That's Total Mom Sense

Soon after Meenal Lele's first child was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, new research upended decades of allergy advice. The LEAP study found that consistently adding allergenic foods beginning at four months of age could drastically reduce the rate of developing food allergies. The American Academy of Pediatrics subsequently began recommending that parents give allergenic foods to their babies early and often.

As Meenal struggled to prepare allergens three times a week for her second child, she realized how hard it was to mix nuts into baby food without exposing his older brother or contaminating the blender. There had to be a better way! She took my background in chemical engineering and worked with food scientists to develop a solution.

Lil Mixins is specially prepared to blend smoothly into breastmilk, formula, or baby foods, so it’s simple to give to infants. They use the best quality ingredients and no additives or sweeteners – the same way you would make it yourself, but without the mess. And they've made it so one jar of each product will last from early infancy until your baby can start to eat whole foods.

Their goal is to make early introduction easier for busy moms.

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: LilMixins.com
• INSTAGRAM: @LilMixins
• TWITTER: @LilMixins
• YOUTUBE: Lil Mixins
• FACEBOOK: @LilMixins
• MOM SENSE PROMO: Use the code momsense15 (all lowercase) for 15% off Lil Mixins Peanut Powder

Press:

• HUFFPOST: Allergies Are Becoming More Frequent. Why?

Show Notes:

• 02:00 - Introduction
• 03:30 - Meenal's story
• 07:35 - The story behind Meenal's son's food allergy
• 10:00 - New information coming out about food allergies
• 14:11 - Experimentation
• 17:00 - Why are allergies on the rise?
• 19:27 - Recommended powders to help prevent allergies
• 24:21 - The 6-month mark
• 26:35 - What parents need to become more informed about
• 28:51 - 15-step plan for different allergy prevention methods
• 32:34 - Mom Haul
• 35:24 - Last words

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Stokke Flexi Bath, Heat Sensitive Plug
• AMAZON: Acko Folding Step Stool

Rebecca Minkoff is a global fashion brand that was founded by brother and sister duo Rebecca Minkoff & Uri Minkoff in 2005 in New York City. The brand has four domestic retail stores, nine international locations, and is distributed in over 900 stores worldwide.

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: RebeccaMinkoff.com
• INSTAGRAM: @rebeccaminkoff
• TWITTER: @RebeccaMinkoff
• FACEBOOK: @rebeccaminkoff
• YOUTUBE: @rebeccaminkoff
• PODCAST: Superwomen

Show Notes:

• 02:00 - Introduction
• 04:20 - Finding your own path
• 07:13 - Positional treadmill
• 08:40 - First fashion show
• 13:00 - Dawn of social media + specialty stores
• 14:35 - Weaving diversity into DNA of the brand
• 18:12 - Collab with StichFix
• 21:00 - SuperWomen podcast
• 25:24 - Being a first time mom
• 27:20 - How you can be healthier
• 31:00 - The tribe 
• 31:30 - Values learned from parents to pass down
• 35:00 - You have to be the change you want to see
• 36:03 - Mom Haul
• 37:33 - Mom sense moments and a piece of advice - "Don't sweat the small stuff"

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Medela Freestyle Double Electric Breast Pump

Wendy Gossett is a Parenting Specialist. She helps parents understand their children by using temperament psychology and neuroscience. She has over twenty years of experience in education, working in the classroom and corporate sector.

However, all her educational experience didn’t help when parenting her daughter. Because they were opposites, she struggled as a helicopter parent, an explosive parent and an embarrassing parent. (Google “dancing mom in traffic to see for yourself.”) Because she has struggled, she wants to help other parents struggle…a little bit less!

She is a speaker, author and contributing writer for multiple parenting publications.

