Episode 247: Rediscovering Our Intimacy & Sexual Wellness in the Midst of a Pandemic with Rebecca Alvarez Story, Sexologist & Founder of @TheBloomi

Let’s talk about sex, baby! It is so important to be able to reconnect with ourselves during this tough time so why not start with our bodies. This week we talk to Rebecca Alvarez Story, Sexologist and founder of Bloomi, who comes to remind us of the benefits of tapping into our sexual wellness & intimacy. We cover all things sexual wellness; why stressors from covid could be affecting your sex drive, we talk about the importance of establishing a healthy relationship with sex from a young age, healthy masturbation habits, the cutest sex toys and much more. This is a super fun, informational episode we are sure you'll enjoy!

Before the episode, Paulina mentions that this episode has been previously recorded prior to Bricia’s

More about Rebecca Alvarez Story:  She is a proud daughter of Latinx immigrants and also focuses on diversity initiatives that empower other womxn of color. Rebecca graduated from UC Berkeley with a major she created, Women's Health & Sexuality, and holds a Master's in Sexuality Studies where she studied Female Desire and Arousal. In 2018, she founded Bloomi, the first marketplace for intimate care products with sex-positive content. Rebecca and the Bloomi team will be launching products focused on naturally increasing pleasure and arousal in 2020.

A respected Sexologist and social impact entrepreneur, Rebecca works with womxn, couples and teens to help them navigate a variety of sexual wellness topics and find holistic ways to maximize their sexual agency. She has been named a “Latina Trailblazer” by Forbes for normalizing conversations about sexual wellness. Rebecca currently lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and two daughters.

Our Conversation with Rebecca

Addressing our intimate relationships with our partner & ourselves in quarantine

The Covid baby boom

What can we be doing to de-stress with our partners when it comes to our sex drives?

What is Bloomi?

How to address sexual wellness & privacy with your child

Healthy masturbation tips

Rekindling intimacy with your partner and yourself

How to boost your sex drive

Crystal sex toys

How to choose the proper toys for yourself

Links

Follow Rebecca on Instagram @rebeccaalvarezstory and Twitter @_rebeccaalvarezs  

Follow Bloomi on Instagram and Twitter @theBloomi. Sign up for their newsletter for weekly tips, new clean intimate care products, and more on thebloomi.com.

A few of the sex toys we mentioned:

Crystal sex toys

Yoni Eggs - Are they good or bad for me?

Elvie Trainer

Ora 3

Luna Smart Beads

Arousal Oil

Episode 246: Throwback - What Does Motherhood Look Like to You & What Has Changed for Us

Bricia is still on a short maternity leave, so we’re bringing you a different kind of episode this week.

Before the episode, per our followers’ request, we have a special cohost introduce the episode with Paulina - our sister, Elizabeth! She’s so grown up and has been just as we have during quarantine. She shares some life updates with us and we also talk and laugh about how much has changed over the past two years since we recorded this episode. We love having Liz visit us on the show! Should we have her on for more episodes while we wait for Bricia to come back??

More about the throwback episode itself - remember our Super Mamas Hotline? We’re sharing a throwback episode from 2018 where we answer one of our listener’s questions from the Hotline from one of our listeners, Natalia, about how motherhood isn’t one size fits all, and that’s okay! Motherhood is a different, wild & crazy journey for all of us but we have each other and that’s what counts.

Take a look at the original show notes from a few years ago. Do you think we have changed since then? What are you loving and what do you wish we would bring back?

Call the Super Mamas Hotline at (424) 326-3707. Let us know how you’re doing in quarantine, what you’re up to with the kids, what questions you have for us. We want to hear from you!

Episode 245: Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: Bricia & Augustina's Birth Story

You have all been asking for Bricia’s birth story and we finally recorded it for you! We even had a special guest - Augustina herself. Since we’re still recording our episodes via Zoom, you’ll occasionally catch Augustina crying or Paulina swooning over her during this episode - muñequita hermosa!

Like most births, things didn’t exactly go as Bricia planned. Luckily she was prepared with research, help from her midwife, and really made sure to advocate for herself during every doctor appointment to make sure she & baby would have the best options possible. It’s amazing that Bricia really spoke her truth.

