The Kindred & Brave Project

Episode 17: Grief Garden // Mother’s Day Edition

On today’s episode Mandy talks about the history of Mother’s Day (it’s not what you may think!) as well as how to practice Celebrating AND Communicating with those you love on this day. 
 
Mother’s Day is a holiday that serves as a trigger for many - motherless daughters, women yearning to become mothers, mothers who have lost babies, and women who have complicated relationships with their mothers. We can show up for all of these women by practicing curiosity and empathy.
 
Mandy serves up some suggestions on what you may say or send to those you are thinking about and some of the platitudes to avoid. 
 
Resources //
 
Time Article about Mother’s Day: 
https://time.com/4771354/mothers-day-history-origins/
 
When It’s Not Fair (it really isn’t) by Kate Bowler:
https://katebowler.com/books/have-a-beautiful-terrible-day/

Episode 16: Digging Deeper // Body Image, Grief, & Sharing Our Stories

Digging Deeper Episodes are conversations that support being grounded in heart-first, human-centered, story-driven connection.
In this episode, Mandy talks with Leslie Foy-Toon about a vulnerable social media post that helped many practice empathy & share their own stories. Leslie is a former teacher turned real estate agent (with an episode on House Hunters!) who opens up about the challenges of being a Type 1 Diabetic and her own journey with her body.  
Mandy & Leslie talk about the experience of losing a parent, what grief is like, and how storytelling creates a legacy for those we’ve lost.
This is a brave conversation that you don’t want to miss. Share this episode far & wide. Please rate, subscribe, & leave a review - it really matters! 

Episode 15: Booze Free // Thoughts From 98 Days Without Alcohol

“The goal here is to create a situation you no longer have to escape or a life you don’t have to numb. The achievement of sobriety is not the point; it’s a by-product of the work. The work is the point. Addiction is the hook that gets you in the door, and quitting is the catalyst to heal deeper wounds.” Excerpt from Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker.
Mandy talks about her relationship with alcohol & why she chose to stop drinking for the time being. She speaks about the fears she had, her family history, and the questions she asks herself each day. 
A reflective episode - this one is for anyone who is sober curious or has questions about how they cope with big emotions. 
Questions to ask yourself:
What is this bringing to my life?
What is this taking away from my life? 
How am I using this? 
https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Like-Woman-Radical-Obsessed/dp/1984825070
Please rate & review - your thoughts are so important to me!
Join me in Collective Cut - Women’s Group // https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-group-coaching-for-women-tickets-873033475627?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Episode 14: Dedicated to Diana: What Grief Has Taught Me in Four Years

This episode is airing on April 1, the same date in 2020 that Mandy’s mom, Diana Lynn Jankus took her last breath at 4:41 pm. In this episode, Mandy shares some of the things grief has taught her in the past 4 years. Today's podcast serves as a dedication to those we have loved & lost as well as a reminder that you are not alone in your grief. 
 
Please follow the podcast on Apple & rate & review! 
 
You can follow the latest reflections & news by subscribing to this free Substack here // 
https://kindredcoaching.substack.com/
There are two more FREE Collective Cut women’s meetings! Sign up here // 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873003646407?aff=oddtdtcreator

Episode 13: A Language For Mental Health: Why It Matters

In this episode, Mandy shares some big learnings from a SXSW EDU session she attended with Ross Szabo, an author & educator who focuses on creating a common language for mental health. 
Learn how Ross defines mental health as well as the six categories he says are included in understanding the concept as a whole. 
Mandy includes some personal examples of how we are never too young or old to start talking about our mental health. 
Please remember to follow, rate, & review the podcast - it helps others find us!
 
Follow Kindred Collective on Substack - a place where Mandy will share thoughts, essays, & discussions related to podcast // https://kindredcoaching.substack.com/publish/home
Ross Szabo Ted Talk // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH-nFjMWcUY

Episode 12: Sharing Stories to Amplify Experiences // A Conversation With Amy Kugler

Amy Kugler is a media executive, writer, and founder of BEAM - a venture that illuminates the unseen corners of motherhood with human-scale storytelling. BEAM sheds light on the diverse and, often, untold experiences that shape a parent’s journey by building public/private partnerships with advocacy collaborators through expert-led, interactive events and deeply resonant storytelling. She also hosts BEAM Stories, a radio show and podcast.
 
Her two-decade career is built on driving holistic content strategy, spanning industries from global health and government agencies to enterprise (including Microsoft and Amazon) and female-founded startups. Her writing has appeared in Forbes, INC Magazine, NBC’s TODAY.com, The Washington Post, Thrive Global, and The Seattle Times, among other outlets. 
 
She calls Seattle, WA home with her husband, two children and husky. You can find her swimming or stand-up paddle boarding on Lake Washington. 
 
In this episode we discuss:
BEAM & how this passion project was born.
What emotional wellness means to us and how to gauge this as a spectrum. 
Connection with ourselves and others + how connection is related to courage and trust. 
How Amy has experienced grief in her motherhood journey and how she’s learning to carry it .
Please remember to rate, review, and follow The Kindred & Brave Project podcast - it means so much!
 
Join The Kindred & Brave Project Community For Free Here // https://the-kindred-brave-project.mn.co/share/TzWRkWXOCmSjh5Pw?utm_source=manual
 
Check Out FREE Virtual Events This Month //
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-womens-meet-up-tickets-843667280547
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-womens-meet-up-tickets-844968151487
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-womens-meet-up-tickets-844970478447
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-patch-a-virtual-grief-support-group-tickets-830420659547
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-womens-meet-up-tickets-844971401207
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-patch-a-virtual-grief-support-group-tickets-834745455127
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-patch-a-virtual-grief-support-group-tickets-835066736087

Episode 11: Friendship in Mid(ish) Life Wrap Up

In this episode, Mandy finishes the Friendship series with tips from the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s Together The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. 
 
Mandy wraps up the series by making connections between the four books and 7 key takeaways about friendship. 
 
Free groups & meetings coming up! 
 
The Grief Patch: Grief Support Groups here // https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-patch-a-virtual-grief-support-group-tickets-825752376587?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
Collective Cut: Women’s Virtual Meet Up here //
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-cut-womens-meet-up-tickets-844968151487?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
 
Please remember to rate, review, & share these episodes - your support is so important to me!

Episode 10: The Seeds of Friendship & Community

In this episode, Mandy uses the book We Should Get Together - The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships by Kat Vellos to examine more of the ways to make friends and find communities.  
 
This book helps give us a roadmap to understanding why we need friendships, how to make them and take better care of them, and shares valuable insight into more ways that we can grow or change our own behaviors to not only be better friends, but to find them as well. Kat plants the Seeds of Connection: Proximity, Frequency, Compatibility and Commitment.
 
EXCITING NEWS! The first month of free events is available! Check out the events here: 
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-patch-a-virtual-grief-support-group-tickets-825752376587
 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/843667280547?aff=oddtdtcreator
 
Remember you can join our conversation in our FREE Mighty Network Community here: https://the-kindred-brave-project.mn.co/share/TzWRkWXOCmSjh5Pw?utm_source=manual
 
Check out Messy(ish) Mid - a writing spot to honor the honest stories about traversing through mid life - with brave hearts and curious souls. 
https://kindredcoaching.substack.com/
 
Resources:
https://weshouldgettogether.com/book

Episode 9: The Inner Work of Understanding Friendship

(Friendship in Mid(ish) Life Series)
 
In this episode, Mandy uses Dr. Marisa Franco’s book “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends” as a guide for digging deeper into the realm of friendship in mid(ish) life. 
This is an episode that will help you turn inward to get curious about how your own past impacts who you are as a friend.
Dr. Franco states “attachment theory helps us understand why people interpret the same events in a friendship so differently.”
Mandy shares some of the biggest takeaways from the book & discusses how we can use them to think about how we tend to & cultivate our friendships & communities. 
Sign up to join our free community - The Kindred & Brave Project //
https://the-kindred-brave-project.mn.co/share/TzWRkWXOCmSjh5Pw?utm_source=manual
Listen to more Dr. Franco here // 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/179-how-to-fix-our-loneliness-with-dr-marisa-g-franco/id1564530722?i=1000599471209
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/180-the-secret-to-making-keeping-friends-with-dr-marisa/id1564530722?i=1000599874955
 

Episode 8: Finding Yourself to Find Your People

(Friendship in Mid(ish) Life Series)
In the first episode of our friendship in mid(ish) life series; Mandy explores the book “Braving the Wilderness” by Brené Brown. 
 
We take a look at why it’s important to be friends with, or “belong” to ourselves first, as we navigate how to connect with others and be in community. 
 
Mandy digs into some of the actionable practices from the book to help us add to our socio-emotional toolkit. 
 
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” Brené Brown 
 
Please head to  https://the-kindred-brave-project.mn.co/share/TzWRkWXOCmSjh5Pw?utm_source=manual to join our network, The Kindred & Brave Project for resources from this episode continue the conversation!