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: WendyGossett.com
• INSTAGRAM: @wendy.gossett
• FACEBOOK: @WendyGossettCoaching
• TWITTER: @wendygossettmom

Show Notes:

• 01:24 - Introduction (the Myers Briggs test) 
• 04:10 - The Child Inner-Drive Assessment
• 07:41 - The four people patterns that babies fall into (Ox, Lion, Eagle and Human) 
• 08:03 - Carl Jung
• 10:00 - "Intuitive" babies
• 11:31 - "The Tin Man"
• 14:11 - Introverted siblings and space
• 15:50 - Negotiators
• 18:34 - Differentiating
• 20:00 - 2-hour family consultation for brain mapping
• 22:44 - Dealing with sensory seeking children
• 23:10 - Quote of the day: "Our temperament is about 50% of our happiness"
• 24:50 - Mom Haul

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Private Selection Dark Chocolate Covered Caramel
• AMAZON: Your Child’s Inner Drive - Parenting by Personality from Toddlers to Teens
• BOGO OFFER: Buy one get one free Child Inner Drive Assessment for $29 and get a second for free (once you make your purchase, Wendy will send you a code to get the second one for free)

Derived from the Sanskrit word “yuji,” meaning yoke or union, yoga is an ancient practice that brings together mind and body and spirit.

It incorporates breathing exercises, meditation and poses designed to encourage relaxation and reduce stress.

Practicing yoga is said to come with many benefits for both mental and physical health from reducing stress, inflammation and improves breathing, sleep, happiness, strength, flexibility, and mood. 

My guest today  is Rachel Welch, who is a women’s health advocate and post natal fitness pioneer and expert. Her life-elevating fitness method empowers women with the knowledge and skills to understand, heal and embody motherhood from the inside-out. 

Revolution Motherhood™ Fitness Method merges Yoga, Soft Foam Rolling, PT, Pilates, Bootcamp and Breath into empowering, inspirational workouts.  Rachel brilliantly fuses education, alignment and strength training into progressively challenging sequences so that you start to see and feel results immediately.  Whether you are newly post baby, just beginning a workout routine, or have a strong fitness lifestyle, Rachel will maximize your workouts, tone your core, glutes, thighs and arms, and leave you feeling open, strong, balanced and confident.

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: RevolutionMotherhood.com
• INSTAGRAM: @revolutionmotherhood
• FACEBOOK: @revolutionmotherhood

Press:

• BabyCaravan.com: Interview with Rachel Welch of Revolution Motherhood

Show Notes:

• 01:34 - Introduction (what is Yoga?)
• 03:37 - What should pregnant women do to ensure a healthy and easy delivery?
• 04:45 - Learning to adapt and change your practice
• 05:17 - How Rachel began her journey
• 09:40 - Postnatal recovery
• 12:01 - The importance of physical therapists
• 14:20 - Creating a mindful strength training practice
• 17:50 - Recovery
• 19:00 - Your body is a pressure chamber
• 21:05 - Your pelvic floor 
• 22:40 - Yoga triggers weight loss
• 24:45 - Two of Rachel's top 'Mom Sense' moments
• 26:14 - Quote to live by
• 27:47 - Mom Haul

Mom Haul:

• OPTP: Soft Foam Roller

Brooke reflects on what it means to “have it all.” It took a dedicated husband, a sweet baby boy, a professional transition (and big leap of faith) to realize she is creating a life she loves. That doesn’t mean she has it 100% together - far from it on most days - but through the ups and downs she is finding her footing as a wife, a mother and a business owner. Brooke loves spending time with her family, a glass of red wine with her girls (or alone), snuggles with her 2 year old boy and has a weird obsession with finding information online (friends affectionately call her “cyberstalker”). No one is safe but your secrets are safe with her. Brooke is anxious yet excited to share her world with you. Overcoming the fear of “why will people care” and letting her guard down is already the best part of this journey.

When your dreams come true you think you’d have it all figured out, right? Heather started a successful conscious creative agency called clover PR over 6 years ago, married the man of her dreams and then they had the cutest, chunkiest, delicious little boy... but nothing is quite figured out. Some days she is acing life, living out her perfect Pinterest board fantasies. Other days if everyone is alive and mostly happy it’s a win. So, naturally adding a new project to the mix made total sense, but in all honestly she thrives most when her cup runs a little over. Heather loves being creative, coffee + morning walks with her family, attending anything with a theme and sarcasm is her true love language. She has always dreamed of sharing her thoughts with the masses one day -- even if only for her own therapy. As most creative visions begin, Sōlspace was an idea floating around her head for a while (like 8+ years when Brooke + Heather did their first photoshoot for their “blog”), so she’s pretty excited to get this brain baby out there. #Ding #Itisbaked

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: SoloSpace.co
• INSTAGRAM: @solospace.co
• FACEBOOK: @solospaceco
• PODCAST: A Space for Sol

Show Notes:

• 01:40 - Introductions
• 06:20 - Cofounding history
• 14:56 - Starting the business out of a need you feel personal about
• 18:33 - Bringing people together
• 21:40 - "If you're trying to conquer the world, you're going to need help"
• 22:11 - Time blocking
• 29:40 - Organization
• 38:59 - Defining your non-negotiables
• 44:41 - Mom Haul
• 47:07 - Quote of the day

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Light Reflecting Glasses
• AMAZON: Lunya Sleep Mask
• AMAZON: MomWasher Perineal Recovery After Bath
• AMAZON: Dermoplast Spray

Brooke reflects on what it means to “have it all.” It took a dedicated husband, a sweet baby boy, a professional transition (and big leap of faith) to realize she is creating a life she loves. That doesn’t mean she has it 100% together - far from it on most days - but through the ups and downs she is finding her footing as a wife, a mother and a business owner. Brooke loves spending time with her family, a glass of red wine with her girls (or alone), snuggles with her 2 year old boy and has a weird obsession with finding information online (friends affectionately call her “cyberstalker”). No one is safe but your secrets are safe with her. Brooke is anxious yet excited to share her world with you. Overcoming the fear of “why will people care” and letting her guard down is already the best part of this journey.

When your dreams come true you think you’d have it all figured out, right? Heather started a successful conscious creative agency called clover PR over 6 years ago, married the man of her dreams and then they had the cutest, chunkiest, delicious little boy... but nothing is quite figured out. Some days she is acing life, living out her perfect Pinterest board fantasies. Other days if everyone is alive and mostly happy it’s a win. So, naturally adding a new project to the mix made total sense, but in all honestly she thrives most when her cup runs a little over. Heather loves being creative, coffee + morning walks with her family, attending anything with a theme and sarcasm is her true love language. She has always dreamed of sharing her thoughts with the masses one day -- even if only for her own therapy. As most creative visions begin, Sōlspace was an idea floating around her head for a while (like 8+ years when Brooke + Heather did their first photoshoot for their “blog”), so she’s pretty excited to get this brain baby out there. #Ding #Itisbaked

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: SoloSpace.co
• INSTAGRAM: @solospace.co
• FACEBOOK: @solospaceco
• PODCAST: A Space for Sol

Show Notes:

• 01:40 - Introductions
• 06:20 - Cofounding history
• 14:56 - Starting the business out of a need you feel personal about
• 18:33 - Bringing people together
• 21:40 - "If you're trying to conquer the world, you're going to need help"
• 22:11 - Time blocking
• 29:40 - Organization
• 38:59 - Defining your non-negotiables
• 44:41 - Mom Haul
• 47:07 - Quote of the day

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Light Reflecting Glasses
• AMAZON: Lunya Sleep Mask
• AMAZON: MomWasher Perineal Recovery After Bath
• AMAZON: Dermoplast Spray

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents to share meditation with their children and teachers to incorporate mindfulness training into their lesson plans. The simple act of teaching children how to stop, focus, and just breathe could be one of the greatest gifts you give them.

My guest, Jackie Stewart, is fascinated with the human mind and understanding how our perceptions impact our present experience. Inevitably, through studying the mind, she began to understand the interrelated nature of our shared humanity and need for connection. With an MA in Media, Culture, and Communication from NYU, a background in the fashion and entertainment industries, as well as being a certified meditation instructor, she works at bringing mindfulness to everyday life in a practical and approachable way. She can be found teaching meditation at MNDFL, NYC’s premier meditation studio; Journey LIVE, the first live stream meditation app; Alo Moves, Alo’s online training platform from the world’s top instructors; and as a contributing writer for Rose & Rex on intentional and mindful parenting.

