Mojo Mom Podcast

Internet safety expert Linda Criddle, president of the Safe Internet Alliance and founder of iLookBothWays.com, returns to the Mojo Mom Podcast to talk about two crucial issues:  first, what parents need to know about Facebook's new privacy policies (or lack thereof, as they sell user data to an ever-widening circle or marketers) and second, an introduction to the risks of technology in the context of teen relationship violence. Host Amy Tiemann was motivated to invite Linda on the podcast to talk about technology and relationship violence after hearing the May 10 episode of The Diane Rehm Show, which took a broader look at teen relationship violence but also honed in on technology as a tool that abusers can use to control and keep tabs on their partners.  Linda Criddle is an excellent expert to continue this conversation, as she has deep knowledge and professional experience in the areas of relationship violence and technology. Linda is currently working on a guide wtih specific strategeis on Internet Safety for Victims of Violence.  When it comes out this summer, the guide will be made available free through Linda's Website, www.iLookBothWays.com Linda also contributed a chapter to Amy Tiemann's latest book, Courageous Parents, Confident Kids, teaching parents how to guide their children through the early stages of internet use.

Amy Tiemann talks with Ellen Galinsky, President of the Families and Work Institute about her new book Mind in the Making:  The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Mind in the Making takes parents on an engaging tour of the science of early learning, including many classic experiments that still have relevance today.  And, Ellen Galinsky emphasizes, it's never too late to start incorporating this knowledge into your family's life!  You can learn more and see videos of experiments at the Mind in the Making website, www.mindinthemaking.org

Every parent wants to learn how to raise happier kids.  Listen in this week as Mojo Mom talks with Christine Carter, Ph.D., author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents.  In her work wtih the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, Christine has gathered the best scientifically-validated research into her book and translated in into practical and strategic advice that parents can understand! She draws on the field of positive psychology, which studies what works in people's lives rather than what is wrong. A refreshing approach for today's complicated times. Christine's advice resonates strongly with my work as Mojo Mom, such as the Raising Happiness chapters "Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First," "Build a Village," and "Expect Effort and Enjoyment, not Perfection." We're down to the last few days to register for the free digital download of Amy Tiemann's new book, Courageous Parents, Confident Kids:  Letting Go So You Both Can Grow.  Sign up on MojoMom.com by April 18th to receive a free copy of the e-book when it's released on April 19th. 

This week Amy Tiemann welcomes Karen Maezen Miller back to The Mojo Mom Podcast. Karen has described herself as an "errant mother, delinquent wife, reluctant dog walker, expert laundress, and stationmaster of the full catastrophe."  She's a Buddhist priest--but she could also be the Mom next to you in the school carpool line.  You may already know Karen as the author of "Momma Zen" and now she has  a brand new book "Hand Wash Cold--Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life."  Her writing will help you enjoy the life you already have, which is such a wonderfully sane and comforting concept--just what we need in today's overscheduled, distracted world.

This week's Amy Tiemann talks to kindred spirit Lenore Skenazy, author of the book Free-Range Kids and founder of FreeRangeKids.com. Lenore has been at the forefront advancing the trend of giving kids more independence and ability to roam and explore.  Her work was one of the inspirations for Amy Tiemann to join this cultural conversation wtih the creation of Courageous Parents, Confident Kids. So join Amy and Lenore for a wide-ranging discussion!  One more bit of resonance: next month on April 19th, the new paperback edition of Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) will be published the same day as the launch of Amy's special free digital download offer for Courageous Parents, Confident Kids:  Letting Go So You Both Can Grow.  Visit MojoMom.com to learn more about Amy's limited-time offer.

We continue our ongoing series of interviews with "Courageous Parents, Confident Kids" book contributors as podcast host Amy Tiemann talks to Renee Trudeau about the absolutely essential need for mothers to practice self-care. Renee has written extensively about this issue in her book "The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal," and her training that teaches women how to form and facilitate their own Personal Renewal Groups.  Amy has also written about self-care as a core principle in her book "Mojo Mom:  Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family."  So these two have a lot to talk about! Listen in to find out why mothers in particular have a hard time claiming their own self care as a top priority,  why it's really important to learn how to do so, and how to get started.  Then make sure you register on MojoMom.com to reserve a free digital download of the new book that is a collaboration between  Amy, Renee, and 12 other experts, "Courageous Parents, Confident Kids--Letting Go So You Both Can Grow."  Sign up now and we'll send you a free digital download of the new book when it's released on April 19, 2010.

