Shameless Leadership

A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast interview with Brene Brown and Jim Collins and she shared this quote from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, “Uncertainty is chronic. Instability is permanent. Disruption is common.” Hearing this made me so mad that I immediately stopped listening. I later returned to the interview because I knew this was a lesson I needed to learn. A lesson around embracing change - and especially about embracing change as a constant.  This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Embrace Change in order to manage your mindset in a world that seems to be evolving much faster than we can keep up with! ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nadia Ahrens is a psychotherapist and spiritual life coach. A graduate of Columbia University, she's been helping women heal for over twenty years. Nadia believes that we all struggle and have trauma and tragedy to grow from, herself included. She shares her experience of losing her eight-year-old son in 2016, so she can be a beacon for others. Along with working 1:1 with her clients, she also leads workshops, online groups, and retreats. Nadia is also a hypnotherapist and uses this creative and spiritual modality in her work. Using a blend of clinical expertise and hypnotherapy, she helps women turn their wounds into wisdom.I have worked with Nadia personally and referred others to her as well. Her work is so transformational. I am so excited to share her magic with you all. Listen in to hear Nadia share: How to be intentional about how to give the best of us, not the rest of us How she managed the grief of losing her son Jack when he was 8 years old How she shifted from waiting to die to choosing to live after Jack’s death Why she made herself sit in the black hole of grief before she started making her way out How to check in on a grieving friend in a thoughtful and intentional way The concept of soul work especially as you navigate hard moments or season The importance of holding space for “this is happening for me” vs “this is happening to me” What hypnotherapy is and what it is not - the myths and the truth around this powerful form of trauma healing Links Mentioned: Connect with Nadia: nadiaahrenscoaching.com Get details on Nadia’s Fall Retreat: email nadia.ahrens@gmail.com Nadia on FB  Nadia on IG FB Group We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WHO YOU ARE ANYWHERE IS WHO YOU ARE EVERYWHERE.Who are you when you don’t have anything to gain?Who are you when no one is watching?Who are you when someone who has less than you needs something you have?Who are you when you see someone struggling?Who are you when there is an opportunity to share your time and resources?Who are you when there is an opportunity to perform a random act of kindness for a stranger?Last week, I was out on a bike ride and got a flat tire 5 miles away from home. I got off my bike to fix my flat and realized I had the wrong pump and without a valve adapter, there was no way I could re-inflate my tire. I did not have a valve adapter.I sat there in the rain for about 20 minutes - sitting in the wet dirt on the side of the trail, with my bike disassembled.The number of cyclists who rode passed me: at least 30.The number of people who acknowledged a woman sitting in the rain on the side of a trail with a broken down bike: 0When no one stopped for me after 15 minutes or so, I started trying to flag people down. I called out to folks as they approached me, “Excuse me, do you have a….”And my voice would trail off as they whizzed by me without any sort of acknowledgment.If you’re the person who whizzes by the woman in the rain with the broken down bike, I’m going to assume you are also the person who walks by the person experiencing homelessness and acts like they are invisible. I’m going to assume you are the person who speaks in meetings without asking those who look or think differently than you for their ideas and opinions. I’m going to assume are not teaching your children how to treat people who are different than you with kindness and compassion because you are not demonstrating that yourself (unless perhaps it benefits you.)In this episode, I share how I finally got help, as well as how to check yourself in terms of how you show up for others.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Using your voice can be downright scary. But it can also be the most powerful tool you have. When you use your voice you expand and extend your edges. You move that line where your comfort zone ends and your discomfort begins and your comfort and capacity around using your voice grows tremendously. This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Use Your Voice in order to stand up for yourself, the people you love, and the ideas you want to share with the world. ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism, and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content Warning: this episode talks about murder and the prison system.  Sabrina Justison is a curriculum developer, speaker, and writer, wife to Fred, and mom or step-mom to 7 grown kids, plus grandmother to 6. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, PrisonCare. One of those grown kids is "J," who is mentally ill and in prison, serving a very long sentence for murder. Sabrina is an advocate for people like J who are incarcerated, in particular those living with mental illness.The need for sweeping prison reform is undeniable for sure, but in the meantime, while we wait for legislation and funding, no matter WHAT our politics are, we can offer tangible support to the people inside the fence, simply because they are in need, and they matter. In particular, the mental health needs of prison residents AND corrections staff are overwhelming. For example: on average, three Corrections Officers die by suicide every day in the US. Incarcerated individuals are more than twice as likely to be significantly mentally ill than those outside of prisons.  