Hey, Ma!

On the ___ day of #Christmas my true love gave to me....a new episode of the #HeyMaPodcast. Join us this week as we dish on our #holiday must-haves for the little ones and what we hope #Santa brings us for the holiday. Our gift to our listeners you ask (besides this episode)? Con..sis...ten...cy! That's right, in 2019 we vow to bring you weekly episodes—as 2019 is all about no excuses. See you in 2019! Same dope time, same dope place.

It's been a long time...we shouldn't have left you without a dope mom to keke with. Let's just say 2018 has been a doozy; if our lives were a book, this chapter would be entitled "For Dope Moms Who Considered Giving Up When Spa Days Aren't Enough". Sometimes, there just isn't some black-girl-magical way to balance your passion project and the demands of everyday life. Sometimes you have to hit pause--even when your inner beast is screaming JUST KEEP GOING, because you know your soul is tired. So you take a break.  And that's just what we did. But now we are back and coming to you raw and uncut on these internet streets every week-ish. So come by and stay a while. We have wine, whisky, and "Gorilla Glue" for our West Coast listeners. :)

We have a tendency to characterize powerful, successful black women who defy odds and forge new paths in realms often not seen as a place for black women as mythical creatures, as “magical”. As much as we believe that black women are sent from God himself and dipped in unicorn dust, we also recognize that this shit ain’t magic. It’s hard work. And no woman has been as transparent about her journey as Google Executive and WEEN Founder and our big sis Valeisha Butterfield-Jones. Do yourself a favor and get into this episode!

As fate would have it, two is the number of The Divine feminine. It also symbolizes the union of and peace between different entities...In season two, the women of Hey, Ma will take the brand to new heights. This year you can expect more dope guests, signature events, and the same Hey, Ma straight talk. All Henny straight...no chaser. You can also expect to see more of the women behind the brand and more collaboration with our second brand, #DopeMomApproved. So, with that said.. It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you...  

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” – Charles Spurgeon There are times the #MotherHustle extends far beyond juggling play dates, date nights, and board meetings. Sometimes it involves managing circumstances that bring you to your knees and make you question the very foundation of everything you knew to be true in life. What do you do when your faith is tested, your soul is weary, and you can’t form the words to speak? You build. You birth the thing that gives you a glimmer of hope in your darkest hour in hopes that one day the test that the enemy meant to take you under will be the VERY ROCK you stand on once you have overcome. And that’s just what she did So, what is Ylorie Taylor made of? No fear, only faith. Join us for our first installment of the Mother Hustle series as we sit down with Ylorie Taylor {@browngirlmktg}, #Mompreneur and Vice President of Marketing for @Edenbodyworks as she gives us her tips, tricks and testimony.

Join us this week as we sit down to discuss the future of fertility with internationally recognized style influencer, public speaker, media personality, and entrepreneur, Tai Beauchamp. Listen as she shares her experience with egg-freezing and shares insightful advice on nurturing healthy relationships and making yourself a priority. Enjoy.

WHAT YOU WON'T DO IS... *woosahs and adjusts crown* We strongly suggest that you that avoid telling a mother how to raise their child in public. ESPECIALLY if you are a non muthaf**king factor stranger... We have all been there. You are in the middle of Target and your child looses every bit of act right in the middle of aisle 7 and some "overly-concerned" passer-by decides to give you their best Dr. Phil advice on what to do with your child. What moms want you to know is that most of us are aware that our child is making a scene and that they may *gasp* be getting on your nerves, but guess what? They are driving us nuts too, but they are kids and we won't advocate beating them like Miss Celie told us to just to make you feel comfortable. We get that there are negligent moms out there, but give us the benefit of the doubt. The ladies of the Hey, Ma Podcast are learning how to control that strong pimp hand and respond like mature adults, even though we really want to wild out like The Lox in '00! But what about you? Have you ever been mom shamed in public? How have you handled it?

In the days of social media we are bombarded with clips of insanely talented kids who are literally giving us LIFE and they are barely beyond the age of a fetus. How many times have you wondered if your little one really has what it takes to make it big in whatever their “ministry” is? Have you ever watched one of those darling kids on Ellen and thought, I know my kid can do that! What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of seeing the world. Some see a world of working the runway, others sing songs in the key of life before they are old enough to read music. This week we chat with Sharra Dade, realtor, acting-coach, and #momager to über-talented child actor, Alyssa Cheatham as she shares her experiences and a personal lesson in how to tune your ear, heart and mind to be open to exploring your children’s gifts and how to manage care for self in the process. Enjoy.

