The Care Gap

Why Meal Planning as a Formula Works Best with Jess Dang, Founder of Cook Smarts

Jess Dang is the founder of Cook Smarts online meal planning service, voted #1 on Lifehacker. She started Cook Smarts in 2012 to help families live healthier lives, feel empowered and inspired in the kitchen, and lighten the mental load of meal planning. Prior to starting Cook Smarts, Jess was a contestant on a Food Network cooking show and taught in-home cooking lessons around the Bay Area. She is a mother of three and host of the "In the Kitchen With Cook Smarts" podcast.
Listen to this episode of the Mother Honestly podcast as Kristen and Jess discuss the good, the bad, and the simple when it comes to determining how to feed your family. With over 6 years of focused meal plans and member approved recipes, Jess Dang has great insight into making meals work for working moms. You can learn more about Cook Smarts and try them yourself by visiting https://www.cooksmarts.com/ 
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

All The Nutrition You Need During Pregnancy with Lisa Mastela, Founder & CEO of Bumpin Blends

Lisa Mastela, founder and Chief Mama of Bumpin Blends, came up with a game changing product while 8 months pregnant. As a registered dietitian, even she was overwhelmed by not only the sheer number of nutritional needs to be met when making a tiny human (folate, and vitamin D, and omega-3s… oh my!), but how challenging it was to squeeze all these nutrients into her day. She created Bumpin Blends,  a new company that creates custom, pre-blended smoothie cubes designed to support pregnancy and motherhood. Since their launch in January 2019, we've been able to build an excited, loyal following of customers, including Miranda Kerr, Amber Lancaster, and Sophie Jaffe, among other celebrities and influencers. Each blend is designed by nutritionists to support a particular symptom of pregnancy and motherhood (from pregnancy symptoms and milk supply to the fatigue/trouble sleeping/mood swings a mother of a toddler might feel). An on-the-go mom just needs to pour the cubes into her blender and blend - an absolutely perfect breakfast for your mom-readers. 
 
Listen to this episode of the Mother Honestly podcast as Blessing and Lisa discuss the challenges of being pregnancy and post-partum and navigating proper nutrition through all stages. You can learn more about Bumpin Blends and try them yourself by visiting https://www.bumpinblends.com/who-we-are 
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

Understanding how primary and secondary sources of nutrition come together with Toye Penny

Toye Penny is a wife to a native of the Caribbean who is a vegetarian and has 6 Master's Degrees (YES...6!), a Mom to three AMAZING daughters, a CEO mom Advocate, an Author, a Lab Practitioner & Certified Holistic Health Strategist at toyepenny.com. At the height of her career, she sold her luxury day spa and began studying nutrition to launch her private practice. Toye has developed a program that takes clients through her 8-step Love You More Method™ that includes lab testing and giving clients a simple, actionable strategies specifically tailored to their lifestyle and eating needs so that they can have more energy, make an impact on everyone they touch and of course, feel more joyous and fulfilled in their lives.
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.
 
 
 

Unpacking what workplace wellness is really about with Maggie Gough

Maggie Gough, founder and CEO of Realize Wellbeing, has dedicated her life to helping create workplaces that exude energy and innovation through their vibrant, thriving people. Throughout her rich career in the corporate wellness industry, she has become known as a maverick, a champion, a revolutionist, and even a ninja (if you want a good story just ask her about that one).  She has become a nationally recognized leader, a published author, a dynamic speaker, and a fierce advocate for businesses and the people who work there. Maggie is dedicated to empowering and emboldening fellow wellness warriors, who through compassion, connection, and vulnerability, will change the landscape of work culture as we know it.
 
Maggie Gough, Founder and CEO of Realize Wellbeing, joins Kristen Hall, on the Mother Honestly Podcast to dive into what is happening in the workplace wellness landscape. Listen as Maggie touches on areas of our wellbeing that are often underscored and how we, individually and with our employers, can make impactful tweaks on how we approach wellness.
 
