The Perfectors
328 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 206 ratingsWe believe the world needs people who are determined to see love, compassion and justice win. We interview the perfectors doing just that. #perfectors (formerly the Mama Bear Dares Podcast)
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Episodes
Episode 176: Defining Your Super Power with Dr. Zoe Shaw
August 13, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBOn Episode 176 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with the dynamic, wise, and absolutely delightful Dr. Zoe Shaw. Dr. Shaw is a mom to five, a psychotherapist, an author, and a radio host who is full of inspiration, energy, and fantastic advice.The sisters relish in their conversation about defining our unique super power and channeling it for the good of the world, saying 'no' in order to define priorities, setting boundaries, parenting teens intentionally, and living ...
Episode 175: Parenting Teens, Part Two
August 06, 2018 05:30 - 50 minutes - 58.2 MBOn this Mama Bear Mini, Tesi and Leslie talk about parenting teenagers in 2018. In particular, they discuss equipping kids with the language they need to navigate specific pressures of teenager-hood. They dive into ways parents can help prepare kids to say no to the pressures of drugs, alcohol, drunk driving and texting while driving, and discuss the language of kindness and how we might teach our kids to use their words in the face of relationship tension. The sisters also take on societal ...
Episode 174: The Changing Self is the Living Self with Rumaisa Rahman Khawaja
July 30, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBOn Episode 175, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Rumaisa Rahman Kahwaja and talk about her life's journey of learning and exploration. Rumaisa constant posture is love and compassion and the sisters love and appreciate the stories she shares about her journey to self acceptance and power. Rumaisa shares how she was mothered by a mother with mental illness, but has used that part of her story to become an phenomenal mother to her own daughter. Rumaisa grew up Muslim in Lincoln, Nebraska, and sha...
Episode 173: The High Cost of Poverty
July 23, 2018 05:30 - 48 minutes - 57.5 MBOn Episode 173, Tesi and Leslie discuss the high cost of being poor in America. According to the US Census Bureau, 37 million people are living in poverty in America. Because of this huge number and because of the complexities and myths surrounding America's poor, the two women dig into the research surrounding generational poverty, the small money-saving conveniences that many of us take for granted, energy inequity, the systemic underbelly of economic oppression, and the reasons why we sho...
Episode 172: The Fragility of Power with Rachel Held Evans
July 16, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 91.3 MBOn Episode 172 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi sits down with the thinker, writer, and modern-day prophet Rachel Held Evans to talk about the faith, justice, and a Mama Bear's response to the world we live in. The two dive into Rachel's new book, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, as they wade through a new answer to age-old questions like: How do you love your neighbor when you vehemently disagree with their beliefs? How do you overcome personal in...
Episode 171: JOY as an Act of RESISTANCE
July 09, 2018 05:30 - 38 minutes - 41.5 MBOn Episode 171, Leslie and Tesi discuss embracing and embodying JOY as an act of resistance. They discuss the long history of joy in the face of oppression and encourage listeners to take active steps toward eradicating any guilt associated with experiencing joy amid suffering. After discussing a bit of psychology in cultivating joy, they share personal mantras that encourage joy, and lean on the wisdom of those who have come before us, including Audre Lorde who said "caring for myself is no...
Episode 170: Let's Dish with Allison Schaaf
July 02, 2018 05:30 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBOn Episode 170 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi dish with Allison Schaaf, an Austin-based chef who shares wisdom on meal prep and planning, turning a passion into a business, and how to maintain a healthy life balance. Listen in as Leslie reveals her version of a "hot sandwich" and Tesi loses her mind over the mention of a honey mustard glaze. The conversation is light, fun, and full of useful tips and worthwhile wisdom. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares webs...
Episode 169: Families Belong Together
June 20, 2018 18:30 - 55 minutes - 61.1 MBOn Episode 169 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie knash teeth over the horror going on at the southwest border. With facts to back up their rage, the two women talk about the atrocity of migrant mothers and children being ripped apart at the border, about how the current administration has wrongfully used the bible to oppress, and how Mama Bears must refuse to sit back and watch it happen. The women remind listeners that without ethics, laws are just stories to tell to justify h...
