Episode 321: Not an Angry Mom, I’m a Raging Mom: Owning Mom Rage with Annia Palacios

“Motherhood is hard, but it doesn’t have to be this hard.” - Annia

Have you ever felt so anxious, overwhelmed, tired, or a million other emotions, but what comes out is… anger? This is called rage, in particular mom rage, and our guest this week is explaining these feelings and how we can handle them. Annia Palacios is a therapist who has dedicated her career to working with moms after her own struggle with postpartum depression. During our conversation, we discuss the symptoms of mom rage, the challenges of motherhood that ignite these emotions, and our overall maternal mental health. We also touch on post traumatic stress that parents specifically have felt over the last few years, and how to cope. 

Before the show…

Bricia is alone this week (Paulina is in Oaxaca), but we do have a major announcement this week. Our michelada mix company, I Love Micheladas, is now being carried in select Costco locations in California! We want to shout out our tiny but mighty ILM team who worked so hard to make this all possible, and to our new Costco family for all the love, patience and support. Full list of locations is below. And for our listeners not local to Los Angeles or California, you can also shop our mix at Vallarta, Northgate Markets and 24/7 on ILoveMicheladas.com.

Costco Locations Carrying I Love Micheladas Mix

Azusa

Eastvale

Fontana

Fullerton

Inglewood

La Habra

La Quinta

Monterey Park

Norwalk

Oxnard 

Van Nuys

More about Annia: Annia Palacios is a therapist, coach, mom and stepmom who has dedicated her career to working with moms. She transformed her therapy practice into primarily working with mothers after her own struggles with postpartum depression following the birth of her first child. Through that journey, Annia realized that moms deserved better and shouldn't have to suffer in silence.

Today, Annia's therapy practice is dedicated to helping moms and mom-to-be navigate postpartum depression and anxiety, grief, infertility, and birth trauma. Her coaching work supports mom in managing mom rage and the mental load of motherhood so they can redefine themselves and find balance in life and motherhood.

Annia offers therapy services to clients living in Texas and Florida through Tightrope Therapy and provides coaching services nationwide and internationally via Moms Playbook Coaching.

Our Conversation with Annia

How long does maternal mental health last?

Post Traumatic Stress after Uvalde and other tragic events

Preparing for Safety with our Children

Symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety

Mom rage - what does it feel like and look like?

How to cope with rage

Annia is offering Super Mamas listeners $100 off her signature "Mom Rage" coaching package. You will receive 5 individual 1:1 coaching sessions to help you understand what makes you rage, instantly begin applying coping skills to help manage your unique situations and develop a playbook to help tackle future issues. Just mention that you found

Links

Follow Annia on Instagram - @the.therapy.mom and TikTok @tightropetherapy

You can also learn more about Annia’s practice at TightRopeTherapy.com and her online coaching for moms at MomsPlaybookCoaching.com.

Episode 319: Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: Paulina’s Quarter Life Tune-Up

You’re probably wondering what is a quarter life tune up is. We often talk about self-care for moms, taking care of your mental health making time to do things you love, but what about our physical health? This week, Paulina talks about what’s going on inside her body and the recent feelings that have made her focus on taking care of herself in all ways. Her personal version of tuning herself up. We also talk about the emotions we have felt over the last few weeks, especially with all the tragic events going on in the world. We have been “feeling our feelings”, as we explain during the episode, and we realize that we all have a different healing process. 

Our Conversation

Size 11W shoes

Paulina’s “rejuvenation” - Bulkamid Urethral Bulking

“I’m doing kegels as you’re telling this story” - Bricia

Two kind of incontinence

Bladder tests

“We talk about self care, massages and stuff. That’s great, but what’s going on inside your body?” - Paulina

After effects of traveling to Uvalde, Texas - listen to their experience

Paulina’s vision of time passing

Why it’s okay to feel the feelings

Pick or Tip of the Week

The last few weeks have been a little heavy so Paulina was looking for some laughs. Her pick is Cristela Alonzo’s new Netflix special, “Middle Classy.” These are the types of shows she loves because she watches them late at night after everyone has gone to sleep and she just laughs. She also loves the Ali Wong Netflix special.

Bricia’s pick is Paws of Fury: the Legend of Hank. While she loved the movie itself (it’s a great summer movie for kids!), you have to tune into the episode to hear why attending the movie premiere was such a cool experience for her son, Eduardo.

Links

Paulina refers to Bricia’s nose surgery story - listen to that episode here to hear why Paulina was freaked out for her own surgery

Nordstrom Rack has the best shoes! Even for Paulina’s size feet LOL

We talked a lot about our life coach, Victor Pierantoni Check out his past episode.

We also reference one of our first episodes with Lily Martinez. Listen to that throwback and let us know if we should have her back on the show!

Episode 315: Unapologetically Marcela: A Conversation with chef, author & super mama, Marcela Valladolid

To say we fan-girled over this week’s guest is an understatement! We interview Marcela Valladolid - chef, television personality, designer, author, businesswoman and ultimate super mama - and she took us to church. She talks about growing up in Tijuana, MX, her book writing process, personal growth, health, and her beautiful family. If you follow Marcela on Instagram, you know she is always unapologetically herself. Her real authentic personality transcends through the microphone throughout this episode and you’ll want to take notes, because her words will encourage you to be unapologetically you, too.

More about Marcela: Marcela Valladolid is an Emmy nominated celebrity chef, television personality, designer, author, mother and businesswoman.

Growing up around expert and traditional cooks in Tijuana, Mexico, Marcela was raised to be passionate about food. She enrolled full time in the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and trained in Paris where she graduated as a classically trained pastry chef at the Ritz-Escoffier Cooking School.

Marcela began her professional career as a Food Editor for Bon Appetite Magazine. Her first television show was "Relatos Con Sabor" for Discovery en Español and she published her first book, "Fresh Mexico", in 2009.

She hosted her second show, "Mexican Made Easy", for the Food Network in 2010 and released a companion book, "Mexican Made Easy", in 2011.

Marcela was a co-host on the three-time Emmy Nominated Food Network hit show "The Kitchen." She has also appeared as a Celebrity judge for 3 seasons on the Food Network show "Best Baker in America" and was the Host of the Food Network's "Holiday Gingerbread Showdown" which aired December 2018.

She is currently co-hosting the "Marcela & Carina Show" a virtual live cooking class & entertainment show with her sister and motivational speaker Carina Valladolid, which was recently mentioned in the NY Times.

She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, People Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, NY Daily News, Better Homes & Garden, and has appeared on national TV shows such as Today Show, The Talk, The Chew, The View, Access Hollywood Live, The Rachael Ray Show, Live! with Kelly and Michael, AOL Build, Yahoo News and more.

Marcela has done partnerships and promotional events with companies such as Capital One, Google, Herdez, Northgate, Target, Bank of America and Estee Lauder to name a few. Marcela also had a branded line of food products in partnership with Safeway. She was the only celebrity to have had her own branded food line sold exclusively nationwide at Safeway/Vons/Pavilion's.

Marcela started a partnership with This Is Latin America in January 2021 that includes a line of curated products by Casa Marcela.

She released her 3rd book, CASA MARCELA, in April 2017 and her 4th book, "Fiestas; Tidbits, Margaritas & More," in April 2019, both listed as national best sellers. She just released her 5th book , “Cocinando on Cook Street”, a children's book in partnership with Latina-led publishing house, Lil Libros.

Marcela resides in Chula Vista, CA with her partner Philip Button and their three children (Fausto, David and Anna Carina) and their dog, Kongo.

Our conversation with Marcela

Who is Marcela?

The book writing process

Whats App - the Mexican Way

“Her dad is the OG instagram feed” - Paulina about Patty’s father

Growing up in Tijuana

Marcela’s mom

“My mom taught us the only way to find your happiness is to be authentic to yourselves.” - Marcela

“‘Que van a decir la gente?’ You hear it your whole life.” - Marcela, on the biggest lesson she learned from her mother

La generación de cristal

“I carry a lot of guilt because I’m a working mom.” - Marcela

The parental balance in the household

Marcela’s personal growth

Yoga & being sober

“Your energy is just so ever flowing.” - Bricia to Marcela about her personal growth

Seeking therapy

Maintaining emotional health

“I can be going through a really rough moment and that it’s going to pass and I’m going to coexist in this moment and go on with other things in my life.” - Marcela

Pick or Tip of the Week

Bricia’s pick is Sneakerella on Disney+. It’s basically Cinderella but a dude with sneakers, and Eddie loves it. The music, singing and dancing is great! It’s a great pick for kids since they’re going to be spending more time at home now that it’s summer vacation.

Paulina’s tip is actually a tip from Patty Rodriguez that they picked up during their short trip to Texas.  When it’s really hot out and you’re wearing a hat, grab a few small ice cubes and stick them in the seam of your hat. It’s great for sport days, summer camp, traveling - whenever you’ll be outside and need to cool off.

Links

Follow Marcela on Instagram - @chefmarcela

You can get her new book, Cocinando on Cook Street: A collection of mi familia’s recipes on Amazon

Episode 298: Finding the Funny in Life with stand up comedian, Aida Rodriguez

You know we love a good laugh and our latest guest is a pro at dishing them out! This week’s guest is stand up comedian, writer, producer actress and more, Aida Rodriguez. She’s the first Latina with an hour long comedy special on HBO Max and after this interview, we know exactly why she deserves it. From being “unhoused” with her children to shooting her comedy special during two hurricanes, talks about why we need to continue to lift up Latinx creators and why we don’t always have to be victims but can be victors. We also talk about funny moments, serious moments and she also reminds us that unless we have a healthy mental headspace, we will not see success in our lives. Aida has so many great projects coming down the pipeline (starting with her special that’s out on HBOMax now); she is serious, funny and a seriously funny mama that we will absolutely be having on the show again soon! 

More about Aida Rodriguez: Aida Rodriguez is a Comedian, Writer, and Actor. Lauded by Esquire Magazine as “raucously funny,” she has become a favorite with fans and critics alike. With her first hour standup special set to premiere, her own TV series in development, both at HBO Max, and a deal for an animated series with ITV, Aida is bound for the comedy stratosphere.

In November 2021, Aida’s first hour standup special Fighting Words premiered on HBO Max. In the special, the comedian takes to the stage to address today’s audiences about cancel-culture and the social issues of the day, not just because they’re ripped from the headlines, but because they are in the pages torn out of her personal life. Additionally, Rodriguez is developing her own half hour comedy series with HBO Max based on her own incredible life story, which includes surviving two kidnappings, sexual abuse, and a period of homelessness. Co-written and Executive Produced by Rodriguez, Chris Case (Showtime’s Flatbush Misdemeanors) and Nastaran Dibai (Netflix’s Dear White People), the project examines the struggle of a comedian (Rodriguez) who is trying to kick start a career while raising two very different teenagers on her own over multiple time zones. It is an uplifting story of survival and triumph in the face of a darkly funny Miami inner-city upbringing, where she learned skills that allowed her to thrive and endure. In addition to her HBO Max projects, she is developing an animated series with ITV.

In 2020, Aida headlined the HBO LatinX standup special Entrenos while also appearing in Showtime’s Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam, one of only four women to have performed on the series in its 15 seasons. Prior to that, she had her own half hour special on Netflix’s hit comedy series They Ready, Executive Produced by Tiffany Haddish and Wanda Sykes. In reviews Decider gushed that the special “will have you laughing, crying and begging for more” and Esquire Magazine declared “This is Rodriguez's genius—using comedy to turn pain into progress, to give voice to the voiceless, and to laugh instead of cry.”

In addition to her TV projects, Aida was handpicked by director Taylor Hackford for his feature film “The Comedian” starring Robert De Niro. She is also the five-time host of PBS’ Imagen Awards, which recognizes and rewards creative excellence of Latinos in television and film. She is a guest writer for Buzzfeed as well as a regular Commentator on the popular online progressive political talk show The Young Turks. Rodriguez hosts her own podcast, Truth Serum, which is an interactive weekly wrap up show covering the week’s hottest topics, where inclusivity and diversity are a standard, not an initiative.

A longtime favorite on the standup circuit, Aida was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and has been featured on several comedy fan-favorite TV series, including Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, and TBS’ Tournament of Laughs. She tours the country performing her distinct brand of poignant and insightful comedy to sold out audiences, inviting her longtime fans to laugh hard, think hard, and feel hard.

Our Conversation with Aida

New Year’s Resolutions

All about Aida

How she got started in stand up comedy

Aida’s HBOMax special - Fighting Words

Her joke writing process

Where Aida finds her strength

Trauma Bonding and Mental Health

Pick or tip of the week

Paulina is late to the game but glue dots! They are so great for crafts because she stick everywhere and come off. She used them this week for the girl's’ Valentine’s Day crafts and they used them last year for their sister Liz’s bachelorette party.

In case you didn’t know, Bricia loves coffee. She and her husband stumbled upon Mariposa Coffee Company in Yosemite last year and now have a subscription. Every morning she grinds fresh beans and puts them in her french press. She gets the Mariposa Morning blend and Mariposa Blueberry and she loves them both!

LINKS

For more information go to www.FunnyAida.com

Follow Aida on Instagram and Twitter - @FunnyAida

Aida and her children recommend the book, Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty

Episode 297: Keeping It Real with the Super Mamas: Damn Loca, Where You Been?

Surprise! We’re back after a much needed break.

No, we weren’t fighting 🤣🤣In all honesty, we needed to let the podcast take a backseat while we focused on the restuarnt, our families and especially our mental health. We felt we needed to recharge because 2021 was more difficult than 2020 in a sense - we were dealing with the aftermath of the beginning of the decade. Our family’s restaurant and other businesses needed more of our attention, and we couldn’t dedicate as much time as we wanted to the podcast. So we both did some reflecting and thought about what we really wanted out this community we’ve created.

And you know what? That hiatus worked. We’re refreshed and know exactly where we’re taking our little podcast project. So sit back and catch up with us as we explain where we’re at in our lives and where we’re taking you next. Super Mamas, let’s do this!

GEMS 💎 from this episode

I had a choice. Do I sit back and wait for life happen to me? Or say okay I have to do something because I don’t want to live my life like this anymore. - Paulina

I needed to learn, I needed to grow and now I’m here. - Paulina

The more you grow and the more you put yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable, thats where growth happens. - Bricia

As you grow you have to deal with the demons that are inside of you. - Bricia

When we get stuck doing something we don’t like, more often than not its just based off other peoples expectations. - Bricia

It’s important that the decisions that you make aren’t based on others expectations, but are based on your inner reflections and what you choose to do for yourself and what’s best for you in that moment. Not let other peoples opinions drive you because that could be the end of your mental health. - Bricia

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina’s pick is the show Never Have I Ever on Netflix. It’s the cutest show and it’s a good introduction to what teenage years could be like for any parents who are about to be there, like Pau. 

Speaking about shows of high school kids, we’re still very into Euphoria - but these are two different high school experiences and definitely not a show for kids.

Bricia’s pick this week is also a show. The Sex Life of College Girls created by Mindy Kaling. Another show that isn’t for kids (I think we’re starting to see a theme here LOL) but more great prep for parents whose kids are going to college soon.

LINKS

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

Check out our previous interview with Victor Pierantoni, Paulina & Bricia’s life coach

Bricia also talks about Viome, a microbiome gut health test. You send in a few samples to learn what food you should avoid, what to minimize and what are your super foods and things to enjoy. You also get suggested supplements best on your results. Bricia was shocked at her results but is going to try it out for the next six months to see if she can feel any changes. This is not sponsored, just something she wanted to try. Please talk to your doctor for personalized medical advice.

Episode 294: Breathing Anxiety Away, a Conversation with Breath Work Coach, Ana Lilia

Breathing is something we do naturally, without giving it a thought, but what happens when you breath on purpose, when you do it properly? According to Ana Lilia a certified breath work coach, teacher and healer, it can literally change your life.  Ana Lilia specializes in managing anxiety, unique stress, fears and overwhelm amidst world affairs and in this episode she shares with us all the benefits and techniques that  she uses with her clients through guided breathwork, meditation and visualization exercises that can help us deal with all of these feelings regularly.  Make sure you take note and remember to be kind to yourself and  just breath Super Mama! 

More about Ana Lilia: Ana Lilia is a certified breathwork teacher and healer leading thousands of people to intimately connect with their breath as a pathway for transformation. Ana channels her intuition and seamlessly blends active breathwork, intuitive guidance, and curated music to create personalized and healing journeys. Ana specializes in managing anxiety with her exclusive 7 day Breathwork for Anxiety program where she offers a combination of guided breathwork meditations, visualization exercises, and intentional journaling. She also leads a weekly “Community Gathering” to help individuals manage the unique stress, fears, and overwhelm amidst the global pandemic. 

Ana regularly facilitates breathwork experiences within corporations and on behalf of leading brands, including Hyundai, Columbia Records, USC, Recording Academy and American Heart Association. She has led sessions at WeAllGrow Latina, the country’s largest conference for Latina creators and entrepreneurs, and at wellness retreats in Los Angeles and Peru. Her work has been featured on NBC Nightly News with Lestor Holt, BravoTV, Los Angeles Times, Harper's Bazaar and more.

Episode 289: Eating Good Food & Feeling Even Better: the Mind-Gut Connection with Dr. Emeran Mayer

We all know that when we eat good food we feel good, but what does that have to do with our mind? 🤔🧠Gastroenterologist & author Dr. Emeran Mayer has had a career long interest in the brain-gut connection, and in this episode he tells us about the complex signals that go from your brain to your gut when you eat. We also talk about fasting, the connection between food & stress, how we can change our eating habits for a healthy mind & gut and SO much more. This episode will make you think twice about the food you’re putting in your body… and maybe make you a little hungry too. 

More about Dr. Emeran Mayer: Dr. Mayer is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Executive Director of the G Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress & Resilience and Founding Director of the UCLA Brain Gut Microbiome Center. 

He has been one of the pioneers in the science and practice of brain gut microbiome interactions with applications in a wide range of diseases in gastrointestinal, psychiatric and neurological disorders. He has published more than 388 scientific papers and co-edited 3 scientific books. He is the recipient of the 2016 David McLean award from the American Psychosomatic Society and the 2017 Ismar Boas Medal from the German Society of Gastroenterology and Metabolic Disease.  His current research interest is focused on the role of brain gut microbiome interactions in human diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, autism spectrum disorders, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.

In addition to his academic interests, Mayer has a longstanding interest in ancient healing traditions and affords them a level of respect rarely found in Western Medicine.  He has been involved in documentary film productions about the Yanomami people in the Orinoco region of Venezuela, and the Asmat people in Irian Jaya.  He has recently co produced the award winning documentary “In Search of Balance” and is working on a new documentary “Interconnected Planet”. He is a strong believer in Buddhist philosophy, was a member of the UCLA Zen Center for several years, and got married in a Tibetan monastery by Choekyi Nyima Rinpoche in Kathmandu.  He regularly pursues meditative practices.

He has spoken at UCLA TEDx on the Mysterious Origins of Gut Feelings in 2015 and have been interviewed on National Public Radio, PBS and by many national and international media outlets including the Los Angeles and New YorkTimes, Atlantic magazine and Stern and Spiegel Online. He is the author of the 2016 bestselling book The Mind Gut Connection published by Harper&Collins and translated in 16 languages

In his upcoming book, The Gut Immune Connection, Mayer proposes a radical, unifying concept about the chronic disease epidemic we are finding ourselves in.  He discusses how changes in our diet, lifestyle and the way we interact with the world during the last 75 years have led to a profound dysregulation of the community of trillions of microbes living in our gut, resulting in a progressive chronic activation of our immune system.  This aberrant immune system activation is emerging as the root cause of our current epidemic of interrelated chronic diseases affecting every part of our body. In addition, it makes us more vulnerable to viral pandemics. He uses the One Health concept to explain the intricate interconnectedness between the microbes living in our gut, in the soil, the health of our plants and our own health. He proposes a solution to the chronic disease epidemic, which emphasizes the implementation of major lifestyle changes, and focuses on a radically different approach not only to our diet but to the world.

Dr. Emeran’s Top Tips for a Healthy Mind & Gut

• Time restricted eating is the best lifestyle change you can make. It will clear the acid and bacteria from your gut overnight. This can also be achieved with fasting.

• In terms of food - a largely plant based diet that is minimally processed and includes fresh fruits and vegetables make a big difference.

  • Beans are one of the healthiest foods. They are high in fiber and protein content.

  • Reduce your intake of red meat and fat, and increase the amount of fruits and veggies. This plus the time restricted eating will help you feel a difference in your mind and gut.

• Avoid situations where you don’t realize what you’re eating. For example: eating while commuting, road trip junk food, etc.

• Quantities of food make a big difference. Be mindful of portion sizes.

Links

Learn more about Dr. Emeran Mayer on his website - EmeranMayer.com.

Follow him on social media: @emeranmayer on Instagram, @emeranamayer on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube.com/EmeranMayerMD.

You can purchase both of his books, The Mind-Gut Connection and The Gut-Immune Connection on his website or anywhere books are sold.

Episode 276: Recovering from Covid and Dealing with Survivor’s Guilt with therapist, Dr. Joanne Koegl

We have survived a year of coronavirus and the pandemic, but how do we really feel about what has happened? This week we bring back therapist and grief specialist Dr. Joanne Koegl. We had her on the show last year just after the pandemic began, to discuss grief & collective loss of normal life. During this week’s episode we cover everything from Joanne’s personal experience of loss due to covid to identifying survivor’s guilt and Paulina’s guilt & depression from her experience of surviving the disease last year. This was not an easy year for anyone but we’re here to listen, talk about our feelings and as always, we recommend reaching out to a professional if you feel deeper feelings that just aren’t getting resolved.

It’s okay to not be okay. If you are struggling, know that asking for help is a sign of strength. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential assistance.

More about Joanne: Dr. Joanne Diaz-Koegl is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist from Pasadena, California. Prior to her Master’s Degree, she worked for over 18 years as a television producer working on numerous TV Shows. After experiencing the sudden loss of her young husband in a car accident, she realized her life lacked a deeper meaning and purpose. She decided to return to college and received her Master of Arts in Marriage, Family, Therapy in 2005 and also wrote a 291 page thesis titled “The Impact on the Surviving Spouse with Respect to Anticipated Versus Unanticipated Death”. Joanne is very passionate in helping her clients thrive and grow from their experiences in therapy. She now specializes in couples counseling, premarital counseling, loss and grief, individual and personal growth therapy/coaching, and has worked with thousands of individuals and couples to create better, more fulfilled, happy lives.

Mindfulness Practices Recommended by Dr. Joanne to Help Process Traumatic Events

• Talk about it. Find a mental health professional in your area. You can book a session with Joanne or find more resources here.

• Journal. This is a great article for how to start journaling, another resource for journal prompts and we are very excited for Dulce Candy’s upcoming launch of self-love journals and more.

LINKS

Learn more about the services Joanne offers and book a Zoom session with her via her website.

The Rebellious Widow: A Practical Guide to Love and Life After Loss by Jill Johnson-Young helped Joanne deal with her grief last year.

Episode 251: Finding Our Core Selves & Changing the Likeability Trap with Alicia Menendez

This week’s interview is with powerhouse Alicia Menendez - MSNBC anchor, co-host of the podcast Latina to Latina, best selling author, and mother of two young daughters. Alicia is dropping straight GEMS 💎 in this episode! We talk about everything from how she balances her successful careers with motherhood to the meaning behind her book, “The Likeability Trap” and why it’s more complicated for women of color to feel likeable at work.

In Bricia’s words, Alicia “takes us to church” during this episode with knowledge she drops, but even Palina and Bricia were sharing real gems. Here are a few 💎:

“Sometimes you’re focusing on the work and sometimes you’re focusing on sharing the work and it doesn’t always have to be the same thing.” - Alicia

“You are no good to anyone else if you’re not taking care of yourself. “- Alicia

“It’s very rewarding to see what I am capable of doing. To know that I am more than what I thought I was.” - Paulina

“I look at her and I tell her, I want you to be a way better version of me and the only way you’re going to do that is if I become a better version of myself.” - Bricia

“If you grow up loving yourself and believing in yourself, how far can you go?” - Bricia

More about Alicia: Alicia Menendez is a journalist and multimedia storyteller. Named “Broadcast Journalism’s New Gladiator” by Elle Magazine, “Ms. Millennial” by The Washington Post, and a “Content Queen” by Marie Claire, Alicia has quickly become a force in American media. Alicia is the author of The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are and an anchor for MSNBC. She is also a contributing editor at Bustle and host of its Latina to Latina podcast. 

A native of Union City, New Jersey, Alicia is a graduate of Harvard College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters.

Our Conversation with Alicia

The balance of career and motherhood

Has routine helped you?

Alicia’s book, “The Likeability Trap”

Finding the core version of yourself

The messages we give boys vs. the messages we give girls

Tips for being assertive, strong, and the most authentic versions of ourselves

Pick or Tip of the Week

All of Bricia’s tips right now are about babies! This month is Target Baby Month and there are new weekly deals for the whole month! Right now they are running their Car Seat Trade-in program where you drop off an old car seat to recycle and get a coupon to save 20% on select baby gear. Learn more about the program on Target.com.

Her pick for this week is more baby stuff, of course. Bricia’s favorite wipes of all time (for herself and Augustina) are the Honest wipes. They stay moist and don’t get stuck in the wipe warmer, making it easier for whoever is on diaper duty.

Paulina’s tip is Target Drive-up. It’s so much easier for her to load the girls in the car and get all of her items brought straight out to her car! Her other pick is the deep tissue percussion massager. If you’re keeping up with the podcast, you know she was injured a few weeks ago so she’s been focusing a lot on her recovery. Since she can’t go out to get a massage, she found this massager that’s really popular right now and has really helped her muscles after her workouts.

This episode was brought to you by our sponsor Target. Head to Target.com and shop Baby Month Deals for the entire month of September!

Links

Follow Alicia Menendez on Instagram @aliciamenendezxo and Twitter @AliciaMenendez.

Listen to her podcast Latina to Latina with co-host Juleyka Lantigua-Williams and follow their podcast on Instagram @latinatolatina.

Buy her incredible book The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are wherever books are sold.

Watch The Last Dance, the docuseries about Michael Jordan, on Netflix.

Episode 249 - Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: Learning to Ask for Help

It feels like summer just ended, but the end-of-summer / back-to-school routine change has been tough so we are READY for this holiday weekend.

And speaking of a long weekend, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a brand new episode. Bricia is back from maternity leave and it’s been a while since the two of us kept it real. This week we talk about baby Augustina and how much Eduardo loves his “chuchis”, and about Paulina’s girls starting school again.

We also talk about the how important it is to communicate our feelings with our spouses during all stages of our relationships. Whether you’re just starting to date, postpartum with your first child, or married for over 50 years, telling our partner about what and how we’re feeling is crucial to a healthy relationship. We can’t expect them to do everything we need; they can’t read our minds! You should never be afraid to ask for help from anyone, and this latest vent session will help remind you it’s okay to do just that.

This episode was brought to you by our sponsor Target. Head to Target.com and shop Baby Month Deals for the entire month of September!

Pick or Tip of the Week

We have so many picks this week!

A listener recently told Paulina that Joyce Meyer has a podcast. Joyce talks about how to be joyful through in life and how to change our thoughts. Paulina especially loves them because the episodes are only 15 minutes long!

Paulina also found this YouTube page called Activ Chiropractic while she was searching for back exercises last week. Paulina attributes her quick recovery to stretching, core workouts, and the active chiropractive videos, like the one below (always consult your doctor prior to working out after an injury - Paulina’s doctor cleared her for low impact activity).