We also talk about the baby’s breastfeeding & bottle feeding routine, how Bricia is nourishing her body postpartum, and what a change it has been between her first pregnancy & birth with Eddie to this second experience with Augustina. Both mom & baby are doing well and we are so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for all the well wishes you all have share with us. Bricia can’t wait to come back in a few weeks to record more brand new episodes!

Pick And Tip of the Week

Bricia has SO many picks this week! First, be sure to read her recent blog post about her essential postpartum items. She also still highly recommends (#notsponsored but she wishes she was 🤣) the book The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother. Check out a few more pick and tips she has to share below:

• After sharing her Boob Shells on Instagram Stories last week, many of you replied for Bricia to try the Haakaa breast pump, which she also loves!

• These really pretty pacifiers from BiBs - Augustina took to them right away and loves them!

• The Kiinde Twist Milk Storage bags - you pump directly into the bag, the nipple screws right on the bag, and they’re recyclable.

• Swaddles from Lou Lou and Company which are so soft and stretchy! Since Augustina is still preemie size and doesn’t have many onesies in this size, she basically swaddled in these blankets all day.

• Every Mother app - workouts to help resolve diastasis recti. They quick, easy exercises that Bricia can complete everyday. For more informations about diastasis recti, you can also listen to our recent episode with pelvic floor therapist Sara Reardon, the Healthy Vagina Whisperer.

• TIP - Talk to the lactation consultant the the hospital and if they can lend you a medical grade pump before your discharged. It’s so great! You can also check with your insurance to see what pump they can lend out to you too.

Since Paulina has three birth stories of her own, she also shared a few tips for moms who are about to give birth:

• Tip #1 - Vocalize what you need. When Bricia told the doctors she wasn’t comfortable with certain choices and wanted to try other options first, she stayed in control. If you stay vocal, you can voice your concerns and be an advocate for yourself. Do not be afraid to speak out.

• Tip #2 - Prepare yourself. Do research for all the possibilities so when doctors and nurses starts throwing fancy terms at you, then you kind of understand and know. And remember you are allowed to ask for resources!

Links

SpinningBabies.com is a great resource for expecting parents. There are videos, articles and images to assist during pregnancy, labor, birth and more.

Episode 244: Clean Beauty for the New Mom and Beyond with Gabriela Babila creator of @MatanaOrganics

You know we are big fans of beauty products and self care. We find that incorporating our beauty and skincare routines into our days is one of the easiest ways to get self care as busy moms, and this week’s super mama guest understand that.

This week we interview Gabriela Babila, creator of clean beauty brand Matana Organics Skincare. She started her business when she realized she couldn’t find clean, safe beauty skin care products during her pregnancy and began making them at home. The line is nature-inspired skin care for pregnancy, postpartum and all mothers who seek clean, safe, and organic products and best of all it’s organic, plant based, and cruelty free.  Gabriela talks to us about how she became fascinated with the beauty & power of plants, and using nature to create her skincare line. Her passion & positivity for her family, her business, and motherhood really shine in this episode and she is dropping all the gems (or matanas, as you’ll learn) that we needed to hear. 

More about Gabriela Babila: Founder, wife, girl mom, LA Native and clean beauty enthusiast, Gabriela Babila is the heartbeat and face behind the brand, Matana Organics. With a background in psychology and expecting her first child, Gabriela knew how important it was to nurture the body AND mind during this transition. Struggling to find safe and effective skincare products to help manage all of the physical changes pregnancy would induce, she thought about her own mom, an immigrant + single mother, and how she would approach her concerns. Her mother didn't have much, what she used for skincare she made, teaching Gabriela the power of natural remedies. So she decide to make it. And now she is sharing it with all mothers. 

Matanas from this week’s episode

Matanas = gift in Hebrew

“I love being a mom but there’s more to my identity.” - Gabriela Babila

“The desire to become an entrepreneur, to do something that i was passionate about; I couldn’t hide that from myself.” - Gabriela Babila

“The fear is not enough of a reason to not go for it.” - Gabriela Babila

“I cant worry about what can go wrong because what if it doesn’t go wrong? What if it goes right? And I’ve wasted precious time and precious brain power thinking negatively.” - Bricia Lopez

LINKS

Follow @MatanaOrganics on Instagram and like their page on Facebook.

