Shameless Leadership

Perhaps you’ve noticed that with changing times have come changing needs, changing goals, and changing desires. With that, perhaps you notice you’re saying YES to new things - and NO to new things.Some of my yeses and no’s and have definitely shifted over the last year. In fact, I find myself saying yes to some things I thought I would never say yes to. Funny wildly unusual circumstances paired with a cultural uprising will make you rethink almost everything.As you make space for new yeses, you’ll notice you’ll also be required to say no to new things in order to make space for those yeses. This is a process of discernment that requires you look closely at your core values so you can understand why each yes and each no is important to you right now.Listen in to hear 9 things I’m saying yes to right now. It’s my hope that this may inspire your YESES (and no’s!) Links Mentioned: Join my business training workshop on May 11th, 3 Essential Building Blocks To Growing A Successful Business: shamelessmom.com/business SMA Ep 455: 3 Steps To Create Core Values You Can Confidently Commit To   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maya Luque is a strategist. She helps businesses craft smart, perceptive ways of communicating. The focus of her work is to help businesses build strong, long-lasting relationships with their customers. She has an M.F.A. and has created over 100 sculptures and installations. Her background as an artist helps her guide people towards an emotion; to help them feel connected. Art is great for strategy because art history is full of telling and re-inventing stories, themes, emotions. Maya has a passion for observing the ever-shifting puzzle of trends, human nature, and people. Maya is also the author of The Heart Of The Matter: EMDR Through An Adoptee's Eyes. She shared her book with me on social media asking if I would be interested in sharing it with my audience. I immediately knew I didn’t only want to share the book, I wanted to share Maya’s voice and entire story. I asked Maya if she would be up for this interview. I’m so honored that she said yes. Her book and her story are so important.Listen in to hear Maya share: Her journey of being abandoned outside a police station in China during their One Child Policy to living her first 11 months in a Chinese orphanage to being adopted by a single mom in the US The lasting impact of her abandonment and how that trauma impacted her ability to cope as a child How she vacillated between extreme perfectionism and testing her mom to see if she would always really love her Her lifelong patterns of trying to prove her worth How she got started in EMDR therapy What EMDR is and how it helped her recover from her trauma How EMDR allowed her to finally find herself lovable Why she wrote The Heart of the Matter in a really approachable way so all ages could use it as a tool Links mentioned: Maya’s Book: The Heart Of The Matter: EMDR Through An Adoptee's Eyes Connect with Maya Maya on Instagram Color for Charity Coloring Book Thank you to our sponsors: Talkspace: To match with your perfect therapist for a fraction of the price of traditional therapy, go to talkspace.com, Make sure to use the code SHAMELESS to get $100 off your first month and show your support for the show. Cubo Ai: Go to getcubo.com and use my code “SHAMELESS “for a discount off your order.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever since I read Michelle Obama’s book two years ago, I have been obsessed with this notion of becoming. We are always becoming. There is no way around it. Sometimes we are becoming more the person we know we want to be. Other times not so much. Sometimes we are becoming a person we did not want to be. Maybe even a person we feared we would be one day. What we must remind ourselves everyday is that WE GET TO CHOOSE. You have many times each day where you make choices that take you closer to or further from the person you want to become. This is comforting because at any time you can course correct. Make a crappy decision at 10 am? No worries. You can make a better one at 10:02. While that sounds super simple and maybe even annoyingly idealistic, it’s true. What matters most is your trend of becoming over time. So, what is your trend? And is it heading in the direction you want it to?I have a task for you. As you listen to this episode, you will gain clarity on who you want to become and HOW to become her. Listen in and do the task. Then let me know, how are you becoming?Links mentioned: Last day to register for the Shameless Mom Con Collective SMA Episode 325: Michelle Obama’s 4 Secrets to a Successful Marriage Book: Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kim Evey is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, and stand up comedian. She has appeared in numerous commercials and TV shows, written for children's animation, and created and starred in one of the first web series on Sony's Crackle.com entitled "Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show." She produced Felicia Day's trailblazing series "The Guild," a web show so successful that it was actually put on display in The Smithsonian American History Museum. As a stand up comedian, Kim's online clips have been viewed over 8 million times. She is the proud Mom of a boy who is five going on fifteen.I met Kim through a story telling event where she shared her journey into motherhood through adoption. Her story touched me so deeply. I knew I had to invite her onto the show. What I didn’t know at the time was that Kim is also an adoptee. She was adopted from an orphanage in Korea when she was 2. Her journey from adoptee to adoptive mom so beautifully demonstrates the magic of adoption.Listen