Episode 168: All Bodies Are Good Bodies with Sarah Stevens
June 18, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 75 MBOn Episode 168 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie are captivated by Sarah Stevens, a wife, mother, entrepreneur, and founder of The Beautifull Project, a truly extraordinary space where ordinary women are encouraged to tell the truth of their bodies, beauty, and belonging. The conversation ranges from shame to hope, from illness to health, and from obsession to freedom, and works to serve as part of a chorus of courage for women who are tired of shrinking and aim to take up spac...
Episode 167: Do No Harm
June 11, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 116 MBThe topics covered on today's Mama Bear Mini — international travel, international aid, and open international adoption — are nuanced and complex, as were co-host Tesi and Leslie's 15 days together in East Africa. After just having returned from an epic adventure with a group of eleven women, the co-hosts spend Episode 167 sharing the stories they learned from the men and women they met along the way, inviting listeners to consider each experience in order to learn something about the world,...
Episode 166: A Path to Higher Healing with Tatum Drewes
June 04, 2018 05:30 - 51 minutes - 48.8 MBOn Episode 166 of the Mama Bear Dares podcast, co-hosts Leslie and Tesi sit down with Tatum Drewes to talk about health, healing, and helping. Not only is Tatum an inspiring woman, pioneer, and business owner who believes in helping others live their best, pain-free life, but she's also an expert in CBD oil and the medicinal properties of the hemp plant. Tatum owns Higher Healing and is generous in sharing her passion and knowledge as the hosts learn more about this natural healing phenomeno...
Episode 165: Summer and the War Against Manufactured Magic
May 28, 2018 05:30 - 26 minutes - 28.9 MBOn Episode 165 of the Mama Bear Dares podcast, co-hosts Leslie and Tesi dive into a topic near and dear to their hearts—the war against manufactured magic. It’s a Gladiator’s road to be sure, but today's episode tackles the idea that kids can make their own fun this summer and that women can release the pressure they may feel as moms to create constant joy, whimsy, and fun for them. For complete Show Notes, visit the Mama Bear Dares website.
Episode 164: A Read-Aloud Revolution with Sarah Mackenzie
May 21, 2018 05:30 - 57 minutes - 51.2 MBOn Episode 164 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hosts Tesi and Leslie sit down with the delightful Sarah Mackenzie about reading, books, and reading books aloud. Sarah is a literary match-maker, a podcast host, an entrepreneur, and mom of four who advocates for family bonding and growth via reading aloud. The three women enjoy a lively conversations about books and how time centered around books can strengthen relationships, promote kindness, compassion, and empathy, and make important mem...
Episode 163: Let's Do Better By Black Mothers & Babies: A Look at Racism in the American Healthcare System
May 14, 2018 05:30 - 48 minutes - 59.4 MBOn Episdoe 163 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie begin with a look at institutional racism in the American healthcare system. They focus on Linda Villarosa's incredible article, "Why American's Black Mothers and Babies are in a Life-or-Death Crisis,"in a segment they call "We Read It, We Loved It, Let's Discuss." The two are more than troubled by what Villarosa reports. Not only are shaken by the terrible disparity in death rates between white and black babies and women, but by...
Episode 162: Sex, God, & Politics with Kara Haug
May 07, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 81.8 MBOn Episode 162 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hosts Tesi and Leslie dig back into the archives for an interview with Kara Hoag, the founder of Grace Unbound, a resource for those seeking a comprehensive sexuality education that includes the integration of sexuality and theology and aims to wipe clean feelings of shame. The women acknowledge that God created sexual intimacy and celebrate the idea that the human body is beautiful and to be celebrated and enjoyed, and discuss the most effec...
Episode 161: We're Going to Africa & Aren't Going to Save Anyone
April 30, 2018 05:30 - 56 minutes - 60.6 MBThe Mama Bears are going on an adventure! On Episode 161 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi unpack their upcoming travels to the East African nations of Tanzania and Ethiopia. They devote this Mama Bear Mini to explaining how this two-week trip happened, what they're planning to do while in East Africa, and what they hope to accomplish while adventuring. In true Mama Bear form, they also take on the white savior complex, white supremacy, why we need to be very thoughtful when en...
Episode 160: The Dirt & Dust of Incarceration with Whitney Bolton
April 23, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBOn Episode 160 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Whitney Bolton, a listener who reached out to them after viewing the documentary 13TH and then listening to the Mama Bear episode covering that documentary. Whitney is hungry to share with listeners her powerful story about what life is like for women in prison. She and the co-hosts discuss the way the systems in power treat human beings and listen to her real-life account of how the experience of life behind bars c...
Episode 159: Parenting Teens (and why no one is talking about it)
April 16, 2018 05:30 - 36 minutes - 40.5 MBOn Episode 159 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi talk about the mysterious and thrilling responsibility of raising teenagers. As we've seen in the last six months, American teens are capable of organizing a worldwide march to end gun violence and yet also prone to staring at their screens for hours without any nourishment or personal contact. Teenagers are capable of tremendous amounts of love ... and slamming a door in your face. The women explore this topic with a few listene...
Episode 158: Remaining Fierce While Facing a Storm with Alli Worthington
April 09, 2018 05:30 - 46 minutes - 45.1 MBAlli Worthington is an entrepreneur and author who speaks about knowing yourself and trusting a fierce faith. Like many of us, she balances her family (five sons and a husband), her work, and her social obligations. Unlike many of us, she and her family faced a difficult health crisis that left her in a sea of fear, worry, and anxiety. When this onsalught of fear caught her off guard and threatened to overtake, she chose to fight back. Now, Alli wants to help others take steps to combat worr...
Episode 157: Female Friendship (We Continue to Slay, but We Dont Come to Play)
April 02, 2018 05:30 - 48 minutes - 53.3 MBOn Episode 157 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi take a hot minute to celebrate the sisterhood! The cultural landscape is changing for women—because of women—and the ladies take some time to feast on beauty of female friendship. They talk about the unique nature of healthy friendship and discuss the ways in which Mama Bear is uniquely poised to show up over and over again for her besties. They end the episode with an Obsess Sesh segment and dare listeners to lean into their bea...
Episode 156: A Little Bit Braver with Valorie Burton
March 26, 2018 05:30 - 37 minutes - 36.3 MBOn Episode 156 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie sits down with Valorie Burton, a wife, mother, and author of 11 books. Though Valorie came on the podcast to discuss her newest book: Successful Women Speak Differently: 9 Habits that Build Confidence, Courage, and Influence, the conversation ended up being about so much more. This podcast is about the difference in men and women in the workplace (and at home), an encouragement for those who get paralyzed by their fear of failure, and a r...
Episode 155: World Water Day (Everything you need to know)
March 19, 2018 05:30 - 58 minutes - 62.8 MBOn Episode 155, Tesi and Leslie get ready for World Water Day by talking about the human impact on one of our most precious resources: water. The co-hosts talk about nature, climate change, abundance, and the dangers of over-consumption. Leslie comes clean about her failed March Spending Freeze and the women drop some comprehensive knowledge about the global water crisis and the tragedy taking place right now in Flint, Michigan. Ultimately, armed with all kinds of facts and stories, the sist...
Episode 154: Period Party! with Lindsay O'Brien
March 12, 2018 05:30 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBOn Episode 154 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with artist and activist Lindsay O'Brien who tells her story of The Period Party she hosted in her community to astonishing results. The women discuss the cultural stigma surrounding a woman's natural cycle and how it complicates the life of under-resourced, homeless, or incarcerated women each month. Lindsay sheds light on a seemingly simple issue and encourages others to act on the spark they feel within. For complete...
Episode 153: Mama Bear 2.0: Gun Culture & How to Deal
March 05, 2018 06:30 - 1 hour - 82 MBOn Episode 153 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie lament American gun culture, discuss the absolute need for common sense gun laws, and celebrate the fact that "the babies are gonna save us," as Tesi is prone to say. In this Mama Bear Mini, the women go back to basics with facts and vocabulary surrounding guns, dispel common myths and misconceptions, equip listeners with concise arguments as they debate the issue, and bring up tangible steps listeners to deal with the state we f...
Episode 152: Plan B is Beautiful with Reina Glandon
February 26, 2018 06:30 - 1 hour - 60 MBOn Episode 152 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down to talk about motherhood, overcoming challenges, and teen pregnancy with Reina Glandon. Reina generously shares her story of learning she was pregnant as a junior in high school and becoming a mom to a beautiful baby girl at the age of 16. With a supportive network of family and friends, Reina graduated high school and is in nursing school, beating the odds of teen moms. Reina is funny, matter-of-fact, highly aware of th...
Episode 151: Female Pain & Female Pleasure
February 19, 2018 06:30 - 48 minutes - 52.7 MBOn Episode 151 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie once again explore sex, politics, and the #metoo movement. In this Mama Bear Mini, the women talk in particular about the nuance of gender roles and expectations in the culture we inhabit and about the discrepancy in everything from science to medicine to the general conversation between male and female sexual health and pleasure. The discussion between hosts is heated, passionate, honest, and vulnerable as the women get curious ...
Episode 150: Mama Bears & Money Management with Natali Morris
February 12, 2018 06:30 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBOn Episode 150 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down and talk about money, money management, investment, and the emotions that surround the topic with Natali Morris. Natali is an informed mama bear — a broadcaster, writer, speaker, and the co-founder & CFO of her own business. Previously, she was a news anchor and technology reporter for NBC, CBS, and The Today Show. The women sit around and discuss how her family of five has recently achieved financial freedom, and her mi...
Episode 149: Mama Bear Q & A
February 05, 2018 06:30 - 55 minutes - 59.7 MBOn Episode 149 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi take a moment to clean out the inbox and answer a few listener questions ... and tackle a random "interview" with one another! The sisters have been sisters (in-law) for 15 years, but they have never tired of catching up and digging deep to laugh with and learn from each other. Topics span from picnicking with hummus-in-a-can to time management to embracing God-given personalities and individuals qualities. One thing the two of t...
Episode 148: The Future is Fierce with Madison Cousins
January 29, 2018 06:30 - 44 minutes - 45 MBOn Episode 148, Tesi and Leslie interview Madison Cousins, a senior in high school and budding activist. The women sit down on MLK day to discuss Madison's involvement in a campaign to rectify the disproportionate school funding facing her district. She has organized classmates, rallied her community, and faced her state and local representatives while advocating for legislative action to fix the funding inequality in an effort to ensure that ALL students have access to excellent public educ...
Episode 147: Screen Time
January 22, 2018 06:30 - 47 minutes - 51.1 MBOn Episode 147 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi discuss the place of screens in their lives and the lives of their children. The episode is filled with laughter, as well as some serious statistics surrounding screen time, an analysis of what works and what doesn't work in the lives of the hosts, and a plan for navigating the world of screens in our modern day American lives. The women try not to get overwhelmed by the technology facing American children and adolescents living ...
Episode 146: Love & Resist with Dr. Tara Cousineau
January 15, 2018 06:30 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBOn Episode 146, Leslie and Tesi fall in love with Tara Cousineau, PhD, clinical psychologist, meditation teacher, well-being researcher, and author of the new book The Kindness Cure: How the Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and the World (available February 2018). Dr. Cousineau discusses her cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience and teaches simple practices of kindness that can dissolve our feelings of fear and habits of indifference. The women discuss with great ent...
Episode 145: Things of Beauty (A look back at the art & culture of 2017)
January 08, 2018 18:30 - 47 minutes - 51.6 MBOn Episode 145 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi discuss their Top Ten Cultural Influences of 2017 and share the hopes they hold for the new year. The episode is filled with laughter, book/movie/music recommendations, and a bit of motivation for 2018. The main message: Take a minute to laugh with your sisters. And as we rush into 2018, remember that whomever you love, whatever you do, and wherever you go, you can live this year like a Mama Bear. For complete Show Notes, visit ...
Episode 144: On Immigration, Compassion, & Complexity with Cynthia Vanderpool Desalegn
January 01, 2018 06:30 - 48 minutes - 56.7 MBOn this throwback episode of Mama Bear Dares, Leslie and Tesi talk to Cynthia Vanderpool Desalegn about immigration, advocacy, and neighborliness. Cynthia, mom to two children and an immigration lawyer, explains what it's like to be on the front lines of immigration in America. Together, the three dig into the immigration process, compassion fatigue, and the complexities of the system of immigration. Cynthia offers a look into a fascinating world, gently educating us and encouraging us to li...
Episode 143: Nothing of Value Separates Us with Tara Livesay
December 25, 2017 06:30 - 1 hour - 98.7 MBOn Episode 143 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hosts Tesi and Leslie dig back into the archives for an interview with Tara Livesay, a native Minnesotan who has spent the last 10 years living with her family in Haiti. Tara is a mother (by birth and adoption), Certified Professional Midwife, blogger, and advocate for sustainable change throughout the developing world. She and the team at Heartline Ministries spend their days empowering, educating, and encouraging women in Haiti through rela...
Episode 142: Peace Out, Patriarchy! (AKA The HOLIDAY EPISODE!)
December 18, 2017 06:30 - 38 minutes - 45.7 MBOn Episode 142 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi have a little fun with their holiday episode ... but not before discussing the election of Doug Jones in Alabama, gerrymandering, supporting Black businesses, #METOO, and the will to bid adieu to the patriarchy. After hashing out the headlines, the pair digs into two long-overdue segments: Things I Should Probably Feel Guilty About, But Don't and The Obsess Sesh. The episode ends with a dare to seek joy, laughter, and relaxation ...
Episode 141: Loud, Bold, & Joyful with Jamie Bruesehoff
December 11, 2017 06:30 - 1 hour - 77.7 MBOn Episode 141 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Jamie Bruesehoff, a fierce Mama Bear ally and advocate of transgender people. Jamie shares her beautiful story of raising three children, the oldest of whom is a strong and precocious transgirl. She is unabashedly honest about her journey and her advocacy and graciously educates listeners on how to be supportive to the marginalized throughout the globe. The conversation tackles many aspects of being transgender in t...
Episode 140: Love & Chores
December 04, 2017 06:30 - 39 minutes - 42.1 MBOn Episode 140 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hostesses Leslie and Tesi sit down and discuss a powerful TED Talk given by mama bear Julie Lythcott-Haims that left them both nodding their heads with great enthusiasm. The talk, entitled How to Raise Successful Kids Without Over Parenting, is less than 10 minutes long but drives home something that both hosts believe in their core: Our kids need to be loved and they need to do chores. Tesi and Leslie spend the episode celebrating and dissec...
Episode 139: Parent Pioneers with Kori Reed and Mike Becker
November 27, 2017 06:30 - 1 hour - 75.4 MBOn Episode 139 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi sits down with Mike Becker and Kori Reed, a couple with over twenty years of counter-cultural parenting experience—Mike has spent his career as a stay-at-home dad while working mom Kori has had a career spanning global companies. The conversation is delightful and insightful, and explores the duos contemporary perspective on parenting and their new book, ZigZag Parenting. Listeners will catch a glimpse of their relationship, hear honest tal...
Episode 138: Exhausted & Energized (A Water Party Re-Cap)
November 20, 2017 06:30 - 39 minutes - 44.4 MBOn Episode 138 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hostesses Leslie and Tesi sit down and talk about Water Party 2017, an annual event that the two hosts throw with a group of fierce Mama Bears in their community. The party occurred in an empty warehouse space on November 11th, and after just a few days to decompress, the women discuss their collective exhaustion and appreciation, re-cap the WHY of the work they did, and dig up a few take-aways that result from planning a massive fundraising ...
Episode 137: Free To Be Me with Nikki Yeager
November 13, 2017 06:30 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBOn Episode 137 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie sits down with the delightful Nikki Yeager, entrepreneur, mother, and founder of Every Bean Boutique, a source for non-gendered clothing. The women talk about children's fashion, societal norms, and, in particular, how gendered children's clothing has come to be. It's an interesting conversation that spans the horizon; the women discuss gender norms, sustainability, and parenting in the way that feels right to you and your family. Listene...
Episode 136: Husbands, Brothers, & Kale
November 06, 2017 06:30 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBOn Episode 136 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, we revisit a past conversation between Tesi, Jake (Leslie's hubby) and Zach (Tesi's husband) about embracing a plant-based diet. The convo took place while Leslie was in East Africa with the NGO she contracts with, Empower Tanzania. In this one-time-only appearance of male voices on the podcast, Tesi and the pair of brothers discuss their plant-based lifestyle, offer resources for those interested in learning more, and share anecdotes about how ...
Episode 135: Treating People, Not Pain with Dr. Carrie Hardy
October 30, 2017 05:30 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBOn Episode 135 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi grabs the mic for a conversation with Dr. Carrie Hardy, a woman, friend, past Navy hospital corpsman, and physician who was recommended by a listener as a valuable resource to all of us. With the recent opioid crisis on our minds, Tesi and Carrie dive into pain management, healthcare in America, and treating people rather than symptoms. This episode of the podcast provides great information and personal experiences that listeners will learn...
Episode 134: The Birds, the Bees, and Beyond (#metoo)
October 23, 2017 06:00 - 49 minutes - 46.4 MBOn Episode 134 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi talk about the recent social media phenomenon #metoo and what it means for them as women, as people in relationship with men, and as mothers. They sift through the collective cultural response, talk about strategies to use to educate their tweens and teens, how to show up for suffering friends, and how to talk to the men in their lives about gender equality, harassment, and assault. Their deeply held belief that we can all do bet...
Episode 133: Progress Over Perfection in Parenting with Heather Chauvin
October 16, 2017 05:30 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBOn Episode 133 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi sit down with the dynamic Heather Chauvin. A mom, social worker, thought leader, podcaster, and altogether wise women. Heather's mission is to "crack women open to their deep potential and help them create the life their soul craves" and the conversation recorded in this interview reveals just that. The women talk about their journeys to motherhood, the strength we each hold within, and ultimately point to the power of mindfulnes...
Episode 132: Talking Kids through Tragedy (Again)
October 09, 2017 05:30 - 43 minutes - 44.6 MBOn Episode 132 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi find themselves once again trying to find the language to respond to the events of the world as mothers tasked with helping their children navigate life in America in 2017. The two women offer their experiences in talking to their children ranging in age from young elementary to tweenager to teens. They discuss strategies that will help parents engage their children during anxious times such as the one Americans find themselves i...
Episode 131: The Power of Proximity with Shannan Martin
October 02, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour - 80.1 MBOn Episode 131 of the Mama Bear Dares podcast, Tesi grabs the mic and sits down with Shannan Martin, a mom, writer, and advocate for those on the fringes. Shannan makes her second appearance on the podcast and she and Tesi continue their conversation about Shannan's her book Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted through a discussion of community, neighborliness, committing to relationships with those to whom you are connected by proximity, and being an advocate for the voiceles...
Episode 130: Hearts A Flutter
September 25, 2017 05:30 - 40 minutes - 41.3 MBOn Episode 130 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi do their best to lighten things up a bit. After an intense week (natural disasters, healthcare, #TakeAKnee), the sisters decide to spend the episode checking in on the lighter side of life and dare their listeners to do the same. They discuss life happenings, what's poking at Tesi at the moment, and Leslie's short foray into Native American healing. The women hope listeners will follow their lead: Grab a girlfriend, discuss the t...
Episode 129: Grief and Goodness with Cari Roberts
September 18, 2017 05:30 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBOn Episode 129 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with Cari Roberts, a guest nominated by a listener for her activism, love, and belief in the good. Immediately smitten by Cari's lovely personality, the hosts dive deep into her story, the challenges she's had to overcome, and how she has been changed because of them. The three women discuss everything from the grief that followed the tragic death of Cari's parents to the way we can talk to our teenagers about hard thing...
Episode 128: The Privilege Pipeline
September 11, 2017 05:30 - 55 minutes - 63.2 MBOn Episode 128 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Leslie and Tesi continue the theme of talking about education in America. On this episode, they focus on the ways in which even the most progressive and earnest among us perpetuate segregation in our public schools. It's a tricky subject, but the hosts bring their hearts...and their hours of research...to the table in order to shed a bit more light on the subject. Drawing from personal experience and many, many fantastic articles and podcasts, T...
Episode 127: Learning Differences & the Magnificent Brain with Elisheva Schwartz
September 04, 2017 05:30 - 1 hour - 65.5 MBOn Episode 127 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie sit down with the dynamic Elisheva Schwartz, a dyslexia researcher, mother, wife, intelligence re-definer, and podcast host. The hosts are enthralled by Elisheva's story (by third grade she was being kicked out of class and into the hallway, by fifth grade she was getting suspended, and by the time she was a junior in high school she had dropped out school all together unsure if the classroom was the place for her) and by her Mam...