Finding The Keys

Julie Phillips - the Baby on the Fire Escape

In conversation with Julie Phillips, author of the “The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood, and the Mind-Body Problem, she explores with Dr. Christine Forte Klotz her writing on the shifting terrain where motherhood and creativity converge, about seeking to strike a balance between creative work and motherhood. About writers & artists who left their children and those who stayed, and all the societal judgements and struggles around this. Fascinating not only for the insights into the lives of mothers historically but also for examining how we too make these choices around balance.
 
Julie Philips is an award-winning biographer, book critic, and the author of The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Mothering, and the Mind Baby Problem.
 
 
Connect with Julie Phillips and learn more about her work:
 
Instagram: @julievanphillips
 
Twitter: jcfphillips
 
Website: www.julie-phillips.com
 
 
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
 
Instagram: @christineforteklotz
 
Website: www.forteklotz.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode please do rate & review so that others can find us! And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Alexa Saxton Thomas - On Art, Motherhood, Breast Cancer Recovery & Self-Care

In this episode we’re joined by artist & mother Alexa Saxton Thomas to talk about balancing the creative work of making art with the creative work of parenting. Alexa shares her experiences on how these two feed each other and how much creativity is an important part of grounding in life - both for children and adults - and also how self expression feeds our self care.
Stay tuned at the end of the episode for some further reflections from Christine on our emotion processing as part of self-care.
Books Mentioned:
 
The Baby on the Fire Escape by Julie Phillips
 
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
Connect with Alexa Saxton Thomas and see her work:
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-saxton-thomas-8450475/
 
Instagram: @alexasaxtonthomas
To find our host, Christine Forte Klotz, PsyD:
 
Website: https://forteklotz.com/
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-forte-klotz-psyd-b9b542a/
 
Instagram @christineforteklotz
 
Don’t forget to leave a review so that others can find us and share with anyone who you think would find this show helpful!
 
And as always, thank you for being part of this community!

Bonus Episode: Guided Meditation for the New Year

Join Dr. Christine Forte Klotz for this bonus episode of Finding the Keys: to take a moment for self care. To reflect on 2022, meditate on intentions for 2023, and truly check into what we most want and need right now. Genuine nourishment for mind & spirit.
 
The pdf journal guide that accompanies this episode can be found at www.forteklotz.com
 
We thank you for being part of this community and look forward to sharing more in 2023!

The Disorientation & Reorientation of Change with Rich Watkins

The very nature of parenting revolves around the endless change of seeing our babies grow into beautiful little people. As our children develop their identities, we as parents also go through our own identity shifts. Each stage can bring with it a sense of disorientation, but from it there is tremendous potential for growth, development, new experiences.
 
Rich Watkins is the Founder of Let's Go, a global network helping leaders and organizations make collaboration work. He is passionate about turning ideas into practical tools, personal transformation, and social processes. Change grew bigger on his agenda when he became a dad, dealt with the pandemic, and worked in a remote setup. 
 
Today, we invited Rich to share his experience with self-transformation as he dives into parenthood. Rich talks about his struggles in finding his new identity during his fatherhood transition and how he processes change and uses those learning experiences to grow. As always within this, the theme of interdependence on others is present - reminding us that no matter how we may feel, we aren't alone in a particular feeling or experience.
 
In this episode, you'll hear:
The interaction of innovation and personal development to parenthood
Learn the "Let's Go Change Loop"
Rich's disorientation and reorientation experience as a parent
The beautiful rebirth of yourself as a parent; and
How to do self-care and prioritize yourself during any transition
Connect and learn more about Rich Watkins, head to:
 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/richardwatkins
 
Website:https://www.richwatkins.com
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/christineforteklotz/
Website: https://forteklotz.com/

Holistic Self-Care: The Mind Body Connection with Janet Li Patel

Carving out time for exercise is certainly a challenge - finding the time or energy especially when balancing life with young children. In today's conversation with Janet Li Patel, we explore how this can become a virtuous cycle - by starting to fit in some exercise, we generate greater energy and strength for all the other activity in our lives.
Janet is the owner of RE Pilates (originally PilatesMamas) located in Brooklyn, New York. She first began her career in finance but decided to take a different direction and became a pilates instructor in 2008.
Janet has seen firsthand the benefits of Pilates and what it can do for parents, mothers, and fathers. After having children, our bodies undergo many changes, and our time and energy demands can be immense. 
Janet discusses how Pilates helps parents find strength and flexibility in their bodies and mindsets. Through breathing work and mindful movement, she also discusses the importance of moving one's body and aims to help all parents who want to take care of themselves and prioritize wellness so they can become more present and engaged parents. 
In this episode, you’ll hear:
~How Janet started her Pilates journey ~How pilates can help us not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally~How it can be part of modeling healthy habits for our children~The different demands on our bodies during different stages of parenthood
Stay tuned at the end of this episode for some guided breathwork exercises that you can use at home.
Connect with Janet Li Patel and learn more about RE Pilates:
Website: https://www.repilatesstudio.com/about
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
Website: https://forteklotz.com/

Questioning the System and Letting Go of Parental Guilt with Dr. Amy Beacom

Being a parent is one of the biggest transitions we go through in life. Moving from being a working person to a working parent can be overwhelmingly stressful, which results in many new (or not-so-new) parents struggling to engage in self-care. 
There are better ways to have a smooth parental leave and return transition, and we will exactly talk about that in this episode.
 
Center for Parental Leave and Leadership (CPLL) is a consulting and coaching company that helps both parents and companies navigate parenthood and strengthen leadership positions by improving parental leave policy and practices. 
 
In today's episode, we have Amy Beacom, the founder and CEO of CPLL and co-author of the book The Parental Leave Playbook, to discuss the importance of parental leave to self-care, family, and companies.
 
Amy highlights the impact of postpartum depression, particularly on dads, shares some insights into dealing with parental guilt, and gives tips on developing self-care for parents to reset and recharge.
 
She also explains how to plan parental leave as a positive experience for both parents and employers.
 
In this episode, you'll hear:
How Amy started her retain parental leave program
The importance of new parent-coach relationships
Getting clarity with values and boundaries to self-care
The isolating feeling for dads that can cause painful results; and
How managers can support parents employees
Connect with Amy Beacom and learn more about Center for Parental Leave Leadership:
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-beacom/
 
Website: https://cplleadership.com/
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/storiesforinspiration/
 
Website: https://forteklotz.com/
 

Who says we can’t? with Dr. Simone Schwank of Une Sur Cent

Striving to balance it all and feeling unsupported? You aren’t alone: many workplaces lack policies to support families and parents. In today’s episode, we connect with Dr. Simone Schwank, a psychologist based in Zurich, and founder of Une Sur Cent fills us in on workplace trends and conditions in Switzerland, especially as they affect women’s self-care and parenting.
With so many hats to put on, many women in leadership end up feeling overwhelmed and burned out. This can lead to women leaving leadership positions in disproportionate numbers.
UNE SUR CENT is a community of diverse like-minded women that connects, inspires, thrives, and networks to open up new opportunities for all women. A space to create a meaningful connection, conversation, and change for women.
In this episode, Dr. Simone Schwank, the founder of UNE SUR CENT, tackles some workplace trends and conditions that affect women's self-care and parenting.
 
She shares how the current work culture imbalance women's careers, families, parenting, and life and why more female role models are needed, particularly in Switzerland. She also talks about how a community like UNE SUR CENT can encourage and support women to change and be leaders in their lives and careers.
 
In this episode, you'll hear:
Building a diverse female empowerment movement 
Different events inside the UNE SUR CENT
The can and can't expect of parenthood
Unfriendly work systems for mothers and women in general; and 
Understanding loneliness particularly post-pandemic
Read the full report: LeanIn Report with Mckinsey
 
Women in the Workplace 2022 
https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace/2022
 
Connect and learn more about Dr. Simone Schwank:
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-eliane-schwank-phd-57747157/
 
Website: https://www.drschwank.ch/
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drschwank/
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/storiesforinspiration/
 
Website: https://forteklotz.com/
 

Connecting to Community - Interview with Matt Schneider of City Dads

Engaging with the parents and communities around is is a pillar of self-care, particularly during this time that we have so recently experienced so much isolation in our society. Today, we have Matt Schneider, Co-founder of the City Dads group, to talk with us not only about navigating fatherhood in the 21st century, but about what this can mean for the balance of the whole family. 
 
City Dads Group is an inclusive community of dynamic, diverse, and dedicated modern fathers who actively and positively change the stigma about parenting. A group that provides social support and resources for fathers to help them become the better parents they want to be.
 
Matt shares the pressure and expectation for dads as a provider and not necessarily as a parent, the importance of constant parental conversation inside and outside the home, and how dads can proactively connect and have their families connect.
 
In this episode, you’ll hear:
The birth of the City Dads community
Maternal gatekeeping conversations
Creating a balance in self-care and childcare
The postpartum mental health issues in men; and
Sneak peek of the social activities inside the City Dads community
Connect with Matt Schneider and learn more about City Dads:
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-schneider-b17a2b33/
 
Website: https://citydadsgroup.com/
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citydadsgroup/
 
Podcast: https://citydadsgroup.com/podcast/
To connect with Christine Forte Klotz, head to:
 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/storiesforinspiration/
 
Website: https://forteklotz.com/

Introducing Finding the Keys - Teaser

Introducing Finding the Keys – your guide to self care as a parent and as a person. This show will feature interviews with not only leading experts in various fields from parental leave guidance to pilates to economics to relationships but also interviews with parents sharing their experiences. The host, therapist and coach Christine Forte Klotz will add in some of the insights and practices that she’s found both personally and professionally in order to add both greater context and practical tools to try. First episode drops at the end of October, watch this space!
 
For more information, visit Christine’s website at www.forteklotz.com and subscribe to the newsletter.