!

You know what it feels like to be stretched thin. You know burn-out. Overwhelm. Stress. It seems like there’s this never-ending list of to-dos and things that must get done: the kids off to school, switch that load of laundry before it starts to smell in the washer, hopefully, get it folded before it wrinkles in the dryer (let's be real, that's not happening), put gas in the car, make dinner, and for the love of all things fresh and clean, take a freaking shower. Combine that with the never-ending questions...please dear God, make it stop. I just might explode or wither away right here, right now.

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The core of this episode is self-love. But it's also So. Much. More. Self-love is explored as the way to remedy, to reverse, to repay, the costs we've been paying in trying to manage other people's happiness. It's about getting radically honest with ourselves about what we need. Then honoring those needs by getting responsible for meeting them on our own. It's not about a guilty responsibility but rather an empowered responsibility. It's not "you should take responsibility for yourself", but more "you get to be responsible for yourself". It's your path to the exact experience of life you want. It's freedom. And self-love is what allows you to choose that path. Because you have to love yourself in order to choose to give yourself what you need & to create what you want.

Self-love & personal responsibility are the powerhouse combo that allows thriving. That create the life you want. And isn't that what we all want?

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Hi there! I can't wait to share Amanda Jane Turner with you in today's episode! She is a wife, Mom of 2 and a mindset & leadership coach for ambitious women who are ready to reclaim their lives.

Amanda’s so full of wisdom & has such a calm, easy demeanor that I could listen to her talk all day long. The way she explains is so easy to understand and she shares some unique perspectives that I know you’re going to love.

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Welcome back! In this episode, Irene asks us to consider the concept of who we are being as the path to bettering our experience, to creating change. If you haven't listened to Episode 12: Why it feels so hard to react differently, it's worth a listen, as today's episode builds on that one.

Many of us desire SO hard to parent peacefully & respectfully but struggle to do it in real life. We get so triggered by our children. All day long. So we attempt to control them & their behavior so that we can be calm.

But hang on, aren't we the adults here?

To be who we want to be takes effort, practice, discipline. On our part. What if instead of trying to control our external environment, we focus inward creating the experience we desire from the inside out? Regardless of the circumstances. What if we took ultimate personal responsibility for ourselves? Our actions, our emotional states & our experiences? While simultaneously letting go of the responsibility for these in others?

Some big shifts would happen.

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Hi! So glad you're here! In this episode, Irene gets to talk with Diji Shujahi. Diji is a proud mother of 2 beautiful teenage girls, and she shares with us her fascinating journey from an arranged marriage at a young age, living a life that was expected of her to where she is now, the managing partner of a successful international Events and Media company, living her dreams. Her main message: follow your passions unapologetically. Stop feeling guilty. This doesn't mean you having to be a mama with a career. If you want to be home with your kids, do it. But do it because you want to. Because you love it. In other words, find a way to do what you love with your time & energy because that will make you happy. And that's what your kids need. A happy mom.

Yes, Diji, yes!!! SO much yes! Our children will not remember all the individual sacrifices we made along the way. But they will remember the energy of the home. Was it a joyful one? Or did we make sacrifices that they didn’t ask us nor want us to make, creating resentful energy in the home?

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Let's face it. Feeding our children can feel like a daunting task at times.

Feeding them healthy? Even more daunting. Honestly, sometimes just feeding myself regularly is too hard. Insert quick, convenient, junk food. Somehow food got so much more complicated as a Mom.

Is it easy to neglect this area of our lives? Definitely. Most of us do, myself included at times. Zero judgment. But needing to eat & feeding our children isn't going away, so it serves us to take a good look at what's important to us around food & meal times. And because we do food all the time, it is vital that it works for us. There simply cannot be fighting, pressure, drama at every mealtime. That just might kill me.

This is exactly why Irene brought Jamie Truppi, a friend & functional nutritionist, on today's episode to talk about all of this. For moms just like me.

This episode is, at once, liberating (you get to do it your way) and totally practical. It isn't necessarily about changing what you eat. It's more about honoring what Jamie calls our Food Values. The perspective she offers has been SO helpful for me and I think it might be for you too. It makes SO MUCH SENSE.

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Get excited guys!! Life + Marriage Coach for Moms, Michelle Purta is here. She's a wife, stepmom, and mom of three kids. She helps women who have lost themselves to motherhood, want to be happier, and LOVE their life & marriage again. She coaches moms on how to stop living life on autopilot and start living life on purpose, deepen their connection to themselves, and strengthen their marriage.

She is refreshingly straight forward saying what you may not want to hear but need to. I absolutely loved talking with her, as she dropped nuggets of golden wisdom throughout. Ready to save, improve, or up-level your marriage? This episode is for you...

