Podcasts about as molly

We know we shouldn't listen to this episode of Dead Air but it feels good when we do it. For episode 177 of the show we discuss the 1979 cult classic, Tourist Trap! Molly and her friends run in to a small bit of bizarre car trouble and end up at The Hidden Oasis. A run down little swimmin' hole with a wax museum attraction. The owner is a lonely old man named Slausen. Well not totally alone. He does have his brother Davey with him. As Molly's friends tread near an old house on the property they start to disappear. Can she and her friends escape before they become part of the attraction themselves?!

Fibber frantically searches for his white envelop with his shopping money in it. As Molly tries to keep him calm, Abigail Uppington visits with an opening joke that gives a nod to Red Skelton, and a bit that Ozzie Nelson often does on that show. Abigail gets teased over her job as Santa Claus from last week, and about a moment of young love. Billy Mills plays a little traveling music as the McGee's head downtown. They visit a fortune teller to see if the madam can offer any hints as to where the missing money may be. The fortune teller is voiced by Abigail

As Molly describes Paul's perilous journey to Rome, we discover that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and careers, we have a better hope.Support the show (http://cchonthe.net/give-online/)

Lament. Is that a word that you are familiar with? Before Jackson died, it wasn't a word that I thought much about. But in grief, the examples in Scripture of Biblical lament have really resonated with me. Lament IS releasing our emotions as we cry out to the Lord, but it goes further - it also includes asking for God's help to respond in trust and worship. Lament helps us focus on God’s character and promises while still acknowledging the pain and struggle. My guest today, Molly Huffman, has experienced deep lament. And, by God's grace, she would say that it has been a key tool in her fight for JOY. This fight has been brutal and hard fought for Molly because she has suffered some terrible losses, one after another. But, although her story is heartbreaking, it is similtaneously encouraging. As Molly shares her story, she gives powerful and beautiful testimony of just how worthy God is to be trusted EVEN IN the midst of horrific circumstances. Even through things like miscarriage, disease, divorce, death, and shattered dreams. I'm grateful for this conversation with my friend Molly and I hope it leaves you hopeful and encouraged.

Think back to the first time you tried something new.   Were you scared?  Nervous that you may embarrass yourself or even fail?  Or did you feel like maybe you didn’t belong there?  Any one of these thoughts would be a perfectly natural response to trying something new.  However, changing our mindset from fear and nervousness to confidence in our abilities and believing in ourselves can help us eliminate doubt from our minds and allow us to put forth our best effort.  Molly Seidel, did just that!  In her first ever marathon, after an ongoing battle with eating disorders and hampered with multiple serious injuries throughout her running career, Molly finished second at the 2020 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trial, earning herself the opportunity to represent the United States of America at the 2021 Olympics.  Cultivating Early Potential When we think of running for our high school team, we often envision there actually being a team, as well as being surrounded by training partners that will push you and motivate you to train.  This was not the case for Molly.  Beginning in her freshman year, Molly was the only member of her high school cross country team.  She had to learn to be self-driven and self-sufficient in order to further her fitness and compete at a high level.  Beginning in her freshman year and ending in her senior year, Molly had won each state championship, as well as the 1600-meter and 3200-meter track races.  Molly then went on to compete at the Footlocker National Cross-Country race, which she also won. Molly fell in love with running because it wasn’t something anyone was forcing or pressuring her to do.  She, like many of us, developed her own personal relationship with the sport.  But that doesn’t mean there weren’t challenges along the way. Recruited out of high school to run at Notre Dame on a full ride scholarship brought new and difficult experiences.  While she did win Division 1 NCAA titles in Cross Country, as well as the Indoor 3k, 5k, and 10k, it took a lot of work.  She went from being first in the nation to 5th, 6th, or 7thon her team.   Not only was she struggling physically, she struggled mentally with her body image and the shame put on her by her first Notre Dame coach.  Dealing with negativity and being told she wasn’t good enough and a waste of a scholarship throughout her first two years damaged her and left her feeling like she had no control of her own life. Finding Control in the Wrong Places Recognizing that women and men mature differently, especially as they work their way through high school and into college sports is an important thing to understand.  You can’t treat men and women the same or tell them to just get over it and expect them too.  Molly found that there was little room to accept women growing into their bodies at the collegiate level.  This added to the anxiety that Molly was already feeling.  As a control mechanism to this anxiety, Molly turned to an eating disorder to garner some form of control over her own life.  Focusing on calories and how much she could eat to provide her with just enough fuel to get through workouts became her life.  This lead to malnourishment, low bone density, and lead to multiple injuries.  Confiding in her second coach at Notre Dame, Molly realized she needed to change her way of thinking and entered eating disorder targeted treatment for 4 months, followed by two years in therapy.  This helped her to identify that the root problem wasn’t just body image, but anxiety and the need to feel like she was in control of one aspect of her life.  If you are dealing with an eating disorder, it is best to address it early so that you can get through it without becoming a statistic.  Approximately 1/3 of people will die from the disorder, 1/3 will recover, and 1/3 will deal with it for the rest of their life.  Realize you are not alone in this battle and know that overcoming this without a support system and targeted therapy may be impossible.  It is ok to ask for help to get better. The Power of Positivity Having a positive influence in our lives not only steers us in the right direction, but sometimes even carries us when we are unable to walk.  As Molly began to deal with her eating disorder she came to terms with the necessity of a healthy relationship with eating.  You are unable to perform at high levels and sustain a long career without properly fueling your body.  However, the toll that this disorder took on her body hindered her abilities moving forward.  Molly became so obsessed with running at the 2016 Olympic Trials that she made this her sole focus, holding on to this dream tight.  So tight, that she broke herself physically, resulting in her being sidelined during the 2016 Olympic Trials.  She continued to battle serious injuries, leading her to wonder if she’d ever run again. For one year, Molly ran on a broken hip.  Eventually she had surgery, causing her to take six months off.  Following that six month period she felt like she was ready to go, only to reinjure her hip.  Negative thoughts began to creep into her mind, wondering if this was it.  This is a common theme found in many runners.  Stress fractures, pulled muscles, tendonitis, or plantar fasciitis flare ups can cause many runners to question if they will ever run again.  But, as runners, we know there is something off in our brains, and that we are too stubborn and too dumb to give up running.  Molly called her coach from Notre Dame who told her to do what she always does: get through this, be patient, and know that you can do this!  The positivity from her coach was like a rope being thrown to someone stuck in a well.  Sometimes, that’s all it takes, is someone to tell you everything is going to be ok and to pull you out of the hole. 2020 Olympic Trials As Molly entered the 2020 Women’s Olympic Trials she did so without a whole lot of ego involved.  The past four years had been injury ridden and painstaking.  However, running in the trials was something she had reamed about for many years and she was not going to let the opportunity pass.  Molly had been waiting for this moment for many years and said she had prepared herself mentally for this to be the worst and most painful experience in her life.  Having never run a marathon, and having to start not on the front line, but in the third wave, recognizing many of the incredible runners around her, Molly began the most important race of her life.  She recalled passing through mile 18 and feeling the pain in her legs but knew she could still do this.  