Midlife at the Mailbox

Season 2, Episode 20:The Juggle is Real: Managing Motherhood in Midlife– Top 10 Leadership Skills To Start Using Today

“As a parent, as a leader, you have the power to create the atmosphere in your organization, in your team, in your household,” explains Gia Kazarian, executive consultant. The skills needed for quality leadership are the same skills needed for effective parenting. It can be a real challenge to juggle all of the responsibilities between work, marriage, and motherhood, and often moms are so busy taking care of others that they forget to take care of themselves. In today’s episode, Gia joins hosts Denyse and Amy to talk about the top ten leadership skills you can start using today to help you better manage motherhood in midlife.
 
There is a lot of overlap between the skills of a great leader and a great parent. Gia shares her list of top ten leadership skills including putting your own oxygen mask on first, communicating clearly, making the most of your time, and being your child’s coach. When you get down to it, parents and leaders are just like coaches. They encourage their team members to take accountability for their actions, provide structure and discipline, and set them up for success. 
 
So many of the skills that mothers use every day are the same skills prized by top leaders and coaches. Apply these ten leadership skills to your life and see how they can help you better manage motherhood in midlife.
Quotes
“Put your oxygen mask on first, and then you can help others.” (11:31-11:34 | Gia)
“People think, especially moms, self care is actually selfish. But in fact, it's just the opposite. Self care is necessary for you to take care of others.” (12:02-12:14 | Gia)
“As a parent, as a leader, you have the power to create the atmosphere in your organization, in your team, in your household.” (14:36-14:44 | Gia)
“My job as a parent is to be my child's coach. They're not me, they're not an extension of me. They're their own little people. But I help coach them to be their own person and for them to be the best of who they are.” (46:12-46:26 | Gia)
 
Links:
 
Connect with Gia Kazarian:
Instagram: @giakazarianconsulting
Web site: www.giakazarian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giakazarianexecutiveconsultant
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 19: The Power of Small Changes: Three Tips to Improve your Business’s Social Media Presence

“Just showing up and posting increases your visibility, as Instagram favors accounts that post often and engage with their audience,” explains co-host Amy Alexander. It’s easy to underestimate the value of small changes, but sometimes the smallest change can make a huge impact. Many people in midlife have the goal of getting more involved with social media. This can be challenging, especially for midlifers who may be less familiar with platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram. In today’s episode, hosts Denyse and Amy talk about the power of small changes as Amy shares three actionable tips for improving your business’ social media presence. 
 
Amy starts off reading a few excerpts from Atomic Habits, a self-help book by James Clear that discusses the impact of micro habits. She explains that many of her clients desire to be more active on social media, but just don’t know where to begin. Using the concepts of building micro habits and the benefits of small changes over time, Amy and Denyse talk about how to become more comfortable with social media and Amy shares three tips for getting started. These tips are to post consistently, be your authentic self at all times, and interact with your audience. 
 
If you’re looking to use social media to promote yourself or your business, try these three actionable tips to start. Remember that even the smallest 1% change can make a huge difference in the long run. And by making small changes and building micro habits, you can improve your confidence on social media while building trust and relationships with your target audience.
 
Quotes
“Improving by 1% isn't necessarily particularly notable. Sometimes, it isn't even noticeable. But it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.” (5:47-5:58 | Amy reading from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits)
“Just showing up and posting increases your visibility. And Instagram favors accounts that post often and engage with their audience.” (21:28-21:36 | Amy)
“People connect with people. They don't connect with a logo.” (31:43-31:46 | Amy)
“Talk to your audience. This is the secret sauce. Make an effort to reply to every comment or DM.” (32:07-32:15 | Amy)
“If my clients are stuck, or they don't know what to write, or they're feeling impostor syndrome, repost an article.” (39:30-39:35 | Denyse) 
 
Links:
 
Think Like Instagram Webinar: https://youtu.be/Ua6bNoV3mlw
Think Like Instagram Course: https://www.a2salesandmarketing.com/group-coaching use code Midlife25 at checkout to save $25.
Atomic Habits: https://amzn.to/4074NT8
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 18: Clearing Away the Fear Blocks to Manifest the Midlife of Your Dreams with Allison Jayne Ewing, Author, Love Goddess, EFT Practitioner and Psychotherapist

“We sabotage ourselves and keep ourselves small all the time, and we're not always super consciously aware. So the tapping helps us get at what the subconscious blocks are getting in our way,” explains Allison Jayne Ewing, EFT tapping practitioner and author of Find Love Again, Learn To Date Like A Goddess. For Allison, tapping has been completely life changing. After wanting for her whole life to write a book, tapping cleared the mental blocks and now she is a published author. In today’s episode, Allison joins hosts Amy and Denyse to talk about the way EFT tapping works and how it can help to clear fears in midlife so that you can start manifesting your dreams. 
 
