Mama Bear Dares

On Episode 203 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie get really real, really fast with Janelle Hanchett, founder of Renegade Mothering and author of I’m Just Happy to Be Here.The three take on the illusion of perfection, the freedom of truth, the power of sharing your story, and the hope in everyday miracles…even after trauma. The conversation is intimate, passionate, and a must-listen for anyone who needs a dose of compassion and a wallop of courage. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 202 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hosts Leslie and Tesi talk about their love of Kristen Bell, Maya Rudolph, and The Good Place. Without any spoilers, the two women discuss a quandary presented in Season 3. Can any of us really get to the good place? Are the systems in place keeping us from eternal peace? Is it even possible for a modern-day Mama Bear to be a truly “good” person whose actions reflect her heart? The two women have so many questions and they explore this idea with candor and curiosity. For good measure, the sister-co-hosts end the show with a few segments that listeners are sure to relate to. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear website.

On Episode 201 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi sits down with Dami Lee, a Seoul-born, New York–based artist who brings to life the plight of a Mama Bear with a humorous edge. Dami writes for The Verge, has drawn comics for The New Yorker, Buzzfeed, and Cosmopolitan, and writes her webcomic As Per Usual, which explores gender, identity, and immigration through her own lens. The two women discuss art and life, Dami’s upbringing and experiences, and the ways Mama Bear can be furiously engaged, but also amused by the world we share. Find complete Show Notes on the Mama Bear Dares website.  

On Episode 200 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk about the Marie Kondo craze that has so many of us captivated and curious. In true Mama Bear fashion, they provide commentary on Kondo’s Mama Bear methods by acknowledging her sometimes counter-cultural method and her critique of gendered social norms and the excessive consumerism so often exercised in the Western world. The women praise Marie Kondo’s emphasis on gratitude and celebrate her quiet revolution of equality. With a small analysis of the “mental load” so many women share and talk of a little xenophobia thrown in for good measure, the women have a great time discussing the KonMarie method and the layers it entails. Visit the Mama Bear website for complete Show Notes!

On Episode 199 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie celebrate the writers (we see you, Mama Bear marketers!) behind the Gillette Razor commercial and discuss how to talk to those in our lives who disagree or take issue with the message behind the ad. They dive into the cultural waters of toxic masculinity, once again breaking it down and analyzing the rub. How did we get here? How do we do better? How do we talk to people we love about being a woman in this world? The two women share their ideas about the commercial, discuss the government shutdown, and then tackle two listener questions, ultimately leaving listeners with a new dare for a new day. For complete Show Notes visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 198 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with Alyson Wild, a wise and brave woman who shares earned wisdom about self discovery, living the truth of your identity, and claiming your desires. Together, the three women discuss the power of words that comfort, words that broaden perspective, and the importance of representation in literature and life. It’s a beautiful conversation between curious women who seek understanding, compassion, and hope. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 197 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down to rehash highlights from 2018, discuss the things they were thankful to live through, cast a personal and podcast vision for the New Year, and celebrate the dawn of a fresh page of the calendar. They discuss their favorite books and pop culture moments, laugh a lot, shake their fists a few times, and admit some hard truths. Ultimately, anyone listening will feel encouraged to live intentionally and be reminded that they can do the hardest things. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 196 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie switch seats and instead of hosting the show, they are interviewed by life coach, friend, and podcast host extraordinaire Rumaisa Rahman Khawaja! The ladies love dishing about their relationship (sisters, besties, and biz partners), their marriages (they married a pair of brothers), their parenting styles (they have 8 kids between them), and their passion for hosting a podcast to inspire others to action. It’s a fun switch that will introduce listeners to the Mama Bear Dares hostesses AND keep long-time listeners entertained with new insights (you’ll learn about Leslie’s biggest fear) and observations (like Tesi’s favorite place on the planet). Happy New Year to all the Mama Bears! 2019 is sure to be the best one yet! For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 195 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with real-life Hallmark movie star, 80s icon, and fierce mama bear, Cameron Candace Bure. The three women enjoy a joy-filled conversation about kindness, raising strong kids, faith, parenting, the importance of do-overs, working hard, and making room for holiday joy. Listeners will love this candid conversation with Candace and be inspired by her honest, down-to-earth approach to life and love! For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.    