At mile 20 she began to worry, recognizing she was ahead of a lot of the other elite runners, she decided to maintain her pace, hoping to hold on to her spot.  The next six miles were extremely painful but focusing on all the hard work and dedication she had put into running throughout her life, she pushed through.  Running on the shoulder of Aliphine Tuliamuk and aided by her positive words to stick with her, Molly and Aliphine worked towards the common goal of making the U.S.A. Olympic Team.  Molly Seidel finished her first marathon in 2:27:31, taking second place and earning herself a spot on the Olympic team. Throughout her career Molly has experienced incredible lows and remarkable highs.  No matter what you do in running, whether you have a great race or a bad day on the course, it is important to remember that running does not define you and that you are a person outside of the sport.  Regardless of what stage of life you are in, continue to find joy and establish healthy relationships with what you do, whether that be running, eating, or anything else.  Trust the process and do the best you can, that’s all anyone can really ask. Resources: *Note* If you or someone you know is struggling from an eating disorder, it is time to talk to someone about it, it can make all the difference in the world.. Contact the National Eating Disorder Hotline at (800) 931-2237 or visit the NEDA website. Molly's Instagram Molly's Twitter Sarah Canney R4R Episode Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani R4R Episode Jessi Haggerty and Meg Steffey-Schrier R4R Episode Thank you to my wonderful sponsor Tracksmith, Altra, and Athletic Greens for sponsoring this episode of the Running for Real Podcast.   Tracksmith is a Boston based running clothing company that truly cares about the quality and care of their running clothes. Running can be a demanding lifestyle for our clothes, they definitely go through the wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers truly work with the finest materials and think of you as a runner in mind with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel. You can get 15% off your first purchase, click here and enter code TINA.   I am thrilled to announce my exciting partnership with Altra, as an athlete and a sponsorship, I have loved their shoes as well as what this company stands for. So as a special treat to Running4Real listeners  they are going to give away a pair of shoes every month this year! Go HERE to enter to be a winner a free pair of shoes. And once you have entered once you will be entered for the entire year.   Athletic Greensis a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients. Just to help my immune system be stronger and greater! It is so simple to do and it taste good as well. Now you can get a free travel pack with 20 servings with your first purchase, Visit here to learn more!   Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from) Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one. Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here. Thank you to Molly, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

As Molly gets ready for her sixth surgery, we discuss the ways that she has approached having 5 different Surgeries and was able to get back into her routine.  Adversity can come in many different ways and it is up to us to take the power back and learn/grow through the adversity. Mindset is key in ensuring that when you get knocked down, you don't stay there. We are happy to report that the morning after recording this episode, Molly's surgery was successful and she is home resting! Let us know what you think of this episode or any others by joining our Team Dynamic Power Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/teamdynamicpower/?ref=bookmarks Grab some Team Dynamic Power Apparel: (code PODCAST10 saves you 10% off your entire purchase) WE HAVE HATS! https://teespring.com/stores/teamdynamicpower

- Molly Huffman A year after Tage died, I had processed so much that by the time my husband left, I, I was I was definitely anxious and really struggling at that point. But then there was this little bit of just, a I had to laugh and maybe that was all I could do to keep from drowning, but it was just like, are you kidding me? Like this, too.  This is unreal. You like this. This can't happen to people this much loss. INTRO   Sometimes in life, it seems like one loss piles on top of the next.  And that is certainly the story of my guest today, Molly Huffman.  Cancer, miscarriage, infant loss, divorce.  Molly’s story has been marked by grief.  And yet, her story holds more than grief.  She shares about the heavy, tumultuous emotions and how she has embraced life on the other side of loss…and about her new book, which chronicles this journey:  The Moon is Round.   Before we begin, I want to take a moment to note that, at the time of this recording, our country is reeling from the tragic footage of George Floyd’s death, which is convulsing the nation.  And this systemic, historic, abuse of black and brown bodies is not new news, it is just the most recent in a tragic continuum that spans centuries.  And this is definitely a workplace issue.  We will be talking about this in the weeks to come, because it is not a new issue and it is one that this podcast has not given enough voice to in the past.    As we start, I want to thank our podcast sponsor, FullStack PEO.   If you are a small business or an entrepreneur, let FullStack take care of your benefits and your payroll so you can focus on what matters most:  growing your business.  We are also sponsored by my company, Handle with Care consulting.  We offer interactive training sessions that build cultures of empathy and care…and don’t we all need a little more of that these days?   Now, back to Molly.  Molly is a Hoosier by birth but she lives now in Moorehead, Kentucky, in a little neighborhood tucked up in the hills.    - Liesel Mertes And who are the people and animals that fill your house?   - Molly Huffman My husband. Guy. And then I have two stepdaughters, Ali, who is 14, and Aaron, who is eleven. And then our son, Mack, who is one and a half. We have a chocolate Lab, Marty, who's twelve and a black and white kitty Bella, who's also twelve.   - Liesel Mertes And do the dog and the cat get along well?   - Molly Huffman They became siblings as puppy and kitten. So they've been together their whole lives. However, I don't know what they say in their pet language, but he gets so annoyed with her.   Molly loves to run, even in the sweltering heat of Kentucky summer.  And, as I mentioned at the top of the episode, Molly is also a published author.   - Molly Huffman So the book is hopefully coming in June, and it's titled The Moon is Round. And the subtitle is an extraordinary, true story of Grief, Loss and the Fight for Faith. And I tried to vulnerably share a season of life where everything fell apart. But then what I learned and the good that came from it and with the hopes that it can encourage people, you know, in whatever seasons of loss and grief and questions that they are in.   - Liesel Mertes Well, and that is a great jumping off point. I want to circle back to the book.   - Liesel Mertes But tell me what it was like to begin this season of one loss cascading onto the next. Where were you living? What were you doing? What did life look like for you?   - Molly Huffman I was living in central Indiana at the time and I was newly married, had an elementary teaching job, which is what I'd wanted to do.   - Molly Huffman I lived near my parents and my younger sisters were all nearby and it just seemed like life was suddenly falling into place. I had everything I wanted. Things were great.   - Molly Huffman And then all of a sudden, my mom got a cancer diagnosis and and suddenly everything changed. You know? And I had to really just kind of wrestle with all of that,   - Liesel Mertes And what was your relationship like with your mom? Tell me a little bit about her.   - Molly Huffman She I'm the oldest of four daughters, and so she and I had come to a point where we were friends. And I, for the most part, was never much of a rebellious kid. So we really had a great relationship. For the majority of my growing up years, with the exception of like a six month time period in high school. But she really was my best friend. She was funny and generous and kind and my favorite person to hang out with and dream and talk about life with and.   - Molly Huffman And so it was just really devastating to to lose her.   - Liesel Mertes And was it a long journey with cancer?   - Molly Huffman She there it was a spot on her shin was melanoma. And it was removed and we thought we were in the clear. And then a year later, it reappeared in some of her lymph nodes and from there just sort of spread. So it was less than a year between the time we discovered it and her lymph nodes until she was gone.   