The Unexpected Power of Pie, Memory, and Human Connection with Beth Howard

What Moms Carry: The Science of Letting Go, Alcohol & Raising Resilient Kids with Jessica Lahey

What if the anxiety you feel for your kids—the urge to step in, fix it, smooth it over—is actually wired into your brain? And what if the wine you pour at the end of that exhausting day is quietly making everything worse?In this episode, Danielle sits down with Jessica Lahey—educator, journalist, author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation, and a woman nearly 14 years into her own recovery—for a conversation about what the research actually tells us about raising kids who are resilient, substance-aware, and capable of handling difficulty on their own.This isn’t a parenting lecture. It’s part science, part confession, and part permission slip, for the mother who’s quietly wondering if she’s doing it right, and reaching for something to take the edge off when she’s not sure.In this conversation, we talk about• Why the parental brain reads a child’s struggle as a full-blown emergency, and what to do with that impulse• The “mommy wine culture” problem: what our kids are absorbing when every hard moment ends with “I need a drink”• Why the European moderation myth is just that, and what the WHO data actually says• How competence, mastery, and self-efficacy protect kids better than any single conversation about drugs• What’s different for women and alcohol: metabolism, anxiety, and the breast cancer connection• How to reset the rules in your house, even if you feel like you’ve already “messed it up”Key Takeaways• The single most consistent finding: delay first use as long as possible. The younger the first use, the higher the lifetime risk.• When you ask parents why kids drink, they say peer pressure. When you ask kids, they say stress and anxiety.• Kids who learn to handle hard things and feel the dopamine hit of real achievement have a genuinely lower risk.• Women metabolize alcohol differently, and drinking to manage anxiety almost always backfires.• It’s never too late to change the conversation.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeJessica's website [https://www.jessicalahey.com/](Includes all her videos, books, etc.)Jessica's substack [https://jesslahey.substack.com/]HumanUp [https://humanup.com/]Jessica's writing podcast [https://amwriting.substack.com/]Related ConversationsRaising Resisters with Renee Niemann [https://youtu.be/XLsq59K1WHQ?si=B9H_T1PjH7BOPLIC]Why "Doing it All" Is Making Women Sick with Gifty Enright [https://youtu.be/hYTLo7yoOQY?si=-b4lgnLMi1Pkw_lu]Follow & Subscribe to Roar 🎧 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834]🎧 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf]▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@RoarPod]📩 Newsletter [https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies]🙋 Be a guest [https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest]Connect with DanielleInstagram [https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies]LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/]Website [https://www.danielledavies.com/] #RoarPodcast #MidlifeWomen #Parenting #SubstanceUsePrevention #AlcoholAwareness #GiftOfFailure #AddictionInoculation #DanielleDavies #womensvoices

The Unexpected Power of Pie, Memory, and Human Connection with Beth Howard

What if the smallest, simplest things...are the ones that carry us through the hardest moments? In this episode of Roar, Danielle sits down with writer and pie baker Beth Howard for a conversation that starts with something light, and becomes something much deeper. Because at first glance, pie doesn't feel like a serious topic. But in Beth's world, it means more than one thing. What began as baking became something else entirely, including a way to process loss, connect with others, and move through moments that don't always have easy answers. Danielle and Beth explore what it looks like to turn something simple into something meaningful, and how everyday acts can become a form of care, connection, and healing. Together, they talk about: * How something as simple as baking can take on deeper meaning * The connection between creativity and grief * Why working with your hands can help process emotions * The role of ritual in a technological world * Letting go of perfection and focusing on presence * How sharing something small can create connection * The accessibility of simple acts, no expertise required * What it means to do something when there are no words Beth's perspective reminds us that we don't always need big solutions. Sometimes we just need something to do with our hands, our attention, and our care. Key Takeaways: * Simple acts can carry deep meaning * Creativity can be a tool for processing grief. * You don't need expertise to create something meaningful. * Ritual can provide grounding during difficult times. * Connection often comes through sharing small things. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Beth's Website [https://theworldneedsmorepie.com/] (includes her books, Pieowa showing schedule, classes and more) Related conversations: Lisa Field on creative spaces [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cYnNAdpPkw8dkNbgDdQ8F?si=SJ5LxGXtS1-uDSD74MLIPA] Katherine Center on finding joy [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mBOic9PTXjWbtLwSuYLdV?si=TqFGTL7XQzmrHywdbDSWMg] Follow & Subscribe to Roar: 🎧 Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834] 🎧 Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf] ▶️ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod] 📩 Newsletter: ⁠https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies⁠ [https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies] 🙋 Be a guest: ⁠https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest⁠ [https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest] Connect with Danielle: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies] LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/] Website: ⁠https://www.danielledavies.com/ [https://www.danielledavies.com/] #RoarPodcast #BethHoward #Pie #Grief #Creativity #WomenAndCreativity#Healing #Ritual #DanielleDavies