Bricia is still loving the Every Mother program for her abdominal wall exercises. She happened to find it via an Instagram ad but she truly feels helps heal your abdominal wall and pelvic floor muscles after kids. She’s knows it’s going to take time to get back into shape (she’s in no rush) but working on these muscles now is easy, low impact, and will make a difference of your body in the years to come. Paulina is a big fan too! 

Lastly, Bricia is loving this pajama set from Hatch that her girlfriend, Lucia, gifted her. The material of the robe is so soft, she could wear it all day!

P.S. We want to hear from you! Send us an email at hello@supermamas.com or call the Super Mamas hotline at (424) 326-3707 to leave a message. Tell us about how you’re feeling in quarantine, ask us your questions about us, life, & family, or vent about your partner and kids like we do. 😂

Episode 237: Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas - Positive Thoughts on the Rollercoaster of Qua-routines

It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with you and we’re all over the place! It has been 9 or 10 weeks since we’ve started practicing social distancing (depending on when you started). Between new quarantine routines with our families, starting to work out again and eating a lot, it has been tough learning to balance motherhood, kids, school, work, cooking, and intimacy during these wild times. After some lazy, junk food filled weeks, we found that sticking to routine and finding a new way to have “alone time” has really helped us feel better. In this week’s episode, we’re sharing what we’ve been doing to care for our families and especially ourselves. We’re all about staying positive, mamas! Life will get back to normal one day, but for now let’s remember to be kind to ourselves and take it one day at a time. 

Pick or Tip of the Week

We are sharing some good, relaxing tips because these are wild times we’re living in. 😂

Paulina’s pick this week is the Bloom app. She feels that she needs instructions when practicing mindfulness and she loves this app because it talks to you and tells you what to do, plus you can keep track of your feelings. It’s super interactive and gives you activities to do when you’re feeling a certain way. Try it out and let us know how you like it!

She has also really been into plant videos and propagating her plant babies, and has realized that watching plant videos are so calming! It’s her way of winding down at night. Check out this video about propagating plants and one of her favorite YouTube plant guys, Hilton Carter.

Bricia has been having gnat struggles with her plants, so she went on a deep research dive on YouTube about how to get rid of them and found a few products that have been helpful.

• Dual sided sticky gnat traps (also good for flies) - you out them in your indoor or outdoor plants and once the gnats get stuck there, they can’t reproduce.

• Neem oil - It smells weird but it works on all stages of insects so fingers crossed that it works!

• Mosquito bits - to put in your plant soils for the gnats to eat and then they can reproduce. We’re trying this in our backyards for summer nights too!

Bricia’s final tip is to speak positive words in people’s lives. If something negative is coming out of your mouth, rephrase it to be positive.

Let’s remember to be positive, be kind, and take care of your mind, sisters!

Episode 233: Quarantine Week #4: Getting Real on Grief & Loss with LMFT Joanne Koegl

Another week of quarantine went by, and with it came all sorts of feelings. On this week’s episode, we have Dr. Joanne Diaz-Koegl, Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, back on the show to help us sort out what we’re experiencing and feeling.

We talk about the stages of grief and the collective loss of our normality. Of course we are full of questions. How do we make sense of this new reality and how do we even explain that to our kids? Is it ok to be sad, angry or mad or do we have to be positive all the time? Know that there is no right or wrong way of feeling about this, whatever you feel, you have the right to feel. 🙏🏽❤️ We felt so much better and so much more normal after discussing our feelings with Joanne, and we hope this episode can provide more clarity for you too.

OUR CONVERSATION WITH JOANNE KOEGL

The stages of grief

What are some healthy ways to deal with what we’re going through?

What are some ways to explain to our kids what is happening? What is the correct amount of information to share with them?

How do we talk to our kids about death and grief that they’re feeling?

How do we create healthy spaces for ourselves & our significant others when we have to be together 24/7?

How do we tell others that it’s okay to grieve and that we don’t have to be positive all the time?

Pick or Tip of the Week

We brought back your favorite segment! We know not everyone is shopping right now, so we’re sharing our favorite tips.

Bricia’s tip this week are the new parental controls on Netflix. It’s hard to admit, but we’re all spending more time in front of the television right now, and Netflix’s parental controls gives you options to see what your kids are watching and regulate it. It’s a great way to block the shows you don’t want your children to watch and also to block the annoying shows you don’t want to listen to. 😂 Learn more about it on our blog.

Paulina’s tip is from her marriage class. Her homework that she’s sharing with you is to improve your communication skills with your spouse during social distancing. It’s a 10 day challenge where everyday with your spouse, you pray, play and please.