Learn more about Gabriela and to shop Matana Organics, go to matanaorganics.com.

Episode 243: Making Language Learning Fun with @bilingual_birdies founder, Sarah Farzam

So many businesses have had to adjust under quarantine but this week's guest had her business flourish even more online. This week we speak to Sarah Farzam, CEO of the bilingual education program, Bilingual Birdies. She shares how her program uses music to help kids stay engaged and excited about speaking a second or even a third language, and how you can make some extra cash as well while keeping the kids busy this summer. Estas Lista? Escucha ahora mismo!

More about Sarah Farzam: Sarah is half Mexican and half Iranian and grew up speaking Spanish, Farsi and English. She’s from L.A. and graduated from UCLA with a BA in English.  In 2006, with zero business experience, Sarah launched Bilingual Birdies, a foreign language and live music program for children up to age six. Today Bilingual Birdies teaches Spanish, French, Mandarin, and English to thousands of children per week across 21 cities in the US, Canada, and Australia through their online training program which certifies and licenses bilingual and educators to launch their own Bilingual Birdies businesses in their own city.

Enrolled families benefit from original Bilingual Birdies products such as bilingual ebooks, music albums, and the most adorable bird puppets you have ever seen in your entire life.  Under Sarah’s leadership, Bilingual Birdies educators have traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico to volunteer and preform in the children’s section of La Calaca Festival., journeyed to Paris, France to train early educators on how to implement their methodology to teach English to children in a fun and musical way, and most recently they traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to volunteer at Little Ray of Hope, an informal preschool in Kawangware, the country’s second largest slum. Nearly 13 years after Sarah started Bilingual Birdies she is more motivated than ever to identify bilingual educators with an entrepreneurial spirit who are looking to share their language and culture with children, make money doing what they love, and transform their communities to encourage future generations of global thinking, open-minded humans. You can learn more about Sarah Farzam and Bilingual Birdies at bilingualbirdies.com. 

Our Conversation with Sarah

Tell us about yourself. How are you? How is life in quarantine?

You’re trilingual! Tell us about your company. Is this how is began?

How many languages do you teach? What is the age range of your students?

How has your business shifted with covid?

What does a class with Bilingual Birdies look like?

What are some tools that you recommend for my parents to use at home to help teach your children another language?

How often are your students taking classes in order for them to feel comfortable speaking the language?

Do you need to be a musicican to start the program as a teacher?

When covid is over and we are no longer required to do social distance learning, can our kids take this class in person?

Sarah’s Tips for Making Second Language Learning Fun

• Amp up second language learning in any area you can! If it feels like homework, chances are your kids won’t want to learn it. Work at it everyday based on your child’s interest.

• Reading books and singing songs/listening to music in another language is a great introduction to the love of language learning.

• Play based learning is super effective. Bilingual birdies gets your kids dancing and moving with the use of puppets, props and more, and you can do the same thing at home!

• Turn learning into a game by incorporating the new language into your daily routine. Breakfast, bath time, and cleaning can be an opportunity to get stuff done and learn new words and phrases.

• Check out video.oznoz.com to watch your kid’s favorite cartoons in up to 10 different languages.

Links

To learn more, sign up your child for virtual language classes, or learn how you can start the program in your city, go to BilingualBirdies.com.

Episode 242: Keeping it Real: Summer Vibes, the 4th Trimester and Five Years of Super Mamás!

Five years of the Super Mamas! Can you believe it?!

This week we’re catching up with each other and talking about what we have planned this summer, how Bricia is planning to announce her baby’s gender, and the best tips we have learned over the last few years. We’re also talking about why expecting moms should learn and prepare for the fourth trimester, and Bricia recommend a couple of books that we’ve linked down below.

So much has happened since we launched 5 years ago - our families have grown, we’ve hosted & attended a lot of events, our cookbook launches and so much more. Check out our roundup of what has happened since our first podcast episode in 2015. What has been your favorite Super Mamas memory?

Our First Episode

Bricia and Eduardo’s Birth Story

Our 100th Episode

Super Mamas Social 2017

Paulina and Zixta’s Birth Story

How We Met Our Husbands

Our 200th Episode

Vision Board Posada 2019

Oaxaca Cookbook Launch

Thank you to all the listeners who has been there for us since the beginning, those who just found us during quarantine and everyone in between. We can’t wait fo bring you even more great interviews, events and meet ups (once it’s safe), and more memories in the coming years! 

