My son leaves for college in August, so you can only imagine how much I have been reflecting on motherhood lately.

I've been thinking back on all those joyful hours watching Tommy play soccer since he was three years old, and the sleepless nights worrying if he'll be okay as he changes and grows into the young man he is today. The essence of loving a child deeply reminds me of Elizabeth Stone's famous saying –

“Making the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

These words have never felt more true than they do right now, and it has inspired me to re-release an early episode of the Cracking Open podcast with one of the fiercest and most radically loving mothers I know - the incredible Jodie Patterson.

Jodie is an award-winning author, public speaker, advocate, and entrepreneur whose work spans communities as diverse as fashion and beauty brands, to media and entertainment organizations, to queer and BIPOC advocacy groups. In 2019, she became the first Black person elected to the role of Chair of The Human Rights Campaign Board, America’s largest LGBT organization with more than forty years of experience advocating for the rights of this community.

Her first book, The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation, was hailed by Alice Walker as “marvelous”, and since its publication in 2017, Jodie has spoken weekly on topics of identity, gender, race, and beauty, along with how they play out in family dynamics. In 2021, she published her second book, Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope. It has won several awards and was gifted to all public schools in the state of Kansas. The picture book was inspired by Jodie’s child’s pronouncement at the age of three, “Mama, I’m not a girl, I am a boy”, as well as Jodie’s transformation into an unapologetic LGBTQAI advocate.

Jodie's story has been featured in numerous daytime talk shows, evening news programs, national print publications, podcasts, and radio programs, including a short documentary produced by Cosmopolitan magazine that reached more than 11 million views and is currently used by the State of New York for diversity training of its employees. In 2015, Family Circle Magazine named her the #1 Most Influential Mom.

She is a truly inspiring woman and mother, and the conversation that we share is both poignant and passionate. Jodie's voice is an important one to listen to if you want to experience the embodiment of true freedom in love and motherhood.

Love,
Molly

Purchase Jodie's book The Bold World here, and Born Ready here
Follow Jodie on Instagram



Molly's next 3-month Cracking Open group coaching program starts in September 2024! Learn more here.

Interested in a VIP Coaching Day with Molly?
Email Molly for more details!

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Chris Herren's story is one of profound struggle and eventual redemption. Addiction impacts millions of families in heartbreaking ways. I know this personally and through sitting with multiple clients who have been going through it with loved ones. This makes today's conversation about addiction and recovery on the Cracking Open podcast especially powerful.

As a young basketball prodigy from Fall River, MA, Chris soared to fame with over 2000 points in high school, even gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated before graduating. However, his journey with addiction had already started to derail his life and his future as a professional athlete. Due to repeated failed drug tests, Chris was expelled from Boston College.

Legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian reached out to Chris and gave him a second chance to play college basketball at Fresno State. He flourished there, leading him into the NBA, playing with the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics. In secret though, Chris was still battling with alcohol and drug addiction, and basketball simply couldn't compete with the lure of alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

Despite his success on the court, his personal life spiraled out of control, culminating in an overdose and near-death experience in 2008. Through what he calls his "sherpas" – guiding lights on his journey – Chris fully embraced recovery, and has been sober since August 1, 2008. He continues to share his story through various platforms, including his bestselling memoir Basketball Junkie and the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary Unguarded.

Chris has dedicated his life to sobriety and creating a positive impact in the world. Through his company Herren Talks, he has reached over a million students and community members, sparking crucial conversations about substance use disorder and wellness. Chris's nonprofit Herren Project, empowers schools and communities to make healthy choices and supports families through recovery. Herren Wellness, established in 2018, offers residential health and wellness programs to support substance-free living.

Chris's journey and this conversation around addiction recovery will resonate deeply with many of you. Even if you have not been personally touched by addiction, understanding this topic and its impact is crucial, making this conversation particularly significant.

Love,
Molly


Learn more about Chris Herren and his work here
Follow Chris on Instagram




Molly's next 3-month Cracking Open group coaching program starts in July 2024! Learn more here.

Interested in a VIP Coaching Day with Molly?
Email Molly for more details!

Follow Molly on Instagram and Facebook

Do you ever feel like you have to be perfect? The perfect mother, daughter, employee, partner, etc?

It's a familiar struggle that I have grappled with in my own life, and as a therapist, I've witnessed this innate desire to be perfect from thousands of women.

That's how I first came across Elise Loehnen's bestselling book, On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good. It is such an intriguing read and I am thrilled to have her on the Cracking Open podcast today.

Elise is not only a New York Times bestselling author, but also the host of the podcast Pulling the Thread, where she interviews cultural luminaries about life's big questions.

In our conversation, we talk through some of our own big questions like how she got the idea for her book after speaking with the celebrity therapist Lori Gottlieb on the Goop podcast. Ms. Gottlieb told her - pay attention to envy, it can show you what you want. Gottlieb's insight into using envy as a revealing emotion inspired Elise to explore the other six "deadly sins" —lust, anger, greed, gluttony, sloth, and pride—and their impact on women's lives. Not only did this exploration deeply influence millions of women's lives but her own as well.

"I'm the primary breadwinner. I've killed myself to succeed in life and be a good mother, partner, citizen, employee, and boss. And, you know, I was breathless, exhausted, and recognized that I was running a race with no finish line, that I was competing against a standard that I had not created and that would never give me any rewards that would mean anything to me." ~ Elise Loehnen

Boy oh boy, can I relate! Maybe you can too?

Join us as we delve into a wide range of topics, such as the Enneagram personality type system, Elise's affinity with spiritual figures such as Mary Magdalene (and how I feel that Elise is our modern-day Joan of Arc!).

Elise was previously the chief content officer of the famous lifestyle brand goop. While there, she co-hosted The goop Podcast and The goop Lab on Netflix, and led the brand’s content strategy and programming, including launching a magazine with Condé Nast and a book imprint. Before goop, she held roles as the editorial projects director of Conde Nast Traveler and editor at large and deputy editor of Lucky Magazine, where she also served as the on-air spokesperson, appearing regularly on shows like Today, E!, Good Morning America, and The Early Show.

Elise is highly accomplished in her career and a staunch advocate for women's self-acceptance. She emphasizes that it's not about striving for perfection but rather about becoming aware of how cultural programming and ancient ideas of morality, such as the seven deadly sins, continue to control and distort women's lives today. Elise believes that trusting in our natural instincts can lead us back to a more balanced, peaceful, and spiritually fulfilling way of living.

My conversation with Elise was a breath of fresh air. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Love,
Molly

Learn more about Elise Loehnen here
Join Elise's Substack here
Purchase On Our Best Behavior here
Listen to Pulling the Thread podcast here
Follow Elise on Instagram