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: JackieStewart.com
• INSTAGRAM: @_jackiestewart_

Press:

• JOURNEY MEDITATION: A Model for Approaching Life's Challenges with Honesty and Gentleness 

Show Notes:

• 03:00 - The benefits of meditation
• 06:57 - Our inner narrative
• 07:18 - Difference between meditation and mindfulness
• 12:55 - Checking in ourselves
• 19:02 - Breathing
• 29:01 - Improving attentiveness and impulse control
• 33:00 - How to guide your child through meditation (wave breaths exercise)
• 42:15 - Taking deep breaths
• 47:15 - Quote to live by
• 47:58 - Mom Haul

Mom Haul:

• RoseAndRex: Calm Mind Kit 
• AMAZON: Sitting Still Like a Frog
• AMAZON: Kids Harmonica
• ROCKETS OF AWESOME: Cool Clothes for Kids

In my opinion, the most challenging facet to being a parent is wondering if you are making good decisions for your kids. Should I sleep train or not? How much screen time? Should I opt for a nanny or daycare? When are we doing away with bottles? When to start potty training? And these small problems evolve when we have tweens and adolescents who are faced with peer pressure, bullying, self esteem issues, keeping up with competitive academic environments, honing in on their passions, and being socially accepted. 

Sue Groner is founder of the Parenting Mentor, which provides on-site and virtual sessions for parents of toddlers through teens. As a University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School graduate and a former advertising executive, Groner uses her training in creative problem solving with her CLEARR methodology to help parents foster and maintain a more fulfilling and stress-free experience while in the trenches of day-to-day children. She lives in New York with her husband and two children. 

“One of the most frustrating aspects of parenting is that there is no school for it. You learn by doing.” -Dr. Elliot Barsh, Pediatrician

“Sue Groner’s parenting tips provide immediate access to wise and loving guidance that can help when navigating the many day to day challenges we encounter when raising children. Her big picture, common-sense approach offers parents a “tool box” that allows them to act from a position of confidence.”

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: TheParentingMentor.com
• INSTAGRAM: @theparentingmentor
• TWITTER: @suegroner
• FACEBOOK: The Parenting Mentor
• BOOK: Parenting - 101 Ways to Rock Your World; Simple Strategies for Parenting with Sanity & Joy

Mom Haul:

• AMAZON: Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars
• AMAZON: Natural CBD Oil (Hempworks Hemp Oil 50,000 mg)

No one likes feeling guilty. It's just not a happy place to be. Yet somehow mothers seem to be riddled with what is called "mom guilt" all the time. We sacrifice so much for our children, but despite that, we still feel like we're not doing enough. For some, they feel guilty for not being able to take care of their children because they're working, and for others, they long to be out in the workforce because they feel they're homebound with their kids too much. Either way, it's a difficult conundrum to grapple with all the time.

On this episode, I am joined by Dr. Terri Bacow, PhD, who is a clinical psychologist on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She has deep expertise in using skills-based therapies to treat anxiety, depression, and related disorders, including postpartum depression and anxiety. Dr. Bacow is dedicated to empowering each client with the concrete, sustainable coping skills to better manage overwhelming thoughts and emotions. She especially enjoys working with young adults (including college students) and parents, including moms and dads adjusting to new parenting or interested in parent coaching. Ready to shed the mom guilt, and hone in on your greatest, most powerful self? Let's do this!

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: www.DrTerriBacow.com
• INSTAGRAM: @tbacow
• PODCAST: Off the Couch

Press:

• SOURCE: Ellie: Better Together? The Challenges of Co-Parenting

When you think "mom fashion," it may sound like an oxymoron because moms are stereotypically viewed as frumpy and disheveled because we are too busy sacrificing for our kids. Hello! But it doesn’t have to be this way. We CAN look like a million bucks and we SHOULD spend time and energy to do so because it does wonders for our confidence and self-esteem, which makes us better as moms, at our jobs, and positively impacts every facet of our life.

Katie Kabel is the founder of Kabel Styles and is my personal stylist. After spending over 20 years working in retail, Katie left work to start a family. She always enjoyed working, and knew she wanted to return to work when the time was right. She was eager to get back to doing what she loves; cultivating meaningful relationships, making women and men feel confident and empowered. Working as a personal stylist allows her to fulfill her desire to be productive and creative while still attending to the needs of her young family.

Being a personal stylist is so much more than dressing an individual, it’s about a relationship of trust, gratitude, and commitment. Giving someone the confidence to walk into an interview, go on a first date, tackle a new life adventure, or simply putting a smile on their face. That’s why she doesn’t just label herself as a personal shopper/stylist but also as an image consultant. Listen in to Katie's top tips for moms on the staples they should have in their closet and what pieces they should consider that are flattering, functional, fashionable, and fun!

Meet My Guest:

• WEBSITE: KabelStyles.com
• INSTAGRAM: @kabelstyles
• TWITTER: @KatieKabelBurg