Molly Huffman But, you know, the the plus was that we had time to say what we wanted to say. The difficult part of that is. That you might be doing a lot of your grieving while the person is still alive. And, you know, so for me it was it was hard to find the balance between enjoying her and also knowing that she's dying, you know?   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. Tell me tell me a little bit more about that, because that stroke is. Is its own, like daily figuring with that? What would that tension look like one day for you?   - Molly Huffman So, you know, I no longer lived under her roof because I was married. But I would teach all day and then either go to her house in the evenings or in periods of time when she was hospitalized. I would drive straight to the hospital, you know, just to be with her and to be with my dad and. Then sisters and. So it was exhausting in its own right, you know, because I'm working all day and then going and caring and grieving, which takes so much energy.   - Molly Huffman But that's just what you do. You know, so we I just. For months. That was. Just how how my days looked. And so trying to have normal conversation, you know, particularly when she was home, talking about the day and what's going on. While watching her decline and, you know, needing to talk about her pain. And what was really interesting was seeing the shift from her being a mother to me and taking care of me.   Molly Huffman And I was 24 when all this happened. So I hope I would deal with it differently now. However, at the time, I don't think I was done yet being mothered by her. And so it was hard for me to to not feel the care and nurture from her that I was used to feeling as she got sicker and sicker because she just didn't have the energy herself to give in.   - Molly Huffman So, you know, that was part of a grief as well here that that led that the tons of. Being more alone than when she had been healthy and able to give fully out of more of an overflow. Right.   - Liesel Mertes So and what was your mother's name?   - Molly Huffman Susie McCracken. Susie.   - Liesel Mertes Sometimes I find, you know, people, people who have died. We don't even get to a chance to say their names in the same kind of way. And they had loomed so large, you know, in our life sphere of irony.   - Liesel Mertes And so this is a devastating thing for you in your early 20s.   - Liesel Mertes But as you write in your book, this is not the only disruption that was going to come and talk with me a little bit about what that timeline looks like with your first pregnancy and your mother's death.   - Molly Huffman So a year after. No, I'm sorry. Three years after she died. I had come out of the fog of grief. And my husband and I tried to start our family. And seven weeks into that pregnancy, on her birthday of all days. I had a miscarriage. And, you know, I wasn't yet done grieving the loss of my mom as really I suppose we never are. You know, it just morphs. But it was still pretty fresh to me at that time.   - Molly Huffman And so. It was devastating because I was so looking forward to this child and new life. And so my husband, I waited another year and then we were pregnant again. And this time our son Tage was born in March of 2014.   - Liesel Mertes And tell me a little bit about Tage.   - Molly Huffman He. Well, it's I guess I have to say, a past tense. He ended up passing away, but he was just a beautiful boy and so healthy.   - Molly Huffman When he was born and just I I felt my joy coming back. And. He was big and strong and had these bright blue eyes that just sparkled.   - Molly Huffman But around the time that he was five or six months old, we started just noticing that. Something seemed off. He wasn't making eye contact or cooing sounds that babies make. He wasn't smiling. And so we went to a couple doctors and the first one, you know, just maybe thought that I was a new mom and nervous, you know, and sort of dismissed my concern.   - Molly Huffman And so I rallied. I thought, OK, maybe that's the truth, you know, but things just weren't getting better.   - Molly Huffman So we went to a different doctor and he immediately diagnosed Tage as failure to thrive because of his weight. And so we were sent for blood work immediately that day and a follow up appointment at the Children's Hospital the next week where they admitted us for muscle impairment problems. And. And so eventually we. Discovered that he had this rare genetic disease called Lei's disease.   - Molly Huffman And it was affecting the mitochondria of all of his cells.   - Molly Huffman And so the doctors told us that it was terminal and and that he would not make it to his first birthday.   - Liesel Mertes So you go from this this big, beautiful, blue eyed baby who's already, you know, a child who has followed a loss and the sadness and the loss of this first baby you were pregnant with and the death of your mom to receiving this news. Was it was it over the span of a couple of weeks or did it did it come to you all in one day? You know, all of the the reality of his condition, I imagine that that is just a 180.   - Molly Huffman And yes, how we showed centering it was it absolute was we were you know, we went to this follow up appointment at the Children's Hospital, and I legitimately thought that they would. You know, tell us what we needed to do and send us home.   - Molly Huffman You know, I was not thinking terminal at all. And so when they wanted to admit us in that appointment, I was so confused and so. It took a couple days for. Of us being in the hospital with him, for the doctors to be able to, you know, decide what the what they're working diagnosis would be.   - Molly Huffman And so two days later, when they told us, you know, I people use that phrase, you know, the room was spinning. But it really it did. I my my body just froze. I could not believe what they were saying. And, you know, how in the world am I going to deal with this after losing my mom and our first pregnancy? And it just didn't feel like I could handle something else.   - Molly Huffman But as a parent, you figure it out. You know, you you realize, OK, well, once the shock wore off, the next day, it was go time. And we spent a week in the hospital just running different tests and Tage got a G tube so that he could eat successfully.   - Molly Huffman And so, you know, going home from the hospital a week later, life looked totally different than when we had entered the hospital.   - Liesel Mertes Well, and I'm struck, as you say, that about a distinct parallel between what you said about your mom, that you were walking this tension of how am I with her and enjoying her, but also grieving her while she's still alive. Did you feel like did that feel akin at all to what you were doing with Tage? Like, I'm I'm with him and I'm wanting to delight in him and be with this child, but I'm grieving him because I have this, I don't know this limited amount of time.   - Molly Huffman Yes. Oh, it was. It was so difficult. My husband, you know, still had to work. So he would go to work Monday through Friday. And I was home with Tage by myself at first and needing to feed him with a G tube, which was new. And, you know, looking at him was the reminder that he was also dying. And it was just so intense.   - Molly Huffman It was so emotionally intense during that time, trying to balance. I love him. I want to care for him and enjoy him while also knowing that our time is limited. And. And I didn't know how much time at that point we would have.   - Molly Huffman But I can say, thankfully, that once I figured out that I could not do that by myself. Friends stepped in and would come over during the day and be with me and just help help me not feel as alone.   - Molly Huffman Which was so such a gift.   - Liesel Mertes I'd like to hear more about that because. One, you know, distinct aspect of what this podcast is about is enabling people to be able to show up in ways that are helpful and that matter as these friends came to your house. Did you did you ask them to come? Did they offer to come? How did that start? Like, what was the tipping point? For that to change for you. Sure.   - Molly Huffman I, I had told a trusted friend or two that. You know that at the time, I, I just could not stop crying because I'm trying to take care of stage, but he's dying, you know. And just seeing him was the reminder. And, and so when I finally admitted that to someone, she said that was actually this is really neat. It was one of my mom's friends. And I think there was this part of me, you know, that when I needed care, you know.   - Molly Huffman And so she's she saw that and said, what if we make a schedule? And she looks at all these people that were my mom's friends that, you know, were in their friend group,   - Molly Huffman She said, what if we make a schedule and, you know, just for whatever you want, two hours in the morning, someone can come and then two hours that afternoon, someone can come and, you know, and it can be fluid. You know, maybe we start with somebody in the morning and some in the afternoon every day.   - Molly Huffman And if that's too much and you can always text us and say, don't come. And so it was really neat.   - Molly Huffman We ended up making this schedule and so hurt my mom's friends would come and sometimes my friends would come as well, and sometimes we cried. Sometimes they just sat in the other room while, you know, I did the things that I needed to get done. Or they might help with laundry or dishes and. And eventually I realized that actually having someone in the morning, in the afternoon was actually too much because I knew that I needed to process the grief.   - Molly Huffman But when people were there, it was hard for me to be real about the grief. And so we then tapered it back and, you know, maybe someone would only come in the afternoon. And, you know, sometimes people would.   - Liesel Mertes I paused for a second just because I'm, I'm struck. You said something interesting that I want to hear more about, the importance of processing your grief and that when someone else was there, I think you said it kept you from being. And being real about the grief that. Tell me more about that. How did the presence of another person in, in so many ways in which it was helpful, but how did that affect how you were processing your grief?   - Molly Huffman My personality is a helper and a caretaker. It's just what I do. And so when other people are at my house, I can't help but want to take care of them. And so. I got better at letting that go during this time, but. But there was still an underlying sense of like I need to have conversation with this person, I need to entertain them. I need to offer them a drink, you know? And so I I couldn't care for myself emotionally when I'm trying to care for some of the people now, you know, a couple of my very closest friends.   - Molly Huffman You know, I wouldn't necessarily feel that pressure, but some of my mom's friends who, you know, I didn't necessarily spend a lot of time with before then. I felt like I needed to care for them.   - Molly Huffman And so it was helpful to have them, but then also helpful to have time without them so that I could just let the tears fall.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. And as you were aware of this need to process your grief, what were some of the things that were especially helpful for you in that journey of, you know, just walking with this hard reality being like internally to to make space for that sadness?   - Molly Huffman I think. Being honest about my anger and my questions about it. I grew up in a very faith filled family and, you know, as often under, under the thought of, you know, be joyful, always give thanks in all circumstances. And I think that we can be joyful and give thanks in all circumstances once we've been honest about our pain. And so this time gave me.   - Molly Huffman I was able to. I learned to pray honestly:  the doubt and the questions and the anger and believing that that this God that I had believed in, you know, that he could handle all of that, too, gave me such a space to to be able to process the grief. Honestly.   - Liesel Mertes Was that something that you had someone invite you into or you read a book or it was just the overflow of where you were at? Because sometimes there's this element of finding permission out of out of a context that didn't really have space for that. How did you how were you able to accept that that was OK for you to do?   - Molly Huffman Two things. I had a couple friends who would say things like, like Molly, I would be angry, too, you know, and just validated the feeling or some other friends would say it's okay for you to be angry about this to God. You know, like to give the permission.   - Molly Huffman The other thing that was really helpful to me was. Again, going up in church, I know there were these ways that we prayed as children. Like confession or praising God. But what I hadn't learned how to do was lament. And so during that time I started coming across passages in the Bible where these. Men and women of faith and even Jesus himself would lament, know, God, why have you forsaken me?   - Molly Huffman And so seeing that and, and seeing this pattern and this permission to lament allowed me to process the grief. I also found different counselors over that time who were great at helping me process and allowing me to grieve as well. So there were there were so many parts. They were helpful. Yeah.   - Liesel Mertes Well, then. That's face of a community of people, whether it was friends or counselors, to be able to, yes, allow you to feel your feelings and not have to suppress them.   - Liesel Mertes I I have found in the work that I do in my own experience that grief can feel so profoundly isolating because there's no one who who knows the exact dimensionality of your grief and and how even it changes throughout a day. And that particularly with the loss of children or their sickness, that that that can be something that can be hard in in partners or a couple those moments where you are grieving differently than your partner. Did you run into that as Tage was sickening and declining?   - Molly Huffman Yes. My husband tended to run toward work and and busyness and and so he was away from the house a lot. So being stuck at the house, I tended to run toward my girlfriends and family members who could come by. And so we definitely grieved differently.   - Molly Huffman We we did go on a grief retreat. Together. And this was after staged a yes after Tage died. And, you know, worked on processing it together and. And. Really there I felt a lot of of hope leaving that weekend. But.   - Molly Huffman Ultimately, we were not able to turn toward each other. And, and he ended up filing for divorce a year after Tage died.   - Liesel Mertes So. These are. A number of losses from the life that you were moving into two years previous as you were pregnant and expecting stage. What was going on was that. How did that feel? It seems like just so many losses. One on top of the other.   - Molly Huffman It was I. I think by the you know, after a year after Tage died, I had processed so much that by the time my husband left, I, I was I was definitely anxious and really struggling at that point. But then there was this little bit of just, a I had to laugh and maybe that was all I could do to keep from drowning, but it was just like, are you kidding me? Like this, too.   - Molly Huffman This is unreal. You like this. This can't happen to people this much loss. But one day at a time, one counseling appointment at a time, one walk with a friend at a time. You know, I here I am and. And life is good now. So it was so, so much loss. And I still I miss my mom, like, all the time. And I miss Tage.   - Molly Huffman And, you know, so those losses have not gone away but I have. Learned to live with them. I just picture the wound is not open anymore. There's a scar. And I'll never forget.   - Molly Huffman But I also and as I explain in in the book, I like this version of me better. All the things that loss and grief taught me.   - Liesel Mertes Tell me more. Tell me more about that. What? How is this version of you different than 23 year old Molly?   - Molly Huffman I would say and I don't want any of this to sound like I'm puffing myself up, you know. But I can see when I look at 23 year old version of Molly versus now just that, I I have more compassion for people, you know. Twenty three year old Molly was all about herself and what she could get and what she wanted. I   - Molly Huffman My values are different. As far as what used to be important is no longer important. The things that I, that I think I need to make me happy. I don't need those things anymore. You know, as far as material things or.   Per. I don't know. I'm trying think what else it could be, but. And   - Molly Huffman I think this version of me is just more authentic. I, I am I feel more that I am who I was created to be. Now I know who I am. And I'm just much more grateful.   - Liesel Mertes Thank you for sharing that. Do you do you find so with with a number of losses, you know, and to specifically related to bringing children into the world? Did your experience can also tip into feeling yourself as more fearful or anxious? You know, even starting a new marriage with your husband stepping into has. Has there been a shadow of what if everything falls apart again for you? Yes.   - Liesel Mertes Amen. So I am how have you lived within that?   - Molly Huffman Well, so the good news is I'm now remarried to my husband guy and we have two stepdaughters.   - Molly Huffman Well, I have to say, barters his daughters and we have our son, Mac, who's one and a half. And   - Molly Huffman so two major moments in my life where they there was a crossroads. I remember getting married to Guy and and thinking, how do I do this again when my first marriage failed. But I think this time with marriage, I hold it loosely. I don't need the marriage to complete me or to fulfill me. Instead, I get to just enjoy guy as a gift that I've been given.   - Molly Huffman And it's so interesting because, you know, my first husband wanted out and and that was a huge fear of mine for so long that that, you know, someone would leave. But I saw OK. So the worst thing happened. He left and I'm OK. I was held it and so I know. You know, I've joked with go out with guy like if you want to leave, you can't. Like, I. I'm not going to, too.   - Molly Huffman I'm not. I keep you here if you don't want to be here, you know, and honestly, that that opens up such a freedom. And I think for me, a more genuine love for this person knowing that I don't need to control them. And I can just enjoy it for what it is.   - Molly Huffman And then when our son Mac was born in the hospital, I actually had him like a PTSD moment hearing him cry for the first time because I hadn't heard my baby cry since stage right before Tage died.   - Molly Huffman And so there have been some moments like that where all of a sudden, you know, the fear and the anxiety can come rushing back in or, you know, in quiet moments by myself. There are these questions in my mind of, well, what if what if he dies, too? And I think it's important for us to to take that question and say, OK, what if what if. And you know, what I've learned through all of this is that I will be OK if if Mac dies, it will be treacherous and grievous and it will take some time and it will be hard and I will be OK.   - Molly Huffman And. And, you know, having those realizations for both of those relationships has allowed me to live in such freedom. And I think sometimes, you know, we fear, well, what if this worst thing could happen? And literally, my three biggest fears happened to me within a matter of seven years. And. The thing is, if we lean into it and. Get help and admit that we can't do it in seek our friends and seek counselors and.   - Molly Huffman And, you know, in my belief, see, God like you, he will not let you fall in. And so so that's what I live with now.   - Liesel Mertes Can you tell me a little bit more? You know, if someone is listening to this and to hear you able to say, I will be OK, they might think, well, what does OK mean? Does that mean just that you're still alive? Like, is that OK? What does being OK, tell me more about that and what that has meant for you being okay?   - Molly Huffman Now, being in a place where I can say I will be OK is for me. Being able to acknowledge the loss and that there is still pain there. I still miss the people that I've lost, I miss parts of my former life where I lived and who I lived near. But, I also. I've seen that. We can we can still live with that pain, but it doesn't consume us. And there is still. Hope and joy and beauty after loss. And I think sometimes we do. We have a choice.   - Molly Huffman I remember a specific moment that I write about in the book where I had to decide what path I was going to take. And one path would lead me to bitterness. And I have seen people who took that path after loss.   - Molly Huffman And and I believe the other path leads to life. When, if we, if we can choose to do the work and the wrestling in the midst of our pain and and just cling. Then. I really I really have experienced that. You know, our our biggest fears coming true do not have to they knock us down. They knock us down profoundly, but they don't have to destroy us.   - Liesel Mertes Thank you for sharing that. I think that's that's helpful. Sometimes you've had a diversity of types of losses. Sometimes when people are trying to be helpful in the midst of that, they say or do things that are not that helpful. What are some of the least helpful things that people offered to you?   - Liesel Mertes You just say, oh, my gosh, like you might want to be helpful, but please don't do this. Yes.   - Molly Huffman Well. So after Tage died, I had thought that I was going to be staying home, you know, for a long time, raising stage in whatever siblings might come after him.   - Molly Huffman And so instead, my counselor at the time told me, Molly need to go back to work. You can't just sit around your house all day and. I was so mad that he said that, but it turned out to be so true, and so I went back in to the elementary school as a teacher and. I found there that that.   - Molly Huffman Some people were so helpful in that they would leave little notes on my desk for me to see when I got there in the morning or, you know, if I'd stepped out.   - Molly Huffman Or they would just offer a hug. Or little gifts, you know, just things to let you know. Even if we weren't, they weren't my closest co-workers. But but just offering acknowledgement in whatever way they felt comfortable. The thing I would say most of the teachers were amazing. They really, really were.   - Molly Huffman But I know sometimes, you know, we get wrapped up, sometimes caught up in what do I say? And I think what's important for us to know is that nothing that we could say to someone who's grieving in our workplace or anywhere is going to fix it so we can take the pressure off ourselves that we don't have to find the perfect words. Sometimes less is better. You know, just. I'm glad you're back, Molly. I am so sorry. May I give you a hug? You know, simple.   - Molly Huffman Keep it simple. But what's not helpful? What were phrases like? Well, at least, you know, you can be here now. Dot, dot, dot. You know, putting that phrase at least, you know, whatever follows that is not helpful. And, you know, it minimizes the pain. And I know that sometimes we all do that from. A feeling of feeling awkward or not knowing what to say. But. But it's still not good.   - Molly Huffman That was not helpful.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, exactly. I'd do it. Yes. When we when we. Because I know that even though I really care about it, I can still, like you can spin into these just ingrained behaviors or you feel like you're just grasping at words.     But that's the purpose. Now, don't do that. Yeah, helpful.   - Liesel Mertes Well, your book your book is exciting. Does it? This is this is a question from someone else who, you know, right in some ways, you know, I I write my own journey with Mercy. I don't know to what end or what I'll do with it, but there could be a sense of like, man like this journey is still unfolding. I'm still changing within it.   - Liesel Mertes Does it feel like a like an important like flag in the sand to have put out a book on it? Did that feel like. Yes, I have something to say. And this is it. Is there a sense of like, oh, but my story is still unfolding with this. Tell me, just as a writer, what that has been like to get something out there.   - Molly Huffman Well, I started writing after my mom died. And so this whole journey of loss is is reflective. Of writing for me in in my. You know, I didn't write really before my mom died, and I thought I was going to write a book about losing a parent. And then all of a sudden, you know, there was more loss and more lesson. And so I never felt like it was time to put it. On paper. But I had a blog while Tage was sick, it started as a Caring Bridge when we were in the hospital, but I couldn't help but kind of write.   - Molly Huffman In story form, because that's just what I like to do and. And so after we were out of the hospital, some people were like, well, will you keep writing about all of this? And so we started a blog.   - Molly Huffman And. So I always thought that it might be neat to write a book someday. And then when I met my husband Guy, I just sense that that particular chapter of life and those losses. I wanted that, too, to not be behind me as in to never think of it again. But I wanted a marker that, OK, here was that incredible season of life and what happened and what I learned.   - Molly Huffman And now I'm going to turn the corner here and see what's next, because I'm sure I'm not done writing and I'm sure I know my story and the listener story. No one story is over, you know. But but it it does feel really nice to just. Like you said, plant a flag. Like, let there be a marker from that season of loss and pain. And now moving into this new season, which I'm sure we'll have loss and pain because that just seems to be life.   - Molly Huffman But but I am excited to get to share this book with the world may hopefully be with a little more space in between the losses.   - Liesel Mertes Right. I can feel for myself when I hit 30. I had friends around me who were like thirties, so old. So I was like 30. Feels just right. I lived a heck of a lot of life in my 20s, 30s. Slow down a little bit. Yes. My hope. Yes. Grief.   - Liesel Mertes If someone is listening and they say, I absolutely want to get this book, where is it available and where should they go?   - Molly Huffman It is currently available on Amazon. I believe that the distribution will be wider soon. But for now, I would just say go to Amazon.   - Molly Huffman And I know that there is a little bit of a backup with ordering, you know, because of COVID.   - Liesel Mertes But and I will include a link in the show note. You can also go there. And it's great because you're already getting a ton of your stuff from Amazon. So you just add it on with your toilet paper.   - Molly Huffman Exactly. Easy peasy. One click.   Liesel Mertes You're also a speaker. Tell us a little bit about people who would maybe want to know more or have you for an event. Sure. What kinds of speaking do you do?   - Molly Huffman I love speaking to groups. I have spoken to women's events, college events, youth group events. I've spoken at churches and done even just a writing talk one time. So I would love to to be invited to speak to any group. I love to encourage.   - Liesel Mertes  So what is the best way for people to be in touch with you?   [00:46:36.590] - Molly Huffman My Web site. MollyHuffman.com. And there is a contact button.   - Liesel Mertes Perfect. Molly, thank you.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   Here are three take-aways from my conversation with Molly If you know someone that is in an overwhelming, isolating season (particularly with a small child) it can be really helpful to make a schedule of support.Molly’s friends made sure that she had someone with her….IF she wanted to and they gave her space to cancel at any time.  This sort of consistent, responsive, flexible support can be deeply meaningful.  Molly noted, “Nothing you do or say will ultimately fix the person that is grieving” so release yourself from the pressure of getting it perfect.Molly appreciated gifts, a hug, and the small gestures of people moving towards her.  Grief can and often will cause you to question what seemed like unshakeable beliefs.As Molly grew in her practice of faith and her ways of prayer, she benefitted from friends that encouraged her to be open and honest in her questions.  And this open, honest engagement is so important for faith and for life.  Avoiding or stuffing unwieldy emotions is toxic, what we resist persists.    OUTRO   Link to The Moon is Round:  https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Round-Story-Extraordinary-Grief/dp/B089D34VT6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+moon+Is+round&qid=1591579462&sr=8-1   Molly’s Website:  mollyhuffman.com

As Molly and Nikki continue to grapple with Molly's health issues, Molly's appetite for sexual adventure escalates. She explores the world of fetishes and discovers her inner kink — everything from foot worship to “ballbusting.” How far is she willing to go?For more information about metastatic breast cancer research, support, and awareness, visit https://secure.metavivor.org/page/contribute/dying-for-sexListen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/dyingforsexSupport us by supporting our sponsors!Buffy - Visit Buffy.co and enter promo code MOLLY for $20 off a Buffy comforter.OMGyes - Go to OMGyes.com/MOLLY for a special discount.Unique Vintage - Use promo code MOLLY at UniqueVintage.com for 20% off your first order.Audible - Visit Audible.com/DFS or text DFS to 500-500 to start listening with a free 30 day trial and a free audiobook.Zola - Go to Zola.com/MOLLY and use promo code SAVE50 to get 50% off your save the dates.Ritual - Visit Ritual.com/MOLLY for 10% off your first three months of Ritual.Zip Recruiter - Try Zip Recruiter for free by visiting ZipRecruiter.com/MOLLY.Best Fiends - Download FREE in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Deep In Pact chases after Mala Fide 10.4. As Molly runs around town affecting people with her new hate aura, Deep In Pact finally succumbs to the Doof aura, breaking the one hour mark. Shame we don’t have INCREDIBLY DUBIOUS dog-angels to help us recover a bit. You can read the chapter here. Discuss the episode with everyone here. Check out previous discussion threads here. Send us feedback on the show!

Deep In Pact chases after Mala Fide 10.4. As Molly runs around town affecting people with her new hate aura, Deep In Pact finally succumbs to the Doof aura, breaking the one hour mark. Shame we don’t have INCREDIBLY DUBIOUS dog-angels to help us recover a bit. You can read the chapter here. Discuss the episode with everyone here. Check out previous discussion threads here. Send us feedback on the show!

We talk with Molly Cusick (formerly Molly Jaffa) about her transition from agent to editor, what editorial meetings REALLY look like, and why many publishing rules are made to be broken. As Molly says, love can appear when you least expect it—and this applies to books as well as relationships. We also discuss Coney Island, historical NYC, and how she met her literary husband. (It's very New York.) You can meet with Molly (and book a written critique) here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/molly-cusick Books she mentioned: Side Effects May Vary and Dumplin' by Julie Murphy Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

About Molly Millwood Ph.D Molly is a licensed psychologist-doctorate with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.  She has 21 years of experience as a therapist and have been in private practice in Vermont for 14 years. She is also an associate professor at Saint Michael's College, where she teaches in both the undergraduate psychology and graduate clinical psychology programs and engage in research and scholarly writing related to her areas of expertise: psychotherapy, psychological distress and trauma, marriage and relationship functioning, and motherhood. When Molly Millwood became a mother, she was fully prepared for what she would gain: an adorable baby boy; hard-won mothering skills; and a messy, chaotic, beautiful life. But what she did not expect was what she would lose: aspects of her identity, a baseline level of happiness, a general sense of wellbeing. And though she had the benefit of a supportive husband during this transition, she also at times resented the fact that the disruption to his life seemed to pale in comparison to hers. In To Have and to Hold, Molly explores the complex terrain of new motherhood, illuminating the ways it affects women psychologically, emotionally, physically, and professionally—as well as how it impacts their partnership. Along with the arrival of a bundle of joy come thorny issues such as self-worth, control, autonomy, and dependency. And for most new mothers, these issues are experienced within the context of an intimate relationship, adding another layer of tension, conflict, and confusion to an already challenging time. As Molly examines the inextricable link between women’s well-being as new mothers and the well-being of their relationships, she offers guidance to help readers reclaim their identities, overcome their guilt and shame, and repair their relationships. A blend of personal narrative, scientific research, and stories from Molly’s clinical practice, To Have and to Hold provides a much-needed lifeline to new mothers everywhere. Episode highlights Molly's new book To Have and To Hold Molly discusses how we as a culture tend to value mothering skills as opposed to a mother's wellbeing where there is little emphasis on women's metal health and wellbeing Molly's changed attitude to social media - transparency and honesty is now being seen. Mother guilt. Inner work and deeper layers of healing that can be done from our own childhoods. Molly discusses how clients tend to idolise their therapists – Molly points out they themselves are not immune from mother issues. Not having time in postpartum period to reflect on experience. Not much education on postpartum period. Birth experience – room for healthy baby AND healthy mother. Relationship between the mother and partner. Mother circles and mother groups can help. Women to women connection. Advice for new mothers. The power of words   Relevant links Molly’s website, Instgaram To and Have and to hold can be bought here   If you liked this episode of the Mothering the Mother Podcast, tell your friends! Please rate/review/subscribe to the show. You can contact Alison at https://www.alisonbarker.com/connect/ or follow her on Instagram www.instagram.com/alison_barker_ and find details of her nutrition packages at www.alisonbarker.com/work-with-me-3   Please also join the Facebook group Mothering the Mother where we continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1885649551488600/    

Theater critric J.Wynn Rousuck joins us in Studio A every Thursday with a review of one of the region's thespian offerings, and this week, she tells us about a new production of Origin of the Species now on stage at Strand Theater Company in Baltimore.The play by Bryony Lavory, which is directed at Strand by Erin Riley, uses a two-woman cast to tell the story of Molly (played by Janet Constable Preston), an elderly lady who digs up a four-million year old human: not a fossilized skeleton, but a miraculously living, breathing pre-Pleistocene female (played by Nicole Mullins-Teasley), with raw, primitive manners. Molly smuggles her find home to Yorkshire and names her Victoria. As Molly attempts to teach Victoria language and more contemporary manners, both women discover that they have much in common.Origin of the Species continues at Strand Theater Company until Sunday, November 19th.

