An Interview With Melissa Llarena

In this episode, you will hear about my messy journey to writing my nonfiction book. You will also catch two other stories that could only be told by moms. I really do believe that mommying while writing a book presents a certain special kind of messiness. This is also why in this episode, I go on to invite you to an online mom writers' community that I'd love to lead. If writing is lonely....motherhood is lonely....then this need for us to be around one another just feels so blistering hot and necessary. Are you interested in learning more? Catch me on Instagram @melissallarena send me a DM with the word STORY if you are a mom who is writing nonfiction and would love access to a community of other crazy moms who for some wild reason or another have decided to write about true happenings precisely when their lives might be feeling like truly epic messes. Not on Insta? Then email me melissa[@]melissallarena.com What follows is the transcript...pardon the AI Moms, I want to really just share with you why it's d

If you're a working mom looking to write a book one day, just know that there are going to be crazy and messy days. But they don’t have to be those kinds of days if you don’t allow them. You need to set boundaries to keep that sanity in you and you also have to learn how to leverage your network because that’s where you will find those rare gems. In today’s episode, author and speaker Fran Hauser will teach us ways to say NO at work and she’s going to share some scripts on how to do that, especially if you need more time to write your book. She also shares the benefits of networking outside of your job function even outside of your book genre.  Fran Hauser is passionate about leveling the playing field for women. She does this through her investing, writing, and speaking. Fran has invested in over 30 female-founded companies across consumer tech, CPG, media & publishing, and wellness. She is the best-selling author of The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hat

This solo episode is for a mom contemplating or getting ready for NaNoWriMo. It's divided into three parts. I want to share with you a little background into why I am going in this direction with my podcast Unimaginable Wellness the podcast for moms writing nonfiction, then I’ll share my personal NaNoWriMo epic fail as a mom who had to make massive adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances, and then how I had to get myself mentally prepared to create my own NaNoWriMo experience. In the end, I will invite you to reach out to me on Instagram @melissallarena if you will be one of the brave mom souls who will be embarking on this year’s NaNoWriMo adventure or if you will be creating one of your own. I have a mom-friendly ONE-PAGE worksheet with blank-page busting questions and fun tips that will keep you in your seat fit for moms who want to write their own non-fiction books.  Some background on why I am going in this direction with my podcast Unimaginable Wellness the podcast for moms writing nonfiction, Stayi

Let's talk about how you can find your purpose, BESIDES being a mom, I have three steps for you in this week’s podcast and this week I am calling for 50 moms from 50 US states to become my beta readers in exchange for your name in my book credits. Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena with the word BETA if you want to join me as an early reader of my non-fiction book for moms who want to say good-bye to self-neglect/old mom paradigms, figure out what lights them up, and imagine actually going for it! What follows below is the transcript to this week's solo episode... So as a stay at home mom, for the last 11 years, I have used my business, this podcast as my life force. I mean, I have too many unrealized dreams. And honestly, I've always loved a dare. But what I've noticed out there being amongst many stay at home moms, is that you might feel like you could not possibly push yourself enough to figure out what it is that you're meant to do, besides being a mom. In this solo episode, I want to give you prac

Did you ever hear your name during Romper Room? Do you remember that 80s TV show when the host would look through a mirror and say a bunch of names? Well, I may have said your name during this podcast episode. Listen for it. Also exciting about this episode is that I read a snippet of my book for moms who want their imagination, playful, and all-around fun selves back. In this podcast episode, I also shared details about where you can instantly download your very own copy of one of my favorite chapters of my upcoming book. Just visit www.melissallarena.com/waitlist for your free book chapter! In it, I share with you the value I gained and you can too from stepping outside of your comfort zone to learn how to play again. Hint: if you feel as if you have lost that cheerful, free, and fun sense of yourself since motherhood then in this chapter you will read the exact steps you can take in the next 7 days to get her back! Have feedback or want to become an early reader? Then send me a note. I am seeking 50 - mama