From Frustration to Legacy: Ambition, Speaking for Pay & Making It Without Losing It with Jess Ekstrom

What happens when frustration becomes a lifelong operating system? In this episode of Roar, Danielle Davies sits down with Jess Ekstrom, an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder ofboth Headbands of Hope and Mic Drop Workshop , for a conversation that is equal parts practical, personal, and unexpectedly profound.  What begins with a childhood camping trip and a tangled Walkman cord quickly expands into a wide-ranging discussion about advocacy, economic empowerment, ambition, legacy, and what it really means to build something without losing yourself in the process. What You'll Hear in This Episode•      Why Jess's dad's response to a frustrated middle-schooler became the foundation for everything she's built •      How Jess ended up being the first woman to speak at a conference that had been running for 15 years, and why that's not a compliment •      The moment she asked an event organizer why they booked her, and what his honest answer revealed about the speaking industry •      Why women second-guess their place on stage while men confidently ask for $50,000, and what's actually behind that gap •      Danielle's own experience taking Jess's free course and landing a $2,500 paid speaking gig almost immediately after •       Jess's philosophy on over-delivering vs. gatekeeping, and why she pushed back on advice to hold more back •      The Bernie Madoff connection in Jess's family, and how that trauma quietly turbocharged her hustle •      What happened when Jess accidentally signed up for a death-and-dying silent retreat in Asheville, and how it reframed her entire relationship with ambition •      The shift from checklists to legacy: how Jess thinks about building things that outlive her goals •      Practical speaking tips: the 'spotlight to lighthouse' mindset shift, the 'start button' technique, and why being relatable is your competitive edge in the age of AI •      The 'contribution vss. completion' framework from her upcoming book, and why most of us are exhausted because we keep chasing 'done' •      Her upcoming book Making It Without Losing It (available TODAY!) Links & Resources: 📖 Jess's new book, Making It Without Losing It, available TODAY! https://shorturl.at/DC2bi [https://shorturl.at/DC2bi] 🌐 Jess’s website: www.JessEkstrom.com [http://www.JessEkstrom.com] 🆓 The FREEBIE Class that Danielle took that TOTALLY WORKED: https://micdropworkshop.com/home-free-webinar [https://micdropworkshop.com/home-free-webinar]🎤 Mic Drop Workshop: https://www.micdropworkshop.com [https://www.micdropworkshop.com] 📚 Headbands of Hope: https://www.headbandsofhope.com [https://www.headbandsofhope.com] Related Episodes: Our convo with NYT Bestselling author Katherine Center: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mBOic9PTXjWbtLwSuYLdV?si=2c46bd9a10934a1a [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mBOic9PTXjWbtLwSuYLdV?si=2c46bd9a10934a1a] A chat with visibility dynamo Cheldin Barlatt Rumer: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5H8J8d2zKXqpptZG53k2wr?si=b9fd9904efd74f60 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5H8J8d2zKXqpptZG53k2wr?si=b9fd9904efd74f60] Follow & Subscribe to Roar: 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834] 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf [https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf] ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod [https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod] 📩 Newsletter: https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies [https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies] 🙋 Be a guest: https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest [https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest] Connect with Danielle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies [https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/] Website: https://www.danielledavies.com/ [https://www.danielledavies.com/] #RoarPodcast #JessEkstrom#MicDropWorkshop #WomenWhoSpeak #SpeakingForPay #MakingItWithoutLosingIt#WomenInBusiness #WomenInLeadership #DanielleDavies #PublicSpeaking#WomenEmpowerment #HeadbandsOfHope What You'll Hear in This Episode

