Skirts Up!

Samantha Mandell

Get ready to hike up your confidence and kick societal expectations to the curb with Skirts Up, the hilariously honest podcast hosted by the dynamic duo, Samantha Mandell and Melissa Matthews! Tired of the flawless facade? Sam and Mel are here to spill the tea on their own epic fails, proving that imperfection is not only normal but the breeding ground for growth and laughter. More than just relatable mishaps, Skirts Up is a vibrant space dedicated to empowering women to fearlessly explore their curiosities and discover the endless possibilities life has to offer. This phenomenal pair tackles touchy topics often whispered about with a refreshing blend of lighthearted humor and insightful awareness. Join Sam and Mel as they welcome a diverse range of captivating guests, each bringing extensive and enlightening expertise to the table. From spiritual awakenings and navigating the complexities of sexuality to actionable steps for personal empowerment, Skirts Up leaves listeners with tangible takeaways to ignite their own journeys. Prepare for conversations that are spiritual, sexual, empowering, and yes, sometimes a little bit uncomfortable – because that's where the real growth happens. Tune in to Skirts Up and join the movement of embracing imperfection and boldly stepping into your full potential! Head to our website to learn more about us! https://theskirtsupshow.com/

  1. 6d ago

    My Human Experience

    In this episode, I’m getting raw and unfiltered about what’s been happening in my life lately—from navigating another wild car accident to adopting a brand-new family member (yes, a baby pig!). More importantly, I’m pulling back the curtain on something so many of us go through but rarely talk about openly: slipping into a deep depressive funk when life gets heavy, and how small, baby steps are helping me find my way back. We’re also diving into what I discover to be true about my own cyclical living after learning all about it from Lauren and Kori—how paying attention to my internal seasons, hormonal shifts, and the moon’s phases helped me truly understand my needs but most importantly speak up for myself to keep my life harmonious. What We Cover in This Episode:Life Update & Chaos: Navigating Simon’s ongoing recovery, my brand new car getting totaled ( 1-in-a-billion odds), a radiant new hair transformation, and the wild story of hunting down my new baby pig, Lenny, across 5 acres with 8 people.The Reality of Depressive Funks: What happens when low-demand tasks feel exhausting, how slipping out of simple routines (journaling, stretching, afternoon walks) happens gradually, and why feeling down doesn't make you broken or unqualified to lead.Baby-Stepping Back to You: Why I’m bringing my daily journaling journey over to Instagram and how getting thoughts out of your head creates space to heal.Cyclical Living & The Moon Phases: How reflecting on guest episodes with Lauren and Kori helped me map out my monthly "internal seasons"—from luteal phase overthinking to spring/summer bursts of creativity and social energy.Red Moon vs. White Moon Cycles: Discovering my 30-day rhythm, navigating the "lies" of the luteal phase, and using oracle cards as a tool for personal reflection and healing. Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Soul Wellness- Gift to the SQUAD

  2. Jul 30

    A Year Of Seasons in 28 Days

    Grab your iced coffee and secure your underwear, because today’s episode is a wild, hilarious, and deeply spiritual ride. Your host Samantha is joined by a badass soul sister she literally internet-stalked into being her best friend: Kori Rae Kovacs, nurse, body intuitive, and host of The Phoenix Perspective podcast! We kick off the episode with the ultimate icebreaker—Sam recounts the exact moment she realized there was a massive lump in her pants leg during their first video call, only to reach down and pull out a stray pair of underwear. But because this is Skirts Up, we slide seamlessly from laundry mishaps straight into the deep stuff: religious cult trauma, body intuition, and the literal life-changing technology of cyclical living. In this laugh-out-loud, goosebump-inducing episode, we explore: The Magic of Direct Messages: How being unapologetically yourself on social media acts as a beacon for your true tribe (and why you should never be afraid to slide into someone's DMs to say, "Can we be friends?").Surviving Hellfire & Brimstone: Kori Rae opens up about growing up in a terrifying, evangelical church environment, giving God the middle finger in her 20s because "sex was too great," and eventually finding her way back to a nature-based, pagan spirituality.The Mind-Body Manifestation: Kori Rae breaks down how the body is a physical reflection of the internal world (referencing mind-body pioneers like Louise Hay and Dr. Joe Dispenza). Sam opens up about how her own historical habit of "stonewalling" and rejecting her internal world ultimately manifested physically as functional seizures.Living a Whole Year of Seasons in 28 Days: Kori Rae delivers a masterclass on cyclical living, explaining how women experience a full rotation of winter, spring, summer, and fall every single month.The Energetics of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome): Kori Rae shares her mind-blowing personal realization that her PCOS was tied to an energetic block. As a kid, adults loved her bubbly, first-half-of-the-cycle energy but rejected her direct, bossy, boundary-setting second-half energy. By hiding her luteal phase to please others, her ovaries literally stopped wanting to ovulate. Once she integrated both sides? At 41, her cycles are healthier than they were in her 20s!A Proving Ground for Personal Growth: How to stop forcing linear growth and start using your cycle phases practically. Need to practice patience? Try doing it during your luteal phase! Plus, the power of documenting your shifts using tools like the Cycles Journal so you can look back and actually see your evolution. If you are ready to stop taking life so seriously, map out your body's personal blueprint, and learn how to use your natural rhythms as a tool for subconscious healing, this episode is your ultimate permission slip. Tune in, open your heart, and remember—keep your panties on (unless they’re static-clinged to your jeans)! Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Connect with Kori Rae: Listen to The Phoenix Perspective podcast on Apple and Spotify, and check out her upcoming season, Rising in Real Life.Join the Community: Learn how to cycle track alongside a tribe of beautiful babes at the Red Tent Society on Patreon.Recommended Reading: Heal Your Body by Louise Hay and the Cycles Journal (Kori Rae’s absolute favorite tracking tool since 2022).Upgrade Your Subconscious: Ready to shift out of survival mode and step into alignment? Head over to Sweet Soul Wellness to claim your free personalized audio recording and start rewriting your internal baseline today! Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Soul Wellness- Gift to the SQUAD

