Ann Kaplan is a parent coach, birth worker, and mother of four. Her passion for helping new parents navigate the early stage of parenthood through birth work, organically lead her to becoming a parent coach. On this episode, Ann shares insightful parenting skills for us to discover how we can "parent on our own terms" and feel less stress and guilt about it. She discusses how we can better our relationship with our child(ren) when challenging power struggles occur, how we can successfully co-parent, and so much more! Don't forget to check out her resource guide: Getting Kids to Listen The First Time. Connect with Ann Kaplan: Website: www.annkaplanparentcoach.com Instagram: @annkaplanparentingcoach Free guide download: bit.ly/kidswholisten Connect with the Mother Forking Podcast: Instagram: @motherforkingpodcast Facebook: Mother Forking Podcast

Mother Forking Podcast

Co-Parenting and Parenting on Your Own Terms with Ann Kaplan | Ep. 65

Do you ever find yourself feeling like you are not doing enough? Not enough for yourself… Not enough for your marriage… Not enough for your child(ren)... Or maybe, even that your partner is not doing enough… SOOOO, it is not just us, right? On this episode, Dr. Gertrude Lyons, Master Life Coach, Speaker, Mothering Revolutionary, and Mother of two daughters, joins us to dive deeper into navigating those challenging thoughts and feelings. She shares with us how we can invite our partners to have hard conversations regularly without shutting down. She also shares with us how we can tend to high stress moments (aka what we all like to call Mommy Rage). This episode has so many great tools and practices that help us communicate and connect better as individuals and as a family. Be sure to tune in.  P.S. Check out Dr. Lyons’s mot(HER) Podcast. mot(HER) Podcast is another wonderful safe space where women share their truths to help support and empower other women. Check it out and listen to amazing the guests featured. We even make our first-ever guest appearance there! How to connect with Dr. Gertrude Lyons: Website: https://www.drgertrudelyons.com/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgertrudelyons/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mot-her/id1534581166 Mentioned book by Dr. Lyons: Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch, PhD

"Feeling Like I’m Never Enough" with Dr. Gertrude Lyons | Ep. 64

New York Times & Globe and Mail Bestselling Author, Ashley Audrain, joins us for an incredible discussion surrounding her debut novel THE PUSH. Ashley chats with us about the fears and dark side of motherhood, how she found inspiration for her plot and characters, life as a mother of two, and more! Tune in to see how her book, THE PUSH, explores those feelings of doubt and dread in motherhood so closely through her characters. What happened to this generation of mothers who were not believed and were gaslighted?  Connect with Ashley Audrain:  Website: https://ashleyaudrain.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyaudrain/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleyAudrainAuthor Connect with us: Mother Forking Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherforkingpodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherforkingpodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Navigating Through the Fears of Motherhood | Ep. 63

Full Disclosure: This episode was recorded in April 2021. It is certainly not snowing right now in the summer. Lol. Nevertheless, the mention of gloomy weather sets the mood for our chat with mom of two and thriller writer Heather Chavez!  Join us as we chat with Heather about her debut book NO BAD DEED. Heather shares with us how her experiences and role as a mother inspired her to create her first novel. She also opens up about her challenges of writing and working as a mother, mom guilt, parenting her biracial children, and much more! This is one episode you don't want to miss. Go ahead and pick up a copy of NO BAD DEED while you are at it. It is one of Magen's most recommended thrillers. You'll thank us later! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

A School Incident Inspired This Mom to Write a Thriller | Ep. 62

Rebecca Tavares is a mother of two children—Jackson, 3, and Mina, 13—who shares her experience of how her teenage daughter was unexpectedly diagnosed with scoliosis and how quickly decisions needed to be made, how Facebook became something she heavily relied upon to help her and her daughter cope, and what it was like for her daughter to undergo a major medical procedure—a full spinal fusion. Not to mention, this all occurred during the height of the pandemic and in the midst of the death of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement, which greatly impacted her biracial family. Tune in to hear how this amazing mother navigated such a hard year of parenting. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Scoliosis and Racial Justice: How One Biracial Mother is Coping | Ep. 61

