It's time for a fresh start to a podcast that has grown with me for the last 6 years! In this episode of the Decolonized Motherhood Podcast, previously known as the Vida With Christie Podcast, I share with you the new direction for this project and what it is all about.  I also give a little life update, from family life to an insights into my academic work and thesis. I hope you enjoy the newest episode! Episode's Blog Post https://decolonizedmotherhood.com/2024/10/11/episode-45-decolonized-motherhood/ Let's Connect! TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@decolonizedmotherhood Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decolonizedmotherhood Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itschristielazo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itschristielazo X: https://x.com/itschristielazo Threads: https://www.threads.net/@itschristielazo Learn more about the Decolonized Motherhood Podcast at https://decolonizedmotherhood.com/podcast/.

It's time for a new chapter, and this episode will include many of the details of what this means for the Vida With Christie Podcast. While I and the podcast won't be going far, it is definitely bittersweet to update you on the upcoming changes. In this episode, I also discuss a parenting regret I have as a content creator which has become a life lesson as my child grows. Additionally, I include a quick catch-up of what I've been up to since the last episode and what is to come on the podcast. So stay tuned, we got exciting updates coming your way! Episode's Blog Post https://decolonizedmotherhood.com/2024/04/04/episode-44-time-for-a-new-chapter/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

On episode 43 of the Vida With Christie Podcast, I provided a quick life update and shared some exciting summer plans. I also touched upon an upcoming episode wich will be on best practices which I apply for prioritizing my life as an ambitious mama while lives among the hustle and bustle of living her dreams every single day.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Gilza Fort Martinez, a licensed marriage and family therapist and CEO of Resolution Counselling Center in Miami, Florida. As a Latina therapist, we had an incredible conversation about how the various elements of our culture influence and impact the difference aspects of our motherhood experiences. From the challenges of prioritizing self care to the weight we carry as mothers and daughters, Gilza offered insight on from the Latina perspective proving the importance of matching with a therapist who understands you.   Episode's Blog Post https://vidawithchristie.com/2023/05/23/episode-43-latina-motherhood-with-gilza-fort-martinez/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

As a result of instabilities caused by the pandemic, many children are currently requiring more educational support than ever before. While we know that our children will eventually learn to read, write, do math and other skills, it is important to reach out for support if our children need it as that support goes beyond the applied skills, tutoring can support with their self steem, confidence and overall experience within educational contexts.  As a result, it was wonderful to connect with Gabrielle Chirchlow of A Step Ahead Tutoring Services to learn more about how we can help and support our children through tutoring. Gabrielle is an incredibly dedicated educator who provided us with valuable insight about when we should invest in tutoring for our kids, how tutoring can benefit them, and more. Episode's Blog Post https://vidawithchristie.com/2023/02/20/episode-42-supporting-kids-through-tutoring-with-gabrielle-crichlow/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the incredible honour of speaking with Danielle Meadows-Stinnett who is a superheroine mama and owner of Octane Design Studios. In this episode, she shared her lived experience as a mother of a neurodivergent children diagnosed with autism. I am so grateful that she joined me on this episode to educate us about her family, and empower us with lessons on how we can pass on this education to our children and beyond. Danielle also shared with us how her family spends quality time with each other while making use a medium that many parents have yet to embrace. There is so much to learn from Danielle through this episode, and I have no doubt this will not be her only to join me on the podcast!  Episode's Blog Post https://vidawithchristie.com/2023/01/17/episode-41-speaking-to-children-about-autism-with-danielle-meadows-stinnett/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

It's been a hot minute as I've been juggling multiple items on my plate, from motherhood to career and most recently academia. 2022 has brought with it a LOT of wins resulting from mine and my family's hard work, but it has alsobrought some challenges and learning opportunities. I also reflect on celebrating 5 years of podcasting through Vida With Christie and what is next on this journey, it includes a new project, Decolonized Motherhood, which is a blend of the work I do in my researchand academia and the work I've done so far with this podcast.  Join me on this episode as I reflect on some anchor elements of 2022 and what's to come in 2023. Only up from here!  Episode's Blog Post https://vidawithchristie.com/2022/12/30/episode-40-2022-reflections/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I have BIG news to share on this latest episode. While I don't want to give it away in the description, even though the title of this episode is a major hint, I will share that I am making one of my wildest dreams come true. I am living it and am fully dedicated to it, and it is something that I still pinch myself about as a part of me can't fully believe it yet. On this episode I share how difficult the journey was to get where I am today, my intentions in the near future, and tears are shed because this new adventure means so much to me.  I am over the moon to know that this project and new chapter in my life I am dedicated to will contribute so much to this podcast and the work that I am doing to educate and support parents with the work of decolonizing parenthood and breaking intergenerational cycles with the purpose of raising aware and empowered kids. More than ever I am dedicate to this work and I am so excited for what this means for this podcast and the episodes to come.  Listen to this episode to get the steaming hot tea cause I know you're curious!  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/11/06/episode-39-academic-mama/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