In EFT, emotional freedom techniques, you override negative emotions by tapping points on your body while processing something intensely emotional. Allison has found that tapping is often successful in a shorter amount of time than traditional talk therapy. EFT is particularly useful for clearing fears ranging from a child’s fear of the dark to an entrepreneur’s fear of social media. It can be used to resolve lingering trauma from your past and to clear the mental blocks keeping you from manifesting the life of your dreams. 
 
Tapping is easy to get started with. All you need is Youtube and your fingers. Seeing a professional EFT practitioner like Allison is a great way to tackle more intense trauma, but you can also use tapping as an in the moment self-help tool. If you have fears that are holding you back, consider giving tapping a try as an alternative or complement to traditional therapies. 
 
Quotes
“We cannot hold an intense negative emotional feeling while sending a calming signal and shutting off our amygdala. It's kind of like an on/off switch. We can't be in both places at once. So the tapping will actually override the negative emotion.” (5:33-5:49 | Allison)
“When I was getting trained, I tapped with my, at the time, 7 year old son on his fear of the dark. Now he's 16, and it never came back from that first day.” (6:21-6:32 | Allison) 
“We sabotage ourselves and keep ourselves small all the time. And we're not always super consciously aware of it. So tapping helps us get at what subconscious blocks are getting in our way.” (27:27-27:42 | Allison)
“With some of those clients who have had some pretty significant childhood trauma, they will say things to me like, ‘Wow. We just cleared in one session what it would have taken me seven sessions of talk therapy’.” (32:40-32:51 | Allison)
Links:
 
Connect with Allison Jayne Ewing:
Instagram: @allison_jayne_goddess.maker
Website: https://www.LearnToDateLikeaGoddess.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredLifeTapping/
Podcast Promo: https://www.LearnToDateLikeaGoddess.com/freecopy
Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Find-Love-Again-Learn-Goddess/dp/B0BFW6C5LF/ref=sr_1_1
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 17: From YouTube to the Louvre with International Abstract Artist, Beth Bowen

“One year from the day I started, I had a piece at the Louvre as a modern art master,” shares Beth Bowen, international abstract artist. Beth was living a comfortable life until everything changed when her mother passed away in 2013. She realized that life was too short to continue letting fear hold her back from living and ended up filing for divorce. She didn’t have a career and was struggling financially, so therapy became too expensive. Not one to give up, Beth decided to use art as therapy instead and began teaching herself to paint from Youtube tutorials. In today’s episode, Beth joins hosts Amy and Denyse to discuss her journey from Youtube artist to international artist and the value of facing your fears. 
 
Beth explains that life is like a canvas, and we can recreate it and start fresh at any time. Once she realized her life was not serving her, it was time to start over with a blank canvas. Even though Beth was uncertain of where the future would lead, she took the leap anyway and doors began to open all around her. When she first started, she did not know anything about the professional art world. But there were many people who stepped up to help along the way. Beth went from living off food stamps in her friend’s guest house to having her art on display in galleries worldwide after just one year. She attributes painting with helping her learn to face her fears, increase her self-confidence, and instill better time management skills. 
 
It can be really intimidating to make a big life change, especially in midlife. Beth was 38 years old when she found herself divorced without a career and no ideas on how she was going to become financially stable. Instead of giving up, she chose to face her fears and the universe rewarded her. When we are willing to make a leap of faith and not let fear hold us back from our dreams, we can achieve anything. 
Quotes 
“Once you take a jump, a leap of faith, it's like the universe rewards you.” (4:46-4:52 | Beth)
“One year from the day I started, I had a piece at the Louvre as a modern art master.” (12:23-12:28 | Beth)
“I didn't live my life for me. I lived my life for what I thought people expected from me or how it should be. And then it's like when you go through divorce, you go through death. You just don't care about the bullsh*t anymore.” (13:39-13:51 | Beth)
“Changing the mental dialogue was huge to my success.” (18:50-18:55 | Beth)
“Your life is your canvas. That's it. We can recreate, we can paint over, and start fresh.” (23:05-23:11 | Beth) 
 
