Motherhood is a Team Sport

On this week's episode, teen mom turned Ivy League grad Jessica Rockowitz not only shares her motherhood journey with us, but covers a wide range of topics including: talking to your children about sex starting as young as five, teaching our children about self-respect, feelings about postpartum bodies, the dreaded social media comparison, postpartum anxiety, and finding what makes you happy.

Andra Liemandt is a visionary and brings her energy to all her passions, particularly The Kindness Campaign. When her friend's 12-year-old daughter, a bullying victim, committed suicide, Liemandt discovered a shocking dearth of educational resources. Motivated to make a difference, she founded The Kindness Campaign, which now proactively addresses bullying via powerful curriculum, meaningful activations and events at schools and organizations, teaching the foundational message "I am enough." This message is also the focus of her band, The Mrs, an all-female pop-rock band that has been featured on Good Morning America, BuzzFeed, grammy.com, The Queen Latifah Show, and in Billboard and People magazine. Liemandt's knack for empowering audiences toward inner and outer kindness has positioned her as a coveted keynote speaker, a philanthropist and an influencer. At the heart of it all, she is a mother of two daughters and is continuously looking to spearhead social change that creates a kinder future for the next generation.

Alex here! When I heard Marti Bledsoe Post on the stage at Mother: The Summit talking about the history of motherhood, I immediately knew we needed to bring this conversation to our community. This episode is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I found myself often speechless as Marti discusses the "intensive parenting" era we are experiencing today, the fact that the U.S. is ranked 41st out of 41 developed countries in terms of family-friendly policies by UNICEF, and how the gender gap begins at home. In Marti's book Retrofit, she shares that The New York Times recently reported that girls do more chores than boys at home, girls make less allowance than boys, and girls are paid less for chores than boys. When learning this, are you surprised that research has found that women spend less time relaxing than men and that 65% of child care responsibilities are shouldered by working mothers compared to 35% by working fathers? We discuss solutions on how to make working motherhood work better for moms, their families, and their employers. You can find more about Marti and her book here: https://a-parently.com/

Celebrated therapist, professor, author, and mom-expert Molly Millwood examines the link between women’s well-being as new mothers and the well-being of their relationships. In our longest podcast episode ever, Molly explains the "whys" behind our most common marital struggles, and offers guidance to help us reclaim our identities, overcome our guilt and shame, and repair our relationships. If you haven't read her book To Have and To Hold yet, this is an excellent introduction. References: Molly's Vermont therapy practice: www.mollymillwood.com To Have and to Hold book: www.harpercollins.com/9780062838681/…e-and-to-hold/

"I'm so thrilled with how beautiful our progress has come, but it has been painstaking and everything amazing in life is tough and you have to fight for it. It's not handed to us. Building this brand and connecting with people has been really an uphill battle. There's no other way to get here and we haven't even really begun in my eyes. I'm ready for the challenge ahead." Ariane Goldman, founder of Hatch, opens up about the decade she has poured into building the leading maternity (and beyond) brand. The mom-guilt, the challenges of building and managing an all woman team, the company evolution, saying goodbye to self-care as she knew it, fundraising as a woman and a mother...Alex and Ariane cover it all. Hatch today includes ready-to-wear, intimates, accessories and beauty, and three brick and mortar community spaces in New York and Los Angeles.

Growing up on both sides of the border in Tijuana and San Diego, Elsa Collins has an important and unique perspective. Elsa shares what life was like on the border during her childhood and the misconceptions today about the area and how media plays a part into the humanitarian crisis. As co-founder of This is About Humanity, Elsa is an advocate for refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. who are stuck in Tijuana. For these individuals fleeing and now in shelters in Tijuana, it's a choice between possible death and certain death. What would you choose for your family? Elsa also discusses the importance of teaching empathy, as well how to talk about race with our children.

