On The Brighter Side

Today, I’m chatting with Rose Gebran. She’s the owner of Roro’s Cookies and she’s all about paying it forward. She started he own cookie company with all the proceeds going to charity. She’s been featured on KTVB’s 7’s Heros and in Redbook Magazine. In our interview, we go behind the scenes to talk about how it all started, her biggest cookie fail and how she finds the charities she donates all the proceeds of her cookies sales to.You can find her on Facebook www.facebook.com/roroscookies and Intagram www.instagram.com/roroscookies or on her website: www.roroscookies.org.A couple of Roro’s favorite charities in Idaho are: Create Common Good and The Women and Children’s Alliance.

Today’s episode is all about doing acts of kindness and service in Idaho this week. I’ve interviewed Melissa Nelson, the founder of The Community Kindness Movement, which is a program started in Idaho to bring anti-bullying and kindness curriculum into our schools at the Elementary Level. This week happens to be Community Kindness Week as well as Just Do Some Good’s 3-day challenge.You can get more information about The Community Kindness Movement on their website: www.theckm.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @communitykindnessmovement.Make sure you look for ways to serve and spread kindness and post about it with the #justdosomegood!

Today, I’m chatting with my new friend from the other side of the globe. Lisa Welsh is a boundary setting expert from South Africa. I’m not sure how I found her Instagram account originally, but I have loved following along as she teaches women how and why they must learn to say no, setting healthy boundaries and how to avoid the comparison trap. She’s real and down to earth and you are going to love her British, South African accent!In our interview, she opens up about how her account started, some of her biggest challenges and how she deals with any negativity that may come from sharing her most vulnerable self online. I know you are going to love her as much as I do.To hear more of her great wisdom, her website is: www.itslisawelsch.com. Or you can find her hanging out on Instagram or twitter @itslisawelsh.

Today’s episode is an interview with popular podcast host Avery Raley. Avery is host of the Mom Up Podcast, where she talks to moms and focuses on how to prioritize the things that really matter, manage our time and increase productivity. She has two children and lives with her family in North Carolina.In this episode we cover a topic she talks about on her podcast in episode #15, linked here: https://averyraley.com/shownotes/episode15.You can find more great tips and tricks from Avery on her website at: https://averyraley.com or find her on Instagram @avery_raley.

This is a very short episode where I share one of the most important things I shared with my kids as they were starting school this year. I want my kids to be builders and most importantly to be kind. Using the acronym of THINK before you speak is so helpful!

Today, we are talking with Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor, Dr. Adam Moore. Dr. Moore is the co-owner of Sela Health, which operates mental health counseling offices in Lehi, Utah; Provo, Utah; Mapleton, Utah; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Sela Health therapists have provided 40,000 hours of counseling since 2013. In addition to managing his counseling practice, Dr. Moore hosts a mental health podcast called Pocket Therapist. He also manages My Recovery Portal, a website that has provided on-demand addiction recovery content to people all over the world. Dr. Moore regularly engages in public speaking events on the topic of pornography and sexual addiction recovery, and has presented workshops to over 12,000 people since 2013. Currently, Dr. Moore serves as president of the Utah Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.In this episode, Dr. Moore talks to us about addiction, recovery and what he has learned treating hundreds of clients and their supportive family members with this very real and challenging l

Today I’m chatting with a wife, mother, chocolate chip ice cream lover, and former Corporate finance employee. After working 10 years in the field, she quite her job to pursue something she was not only passionate about, but that could bring positive change in people’s lives. She is currently pursuing coursework toward her Masters in Psychology.She is the host of The Anxious Rebels Podcast, which is a platform for people to share their stories about mental health in a fun, judgement free and safe way. In our interview, she shares about how she had entrepreneurial anxiety, but started her podcast anyway. She shares lots of wisdom about anxiety in general, how she had the courage to tell her story and other obstacles she has faced along the way. She has a great perspective and mission to accomplish.You can find Reva on Instagram @mintchiprebel.

Today is the day… I’m so excited to talk about my new non profit called Just Do Some Good, Inc. Just Do Some Good is a non profit organization dedicated to flooding social media with meaningful examples of service, kindness and love.In this episode, I’m talking about the backstory, our mission and purpose and how we plan to achieve all of this. I’m also talking about how I have found the courage to do all of the hard things involved in starting a non profit.If you are reading this or listening to this episode, I want to encourage you to tell your story, make your impact and move your mountains.If you want to get involved with Just Do Some Good, please email us at: justdosomegood@gmail.com or follow us on any social media platform @justdosomegood.

Today I’m talking with Brittany Barone of She’s the Honest Mom about how humor can make life more bearable. I’m so excited about this topic, because it fits perfectly with my platform of helping others find the courage to chase their dreams. This isn’t always easy and humor is a great tool to help make the challenging times a little bit easier to stomach.You can find Brittany and her glassware line for parents and t-shirt line supporting post-partum depression on her website: www.shesthehonestmom.com. I just know you are going to love her as much as I did!

Today’s episode is an interview with a California mom and wife who loves to talk about fitness, food and family fun. She is the creator of Yay for Today, a place online where women can find happiness, be inspired to live a healthy life and celebrate fun family moments. She shares food ideas that taste good and make you feel good, fitness tips that will motivate you to move your body and keeps mamahood real with lots of rainbows on her colorful Instagram feed.  On the daily, you can find her sharing all the things on her Instastories, eating her famed snack PB2 powder in vanilla greek yogurt and adventuring Cali with her boys.In our interview, she opens up about her insecurities, haters and failures and talks about how to go about finding the courage to start something new. She shares the source of her inspiration and motivation and her favorite fitness tips.We talk about Alison’s Brand School and Brene Brown and have lots of fun getting to know Sidney.You can find her on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/yayfor

Back by popular demand. Ike wanted to host another episode and it is on point. This time he gives us another challenge and then teaches us about how to fix our mistakes. I promise it’s worth 2 minutes to get this valuable lesson from a six year old.

Today I’m talking all about my most empowering why, and that is courage. I recently attended a branding workshop and had to dig deep into what motivates me to do what I am doing. I realized that courage is the word that drives me in every way. I have shared this before, but I truly believe that we all have a mission and purpose for being here on the earth. My motivation for this podcast is to help people tap into their courage to be themselves, to live their purpose and to chase their dreams!I also start talking about the non profit organization I’m starting called, Just Do Some Good. I promise so many more details in the near future, but if you are listening to this episode when it comes out on July 16th, it’s BE THE GOOD day and we want you to go out and find some form of service, big or small and post about it on social media, using the #bethegood and #justdosomegood. Tag @justdosomegood to win some great swag.Remember to have courage and be kind and that’s how you stay On the Brighter Side.

Today, I sit down with Ralphie Jacobs. She is the creator of one of my very favorite Instagram accounts, Simply on Purpose where she writes about positive parenting, family culture and living with purpose. She opens up with me about her thoughts on sibling rivalry, who inspires her, how to set clear boundaries, what she hopes her kids will learn from her and so much more.In our interview, she mentions the book: The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham. You can find her on Instagram @simplyonpurpose.  www.instagram.com/simplyonpurpose

My interview today is with Lauren Golden, the founder and creator of the Free Mama Movement. Lauren loves helping mamas free themselves from the 9-5 grind. She launched The Free Mama Movement to show working moms that they don’t have to choose between family and financial stability. Hundreds of families today are happier and more fulfilled thanks to Lauren and her online programs. Whether you’re a single mom, a military mom, or a mom in a two-parent family who doesn’t want to sacrifice your time with your babies in order to provide for them, Lauren wants you to know that you don’t have to. Today, as the fearless leader of The Free Mama Movement and a thriving community of over 3,500 women, Lauren is passionate about showing other moms how to start and run a successful freelancing business from home. In her upcoming book, she shares her own story — along with plenty of practical advice for anyone looking to leave the 9-5 behind and make a real living from home. In addition to her self-paced program, Lauren als

In today’s episode, I share 5 things I do everyday to keep my marriage sizzling hot! My husband is awesome and so easy to love. We have a great relationship, but it is far from perfect. That means it takes constant effort and dedication to doing what it takes to keep it going strong. The great thing about these 5 things that I share with you is that they are pretty simple and you can do them without your spouse knowing or participating. Isn’t that fun! They don’t even have to know about it. You have all the control.It is worth every bit of effort I put into my marriage everyday, because it is the most important relationship I will ever have. I hope these things are helpful to you. There are thousands of things you can be doing and everyone has their own advice about marriage, but these are the things that work best for me. I hope they will be helpful and if so, please let me know what you’ve tried and what has worked for you.

Today’s bonus episode is my 6-year-old son wanting to follow his dreams and become a podcast host. This is a little 5 minute episode that will make you smile from ear to ear. But…if you don’t think kids are adorable or you don’t have an extra 5 minutes, skip this one.My kids hear me recording, editing and posting each and every episode and sometimes they want in on the fun. I just couldn’t resist sharing this awesome episode that proves my 6 year old is actually listening some of the time and maybe getting something from all of this. Enjoy!

My guest on the show today is one of my favorite interviews so far. She is an army wife and mother of three boys and the host of the Extraordinary Moms Podcast. She has interviewed somewhere around 200 extraordinary moms and shared with us so much wisdom they have share with her over the years. She talks about how and why she started her podcast almost 3 years ago and how she feels the common thread throughout all of the moms she has interviewed is the ability to understand that they create the joy in their own lives. Listen to hear more about this, how becoming a whole and healthy human being helps us be way better moms and the power of positive parenting.You can find all 240+ episodes of the Extraordinary Moms Podcast on any podcast listening app and at www.extraordinarymomspodcast.com. You can even search for certain episodes by topic. You can also find her hanging out on Instagram @jessicadahlquist3.Don’t miss this extraordinary episode with so many great tidbits of wisdom.You can download my Guide to a S

My guest on the podcast today is a professional adventurer and mother of two boys. She loves to go camping and hiking and skiing and all things outdoors with her family and is dedicated to making amazing memories traveling and adventuring. She shares with us her touching story behind why she has such a positive outlook on life and why making lasting memories is so important to her.She gives us some tips on planning family adventures and lots of bucket list places to visit and her favorite family adventure destinations. You are not going to want to miss the great advice she gives about planning and executing the perfect family adventure.You can follow her adventures on her website: www.adventuretogether.com or follow her on Instagram and Youtube at: @macs_exploreGet a copy of my screen-free summer guide at http://www.eepurl.com/dkCLtL/

Happy Best Friends Day! In honor of this holiday, I interviewed Cherie and Amber of Saalt about their up and coming business which offers clean, sustainable and renewable solutions to period care. That sounds like something you would talk about with your best friends, right? We talk about the origin of their company, its goals for the future and how they are giving back! I seriously suggest you try one this month!One Saalt cup can last up to 10 years and save 10 years worth of disposable period care products. And, they can last up to 12 hours without needing to be changed. They are a game changer for girls and women in developing countries who have limited or no access to feminine hygiene products. They are safer and often more comfortable than disposable period products. What are you waiting for? You can find them online at: saaltco.com or join one of their Facebook groups SaaltCupAcademy or SaaltLovesourFocusGroup.Additional resources mentioned in the interview:@brightgirlhealth on InstagramMenstrapedia – a

Today I’m talking about lessons I learned in my 38th year. I recorded this episode on my 39th birthday. I like to take some time every year on my birthday to reflect on the experiences and lessons from the past year. As I was doing this ritual today, I realized the past year of my life has been a doozy. I’ve learned and grown so much and went through a major transitional period.I share my experiences, good and bad with you and how I went from a very low point to know exactly what God wanted me to do and how I am working on doing just that each day and feeling so great about it.Don’t forget about my FREE screen-free summer guide that you can download here:  http://www.eepurl.com/dkCLtL.  It has so many suggestions, tips and tricks for making this the BEST summer ever.Also, there are still a few tickets left for the Wannabe Balanced event in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 23rd, but they are going fast. Get your ticket today and use the discount code: monica10 for 10% off the entry. I hope to see you there!For my