We've all heard it a million times before..."Secure your own mask before assisting others”, but that's easy to do when you are strapped in and at cruising altitude and YOU don't have control of the proverbial wheel; but what does that look like in real life? How do manage to "secure your own mask" when you have a million deliverables, a husband, and a child that won't let you so much as use the bathroom unaccompanied? The older we get, the more we realize that everything we do (or don't do for that matter) is connected. How we treat ourselves manifests in our parenting. On this week's episode, we chop it up with mental health professional and life coach, La Shell Wooten, as she drops some major knowledge and draws some very interesting parallels between mom/parent self-care and bully behavior in children.  We discuss how we teach bullying by using physical aggression to exert control over our children. She puts it plainly, Motherhood is the God's way of calling us to our higher selves and self care is the way to preserve ourselves and our families well being in the process. Trust us, you have to listen!

The Book of Proverbs says a man who finds a wife, finds a good thing but the Book of Bey says build your empire and live your life before you even consider marriage... Join us this week as we discuss the age old debate, is getting married and having a child an accomplishment? Let's just cut to the chase, the whole argument that a woman is not accomplished if she doesn't have a man or child to share in the spoils of her hard work is beyond TIRED and misogynistic. However, being an awesome loving wife and mother may be your version of living your best life, and that's awesome too. Cool, as long as you aren't settling for a 4:43 for the sake of being a Mrs.... we say rock out! We here at HeyMa! value living your purpose and experiencing mutually beneficial loving relationships, whatever that looks like for you..but what we won't do is perpetuate the false dichotomy that you have to choose either family or hustle or the false narratives that continue to prevail about what success looks like for women. So ladies, affix your crowns and let's discuss.

Join us this week as we tackle unsolicited parenting advice. You are a new(ish) mom so naturally everyone in the world knows how to raise your child better than you do, right? Moms, how often do you get unwanted parenting advice? How often does someone who doesn't have children have the audacity to try to advise you on how to raise your child? Unsolicited parenting advice is akin to light skinned Aunt Viv, we know you mean well but...just don't! Keep your trap shut unless the child's life or mom's life is in danger. Motherhood is hard enough without all the comments from the peanut gallery. So if you are tempted to give unsolicited parenting advice, pause and think twice, before someone puts the momma bear paws on ya. You know you are a SUPER mom so just tell the nosey people just to stay the hell back! #JJFadvoice

Cue the Aaliyah because I'm writing you a four page letter... Have you ever written a letter to your younger self? Have you ever written a letter to your child or future child? What did it say? Motherhood often awakens our spirits and inspires words we never knew we had. Join us this week as we write a virtual letter to our children and drop all the gems we want to instill in our children. As usual, we go from zero to Brooklyn real quick.

In honor of Father's Day we declare that all dope dads get the big piece of chicken and must listen to this week's episode of #HeyMaPodcast dedicated to all the dope dads in our lives...kidding but not kidding.

What's beef? Beef is when the Gooch is on the loose in your preschooler's classroom and your child is telling you the kid hit them. Join us this week as we discuss classroom bullies and how to course-correct early in the game...before someone (hint: Shantelle) catches a case.

Patron Saint Beyoncé said we're strong enough to have these babies, then get back to business...she ain't say nothing about getting paid less to do it either! Join us this week as we discuss the ugly truth about the #motherhoodtax women are paying in Corporate America as we try to have both the career and the family. Studies show that #mothers are more likely to be denied merit based raises and be passed up for promotions even while being strong performers. So the next time someone tells you women, especially mothers, get preferential treatment in the workplace, open your strong pimp hand and smack the sh*t out them. Men lie women lie numbers don't...

What do Wu Tang, an incompetent cervix, and Kit Kats have in common? They are all a part of our little's birth stories. Join us this week's episode as we share what to really expect, when expecting.

As women, we are constantly adjusting our crowns, but what about the crowns on our little ones? Emotionally well-rounded kids that can navigate the world of f**kery is SO necessary; and whether boy or girl there is no place for #emotionalcondoms in this dancery! Join us on this episode as we adjust Queen MJB's crown while sharing tips for building self esteem in our littles.

When the hashtags go from #thuglife to #momlife you know motherhood has set in and Shakara is in her feelings about it. Join us this week as we mourn the loss of our pre-motherhood shenanigans and share tips on how we use everything from inspirational quotes to Daniel Tiger songs to help us remain sane and sucker-free.

Damn! Damn! Damn! In this episode we try to help Shantelle (aka “apple head”) learn how to successfully navigate through the mother-in-law challenge. How hard could it be to turn her "Mama Payne" into a Mother-in-Love? Also will you be swiping left or right on the new tinder-like app which matches people with potential sperm donors, egg donors, and surrogates.

In our debut episode we tackle the ever-present topic of balancing motherhood, relationships, self-care, and career; how we would grade ourselves as parents; and making time to chase your dreams.

Here is a brief description of what's coming from the 3 dope moms behind Hey, Ma podcast.