 
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

Imaginative Play For The Modern Family with Sarah Robinson, CEO, The Wonder

Sarah Robinson is the Founder and CEO of The Wonder, a company reinventing the kids club for families who crave community, enrichment and experiences. The Wonder brings joy back to modern parenting, creating a dynamic analog environment where kids and parents can feel equally at home. Previously, Sarah was the Founder and CEO of Preconceive, one-stop resource for hopeful, expecting and new parents, an experience which solidified her interest in creating community for families. Prior to entering the parenting space, Sarah began her career with a focus on marketing, brand strategy and communication at the corporate headquarters of Estee Lauder, and later MAC Cosmetics. In 2009 she became part of the founding team of MADE Fashion Week. Throughout her time in the fashion and beauty world Sarah developed a passion for blending hospitality and experience build impactful brands. Sarah earned her MBA from Columbia in 2013. Originally from Connecticut, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband Daniel, and their two young children.  Sarah Robertson, Founder of The Wonder, joins Blessing Adeysian on the Mother Honestly Podcast to talk about how she created The Wonder. Share in her journey to and through motherhood which inspired her to change the story about enrichment for our kids and how she and her Co-Founder Noria Morales launched their empire.
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

Figure Out Your Next Steps In Motherhood with Sarah Peck of Startup Pregnant

Sarah Peck is reinventing work and parenthood as the Founder and Executive Director of Startup Pregnant. She created Startup Pregnant as a space to ask questions and share stories about motherhood, business, and entrepreneurship. She reminds us that there is no one picture of motherhood, or fatherhood, or becoming a parent. With her first pregnancy, Sarah was working at a tech startup full time. She found not a lot of people talking openly about how tough pregnancy and motherhood was. With her second pregnancy, she took those experiences and set out to create a space to talk about the realities of working parents. When she is not running Startup Pregnant, she is a married mom to two young boys. She also is an author, start up advisor, and certified yoga teacher still based in New York City. 
 
Sarah Peck joins Kristen Hall, COO of Mother Honestly, on the podcast to help moms take stock of where they are in motherhood, and how to figure out where they are going.
Check out Sarah and Startup Pregnant where you can find great resources, podcasts, and more for expecting parents, business owners and founders, and people interested in the intersection of life, work, and parenting. 
 
www.startuppregnant.com @startuppregnant
www.sarahkpeck.com; @sarahkpeck
 
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

Combining Career with An Entrepreneurial Drive w. Elle Wang, Founder of Emilia George + UN Advisor & Strategist

Dr. Elle Wang is the Founder & CEO of Emilia George, a maternity workwear company that she started during her pregnancy to produce high-quality and professional-looking maternity clothing. The company uses high-end eco-friendly fabrics that not only will make the mom-to-be feel extra comfortable during her pregnancy but will also make sure her professional image is preserved with well- designed and highly functional maternity workwear. In addition, Elle is the founder of the Fabrics Matter Movement, which is currently being trademarked. Fabrics matter for maternity and postpartum clothing because when a mom is holding her baby, what she wears is what the little one wears as well. Elle’s son George twice had irritated skin after she held him close to her chest while wearing clothes that contained harsh dye. Elle wants to raise awareness of the importance of fabrics not only for baby’s clothes, but also for mom’s clothes.
Elle is also an advisor and strategist for Partnerships, Business Development, and stakeholder management at the United Nations in New York. She has traveled around the world for her job, including to Bidibidi Refugee camps in Northern Uganda and post-hurricane regions in Haiti. 
Elle obtained her doctorate in public policy at George Mason University in Virginia, an MPP in international relations and economics from the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University in California, and a BA in broadcast journalism from Tongji University, Shanghai. On this episode Elle and Blessing discussed what it's like to build a career and a business, ask for and receive support in caring for her son, engage in meaningful work while challenging and pushing boundaries in fashion and business. Follow Elle Wang's Emilia George and let her know we sent you!
The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

The Transition From Staying Home To Starting A Business and The Organic Soothing Your Family Needs This Cold Season w. Melissa Evans, CEO, Momeez Choice

Can you say mom goals? Melissa Evans is the Founder and CEO of Momeez Choice, running a family-owned company while raising four children.Melissa has always been passionate about working and caring for children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Human Relations, which led to over 10 years of working in health and human services field. Her most cherished position was working with a non-profit organization for families whose loved ones were ill or had passed away. After many years of working with children and families, Melissa began a family of her own. After giving birth to her twin girls, she decided to stay at home full-time. Her family of four quickly became a family of six after having another sweet girl and then a baby boy! Today Melissa and family live in a small town in Connecticut where Melissa was born and raised.
 