In this week’s episode, you are about to go behind the scenes of my podcast relaunch journey. I want to reveal my personal reasons for pivoting from entrepreneurship to wellness. Today, I will invite you to be part of my creative process. I'll ask you to send me your thoughts on 3 important questions. My aim is to ensure the next iteration of this podcast will be valuable and part of your weekly routine going forward. Oh, and stay tuned until the end, because I will be doing something special for those moms who do answer those 3 questions before the end of October 14th. But first, in 2017, I launched An Interview with Melissa Llarena out of a dare. One night I was cooking rice and beans, as many other Latina moms would do, when suddenly and excitingly my husband had an idea. He dared me to invite GaryVee and James Altucher to my podcast but first to launch a podcast. I'm grateful. I achieved that dare. Other things also came from my 140+ podcast episodes, I: overcame familiar mom feelings of imposter syndrome

Thank you for listening to this episode from my archives. Stay tuned for a refreshed podcast theme, new guests, and even artwork soon! Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena - I would love to hear your thoughts on this "best of episode." Joe Williams is a former NRL player, professional boxer, and turned mental health advocate, who’s bringing The Enemy Within workshops to various communities. The Enemy Within is built on its five pillars of values: love, care, respect, humility, and compassion.  Joe is known for his committed work within the community mental health and suicide prevention sectors. During our conversation, Joe mentions how we always talk about, "it takes a village to raise a child." And he makes a valid point that we don't have a village anymore. We wake up and go to work and send our kids off to school or to daycare in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon, and put them to bed. Unfortunately, we're not raised by our village anymore. Our kids are being shipped off and passed around by a

Thank you for listening to this episode from my archives. Stay tuned for a refreshed podcast theme, new guests, and even artwork soon! Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena - I would love to hear your thoughts on this "best of episode." Are you looking to lose weight? Let's talk about this top New Year's resolution, which is the desire to lose weight or increase exercise or just improve our overall diet. Sure, we want to improve our health. But how serious are we when it comes to making the changes necessary to turn our health around? Now, what would be possible if we actually got it right this year? Today, we have Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He's here to help us understand why we get diseases in this modern era when we're supposed to be living longer than ever before. He shares how we can regain that power and how w

Thank you for listening to this episode from my archives. Stay tuned for a refreshed podcast theme, new guests, and even artwork soon! Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena - I would love to hear your thoughts on this "best of episode." Are you tired? It’s a silly question, right? This is the episode that can change the quality of your life because this is for you if you are tired all the time.  We actually don't have a sophisticated language around our exhaustion. But this week's guest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, wrote the book, Sacred Rest, where she outlines the 7 different types of rest, which you will hear about today. This is a book about honoring rest in a society that values productivity as a way to express your worth.  We also go into why we experience Zoom fatigue which is one type of “tired” as well as why our brain doesn’t always shut off when our heads are on our pillow and we're just thinking about that challenge or that tough conversation of the day. Then there is social rest. Interestingly,

Thank you for listening to this episode from my archives. Stay tuned for a refreshed podcast theme, new guests, and even artwork soon! Send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena - I would love to hear your thoughts on this "best of episode." Originally from a small rural town in Georgia, Phaidra Knight, for nearly 18 years, traveled the globe as a professional rugby player, establishing herself as one of the premier players in the sport. In this episode, she shared the many unique experiences she had both on and off the field. And she explained how each athletic opportunity offered a new perspective and made her a better athlete. She also shared her passion for youth leadership and reminded us that even if we can impact one child out, that’s one person who we have helped shape the trajectory of their life. Every single person deserves equality and the opportunity to feel limitless, especially children.  Phaidra has made three appearances in the Rugby World Cup and was selected as the top player in the world fo

