She Reaches Podcast

Ep #124|A Working Dad's Perspective with Matthew Sharp

Ever wonder about the working dad's perspective on how to make life work in a modern dual income family? In this episode, Matthew Sharp is sharing his story about how he makes things work in his household. Matthew is a husband and dad to two (soon to be 3!). He's also been a champion for working parents by being involved in a parental leave initiative at his company. Matthew talks about why he became involved and why it didn't deter him that the initiative was an offshoot of a women's group at his company. There are a lot of negative stories of partnerships when we talk about working moms so I hope this starts to change the narrative and highlight the cases where a partnership is working well. I hope you consider sharing this episode with your partner! Highlights: * Matthew's career background and family life * Matthew's schedule and how he and his wife make things work day to day * Variable vs. predictable work schedules and how that impacts how they handle things like sick days for their kids * His thoughts on the most stressful part of being a working dad * The parental leave policy initiative Matthew was involved in at his company * Getting involved in women's initiatives as a man and speaking up for people who don't have as much power * Tips for other parents in making things work as a dual income family Today’s Guest: Matthew Sharp recently transitioned to a new role at Facebook in the Marketing Science group. Most recently, Matthew Sharp lead the Customer Knowledge team at Novantas, a financial services advisory and technology solutions firm. Matthew's team lead all primary customer research efforts at the firm. Additionally, in his time at Novantas, Matthew championed policies that benefit women at Novantas (more specifically, working mothers) by building business cases and successfully advocating for a new parental leave policy. He also led a group that founded and launched the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, NovaGIVES. Matthew is a husband of a working mother and spends most of his time outside of work with her and their two sons. They are expecting their third child (a little girl) in July 2019. Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewasharp/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewasharp/]

Ep #123 | Exercise and Taking Care of Your Body as a Working Mom with Erica Ziel

Do you wonder if it's too late to get back in the exercise game after having your kids? In this episode, I'm talking with fitness expert Erica Ziel about exercise and taking care of your body after having kids. We talk about postpartum challenges and preventative measures women need to take to feel good now and later in life. We also laugh as we chat about the "mom butt" or still looking pregnant even after you're years postpartum. If you have struggled to get back in the exercise game after having your kids - no matter how long ago that was - this is the episode for you! Highlights: * How Erica got into fitness and wellness * Common complaints and challenges for women after having kids * Why your pelvic floor is important, how to strengthen it, and why it's never too late * How to get started in exercising even if you haven't done it since before having your kids * Why working out harder and longer can actually make it more difficult to lose weight * Balancing out your body from things like holding your kids * "Mom butt" and how to change your posture to find your booty again * Why you may look pregnant long after you are * What you can do if you're sitting most of the day Today’s Guest: Published author, founder of Core Athletica® Inc., Knocked-Up Fitness®, creator of the Core Rehab Program, expert on Fascial Training, Core and Pre/Postnatal Exercise Specialist. Bachelor’s Degree in Health & Human Performance from Iowa State University, a Certified Personal Trainer, Pilates Instructor, Nutrition Coach and Mama of 3. Erica has been featured in and contributed to many publications including; The Strength and Conditioning Journal, People.com, Oxygen Magazine, Fit Pregnancy, Pilates Style Magazine, Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine + LiveStrong.com. Growing up on a family farm in the Midwest, she worked alongside her family on the farm - this environment instilled a strong family focus and an incredible work ethic she has carried with her, and is reflected today in her dedication to her family and her successful business. Erica’s Functional Fascial Core method has proven to generate quicker and better results for her clients! She has been in the wellness space now for over 15 years. Resources: www.EricaZiel.com [http://www.ericaziel.com/] www.Knocked-UpFitness.com [http://www.knocked-upfitness.com/] Erica's membership [https://www.ericaziel.com/pregnancy-postpartum-membership] Core Connections Podcast [https://www.ericaziel.com/p/core-connections] Erica Ziel on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ericaziel/?hl=en]