in to hear Kim share: How motherhood fuels her comedy career Her indecision around becoming a mother The moment she knew she actually did want to become a mother, and was ready to pursue adoption Her journey from a foster home in Korea to her adoptive parents in the US when she was 2 years old How her being an adoptee influenced her choice to adopt her son through open adoption The process of being one of 3 chosen prospective families to adopt the baby who would become her son The most profound and magical moment of meeting her son, Charlie Links Mentioned: Join us for the Shameless Mom Con Collective Connect with Kim: Kim Evey Kim on IG & Twitter: @kimevey Kim on Facebook Thank you to our sponsors: Thrive: Start thriving and help women in need today by going to ThriveCausemetics.com/shameless for 15% off your first purchase! Bulldog Online Yoga: Head to bulldogonline.com and use promo code SHAMELESS for a 30-day free trial and 50% off your next month! Episode art credit: Kevin McIntyre  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Sara, I’ve been getting your emails for 7 years and I’m finally ready to sign up for your program.”This is the email I got from a prospective gym member back when I had my gym. This woman had been waiting for 7 year - SEVEN YEARS - to finally qualify herself to change her life. She came in to check out the gym a few days later and we immediately hit it off. After about 10 minutes, she confided in me, “I can’t believe I waited so long. I keep thinking where I would be if I just decided to start earlier. I’m so mad at myself.”I have to tell you, I have had this conversation with so many women. We excel at waiting, don’t we??Waiting to join the gym.Waiting to go for the promotion.Waiting to ask for the raise.Waiting to ask for help.Waiting to start the hobby.Waiting to take time for yourself.Waiting to take a chance.Waiting to say YES.Waiting to say NO.Waiting to do what you want to do even if no one else gets it.Waiting to go for it even if no one believes in you.Waiting to choose yourself.You know you want more - but you’re afraid of failure, worried what others might say, and filled with self doubt.You wait because you think there will be a better time, a better option, another chance. You tell yourself you’ll be more ready next week, next month, next year.You watch others go before you and you decide they are more capable, more qualified, more worthy.And you wait.While you wait, you compromise your dreams, your desires, your sense of selfWhile you wait you chip away at your happiness and your worth.The waiting is ruining your life.I’m here to invite you to STOP WAITING.Listen in to hear how you can stop waiting and start living a fuller life without regret.Link mentioned:Join us for the Shameless Mom Con Collective   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shannon Kenny Carbonell grew up in Sydney, Australia, and moved to the U.S at 18 to study acting. After earning a BFA in Theater from The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), she worked in regional theater where she had the privilege of playing some classic roles like Nina in The Seagull, Julie in Miss Julie, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She then transitioned into television guest star roles, one of her favorites being Katrina Banks on HBO’s Dream On— a parody of Courtney Love—where she got to shoot heroin between her toes, sing in a music video with Brian Benben, and (being the excitable girl she was) experience the thrill of meeting Warren Zevon. Her other favorite guest star role was playing Alison, George’s girlfriend, on NBC’s Seinfeld. Shannon was cast in series regular roles on TV shows and if she fails to rank the show Muscle as her best experience, she’d risk offending her wonderful husband Nestor, whom you might recognize from his role on LOST, or more recently on The Morning Show; it was on this show the two of them defied producers orders to not date other cast members. After many roles in movies and TV, Shannon pushed pause on acting to focus on motherhood while Nestor was traveling to film LOST. Shannon and Nestor currently live in Los Angeles with their two sons Rafa and Marco and their dog Donna Borrelli Carbonell. Shannon just published her first book All Is Not LOST, which talks about her journey into motherhood and her journey back to herself and all the ways her life paralleled the show LOST, which has been so near and dear to their family.Listen in to hear Shannon share: How she lost her sense of identity after motherhood The unexpected sense of loss, grief and emptiness she felt as she left her career and stepped into motherhood The risks of space and silence when we no longer have reasons to lean into our gifts and creativity How being in HA for LOST played a role in her reconnecting to her identity How her life parallel storylines in LOST and how the show helped lead her back to herself What it was like for Nestor to see Shannon struggle with her identity Why we all want to be seen and our constant search for meaning Links mentioned: Get your Early Bird ticket to the Shameless Mom Con Collective Connect with Shannon Book: All Is Not LOST Shannon on Instagram Nestor on Instagram Thank you to our sponsor: Bulldog Online Yoga: Head to bulldogonline.com and use promo code SHAMELESS for a 30 day free trial and 50% off your next month!