Season 2, Episode 1

[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_PLUS] (space sound bite) When asked recently what my vision for 2016 is, my response was to build a tribe of empowered mamas. I believe that knowledge is power and when we are informed and supported, we are empowered. So how am I going to tackle this vision? Well, I am certainly not going to do it alone! I’ve done a lot of things by myself in the past, and although I love the autonomy I know that it requires a team to do things well and have impact. I was also told recently that one of the biggest ways that you can change the world is to tell your story...so here it is...How I, your host Rachel Maskell, arrived at Season 2 of the #mumboss podcast and what you should expect over the course of the next 8 weeks...are you with me?! (Audio intro) I’m going to be honest because transparency is a cornerstone to this show...I did not know what season two was going to look like. If you missed Season 1, it was essentially me, sharing my journey of being a mom, a wife, an entrepreneur, and a person, traveling a lot. But there. I said it. I had no idea what was supposed to come next. I’ve had a lot of ideas but nothing seemed to really fire me up. I knew I wanted to bring on others to the show, it’s a lot to carry the content by myself and really, how interesting can I be for a whole other series?... But I still wasn’t sure of the format. I would love to do a show like This American Life, or just about anything that Alex Bloomberg touches, but those require professionals, and a team...I’m still solo, still on my iPad and iPhone, and still learning. So that approach is pretty much out. The common format is a straight interview. I like these and in fact even had my line up of women to interview and did one, which you’ll hear a snippet of later, but the quality of the recording was so poor I couldn’t use any of it. When I reached out to the app developers they told me there was nothing they could do since the issue was from a cell phone provider. (Yes, ideally we would be on land lines and in a soundproof booth and all those fancy things, but let's get real...who really has access to that!) So, I took it as a sign, another hint from the Universe that the interviewing concept was not going to fly. I want to be able to tell stories, to inspire and support other mamas. I want to build a tribe of #mumbosses, not just listeners...although I love you too...it’s just that I believe that there are others hungry for connection like I am and it’s hard to find it sometimes, especially since we are juggling a million other things. So what’s a girl to do… I waited, patiently...I asked, I listened to other podcasts, I prayed to the podcast gods, and then I went to ALT. (Audio clip) An online friend had told me about ALT summit last year and I had it in the back of my mind ever since. As soon as I was able I signed up. I organized a roommate from the Facebook group, set off solo and crossed my fingers that all would go well. And yay for Hubby...he gets gold stars for taking Kaliana for the four days I was away. The first day I arrive my roommate and I kick it off fantastically...anxiety gone. And it was that night, post sponsor dinners, that the flood gate opened and the ideas came swarming into my mind - keeping me tossing and turning all night. I had it. I don’t know if it was the cold Salt Lake City air, the wine from La Crema, or the creative energy that was buzzing in the hotel...but I finally felt like I landed on the format. It’s like Dear Abby for mama’s. Actually, it may be more like a hybrid of Dear Sugars and the Longest Shortest Time...but I’ll leave it to you to decide. The next morning I canvassed the ALT community to see what the response was. This after all, was my target market. This year's ALT was approx 500 people and out of those less than ten were males. You go guys! (audio from ALT) The idea was resonating and I felt invigorated. So what should you expect? As the bio line on my Instagram says, “compassionate and real advice for the modern mama.” Or in other words, mamas have questions and experts have answers and even better, there are experts who are mamas who have answers. Mamas supporting mamas...that’s how I’m going to tackle my vision for 2016. #mumboss (Questions from ALT) Many of the questions in season two will come from some of the badass moms I met at ALT. Some of the experts will come from there too. I was blown away by how women were not just being nice to each other, but being real. Being ‘authentic’ and embracing wherever the other was at on their journey. This was...IS...the attitude and community of #mumboss. We’re all in it together, we’re all on the same team, and we understand each other like no other. This is the last episode where you will hear so much of me. Moving forward each show will cover a different topic. I will share a question or questions from the community and bring on an expert to help answer or give advice. But be forewarned, I’ll probably add my two cents here and there and definitely ask more questions! If you’d like to get involved please send your questions! Go to mumboss.com/contact and follow the instructions. I can’t wait to hear and learn from you! Thank you for listening. If you liked this show, please share it with your community. If you, or another mama you know, are looking for answers to your burning questions send them my way. You can also support the #mumboss vision by subscribing on iTunes and rate the show...even if you tune in through other formats. If you don’t want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe for updates on my website at mumboss.com Before I leave, If there’s one thing I would love to accomplish this season is to initiate and facilitate connections...as Dallas Hartwig said to me recently...it’s about using online tools for building offline relationships. So let’s get this party started! (Audio: definition of motherhood) Okay, there’s one more thing...are you wondering why I chose that sound bite in the beginning about floating in space? Perhaps it’s part of the creative process, but it can feel dark and a little scary when you let go and open yourself up to the unknown...but then you see it...the spark of life on the other side. This is the other side. Download episode | Get new episodes delivered to your inbox

About this episode

This episode contained voices from ALT attendees, music from Lemon Jelly and Rusko (feat Amber Coffman) and a snippet of what happens when the phone recorder app and the cell companies don't play nice together. Thanks to Canary Jane for the street art pic and new friends from ALT. Enjoy!