Links:
 
Connect with Beth Bowen: 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/iambethbowen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethbowenart/
 
Recent Work To be Displayed in NYC:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jnOgvo4cuI7-x103aX2W0VX9MoDZvLHy6cHTMUP41i0/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR3SYdexu93DjPqef82BFnPqU1RokOtfH4n13X1bRw1UZhrPy5aopGNzPm4
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 16: Building Community By Breaking Down Social Taboos, One Titty at a Time with Jessy Cummings of Titty City Designs

“Breastfeeding is freaking hard. It may be the most natural thing in the world, but it does not always come naturally,” shares Jessica “Jessy” Cummings, owner and creator of Titty City Designs, a body positivity brand that celebrates new moms and breastfeeding while advocating for breast health. Her experience becoming a mom just before the pandemic shutdowns inspired her to create a community for other women struggling with similar challenges. In today’s episode, Jessy joins hosts Amy and Denyse to talk about her experiences with building community by breaking down social taboos. 
 
Talking about breast health and breastfeeding is unfortunately still taboo, in spite of it being the most natural thing in the world. By speaking openly about breastfeeding difficulty and breast health, we can begin to normalize these topics. Breastfeeding and motherhood in general are so hard and women deserve a community that celebrates and supports their experiences. Jessy’s advice to others looking to spark social movements and build community is to keep showing up consistently and be authentic. 
 
Motherhood is a wonderful, yet challenging journey. Often it is made more difficult because no one openly talks about the struggles involved, especially in regard to breastfeeding. By speaking openly about breast health and the difficulty of breastfeeding, we can begin to break down the severely outdated social taboos around titties. 
 
Quotes
“It’s 2023 and it is still so hard for me to believe this is true, but talking about boobs and breastfeeding is still taboo.” (5:59-6:09 | Jessy)
“Breastfeeding is freaking hard. It may be the most natural thing in the world, but it does not always come naturally.” (11:27-11:37 | Jessy)
“Motherhood is hard. Breastfeeding is hard. And talking about it just needs to be normalized.” (19:43-19:55 | Jessy) 
“Be authentic. Be yourself. Be you, because that's truly why people are showing up to be there with you.” (55:02-55:13 | Jessy)
 
Links:
 
Connect with Jessica "Jessy" Cummings:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tittycitydesign/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalaurencummings/
Web site: https://tittycitydesign.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T1ttyCityDesign
Upcoming Events: https://tittycitydesign.com/blogs/titty-tent-pop-ups-events
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 15: Mailbox Moments - The Sandwich Generation: Caring for Both your Own Family and a Loved One

“When something seems stressful, out of reach, or just a little bit too hard for what you physically can manage at that moment, how do you break that down by half to be able to take that step to move forward?”, asks Amy. In today’s episode, your hosts Amy and Denyse have a conversation about being in the sandwich generation, goal setting, and how to break tasks down into more manageable, bite-sized pieces. 
 
If you are in midlife, you may feel like you are in a caregiving sandwich. This comes from caring for not only your own children, but also your aging parents or other adults in your life that you may be supporting. This can be a very stressful situation because you’re needed on both sides and you don’t want to let anyone down. One way to keep up with your own goals and tasks while still caring for your dependents and older family members is time management. By breaking tasks down until they feel easy, you can reduce stress and keep up with your responsibilities. 
 
Midlife can be a difficult time to navigate because you may feel responsible for many people around you, not just your own kids. But the secret to successfully taking care of yourself and meeting your own goals, all comes down to intentional time management. 
 
Quotes
“Many of you may have felt if you're in midlife or maybe even before it, feeling like you're a part of the sandwich generation. You're in time in your life when you're in a sandwich and that's really a caregiving sandwich.” (10:39-10:52 | Denyse)
“You don't want to let anybody down from your mom, to your dad, to your clients that you're working with, to your husband, to your kids. You want to be able to be everything to everyone.” (19:17-19:30 | Amy) 
“When something seems stressful and something seems out of reach or just a little bit too hard for what you physically can manage at that moment, how do you break that down by half to be able to take that step to move forward?” (22:07-22:29 | Amy)
Links:
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Season 2, Episode 14: How Networking & Organizational Processes can Take your Business from Ugly to Beautiful

“There are so many people that need my help. They just don't know about me yet,” shares Stephanie German, executive strategist and owner of German Business Consulting. In today’s episode, Stephanie shares how career networking and implementing organizational processes can take your business from ugly to beautiful.
 