On this week's episode, Ashley Melone joins Alex to share the idea behind Madri Collection and what it's like launching this business as a side hustle and with her childhood best friend Danielle Walish. Madri Collection is a ready-to-mother line that empowers women to breastfeed everywhere. This week's episode is an inspiring one that shares a different side to launching a business than we often hear.

Megan Harper joins Alex for a candid conversation, chatting about motherhood and career, and taking the summer off through her maternity leave to adventure around New York City with all three of her children. "I enjoy work. As much as I love my kids, its not beneficial for anyone in this family for me to be a mom 100% of the time. I'm not great at it 100% of the time. And I think I'm a better mom to them when I can take a step back for a minute." Megan is known for her humorous take on parenthood, and she does not disappoint on this week's episode as she shares more about "where to bang your husband when co-sleeping."

At 32 years old and with young twins at home, Hillary Peterson was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. This experience led Hillary to find her purpose, educating people on the impacts of toxins in skincare and providing superior skincare products without sacrificing efficacy. Hillary shares with Alex the moment she connected that what goes on your skin goes into your body and about her eight years studying botanicals and their healing powers that eventually led to the launch of her skincare company True Botanicals. True Botanics has banned 5,000 beauty ingredients in their products, compared to 11 banned by the U.S. and 1,328 banned by Europe. Hillary also shares how she has balanced her career and her journey as an entrepreneur with motherhood, and how this has impacted her children. As promised in this week's episode, here are a few of Hillary's favorite non-toxic products: Skincare/body care: https://truebotanicals.com Home cleaning supplies: https://branchbasics.com/ Mascara: https://iliabeauty.com Lipstick: https://kosas.com/ Tinted moisturizer: https://www.beautycounter.com Sunscreen: https://burnoutsun.com/

Karalyn Holden’s bio used to proudly read that she is a Los Angeles-based model and Yoga teacher, however those careers seem in the distant past, as she has been navigating her role as mother for the last 3.5 years to her daughter, Kennady, all while being a college student on a long pursuit of a degree. This week, Alex and Karalyn chat about identity shifts, relationships, sacrifice, postpartum depletion, societal pressure to have more than one child, and action steps to reclaiming our lives.

Ashlee Piper, author of "Give a Sh*t," chats with Alex this week about how climate change impacts us as women and mothers, and all the things we care about. How would our lives look differently with more of a minimalist lifestyle? We would have more time and more energy, big things women desire. Did you know we spend 55 minutes a day just looking for things? Ashlee talks with us about how climate change influences global security and terrorism, the Marie Kondo movement versus ethical offloading, and what the American dream has become. Ashlee’s approach to all of this is warm and accessible. She prides herself in showing people that being eco-friendly and caring about the future of our planet doesn't mean sacrificing style, fun, or beauty. "Give a Sh*t" is a road map to a healthier, streamlined, stress-free, and sustainable existence. It’s not a manual of restrictions, but rather full of helpful, EASY, and impactful steps to take. Warning: this episode contains some potty language. http://www.ashleepiper.com/

"It was a fight to get out of bed and a fight to try and get better. You feel like it's going to be like this forever." Jen Schwartz joins us to talk about her journey with postpartum depression. We discuss her process from realization, to going to the doctor, to trying different medications, to finding the right therapist. We discuss shame around medication and the decision to have only one child. Jen also shares with us the work she is doing to support the 1 in 5 women who experience perinatal mood and anxiety disorders through her platform Motherhood Understood and her other leadership roles.

After a decade at her dream job, Lauren Petrowski made the decision to leave her role as a news anchor a few years after becoming a mother. "I don't think this is working for my life anymore." Alex and Lauren discuss Lauren's daily wake up at 2:30am, maternity leave, losing a piece of your identity when leaving a job, questioning what you're good at now, finding a sense of self-worth post career, and figuring out what to do next. "You will never know the possibilities until you take the leap."

