I'm clearing up the differences between traditional counseling or therapy and certified life coaching by sharing with you the times in my life when I have utilized both for different purposes. I also share a recent realizaton I have had with current and former clients about the best format for coaching, and specific results a recent client experienced. And...I am super excited to offer free POWER HOURS of coaching for the month of August, plus a new, perfect-fit monthly coaching offer with 3 sessions of coaching plus a follow-up reflection call, based on feedback from recent clients! Every mom who has been on the fence about coaching but is curious to try it gets the chance this summer!
 Schedule your free power hour here:
https://calendly.com/goodmomcoach/bad-mom-s-power-hour
Or, get one of the limited 3-session special coaching offers here:
https://calendly.com/goodmomcoach/mom-s-good-life-coaching-monthly-3-sessions-plus-reflection-call
Email me with questions at jodi@goodmomcoach.com (including former clients who want to come on the podcast and get free coaching!)
Visit my website at https://www.goodmomcoach.com

Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I became ill with Covid last week after traveling. I don't know of it was the high fever or just being forced to rest (because my body refused everything except that) but I had some realizations and revelations that really helped me get clear about some big things.  I went back a few years and made connections, I reclaimed aspects of myself I want to bring back out, and I made decisions about who I am and how I want to show up being the real me. I don't wish COVID on anyone but these unexpected benefits of having some forced downtime with myself have been soooo good. I hope you can gain these same benefits by taking intentional time for yourself and just allowing your thoughts to reveal to you what matters most.  Email me if this episode resonated with you. I'd love to hear what helped you most!  My email is jodi@goodmomcoach.com

Reflecting this week on mistakes I made and sometimes still make. I used to think these were about being a mom. I used to connect these to my mom identity by making them mean something about that aspect of me, but I have a new awareness now that these are about my own past pain and the healing I am doing. Mistakes are not bad, mamas. They have message for us and a purpose and we get to frame them in the way that serves us best. We can keep going and know that we will keep making mistakes - and that is OK. 

Special Guest Episode: Christy Keating from The Heartful Parent joins me this week for an informative and open conversation about the who, what, when, and why our tweens and teens need to hear about sexual consent from us.  If you've avoided talking to your tweens or teens about sex, this episode will give you some facts and encouragement, plus an easy-to-follow guideline and suggestions for exactly how to actually have the convo. 

Christy is a Certified Parent Coach®, a Certified Positive Discipline Educator, and a Certified Instructor with The Gottman Institute. She is also a long-time leader and speaker for the Program for Early Parent Support. In addition, Christy is a licensed attorney and former prosecutor of 20 years with expertise in the prosecution of sexually violent predators, as well as an active member of the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. Through The Heartful Parent’s sister company, Savvy Parents Safe Kids, Christy offers child safety workshops, presentations, and consulting to both parents and professionals. 

In this episode Christy shares the OMEGAS of Consent, a thorough guideline she created to help parents and kids understand consent completely so they can stay safe, build emotionally healthy relationships, and, when they're ready, have positive sexual experiences. 

Find resources, support, and all the ways to reach out to Christy here:

https://www.rainn.org/
www.theheartfulparent.com
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/theheartfulparent/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theheartfulparent/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-keating-j-d-a993a3110/

For Pride Month, I want to talk openly about what I've learned as a proud mom of a child in the LGBTQ+ community. First of all, I am learning as I go. I have made some mistakes and caught myself acting from unconscious bias, lack of awareness, fear, and insensitivity, but I've asked questions and I'm continuing to learn more all the time. For the mistakes I've made, I also believe there's one thing we can always do right, no matter what - and that is to accept and love our kids exactly as they are. We can simply believe them without question when they trust us enough to tell us who they really are. We can apologize if we mess up, just like we do when we mess up in other ways as a parent.  My hope with this episode is that it provides a safe space for moms who might have a wide range of feelings, worries, and maybe even regrets about how to talk with, (or how they've already talked with) their LGBTQ kids. When we know better we can do better, at any time. 

An LGBTQ+ resource I have found with multiple links for helpful information is from Dr. Lulu, a pediatrician, parent coach, speaker and author who has inspired me every time I've listened to her speak. The link to Dr. Lulu's resource page is here:
https://www.dr-lulu.com/resources

In this episode my third daughter joins the podcast to talk about her perspective growing up as the youngest in our family.  She shares a topic that has recently come up for her with her therapist around the topic of comparison, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of being the youngest. We also talk about the importance of checking in with each sibling and honoring their experiences and identity as an individual. We wrap up the episode talking about the unintended impact we can have on our kids when our "bad mom" self-assessments slip out.  If you find this episode helpful as a mom, please share with a friend, rate, or review.  Thank you!

If you are not feeling awesome about Mother's Day either before, during or after, this episode will help you reflect and possibly shift perspective, if that's what you want. The concept of being ready to be in "receiving mode" is shared, along with a way to get curious and honest about what's really bothering you about thr holiday for celebrating and honoring moms. If you like this episode, I would appreciate if you could scroll down on the main page on your pod platform to the place where you can leave a rating and/or a review. I appreciate you! 

This episode is a new format! I am reminiscing about the progress of my very first clients. I share about the mom who discovered that her boyfriend was not problem, the mom who learned how to feel her feelings instead of chasing her self-worth by doing tons of things, the mom who stopped trying to buffer and orchestrate her family's relationships, the mom who was toggling between escapism and guilt but struck a balance by creating a safety plan, and moms who gave up control of kids who were using substances but still maintained healthy relationships with their them and themselves in the process. If this sparks your interest in finding out more about coaching with me, check out my website for more info: https://www.goodmomcoach.com