A lot of moms have a lot on their plates right now and sometimes, it can feel like things are a little out of control especially during this back to school season. How do we navigate this wild adventure of life called motherhood and still be able to find some humor amidst the craziness of it all? And how do we juggle the demands motherhood brings and our responsibilities in business? For whatever it's worth, just know that you’re NOT alone! And it does help to insert a little positivity into your life. Make it happen right now!  In today’s conversation, Alejandra Molina shares fresh perspectives into how we can all figure out that balance between entrepreneurship and motherhood while maintaining positivity in life. Alejandra is a Well-being and Mindfulness Coach, an NBC-HWC Board Certified Health Coach and holds Certificates in Neuroscience and Positive Psychology. She helps people undergoing stress or experiencing burnout, gain mental clarity and create more well-being. Alejandra is a wife and mother of two

Do you have a book inside of you that’s just waiting for you to put out? As for Alex Kiester, writing has been her childhood dream. And although life has a way to deviate her from it at times, she still finds herself coming back to her first love.  Here’s a little background about Alex. After graduating from Rhodes College with a degree in creative writing, Alex worked as a copyeditor for the Journal of the Texas House of Representatives then as a book editor for a boutique romance publisher.  Her debut novel, “In Her Skin,” came out as an Audible Original in fall, 2019 and was listed as one of November’s Top Ten Trending Audible Originals. Her latest novel, “The Truth About Ben and June,” came out June, 2022 and was chosen as HarperCollins Canada's book of the season and Walmart Canada's read of the month for July. She currently lives in Austin, TX with her husband.  One of Alex’s best pieces of advice is to write something you want to read and just let your inner voice guide you. If it resonates with you, t

Are you thinking about making a big change in your life? Maybe you want to shift careers, or perhaps relocate to a different part of the world. Whatever that change looks like for you, today’s guest, Mike Lewis, shares these four phases of what he calls, “the jump curve,” that people go through as they pursue change. Mike is a member of the Sustainable Finance Group at Goldman Sachs, where he focuses on impact investing and helps lead global climate partnerships. Earlier in his career, Mike was a venture and growth equity investor at Bain Capital Ventures and was the founder of When to Jump, a media and reskilling platform and community for working professionals globally. He is the author of "When to Jump: If the Job You Have Isn't the Life You Want", published worldwide by Macmillan and Hachette in 2018 and distributed in over fifty countries in six languages following its release. Mike is the founder of a 501(c)3 urban squash enrichment organization that mentors at-risk youth in his hometown. He formerly ra

Have you ever wanted to do something in your life but you just never had the courage to do it? Maybe you've pursued your passion to become a doctor or a pharmacist, or a lawyer because you wanted to do good in the world. But then you ended up working in an organization that’s got its own set of ideas you don’t necessarily align with.  Lorin Martin used to work as a pharmacist at CVS. For her, really getting to know the clients and getting to know customers was paramount. But it wasn’t something she could do there. After graduating from Texas A&M University with her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Lorin Martin received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Texas in Austin. Upon graduation, she managed an independent pharmacy in Austin for 3+ years, where her passion for compounding grew. Currently, Lorin is the owner of Bear’s Compounding Pharmacy and the Pharmacist-In-Charge. Born and raised in Georgetown, Lorin could not be happier to be planting her roots back in her hometown! Could you e

When was the last time you went out for a hike in the mountains, walked on the ocean, or just experienced nature? Being outdoors can do wonders. So, get your hiking boots or your surfboard ready because you definitely would want to head out after hearing this episode.  Born and raised in Austin, Texas, USA, Matthew Guthrie grew up exploring its greenbelts (i.e. woods) and parks. His passion for the outdoors led him to create Hike Austin, an organization devoted to promoting and protecting the green spaces around Austin. His first visit to Westcave was on an elementary school field trip and he has stayed connected to Westcave ever since. Matthew is a photographer whose work has been published in local/regional magazines. Matthew also has a passion for entrepreneurship and currently works as a producer on The Build Show.  Today, Matthew discusses the mental break you get from being outdoors. Sure, it’s difficult to find time – but it takes intention. It’s a matter of getting to that headspace where you can turn