The beauty of selling handmade items is that your creativity is your only limit. Molly Goodall certainly hasn't limited herself with her wildly successful children's clothing brand - Little Goodall. We are seriously in love with these truly adorable products! Handmade children’s coats that double as imaginative costumes!? Yes, please! The visionary behind this product, Molly Goodall, ia fashion designer by trade who solved a need in her child’s life with one of the cutest pieces we’ve ever seen! We are huge fans of Molly’s business savvy and learned a ton from her process. Join us! On The Podcast 01:09 - More About Molly01:55 - Fashion Designer Turned  Etsy Store Owner06:02 - A Roaring Success!08:17 - Keeping Up With Demand09:35 - How Outsourcing Helped Molly's Business Thrive15:04 - The Handmade Decision: Raise Prices or Get Help18:43 - Selling a Licensed Product21:02 - How Does Licensing Work22:35 - Wild Things to Write About - Molly's Book Deal!28:55 - Great Trade Shows for Handmade Sellers33:34 - Why Raising Prices Means Everyone Wins33:55 - Does Tons of Press Lead to Sales?39:30 - Working With Bloggers41:28 - Adorable Mommy Moment Press Play on the Podcast Player Below to Hear from Molly! More About Molly Molly lives in Dallas, Texas with her London-born husband and 7 year-old son, Carter. She and her husband met in an airport, how crazy and romantic is that!? He became a naturalized citizen last year and Molly appreciates the different perspectives they each bring to parenting. They also have a few pets: two bunnies, a very old cat, and many koi. Fashion Designer Turned Etsy Store Owner Molly studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design (before the institution became famous thanks to Project Runway!) By the time she was a senior, she knew she wanted to focus on children’s fashion. But after graduation she ended up working for a toy company. Life slowly started happening and she briefly abandoned fashion design, working instead as a fine artist. When she married her husband, she moved from NYC to Dallas, further removing her from the heart of the fashion world. By the time Molly's son was born, her work life included spending about 8 hours at a time painting watercolors. It wasn't an easy job with a newborn! As all new moms do, Molly suddenly realized she didn’t have the time she once did. (We can relate!) Since she couldn’t focus on one project for hours at a time, she began to search for new creative outlets she could pursue with her son. When her son was about 18-months-old, he was prone to ear infections. The doctor recommended Molly keep her son’s ears covered whenever he went outside. There was only one problem: her son loved being outside, but hated covering his ears! Molly got inspired shopping a fabric store, running some yellow gold felt through her hands. She thought, “What if I made a coat that looked like an animal for my son? Like a costume. Maybe he would wear it.” During afternoon nap, Molly started playing around with the fabric. She ended up making a coat with a felt, lion-head hood. And guess what? Her son kept the coat on and his ears covered! A friend of Molly’s owned an Etsy shop and suggested that Molly sell her new coat design on Etsy. Molly didn’t think she’d make any sales, but she gave it a try. She photographed her son wearing the lion coat and took detailed shots on her kitchen table. She listed the coat for the (what she thought was) outrageous price of $120 and went to bed. The next morning, she had a sale! That was September 2010 and Little Goodall has only grown from there. At this stage in her business, Molly handles the design and sales of her product, and has hired an outside source to do the sewing and manufacturing for each coat. A Roaring Success! Molly couldn’t believe that her ridiculously-priced item sold right away! Her first lion coat was a huge...might we even say roaring?... success, and it gave her business a massive jump-start. She also had an idea for fox and dinosaur coat designs, and began making and drafting those patterns. It was very time-consuming work. Just as soon as Molly would sell one item, she would repost and sell another. What a great business problem to have! And a sign that Molly had created a truly unique product. Molly also thinks she hit a nerve designing items for little boys. In her experience with children's fashion, she saw that boys were given a smaller window of childhood. Once they hit a certain age, they’re basically dressed like mini versions of their dads. Molly wanted to offer boys a chance to be wild and creative. (Turns out girls love Molly’s coats, too! These designs are perfectly unisex.) Keeping Up With Demand Was it hard for Molly to keep up with such rapid demand? It was a nightmare! But also exciting, Molly says. Her product first sold primarily via word-of-mouth. As a stay-at-home mom, Molly found the new energy addicting. All of a sudden she was getting questions, comments, and convos that expanded her world beyond her child. That first Christmas, she couldn’t get materials and make coats quickly enough! At night, her husband would cut fabric on their kitchen table while she sewed in the dining room. (That good ol’ fashioned husband/wife teamwork is part of so many business successes - like Donnie and Abby or Stephanie and Ryan!) How Outsourcing Helped Molly's Business Thrive While it was great to have a business boom, Molly was discouraged that she wasn’t getting time to design -- her true passion. Because Molly had to clock tons of hours at the sewing machine, it took much longer than she would have liked to create new designs for her store. Molly wisely realized she couldn’t do it all and got help. Outsourcing a few, key elements allowed her to actually grow her business. Two elements in particular Molly felt the need to outsource were pattern-making and pattern-cutting. Here’s how she did it: Pattern Making After first toying with the idea of looking online for a pattern maker, Molly decided to narrow her search to local pattern makers. She found an excellent pattern maker in her home base of Dallas. Not only was this shop able to make her up-and-coming design patterns, they were also able to grade her patterns. Grading means they were able to take a pattern in one size and scale it to make additional sizes. Molly loved working with a local small business, and she loved finding an expert who could do particular jobs even better than she could! Pattern Cutting The animal face details on Molly’s coats required up to 60 different appliqués. Molly had been hand-cutting the felt and thought if she could find someone to make metal dies, like cookie cutters, then she could have a box full of prepared pieces to applique onto her coats. Molly did just that. She found another small business who would accept her card This push to seek outside help was prompted by a large order request from Gilt, a clothing company. They wanted 400 pieces, 100 coats in each of 4 styles, ready for Halloween. To fill such a big (and important!) order, she would have had to close her Etsy shop or find help. The choice was clear. (And Molly’s husband was more than happy to relinquish his throne as felt-cutting king!) After hitting this crossroad, Molly also realized that finding a sewing room to manufacture her products would be well worth the effort. She ultimately ended up using a top-notch sewing room who also sews garments for a designer label. Impressive! The Handmade Decision: Raise Prices or Get Help Molly considers her location really fortunate. Dallas was once a manufacturing hot-spot and they still have pockets of high quality manufacturers in the area. At first, Molly went to NYC and met with various sewing rooms. It was important to her brand to keep manufacturing within the United States, but by choosing Dallas, Molly enjoys a local touch. She is able to problem solve when it comes to producing her products and to see first-hand that the factory is run well and employees are treated fairly. Molly says that she has been able to develop so many new products since making the decision to outsource. Like all makers, she is closely tied to the