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, we had to very quickly and unexpectedly say goodbye to our sweet dog of 14 years, Granny Dani.Our hearts are broken. My husband and I lost our first baby - this creature we doted on with all of our love and affection before welcoming Vinnie 6 years later.Vinnie lost his sister - his best friend with whom he spent hours each day, snuggling and singing fart songs (that no one else in our house wanted to hear…) We didn’t realize how much space our sweet girl took up in our home and our hearts until she was gone. Every room I walk into seems so big and so empty without her. Piper, our puppy, roams from room to room and dog bed to dog bed searching for her sister.Our family is grieving for sure. But there have also been many gifts over the last week that have made this loss beautiful in unexpected ways. These gifts make the grief bearable.We have all lost something over the last year. We are all grieving. I made this episode thinking of all the ways we all are grieving, in hopes that it might help you find the gifts in moments of loss that feel absolutely unbearable.Link mentioned:Get your Early Bird ticket to the Shameless Mom Con Collective   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tiffany Bluhm is the author of She Dreams, Never Alone, and her newest book Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up. She is a sought after speaker, writer, and podcast co-host of the popular podcast Why Tho, a show answering the existential and nonsensical questions we ask ourselves, with author and speaker, Ashley Abercrombie.She speaks at conferences and events around the world, and her work has been featured in World Vision Magazine, TODAY Parents, the Hallmark Channel, The Jenny McCarthy Show, and more. She was named a Woman to Watch in 2018 by Premier Media.Tiffany leads an engaged audience online around women’s issues, identity, and faith. As a minority, immigrant woman with a interracial family, she is passionate about women’s equality, justice, and dignity.Listen in to hear Tiffany share: How she operates at the intersection of women and justice Why women are disposable vs men are indispensable How white women’s proximity to power makes them complicit in many cases The important difference between women being nice and being kind How systems have been intentionally architected to oppress and silence women How WOC are silenced in ways white women are not The difference between fighting for power vs fighting for equality How we are all passive vs active enabling of abuse and oppression Specific ways you can help start breaking down systems of oppression Links mentioned:Get your Early Bird ticket to the Shameless Mom Con CollectiveConnect with Tiffany: Tiffany BluhmTiffany on InstagramTiffany on FacebookTiffany’s podcast: Why ThoThank you to our sponsor: Bulldog Online Yoga: Head to bulldogonline.com and use promo code SHAMELESS for a 30 day free trial and 50% off your next month!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you spend a year (or any season of life) worrying about what’s next and wondering how you’ll manage all the things you cannot control, you are likely to find yourself in exhausting cycles of fear and doubt. Then, to combat the worry and fear and doubt, you find ways to numb so that you may quiet the fear and the doubt. This happens to us in the year after having a baby, the season after losing an important relationship, and certainly after a year of enduring a pandemic. This leaves us feeling stuck as all get out - stuck in our heads, stuck in poor habits, and stuck in a life without much joy on the horizon. At a certain point, you have to decide that you will stop staying stuck. You will take action to start moving forward. You will process the season you’ve been in so that you may move forward with less fear, less doubt, and better coping skills. Also, you will create joy. Because joy matters. Even when you’re too tired to plan the joy, you need the joy. Create the joy, dammit. In this episode, I’ll walk you through 3 ways you are likely staying stuck right now and how to get unstuck. Links mentioned:Join us for the Shameless Mom Con Collective   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a podcast visibility expert and host of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast, Angie Trueblood knows that the only 'perfect pitch' is the one that leads with value and focuses on building a genuine connection. Whether she is teaching entrepreneurs how to pitch themselves or working behind the scenes to secure opportunities for others, Angie leverages her super-connector powers to grow businesses and build long-lasting relationships. When she's not working with her clients or being active in her local community, she loves exploring Richmond, Virginia's parks and playgrounds with her two kiddos, checking out new restaurants with her hubs, and laughing about motherhood over cocktails with friends.Listen in to hear Angie dig into: Why she elected to homeschool her kids this year and the gifts that have resulted Why she left the corporate workforce even though she had loved her work and always been ambitious How her corporate ambition in work transferred to ambition in motherhood The significance of making the ask in order to get what you want The power of curiosity in networking and and connecting How motherhood led her to building a business amplifying women’s voices Where to start if you have a story you want to share with the world What you need if you want to pitch yourself to podcasts Links Mentioned: Apply for one-on-one business and leadership coaching with Sara Get on me email list to get Shameless Mom Con Collective info Connect with Angie: Angie Trueblood Angie on IG Sara’s interview on Go Pitch Yourself Podcast: Go Pitch Yourself Thank you to our sponsor: Talkspace: To match with your perfect therapist for a fraction of the price of traditional therapy, go to talkspace.com, Make sure to use the code SHAMELESS to get $100 off your first month and show your support for the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices