This is episode 170. I’m your host Melissa Llarena. I’ve been attending SXSW out here in Austin,TX and also volunteering on the Comedy Crew team these last days and weeks. I decided to tune into topics that hovered around imagination + wellness + women and here’s what I realized about what was being discussed vs. not being discussed in these three buckets:

Wellness – stigma, sector-specific nuances, and what’s in our locus of control vs. not – Xanax (more mental wellness was discussed than physical and nutritional wellness)

Imagination – The band New Order really made it clear that their educational experiences were not really invested in the use of their imagination. Makes me wonder if ours has evolved. I also say this having attended some SXSW EDU events the week prior.

Women – Black women. Corporate working women. Startup women. The conversation about being a mom was covered but driven more by the panelists as an afterthought OR to cover medical procedures to freeze eggs. Again, I didn’t go to all talks BUT I did see the list of events every single day and I can’t say there were many discussions where motherhood or being a mom was the headline. I wish there were more talks relevant to moms. How’s that SXSW relevant? Don’t we deserve technology, music, and film relevant to our lives as moms? Am I the only person thinking that when a movie is directed by a working mom with a kid in toe she should get extra credit for that Herculean effort? Perhaps, I can change that in 2024. TBD.

Now, why are these ideas important to you a mom who wants to create her desired form of art from a company to a book or screenplay?

There are panel picker polls out there that signify what will be popular or what is on the mind of SXSW attendees. The panelists, topics, themes as chosen by the people. So why aren’t more people interested in innovation to help us moms become better moms? Where are the mom movies? I mean I did see Furies about a mom who was hella pissed about her family being killed and it showed how maniacal we can get if someone touches our babies but I’m not sure if any other films talked about motherhood or were put together by moms. What if we could pull out our mom identity and use that alongside our workplace identity? Imagine how many conversations this fact when placed on a badge could strike up? What are our role + sector-specific insights? I sat on a mental health talk related to artists who go on the road BUT what about pulling out the ones who do so with kids?

It feels like the roles we get “credit for” are ones that guys can have too in top-tier festivals…but as moms, we are always playing the mom role and the job-related-role. These roles are what impact our wellness uniquely, stretch our imagination quite a bit, and in my own life…has been a bonus to being a woman…I get to choose if I want to play the role of a mom. Why can’t that role be held in as high of a regard as the global head of design for a credit card company? I’d co-sign the same deal for dads too.

What about mental health for working moms? For start-up moms? For moms in tech? For moms who are veterinarians?

What about imagination as represented by mom directors? What about mom screenwriters? What of mom talent agents?

What about calling out working moms on stage and on name tags saying you are a mom. You can opt-in but why not have our mom titles alongside our professional titles?

So this week has been bonkers! I’ve learned a lot and I’m so ready to return to my consistent meditation practice! Any other tired or uncentered or scatterbrained moms out there? P.S. I was you these last two weeks working and attending SXSW. I see you! I love you. Let’s be compassionate to each other….

If this resonates then YOU are so invited to grab a FREE gift of 12 mediation prompts specifically tailored for moms!  You are also invited to participate in my FREE webinar for moms who want to get back to meditation and be consistent about it now that they are a mom. How do you grab these freebies?

Head to: https://bit.ly/mindmom

Restart your meditation practice after becoming a mom.
Learn the exact process that meditation practitioner and mom to three young boys, Melissa Llarena, follows to have a consistent meditation practice despite no longer having privacy, time, or a meditation closet. You will walk away with a step-by-step approach for designing your own ritual, meditating even if your child is present, and ensuring you get that much-needed time to yourself.

Live Webinar

March 26, 2023
8:00am Central Time (45-minute free online mom webinar)

Includes:

-Free meditation prompts (get centered in two minutes or fewer) – you get this when signing up real-time!
-Free new mom practical meditation ritual ideas – show up to class and you shall have these
-30 minute Q&A with Melissa – be there live and ask me anything
-Invite to prelaunch online book party celebrating mothers whose hearts can hold both their dreams alongside the dreams they have for their children.

NEW BOOK!

DOWNLOAD FIVE JOURNAL PROMPTS + A WACKY TRUE STORY FROM MY UPCOMING BOOK MOM LIFE RESCRIPTED TO GET YOU STARTED ON ADDING MORE PLAYFULNESS INTO YOUR LIFE

Imagination Book For Moms Waitlist

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast for moms who read and want to write a nonfiction book? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.