Imagine being an illustrator with a studio in Sydney right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Australia, who gets to use their talent to give people a good laugh at the silliness of life?  This week’s guest is Max Mendez and his artistry is behind the Squidinki brand.  Squidinki is a unique brand founded by Max Mendez and Kerry Findlay. With degrees in Industrial and Interior design respectively, Max and Kerry have had extensive experience working in design and branding agencies throughout the world, including England, Spain, America, Singapore, and Australia. Now after more than 10 years of designing brands and retail interiors for many prominent Australian and international brands, Max and Kerry decided to follow their passion for illustration and design, and create their own brand, Squidinki. Inspired by the humor Max sees in everyday life, and a desire to spend life sketching it, Squidinki was born. Max's witty and humorous hand-drawn illustrations are sold both as limited edition artwork and featu

What could be possible for moms who want to launch their own businesses and reawaken their imagination? A life consumed by making gooey chocolate that’s for one. Hear how this chocolatier (and mom), Rebecca Knights, navigated business over the course of 20-plus years, from working for BBC to doing a no sugar campaign with Sarah Wilson, and to even being hired to put together a chocolate event for Adele. All of the decision moves that wound her up to having a successful chocolatier career are truly impressive. Rebecca is a business collaborator and decadent inventor in the kitchen. Rebecca started in the food industry to support her design studies. She soon took off to France to pursue her other passion and trained at Valrhona Chocolate until opening the first cocoa chocolate in Edinburgh in 2004. After 10 years of working and training in Europe, she finally opened Coco Chocolate in Kirribilli, merging her two passions for chocolates and design. In this episode, you will hear: Striving to achieve to survive T

This conversation is perfect for new or aspiring entrepreneurs. What if you are new to self-employment and you want to put together a beta offer? What’s the key to having massive clarity on what you want to sell? Who might you want to ask to be your first clients? What if you could uplevel your skills to more deeply serve every one of those clients and get more money for your time? How do you handle the fear of building a coaching business or pivoting into a new entrepreneurial offer?  It’s natural to have more questions than answers when it comes to being an entrepreneur, that’s why you will surely enjoy the energy and vibe of this week’s podcast guest, Jessica Burgio. Host of the Beauty Inspires Beauty podcast, Jessica is an educator and speaker helping salon owners and stylists around the world to grow their business, while growing themselves. Her unique approach focuses on encouraging her clients to grow through personal development and self-care, all while offering the tools needed to build a thriving, s

These days, the thought of entrepreneurship for our kids as a viable career option doesn’t sound completely foreign or nuts. It may sound risky or unstable and less conventional than becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant – but it’s an option that is increasingly getting popular, especially since the advent of the internet. Do you think you have an aspiring entrepreneur in your home? What can you do to nourish her or his interests in launching something one day? How important are school grades? Are there any differences between socioeconomic backgrounds or cultures? Would the idea of entertaining a gap year for your child raise your blood pressure – and should it?  When I was growing up, the internet didn’t exist yet I was that little girl who picked up a green book about how to become an entrepreneur. I was fascinated by the ideas that kids could come up with to make money. But that was where the buck stopped for me until 2011 when I launched my own coaching practice.  I love the creativity and i

Joe Williams is a former NRL player, professional boxer, and turned mental health advocate, who’s bringing The Enemy Within workshops to various communities. The Enemy Within is built on its five pillars of values: love, care, respect, humility, and compassion.  Joe is known for his committed work within the community mental health and suicide prevention sectors. During our conversation, Joe mentions how we always talk about, "it takes a village to raise a child." And he makes a valid point that we don't have a village anymore. We wake up and go to work and send our kids off to school or to daycare in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon, and put them to bed. Unfortunately, we're not raised by our village anymore. Our kids are being shipped off and passed around by all these different people that have absolutely no idea who they are.  Now, where is this magical village that was supposed to help us raise our kids and support our families? How can we heal as a society and recover from some of the conseque