XYZ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

No Bad Deed Author Chat with Heather Chavez | Ep. 61

Do you ever dream about being your own boss? Or maybe you have this awesome idea that hasn't been invented yet? Join us on today's episode as we chat with Debbie Lefkowitz, former pharmacist, sports mom of five, and owner of Hocsocx. Debbie shares with us how she made a company out of a necessity for her daughter and friends out of her own living room. Today, her brand is the official supplier of the USA Woman's National Field Hockey Team and the USA Men's National Field Hockey Team. However, the mompreneurship life has not been easy for her. She shares with us the challenges she faced as a new business owner and what it has been like keeping her business alive during a pandemic. She shares some great advice and even shares her experience with the show Shark Tank!  Connect with Debbie Lefkowitz and her company over at: https://www.hocsocx.com Find Hocsocx on instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/hocsocx/?hl=en --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

How to Become a Mompreneur with Debbie Lefkowitz | Ep. 60

We all know that the internet can be a terrifying place when it comes to our children having access to all that is available online. Join us as we chat with Jeff Lee, author of Online Predators, An Internet Insurgency: A Field Manual For Teaching And Parenting In The Digital Arena, about the risks of being online and internet safety for our children. Jeff shares with us alarming information about child predators and exploitation while providing helpful tips for parents and stakeholders to be vigilant about our children and their internet usage. This is one episode you do not want to miss!  Resources:  www.wired.com www.missingkids.org www.netsmartz.org Connect with Jeff at:  www.https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyaleebooks/ https://www.instagram.com/onlineinsurgencybook/ Connect with us at:  https://www.instagram.com/motherforkingpodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Is Your Child Being Safe Online? | Ep. 59

On today's episode, we chat with Barbara Clarke, author of the recently published memoir, THE RED KITCHEN. Barbara shares with us how she has handled many challenges in her life including: memories of family trauma specifically, overcoming a broken mother-daughter relationship, the role of women in families and the workplace, and more! Barbara opens up about how it's never too late to mend relationships with others and with ourselves. Her memoir shows her readers, that hope for harmony and discovering forgiveness can be possible with lots of work and laughs along the way.   Connect with Barbara Clarke at: https://barbaraclarke.net  Connect with us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherforkingpodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

The Red Kitchen Author Chat with Barbara Clarke | Ep. 58

What is your definition of success? Does it include the cost of your happiness? Join us as we chat with Dr. Jeff Dutremble on how he found his happiness and purpose as a writer. In today's episode, Jeff opens up about the difficulties of walking away from two hard-earned careers, battling depression, fatherhood, and how he hopes others stay true to themselves through his children book, Find a Lost Smile.  Connect with Dr. Jeff at: https://drjeffsbooks.com or his instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjeffsbooks/ Connect with us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherforkingpodcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Find a Lost Smile Author Chat with Jeff Dutremble | Ep. 57

We are back and we have missed you, Mother Forkers! Parenting during the pandemic has been so challenging and has felt like a form of isolation for many of us. Join us as we chat with the author of American Rapture, Jordan Claire McCraw. Her book shares her incredible journey of self-love and healing through poetry. We discuss what it is like to struggle with mental health, feel disconnected with your partner after kids, and so much more! (Very similar to what some of us are experiencing now.) We couldn't unpack it all, so stay tuned for a part two! Connect with Jordan at https://www.jcmccraw.com or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcmccraw/?hl=en Connect with us at www.instagram.com/motherforkingpodcast --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

American Rapture Author Chat with Jordan Claire McCraw | Ep. 56

If you or anyone in your life has lived with chronic pain, you don’t want to miss this episode! Today, we chat with Anna Penenberg, who holds a BA in Psychology and MA in Dance Therapy from UCLA and certifications in Marriage & Family Therapy, Body-Mind Centering®, Infant Developmental Movement, and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. Anna also is the author of Amazon's Best-Seller Dancing in the Narrows. Her first book, Dancing in the Narrows, shares her beautiful mother & daughter’s multi-year journey through illness and trauma. We are so excited to have her daughter Dana chatting with us too. Dana Penenberg holds a BA from Bennington College. She received her initiation as a healer finding her way through a 12-year healing crisis by exploring the worlds of allopathic, homeopathic and energetic medicines clarifying an understanding of how healing works. Tune in to see how they persisted as mother and daughter to figuring out a cure for Dana’s debilitating illness while she and Dana take us through memorable points from the book, Dancing in the Narrows: A Mother-Daughter Odyssey Through Chronic Illness.  Resources:  Anna Penenberg: www.annapenenberg.com Instagram: @annapenenbergauthor Book: Dancing in the Narrows on Amazon  Dana Penenberg: www.danapenenberg.com Instagram: @integrative_energetics  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Dancing in the Narrows Author Chat with Anna Penenberg and Dana Penenberg| Ep. 55