  3. Jul 24

    Syncing Your Life around Your Cycle

    Your host Samantha is reunited with everyone's favorite sex expert, research nerd, and incoming Master of Social Work, Lauren Goyette! If you’ve been feeling like you're completely crazy because your mood, your libido, and your business energy shift from week to week—congratulations, you're not crazy. You’re just a woman. Lauren drops by to break down why trying to operate on a man's 24-hour testosterone cycle is a one-way ticket to burnout city, and how tuning into our natural 28-day Intrinsic Rhythms changes everything. Plus, Sam shares her personal theory on how unhealthy attachment styles might make our bodies more susceptible to Functional Neurologic Disorders (FND)—and how we can start picking apart the data to heal. In this unfiltered, science-backed episode, we dive into:The "Swap-Swap" & Timer Method: How to negotiate desires in the bedroom when you want hot wax and your partner thinks it's boring (including a game-changing tip for neurodivergent folks who struggle to just sit still and receive).The 4 Seasons of Your Cycle: How to plan your life, your sex life, and your business launches around your biochemistry:Winter (Menstrual Phase): The ultimate rest, reset, and protective boundaries phase. No performing allowed.Spring (Follicular Phase): Spontaneity, flirting, ideation, and planting the creative seeds for your business.Summer (Ovulatory Phase): You are literally magnetic. The ultimate time for erotic expression, recording podcasts, and hitting "launch" on your projects.Fall (Luteal Phase): The land of Luteal Rage, self-doubt, and anxiety—but also the ultimate phase for discernment, refinement, and setting fierce boundaries.No Flow? No Problem! Lauren breaks down exactly how "non-bleeders" (whether you have an IUD or you're in a wiser phase of life) can biologically and mentally sync up with the four main phases of the moon.The Box of Chocolates: Why your partner needs to learn the vocabulary of your weekly "box" shifts—because one week you’re vanilla-filled, and the next week you’re fudge! Turn the volume up, drop the shame, and let’s get into the meat and potatoes of your pleasure manual! Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Build Your Pleasure Manual: Join Lauren’s 12-month journey, The Pleasure Collective, or grab her online module course Intrinsic Rhythms with Lauren Goyette (or drop her an email with your wildest sex questions!).Upgrade Your Subconscious: Head over to Sweet Soul Wellness to claim your free personalized audio recording and test-drive your mental makeover before you commit! Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Soul Wellness- Gift to the SQUAD

