On Episode 36, co-hosts Leslie and Tesi enjoy a brief conversation about Seinfeld, dancing in Africa, and a Tanzanian trumpet choir in a segment they like to call SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS... The sisters go on to share some great summer recipes that highlight the seasonal produce that's so abundant during this time of year in a segment called LET'S TALK ABOUT HEALTH, BABY. The dishes they linger over are healthy, beautiful on the plate, inexpensive, and full of nutrition—plus they take no time to make! Finally, they end the mid-week mini by digging deep, getting real, and telling listeners about the THINGS THEY SHOULD PROBABLY FEEL GUILTY ABOUT, BUT DON'T. For links and complete Show Notes, visit our website!

On Episode 35 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, co-hosts Tesi and Leslie interview 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 relational midwifery and a focus on keeping first families together. Tesi and Leslie loved the time spent with Tara and were blown away by her vulnerability, bravery, and extraordinarily good humor. Listeners will enjoy hearing Tara's fascinating tales of worth, wisdom, and a life well-lived (in Haiti!) ... and may even be inspired to think about social change and the ways that they can make waves in their own small corner of the world. For complete Show Notes, head to www.mamabeardarespodcast.com.

On today's mid-week episode, Leslie and Tesi debate whether or not kids belong on all vacations. The co-hosts discuss the pros and cons of traveling with kids and explore the immediate needs of moms as individuals and the long-term impact that geographical exploration has on children. Leslie dives into why it's so important to her to take her kids just about anywhere as she trots the globe and Tesi drops some knowledge on traveling on a budget and shares examples of what she has learned from navigating the world with a family of seven. The sisters dare listeners to consider travel—both literally and as a state of mind—and how embracing a bit of movement and whimsy this summer can lead to a season well lived. For full Show Notes, visit www.mamabeardarespodcast.com. MBD: FOUR REASONS TO CROSS THE GLOBE WITH KIDS Kids bring wonder and delightKids slow you down...in a good wayThese experiences will shape their brains foreverTravel is a physical and emotional journey...even for kids MBD: BUDGET FRIENDLY TRAVEL (with kids) TIPS Research, research, researchTake out cash and stick to it!Pack food or stay in places with a small kitchen that allow you to buy in bulk. (Leslie and family have had great luck with AirBnB and Homeaway.)

On today's mid-week episode, Leslie and Tesi debate whether or not kids belong on all vacations. The co-hosts discuss the pros and cons of traveling with kids and explore the immediate needs of moms as individuals and the long-term impact that geographical exploration has on children. Leslie dives into why it's so important to her to take her kids just about anywhere as she trots the globe and Tesi drops some knowledge on traveling on a budget and shares examples of what she has learned from navigating the world with a family of seven. The sisters dare listeners to consider travel—both literally and as a state of mind—and how embracing a bit of movement and whimsy this summer can lead to a season well lived. For complete Show Notes and links, head to the Mama Bear Dares website. MBD: FOUR REASONS TO CROSS THE GLOBE WITH KIDS Kids bring wonder and delightKids slow you down...in a good wayThese experiences will shape their brains foreverTravel is a physical and emotional journey...even for kids MBD: BUDGET FRIENDLY TRAVEL (with kids) TIPS Research, research, researchTake out cash and stick to it!Pack food or stay in places with a small kitchen that allow you to buy in bulk. (Leslie and family have had great luck with AirBnB and Homeaway.)

On Episode 33, co-hosts Leslie and Tesi tackle the topic of poetry in the modern world by interviewing award-winning poet and mother-of-two Aubrey Ryan. Aubrey shares her experience with poetry and the way it impacts her everyday, all the while helping to demystify the sometimes intimidating art form. The women spend an hour together admiring the poetry in our world while viewing it from unexpected angles: poetry as medicine, writing as healing, and verse as activism. Listeners will hear the words of poets who have you woven truths together and may pause to take in the power of language, lingering over the mystery and beauty of the ways that we, as human beings, communicate. Tesi, Leslie, and their guest talk about being alive to the extraordinary in the ordinary and then telling of the discovery in magnificent and creative ways. All of this to say, as Aubrey Ryan does in Episode 33, "Hey, world! Poetry is not hard!" For full Show Notes, visit Mama Bear Dares online. 

On Episode 32, 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. The conversation focuses on a great article written Bunmi Laditan that appeared in The Huff Post. Surrounding this topic, the podcast opens with a celebration of Tesi's birthday and ends with a dare to let memories be made because you refuse to give into the pressures of the world and allow your kids experience magic on their own. For complete Show Notes visit www.mamabeardarespodcast.com/daretolisten/. Here are some highlights of the conversation: Leslie reveals that her best parenting move is from the couch or the porchThe co-hosts share childhood memories that were very simple and were not manufactured! Tesi recalls a thrilling childhood—and she doesn’t remember seeing her mom during the day. (She was certainly not manufacturing magic.)If it feels natural to you to create magic, then do it! But if it feels unnatural to you, don’t. Release the pressure of perfection!We pose a few final questions from the article about childhood, magic, and where you stand on the relationship between the two...and ask our Mama Bear Community to answer online!

On Episode 31 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie interview meditation coach and mother of two, Angie Sands. Angie delights the co-hosts with her calm spirit and incredible bank knowledge about the age-old practice of meditation. The women discuss how the act of meditating has impacted their emotional lives and the way in which meditation impacts the development and maturation of the human brain. It's a fascinating conversation about a topic of curiosity for more and more moms in the trenches of parenthood. Also on this episode, Leslie and Tesi have fun exploring a new segment inspired by Angie called MAYBE IT'S MEDITATION during which they discuss the impact of meditation on their every day lives. Am I calmer in line at the grocery store? Are the clouds really that beautiful? Does meditation literally make my skin glow? The co-hosts wonder just how far meditation can take a person, and they want to hear from you about your own experiences or apprehensions! Finally, after a fruitful conversation with Angie, we hear about her current obsessions in the OBSESS SESH. For complete show notes, visit www.mamabeardarespodcast.com/daretolisten. Other topics discussed: The remarkable brain science behind meditationThe benefits for kids who engage in a meditation practiceThe idea that though many of our desires are externally driven, we have everything we need inside of us to feel peace and happiness. Meditation will help us unlock these joys!The difference between meditation and mindfulnessThe question of whether or not there is an element of privilege in the practice of meditationHow to get started with a meditation practice...perhaps it can be a way to nurture your Other Self!

Tesi and Leslie get a little heated, a tiny bit soap box-y, and a whole lot passionate on Episode 30 in which they tackle the headlines. The women pause to consider the magnifying glass that was placed on the mother at the Cincinnati Zoo as her toddler tumbled into the ape enclosure and discuss how, as mothers, our generation can help put a stop to the rape culture that's all too prevalent in our country. As they discuss the zoo incident and the sentence just doled out to a rapist in California, the women try their best to navigate the incredibly difficult world we inhabit. Through their conversation they mince no words, but do their best to arrive at a place of productive rage and overall love. Here are a few ways that moms (and dads) can help turn the tide of rape culture discussed on today's episode: Talk to your kids about sexImplement a firm "no means no policy" while rough-housing, tickling, wrestling, or any other physical playEncourage children to practice their "no" ... and then honor itStop telling our daughters that "teasing" (pulling hair, etc.) is a sign that someone "likes" youStop assigning boyfriends/girlfriends to young childrenWhen age appropriate, talk about the definition of consentDiscuss with your children the media's portrayal of criminals through images and the use of language in describing victims and perpetratorsNotice together how race and class can distort our system of justice How to find hope, Mama Bears? Listen to the end of the episode for a list of what keeps Leslie and Tesi clinging to the idea that good can prevail.  For complete show notes, head to www.mamabeardarespodcast.com/dare to listen.

When Leslie, the co-host of the Mama Bear Dares, traveled to East Africa late last month with the NGO she contracts with, she realized she had a great opportunity to introduce listeners of the Mama Bear Dares podcast to a Tanzanian mother. Her international colleague at Empower Tanzania, new mom and program manager Efrancia Nzota, graciously agreed to be a guest on the show. After a long, hot day of training Maasai women as Community Health Workers, Leslie and Efra sat down at the Nzoroko Hotel restaurant, shared a Coke, and discussed the ways their lives as professionals and as mothers are similar and the ways in which they are different. The conversation that listeners will listen in on in Episode 29 may point listeners to this: Our joys and triumphs as mothers and women are universal. We can sit with friends in our own communities and find out that we have much in common, and we can travel across the world, sit down with friends there, and learn the same thing. This transformative realization is one hosts Leslie and Tesi hope listeners will never look back from. For complete show notes and all links from the episode, visit http://www.mamabeardarespodcast.com/daretolisten/

On Episode 28 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi talks to Leslie's husband Jake and her own husband Zach about embracing a plant-based diet while Leslie is in East Africa with the NGO she contracts with, Empower Tanzania. In this debut 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 becoming vegan has impacted their health and their lives. Finally, in a nod to the ever-present phenomena of "Mommy Guilt," they tackle "Daddy Guilt" and try to determine whether or not it truly exists. (Hint: It does!) Segments include When You Know Better, You Do Better and Things We Should Probably Feel Guilty About But Don't. Visit the Mama Bear Dares Podcast website for complete show notes and links!