outcome of her products. Though she felt a real hesitation around the decision to outsource, the benefit has been well worth the risk. Molly remembers in Etsy history when the marketplace allowed their handmade items to be created by outside manufacturers. Though that announcement was met with some resentment at the time, Molly has firmly held to the belief that sometimes a product is better when a team assembles it. As a handmade artist, her DNA is in every garment she produces, but she doesn’t have to complete every step to make it so. Using experts in various fields has made her garments more consistent and far better than it otherwise would have been. Not only does outsourcing manufacturing allow Molly to produce a better product, it allows her to price that product affordability. According to Molly, it came down to two decisions: 1. Either raise her prices so high to compensate for the 12 hours of her time she would spend sewing that no one would be able to afford her product, or 2. Outsource portions of the manufacturing process. That’s the crux of the issue for many handmade sellers! Selling a Licensed Product The big pattern company, Simplicity, came to Molly and said they were interested in selling her patterns. Pattern-selling is a great way for designers to expand, and the move was natural for Molly’s adorable animal coats. Molly noticed her coats were appearing on DIY Pinterst boards; because her coats are made of wool felt, she assumed many people thought the coats were user friendly and easy to work with. Actually, Molly’s coats are quite complicated to assemble and she got word that people were finding it difficult to recreate her coats! (A good problem!) Molly's fox coat turned out to be the zietgiest product. One season, an Italian trend forecasting company featured Little Goodall in its issue. Talk about a BIG win! With this kind of press swirling around Molly’s coats, Simplicity reached out to her and offered to purchase the rights to her design and create patterns to sell. Molly thought the business move was a good one, as creating and selling pattern pdfs wasn’t in her wheelhouse. The time and energy needed to figure out pattern creation would distract Molly from her most important business goals. She sent Simplicity a few coats, images, and the patterns she had created. They worked their magic and she collects the licensing fees. How Does Licensing Work? In Molly’s case, she was paid an advance for the rights to her pattern up front, and then royalties after. Since the initial license sale, Simplicy was sold by another company who discontinued her line .To date, Molly isn’t entirely sure where her licensed patterns stand with this new company. Some details were lost in the switchover, but she’s making efforts to work it out. Molly also has had to deal with another party copying her patterns and attempting to sell the knockoffs; she used the services of a lawyer to handle this issue. Wild Things To Write About - Molly's Book Deal! Quantum Publishing, a professional book sales agency from the United Kingdom, reached out to Molly with a pitch to write a book. The way book sales agencies work is that they first create ideas, then sell books. Molly had to make projects and patterns for the book idea, then she did the illustrations and the text. The entire process took nine months. Molly couldn’t swing the childcare necessary to give her time to make the book, so she got creative and shifted her day. She went to bed at 8pm when her son did, and woke up at 4am or 5am to work for a few hours in peace and quiet. When her son woke at 7am, they went about their normal day. Molly admits the day shift was weird, but it worked perfectly well for a season of time. (And she still uses that model when she’s in the middle of a big project!) Molly loves that she was still was able to enjoy the summer with her son. After all, you only have one summer with your 5-year-old.   Great Trade Shows for Handmade Sellers Trade shows are a great way to put your best foot forward and get in front of interested buyers. Molly has several great show recommendations for other handmade sellers. Etsy Wholesale Molly was the first of a group to attend the Etsy Wholesale show, which Etsy paid for! NY Now NY Now is a gift show held twice a year for retail stores to place their orders for Spring and Fall. This show is great because it allows your brand to go to one place where everyone has an opportunity to meet and place product orders. A shop can literally leave NY Now knowing exactly how many orders to manufacture for the year. At NY Now Molly met many people who loved her product, but they didn’t carry children’s clothing. That gave her the prompting to look into other trade shows. American Made Show This show is $500 to enter and Molly feels it is well worth the effort. What she likes about this show is that they are great at bringing new people into the universe of handmade. Also, this trade show offers seminars on important topics like calendar planning and web marketing. She feels it is a great place to develop relationships with a store you can maintain for years to come. Playtime New York This is the next trade show Molly wants to check out.  It has a focus on children's products. Why Raising Prices Means Everyone Wins Pricing is always tricky. As Molly has had to raise her retail praises to adjust to be able to do wholesale, we wondered if she’s seen a diminishing quantity of sales. Turns out, Little Goodall hasn’t seen a drop in retail! Actually, Molly has an example of one particular item that didn’t do well at all, but when the shop raised their prices, this item took off. Molly thinks a lot that has to do with perceived value. The brand Little Goodall doesn’t do sales very well. It wouldn’t do any good to set a price at something like $39.99. Her customers aren’t looking for bargains, they’re looking for investment pieces. A Little Goodall coat is unique and their customers just have to have them!  Does Tons of Press Lead to Sales? We’ve always wondered if being featured in something like a print magazine has translated into a sales boost. Little Goodall has been featured in top publications like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, but neither of these mentions has resulted in a burst of sales. What has boosted sales? Instagram and Facebook mentions from influential bloggers!  Working With Bloggers Many bloggers have requested Little Goodall coats for giveaways. Molly has found it’s a delicate balance to get the right fit. She was noticing that other giveaway entrants would provide $12 items. People who entered those giveaways weren’t necessarily Molly’s target audience - they were simply people looking to win free stuff! Molly needed to find bloggers who spoke directly to her target market: lifestyle and fashion bloggers, for example. Molly has also found that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to audience size. A blogger with 10K followers may not produce a great result, but if a blogger has 2K followers who are really interested in her product and would be potential customers, there’s probably room for a partnership. Product-Market Fit is just so key! Molly's Adorable Mom Moment Over Thanksgiving, Molly’s son Carter broke his arm. It wasn’t a serious break, but enough to have a cast and be a bit exciting! When Carter’s cast was removed, the doctor made a big deal to repeat that Carter’s job would be to keep his arm very still while the cast was cut off. After repeating “your job is to keep your arm very still” multiple times, the doctor asked, “Okay Carter, what was your job again?” Carter responded, “An architect! I’m going to be an architect!”  How sweet and perfect is that!? We learned a TON from Molly’s accomplishments! It’s always wonderful to see a handmade shop succeed. Find Molly Online! Shop: Little GoodallFacebook: Little GoodallInstagram: @littlegoodallTwitter: @littlegoodallPinterest: Little Goodall

As Molly continues her reflections on the Morning Prayer attributed to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, she turns her attention to the phrase "guide my thoughts and feelings."