An Interview With Melissa Llarena

This is a special Mother’s Day episode because it includes the kind of gift that a lot of us working moms would LOVE. If you're on a career pause right now, consider the fact that this might be the perfect opportunity to uncover what might be next for you. In this episode, we talk about networking and why so few of us prioritize such a business-critical task. Then we discuss taking a pause in your career and why that needs to be on your resume.  Altogether, we go through what work-life integration is and why it might feel so hard in traditional business relationship-building settings. We then turn to an online/offline community that is creating the space we need to be both moms and professionals without feeling as if we have to hide half of who we are.  I want to give you as a listener a coupon code for 75 off of a HeyMama membership to get this coupon code just DM me @melissallarena or email me Melissa@melissallarena.com Amri Kebbler is a mom of two from New York and the visionary behind the 2014 launch of H

What does work-time balance even look like? Can you tell me right now who you know who is achieving such a blissed-out state? Who is actually juggling and keeping everything off the ground? I want to know and that’s why I wanted to bring this week’s podcast guest. Ingrid J Adams.  She has four kids. Lives in Manly Australia. Ingrid’s husband encouraged HER to find something that she was passionate about when their kids went to school. She also just published a book!  This is not about perfection or an unrealistic goalpost for superb balance. It’s about turning mom guilt on its head to publish your book or launch your business and about finding a way to teach your kids the lessons you’ve learned throughout life.  I want to hear from you! Listen in and DM on Instagram @melissallarena. Is balance within your reach or do you think it’s slightly BS? Maybe we just need to enjoy the pockets of time in the day when we feel we are in balance? Tell me. I want to know! Ingrid J. Adams is the author of Descended, an epic

In episode 176, Melissa discusses the art of delegation and how it can be the key to achieving balance and success in business and life. She shares insights from a survey conducted with moms in business, highlighting the desire for balance and the difficulty many face in being resourceful for themselves and asking for help. The episode addresses the hesitation, resistance, and unwillingness to delegate tasks to others and offers solutions, including bartering skills and creativity to find a solution that doesn't always involve money. Send Melissa a DM on Instagram @melissallarena if you have a hard time asking for help. You are not alone! Just type DELEGATE. I have a quick read-through of a chapter focused on precisely helping you ask the right questions to get the help you need and do so with courage! Want this free sample chapter on the art of asking for help? Meanwhile, if you'd like to weigh in please fill out this survey for moms who want to make an impact via their businesses. Quick survey and together

Are you on the verge of burnout and overwhelm? There are options for you as an entrepreneur who feels this way: you can quit, pivot, or pause. You are about to hear from a creative entrepreneur who left private practice in homeopathy after burning out, getting into a motorcycle accident, and being diagnosed with cancer at 58. Sometimes life whispers and other times shouts to get us to make some big life changes. Meryl Cook shares her story of how she came back and left her 20-year career behind and got into rug hooking. Oodles of hooking jokes abound. Color, texture, joy, and self-compassion define Meryl Cook’s work as a fiber artist and writer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. As an emerging artist, Meryl is becoming best known for her use of the Chakra colors and her Wild Woman series. Her current mediums are rug hooking, spinning, wet felting, and journaling. What began as a way of holding space for herself following breast cancer treatment has led Meryl to a career as an artist and writer, inspiring others to co

This is episode 174. We are going to talk about imposter syndrome especially amongst moms in business. At this point in my coaching career, I want to ensure that I am bringing my superpower of an explosive imagination to my ideal clients and through the grace of God and the fortitude with which I’ve been writing my book the answer that I’ve heard whispered in my ear over and over has been moms…specifically moms with businesses. So I’ve decided and made a declaration that I am officially on a mission to empower, embolden, and encourage 1-million-plus moms with a business in the next five years. Now in the words of Oprah, what would be the absolute best next possible step when you have an idea? In my case, it has been to talk to moms with businesses. I’ve begun to do this and something came up just this week that I want to address for you my listeners. It’s the signs that imposter syndrome is hurting your income and why this needs to stop especially amongst moms in business, these are three I’ve heard and that

You have likely heard about ChatGPT or Bard. Those conversational AI chatbots can answer users’ text questions in everyday language. Well, I decided to interview Bard today to get a feel for how as a mom founder or entrepreneur, you can use it to achieve wellness beyond your imagination. Get ready to step into the future and use your explosive superpower of imagination to imagine for yourself how AI can help you find peace and contentment in your mom life and business.  Here’s Bard’s official bio as written by it. Meet Bard. Bard is a large language model, also known as a conversational AI or chatbot trained to be informative and comprehensive. Bard was created by Google AI, and trained on a massive amount of text data, and is able to communicate and generate human-like text in response to a wide range of prompts and questions. For example, Bard can provide summaries of factual topics or create stories. Bard is still under development but has learned to perform many kinds of tasks, including: Following instr

This is episode 172. How to navigate social anxiety when talking to influential people is the scariest thing for you   Imagine these scenarios You want to launch a podcast and invite influential people as guests You want to strike up a conversation with speakers or panelists speaking at a conference You want to pivot into a new sector where you don’t have existing relationships These encounters can be the difference between your success and failure These moments can alter the entire trajectory of your life and that of your family A conversation with the right person at the right time can change your perspective and set you on a proven course rather than a makeshift guessing game adventure that often comes with building a new venture or sustaining it in a market that is constantly changing I’ve coached so many clients who would rather wait on the longest supermarket lines (i.e. privately and in around about ways) to approach influential people than strike up a conversation with someone on the phone or using th

In the spirit of achieving wellness beyond your imagination, I want to bring into focus the idea that you should be able to carry on this feeling of wellness with you when you hop onto a plane. You should be able to honor your mental, physical, and nutritional wellness needs en route to your travel destination and this brings me to this week’s guest:  Youmie Jean Francois is a transformational speaker, corporate wellness consultant, yoga instructor, and Founder/CEO of Flex-N-Fly, an award-winning travel wellness company that provides stretching, yoga, and relaxation classes to travelers before they board their flights in airports.  Along with her tactical steps for going from an idea to a commercially viable business set of offerings worthy of external investment dollars, she shared in this candid conversation, how she knew that her idea was necessary and not just a good idea. Know how to determine if your good idea is worth mustering up your finite mom energy to go after it. If you’re ready to pick one idea

This is episode 170. I’m your host Melissa Llarena. I’ve been attending SXSW out here in Austin,TX and also volunteering on the Comedy Crew team these last days and weeks. I decided to tune into topics that hovered around imagination + wellness + women and here’s what I realized about what was being discussed vs. not being discussed in these three buckets: Wellness - stigma, sector-specific nuances, and what’s in our locus of control vs. not – Xanax (more mental wellness was discussed than physical and nutritional wellness) Imagination - The band New Order really made it clear that their educational experiences were not really invested in the use of their imagination. Makes me wonder if ours has evolved. I also say this having attended some SXSW EDU events the week prior. Women - Black women. Corporate working women. Startup women. The conversation about being a mom was covered but driven more by the panelists as an afterthought OR to cover medical procedures to freeze eggs. Again, I didn't go to all talks BU

Have you ever fantasized about relocating your family and yourself to Europe? What about Australia? Or are you the mom who is being whisked away abroad because your partner was just granted a VISA? This is for you, my fellow globetrotter!  Today, we have Jenna Davis, who relocated to Germany for a boy, got married, and now has two children. Originally from Canada, Jenna has gone from ex-pat to immigrant in Dusseldorf, Germany. In this conversation, we discuss what you can do in a foreign country (launch an online business, get a Ph.D., etc.), how ex-pats bring a unique perspective to foreign countries, and how you too can make this work assignment the perfect time to reset your own professional identity. When Jenna came to Germany, her yoga pants and her messy bun didn’t quite fit in with Dusseldorf’s excess of Prada shoes and Gucci bags. Moving to Düsseldorf was like that first day of Kindergarten… 24/7. She didn’t know anyone and the Germans looked at her funny. This is also when she turned her career in ma