This week Mojo Mom is talking career strategies with Kella Hatcher, who along with Maryanne Perrin is a principal in Balancing Professionals consulting, advocating or a flexible, strategic, sustainable workplace.  Kella and Maryanne have also contributed a chapter on career development to the new anthology that Amy Tiemann is editing, Courageous Parents, Confident Kids -- Letting Go So You Both Can Grow. Kella and Amy talk about strategies for lifelong career development, on-ramping, putting your best foot forward and getting your confidence back as you craft your own path, which may go "off-road" rather than follow a career ladder.  Fortunately, these days more employees and entrepreneurs are advocating for alternative, flexible work, and that will benefit both Moms and Dads.  Workplace change is coming, and we are the pioneers! Get a digital download of our new book Courageous Parents, Confident Kids for free!  Sign up now on www.MojoMom.com  

The Mojo Mom Podcast is all about providing parents with valuable information that applies to all aspects of life. Parents are leaders and change agents.  So this week Amy Tiemann welcomes Dan Heath back to the podcast to talk about his brand-new bestseller co-authored with Chip Heath, "Switch:  How to Change Things When Change is Hard." Whether you are a PTA volunteer, community organizer, or CEO, "Switch" will change the way you look at change.  Dan explains the guiding metaphor of "Switch" and inspiriging examples of people creating big change in difficult situations. Listen in, check out the Heath Brothers' website for more information, and read Amy Tiemann's full review of "Switch." 

Amy Tiemann continues her series of interviews wtih "Courageous Parents, Confident Kids" anthology contributors, this week by talking politics with Joanne Bamberger, creator of PunditMom blog. In Joanne's book chapter, she talks about what it means for parents to connect with their political voices, and proclaim their opinions, often using blogs as an outlet.  Here Joanne and Amy get right into it, sharing their own opinions about their frustrations with the Democratic Party, politics, and the seeming inablity to get anything done, even when one party has the Presidency and majorities in the House and Senate. Hear what's on Amy and Joanne's minds, and then feel free to stop by the Mojo Mom and PunditMom blogs to let us know what is on yours!

When Marc and Amy Vachon married and started a family, they could not have predicted that their personal commitment to each other to act as equal parenting partners would contribute to a growing social movement.  But it has grown into a movement that Marc and Amy cover thorugh their blog and their new book, Equally Shared Parenting.  On this week's Mojo Mom Podcast, the Vachons talk to Amy Tiemann about their co-parenting strategies and the benefits--for both Moms and Dads--that come from developing an egalitarian parenting partnership.

Amy Tiemann continues her series of interviews with Courageous Parenting anthology contributors.  This week, Kidpower founder Irene van der Zande returns to the show. How can parents teach their kids to be independent and safe?  Kidpower personal safety skills are designed to do just that, for people of all ages.  Listen in and learn how to "co-pilot" your kids (without becoming a "helicopter parent") as they take their first steps out of the nest. You can register to get a free electronic download of Courageous Parenting when it is released in Spring 2010 by signing up on MojoMom.com

Mojo Mom continues her series of interviews with contributors to the upcoming new anthology she's editing, Courageous Parenting.  This week Amy Tiemann talks to Melissa Stanton, author of The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide, about The Courage to Become Your Own Parenting "Expert."You can learn even more about Melissa's work by visiting her websites, StayAtHomeSurvivalGuide.com and the Real Life Support for Moms blog.

This week Mojo Mom author Amy Tiemann continues her series of conversations with  "Courageous Parenting" anthology contributors, talking to Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions.Amy McCready's training gives parents valuable tools that prevent behavior problems from arising in the first place, and give parents tool and strategies to respond constructively when problems do arise.Today Amy and Amy delve into the substance behind the recent headline, "For Some Parents, Shouting is the New Spanking," and talk about the themes of personal belonging and significance, why this is important to kids, and how to develop these qualities within your family.Sign up on MojoMom.com and you will receive a free e-book edition of "Courageous Parenting" when it is released in March 2010.