There are community groups for almost everything, you just have to look for them. Find a group where you belong and show up consistently. This will help you to build a referral network within your local community. Then, make sure that you have organizational processes in place to make it possible for you to delegate tasks to employees. Even if you are a solopreneur, you may end up wanting an assistant or social media manager eventually and having your processes written down will help make that transition smoother.
 
Whether you are a solopreneur or have a larger business, you can benefit from having organizational processes in place that capture leads and enable you to follow up more easily. By building a referral network, you will be able to give back to others and receive genuine leads in return. Tune in to learn more about how networking and organizational processes are the key to taking your business from ugly to beautiful. 
 
Quotes
“If I'm not modeling and doing what I'm telling clients to do, then I have no business telling them to do X, Y, and Z because I'm not doing it.” (14:57-15:08 | Stephanie) 
“There are so many people that need my help. They just don't know about me yet.” (27:20-27:24 | Stephanie) 
“You really have to find what works for you. What works for me and my personality and how I function isn't going to be the same for someone else.” (30:11-30:19 | Stephanie)
“Create a system that captures leads and allows you to follow up.” (43:50-43:55 | Stephanie)
Links:
 
Connect with Stephanie German:
So Your Boss Can't Lead: https://www.stephaniegerman.com/so-your-boss-cant-lead/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegerman/
Website: https://www.stephaniegerman.com/
Amy & Denyse LOVE to network.  Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and personally @AmyLAlex28 and @DenyseRabbat.
 
Tag yourself listening to our episodes, make us laugh with your midlife moment or share your favorite episode of our show with your friends on Instagram and we will share it back to our community! #midlifemoment
 
Do you enjoy our podcast? We’d love your help in growing our community. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Midlife at the Mailbox on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
 
One last note, both Amy & Denyse offer coaching services. Are you ready to promote your business or yourself? What about just a heads up that we have dropped a new episode? Sign up to receive emails from Midlife at the Mailbox. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/630a92cd2812b898e99a8f06
 
Thanks for listening, see you at the Mailbox!
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 1: Pursuit of Happiness Remastered

In our first episode, Pursuit of Happiness, we debate whether we are searching for happiness or are we searching for something more? Happiness isn’t static, there are always going to be ebbs and flows. Is it happiness or do we want to feel another way?
Recommended book: Everyday Vitality by Samantha Boardman. 
During podcast discussions, Amy and Denyse may share a book or product that they recommend to awesome people like you.
The links shared are for products they use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, they will earn some podcast money, which will allow them to continue to create funny and insightful podcasts for you to enjoy.
Rate and Review our show + Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and share this episode with a friend! 
 

Episode 12: Game On, Midlife

We live in a society filled with game-playing….sports games, video games, mobile games, dating games, and the list goes on…however, when was the last time you played a real board game?
Our special guest featured in this episode, Brad Smith, creator of the all-new board game, Talkative, was obsessed with the idea that he wanted to design a board game…but life, as it often does gets in the way. Pull up a chair, let’s meet our guest, why he decided to pursue his entrepreneurial dream in midlife, and what it takes to design and bring to market a board game in 2022.
 
RESOURCES:
You can now find his game on Amazon. Use discount code: 10midlife at checkout and save 10% off of the game, Talkative! 
Rate and Review our show + Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and share this episode with a friend! 
 
 
 

Episode 11: Staying Sharp in Midlife

Harnessing our brain’s efficiencies could be one of the secrets to keeping vital in midlife and beyond.  Some of us might fear that as we age we are “not as sharp” as we were in our teens, 20s, or 30s?!  However, fear no more....the good news is that there is a ton of research now showing that there are proactive ways to “flex” your brain in midlife. 
In this new episode, "Staying Sharp in Midlife", we want to share with you our six-part stay sharp plan to be proactive about "flexing" your brain in midlife and beyond!
 
Resources:
Dr. Mark Hyman's Podcast - The Doctor's Farmacy
Blue Zones Advice 
Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet
Foster social connections
Set up your surroundings so you move every 20 minutes or so
Rate and Review our show + Follow us on Instagram @midlifeatthemailbox and share this episode with a friend!