Motherhood Every Kind of Way

In this episode Lynnette talks with Liz Lin. Liz self identifies as a writer, adjunct professor, and co-founder of Progressive Asian American Christians (PAAC). She lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her spouse and two kids. Liz shares how she's had to find her own path after realizing that a lot of her career choices have been driven by appeasing her parents' wishes, her struggle with finding time to do meaningful work while still spending quality time with her children, and the difficulty in finding a faith community for her family that also reflects her values and racial-identity. Follow Liz's writing on race, culture, and identity at mynameiselizabeth.com or visit her author page at The Salt Collective webmag, which curates unusual discussions on faith, politics, culture, and media.

Magda interviews India in this episode. She's an esthetician, make-up artist, blogger, and stay-at-home-mom to three kids. India talks about what her experience was like becoming a mom while she was in high school, and how she wishes there were more conversations for mothers-to-be around what c-section looks like. India is unexpectedly joined by her son during this interview, and his sweet playing and giggling in the background of the audio are such a wonderful reminder of what motherhood sounds like sometimes.Follow India's blog at http://lipstickandlaundryblog.com/

In this episode, Lynnette interviews her friend Aiysha Sinclair, who is originally from Southern California but moved last year to Savannah, GA. Aiysha describes herself as a mother, a children's book author, an artist, and an energy healing practitioner. She followed her curiosity about the U.S. South to Savannah where she planned to do research for her second children's book, and has also found herself on staff at the Savannah African Art Museum.Aiysha shares what it was like for her to become a mother when she was 19 years old, and what parenting her own 19-year-old daughter is like today. She talks about what it was like to be a single mother after her divorce in her early twenties, and how she chose letting go over resentment. She also shares her own work healing herself which has enabled her to redefine what love looks like in her life, and gain the ability to show affection and practice being vulnerable in all her relationships.Check out Aiysha's work as an author/storyteller and her first children's book Saroja's Quest at Brownsugarfairies.com, and follow her healing practice at Thehealingfairy.com!

In this episode Magda interviews Molly Chanson, writer and entrepreneur. After having her two sons, Molly designed a clothing line for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Molly shares her motherhood journey after her recent divorce, how she's trying to stop comparing herself to other mothers, and how she wishes that society would talk more broadly about breastfeeding.Follow her blog at Soul Ma or subscribe to her Monday Mantra. 

In this episode, Magda and Lynnette discuss the ups and downs of their relationships with their spouses after having children. Magda talks about how she didn't give this topic a thought before they became pregnant with their first surprise baby! And Lynnette talks about how her marriage trouble prior to having children might have helped ease the transition into parenthood. 

In this episode, Magda interviews Daette Lambert, mom to three kids, two boys ages 2 and 4, and a 7 month old baby girl. She works full-time as an administrator of a residential building affiliated with the University of Chicago and has been married to a wonderful man for 11 years. She's originally from central Illinois and a country girl at heart.Daette shares how working full-time is kind of like a mini-vacation from her kids, how "impatience" might be her special super power to getting things done, and how her biggest piece of advice for new moms would be to trust themselves.

In this episode Lynnette interviews Leah Wiseman Fink, founder of Classes At, in Brooklyn, NY, where she's creating community and helping people navigate parenthood from the first few months, through selecting a school, and helping parents re-enter the workforce. Leah talks about her experience with pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, how her close knit family growing up trickles into the way she parents, and about embracing being "a bad mom... in a good way." A transplant from the suburbs of Detroit, Leah and her husband live and work in Brooklyn, where they run pizzerias, and enjoy life with their two children.A bit of adult language here, but in the context of a passionate conversation.

In this episode, Magda interviews her good friend Carolyn Banner, creator of Body by Banner, Whole Body Wellness, where she helps busy women make magic in their lives through streamlined nutrition and movement. Carolyn talks about how she's good at being real with her 5-year-old son, Oli, even if it means being honest about Santa. Carolyn shares how her husband, Fernando, has adult children from a previous relationship and how deciding to become parents together was not a decision she made lightly. She talks about how she believes a shift in the culture of motherhood needs to happen at a broader level, also involving non-mothers in the conversation, and change at the policy level. Carolyn lives with her family in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, IL.Follow Carolyn at carolynbanner.com or on Instagram @body_by_banner

In this episode, Lynnette interviews her friend Ursula Whittaker, who identifies as an actress, writer, manager of her husband's corporation, and lead parent to their daughter. She is born and raised in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, Oscar and 6 year old daughter, August. Her husband also happens to be Oscar Nuñez, the actor from "The Office," "The Proposal," and most recently from the "State Farm" campaign that runs through the NBA season. Ursula shares how she was pretty close to deciding she didn't want to give her independence for motherhood, why she thought being asked to share her dream version of motherhood was stupid, and what it's like to be experiencing perimenopause while parenting a young child. She also describes what it's like when their family is out together and a fan recognizes Oscar.

Magda interviews Jenny LeFlore, the mama behind Mama Fresh. In Mama Fresh, Jenny is committed connecting Chicago moms with support and events with a focus on community. She shares a bit about how Mama Fresh came to be after spending years working on the road in fashion, how she's noticed that respect in her child might look different from how respect looked when she was a child, and her vision for a world in which moms don't have live in a way that separate their different identities.You can follow Jenny at mamafreshchicago.com or on instagram @mamafreshchi

In this episode, Lynnette interviews Annie Maffeo, who describes herself as a full-time working and traveling mom to 18-month-old Ben. She and her husband are both in their second marriages. Annie's "kind of way" of talking involved a teeny bit of swearing and so that's the only reason the "explicit content" box needed to be checked off! Annie shares her experience with postpartum anxiety, her frustration with mom bashing, and how she's worked really hard to be content with what her life looks like right now. Annie blogs about her experience with motherhood at https://beingbensmama.com/. 

Magda brings the topic of self care to the momversation table. It's a worthy topic on this particular morning; Magda is tired and hasn't gotten enough sleep. She and Lynnette discuss the ways in which they used to think about self care before becoming mothers, how their perceptions have changed, and the huge problem with how American society views it as partially evidenced by how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got slammed for expressing her need for self care after an exhausting several months! Magda shares what self care looked like in her family growing up in Poland, and Lynnette shares how she used to laugh about the "designated nap time" when she lived in China for a year. Magda talks about how hitting "rock bottom" forced her to think about self care differently, and Lynnette talks about she used to think of therapy as "crisis intervention" but now sees it as self care.P.s. It's winter in Chicago! The radiators in Lynnette's 100+ year old condo make themselves heard in this episode! Please bear with us! They don't last for long!

Lynnette interviews Magda about her journey as a woman after and through motherhood. Magda dreams about what motherhood could be like if her and her husband's families, who are in Poland and Puerto Rico, lived nearby. She shares her power to be present to the moment and embrace the chaos of her boys, how frustrating and unrealistic she finds the idea that "moms can have it all," and how dressing for success and a bit of mascara are integral parts of her daily self-care. Lynnette and Magda also ponder why women so often feel the pressure to defend their self-care choices.

Magda interviews Lynnette about her journey as a woman after and through motherhood. Lynnette shares how motherhood has made her care a little less about what other people think about her, her secret to not letting people who make her angry get under her skin, and how she wishes we could tear apart the dichotomous way in which our society and culture view motherhood.You might hear the background noises of the City of Chicago in the background, but that's just life in the city.

In our first episode, we (Lynnette and Magda) tell you a little about ourselves, why we wanted to create a podcast, and how we intend to do it.