Ep #122 | Overcoming Feeling "Stretched Too Thin" with Jessica Turner

Do you feel stretched too thin? In this podcast episode, I'm talking to Jessica Turner, the author of Stretched Too Thin and The Fringe Hours. She juggles a full-time job while also being a blogger and author and she shares how she things about what she does and doesn't do to keep her household running. We also talked about how you can go from surviving to thriving as a working mom, the role of partners in making things work, and how you might make time for friends even during a busy season. Highlights: * Jessica's background and what lead to writing the Fringe Hours and Stretched Too Thin * The areas that Jessica has chosen to outsource during this season of her life * The things that she also automates to save time * How to think about it when considering outsourcing or automating * What the fringe hours are and how you can use them to your advantage * Jessica's thoughts on how working moms can go from surviving to thriving * The role of partners in making things work * How to make time for friends and the importance of community Today’s Guest: Jessica N. Turner is the author of Stretched Too Thin and The Fringe Hours. She is also an award-winning marketing executive and the founder of the popular lifestyle blog The Mom Creative (www.themomcreative.com). Additionally, she is a writer for the Today Parenting Team and DaySpring's (in)courage, an advocate for World Vision, a regular speaker at events nationwide. She and her husband, Matthew live with their three children in Nashville, Tennessee. Resources: Themomcreative.com [http://themomcreative.com/] instagram.com/jessicanturner [http://instagram.com/jessicanturner] instagram.com/booksnobbery [http://instagram.com/booksnobbery] Facebook.com/themomcreative [http://facebook.com/themomcreative] The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You [https://amzn.to/2VljOmb] Stretched Too Thin: How Working Moms Can Lose the Guilt, Work Smarter, and Thrive [https://amzn.to/2DuXUml]

Ep #121 |The Fifth Trimester and Supporting Parents in the Workplace with Lauren Smith Brody

According to Lauren Smith Brody, the "fifth trimester" is where a working mom is born. In this episode, Lauren shares what lead to writing The Fifth Trimester, how you can be a voice to push forward your own workplace, and what working parents really need. We also talk about the role of partners in this conversation and what makes being a working mom a strength that helps with the bottom line at companies. For fun, we also chat about the recent viral photo of Lauren registering for after school care while sitting on a panel at a conference! Highlights: * Lauren's background and what lead to writing The Fifth Trimester * What she means by the fifth trimester and why it's important * How being transparent in the workplace will change things in the future * How you can be a voice to push forward in your own workplace * What makes being a working mom a strength in the workplace and why this helps in profit for companies * The story behind the viral photo of Lauren registering for after school care while on a conference panel * The role of fathers and partners in support of working mothers * What to do if things feel unbalanced with your partner * How companies can better support parents Today’s Guest: Lauren Smith Brody is the founder of The Fifth Trimester movement and consulting, which helps parents and businesses collaborate to retain women and foster family-friendly workplace culture. Her book, The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity, and Success After Baby (Doubleday/Anchor), was a simultaneous best-seller in the Amazon categories of motherhood, women and business, and cultural anthropology. The Fifth Trimester has been featured in The New York Times, on Good Morning America, CNN.com, and dozens more outlets, and Brody has been a featured speaker at companies and organizations including Facebook, Fried Frank, The New York Times, Google, American Express, The Wing, GLG, Rackspace, Liberty Mutual, PwC, The Wharton Women’s Summit and more. As an entrepreneur who can’t quit journalism, Brody writes regularly about the intersection of business and motherhood for, among others, The New York Times, Slate, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Elle. Current ongoing engagements include: a new monthly motherhood column for Harper’s Bazaar, launching spring 2019; a six-city pilot work/balance coaching program at a top law firm in the healthcare space; the launch of #FAM x Condé Nast, an experiential-first content brand for Millennial parents raising culturally inclusive kids, for which Lauren is the editor-in-chief. A longtime leader in the women’s magazine industry, Lauren was previously the executive editor of Glamour magazine, where she ran the editorial staff and produced the magazine’s annual Women of the Year awards, honoring luminaries like Dr. Maya Angelou and Hillary Clinton. Raised in Ohio, Texas, and Georgia, she now lives in New York City with her husband and two young sons. Resources: www.thefifthtrimester.com [http://www.thefifthtrimester.com/] Instagram: @thefifthtrimester [https://www.instagram.com/thefifthtrimester/] Twitter: @laurensbrody [https://twitter.com/laurensbrody?lang=en] Facebook: /thefifthtrimester [https://www.facebook.com/thefifthtrimester/] The Fifth Trimester book [https://amzn.to/2OTNzVt]