Have a dream? Trying to achieve a goal? What's stopping you from going for it? Fear of failure is the number one reason stopping people from making goals in first place. Goals put us in a vulnerable spot light as we have a 50/50 chance: success or failure. Jacki Carr, goal coach, writer, motivational speaker, yogi, and mother of two daughters, joins guides us to help set and achieve goals. And according to Jacki, failure is an important part of the process. “Failure is slowly becoming a great friend of mine.” Jacki also helps us reframe how hiring a coach of any kind is an investment in ourselves, rather than an expense. Both Alex and Jacki each share some of their own goals and current barriers to reaching them. And currently in a tough place where self-care and goal setting sound overwhelming to you? Don’t worry, we address this. Jacki Carr: https://www.jackicarr.com Finish by Jon Acuff: https://acuff.me/books/

Jen Pinkston shares her journey of being a full-time content creator and mom of two, all while working from home and prioritizing her kids over career. Alex and Jen chat weekly planning, daily schedules, blogging, self-care, and bed-time routines. In 2011, with the belief that effortless, every day style should be accessible to all, Jen channeled her love of fashion and enthusiasm for design into the lifestyle site, TheEffortlessChic.com. Jen's work has been featured on The Today Show, Real Simple, W Magazine, Martha Stewart, Women's Health Magazine, and many more. Her site is often praised as an inspiring resource to help get you dressed, design your own home, and feel more confident in motherhood. The Effortless Chic: theeffortlesschic.com 15 Laws of Growth book: https://www.amazon.com/15-Invaluable-Laws-Growth-Potential-ebook/dp/B0076DF6T4

On this week's episode, Lauren Cunningham, mother of two boys, opens up about her experience with infertility, IVF, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Lauren shares her healing and self-care journey with us, including the use of both medication and alternative medicine to address prenatal depression and postpartum anxiety. And for the first time, we hear from a woman about the ethical dilemma of what to do with unused embryos.

Anxiety, debilitating depression, thoughts of suicide, and hallucinations led Jill Birt to follow her intuition, using yoga to connect deep to her inner-self to begin the healing process. As a mom of three, Jill has been caring for expectant mothers since 2001, first as Labor and Delivery nurse and now as a prenatal yoga instructor. This career transition came after Jill’s journey with postpartum psychosis after the birth of her third child. Originally published on 9/12/18.

Kate Westervelt is Founder and CEO of MOMBOX, and is on a mission to take better care of new moms during the postpartum recovery period. Kate and her MOMBOX team ship postpartum care kits, direct-to-consumer, filled with the healing products new moms need. She talks with us about her own surprising postpartum experience, and shares her advice for a better postpartum experience. References: MOMBOX: https://www.mom-box.com/ Kate's article You might not like motherhood, and that's ok: https://www.hellomytribe.com/pre-post/you-might-not-like-motherhood-and-thats-ok/

In case you missed this episode back in August of 2018, we are sharing it again! First stop for Babyation, reinventing the outdated breast pump. Sam Rudolph, the woman behind the start-up, chats breast pumps and motherhood with us.

Cristina Bocanegra is an Austin-based wardrobe stylist who has worked with clients like Brooklyn Decker, Norah Jones, and Whitney Wolfe Herd. Inspired by new motherhood and the birth of her two sons, Bowie and Grey, Cristina founded Love Child, a digital publication for the modern parent who seeks relevant lifestyle content and daily inspiration. Never content to stay still, Cristina also recently founded Mini Market, an event featuring goods for mamas and their minis, as well as the Current Conference, a one-day event where motherhood and creativity intersect. She shares her tips for managing all these responsibilities with motherhood and marriage, and finding the motivation to start it all over again each morning. References: Love Child Digital Magazine: www.lovechildmag.com Current Conference: https://www.currentconference.com/ Wardrobe Styling: http://www.cristinafacundo.com

