The Kindred & Brave Project

Wellness Check: The Light of Hope

Welcome to the Wellness Check. These are mini-episodes that serve as a quick reflective moment and opportunity for perspective. Today I’m talking about Hope and the power of finding it, being it, and spreading it. 
Thank you for listening. Remember - your stories matter, your feelings are valid, and the universe has your back. 
Resources
Working Mom Notes // LA Wildfire Stuffed Animal Recovery List: A Community Effort to Bring Comfort to Children
With Gratitude,
 
Mandy

Season 2 Episode 1: Ordinary Ways Our Children Are Extraordinary

Happy 2025 & cheers to the kick-off of my 2nd season for the Kindred & Brave Project!
 
In today’s episode, I share a permission slip to enter into this new year just as you (hopefully) came out of last year - slowly & gently. 
 
While I no longer subscribe that we need to change our whole lives in the first 31 days of a new year I do believe in the power of self reflection.
 
I talk about a magic that happened for me as a mother when I stopped waiting for the next shoe to drop and watched my son shine. I hope this little parenting reframe gives you a boost as we come out of the holiday season. 
 
I need your help! There are some big, exciting things happening in 2025 & I’d be so grateful if you took the time to follow the show & leave a written review of it! Remember - sharing is caring! 
 
Resources //
The Universe Has Your Back card deck 
 
With gratitude,
Mandy-

Episode 32: Reflections // Finishing the Year Softly

We did it! One full season of a podcast! 
I talk about what I’ve learned in another year around the sun (Capricorn, baby) and share some ideas for ending 2024 with intention. Think about an anchor word for the new year, something you can return to for guidance and inspiration. 
Ponder what you’re leaving behind in 2024 - what are you ready to let go of thinking, being, doing?
I have really big ideas for next season - some monthly topics and themes, another series, dream guest pitches, and a peek into the brain of my Bluey loving husband (as he says, every life event has a Bluey episode that correlates).
If you’ve enjoyed the journey, have a favorite episode or are just looking to support the show please take a moment and make sure you are following the podcast, then leave a written review - that helps others to find it! And sharing is caring - pass along your favorite episode on social media! 
Thank you for listening. Remember - your stories matter, your feelings are valid, and the universe has your back. 
I’ll talk with you in 2025!
Resources // 
Work Your Light Oracle Cards 
With Gratitude,
Mandy Jankus

Episode 31: Intuitive Eating & Somatic Healing // Shannon Buescher

In this must hear episode I talk with Shannon Buescher about intuitive eating, the destructiveness of diet culture, & what somatic practices are. 
Shannon shares actionable tools that she uses with her clients to help learn to connect with body, intuition, & we riff together on how to approach the conditioning we’ve endured (as women) since we were tots. 
She takes some of the buzz words we hear about our bodies and helps us understand them and our own inner voice, feminine power, and intuition. 
Your support means everything! Please take the time to share this episode & rate/review/follow The Kindred & Brave Project Podcast. 
 
Thank you for listening. Remember - your stories matter, your feelings are valid, and the universe has your back. 
Resources //
Shannon’s website 
 
The Bear Fishes Episode (*trigger warning - family trauma) 
 
Woodland Wardens card deck by Jessica Roux
With Gratitude,
 
Mandy

Episode 30: The Sandwich Generation // Midlife Crunch

“About a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) are now part of the so-called "sandwich generation," according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. These are a group of Americans who are caring for children under 18 and older relatives at the same time, providing hours of unpaid labor—from transportation and doctor visits, while also dealing with the demands of being a parent.”
I’m sharing the story of how I learned about this term, how I’m navigating (fumbling through) it, & some lessons I’ve learned in the process. 
Your support is so important to me - please follow the podcast, share episodes, & leave a review. 
Resources:
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/
https://www.apa.org/topics/families/sandwich-generation
Donna Ashworth: Loss
With Gratitude,
 
Mandy-

Episode 29 // Digging Deeper: Permission To Own Your Story

I’m sharing a piece of my heart today. In today’s episode I’ll tell you about rumbling with values work, how I knew I was out of alignment in my own life, and why it matters.
 
Resources //
 
Living Into Your Values by Brené Brown 
 
We Can Do Hard Things: Episode 353
 
Unlocking Us: Courageous Leadership & Winning in 2024
 
Please leave a review, rate, follow, & share this podcast.

Episode 28 // Mindful Moment: Stop Shoulding on Yourself

Today’s episode is a real-time riff on what happens when shit doesn’t work out how you hoped, the weight of expectations, and over-apologizing. 
 
Instead of beating yourself up over it, let it instead be a moment for you to remember that you can begin again, and again, and again.

Episode 27: Mindful Moment // Grief as a Teacher

Today I share a story about the power of grief as a teacher. When we open our hearts to the understanding that grief is love we can open ourselves to experiencing the whole emotion, all of its parts. 
 
My son showed me a light into his grief, and the love he has for my mom because I haven’t been afraid to be in the dark. No platitudes. No explanations. Just an honest look at what it feels like to walk through grief as a parent and child.
 
Resources //
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-After-Loss-Meditations-Working/dp/0380773384
 
Thank you for listening. Remember - your stories matter, your feelings are valid, and the universe has your back. 
 
Please rate, review, & share this episode.

Episode 26: Class is In Session // Courage in Communication

In this episode, I talk about two activities that I offer in my Communication classes that can help us all stretch & grow. They remind us as a society to understand that critical thinking and being human are both courageous acts. They are each a skill and we can get better at both of them with practice.
 
How can you stretch yourself to reach out of your comfort zone to grow in community, learn about those who are different from you, ask questions for the sake of understanding, develop deeper listening skills & practicing empathy?
 
I hope these two activities give you something to chew on - how being human in today’s world involves several ordinary acts of courage each day and they deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated - in yourself and others. 
 
Resources //
Father Greg Boyle: Can a Tender God Ignite Social Change?
Sharon McMahon: Drops Make an - Everything Happens with Kate Bowler - Apple Podcasts
Is Everyone Really Equal https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Really-Equal-Introduction-Multicultural/dp/080775861
Have a Beautiful Terrible Day!https://www.amazon.com/Have-Beautiful-Terrible-Day-Betweens/dp/0593727673

Episode 25: Kelley Szany // Humanity, Hope, & Healing

Today, I have a candid, vulnerable, and real AF conversation with one of my dearest friends, mentors, and wisest women, Kelley Szany. She is an award-winning Holocaust and genocide educator with over 20 years of experience as the Senior Vice President of Education and Exhibitions at Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. 
 
We talk about where her belief in humanity and passion for social justice came from as well as what she’s learned from the survivors in her work. We get real about grief - how we carry it, how we do it with our children, and how we learn to live again and create a legacy for our loved ones. 
 
Our stories, community, advocacy - we talk about all the ways these things are a part of our human experience. And we get real about how to find harmony in being a mom while having a thriving career, creating change, and cheering for our children. 
 
Live Listener Coaching Episodes 
I’m looking to do some episodes where I coach a guest live in real time. Think of having individual support to uncover a block, support on setting a goal, looking at how you process an emotion, etc. for 45 minutes - I get excited just thinking about it! If you are interested in this please send me a DM on instagram @ kindredcoaching or an email at mandy@kindredandbrave.com. 
If you have a guest you think would be great please reach out & let me know! 
 
Resources //
 
Illinois Holocaust Museum 
 
Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe 
 
Everything Happens: Hope is a Muscle 
 
Woodland Wardens deck by Jessica Roux