The Shameless Mom Academy: Motherhood, Motivation, and Mindset Tips for Busy Moms Sara Dean

Marisa Peters is a rectal cancer survivor, women’s health thought leader, and founder of BE SEEN. Marisa was diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer in 2021 when she was 39 years old despite being an otherwise healthy and active mother of three young boys. She is on a mission to help other people take their colorectal health very seriously because it is, well, very serious. This conversation was so informative and, dare I say, even fun! The timing could not have been more perfect as we recorded this right before I was scheduled for my second colonoscopy as someone who has a family history of colon cancer. This gave Marisa and me much content for fodder!  
Friends, listen to this episode, go sign the BE SEEN Pledge, and then get yourself scheduled for a colonoscopy. This is critical self-care. 

Listen in to hear Marisa share:

Symptoms of colon cancer to be looking for: blood loss through poop, increased urine urge, stomach pain, extreme fatigue 

What you should be asking your doctor for if you have any concerns about color-tectal symptoms

Her journey of being dismissed by doctors as she experienced symptoms over the course of 5.5 years before finally being diagnosed

Your different options for your colonoscopy prep

What to expect during your first colonoscopy

How she talked to and continues to talk to her children about her cancer diagnosis and treatment

What family support looked like and how they had to learn how to receive support as people who were used to being the givers of support in their community

How to hold space for family and friends after they have gone through treatment - when they may be cancer free, but are still recovering physically and emotionally

Why you and your family should take the BE SEEN Pledge to take steps toward maintaining colorectal health


Links mentioned:

Connect with Marisa and Be Seen: beseen.care


Take the Be Seen Pledge: https://beseen.care/take-the-be-seen-pledge


Marisa and Be Seen on IG

Marisa and Be Seen on FB

Marisa on LinkedIn


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Last week I had the opportunity to head to campus for 3 days as part of my graduate school experience. While much of my program is online, from time to time I will have the chance to head to campus for these 3-day immersive experiences. I was so excited for this first chance to be on campus and meet some of my professors and classmates.  
When entering a new space, there is always some discomfort. I felt that on the first morning as I entered the classroom. I sat with that discomfort for a bit and really listened to it. As I listened inward throughout our first morning, my discomfort gradually shifted to excitement. I could feel in my bones that I was in exactly the place I was meant to be.  
I’ve had a few days to think about this experience of stepping into something new, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable. I realized there are some important pieces of how I navigated this discomfort that can be helpful to anyone entering a new experience or environment.  
In this episode, I walk you through my experience in this class situation while also offering key insights into how you can step into new experiences and quickly discern if it's the right place for you right now, how to navigate your discomfort, how to shift anxiety into excitement, and how to create space for the growth opportunities that will likely open up for you.  

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
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Today’s episode showcases three guests currently featured in the new documentary, Conversion. This critical documentary exposes the deep trauma conversion therapy causes our LGBTQIA+ community members. Often conversion therapy is veiled as something far different from what it is. This interview and the movie expose the insidiousness and prevalence of conversion therapy in our communities today. I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to interview Elena Joy Thurston, Zach Meiners, and Dustin Rayburn to talk about their incredible movie.
Elena Joy Thurston, she/her, is the CEO of LATITUDE, a boutique HR consultancy that specializes in creating psychological safety on corporate teams. Her viral TEDx talk on surviving conversion therapy, with over 45,000 views, propelled her exposure, resulting in media spots on ABC, CBS, and FOX. 
Zach Meiners, he/him, is the founder, President, and Creative Director of Chronicle Cinema, a full service media production company, where he has produced national ad campaigns, corporate events, and award-winning entertainment. 
Dustin Rayburn, they/them, is a performer and activist best known by their stage name, Dusty Ray Bottoms. Dusty gained notoriety on season 10 of the Emmy Award Winning TV Show RuPaul's Drag Race.

Listen in to hear Elena Joy, Zach, and Dustin share:

What conversion therapy is 

Their personal experiences with conversion therapy

What conversion therapy looks like and the insidiousness of covert conversion therapy

The retraumatization of realizing you went through conversation therapy without even knowing that’s what it was

How being part of the creation of this documentary has been healing for each of them

How conversion therapy changes the brain in a way that doesn’t allow for closure in healing - meaning the healing is ongoing and forever

What parents should know about conversion therapy as it relates to their kids and the other kids in our respective communities

How to show allyship through your commitment to learning about LGBTQIA+ issues


Links mentioned:

Preorder Conversion: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/conversion/umc.cmc.75rmpixysv3qoksxyus5zq9rr