How to restart your meditation practice now as a new mom or mom to school-age kids (be sure to sign-up for a LIVE and FREE mom-friendly meditation session too!) This is episode 168. I’m your host Melissa Llarena. Last week I participated in a 6-day silent retreat at home. My three sons are 9,9, and 11. I am also married. I’ll let you in on my inner thoughts during that time when all I could do was write post-its to communicate with the world. I want to also let you off the hook my fellow mom who doesn’t have a meditation pillow, time to think on her toilet alone, or a clue how to stay put for 45 minutes without falling asleep. My focus in this snack bite episode will be on one new mom who also participated in this silent retreat and what I heard from someone who once did have all of that stuff and time to meditate like a well-rested 20-year-old goddess.   I felt embarrassed telling people I was doing a silent meditation – trader joe’s I felt like I had to cover my ass and tell them I was still doing mom thin

Whether your kids are two or twelve, today’s guest, Ashley Kegley-Whitehead, a social impact entrepreneur and mom of two girls, has decided to redefine chores for kids. She has built tools you can use to entice your kids to do chores and turn them into responsible human beings. Ashley is on a mission to build self-reliant, compassionate, and confident kids. She believes small things can have a big impact, and that the messages and stories we tell our children today will shape their imagination and outlook tomorrow. Ashley knows first-hand and understands the importance of how values and ideals show up in our communities, workplaces, and households.  As parents, it's important that we're able to have bolder conversations with our kids about this topic – and start them young. Chores are cool as well as raising kids with confidence. We've got to start thinking about how we can introduce to them, at an early age, things that would really grow with them, providing them with that constant healthy support system.  I

Thank you for listening to this episode from my archives. Stay tuned for my brand new 10-minute Q&A episodes, new creative guests, and even news on my upcoming book! Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena – I would love to hear your thoughts on this “best of episode.” Do you believe in marriage? Do you feel left out this Valentine’s Day? Where do you stand on this “need” to even have a partner on Valentine’s Day or forever?  This week’s guest is my husband, Jesus Diaz, Jr., whom I met 25 years ago, and we’ve been married for 18 years. Some of our Valentine’s Days have been remarkable, and others we can’t even remember.  This is Jesus’ second time on this podcast and he’s back due to popular demand. Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day alone or with a partner, tune in to this conversation as Jesus shares his thoughts on loving ourselves and others too. This is not a gushy conversation between two married couples who feel like we have to recruit the world to follow our path.  We both believe you shoul

I’m burned out. Now, what? 3 lessons I learned on how to keep burnout at bay or to rescue myself because mental illnesses run through my family. Plus, what mom has time for burnout? As you listen to this episode, definitely be sure to grab my 10 burnout zappers for creative moms and pass it along to your mom friends too. FREE RESOURCE: 10 Burnout Zappers For Creative Moms - Unexpected and (several playful) ideas to avoid getting too burned out (or to zap it quickly) so that your imaginative, playful, and expansive thinking self can create something glorious today! https://form.jotform.com/230355756860158 My identical twins didn’t sleep through the night until eight months in. That was the same year that I lost a loved one to cancer and that my mom was in a hospital due to being poisoned by a collage of psychopharmaceuticals. It was a devastatingly overwhelming year. I write about this situation in my upcoming book called Mom Life Rescripted: Reawaken your imagination, reintroduce playfulness into your life,

Does having enough money in your bank quench your thirst for fulfillment? In this episode, Paul Ollinger joins us for some money talk – making money, saving money, our relationship with money, and finding the thing that really fulfills us. Paul also dives into three questions to ask yourself to help you figure out how to spend your time. Paul Ollinger is a writer, comedian, and podcaster. After “retiring” at 42 and finding himself bored out of his mind, Paul started the Crazy Money podcast to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In 1:1 conversations with some of the world’s most interesting people, Paul helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what money, success, and fame can (and can’t) do for us. Previous interviewees include prominent authors, academics, celebrities, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, and Olympic gold medals.  Paul is also a nationally-touring comedian who has opened for Daniel Tosh, Dave Attell, and Chelsea Handler. He has also o

