May 23 is Ashley and her husband Chris’s nine year wedding anniversary, so it’s only fitting that she celebrate with…her wedding planner, Katie Webb Brundige. As we enter wedding season, Katie is here to offer some clutch insider advice for brides, guests, and mother-in-laws (*cough* Lisa *cough*).

We also delve into Katie’s passion for the special needs community. In addition to running her events planning company Intertwined Events, she’s also the co-founder of RAD (Rising Above Disabilities) Camp, which offers programs and camps for adults and children with developmental disabilities. Katie also shares her journey to adopt two remarkable special needs sons: five-year-old Alex, who has Autism and Prader-Willi Syndrome and two-year-old Riley, who has Down Syndrome.

Katie lives in a world of love, compassion, and unstoppable energy. While we suspect she has more hours in the day than the average human, it’s probably just that she has a larger-than-average sized heart. Simply put, she is straight up magic.

And after this episode, we're convinced a podcast with your wedding planner should be the traditional nine year anniversary gift.

Thanks as always for listening, and Happy Anniversary Ashley and Katie Chris!

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We’re halfway through what teachers and parents know to be “the thousand days of May”, a month of end-of-year celebrations, sports tournaments, field trips, dance recitals, and…the burnout that comes along with it.

Amid their hectic schedules, Ashley, Chantal, and Betsy found time this week to sit down and interview their family members: Ashley’s daughter, who just turned five; Chantal’s nine-year-old son and 11 and 14-year-old daughters; and Betsy’s husband. This is an exercise close to Ashley’s heart; she’s been on a year-long journey to sit down and record conversations with her immediate and extended family. In fact, she’s even starting a company based on this very concept (more to come on that soon!).

While Chantal and Betsy were initially hesitant to set aside the time (see above, re: the thousand days of May), they were both pleasantly surprised by how easy and impactful it ended up being. In the midst of to-do lists and daily tasks, we rarely sit down solely with the intention of learning something new about our loved ones.

Ashley has always believed in the power of preserving stories, and a recent experience only reaffirmed her conviction. A few weeks ago, Ashley’s father suffered from a stroke. While he’s now out of the hospital and recovering, there were a few hours where Ashley wasn’t sure if she’d ever speak to him again. In addition to her feelings of shock and grief, she felt a deep peace that she could only attribute to the fact that nothing has been left unsaid between the two of them.

So, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to sit down and interview your loved ones, it’s here. We’ve even got a few starter questions ready for you:

What is your favorite book?

How would you describe yourself?

What was the best gift you ever received?

What was the best gift you’ve ever given someone else?

Describe a perfect day. Where would you go, who would be there,what would you do?

What is the best quality in a friend?

What is important to you right now? (or who is important to you right now)

What do you think you are good at?

What is one of your favorite memories of us together?

How do you think we are alike? How are we different?

Is there a question you want to ask me?

What do you wish I understood? (And maybe…what do you wish I understood better about you?)

If you had a crystal ball that could tell you anything about your future, what would you want to

know?

Thanks as always for listening. Good luck with the final 500 days of May :)

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

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We’re thrilled to celebrate Mother’s Day with the inimitable Molly McGrath and her incredible mom, Deb!

Molly currently serves as a sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC Saturday college football games, as well as college basketball. She is also the devoted mom of Ray (3) and Pierce (1). Molly went into labor with Ray the night of the 2021 National Championship. Since then she has covered three National Championships, including one while eight months pregnant with Pierce. One of her proudest moments was finding out that she was nominated for a Sports Emmy while nursing Pierce at just two weeks old.

Ashley and Molly are connected not only as sports broadcasters and moms, but also as Boston College alums (Go Eagles!). During her time at BC, Molly created the student reporter role and received the “Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Excellence.” According to Lisa, Ashley won the “Best Bar Hopping Award”, which is basically just as impressive.

Meanwhile, Lisa and Molly bonded over the shared struggles and joys of being a #boymom. And though this interview was their first official meeting, tune in to hear why Lisa had her eye on Molly for many years.

Just when we thought we couldn’t cram any more love into this episode, Molly’s mom Deb joined us as a surprise guest. Deb is a retired cardiac nurse and former head of her department at San Francisco General. She currently volunteers for Hospice and cares for Molly’s father, who is terminally ill with lung cancer. She is, in Molly’s words, “a saint.” No one could hold back the tears as Molly and Deb shared their mutual love and admiration for each other. We don’t pick favorite episodes, but if we did, this one would be up there…

On behalf of all of us at YourMom, Happy Mother’s Day love to all the moms and mother-figures out there making the world a better place. We love you.

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We also know for many people, Mother’s Day weekend can be a painful time. In honor of anyone facing and grieving the loss of their own mom, we recorded an episode last year with Yogi Roth to pay tribute to his late mother, Devorah Channah Roth. We hope you can find comfort in Yogi’s story and Devo’s lasting memory.

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: yourmom@yourmom.co.

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Back in October, Ashley came across a Medium story written in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attacks: “To Be A Jew” by Rachel Wegner.

As Ashley read the first line–“I believe in the power of stories to bring people together, to build bridges and to create connection”–she stopped in her tracks. She had jotted down almost the exact same words during a previous conversation with our executive producer Betsy Bloom. The universe was sending a powerful message: reach out to Rachel to see if she would share her story on the pod. Long story, short: she generously agreed, and we are thrilled to now share it with you.

The Jewish holiday of Passover– which commemorates the Israelites' freedom from slavery in Egypt– begins at sundown on Monday, April 22nd and ends the evening of Tuesday, April 30th. It is a time of reflection and celebration, an opportunity to be together in community to acknowledge an ancient, complicated history and lift each other up with unrelenting hope for a future where all people are fully free.

In this episode, we explore Rachel's personal struggle with modern-day othering and her internal quest for freedom while also rejoicing in the moments that bring her light and keep her hope for a future of true togetherness alive.

We hope this episode inspires you to build your own bridges of connection, be they across the table or across the aisle. Chag Sameach!

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About Rachel Wegner:

"I am an educator and school leader with over 20 years of experience teaching and leading in schools. I believe education is freedom and it is the key to the Jewish concept of "tikkun olam" - repairing the world. When we know, love and serve students fully, we create the next generation of learners, leaders and listeners who believe in their abilities and have the skills to create change. I am passionate about equity work and it is at the center of what I do, what I believe in and what I have come to see as the most important work there is. I believe dialogue founded on trust, intentionality and vulnerability has the power to rebuild dysfunctional systems and structures so everyone has an opportunity to live their most meaningful life."

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

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Fresh off her last on-air broadcast with the Pac-12 network, Ashley Adamson sits down with leadership coach Chantal Below and executive producer Betsy Bloom to process the sweet sorrow of “necessary endings.”

In our early years, endings are honored with graduations, diplomas, and yearbooks. But, as we get older and lose these rituals, it becomes harder to identify the “right” time to make a change or say goodbye. And, as Chantal points out, maybe there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” time, just choices and consequences.

And, what about those endings we don’t see coming: the last time we see a loved one before they die, the last time we eat at our favorite restaurant, the last time we tuck our kids into bed? How can we acknowledge the finales that conclude without fanfare?

Endings always leave us with more questions than answers. In the end, our most important lesson came from a children’s book: the power of embracing “maybe”. How fitting, then, that Ashley signed off from her final broadcast with this quote from Bruce Springsteen: “Maybe everything that dies, someday comes back."

You can subscribe for more episodes wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Questions, comments or feedback? Email: ashley@yourmom.co.

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: yourmom@yourmom.co.

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Ashley, Lisa and Hot Betsy recap the past month, including the highs and lows of the Super Bowl, exciting NFL combine results for Luke (or as Ashley’s daughter Cora now refers to him, Luke Skywalker), ongoing wedding plans (if you have any mother-son wedding dance suggestions, drop us a line), and the injustice of half-empty toothpaste tubes and faulty washing machines (any brands out there that want to set the record straight, feel free to sponsor the pod).