Watch the Conversion Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=U50wbO3MfANkAxdQ&v=oyLEJtQ6MTI&feature=youtu.be


More info on the Conversion doc: https://www.conversionmovie.com/


Elena Joy on SMA Episode 595: Living Out Loud After Enduring Life Threatening Conversion Therapy


Conversion movie on IG

Elena Joy on IG

Dustin on IG

Zach on IG


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
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Work-life balance is not a thing. Not only is it not a thing, but the idea of it is founded on a lie. It is an idea and philosophy that the Patriarchy feeds to women as something to be desired, something to be attained, something to aspire to.  
As feminism has evolved over the last few decades, many of us have been told that, “This is your time! Finally, women can have it all.” Sounds great in theory. But we have been given no resources and no support. But without resources, support, and systemic restructuring (philosophical and logistical) there is no way for this to be lived. It’s an idea and a lie that allows the Patriarchy to look like they care. Cute, huh?
We have been conditioned that because we can have it all, we should go after it all. And then once we go after it all and fill every millimeter and pore of our metaphorical plates, we should also keep it all balanced in some picture-perfect mathematical ratio - as if our lives are as simple as some sort of formula or squeaky clean quadratic equation.  
We are told if we have better balance, we wouldn’t be so stressed out all the time.  
We are told if we have better balance, we will be better moms and our kids will be more likely to thrive.  
We are told we are lucky to live in an era where we can work full time (if not more) and also parent full time - cramming 48 hours of work into every 24-hour day.  
Because we are told this lie is true and possible, we are left to feel inadequate, guilty, and resentful when we cannot figure out how to make it work.  
When we are working, we feel guilty that we aren’t parenting. When we are parenting, we feel guilty that we aren’t working.  
If you feel like you don’t have a work-life balance, it’s because there is no such thing. You are not the only one who feels inadequate in your constant journey toward this farce. Millions of us are standing beside you. And, we are tired too.  
This Greatest Hits episode is an invitation to exhale, see a new truth, and give yourself permission to start living in a reality that allows you to release all feelings of failure and inadequacy because they were never yours to own.  

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com.
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Parijat Deshpande is the founder and CEO of Ruvelle, the only trauma-informed wellness company specifically dedicated to improving high-risk pregnancy outcomes, reducing preterm birth, and supporting parents on the entire high-risk pregnancy journey. On a mission to end the high-risk pregnancy crisis, she has served and supported thousands of clients through her live events, one-on-one work, her bestselling book, Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy, and the Body Language Journal.
I am thrilled to welcome Parijat back to the show as a second-time guest. I have watched her work evolve over the years since she was last on the show and I had a sense that now is just the right time to have her come back - this time to talk about traumatic stress and collective trauma.  

Listen in to hear Parijat share:

Her path to working in women’s health and serving women who are enduring health trauma

The significance of trauma-informed medical care and where we are currently going wrong without it

What it’s like for people with medical trauma to navigate the world without people understanding their experience

How the pandemic created a situation of global collective trauma that we are still very much living in

What needs to happen for us to heal from collective trauma

When we don’t have collective safety, how we can find support at any given moment by addressing our own physiological needs 

How we have shifted from living in collective trauma to living in a collective functional freeze

What trauma-sensitive medical care actually looks like


Links mentioned:

Connect with Parijat and Ruvelle: www.ruvelle.com


Parijat and Ruvelle on IG


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes life is messy, ugly, and downright cruel. Currently, I have a number of loved ones going through really big, messy, unfair, hard things. When we find ourselves in these moments or seasons it can be so hard to keep going. The overwhelming emotions of frustration, disappointment, fear, and fatigue can make it really hard to rise and shine and face each day.  
I certainly don’t want to suggest you bypass these hard feelings. That won’t help you. In fact, that will only harm you in the long run. But, I do want to encourage you to find a way to make space to hold multiple truths and multiple layers of feelings and emotions. Life can be absolutely awful and full of beautiful moments at the same time. We experience this regularly in motherhood. And, we certainly experienced this during the pandemic.  
In the middle of your very worst day, your toddler finds a precious rock or stick and is filled with utter delight. This creates delight for you too. In the middle of a stressful season of work, your teen says, “Mom, I love you - even if I’m a jerk sometimes.” Your heart melts. In the middle of a nasty fight with a loved one, your dog or cat comes and cozies up on the couch next to you to show love and alliance. You know they always know what you need most. 
Being able to notice these little magical moments amidst the messy ones is what keeps us moving forward. In this episode, I talk you through how to use unconventional gratitude practices to get through sticky emotions.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
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