Ep #120 | Making Business Travel and Breastfeeding Easier with Kate Torgersen

Have you ever had to go on a business trip while you were still breastfeeding? In this episode, I'm talking with Kate Torgersen, Founder of Milk Stork all about how to make business travel while breastfeeding and pumping easier. We talk about what lead to Kate founding her company to better support working moms as well as what companies can do to better support parents and caretakers. Finally, if you're interested in talking to your company about benefits like Milk Stork, Kate provides some guidance on the best way to do so. Highlights: * Kate's background and the event that lead to her founding Milk Stork * How she came up with Milk Stork and how it works * Tips for smoother travel while pumping * How we can normalize breastfeeding and the need to pump at work * Why it's important for companies to support breastfeeding moms * Other ways companies could better support parents or caretakers of all kinds * Kate's thoughts about what she'd like the future to look like for working moms and parents * The best way to approach your company to provide benefits like Milk Stork Today’s Guest: Kate Torgersen is founder and CEO of Milk Stork [https://www.milkstork.com/]®, the first breast milk shipping service for business traveling, breastfeeding moms. Launched in August 2015, Milk Stork provides working moms with everything they need to ship or tote their “liquid gold” home to their babies. For progressive, family-friendly companies, Milk Stork provides an in-demand employee benefit that helps attract, retain and supports working mothers. As a full time, working mom of three kids, Kate was committed to breastfeeding all of her children for the recommended 12 months despite the many challenges of pumping at work. In 2014, when faced with a four-day business trip, she struggled to get her breast milk home to her eight month-old twins. After returning from her trip with two gallons of breast milk and eight pounds of melting ice, she was determined to create a solution. Within a year, she launched Milk Stork, effectively lightening the load—both physically and emotionally—for countless hardworking, business traveling, breastfeeding moms across the U.S. Fueled by grassroots word-of-mouth among moms, Milk Stork quickly became in-demand, employee benefit with many of the country’s leading companies and firms. Kate’s mom-led innovation and entrepreneurship have been chronicled in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, New York Magazine, Lifehacker, Fortune and Travel + Leisure. In 2016, Kate was named one of Red Tricycle’s “Power Moms of the Food World” and, in 2015, Business Insider named Milk Stork, one of the “19 Coolest Companies in San Francisco”. While launching Milk Stork, Kate was senior executive communications manager at Clif Bar & Company. From 2000 to 2007, she served as the company’s national field marketing manager. Prior to joining Clif Bar, Kate chased her wanderlust to the Sierra Nevada Mountains where she worked as an archaeologist and wild land firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. In the winter, she was a professional ski instructor at Squaw Valley–Alpine Meadows ski resort. Kate holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley and she earned her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. When she isn’t working, playing with her kids or picking up Hotwheels, she is running or pursuing her quest for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Resources: She Reaches Mastermind [http://shereaches.com/she-reaches-mastermind/] www.milkstork.com [http://www.milkstork.com/] Milk Stork on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MilkStork/] Milk Stork on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/milkstork/] Milk Stork on Twitter [https://twitter.com/MilkStork] Milk Stork on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/milk-stork-inc-/?trk=company_logo]Whitepaper for businesses [http://milkstork.com/white-paper]