The Work No One Sees with Rebekah Pierce

Did you ever think of the work you naturally do as a women, mom, and/or teacher, work that holds up the whole system, isn't actually harmless? In fact, Rebekah Pierce uses a different word for it: Destructive. In this episode of Roar, Danielle Davies sits down with educator, author, and womanist, Rebekah Pierce to talk about something that feels specific to classrooms, but isn't. Because while this conversation starts with teaching, it quickly becomes about something much bigger: who is expected to carry people, absorb pressure, and create stability inside systems that were never designed to support them in the first place. Rebekah's work challenges one of the most deeply ingrained assumptions in education—that learning begins with productivity. Instead, she asks a different question: what happens when we center humanity first? And even more importantly: Who is already doing that work, without recognition? Together, Danielle & Rebekah talk about: 🔥Why classrooms often rely on emotional labor more than curriculum 🔥The invisible work teachers do to create safety, stability, and trust 🔥 How "care" becomes an expectation, not a choice 🔥The womanist lens: who is doing the sustaining work, and why 🔥What it means to operate inside systems that were never built for wholeness 🔥 How women internalize the role of "holding everything together" 🔥The cost of constantly choosing humanity inside productivity-driven environments 🔥Why systems don't change This conversation starts in a classroom, but it doesn't stay there. Because once you see it, you can't unsee the ways women hold space, absorb impact, and make things work that were never designed to. Key Takeaways: * Systems often function because of people, not because they work well. * Emotional labor is not extra. It's what makes environments survivable. * Women are disproportionately expected to carry that labor. * Care has been reframed as obligation instead of choice. * Real change would require systems to stop relying on over-functioning individuals. Links related to this discussion: Before the Lesson Begins [https://www.amazon.com/Before-Lesson-Begins-Reflection-Affirmations-ebook/dp/B0G2SNL667] Rebekah's Substacks: https://captainjacknovellaseries.substack.com/ [https://captainjacknovellaseries.substack.com/] https://rebekahlynnpierce.substack.com/ [https://rebekahlynnpierce.substack.com/] Rebekah's website [https://rlpproductions.com/] Marcus Garvey [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/garvey-biography/] Sojourner Truth [https://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/people/sojourner_truth.html]Related Convos: Why Women Are Taught to Be Palatable with Sophie Jane Lee: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NK45ObtHFc3G9PTgFoiro?si=FcPMySeIRHSvJNX9MYyc4Q [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NK45ObtHFc3G9PTgFoiro?si=FcPMySeIRHSvJNX9MYyc4Q] The Lie of "Doing it All" with Gifty Enright: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/SPCahSAXG2b [https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/SPCahSAXG2b] 💥 Don’t Miss a Conversation 🎧Follow & Subscribe on: Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-roar-podcast/id1791584834]), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf [https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf]) YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod [https://www.youtube.com/@roarpod] 📩 Sign up for Danielle’s newsletter [https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] 🙋‍♀️ Want to be on Roar? [https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest] 🤝 Want to partner with us? danielle@danielledavies.com 👕 Get your Roar Merch [https://www.redbubble.com/people/roarpodcast/shop] 🔗 Connect * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/] ⁠ https://www.danielledavies.com/ [https://www.danielledavies.com/] #RoarPodcast #WomenAndWork #EmotionalLabor #Education #Womanism #InvisibleLabor #Leadership #CareWork #SystemicChange

Is this Normal? The Sex Questions Women Don't Ask Out Loud

What if the questions you've been quietly googling are the ones everyone else is asking too? In this episode of Roar, Danielle Davies hosts a candid, unfiltered roundtable conversation about sex, the kind women usually have in whispers, group texts, or not at all. Joined by pelvic floor PT Caitlyn Tivy, sex therapist Alex Robboy, and sexual wellness founder Lisa Kinsella, this conversation brings together three distinct perspectives on women's bodies, desire, and agency. Because for something that plays such a significant role in our lives, many women were taught that sex was either private, taboo, or something that should just "work itself out." This conversation breaks that silence. From pain and discomfort to desire, communication, and the reality of navigating sex across different life stages, this episode creates space for honesty, without shame, performance, or perfection. Danielle and her guests explore what it means to actually understand your body, communicate your needs, and question what we've been taught is "normal." Together, they talk about: 🔥 Why so many women are asking "is this normal?" and why that question matters 🎤 The things we were never taught about our bodies (and should have been) 🧠 How shame shapes our relationship with sex, often without us realizing it 🌿 The role of pelvic health in comfort, pleasure, and function 💥 Why desire changes, and why that's not a problem to fix 📣 How to have honest (and sometimes awkward) conversations about sex 👑 The gap between what women are told and what they actually experience ⚡ Why more information leads to better—not more "perfect"—sex This episode is a reminder that sex isn't something you're supposed to just figure out alone and that asking questions is often the first step toward agency, comfort, and connection. If you've ever wondered, "Is this normal?," you're not alone. 🔑 Key Takeaways You're not the only one asking the questions you think are "weird." There is no single definition of "normal" when it comes to sex. Your body is not the problem—lack of information often is. Desire changes over time, and that's part of being human. Honest conversations create better experiences than silent assumptions. 🔗 Links mentioned in this episode C. Tivy Consulting [https://www.ctivyconsulting.com/] The Center for Growth [https://thecenterforgrowth.com/therapists/alex-caroline-robboy-cas-msw-lcsw] LUWI [https://www.getluwi.com/]💥 Don’t Miss a Conversation * 🎧Follow & Subscribe on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5A3yVooECAKII1a3HV3bcf⁠] * 📩 Sign up for Danielle’s newsletter [https://substack.com/@roarwithdanielledavies?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] * 🙋‍♀️ Want to be on Roar? [https://www.danielledavies.com/be-a-guest] * 🤝 Want to partner with us? danielle@danielledavies.com * 👕 Get your Roar Merch [https://www.redbubble.com/people/roarpodcast/shop] 🔗 Connect * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/roarwithdanielledavies] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielledaviesmedia/] * Website [ https://www.danielledavies.com/]#RoarPodcast#WomensHealth #SexEducation #WomensBodies #PelvicHealth #SexTherapy#WomensWellness #NormalizeTheConversation #WomenAndPower #DanielleDavies#WomensVoices #LetsTalkAboutSex