Mojo Mom is launching her next project:  a new book called Courageous Parenting.  Its goal is to give parents the skills and strategies they need to raise independent kids, with courage and confidence rather than worry and fear.This anthology will bring together over a dozen talented authors who cover this topic from their unique angle.  So on The Mojo Mom Podcast, we'll be talking to the anthology contributors, starting out this week with the founders of the social networking site for Moms, TheMotherhood.com, Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann.  This dynamic duo returns to the podcast to talk about how community support can empower us all to be more courageous, and how they plan to transform a chat we had online at TheMotherhood into a chapter for the new book.You can register to receive a free e-book copy of Courageous Parenting by signing up to receive the MojoMom.com newsletter and Party Kit, so stop by today!

We're trying out a new format on The Mojo Mom Podcast, focusing on one segment to give us more time for our expert guest interviews.  This week's guest Kristin Maschka is a great person to help kick off this new format, because Mojo Mom and Kristin sure have a lot to talk about.  Kristin is a past president of the national advocacy group Mothers & More, a successful businessperson, and the author of the new book This Is Not How I Thought It Would Be: Remodeling Motherhood to Get the Lives We Want Today.So tune in to learn how you can put more energy into all the facets of your identity, and find out how Mothers & More helped Amy Tiemann take a step forward on the path that eventually led to writing Mojo Mom.You can learn more about Kristin Maschka's work and sign up to receive her free "remodeling tools" at www.RemodelingMotherhood.com

Amy and Patty talk about upcoming changes in Mojo Mom, which will be more fully announced in October.Then Mojo Mom interviews Rachel Simmons, a respected author, educator and coach who helps girls develop their authentic selves.  Rachel's new book is The Curse of the Good Girl, which fascinated Amy as a guide to helping young women develop, and a reminder that grown-up women may still have some relationship skills to learn, especially when it comes to dealing with conflict.

It's time for fall cleaning.  Amy Tiemann and this week's co-host Patty Ayers talk about letting go of clutter, as Patty has done in a major way by moving to Mexico and embracing a life rich in experiences that is not weighed down by possessions.Then Mojo Mom turns to "Neat Freak" professional organizer Perri Kersh for her tips for creating a landing pad for your family's belongings. As school gets into full swing it's a good time of year to look at the flow of informaiton and "stuff" into your household, and the small step of creating a landing pad can help with that process.

Amy has been writing on her Mojo Mom Blog about what experiences students should have before they get to college.  She and Patty Ayers talk about this balance between exploration and knowing where you are going.Then Mojo Mom welcomes leading parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba to the podcast.  Michele Borba is the author of 23 books and a regular contributor to The Today Show.  Her latest release is The Big Book of Parenting Solutions:  101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries.  This encylopedic guide is organized by topic to give parents the specific solutions they need to address a wide range of issues for kids ages 3 to 13.

We're kicking off the fifth season of The Mojo Mom Podcast!  We wish a fond farewell to co-host Sheryl Grant who is starting grad school full time.  Amy welcomes her new co-host Patty Ayers.  Amy and Patty have worked together behind the scenes for many years and are excited to talk about current issues together on the podcast.  In this episode they talk about Patty's empty-nester move to Mexico (you can see photos on Patty's blog) and then discuss the controversy that erupted this week about a breastfeeding mother who was fired by the Totes/Isotoner corporation for taking "unauthorized" breaks to pump her milk.Then Mojo Mom talks to Po Bronson, co-author of NurtureShock:  New Thinking about Children.  In this important new book, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman bring to light new scientific findings that can change the way we view child development.

Amy and Sheryl talk about radical self-care and the times it rises to the level of self-preservation.  Sheryl has decided to take a break from almost all of her responsibilities outside of her family and her job.  That means this week is Sheryl's final Mojo Mom Podcast.  Amy sends out her appreciation for four seasons together, more than 60 shows.  We may take some breaks this summer, but The Mojo Mom Podcast will continue with a new co-host.  Stay tuned for details....Then Mojo Mom talks to Ms. Mindbody, Kate Hanley.  Kate is a yoga instructor and author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide:  77 Simple Strategies for Serenity.  She shares stress reduction strategies on her website, MsMindBody.com, and talks about her own experience caring for herself as a new Mom.