Amy is the founder and CEO of The Riveter, a network of community and work spaces built by women, for everyone. Amy launched The Riveter in 2017 while pregnant with her third daughter in three years and welcomed daughter number four in June 2019. She spoke with us about what drives her to topple male-centric startup culture. From designing a fast growing woman-first business to bringing her baby to board meetings, she's showing Corporate America what's possible when women are at the helm. References: The Riveter: https://theriveter.co/ Daina Trout's article Running A Company Has Made Me A Better Mom: https://www.hellomytribe.com/motherhood/running-company-made-better-mom-2/

Celebrated therapist, professor, author, and mom-expert Molly Millwood examines the link between women’s well-being as new mothers and the well-being of their relationships. In our longest podcast episode ever, Molly explains the "whys" behind our most common marital struggles, and offers guidance to help us reclaim our identities, overcome our guilt and shame, and repair our relationships. If you haven't read her book To Have and To Hold yet, this is an excellent introduction. References: Molly's Vermont therapy practice: https://www.mollymillwood.com To Have and to Hold book: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062838681/to-have-and-to-hold/

After a long struggle with chronic skin conditions & migraines, Danielle Sobel set out on a personal wellness journey. She began experimenting with different diets, incorporated juicing into her daily routine and found exercise she finally enjoyed doing. The power of plant-based food, herbs & superfoods completely changed the way Danielle thought and more importantly, felt. Danielle went on to become a certified health coach and launch Juice Society. She joins us in the studio to share her knowledge of health-promoting foods and wellness practices that actually work. References: Juice Society: https://www.juice-society.com/

Heather Gallagher is on a mission to eliminate stigma around birth and death. Through her work as a full spectrum photographer and doula, she holds space for families experiencing the most intimate of life moments. And to Heather, it's all beautiful. Hear how growing up "other" as the child of a deaf immigrant mom drew her to photography, and how witnessing births with her camera evolved into training as a doula. References: Heather's Family Photography: http://heathergallagherphotography.com/ Heather's Doula Work: www.lifesaspectrum.co

Jessie Collins' first labor, delivery, and postpartum experience was nothing short of traumatic. To heal physically and emotionally from the maltreatment and bad judgments of her healthcare providers took years of extensive work, including EMDR and talk therapies. Jessie shares what she learned's about self-advocacy and how she and her care team prepared for a redemptive second birth experience. References: EMDR therapy: https://www.emdria.org/page/emdr_therapy Jessie's redemptive second birth story: https://www.hellomytribe.com/motherhood/a-redemptive-labor-experience/

Psychologist Dr. Kat walks us through the signs, symptoms, and causes of each perinatal mood disorder. That's right, pregnant and postpartum women are not ALL suffering from baby blues or postpartum depression. Learn to differentiate, and treat, each disorder from a psychologist with her own private practice, a board seat at Postpartum Support International, and a personal history of Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD. References: Postpartum Support International: https://www.postpartum.net/ Dr. Kat's Mom and Mind podcast: https://www.momandmind.com/

Haylie Rudy Schwartz has a background in marketing and political fundraising. After becoming a mother, Haylie saw a major gap in the market for well-made, beautiful clothes catering to breastfeeding mothers. She's now the founder of Chapter Goods, a capsule collection that aims to redefine what people expect of postpartum wear. Listen as she walks us through her journey from the corporate world, to motherhood, to entrepreneurship (with a healthy dose of fear and doubt along the way)! References: Chapter Goods: www.chaptergoods.com Kelly Mom: https://kellymom.com/ Postpartum Health Alliance: https://postpartumhealthalliance.org/ Love Child Mag: https://lovechildmag.com/

Gena Mann, mom of four and co-founder of Wolf + Friends, shares her personal experience responding to her child's autism diagnosis. After years of feeling isolated and unsupported by her mom friends and the brands claiming to understand her family's unique challenges, she joined forces with another mom to make community-building easier for special needs families. The Wolf + Friends platform is a judgement-free space to share resources and find your tribe. References: Wolf + Friends online resources: www.wolfandfriends.com Wolf + Friends iPhone app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wolf-friends/id1436893835?mt=8