  4. Jul 16

    Watch Me Become a Badass With Renee Carbone Fleming

    What’s up, Skirts Up squad?! Welcome back to Season 5, Episode 2! (With Video on YouTube!) Grab your iced coffee (or your black coffee brewed straight from the Keurig next to your bed—shoutout to today's guest!) because today, your host Samantha is feeling a little starstruck. Joining us on the mic is the ultimate Queen of Reinvention herself: Renee Carbone Fleming! Renee is a powerhouse entrepreneur of 13 years, host of the Unapologetically Badass podcast, and founder of the Badass Queen Personal Branding and Media Agency. She’s dropping by fresh off a major "pinch-me" milestone—winning Top Empowerment Coach of the Year and seeing her face plastered on a massive billboard in the middle of NASDAQ Times Square! But because this is Skirts Up, we don't just talk about the shiny Instagram moments. We lift the skirt on the actual shit it takes to get there. Renee opens up about growing up with very little, surviving her biological father's suicide, living on a pull-out couch, and navigating a devastating bankruptcy and divorce that forced her to find her own identity. In this high-vibe, zero-fluff episode, we break down:The Future Life Script: The exact morning manifestation routine Renee uses to wire her brain for abundance (and why your brain actually loves the sound of your own voice).Do You Have a PhD?: Why you don't need a college degree to build an empire—you just need a "PhD" in Passion, Heart, and Desire.The "WATCH ME" Manifesto: Renee breaks down the game-changing acronym she stuck on post-it notes all over her house when the doubters told her she couldn't make it alone:Withdraw from explanationAct before approvalTake up space publiclyCommit without consensusHold the vision when no one else doesThe CASE Method: How to break out of analysis paralysis and "freeze mode" when building your business using Clarity, Action, Strategy, and Evaluation.Building the $100k "F**k-It Fund": Why every single woman needs financial independence and a soul-aligned passion that is 100% hers. If you've been sitting in your car or at your desk feeling stuck, frozen, or like you're "three feet from gold," this episode is the lightning bolt you've been waiting for. Tune in, step into your authority, and get ready to say... WATCH ME! Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Unleash Your Inner Queen: Connect with Renee, explore her coaching programs, and grab her book Watch Me at Badass Queen Agency.Listen to Renee's Show: Tune in to the Unapologetically Badass Podcast on Apple & Spotify.Recommended Reading: Three Feet from Gold by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.Subscribe on to Skirts Up YouTube channel for the VIDEO version.Connect with Sam: Ready to build your own inner foundation? Head over to Sweet Soul Wellness to learn how to upgrade into your most peaceful, confident self or claim your FREE GIFT to the squad! Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Soul Wellness- Gift to the SQUAD

  5. Jul 9

    I Almost Gave Up

    What’s up, Skirts Up squad?! Welcome back to Season 5! (There's Video on YouTube!) Yeah, things sound a little different around here. It is officially your girl Samantha riding solo this season! While the studio chairs might look a bit different, let’s get one thing straight: the energy, the unfiltered truth, and the absolute messiness of real life? That is staying exactly the same. Because "we" means me and you. To say the hiatus between seasons was "a break" would be the biggest lie of the century. Your girl has been strapped into an absolute emotional rollercoaster, and today, we are lifting the skirt on every single bit of it. In this episode, I’m opening up the vault on:The Phone Call Every Wife Dreads: I break down the terrifying day my husband, Simon, was T-boned by a Jeep going 65 mph, the adrenaline survival mode that followed, and the unexpected panic attacks I’ve been working through since.Nora’s Diagnostic Journey: From meltdowns over sweaty backs in warm cars to lining up toys in a very specific order (and licking them... yeah, we talk about it!), I share the raw, honest process of navigating our four-year-old’s official Level 2 Autism and ADHD diagnosis.Getting Explicitly Ghosted & Kicked Out: I get real about the "mean girls" behavior I faced in clinical networking groups when sharing how Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) helped heal my own non-epileptic seizures from Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND).The Shift to "Inner Foundation Coaching": Why shutting doors forced me to realize I’m not here to help everyday women just "cope" with burnout. I’m here for the women who would literally laugh out loud if you asked them when they last felt pure joy. We’re upgrading.A Juicy Teaser for Next Week: How a conversation with next week's absolute powerhouse guest—a literal empire-builder—gave me the three exact phrases that pulled me out of my dark night of the soul and solidified my new path. 💖 A Note to My Squad:If you are running a business, managing a household, or carrying the weight of the world while feeling like every single door is slamming in your face—this episode is your reminder that you do not have to do it perfectly. It's okay to feel lost. It's okay to want to quit. But you owe it to yourself to love who you see in the mirror. Grab your iced coffee, tune in, and remember... Skirts up, but keep your panties on! Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Watch the Transformation: Head over to the Sweet Soul Wellness Homepage to watch the video of my beautiful client’s life-changing results with RTT. Claim your FREE Gift from Sweet Soul Wellness. Rate & Review: If this raw episode hit your heart, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other overwhelmed moms find our sisterhood! Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Soul Wellness- Gift to the SQUAD

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Get ready to hike up your confidence and kick societal expectations to the curb with Skirts Up, the hilariously honest podcast hosted by the dynamic duo, Samantha Mandell and Melissa Matthews! Tired of the flawless facade? Sam and Mel are here to spill the tea on their own epic fails, proving that imperfection is not only normal but the breeding ground for growth and laughter. More than just relatable mishaps, Skirts Up is a vibrant space dedicated to empowering women to fearlessly explore their curiosities and discover the endless possibilities life has to offer. This phenomenal pair tackles touchy topics often whispered about with a refreshing blend of lighthearted humor and insightful awareness. Join Sam and Mel as they welcome a diverse range of captivating guests, each bringing extensive and enlightening expertise to the table. From spiritual awakenings and navigating the complexities of sexuality to actionable steps for personal empowerment, Skirts Up leaves listeners with tangible takeaways to ignite their own journeys. Prepare for conversations that are spiritual, sexual, empowering, and yes, sometimes a little bit uncomfortable – because that's where the real growth happens. Tune in to Skirts Up and join the movement of embracing imperfection and boldly stepping into your full potential! Head to our website to learn more about us! https://theskirtsupshow.com/