TIPS WE’VE LEARNED SINCE WE BEGAN THE PODCAST

We have learned that as wives and mothers, it is important to voice your needs. You must take care of yourself in order to take care of your kids and family. Taking care of your mind, body, and over all health makes a big difference in the lives of everyone around you too. Happiness starts with you first.

LINKS

Bricia listens to the New York Times’ podcast The Daily every day.

The two books Bricia recommends are The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother and Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally

Episode 241: Mothering & Healing Your Soul and Your Inner Diosa with spiritual therapist @CosmicChristine, Christine Gutiérrez

It’s time to do work! Spiritual work, that is. You’ve heard us talk about our own spirituality on this show, so this week’s interview is with Christine Gutierrez, licensed psychotherapist, life coach, and so much more. We talk how she connects the study of the soul to the study of the mind as a spiritual therapy and the journey she took to realize that this is what she was meant to do in life. We’re also talking about her new book, I Am Diosa: A Journey to Healing Deep, Loving Yourself, and Coming Back Home to Soul , plus she mentions the tools we need to tap into our spiritual presence and reminds us that we are all divine. Light a candle, turn up the volume and let Cosmic Christine’s energy bring you to a higher place! Remember, anyone can activate their inner Diosa!

More about Cosmic Christine: Christine Gutierrez, MA, LMHC, is a Latina licensed psychotherapist, life coach, and expert in love addiction, trauma, abuse, and self-esteem. She has a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in human behavior and development, and a master's degree from City College of New York in mental health counseling with a focus on community and prevention. Through her work, Christine offers private coaching, group coaching, and transformational retreats such as her annual Diosa Retreat in Puerto Rico, as well as the iosa Tribe, a global community where like-hearted women come to heal, rise, and lead. She has been featured in Time Out NY, Latina Magazine, Yahoo Health, Ebony, Cosmo for Latinas, Huffington Post and others. Christine currently resides in Puerto Rico with her husband, Fernando Samalot and their pup, Bodhi. For more on her work, visit Christine.tv and follow her on Instagram @CosmicChristine.

Our Conversation with Christine

What does it mean to connect with your spirituality?

What is spirituality to you?

What inspired you to become a spiritual therpist?

How did you find your spiritual path?

What are some tools we can utilize to do own spiritual work?

Can you talk about the work you do with those who are suffering from abuse and/or addiction?

Tell us about your book. What is it about?

What does a workshop and a retreat with you look like?

What can we do for our kids to help them on their spiritual journey right now?

LINKS

Follow @CosmicChristine and learn more about her service, retreats, and more at ChristineG.tv.

Pre-order her new book, I Am Diosa, now! Click here!

Episode 240: Healthy Vaginas and More with Pelvic Floor Therapist Sara Reardon, @the.vagina.whisperer

Ladies, we just don’t talk about our vaginas as much as we should! 😂 But really, women’s health is so important, especially for when our bodies change after we have kids. This week we interview pelvic floor therapist Sara Reardon aka @the.vagina.whisperer. She's teaching us all about our pelvic floor muscles and why it’s important to keep them healthy. We cover everything from why we can’t hold in our pee after having kids and how to poop correctly, plus what a proper kegel feels like and what we should be teaching our daughters about their vaginas. We don’t talk about vaginal health enough! Get your vag ready for some healthy exercises!

More about Sara Reardon: Sara is on a mission to revolutionize the way we approach women’s health with a radical honesty and willingness to openly discuss often-taboo topics. She is a doctor of physical therapy graduating from Washington University in St Louis and board-certified women's health physical therapist. Sara specializes in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders, including changes that occur during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. She is a pelvic health physical therapist in New Orleans, La. and founder of  The Vagina Whisperer. You can find her on Instagram @the.vagina.whisperer.

Our Conversation with Sara

Why can’t moms hold in our bladders when we’re pregnant and after birth?

What can we do to strengthen our bladder? 

What exercises should we implement to strengthen our pelvic floor?

What is the proper way to poop?

What is Diastisis Recti?

What is the proper way to do a kagel?

The Fourth Trimester

What are some things women can do for regular maintenance?

