The Boss Mom Podcast

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**The Boss Mom Podcast**

Motherhood and business aren’t meant to be done alone. The Boss Mom Podcast isn’t just a collection of conversations—it’s your decision support, your permission slip, your place to laugh, cry, and connect.

Hosted by Dana Malstaff, founder of Boss Mom LLC, this is your new home base, where you’ll find mom-centric business advice, the raw truth about being a mom with big dreams, and a ton of hope and proof that you can reach all of your goals.

No matter what stage of motherhood or business you’re in, we’re here for all of it. From big decisions to little wins, we’ve got your back. Think of us as your biggest advocate, helping you build the business and life you love, one episode at a time.

Latest Episodes:

EPISODE 005: 7 Must Have 'Tools' to Run Your Business, and a few Bonuses with Host Dana Malstaff Sep 18, 2015

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EPISODE 004: The 1 Thing We Do With Our Kids That We Should Be Doing In Our Business Sep 10, 2015

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How to manage decision fatigue as a mom Sep 03, 2015

Show notes

Hey there passionate moms and passionate entrepreneurs. Welcome to Episode 3 of the Boss Mom podcast.

I don't know about you, but I get exhausted with all of the decisions I have to make each day between my business and my family; sometimes it can be overwhelming. Over the years I have discovered a few things that can help battle what I like to call decision fatigue, and I wanted to share them with you in today's episode.

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There are two types of decision fatigue that I want to talk about today.

The first, is when there are just too many options. Think of all those times you are trying to find the right tool for your business or family. There are so many options, and maybe you have felt bogged down, frustrated, or overwhelmed. I mean, you don't have enough time in the first place to go and research every single option out there, right?

The second type is when you have too many different decisions to make throughout the day. We make tons of subconscious choices each day, but these are the choices that you consciously make, and then worry about later.

Now there is one thing that can really help battle both of these...and it's a good strategy. Having a clear strategy for your business, and family, will not only make decision making easier, but it can really how much time and effort you're putting into each decision that you have to make moving forward.

Here's some of the ways to help you create a good business strategy:

First, is to really know your purpose or what is commonly referred to as these days is your "why". What is it that you want to achieve? What is it that you're really trying to change in the world?

How does this help battle decision fatigue? Because, when you know why it is you're doing what you're doing, all of a sudden, making decisions becomes so much easier. Now you are able to use your 'why'' as a sounding board to make sure your decision really aligns with what you're trying to accomplish?

Second, is set priorities. A lot of times we have decision fatigue because we have shiny object syndrome. There's so many cool new things coming out, so many new courses, so many new people to follow, so many social media platforms we should be on. Then, all of a sudden you can't decide what to do, because you have your hands in so many pots that it's really tough to know which ones to continue.

How does this help battle decision fatigue? Well, when you are super clear on your main priorities to grow your business, it becomes easier to stop yourself from trying to make too many decisions on things that don't actually get you to your goal. Basically, it becomes easier to just say no, and not feel bad.

Third, is to create a schedule. When you are thinking about creating your schedule, think about what items are prerequisites of others. So, what do you have to do now, before you can do the next thing?

How does this help battle decision fatigue? When you consider the elements of your day, week, month, that have to get done first in order for other things to happen, then you are making sure that you stay on schedule AND not wasting time or money by not fully utilizing your resources. You are also able to limit the number of larger decisions that need to be made each day, which can really help cut down on your decision fatigue.

Here are some things you can do to help eliminate that decision fatigue when it comes to making a decision with just too many options.

Set a time limit of how long you're going to allow yourself to research that particular tool, or resource.
Know who your influencers are and then listen to their preferences and let them, well, influence you.
List what you need. Why do you need this tool? What do you need it for? The more details the better.
Make the best decision you can in the time you've given yourself, and then act.

And that is how I deal with decision fatigue. I would love to hear how you deal with decision fatigue. Share in the comments below.

Episode 002: 4 Things I do Just for Me that Help Me Be a Better Mom & Entrepreneur Aug 27, 2015

Show notes

Hey there Boss Moms and passionate entrepreneurs. Welcome to Episode 2 of the Boss Mom podcast.

I'm really excited to talk about this topic today, because I don't think it gets talked about it enough, and I don't think we give to ourselves enough as mothers and as business owners.

In EPISODE 1 we talked with Adria DeCorte about how to make healthy eating part of our hustle, so going along with the same idea that we should take care of ourselves, I wanted to share four things that I do just for me, that I believe help me run a better business and family.

I think that it's really important to do things for ourselves, because a lot of times we think that if we can just do everything then we'll be that super mom or superwoman that we so desire to be. We seem to want to show that we can be strong and manage everything, but when you try to do everything, you really can't be great at anything, right? It's sort of that jack of all trades but a master of none idea, and we want to be really good at running our business and really good at raising our family.

So, here are four things that really, I think, help me be a better person, just in general, but ultimately run a better business and raise a better family.

I buy myself flowers every week. Yep I buy myself flowers, and yes, I do believe it helps me raise a better family and business. I'm actually usually a big believer in not spending a lot of money on flowers because they die, right? I've always had that mentality. I tell my husband, "No need to get me flowers, because what's the point. I would rather get something that lasts longer." But when I really stop and think about it, there is something about bringing life into your home.So, every week I make it a point to go buy a couple of flowers, and bring them into your office, and other high stress areas like the kitchen. The flowers allow me to see something beautiful, to be reminded that there is this amazing beautiful life, that it smells beautiful, that it's feminine, that it's lovely and elegant. And, let me tell you, for anybody who has got an infant or a toddler, and is trying to grow a business, you don't always feel feminine. We don't always feel elegant, and beautiful and lovely. Sometimes that's hard to achieve.When you buy yourself flowers, even one flower, to put into your office or to put into the place you spend a lot of time, it will help bring this calm to your life. To remind you how much calm and beauty there is in the world even in moments of total stress and anxiety. In it's simplicity you are able to take just a moment and recognize this beauty, this elegance, this loveliness, this breath of fresh air that is in the world. Now, I am not saying you don't get those moments from your family and business too, but sometimes it is important to see the world outside of family and work.
So, number one, get yourself some flowers, and don't let them die and then have these withered flowers in your office, or in your kitchen, or wherever you have them. You can spend a couple of bucks and go and get something, and it is absolutely worth it. Make that couple bucks apart of your budget every week, because I will tell you, it will help you to be a happier person.

If you are near a Trader Joe's they have the best priced flowers around. I just got these beautiful six roses, beautiful pink roses, for $3.99. So, you can absolutely get flowers without breaking the bank. And you don't have to get a ton. I actually only get a little bit. I have a couple in the kitchen and a couple in my office.
Shower and look your best at least once a week. If you work at home, whether you have kids with you or not, we often don't take the time to 'get ready' for work. I bet you cannot tell me that you don't get up half the time, not shower, and keep your pajamas on. We wear that as a badge of pride, because, "Hey, that's why I run my own business, so I don't have to get up and shower and put make-up on and look great." And I absolutely agree. There are those wonderful times that I can get up and get something done without having to take the time to make myself look "presentable", and that's part of why we started a business, right?However, if you don't take the time, especially if you have kids, and especially if you have small kids, you have to make it a part of your weekly plan. You have to find the time. You have to give yourself the time to 'get ready'. It doesn't have to be a lot if you don't wear a lot of make-up, or dress-up a lot, that's ok. Do whatever it is that you would normally do to feel pretty, and I don't mean this to say, "Hey, we have to superficially care what we look like, because that is really important." I mean, YOU feel like YOU look pretty. Who cares what anyone else thinks? I mean, you look in the mirror, and you say, "Wow. I'm not just a mom right now. I'm not just a business owner who's scrambling to get a million things done. I didn't just get spit-up on an hour ago. I am a woman. I'm a woman who deserves to feel beautiful and feminine." So go get yourself ready at least once a week (I shoot for 3) and strut your stuff, even if it's just to the grocery store.
Make sure you stretch. Now, of course we all need to exercise, but I'm not talking about exercise to help you lose weight, I'm talking about stretching. It should be a daily part of your life, even if just for a few minutes.
We sit and look at a computer, or we standing all day long and selling, or we're holding our children. A lot of times we go, "I'm fine. I'm not in pain. I'm totally good," but that's because you have lived with it so long, and it's been so gradual, that you just don't know what it feels like to feel great. Stretching will help.

I like to stretch at odd moments of the day; like when I'm waiting for something to load, waiting for something to open, or waiting for something to happen in a conversation online. There are a lot of amazing stretches that you can do, you can look them up on Youtube and do the ones that work best for you. If you just do that a minute here and a minute there throughout the day it totally allows you to relax a bit more; it allows you to just feel good, and oh my gosh, we don't let ourselves feel good enough.
Let yourself cry. Don't hold back from crying. I know there are tons of you Boss Moms out there just like me who say, "No, no, no, no, no. I am strong. I don't cry because of business. I don't let my kids get to me. I love everything about my life, and everything is amazing."
I'm a huge proponent of proactive crying. Oh yeah, turn on something that makes you cry, and just proactively let it out. Or, if you don't want anybody to see, hop in the shower or the bath, but you need to let it out.

There is something chemically and hormonally important to allowing yourself to cry, and if you don't, your business will begin to see that. You will have a harder time not getting frustrated, not getting stressed out, with your business and your kids. You know, the things that used to not bother you so much begin to bother you, because you are bottling it up until something explodes. And when that happens we tend to say things we regret.

So let yourself cry. It's not about being weak. It's actually about loving yourself and giving yourself permission to be vulnerable. We need to; our bodies need to; everybody needs to. The key is to let yourself cry, and then afterward, recognize that this is just a bad day, tomorrow will be better. And remember that if you don't don't cry today, then tomorrow will be another bad day, and you can't afford to have any more bad days then you need, right? We don't have time for that, but when you cry you shorten those bad days, because crying is a relief, it's this amazing relief, and you need to let yourself do it.

Ok, so those are the four things that I do just for me that I believe help me run a better business and a family.

EPISODE 001: How to Fuel Your Greatest Asset with Adria DeCorte & Host Dana Malstaff Aug 20, 2015

Show notes

What if you could look amazing, feel amazing, help your kids eat better, and have more energy to run your business?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, with Adria DeCorte’s simple techniques for the health driven female entrepreneur, it can be true for you.In this podcast, Adria tells us about how eating healthy can not only impact your weight and overall health, but your energy levels too. And wouldn’t we all like a little extra energy to get the daily work flow going stronger than ever? It all comes down to a few simple lifestyle changes.

This episode covers everything you could ever want to know about:

• How to keep yourself healthy while running a business• What exactly it means to be living a healthy lifestyle• How to have more energy on a day to day basis, the healthy way (no coffee necessary!)• The best healthy snacks for a busy businesswoman• How to effectively simplify time in the kitchen• How to fit in healthy eating out of the house/while travelling• How to eat healthy while keeping your diet spontaneous and exciting

Join the conversation:

Tell us on Twitter or Instagram @danamalstaff …

What new healthy recipe will you try today?

More about Adria:

TedxFremontEastWomen- “How Food Fuels Hustle”

Listen and subscribe to the“Feed Your Hustle” Podcast on ITunes

Check out Adria’s website here

Female entrepreneurs Facebook group for behind the scenes of business

Get Aria’s 3 minute morning meal plan