So many moms don’t attach a value to doing something that fascinates them in the same way that they see a value in uncovering what might fascinate their kids. 11 years of coaching and in this episode, I share how I’m seeing this play out both as a mom and as a coach to moms who want to uncover their purpose and be brave enough to pursue it with all of their might. Ultimately, there is value in BOTH you doing something that fascinates YOU and in you uncovering and being HONEST about what might fascinate your KIDS...if neither is considered then everyone loses; I've what happens when interests are stomped on and it's ugly! Definitely, tune in to this week's warning about what happens once we start ignoring our kid's REAL interests (or our own). The context for why this topic is URGENT and important for all parents What I've seen from the most successful corporate executives is this...tune in A personal example in my home that expresses I can be short-sighted too Origami>NASA Solar Panels...who knows? Listen in.

Love to cook? Today, Anita Jaisinghani shares some kitchen hacks for Ayurvedic home remedies. Especially, as moms, it's important to be able to cook for your kids and family yourself.   Anita Jaisinghani, the chef & co-owner of Pondicheri was born and raised in India and is of Sindhi descent. She developed a love for food early on in her life however trained and practiced as a microbiologist. Transitioning as a stay-at-home mother for her two children in Canada first and then Houston, she gradually developed her love of food into a career, beginning with an out-of-home catering business & selling chutneys through Whole Foods.  Anita’s first restaurant job was at the famous Café Annie, where she worked in the pastry department for 2 years. Following her time at Café Annie, Anita opened Indika in 2001 serving deeply personal dishes that illustrated her desire to portray Indian food in a new light. Pondicheri, followed in 2011, expanding with the opening of the Bake Lab + Shop in 2014 and its first out-o

Unlock your potential and transform your entrepreneurial journey with this extraordinary conversation with renowned artist and bestselling author Jay Samit. Discover the explosive superpower of your imagination and redefine your perspectives as Jay shares his experience mentoring a young man who metamorphosed from couch surfing to becoming a self-made millionaire in less than a year. The episode underlines the power of imagination, the significance of defining the problems we solve for our clients, and the tools required to thrive in the dual roles of motherhood and business.  Deep dive into the realm of creativity as it redefines business deals and entrepreneurship. Gain insights on how understanding the motivations of the other party in a deal can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships. Get inspired by the story of a mom who made millions by patenting a simple idea, emphasizing the value of solving problems for big companies. Also, explore Mark Cuban's unique approach to problem-solving, the importance of

In this episode, I will reveal some of my podcast guests coming up in 2023, behind-the-scenes efforts related to my book for moms and at the end, I will tell you how you can get a FREE copy of my very first book which I published in 2012 called The Mommy Shift: A Reentry Strategy for Working Moms. It’s 5-pages of a non-BS strategy on how to undercover what you want to do next. Hint: Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena with the word SHIFT for the 5-page strategy for moms who want to reenter the world of work. What’s Coming Up In 2023 Anita Jaisinghani, Chef /Owner of Pondicheri in Houston, Texas; Author of Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices Paul Ollinger, Podcast Host of Crazy Money Ashley Kegley-Whitehead, Founder of BigHer Impact Australian Author Ingrid Adams - New novel 'Descended' launching March 2023 Wish List For 2023 (Please email me if you know any of these prospective guests and can connect me - melissa [@] melissallarena.com) Dan Buettner – Blue Zones Diet  Steven Pressfield – The

There’s a ton of challenges that go into writing a book. It involves a lot of research and travel, plus juggling that with your personal life and everything that’s going on. Such is the determination it takes to be able to get a book done, especially as a single mom. In today’s episode, Alison Macor shares her journey through writing and motherhood. Imagine a mom whose parents were both ill at that time so she had to fly back and forth from Austin, where she lives, to her parents in New Jersey to help with the care, while flying to Los Angeles for her book.  Alison Macor received a Public Scholars grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her forthcoming book “Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation” (University of Texas Press, 2022), about the 1946 blockbuster that influenced the way we talk about PTSD. She is also the author of “Rewrite Man: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren Skaaren” (UT Press, 2017) and “Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thi