Come for the football scoop and stay for Lisa processing the fall-out from her viral moment.

Thanks as always for listening, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Questions, comments or feedback? And do you think Lisa should wear beige jorts to Christian's wedding reception? Email: ashley@yourmom.co.

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

Questions, ideas or feedback? Email: yourmom@yourmom.co.

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The day after the Super Bowl, Chantal Below’s son was so devastated by the 49ers' loss that he requested to stay home from school. Chantal, who admittedly doesn’t care much about sports, was mystified by his utter desolation. This got us thinking: what is it about team sports that inspires such extreme emotions? Where’s the line between loyal fan and zealous fanatic?

In an attempt to answer these questions, we dive into the deep end of fan psychology: the intersection of sports and religion, the gender dynamics of emotional repression, and the toxicity of sideline critics. We question why certain “fans” spew negative comments on social media after a tough loss and others set cars on fire after a momentous victory.

We also celebrate the inspiring side of fandom: the community it creates, the resilience it engenders, and the respect it promotes for the players putting their bodies and souls on the line. As a lifelong sports enthusiast, Ashley shares how watching football kept her connected to her dad during a tough time in her life. As a mom and wife of avid athletes, Chantal acknowledges the magic in the madness of youth sports. And, as a longtime Buffalo Bills fan, our executive producer Betsy Bloom offers an ode to Bills mafia’s enduring loyalty even in the most trying times

So, whether your mental health hinges on a win or you watch sports for the snacks, we hope you’re a fan of this episode. Stay tuned next week for our SuperBowl recap with Lisa, who undeniably earned the right to skip school the next day.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Questions, comments, feedback? We love hearing from you, drop us a line ashley@yourmom.co. And as always, thanks for listening!

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About Chantal Below:

Chantal moved from the US to England in third grade. As an expat, she promptly began saying biscuit instead of cookie and spelling color with a ‘u’ in order to fit in. She never developed a love of cricket, but did develop a fascination with humanity, unconsciously examining how different cultures and beliefs expand or limit our choices.

After graduating from Georgetown University, she started her career as a 4th grade teacher with Teach For America, hoping to expand choices for too-often marginalized children in low-income schools. She loved the energy of the kids and the vibrancy of the community, but no one really wanted her teaching long division.

Since then, she’s been exploring the many dimensions of the human condition while avoiding math. She worked for years in the education non-profit world leading teams and developing leadership development programs. Then, she ventured out on her own and started Redcliff Coaching, Inc. She also attempts to parent three kids who are curious, compassionate, hysterical, and only vaguely pay attention to her advice. She lives in Oakland, CA.

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

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“If we can have some real talk here, this is what I want to say.” So begins our conversation with Pac-12 Sports Broadcaster Tammy Blackburn, who is living with stage four metastatic breast cancer.

In this episode, Tammy illuminates the reality of living with cancer, especially the parts we tend to overlook or consider impolite to discuss: She delves into the physical pain of treatment and then emotional pain of losing control of her body. She calls out the commercialization and sexualization of the breast cancer awareness movement. And, she shares the moment she learned she would never be able to have children.

Listening to Tammy is like taking a masterclass in grace and honesty. Rather than running from reality, she has channeled her diagnosis into action, raising awareness and funds to combat this deadly disease. She loves fiercely and is fiercely loved in return (stick around until the end of the episode for first-hand testimony).

While this episode tackled heavy topics, we ended it feeling lighter. In addition to real talk about death and sacrifice, we also discussed the power of play and the necessity of balancing seriousness with silliness.

So, grab a hula hoop and some headphones and settle in for an inspiring hour with the inimitable Tammy Blackburn.

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We love you all, and as always, thanks for being here.

You can watch all our episodes and find bonus content on our YouTube channel.

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