• Pray together or over each other;

• Play together - board games, workout, watch a movie, or do other activities with each other;

• and please each other for 30 minutes each - a foot massage, a long shower/bath while the other watches the children, etc.

Links

Listen to Victor Pierantoni, Bricia’s life coach, podcast - The Zen Stoic Podcast

Learn more about the services Joanne offers and book a Zoom session with her via her website.

Books mentioned by Joanne - “On Death and Dying” by Elisabeth Kubler Ross and "Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief" by David Kessler

Episode 216: Working on a Healthier Marriage and Other Relationships with Therapist Joanne Koegl, LA-LMFT

We know how much you love new episodes, so we’re back with another one. This week, we’re sitting down with Dr. Joanne Diaz-Koegl, Licensed Marriage Family Therapist from Pasadena, California. She specializes in couples counseling, premarital counseling, loss & grief, individual and personal growth therapy/coaching and so much more. We asked her about the top issues that cause stress in relationships, how we can be better communicators (hint: it’s by being a better listener), and how to take care of your mental health with all the stress of the holidays. We know that speaking about mental health issues can be taboo in the latinx community, but the more we recognize the normalcy of having a healthy mind, the easier we can make the conversation. Dr. Joanne helped us realize that when are able to communicate directly with our partners and ourselves, we can create more fulfilled and happier lives.

Our Conversation with Joanne Koegl

How do you convince your partner to go to therapy?

What are the top three problems that cause stress in a relationship?

Tips for working on your marriage

Tips on communicating in relationships

How do you discuss finances during the holidays?

How do you recommend dealing with challenging in laws?

Do you include your children in your therapy journey? How do you tell them you’re attending therapy?

How does one find a good marriage role model?

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina’s tip - she’s always talking about her armpits because she struggles with discoloration. She found a lemon juice toner (it’s actually for your face) but she read that toner can help with armpits and she has noticed that it has made a major difference in coloring. It’s almost four shades lighter!

Bricia’s pick Cristela Alonzo’s new book, “Music to My Years”. She personally loves the audio version since she can hear Cristela’s voice. Just want to show some love to another fellow Latina writer.

Links

Learn more about Joanne and her private practice in Pasadena, CA on her website and follow her on Instagram - @jkoegl.

Joanne’s pick: The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sydney Poitier

Episode 180: Teen Mental Health with Latinx Therapy

This week on the podcast we tackle teen mental health with Latinx Therapy’s, Adriana Alejandre. Adriana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Speaker that specializes in teens and adults who struggle with anxiety, depression and trauma. We talk social media, how to talk to our kids about bullying, what teenagers need from their parents, troubling signs to be aware of, body image, gender identity, what therapy looks like & so much more. Moms to teens, this one is for you.

Adriana owns her own practice in Porter Ranch, Counseling and Trauma Therapy. She is also the founder of Latinx Therapy, the podcast and directory to not only find a bilingual Latinx mental health professional, but the place to learn more about taboo-like topics in our culture. 

Adriana was also a single teen mother and has an almost 9 year old son. Giving particular attention to her mental health during the birth of her son helped her realize that she was not alone, and it was this experience that motivated her to specialize in teens. Adriana has been featured in Cosmopolitan, FairyGodBoss, Hello Giggles, AC Online, Fierce by Mitu, Univision and more.

Our conversation with Adriana Alejandre

When did you start LatinX Therapy?

What types of topics do you specialize in?

What motivated you to start Latinx therapy?

What kind of issues most common amongst teens these days?

What are some things that you would recommend to parents to manage social media usage?

Bullying & Social Media

How can we speak to our teenagers that are going through bullying

What do teenagers need from their parents?

What are some signs that we can identify to take our kids that’s an indicator that they should go see a therapist?

How do you bring up therapy to your child?

What is the best age to talk about mental health to your child

What to deal with THAT friend of your chid’s

How can parents keep that connection with their teen?

How do we address body image with our teens (especially girls)

Gender identity

What is the best way, we as parents can help relieve our kids stress?

What can we expect from taking our teen to therapy

What types of therapy are there for teens?

What does a counseling session look like?

For more information and/or to reach out to Adriana, follow @LatinxTherapy on IG and visit latinxtherapy.com.

Pick or Tip of the Week

Adriana’s tip is to attend a parenting support group in your area. Google “parent support group” and find your closest location and check out her recommended books, here. Also, If you’re a Modern Family fan, watch S.10 Ep.14 where they tackle depression.

If you’re still on the fence about therapy, Paulina recommends reading Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle. This great book outlines how therapy can work for you.

Bricia’s tip to every parent is to watch two movies: Eighth Grade( It outlines the issues that were spoken throughout this interview and how we can all get informed as parents) & Wonder (beautiful film that will show your kid empathy).