While we'd love to think that this pandemic is over, the unfortunate truth is that we are still living in it. As parents, many of us have gone above and beyond thus far to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, and because of this we have been one of the most affected demographics since March 2020. As we prepare our children to return to school, on this episode I reflect on the current status of the COVID19 pandemic in Ontario, the safety measures our family will take to ensure our child is safe, and concerns from a parenting standpoint of things I wish would have happened to better protect our school communities. After all, overcoming this pandemic is a community effort.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/09/05/episode-38-pandemic-parenting-its-not-over-yet/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast.   

Danielle Bettmann is an incredible parenting coach and educator who I've had the pleasure of connecting with on various ocassions. On this episode, Danielle and I speak about nurturing the relationship that we have with our kids from a young age to the teenage years and beyond, the complexities of having a co-parent that may not be on the same page, and much more.  Danielle is the owner & parenting coach of Wholeheartedly, helping families with a strong-willed toddler and a "good cop / bad cop" dynamic find sanity & solutions. She's also the host of the Failing Motherhood podcast, working to normalize the struggle and share vulnerable stories of feeling like a "failure", reminding you that YOU are the mom your kids need. To learn more about Danielle, and discover supporting resources for this episode, make sure to visit vidawithchristie.com.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/07/10/episode-37-parenting-wholeheartedly-with-danielle-bettmann/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the pleasure of speaking to Lieutenant Colonel Claudia Peña, host of Parenting in Uniform Podcast, about the challenges and rewards of parenting while enlisted in Germany and serving the US Army. This was an incredibly educative experience for me as I know very little about army life, nevermind being a parent in that space.  Lieutenant Colonel Claudia Peña used her podcast to advocate for other parents who are enlisted and/or veterans, as well as leads the way for women and mothers in leadership within her space. It was truly insightful to speak to her and get a very eye-opening perspective to parenting life while enlisted. Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/05/25/episode-36-parenting-in-uniform-with-lieutenant-colonel-claudia-pena/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

Note: While I normally publish episodes in English, from time to time I will release episodes in Spanish. It makes me happy to share that this is one of them. Tune in to the next episode for our regularly scheduled English content. Estoy super emocionada de compartir mi primer episodio totalmente en español con ustedes. Era importante para mi de lanzar los episodios en español con el tema de romper ciclos intergeneracionales. No solo porque es un tema que nos afecta a todos, si no tambien porque es la basis del contenido de mi podcast y de mis experiencias como madre.  Ser madre me causo reflexionar comonunca lo habia hecho antes sobre mi vida, mis experiencias, mi niñes, y mucho mas. Esta reflexion profunda me llevo a cambiar mucho de lo que yo habia aprendido de mis padres con las forma que ellos me criaron. Sabia que no lo podia hacer igual, no solo porque los tiempos cambian pero porque habia tenido experiencias al resultado que no queria repetir con mi hija. Este proceso es muy "extraño" en nuestra cultura, donde criticar a los padres es visto como una gran falta de respeto. Yo no hablo de estos temas para hacer quedar mal a mis padres, todo lo contrario. Mis padres hicieron lo mejor que pudieron con su sabiduria, esfuerzo, alcanzes y limitaciones para criarme, y se que me quieren profundamente. Por eso, yo tengo el privilegio que poder reflexionar, aprender, desaprender, y mucho mas para que mi hija cresca sana; no solamente fisicamente pero psicologicamente y emocionalmente tambien. Este episodio es muy importante para mi. Yo se que este tema es dificil de practicar, especialmente en nuestra cultura, pero les recomiendo que escuchen este episodio con el corazon y la mente abierta. Nosotros tenemos el gran poder de mejorar el futuro con la forma que criamos a nuestros hijes, entonces porque no echarle ganas para un future mejor que el que nosotros tenemos? Blog Post Del Episodio http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/03/29/episode-34-breaking-intergenerational-cycles/ Redes Sociales Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Aprende mas sobre Vida With Christie Podcast en http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast.   

My podcast came from an idea of sharing my experiences and lessons as a parent, and how I parent differently than I was parented. My parenting approach is different because I wanted to break from what we know call "intergenerational cycles". This is truly the foundationof the work I do on this podcast.  As a result, I have recorded an episode to summarize what it means to break intergenerational cycles, come face to face with our traumas and what this means for your future and the future of your children. I highly recommend checking out this episode as it may just shift how you look at your life experiences and how they influence the way you parent. Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/03/29/episode-34-breaking-intergenerational-cycles/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the pleasure of speaking with Sara Olsher of Mighty & Bright. She was also joined by Danielle Bettmann of Parenting Wholeheartedly.  Sara shares her incredible story of resilience and determination as a breast cancer survivor, in addition to the challenges she overcame as a single mom of a young daughter. From those experiences, Mighty & Bright was born; a companyhelping families face though challenges with honesty and mental well-being in mind. As my listeners may know, these kinds of resources are greatly appreciated by me as I know too well what it is like to face though challenges as a family through my mom's metastatic breast cancer journey. Might and Bright's products and services would have without a doubt been usseful tools to help my daughter cope with her grandmother's cancer journey. While the experiences themselves are not always pleasant, it makes me so happy that Might and Bright exists and it is available for families and children facing challenges like divorce or cancer. Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/03/04/episode-33-helping-kids-face-tough-challenges-with-sara-olsher-of-mighty-and-bright/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the opportunity to connect with Tiana "Tee" Gaines of Postivitee x2 Podcast and discuss the various parenting challenges that present themselves and how to face them with a positive tone. Tee, a mom of one who is a US Army vet, shares how she is adjusting to civilian life and her experience being away from her daughter when she was stationed abroad. Of course, we also chatted about our approaches to positive parenting and raising incredible, strong and brave young racialized girls. What I appreciated most about speaking to Tee is her positive outlook and approaches to life. You can listen to more from her and her daughter on her podcast, Positivitee x2.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2022/02/10/episode-32-facing-parenting-challenges-with-positivity-with-tee-of-positivitee-x2-podcast/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

Who would have thought that we would wrap up 2021 while STILL in a pandemic? But here we are!  On the last episode of 2021, I reflect on the last year and this could not be done without discussion the health crisis we are experiencing. It has impacted us on many levels, especially as parents. I discuss the importance of building and nurturing community in order to overcome the pandemic, share an incredible parenting pro tip for creating a healthier Elf on the Shelf experience at home, and set some intentions for 2022.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/12/31/episode-31-2021-reflections/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the pleasure of speaking with Alexandra Borisevich of Empowered Parenting for this episode about becoming better parents. Alexandra's strategic approach and educational foundation of early childhood education provides parents with a comprehensive approach to creating a healthier and safer environment for our children. As a result of her recommendations and approach, there is no doubt that we will better connect with our children and nurture a strong foundation that will lead us to incredible parent-child relationships for many years to come.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/11/13/episode-30-becoming-better-parents-with-alexandra-borisevich-of-empowered-parenting/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had a situation come up with my daughter's Halloween costume that made me reflect about cultural appropriation; and in particular what I have taught my daughter on the topic.  While I recognize that it is okay for us to appreciate someone else's culture, it is not okay for us to consume aspects of a culture for which its people can experience racism, xenophobia, discrimination and more for. Teaching our children to be empowered and aware humans means educating them on these topics from a young age, and Halloween is a key time to have these conversations.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/10/29/episode-29-speaking-to-children-about-cultural-appropriation/  Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the incredible opportunity to interview Casey Davidson of The Hello Someday Podcast. She is a Certified Professional Life Coach who also hosts a podcast for busy women ready to drink less + live more. It was a pleasure to speak with Casey on this episode as living a sober life is something I have personally been curious about for quite some time and I know that some of my listeners may feel the same way. It was great to learn from Casey, from her insights to her recommendation, on how we can take that next step towards drinking less (or not at all).  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/10/03/episode-28-exploring-the-sober-life-with-casey-davidson-of-the-hello-someday-podcast/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

I had the wonderful pleasure of recording a podcast episode with my mom friend, Kat Antonopoulos. What started as a random discussion over Instagram DMs about a post I shared from @Empowered.Parenting turned into a podcast episode. We mamas discuss the positive and negatives around the word "no" and why we may not want to use it with our children because of how it impacted us as now adults, but also why sometimes it is also necessary to use it.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/09/18/episode-27-when-do-kids-need-to-hear-no-with-kat-antonopoulos/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/ Learn more about the Vida With Christie Podcast at http://vidawithchristie.com/podcast. 

Our kids are heading back to school this coming week in Ontario, but are we parents truly ready for that? Considering we are still in a pancemic with cases rising each day, I am feeling so nervous about my child going back to school.  On this episode, I break down my concerns regarding the back to school situation for kids in Ontario and how this is affecting parents. In addition, I discuss the political aspects of our children's return to school and what we as a community need to do to keep our kids safe.  Episode's Blog Post http://vidawithchristie.com/2021/09/05/episode-26-are-we-ready-to-go-back-to-school/ Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VidaWithChristie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VidaWithChristie/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VWCpodcast/