Mama Says Namaste Podcast

This past week we introduced a game that, ironically, was a "game-changer" in our life. It was a powerful game that shifted our perspective and made one pivotal shift in both semantics and mindset in our lives.  Creating financial literacy at home - helping your children understand about investments, liabilities, assets and more - is something we see as a critical life skill. Do you - and your children - know how to make money work for the life you want to live? Do you know how to manage it so it doesn't manage you? Listen in. 

Wow, 201 episodes in, and this is a day to celebrate! 4 years ago today, the Mama Says Namaste podcast was created. 5 years ago today, Mama Says Namaste was officially launched as a business. And 40 years ago today, I was born!  In this episode we look back over the last decade and the crazy shifts we made to get to where we are at this point. Not only do we share more about the mindset and actual shifts in our own lives, but we lay the four essential steps we chose to take to get there.  This episode is truly in response to the many questions we got in this week from our "lessons learned" episode 200! Remember you can always go to MamaSaysNamaste.com to see the latest blog post that goes along with each episode. If these are resonating with you, my birthday request is that you spread the love and share it with someone else. We speak our hearts each week to give any inspiration and insight we can to help others create the joy in their lives that we are so glad to experience. It's not pure luck. It's very focu

Wow - we've hit our 200th episode!! That is 200 weeks straight of delivering you content to help you - and your family - thrive together, where the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us!  In this episode, Nathan and I (Ashley) share our biggest lessons learned over the past four years in each of the subjects we've had a podcast series on - personality styles, marriage, parenting, unschooling, minimalism/decluttering, and family travel.  Hop over to the blog post to get all the downloads I share about in this episode, and celebrate with us by sharing this episode and leaving a review! 

This week is another interview with decluttering expert, Tracy McCubbin! With a super in-depth blog post in addition to this episode, we cover all about why it's important to be clutter-free, as well as how that doesn't mean you have to be a minimalist, where you can donate beyond Goodwill, and how to manage the clutter with toys and family members who aren't quite as tidy. 

My co-host may be a Logsdon this week, but she's a wee bit shorter than her Daddy! Joining me on the podcast is our youngest daughter, Juliet, who share her perspectives from being unschooled her whole life, AND all of her school years full-time RVing the States and learning as we grow.  It's a pretty awesome thing to have your own children impress you, and I'm thrilled to share this episode - the insights out of the mouths of babes can be pretty profound.  Sometimes the best way to ease our fears is to listen to people who have been through it - so this week I wanted to not only talk about my experience as an unschooling parent, but to make space for you to hear from our child's perspective who has only known this lifestyle.  Don't complicate things. Start with getting to know each other - and build an authentic relationship where you live that growth mindset together. 

Have you ever considered full-time RVing for your family? It can seem like a pretty daunting thing, yet...it's possible. Oh so possible. We're living proof that not only can you do it, you can thrive and really have a blast!  It's not that everything is easy, though. Let's dig in on the biggies you need to consider before you hit the road.

Ah, codependency - is it clearly identified, or a buzzword we can't quite grasp? Nathan and I are pretty much together 24/7 and definitely weigh in with each other on making decisions. Yet how do you tow the line from just being connected to an unhealthy codependency?  We break it down in this week's podcast, not to trivialize or negate the true complexity of this, but to simply open the door to exploring it more for yourself, and whether this is an area you can work on more in your life.  And, we share a bit about the power of the struggle, body checks, and questions to ask yourself to explore your own worth. 

This week we're getting to the core of what "namaste" really means to us, as well as how we put the "om" in hOMe. This is a frequently visited page on our website, as some, especially in the West, are still new to these concepts.  What do these words mean to you? We'll share about the symbol breakdown of the word "om", my definition of "namaste", as well as sharing about a fascinating experiment, and how the movie Avatar relates.  Are you feeling that wonderful sense of "om" in your life?

With all of the shifts in education over the past year, many of you are re-evaluating what it looks like in your home. We believe a growth mindset is the most important aspect here, and that is a family approach. So how do we live as unschooling parents? How do you parent unschoolers - or ANY kids - with a growth mindset who continues to embrace learning throughout their life? Check out the podcast and blog post this week, and learn how you can be an unschooling parent.

Ashley talks with yogi Tatyana Souza on parenting, yoga, and the importance of mindfulness as a parent. She shares insights into how to set clear boundaries and make it happen, and why it's so important. Watch the full video on YouTube, listen to the podcast wherever you tune in to podcasts, and/or check out the corresponding blog post at www.MamaSaysNamaste.com/podcast-tatyana-souza-mindfulness 

I've talked often about how we can use our words to communicate, but it takes way more to truly connect. It's knowing our personality styles and how to speak to each other in a way where everyone is heard...and it's in the nonverbal cues that speak so loudly.  We go over five nonverbal cues this week that are like shifting from song lyrics to a full musical performance. It's more than simply words - what is left unsaid that is showing up in your life?

Do you have a full life...or a busy one? Sometimes we wear our "busy" as a badge of honor; yet is that really the life you want to live? Is that the excuse you want to give? Sometimes there IS a season for being busy and really hustling hard. But the term "busy" vs. having a full life...there is a different mindset around these. 

Do you adjust to the world or do you demand that the world adjust to you? Crazy enough, everyone isn’t just sitting around waiting to cater to your needs. And, unfortunately, drama doesn’t always make an appointment to show up in our lives. So how do you deal with it? When do you flow and adapt, and when do you stand your ground?

What do you do when you have a dream that is out of reach, or you feel like your life isn’t quite where you want it to be? What do you do when you see all this opportunity out there, but it seems way too insurmountable to tackle because of the life you’re already living in?  How do you handle pursuing your dreams when you have a mountain of responsibility at your door? How do you move forward? Do you live in the pain, or do you create a plan? While we often look for what we need to add in to get back on track, sometimes, it much, much important to let things go. We cover the 3 biggies on what keeps you stuck in this week's episode.

Change is inevitable in our lives…yet it can be scary and overwhelming. How are you navigating change? In your home, your work…your life? Sometimes we’re navigating change that is unwanted or unexpected, like the weather or, let’s say, 2020 as a whole.  But then again, sometimes the changes are those aches and pains of unrest, resentment, frustration and more, and they will continue to pester us until we proactively incite a change in our lives.  So what are you doing to navigate change? Weigh in with this podcast and blog post here: www.MamaSaysNamaste.com/podcast-navigating-change

Are you recognizing that what you thought marriage would be...isn't what is happening in your home? Are you avoiding - or starting to face - that there are some cracks in your marriage that are starting to look a bit more like a chasm?  Nathan and Ashley address how to handle these realizations: We don't talk anymore. We don't touch anymore. We don't date anymore.  We address the big scary aspects of having real and raw conversations about ensuring you both have the common goal to begin with, and stepping stones to course-correct and come back to a marriage with both people stepping up and having their space to shine.

Money gets you...what? Happiness? Sunshine all the time? Stress and more responsibility and obligation than you need or want? What, really, is the deeper desire behind money that would help you truly be happy? We dig into this once again on the podcast as we look at our purpose for money and hash out some amazing money quotes to help you reframe your perspective about what it can do for you.  Get the full show notes, as always, at www.MamaSaysNamaste.com/podcast-money-goals

How do you navigate the muddy post-covid waters of the educational world? How has homeschooling become like religion, nuanced and personal while also trying to be labeled and identified? We hash out three big questions about unschooling and share a bit more about why de-schooling is so, so important.  If you're concerned about socialization, how to lead your child's educational journey, or if you'll know all the answers, check out this episode. And, as always, the meat of the content and all the awesome links are in the show notes here. 

This is the final in our series, "The Birds and the Bees: Navigating Powerful Conversations for Lasting Legacies with Our Children".  I'm back with another interview with Moon Daughters founder Jessica Connelly, and it's another jam-packed session with insights for everyone.  Even if you don't have children, these past two episodes with Jessica are important for us all.  Get all the scoop in the in-depth show notes here.

This is the second in a 3-part series on sex and sexuality...and this isn't just for parents broaching the subject with their kids! This is a powerful interview with Jessica Connelly of Moon Daughters, and she really breaks down the scientific backing around our physical and intuitive connection to our natural world.  We dig deep into claiming our own inner power, and how we need to lay the groundwork within before we ever have these conversations with our children or anyone else.  Check out the corresponding blog post this week where I lay out all the concepts covered in a readable format - and please, spread the word about this series, it may only be available as a free podcast for a limited time - it's that good!