MOMentum

Ep 24 – Ana Battung – Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with MCSQ Consulting, LLC

Ariella Vaccarino and Theresa Ofstad interview Ana Battung, the founder of MCSQ Consulting.  MCSQ focuses on developing Corporate Sales strategies; increasing Revenue and Sales performance; Task Force assistance; Meeting, Event and Conference Management and enhancing company culture through a lens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across all industries for Regional, National and Global organizations.  Ana believes in building relationships through authenticity while Leading with Compassion, Living with Purpose.  Listen to her tips for Mom business owners. 
Ep 24 – Ana Battung – Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with MCSQ Consulting, LLC
:40 – Ana reached out to Theresa to offer being interviewed as a kickoff to Asian Pacific Heritage Month. 
1:35 – Ana and Theresa know each other when they each worked for Hilton Brand hotels. 3:00 – MCSQ works on sales and business development, focus on diversity and inclusion while helping them to integrate it in their company’s culture.
3:35 – Ana and her family moved to Chicago from California in 2019, the weather is much different.
4:30 – Ana has two teenage boys who are active in sports.
5:15 – When the hospitality industry shut down, she was laid off in June 2020 and started her company in July 2020.
7:15 - So many people went through change through the pandemic. As mom’s we teach our kids you don’t make the basket, suck it up and try harder. What kind of lesson would I teach them if I didn’t do the same.
8:00 – Her two boys; Mathew Christian and Michael Conrad are the name of the company = MCSQ
9:20 – Theresa was also laid off in April 2020, many people had to pivot during the pandemic.  She shifted fields as a way to teach our kids that there is a way to pivot and a way to figure out the new plan.
10:45 – MOMentum, this podcast is a way to create something new.  Highlighting other mom entrepreneurs.
11:30 - Ana is an entrepreneur by circumstance.
12:00 - Ana is helping businesses how to improve their KPI’s (Key performance indicators) and do more with their businesses. Elevating companies with their Diversity, helping companies understand what that looks like.
13:45 - Help them understand how they can elevate their business from an internal and external standpoint when everyone around the room looks the same, speaks the same, and comes from the same background.   
15:00 – Ana helped her job develop and elevate their DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) initiative. The customers she worked with then wanted to bring her aboard to help them with their DEI initiatives.
15:30 – Ana was nominated for SMART meetings 2023, the focus on visionaries and industry leaders, to entrepreneurs, stellar performers, innovators and rising stars. 
16:15 – Theresa knows past winners like Mariles Krok who was Theresa’s colleague at LA Tourism.  Seeing all the additional personal development that Mariles did inspired Theresa to do more herself. 
17:17 – Ana is a co-Vice President of Corporate Relations on the Board for Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders, a national organization that is geared towards Pan Asian American Professionals and provide resources to advance their careers. They are 8,000 members strong as well as student professionals.
20:00 - Taking on a Voluntary leadership role is a great way to gain experience.
23:25 - Life balance giving of your time freely, working your business, and taking care of family. As mom’s we want to be everything to everyone.  It is about time management and being honest about things that we can and cannot handle.  
24:50 – It’s ok to say I am going on vacation with my friends, a “Mamacation.” MOMentum will be planning one of those one day…
26:30 – Self-care is so important!  Even if you are doing laundry and listening to a meditation, or music, or whatever makes us relax.
27:00 - The journey of her company so far…Personal wins, professional wins.
28:20 – Started a non-profit, MCSQ Scholars, because it is important to her to give back with a mantra to Lead with Compassion and Live with Purpose. Her parents were the inspiration for her first two scholarships: Dad – Music Scholarship, Mom - Culinary Scholarship.
30:15 – Her interns helped her launch that program but reaching out to schools and university to find the recipients of the scholarship awards.
31:00 – How do you get an intern? Do you know someone who is interested in helping with social media? Credit for School in conjunction with a class they are taking. Others have been voluntary.
33:20 – There are places like PCMA that have Student and Emerging Leaders programs to tap into their resources for job listings and internships.
36:30 – Through the pandemic it was so hard to navigate from in person to on line to hybrid meetings.  MCSQ helps people through that for their Conferences.
37:36 - Task force work for hotels with lack of staffing.  Helps connect people who are looking for jobs to find the jobs available.
40:00 – Being resourceful and finding the right tools is important so you don’t have to take on everything by yourself.  How do I make that a better process? Marketing Calendars.
41:30 – Most of her posts are through Linkedin.
42:20 – Ariella didn’t change her trajectory, she brought it back to life and brought some new things to it, like this podcast, MOMentum.
43:40 – Having honest conversations with your kids. If this is going to happen and I will be able to be at your basketball games, etc then I also need to spend time responding to emails, etc.  Incorporating your kids whenever you can get them excited.
 
