Not Just A Mother

Reviewing Chapter 3 from I Am Goodness.

Make this year your less-than-ideal year to start on that goal, hobby, business, vision, whatever it might be.

We all struggle with the inner voice of doubt and fear to do what we are called to do. Discussing the beauty that happens when we stop listening to that voice and walk into what we are called to do.

Week 2 of our Hard Conversation series and it's about Jealousy. Discovering the root and owning it.

Our first topic in our raw conversations series is friendships. Maite and I talk about what it's taken us to maintain a friendship for 19 years through all our ups and downs, and what it means to be there for each other.

Excited to dive into a whole lot of goodness this fall with you.

In this final episode of our adoption series, and of the season, we hear from Andrea Rassmusen and her family's experience of adopting across races. Listen to her share with us both the joys and struggles of raising a black child in a white world as she navigates issues of race not by ignoring them, but by acknowleding them with an open mind and arms.

We are all in our own way waiting to be adopted into some type of family, whether that's our family at work, in the gym or the military. It's part of our human nature to find and identify with a group to be a part of.  This need weighs on us even more though when the family you so despartely seek is your own parent. In this week's episode in our adoption series, we hear from Stefani and her emotional journey to find that family.  

This week begins our 3 part series on adoption. Each week you’ll hear from three remarkable women and their stories on adoption. Joining Catherine on this episode is Danielle Self. She shares with us her perspective on adoption, including how it changed her and made her into the incredible woman she is today. 

Think of the strongest woman you know, and multiply that by 10.  Do that and you’ll get Victoria Mugo, a quadruple amputee, hardworking woman and mother who was about to meet her maker, only to have the strength of her faith and the love of family save her. This is her story and you don't want to miss it!

The focus on strong women continues as Catherine is joined this week by Ayesha Chidolue, a licensed attorney practicing immigration and intellectual property law. In this episode Ayesha and Catherine discuss the joys and challenges of working in the legal system to change people’s lives for the better.  As always, don't forget to like and subscribe!

Join Catherine as she celebrates and discusses strong women. A first in a series of episodes, these conversations focus on women who have persevered and achieved in the face of hardship, tips on how to handle those difficult moments, and the importance of a relationship with God. For this episode, Catherine speaks with the strongest women she knows. . . her mother.  As always, don't forget to subscribe! 

Even in the 21st century, bigotry knows no borders. Join me for this international discussion as I talk with two amazing women about the affects of colorism, racism and discrimination in our daily lives and the lives of our families. Listen as we share our experiences, our concerns and our hopes. 

Us parents, we love our kids and birthday parties can get crazy expensive. But what are we teaching them with such extravagance?  In this episode, I’m going to talk about how we as mothers can take a different approach to birthday parties, one that will help raise children who are appreciative, rather than entitled. 

Are you looking to adopt healthier eating habits? In this episode, please listen in as I talk with my good friend about the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle. We talk about everything from tasty recipes to tips for how you can start eating vegan. 

As this virus sweeps across the globe, it’s forced many of us into quarantine and isolation. Our once busy lives have been upended. Stuck at home, we have been forced to face that uncomfortable silence when there is too much time yet too little to do. But as tragic as this moment in history is, it can also be an opportunity for some long overdue self exploration. 

Is your marriage stuck in a rut? Are the two of you doing the same old boring things day in and day out? Do you and your husband need to put some excitement back into the relationship? Well be sure and listen to this episode as my husband and I share our very simple but incredibly effective idea for revitalizing a marriage. 

Are you constantly putting yourself second. . . . or third . . . . or even fourth? Do you often wait to take care of yourself after you’ve done the laundry or after you’ve put the kids to bed? We mothers are notorious for sacrificing our own needs for the sake of others. Join me in this episode as I talk about how it’s sometimes important of take care of yourself now, instead of after. 

How many of you find yourselves always apologizing to the world for not meeting standards you've set for yourself? We are constantly apologizing for everything, so much so that we lose ourselves, we lose who we are. And what is the result? We get caught in this toxic cycle of always trying to be present for others, for the world. But it doesnt have to be this way. You can break this cycle and reclaim who you are by taking some time in solitude and focusing on you.  

In the third and final week of our Motherhood: The Hate Cult series, I talk with a woman named “Jane” about a controversial topic that is front and center here in America and around the world: abortion. If you’re someone who’s gone through an abortion and find yourself struggling with the emotional weight of it all, I encourage you to listen to this episode, as “Jane” shares her deeply personal experience, it’s affect on her and her family and how she managed to remain strong, move forward with her life and accept all the wonderful gifts life has to offer.

How many of us have heard this statement from someone, family or friends: “When you have kids, you will know . . .”? It’s so infuriating because statements like that cut right at the heart of our validity as women. You’re not valid as a woman because you’re not yet a mom, or because you’re only a mom of one instead of two or three, and so on. It’s something I struggled with during my pregnancy, and it’s the focus of the next episode in our three part series “Motherhood: the Hate Cult”. 

In this new three week series titled “Motherhood: the Hate Cult”, I dive into the topic of motherhood. Everyone approaches motherhood differently, and yet we’re so quick to compare and judge each other. We as mothers need to own our own motherhood and experiences and not someone else’s. For this first episode in the series, I share the personal story that no mother or mother to be wants to experience: Miscarriage. It is absolutely tragic there’s no doubt about it, but in my experience I have learned that something positive can come from such a place of sadness. 

Living a healthy lifestyle is so important for your well-being, but there’s a crucial question at the core of everyone’s fitness journey that needs to be asked: “What are you healthy for?” Is it to feel happy? Is it to avoid pain? Maybe it’s to build self confidence? Join me for a truly exciting episode as I speak with my very first guest, International Health and Fitness Coach Ashley Poelhuis. Plus, you’ll get to hear about an exciting, limited time special offer!

Our lives are made up of so many moments, but we don’t have to let these moments define us. We as a society are so quick to want to wrap everything, everyone and every moment up with a nice ribbon around it and put a permanent title on it.  But you are so much more than your experiences in life, you are so much more than a moment. Join me, Catherine Ojala, as I share with you my journey of learning to live a life that is untitled.    Please be sure and subscribe!

Everyone, but we as woman especially, live constantly with the struggle of labels. It seems everywhere we go society wants to define us, to simplify us, with labels. She’s black, she’s a mom, she’s a daughter, she’s rich, she’s poor. Or in my case: “She’s a refugee”.  Join me, Catherine Ojala, as I confront the issue of labels and how you don’t have to let one single label define you. It’s a continuation of the question I posed in the previous episode: What are you more than? And honey trust me, you are more than any label someone tries stick on to you.    Please don’t forget to subscribe! 

Have you ever wondered what defines you as a woman? What makes you unique? or What were you created for? Join me, Catherine Ojala, as I launch my podcast "Not Just a Mother" with this first episode where I encourage every woman out there to ask herself: What am I more than?    And be sure to subscribe! 

Not Just A Mother Podcast is a podcast airing every Monday morning, encouraging all women to live a life beyond the goal of motherhood. Motherhood is a beautiful thing but is also an identity that can trap women. This podcast gives thoughtful tools on how to live free from that mindset and to become and live fully alive as the women we are created to be.