For the first time in Hello My Tribe history, we invited a man onto the podcast! Dominick Luciano is a husband and father of two with a lot to say about his responsibilities as a parent. Alex and Dominick talk doulas, self care, fatherhood, parenting partnerships, and delayed bonding with kids. We recommend sharing this episode with your own co-parent *hint hint* References: Brené Brown's A Call to Courage netflix special: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-WvA7uFDQ

Join us as we sit down with Gina Giordano, a doula and childbirth educator who's passionate about educating and empowering birth workers and expecting families. We talk about the importance of having advocates for all types of birth, the new landscape of birth worker training, and current social justice concerns in the birth world. References: Doula Trainings International: www.wearedti.com DTI Instagram: www.instagram.com/doulatrainingsint DTI Scholarship Program: https://supportdtischolarships.greatfeats.com/ Born into This Conference: www.bornintothis.co

Ara Katz is a mother, a serial entrepreneur, has been named one of Marie Claire’s 50 Most Influential Women in America, and through her new company Seed is on a mission to teach everyone about their microbiome. Say what? Tune in to learn why probiotics and prebiotics are so important to us as women and mothers, and small steps we can take to promote full-body health. References: Seed: www.seed.com Female Daily Synbiotic: https://shop.seed.com/products/female-daily-synbiotic?utm_source=hellomytribe&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=wellness *Use code HELLOMYTRIBE at seed.com for 10% off your first month of the Daily Synbiotic (thanks, Ara!)

Kelli Kelley is the founder and executive director of Hand to Hold, a national and nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education and support to NICU families. As the mother of two children born preterm at 24 weeks and 34 weeks, Kelli has invested her time and talents during the past ten years to raise awareness of the growing problem of preterm birth and to support families who share in her experience. References: Hand to Hold's website: handtohold.org Hand to Hold’s podcasts for NICU families and staff: https://handtohold.org/resources/podcasts/

Kelli Foulkrod is a holistic psychotherapist specializing in perinatal mental health. On this episode, Kelli shares her passion for the mind/body/spirit connection and empowers us to be our own healers so we can thrive in early motherhood. We cover the grieving process new mothers experience as they say goodbye to their old lives, the anger so many of us hide inside, and practical solutions for combating isolation. References: Kelli's psychotherapy practice: https://www.counselingfornewmoms.com/ Kelli's yoga therapy / energy healing work: https://organicmentalhealthcenter.com

After the birth of her son, Paige Bellenbaum suffered from severe postpartum depression that almost cost her her own life. Paige shares her journey that included the inability to connect and bond immediately with her son, anxiety, and sleeplessness. While walking down the street in New York City, Paige was ready to jump in front of a bus. Seeing her reflection, Paige didn't recognize herself and immediately went to the hospital with her baby in tow to seek treatment. Paige is now the Chief External Relations Officer of The Motherhood Center of New York, and the mother of two children. She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR, PBS Newshour and in Women’s Health Magazine, as well as in The Wall Street Journal.

We ask Sarah Davis of Olive. You. Nanny and the soon-to-launch Nanny Tribe all sorts of questions. What to look for when hiring a nanny? What processes should be in place? How to give feedback to the person caring for your children and in your home? What have you learned along the way balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship?

Alli Kasirer walks us through her own journey with unexplained infertility, which led to the launch of FertileGirl. FertileGirl is a platform committed to changing the conversation about fertility from one that is isolating, confusing, and stressful to one that is hopeful, rewarding, and empowering. After many rounds of medications, procedures, and negative pregnancy tests, Alli and her husband went back to basics. Alli focused on managing her stress, exercising more, and eating healthier. And after three rounds of IVF, Alli and her husband welcomed twin boys. Alli shares helpful resources and discusses how to best support friends and family going through infertility.

