102: What kind of world do you want to live in?
Fight Like a Mother
My guest on this episode is disability educator and advocate Amy Webb. Due to the current events happening at this particular time. Amy and I discuss the ramificaitons of the Texas vs Becerra lawsuit concerning section 504 of federal law. Seventeen states are suing, stating that section 504 is unconstitutional. Section 504 of the law protects disabled individuals from discrimintation. It was passed in 1973 due to incredible disable activists who fought for their rights over 50 years ago and now it is on the brink of being stripped away. Amy shares some amazing...
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101: How a 5 minute walk changed my life
Fight Like a Mother
Can a 5 minute walk really change your life? It absolutely has changed mine in significant ways. In this episode I share: *Research about the benefits of walking *How walking is connected to EMDR therapy *How I started with the smallest, tiniest goal * Now I have built my walking habit from a 5 minute walk to a 30 minute walk *That needing cute workout clothes was hampering my ability to get out and go. *Walking in your pajamas is okay *How my life has changed for both my mental and physical health *Why this isn't a weight loss program but a gentle, helpful way to care for my body...
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100: Cheryl where have you been?
Fight Like a Mother
Happy 100th episode! This episode is a celebration of getting to 100 episodes! It's been hard fought for and taken 4 years! I share where I have been, where the podcast is going, the focus is shifting a little and a new project I am so excited about. A nonprofit called Love like a Mother that will support moms of kids who have attempted or completed suicide and could use some love and support for them. I have 3 amazing and insightful guests on. First off is my son Garrett who is much of my inspiration for this podcast and my work. He shares some of his thoughts of how...
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99: Unshoulding your life
Fight Like a Mother
My guest Jessica Frew is a delightful person to listen to talk about her incredible story and about what happens when life throws you a major curve ball. Jessica married Steven and two years into their marriage he came out to her as gay. They stayed married and had a daughter but eventually the marriage dissolved but their friendship and connection remain strong. They both are remarried and she says their daughter has more people to love her. Listen to the episode to hear the truly remarkable story of living with intention, doing what is best for their daughter and how love...
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098 Get into nature and chase adventures to energize your soul
Fight Like a Mother
This episode is about something near and dear to my heart, getting into nature. Nature therapy is one of my most used and powerful tools to heal and to improve my mental health. Brittany Crane of the company Get out there Girl is my guest. Brittany is a living example of getting outside, seeking and creating adventures and encouraging other women to do the same. She plans regular adventurous retreats for women to get them outside and to gain all the benefits of nature and connection with other women. We chat about self compassion and how that is a tool we need in our...
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097 We are never more completely ourselves than when we play
Fight Like a Mother
"We are never more fully alive, more completely oursevles, or more deeply engrossed than when we are playing." Charles Schaefer How does play affect our mental health? How does it aid in our healing of past traumas and struggles? My guest in this episode is Ashlynn Mitchell. I have followed Ashlynn for many years on Instagram and she is an incredible example of resilience and healing. I have learned about so many tools and perspective shifts and ways of healing. Recently I have watched her as she has incorporated FUN and PLAY into her healing. She has...
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96: Creativity brings healing.
Fight Like a Mother
Creativity opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing. During this month of May which is mental health awareness month, i wanted to do something a bit differently. Talking about mental illness and bringing awareness can often feel heavy. This year I wanted to focus on a few lighter, fun things that can greatly improve our mental health. Our first topic this year is how Creativity can greatly improve our health, both physical and mental and how to can open up both sides of the brain and can bring healing and fun. My guest is someone I have followed on Instagram...
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95: Trusting God to do his work. Unpacking unhealthy beliefs when your kids leave your faith.
Fight Like a Mother
This episode with Jill Freestone as a guest is part 2 of a series about when our children leave our faith tradition. What do we do as parents? How do we unpack some of the unhealthy narratives we've absorbed over the years about our role as parents in our kids faith journey? What things have been said over pulpits in years past that have made us feel like if we are just righteous enough our kids won't leave our religion? This episode actually focuses heavily on some of the doctrine and cultural beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and how they have...
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94: What if my child leaves the church? Nurturing relationships when beliefs change.
Fight Like a Mother
This podcast episode is a bit of a shift from my normal mental health content, but I feel this topic is so vital for so many families today, I am seeing so many parents struggle. So many families are having shifts in religious beliefs within their families and it can be challenge for relationships that were often built upon those religious beliefs and values. Because our religious traditions and beliefs are rooted in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, we talk about our beliefs within that framework, but the principles apply to any relationship where beliefs differ....
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93 Grief is the healing process that brings us comfort
Fight Like a Mother
I think we all know that life can be a bit bumpy, I think all of us hope that our life path looks maybe a bit rocky or bumpy, maybe a little rustic, but fairly flat, straight and really beautiful. So what happens when the life path actually looks more like hanging from a cliff from our fingertips? We are literally holding on for dear life. That's not what most of us expected in life! Today's episode we are talking about grieving what happens when life looks vastly different than we expected. What grief might look like in your life and how to embrace the messy, uncomfortable and...
info_outlineMy guest this episode is my best friend of over 50 years, Lisa Paulsen. Our friendship has ebbed and flowed over all of that time, but we have always known we will be there through thick and thin. We are more sisters than friends and have had so many big life experiences and we have gotten through them together. Lisa has had big struggles in her life including a progressive neuromuscular disease and living life in a wheelchair and losing her husband Leif 18 years ago leaving her to raise 3 young children alone.
We are huge Whitney Houston fans and attended a concert together 30 years ago. We knew we had to go to the new Whitney movie "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" together. We have a lot to say about the movie that we chat about here. We talk about the expectations put on Whitney that she never could live up to, we talk about how drugs and alcohol were her coping mechanisms because of never feeling like she could truly be herself. We share our favorite songs of hers (although its like choosing a favorite child, its impossible to choose one favorite!). Maybe you don't dissect movies like we do, but there is so much to learn and understand from this movie that totally applies to our own parenting. Whitney's life was tragic and so difficult to understand. Lisa and I both have grown in compassion for her as we have learned more of her story.
I do want to say that we are two white women with privilege who are chatting about Whitney Houston's experience. We are not claiming to understand her experience as a woman of color nor do we try to explain anything away. Much of Whitney's experiences are due to white men controlling and manipulating her into what they wanted her to be. She was a once in a lifetime talent and her voice and exuberance for life are what make us huge fans of hers.