Are there products we should include or avoid for regular vaginal health?

What are some things women can do after having kids?

What can we teach our kids about vaginal health?

Links

Follow Sara on Instagram @the.vagina.whisperer and learn more about her services at thevagwhisperer.com.

Products recommended by Sara

Squatty Potty for a healthier bowel movement

Magnesium supplement to help softer stool

Slipper Stuff Lubricant

Episode 239: How to talk and help educate our family in the Latinx Community about Black Lives Matter with Maricela Becerra @academicmami

How is everyone holding up? Between covid, the safer at home order, and the Black Lives Matter Movement, the last few weeks have been pretty overwhelming. It’s really been a huge awakening for a lot of us when is comes to anti-racism.

On this week’s episode we speak to Maricela Becerra aka @academicmami about what has transpired with the BLM Movement. We are all trying our best to learn and educate ourselves, but we also must acknowledge that racism is learned and exists in our own community. Mari also shares resources on how to address uncomfortable topics with our tíos and grandparents, who may not understand what’s going on. It can be challenging to start these conversations but we have to remember that changes starts with ourselves and our family. 

More about Maricela Becerra: Dr. Maricela Becerra is a professor of Spanish and Latin American literatures and cultures. She researches state violence and social movements, particularly in Mexico. She is also the mom of two very active children. For the last four years, Mari (as she likes to be called) has shared her journey as a mami in academia on social media as Academic Mami and founded the scholarship fund for moms in higher ed called Mami Goes to School. 

Our Conversation with Maricela, the Academic Mami

How do you recommender speaking with our families about the BLM Movement?

What topics can we start with?

How do we talk to our kids about what’s going on?

Links

Learn more about Dr. Maricela Becerra on academicmami.com and follow her on Instagram - @AcademicMami and @MamiGoesToSchool.

Click HERE for a list of anti-racist resources in Spanish mentioned on the podcast.

Episode 238: Teaching Our Kids About Progress, Not Perfection with author Candice Lapin

What does it mean to be a parent during these crazy times? This week we have a pre-rona interview with author Candice Lapin. We discuss her new book, “Parenting in the Age of Perfection”, why you should teach your kids that learning new things takes time, not to be guided by comparison and she reminds us that finding our own learning rhythm as kids will turn into successful habits as adults. This episode is such a good reminder that even if you fail, you just get up, dust off and try again! Tune in and take notes!

Before the episode, we’re talking about how long it’s been since we’ve been indoors and how we need to start thinking of summer activities for the kids to do indoors. But let’s be honest, we know that Netflix and Disney + will be our babysitters these next few months and we are okay with that. 🤣 Even though things are opening up in California/LA County, we don’t feel we will venture out too much until our kids go back to school.

More about Candice Lapin: Candice is the author of Parenting in the Age of Perfection: A Modern Guide to Nurturing a Success Mindset and is the founder of The Ladder Method, a meta-learning and academic coaching company based in Los Angeles. Her goal is to give parents ammunition as they make decisions that align with the best interests for their children. She takes those troublesome behaviors that frustrate parents and breaks down how to change each one. By making micro-shifts in your child’s environment, behaviors and mindsets, parents can lead their tween/teens to success!

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina’s pick is for mosquito season and it’s the Sana Salve Balm by Happy Organics Co. We featured them in our swag bags during the posada last year and they were a part of our recent Zocial Online Marketplace. Paulina and her girls apply the salve to their bites and the itching is gone overnight! It’s great for scrapes and burns and it’s all natural.

Bricia’s picks this week are a few of her favorite pantry staples. She’s been eating so many roasted or pan fried veggies while she’s been at home, and this is what she uses:

• Bricia’s must haves - grape seed oil for roasting & panning frying, pepper, and kosher salt

• Garlic mill, which is great for getting big garlic flakes on your roasted veggies

• O olive oil and citrus champagne vinegar

• Aleppo pepper

Her typical breakfast is hard boiled eggs and broccoli with olive oil, balsamic, salt & pepper and aleppo pepper, and it’s really good.

LINKS

Parenting in the Age of Perfection: A Modern Guide to Nurturing a Success Mindset by Candice Lapin. Now available for purchase on theladdermethod.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about The Ladder Method learning techniques.

The Daily Podcast by the New York Times