On Episode 194 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie discuss the alarming facts pointing to the criminalization and additional hardships on America’s marginalized communities. After exploring the fees that our justice system places on the marginalized, the high cost (and inconvenience) of poverty, the additional scrutiny on the Earned Income Tax Credit by the IRS, and the outright criminalization of our country’s poor, the sisters ask listeners to think about news and the perspectives they encounter critically and to always challenge themselves to spread love and compassion out into the world … during the holiday season and beyond. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 193 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Helene Defossez, an an author and activist who leads a group of Mama Bears (les mamans ours!) in her home country of France. The three women jump into a delightful and fierce conversation about food as activism and why eating more veggies and less (or no!) meat is an act of resistance in terms of climate change. The women discuss veganism and the treatment of animals, veganism as an environmental and political practice, and vegetables as a means of improved health. Also discussed is culture and relationship to food and farming practices, compassionate living, and Tesi’s discovery of the garlic press. :-) For links and complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 192 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Shontell Brewer, an incredible woman who is a teacher and mother and a fierce Mama Bear advocate for the growing number of those trafficked in the United States and beyond. Shontell shares stories from the frontlines, provides an education into the issue of sex-ploitation and human trafficking, and offers insight and advice on how to safely navigate technology in the face of predators. The women discuss Shontell’s work as a preventionist for trafficked individuals across the nation, how her skill and passion have aligned to make the world a better place, and the truth that each of us — and all the children we encounter — have worth and that an understanding of that worth could be life-saving. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 191 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie talk about all things holiday. In particular, they discuss how to make room for JOY during this festive (and often jam-packed and perhaps even stressful) season. The sisters bring in expert and author Jessica Turner (Stretched Too Thin) to answer their questions about being present, being efficient, managing expectations, and finding joy (while still leaving room for the Mama Bear instinct) during the next month and beyond. Listeners will love the candid and honest conversation and the practical tips offered in this episode. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 190 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie grabs the mic and spends time talking about beauty, design, hospitality, priorities, place, and kindness with design maven MyQuillyn Smith. The women lament the American obsession with accumulating things and refuse to be “stuff managers.” In a lively conversation about all things beautiful, Leslie and Myquillyn explore the idea of how physical space impacts the Mama Bear spirit and about how we can all — should our hearts desire — achieve real, approachable, affordable design that lends our homes to joy and community. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 189, Leslie and Tesi talk about the midterm election and their quest to raise politically active kids. They celebrate the nation’s small victories, reiterate their belief that the #babiesgonnasaveus, and leave listeners with a re-cap of the Water Party, an annual event that this year raised nearly $60,000 for clean water solutions in rural Tanzania. This episode is a reminder to listeners that progress is made at a pace that is almost always slow and steady, and encourage all the Fur/Plant/People mama and papas bears out there to keep doing the hard work in the direction of love and compassion. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 188 of the Mama Bear Dares, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Jessica Blank, a creator, activist, entrepreneur, and mom. As a filmmaker, playwright, director, and actor Jessica has worked Off-Broadway, on network television, and in Hollywood and her groundbreaking, multi-award-winning documentary theater work has helped shape the genre. As an activist and change-maker, she works with progressive candidates and nonprofit leaders to help them use the power of empathy and narrative to radically expand their reach. powerfully uplevel their creativity, and use narrative for social change. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 187, Tesi and Leslie add their Mama Bear voice to the discussion of cultural appropriation…a conversation they feel is relevant not just on Halloween but on every other day of the year as well. They discuss how to be cultural appreciators rather than appropriators, why they cling tightly to the maxim that Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Blackface, and what makes them adamant in their belief that when you know better you do better. The sisters are candid about past mistakes and misteps, bring the research behind their current views, and challenge one another, as well as listeners, to look beyond ourselves and carefully consider the weight of each of our actions. For links and complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.

On Episode 186 of the Mama Bear Dares podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Libby Babbott-Klein, a producer, author, and creative director with a focus on activist and political content. Libby ran the video department for Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, and launched a feminist jewelry line (Libby B.K.), and for over a decade, she has been creating content that is rooted in social change and entertainment. The women sit and talk about feminism in 2018 and explore the idea of teaching even our youngest children about gender equality. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares Podcast website.

On Episode 185 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie re-visit the topic of kindness in America in 2018. Not only do they reiterate the importance of modeling kindness and teaching kindness to the next generation, but they also discuss how to live a healthy life of kindness. Thanks to a listener suggestion, they take a look at Brene Brown’s theory that the most compassionate people are the most boundaried and they discuss how to incorporate healthy boundaries in the Mama Bear life. Also discussed is the very real and very sobering fact that America has historically not ever been kind to certain groups of people. They acknolwedge this blindspot and vow to work even harder to steer the ship away from an undeniably sullied past and toward a kinder, gentler future for ALL people. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares podcast website.

On Episode 184 of the Mama Bear Dares podcast, Tesi and Leslie chat with Shannan Martin, a mom, writer, and advocate for those on the fringes. Shannan makes her third appearance on the podcast and she and the sisters discuss community, neighborliness, committing to relationships with those with whom you are connected by proximity, and being an everyday advocate in your corner of the world. Through their conversation, listeners are invited to reflect on the meaning of kindness, their social position in America, and the ways in which they interact with their community and the world around them. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.