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Hey there! Today's episode is all about change & why it's so hard. When I say change, I mean us changing. It's the swearing to yourself as you lay your head down at night, that tomorrow you'll be more patient with your kids. Tomorrow you won't yell at them. Tomorrow you'll respond with love & respect instead of reacting in anger when they are pushing your buttons at every single turn. But then tomorrow comes & it's a repeat of the day before complete with guilt & shame that you just can't seem to get it together. Let's dive in...

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Hello Moms:) I am excited to bring you today's episode with Aliza Buyarski. Aliza is a mom of 3, one of which is a high energy child. She's challenged day in and day out by the excessive energy & shenanigans that he comes up with. She understands what you may be going through when others around you don’t, and is here to support both you and your child to succeed. Sometimes that's all we need, isn't it? A little support.

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Hi there!  Okay, today is a juicy one.  It's part 3 of 3 on boundaries & it's all about boundaries in parenting.  If you haven't listened to episodes 8 & 9 make sure to go back and give a listen.  They'll lay the foundation for what I talk about today. 

I truly believe when we can shift our perspective on boundaries, it makes them more successful & easier to set.  Let's dig in.

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Ah, boundaries.  They can be tricky, can't they?  Especially when setting them within our relationships.  It can feel SO much easier to just not even deal with them.  But, they are necessary for healthy relationships.  And when we can shift our perspective to seeing them for what they really are: supportive & fortifying for our relationships they get a little easier to navigate.  What can often be overlooked is that how we create & set boundaries affects our well-being & the likelihood of success with them.  Let's dive in...

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Buckle up, Moms.  Today I'm talking boundaries.  Actually, I'll be talking boundaries for the next 3 weeks.  That's how important they are.  In fact, vital to healthy relationships.  Today I talk about why they feel SO hard.  Which is one of the reasons why so many of us don't hold them.  Or at least don't hold them well.  Let's dig into why this is and why boundaries are SO important.  My intention is for you to be inspired to begin some boundary work of your own. 

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Hello and welcome back! I’m so jazzed to dive into today's topic. It's all about connected empowered communication. Do you ever feel at a complete loss on how to get through to your partner? Your child? You talk and talk and yet it seems to go nowhere. Well, my friend, this episode is for you. We’re going to talk about how you’re sabotaging your relationships through communication, what to look out for, and how to cultivate connected communication. I can't emphasize this enough: This is a relationship game-changer.

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I’m SO excited to share today’s episode with the amazing Alison Jamison. She’s a life & confidence coach who helps us understand the importance of cultivating our inner confidence. She helps misfits slay their inner critics, create kick-ass confidence, and take action to be the heroes of their own stories.

She helps her clients let go of their baggage, claim confidence, and complete the quest of making their dreams come true. We talk all about self-doubt...where it comes from, the inevitability of it & how what we do with it is what really matters. Alison is a firm believer that teaching & modeling self-confidence is one of the best gifts we can give to our children.

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Kelly shared with me her story of radically transforming her life when she made changing how she interacted with her stress a priority. She had been living with severe physical manifestations of her chronic stress. Her stress had been compounding and accumulating in her body for years as she was trying desperately to juggle all the balls. It began to come out in physical symptoms.

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Hi friends! Thriving in motherhood means thriving in all your relationships. When you have a partner, that relationship is vital to your well-being. In this episode, I'm applying a lot of the same perspectives & ideas that I've shared to the partner relationship. If you're not currently involved in a romantic partnership, I invite you to consider any close relationship in your life. What I share with you has been a game-changer for my marriage. With an open mind, I trust that you will see your partner & yourself a bit differently after listening to this one. It might just be what you need to hear.

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Because we WILL get it wrong. A lot. Probably way more than we’re going to get it right. When we accept that we can see every experience as an opportunity to learn & grow instead of proof that we are failing, we accept it all as part of the journey and can move forward.

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The stress response is a primal one. It isn't going away. Yet, when the goal is to simply try and have more patience when faced with a triggering situation, we will at some point always fall short. This is patience fatigue. Patience fatigue comes because we're using up our reserves all day. Our trigger for reactivity gets shorter and shorter as the day goes on. No wonder bedtime sucks. There will never be enough patience. This is why it's time to change the approach.

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Let's get this party started! I am so completely jazzed to jump into this inaugural episode of The Thrive in Motherhood Podcast! I believe I get to thrive and I want my children to thrive.

These don't have to be mutually exclusive. Yet, how many of us are giving to depletion? Taking care of everyone while losing ourselves. You want to be in the "Good Moms Club" and you're stuck trying to figure out what that actually means all the while losing pieces of yourself.

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