Have you ever felt left out of a conversation or not welcome somewhere because you have a child in tow? Upon entering motherhood after completing graduate school at Columbia University at 34 weeks pregnant, this is exactly what Sarah Lux-Lee came to find. With the desire to continue to be part of professional and intellectual experiences, Sarah ran a successful experiment in Brooklyn which led to the launch of Mindr. Mindr runs talks, workshops, classes, and events with global experts where crying babies are always welcome. Sarah chats with us about motherhood, entrepreneurship, the motherhood penalty, the concept of "having it all," and what parental leave is like in Australia.

Elizabeth Bachner, owner of birthing and wellness center Gracefull in Los Angeles, shares her personal journey of transitioning from the corporate world to midwifery. Now a leader and champion for those birthing, Elizabeth walks us through the differences between doulas and midwives, home birth and hospital birth, and low-risk childbirth and high-risk childbirth. Elizabeth shares her thoughts on how pain is part of the process and the concept of hands on healing.

Sera Bonds of Circle of Health International joins us to talk about maternal health around the globe and the importance of women centered care, especially during natural disasters and war zones.

Jessica Gaffney of ProMama joins us to chat about balancing motherhood and career, how to support moms in the workplace, the motherhood penalty, the concept of women having it all, and learning to say no and to create boundaries.

On this week's episode, teen mom turned Ivy League grad Jessica Rockowitz not only shares her motherhood journey with us, but covers a wide range of topics including: talking to your children about sex starting as young as five, teaching our children about self-respect, postpartum bodies, comparison on social media, relationships with food, anxiety, and finding what makes you happy.

Entrepreneur and mother of three, Michelle Muller shares her journey into motherhood and how she has overcome an abusive relationship and divorce.

On this week's episode, Lauren, mother of two boys, opens up about her experience with infertility, IVF, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Lauren shares her healing and self-care journey with us, including the use of both medication and alternative medicine to address prenatal depression and postpartum anxiety. And for the first time, we hear from a woman about the ethical dilemma of what to do with unused embryos.

Anxiety, debilitating depression, thoughts of suicide, and hallucinations led Jill Birt to follow her intuition, using yoga to connect deep to her inner-self to begin the healing process. As a mom of three, Jill has been caring for expectant mothers since 2001, first as Labor and Delivery nurse and now as a prenatal yoga instructor. This career transition came after Jill’s journey with postpartum psychosis after the birth of her third child.

Andra Liemandt is a visionary and brings her energy to all her passions, particularly The Kindness Campaign. When her friend's 12-year-old daughter, a bullying victim, committed suicide, Liemandt discovered a shocking dearth of educational resources. Motivated to make a difference, she founded The Kindness Campaign, which now proactively addresses bullying via powerful curriculum, meaningful activations and events at schools and organizations, teaching the foundational message "I am enough." This message is also the focus of her band, The Mrs, an all-female pop-rock band that has been featured on {Good Morning America}, {BuzzFeed}, {grammy.com}, {The Queen Latifah Show} and in {Billboard} and {People} magazine. Liemandt's knack for empowering audiences toward inner and outer kindness has positioned her as a coveted keynote speaker, a philanthropist and an influencer. At the heart of it all, she is a mother of two daughters and is continuously looking to spearhead social change that creates a kinder future for the next generation.

Kim Updegrove, executive director of the largest milk bank in the world, shares the Mother's Milk Bank at Austin with us. Why is there a need for donor milk? What are the issues with informal sharing? Learn how you can help save the most fragile babies, and families from more heartache.

First stop for Babyation, reinventing the outdated breast pump. Sam Rudolph, the woman behind the start-up, chats breast pumps and motherhood with us.

Erin Erenberg chats with us about her career, motherhood journey, and postpartum care that led to Totum Women.

You might be surprised when you learn a bit more about the food we are feeding our babies. Michele Muller from Little Spoon shares the inspiration behind the company. Learn the differences between jarred, pouched, and fresh baby food.