When it came to health and wellness, Melissa had always been an enthusiast, but it was when first becoming pregnant that she began to take a harder look into health and nutrition and what she was putting into her body and essentially her baby’s. When Melissa’s daughter was a little older and became sick with strep and pneumonia, there was nothing she felt comfortable giving her to soothe her throat. Many throat lozenges are filled with artificial ingredients and can be a choking hazard for young children. The simple need to ease her daughter’s throat and desire to have a better-for-you option, led to the launch of Lolleez, organic throat soothing pops for kids! Now under Melissa’s parent company, Momeez Choice, are sibling brands Lolleez, organic throat soothing lollipops for kids and Tumeez, organic tummy soothing lollipops for kids. Both brands are effective, fun and delicious ways to feel better and make sick days a little less crummy. As Momeez Choice Founder, Melissa’s goal is to provide parents with simple solutions to simple problems – helping to reduce the overload of decisions parents make daily – especially during the stressful time of having a sick kid.
 
On this episode Blessing and Melissa dissect the ingredients, where to find her organic soothing pops around the country, and how she started this thriving business with kids without a business background. Melissa shares how she balances work and life, and what she hopes other moms can learn as they think about finding and living out their passion.
 
Momeez Choice  is a proud sponsor of Mother Honestly and Mother: The Summit 2019. You can find them on Facebook, and on Instagram.
 
Major thanks you to our Podcast sponsor, Motor City Woman, please follow them on instagram @motorcitywoman 
 
Follow Mother Honestly on Instagram and be sure to rate and review our podcast and be sure to share with your mama friends. 

There Is No Having It All w. Candace Alnaji, Attorney & Founder, The Mom At Law

Candace Alnaji is a workplace civil rights attorney, working parents advocate, writer, humorist, and founder of The Mom at Law. Named one of Working Mother Magazine's Best Mom Working Mom Bloggers of 2019, Candace's work has been published in numerous outlets including Scary Mommy, Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Mother Honestly, Fairy Godboss and more. A mother of three under five (including twins!), Candace's musings on life, work, and parenthood reach a global audience of over 80,000 followers with millions more reached each month. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, undertaking new culinary adventures, and traveling with  her husband and children.
 
On this episode Blessing and Candace chat about the anti-mom bias, the notion for men and women to have it all, and the role having help plays in a home. Don't forget to rate and subscribe The Mother Honestly Podcast. Thanks to our Podcast sponsor Motor City Woman for this week's episode.
 
 

Identity Crisis, Postpartum Struggles and Auto-Immune Disease w. Alex Winkelman of Hello My Tribe

Alex Winkelman began her career in philanthropy while receiving her BA from St. Edward’s University studying Social Entrepreneurship. By the age of 25, Alex had built a community of thousands and was responsible for raising millions of dollars for charity through her non-profit Citizen Generation and volunteer roles that she took on. Her work gained much respect in Austin and led to her to a seat on top nonprofit boards and a Mayor’s council, being the youngest recipient of the St. Edward’s Alumni Achievement Award, and being the youngest Women of Distinction from Girl Scouts of Central Texas.In 2014, Alex took a step back from her career to focus on her pregnancy and being a mother. It didn’t take long for Alex to jump back in, though. Through her own personal journey into motherhood that included an identity crisis, postpartum struggles, and an autoimmune disease diagnosis, Alex’s eyes were opened to the many issues facing women and mothers today in the United States. Inspired to create change, Alex launched Hello My Tribe, a digital platform and community focused on the well-being of women and mothers. 
 
On this episode, Blessing and Alex discuss ways women can address common struggles for new and not-so new mothers, finding community and living healthier and fulfilled lives in motherhood. 
 
The Mother Honestly Podcast is hosted by Blessing Adesiyan, Founder & CEO of Mother Honestly in the Motor City Woman Studio.