Through PrisonCare, Sabrina is committed to humazing people who are incarcerated and supporting the mental health of our incarcerated community members and Corrections Officers. Listen in to hear Sabrina share: What it has been like to be the mother of a child who is serving a very long prison sentence for murder How she took her background in psychology and the arts to found her non profit, PrisonCare How she started to pick up the pieces and move forward after her son was incarcerated The critical lack of mental health support in prisons and jails How we, as a society, have completely dehumanized prisoners and created a system that is harmful to prisoners and all of society The surprising parallels and similarities between the lives of the prisoners and Corrections Officers in the prison system What PrisonCare does and how to adopt a prison Links mentioned: Learn about Prison Care: prisoncare.org Connect with Sabrina: sabrinajustison.com The Prison Care Podcast: theprisoncarepodcast.buzzsprout.com  Sabrina on Facebook Prison Care on FB Private PrisonCare FB Group Sabrina on Instagram PrisonCare on IG Sabrina on Twitter PrisonCare on Twitter Sabrina on LinkedIn PrisonCare on LinkedIn We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may know by now that I could preach all day about how women are programmed by the patriarchy to show up in this world in very specific ways that primarily (and almost exclusively) benefit white men. Please know when I say “patriarchy” I am referring to a system that is not only harmful to women but also undermines and completely stunts the emotional development of most men. This system benefits few, but the few who benefit have the most tremendous power - globally.Our patriarchal society has created tons of social constructs that lead us to unknowingly behave in ways that benefit some (men) while holding others back (including but not limited to: women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with neurodiversities, people with disabilities, and people with larger bodies)Over the years, I’ve talked about mom guilt as a social construct and imposter syndrome as a social construct. Both of these social constructs are part of a system that intentionally makes women and moms think and behave in specific ways that ultimately limit how they show up in the world. These limitations create more space for others (men) to have more opportunities to find success, build wealth, and amass power.  I recently started doing some thinking on perfectionism as a social construct. Once I started thinking this through, I knew there had to be research to back up my hypotheses. So, I went and found it. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about perfectionism as a social construct. We will dig into different forms of perfectionism, as well as how you can start to reject perfectionism in order to get out of your head and get on with your life. Buckle up. This is a good one!Links mentioned:NYU Article: Problematizing Perfectionism: A Closer Look at the Perfectionism ConstructHarvard Business Review Article: Perfectionism Is Increasing, and That’s Not Good NewsWe love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There should be no shame in your quitting game. For years now, I have preached to my clients, “Be a quitter!” Rather than always adding more to your plate in an effort to overdo, overproduce, and over-prove yourself, how about releasing things from your plate as your needs, desires, values, and schedule change over time? This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Quit Something in order to make more space for the things that are most important and fulfilling to your right now.ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism, and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another.Enjoy this shorty episode and know that I am in this with you…Always!We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jill Shroyer is the CEO & Founder of Expedition HR and a past member of my Tenacious Mama Business Mastermind. Jill has 20+ years working in HR, having held positions across four industries from HR Assistant to Executive Level roles. Jill is thrilled to be entering her 5th year as a business owner where she refers to herself as an Expert Sticky Situation Solver.Jill has shared her work with me over the years, especially as she wrote her best-selling book, Conquer Sticky Situations.While she uses her principles primarily in the corporate realm, her 5 step formula to conquering sticky situations is 100% relevant to other aspects of life - relationships, parenting, and navigating community groups. I asked her on the show because I know her approach will be relevant to aspects of your life as you navigate sticky situations and tough conversations! Listen in to hear Jill share: How she went from feeling “mediocre” in life to feeling confident in hard, sticky, and uncomfortable forms of leadership The power of changing your beliefs to challenge your narrative and change your outcomes Why we shy away from sticky conversations and how can we rewrite the narrative about our ability to sit in tough moments and conversations Her 5-step formula for dealing with tough conversations Her 3-prong approach to the 5-steps that are "where the magic happens" in sticky conversations How to use the 5-step framework to go after what you want - like asking for a raise! Links mentioned: Connect with Jill: Expeditionhr.com Get Jill’s Book: Conquer Sticky Situations  Jill on LinkedIn Jill on Facebook We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re anything like me, tough times might send you into a tailspin of brewing, stewing, and rumination around all the things that are not working out for you. While it’s totally appropriate (and necessary!) to feel all the feels when the universe seems to be working against you, it’s dysfunctional, if not harmful, to allow yourself to sit in these feelings for too long. At some point, you have to take responsibility for how you want to manage your mindset.When you are looking to shift your mindset from brewing, stewing, and ruminating to something more functional (and enjoyable), there are a few ways that you can trick your brain to whip it back into shape and allow it to work with you rather than against you.  In this episode, we will talk through these 5 different ways you can “rearrange your brain” in order to keep going and move forward even when hard moments end up lasting for entire seasons. When you give your brain the opportunity to let yourself escape, release urgency, create the correct proof, and come up with creative options, everything can start to shift for you. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is so easy to become confused, if not consumed, by what the outside world says is important versus what you need to focus on for yourself and those closest to you right in this moment based on your specific needs right in this moment. This week I am giving you ONE SHAMELESS THING to Shut Down Overwhelm in order to discern what you really need to be focusing on right now.  ONE SHAMELESS THING is created with one thing in mind - to give you ONE thing - just ONE thing - to make today a better day. My purpose is to give you the hope, optimism and POWER you need to make today whatever you want to make it - even if life is throwing you one curveball after another. Enjoy this shorty episode. And know that I am in this with you. Always. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsorInterested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices