Encore: The Art of Parenting: Insights from Mothers in Music

Living A Vocal Life: A Podcast For Singers

Hello, this is Valerie Day from Living A Vocal Life. During my break from producing new interviews, I'm revisiting some of the insightful conversations I've had with singers in the past five years. This encore episode delves into the crossroads of creativity and motherhood.

In these conversations, you'll discover how artist mothers balance the challenges and rewards of maintaining their creativity while parenting. They share candid accounts of balancing performances with breastfeeding, coping with postpartum depression, and the sacrifices they've made for their children and their art.
This series illuminates the journey of nurturing children and art, offering encouragement and guidance for those on similar paths.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the 11 women who generously lent their voices to the series:

Rebecca Sanborn
Danielle Tucker
Moana Wolfgramm
N'Kenge
Rosi Amador
Ara Lee James
Whitney Jones
Karla Harris
Alex Whiler
China Forbes
Stephanie Schneiderman

The songs featured in this series are:
Stand and Sway, written by Ara Lee James and Beth Wood
from their album Deep Blue
Sleep Is A Wonderful Thing, by Morley from the album Borderless Lullabies.
Borderless Lullabies is a collection of songs and spoken-word recordings, with 100% of proceeds benefiting KIND: Kids In Need of Defense: supportkind.org
Right Before My Eyes, written by my husband, John Smith, from our Nu Shooz Orchestra album Pandora's Box
Stephanie Schneiderman's song, Wherever You Go, from her album Crossfire.

The books mentioned in the episode are:
The Baby On The Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood & The Mind-Baby Problem by Julie Phillips.

Mother Nurture by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Jan Hanson, and Ricki Pollycove
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1. Welcome to Living A Vocal Life with host Valerie Day (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to this special Encore Episode (00:00:48)

3. Navigating Creativity and Motherhood: Singers Share Their Stories (00:03:45)

4. Karla Harris on Balancing Motherhood and Music (00:12:28)

5. Ara Lee James: Finding Solitude in Early Mornings (00:15:13)

6. Moana Wolfgramm: The Night Shift of Creativity (00:17:55)

7. Danielle Tucker: Organizing Life Around School Schedules (00:22:23)

8. Rosi Amador: Touring with Twin Babies (00:25:43)

9. N'Kenge's Approach to Work and Motherhood (00:28:39)

10. China Forbes: Overcoming Postpartum Depression and Touring Challenges (00:41:34)

11. Navigating Postpartum Depression and Touring as a New Mom (00:45:24)

12. Balancing Creativity and Motherhood: The Nighttime Struggle (00:47:02)

13. Whitney Jones: A Teen Mom's Journey to Music School Success (00:49:43)

14. Finding Creative Space Amidst Motherhood's Chaos (00:54:17)

15. Karla Harris and Ara: Carving Out Time for Creativity (00:57:51)

16. Stephanie Schneiderman: The Impact of Parenthood on Creativity (01:01:56)

17. The Challenge of Balancing Music, Creativity, and Motherhood (01:06:58)

18. Danielle Tucker and Moana: Self-Care and Creativity (01:17:46)

19. The Importance of Family Over Fame (01:24:50)

20. The Struggles of Showbiz Families: A Personal Journey (01:25:26)

21. Learning Self-Care and Presence as a Parent (01:26:44)

22. Embracing the Body-Mind Connection for Healing (01:29:20)

23. The Power of Parental Self-Care: Whitney Jones' Insights (01:34:41)

24. Navigating Creativity and Motherhood: Rebecca's Story (01:42:29)

25. Embracing the Seasons of Creativity and Parenting (01:52:51)

26. Finding Balance and Embracing Multiple Identities (01:59:46)