What would you do if you checked on your 3-month-old son in his nursery and discovered it wasn't your son?  Join us as we chat with Rea Frey, the multi-published, award-winning bestselling author of three suspense novels and four non-fiction books, and CEO & Founder of WriteWay . In today's episode, Rea sheds a light on the bond between mothers and their children in her new book “UNTIL I FIND YOU", which is a thriller about Rebecca Gray, a single mother who is losing her eyesight, and her journey to finding her son.  We also briefly chat about a kidnapping scare with her own child, homeschooling, starting a brand-new company amidst the pandemic, behind-the-scenes struggles of writing and publishing a book, and tons more! Synopsis for UNTIL I FIND YOU: "Since Rebecca Gray was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, everything in her life consists of numbers. Each day her world grows a little darker and each step becomes a little more dangerous. Following days of feeling like someone’s watching her, Bec awakes at home to the cries of her son in his nursery. When it’s clear he’s not going to settle, Bec goes to check on him. She reaches in. Picks him up. But he’s not her son. And no one believes her. One woman’s desperate search for her son...In a world where seeing is believing, Bec must rely on her own conviction and a mother’s instinct to uncover the truth about what happened to her baby and bring him home for good." RESOURCES: Purchase UNTIL I FIND YOU here. https://www.reafrey.com https://www.writewayco.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Until I Find You Author Chat with Rea Frey | Ep. 54

One thing we’ve never addressed on the ?????? ??????? ??????? is the parenting perspective of a woman who ends up with a man who already has two kids of his own. Did we mention the woman had intentionally committed to never having kids? Dani Alpert is this woman. She’s also the same woman who wrote ??? ?????????? ???: ? ?????? (published May 2020), which is a book based on her experience of becoming a quasi-parental figure and how she navigated her way through the uncharted waters and eventually found herself wanting to ditch the guy, but keep the kids—go figure!⁣ ⁣In tonight’s episode, find out what exactly is a “girlfriend mom”, how Dani made a connection with the kids, and how she and the ex-wife (mother to the kids) get along…! We also find out an exclusive that’s only been shared with us—you heard it on the Mother Forking Podcast first! ???? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??!⁣ ⁣???????? ?? ??? ?????????? ???: “Dani (intentionally child-free) fell in love with someone with kids. Facing inherent complications, she reluctantly became a quasi-parental figure, worrying how (or if) she would (or could) love (or like) her boyfriend's kids. She struggled to set boundaries, ricocheting between them and me while addressing her hang-ups, biases, and immaturity. And just when she couldn't imagine life without the kids, she was dumped for a natural blonde.⁣ ⁣Adrift in an avalanche of hurt, Dani wouldn't be ignored, not after seven years. Love wouldn't be denied, and she and the kids wouldn't break up.⁣ ⁣Alpert's darkly funny memoir takes us through the ups and downs of making, un-making, and then re-making a new family. It's a story about unconditional love, unimaginable friendship, and a fierce tenacity to fight for what is right. It's about human connections and the relationships you never saw coming. The Girlfriend Mom explores what it means to not only love but to be loved.⁣” RESOURCES www.danialpert.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

The Girlfriend Mom | Ep. 53

We started this podcast to shed light on all parenting experiences. Sometimes, these conversations are really difficult. The murder of George Floyd has sparked the deeply rooted issue of racism we have in this country—and around the world. We recognize we are, by no means, professionals on this topic; we strongly feel that we needed to create a space to bring awareness and emphasize the importance of this ongoing injustice. Within the last two weeks, we have seen direct effects of the different populations throughout the world who have responded to this hate crime. It has been a time of reflection and Black voices are being amplified. This has forced us to ponder and re-define what we have been taught by society and our personal upbringings. Join us as we chat about how we are educating ourselves in becoming better allies to the Black community. RESOURCES www.colorofchange.com blacklivesmatter.carrd.co www.joincampaignzero.org --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support

Black Lives Matter: Self-Reflecting & Becoming an Ally 101 | Ep. 52

We are two moms, Celeste Charles and Magen Mintchev, based out of Houston, Texas. Every Wednesday, we look forward to sharing with you real-life topics about parenting, but in a raw and funny way. Enjoy! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motherforking/support