Find Ana and MCSQ Consulting at the following links:
www.mcsqconsulting.com
https://linktr.ee/mcsqconsulting
 
Article: Power Women: Ana Battung of MCSQ Consulting
On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/power-women-ana-battung-of-mcsq-consulting-on-how-to-successfully-navigate-work-love-and-life-as-4e01efcc5e56
 
Some Background on the hosts!
Ariella Vaccarino-
Once an opera singer, mother to 5 children, voice and piano teacher, creator of
Voice Lessons To Go, a line of voice lesson CDs/downloads that sell nationwide.
She is also the host of the podcasts:
The Talented Magical Mommies Club
Ariella's Vocal Notes
and she has her own YouTube channel about singing:
www.youtube.com/VoiceLessonsToGo
 
Theresa Ofstad-
Is currently working a fulltime job while running a Basketball Club with her husband and teenage son. She is developing a business called Fuller Life, a resource for patients, seniors and their families. She is an area director with Toastmasters, a lifetime learner, leadership fanatic, and community connector.  
Sign up for her monthly newsletter to volunteer and support:
Fuller Life
 
Join MOMentum's private Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/849622462704055/
Become a Patron by clicking the link at the top of the page or clicking here:
https://patron.podbean.com/momentum

Ep.25 Let’s celebrate this milestone!

Ariella Vaccarino and Theresa Ofstad celebrate recording their 25th episode.  They have interviewed 9 amazing mompreneurs and captured their own journeys in 16 other episodes.  So many golden nuggets they have learned from each guest, we share some on this episode. Plus, some things ahead, including the “Secret Super Successful Mom” that has agreed to be interviewed by us in a few weeks.  Can’t wait for you to find out who she is.
Ep 25 – Let’s Celebrate this milestone!
 
 
:26 - Ariella Vaccarino and Theresa Ofstad celebrate big milestones in their 25th Episode.
1:30 - Showing what can be done when people come together.  Building a community.
2:00 - At the time this episode was recorded we have not released any interviews yet, But in Realtime we have released 9 interviews of some amazing mompreneurs plus 16 episodes of our own journey. 
3:20 - We can visualize how much we will grow once these interviews go out.  Between our connections and each interviewee’s connections and their connections.    (We currently have over 1,000 downloads)
4:25 - We want to share our successes, challenges, and everything we have been through along our journey. Walking around the track together gave us an opportunity to make this podcast.  Opportunities are around all the time, but you have to act on those opportunities.  So many people don’t take the opportunities. They think about it but don’t take action.
6:05 - When you feel something in your gut or your heart, combine it with your mind and take action.  Speak your Business or your thoughts.  If you don’t take action, it will just live in your heart or your gut.
7:20 – What was the very first thing Ariella did in this journey?
8:20 – Cheers to Episode 25!!!!
9:00 – Theresa is starting a new job so we batched enough episodes that put us 3 months ahead while releasing once a week on Monday’s.    
11:00 – We have a great rapport together, but we didn’t know we would have this melody together until we started recording for the very first time.  And now we are on Video as well. 
13:50 - Amazing episode for Mother's Day
14:05 - Our guest interview for Asian Pacific Heritage month.
14:50 - Collaborative brains bouncing off each other helps us come up with some great ideas.  Like becoming AFFILIATES for Marie Forleo. Hear the story how we made this happen. We want to support her. She LOVES our VIBE!
17:50 - Next year we will look at the schedule and plan episode releases better based on what is happening throughout the year.   
19:00 - Some people say you can only focus on one thing at a time. Mom’s do so many things that it is hard to focus on one. You do have to FOCUS on one thing at a time!  But sometimes you can put one ball down while focusing on another one. 
20:00 - Ariella has already recorded 6 episodes for Talented Magical Mommies Club.
Funny story, listen to what happened with we went to Cafe on 27 looking artsy while carrying tripod. 
23:00 - Walk the walk people will assume.
Fake it until you make it.
Look official until you become official. 
23:40 - Went all out with Podbean, purchased the full year with 10 channels for more podcasts to go all out. 
24:20 – We can go on location and take the equipment anywhere. 
25:30 - Tips on Monetization from one of the moms we interviewed.  Here what she said.  
26:30 - Story of “Secret Super Successful Mom” Don’t let SUCCESSFUL people stop you from reaching out to be kind and introduce yourself to them. HINT: She started videos during the pandemic and blew up through her personality.  What she has done inspires us. 
32:15 - Toastmasters conversations led us to discussion about Ariella coaching speakers at conferences with their voice.  It is so important! I can see how it would help people.
34:14 - Tips from interviews recently; bringing in students as interns or VA’s virtual assistants to help us grow our show to get great sponsors and advertisers that could be part of our conferences and events 
35:50 – We need to grow our listenership so we can entice advertisers and we can help women with their business by producing a live conference or event with Keynotes, breakout sessions, good food, pampering ourselves. It's fun to help each other when you have a community.
38:00 - Cheers to 25 episodes!!!
Follow your dreams….
 
Mentions and updates from this episode:
Café on 27 restaurant is where we celebrated our 25th episode at:
https://www.cafe-27.com/
The “Secret Super Successful Mom”
She agreed to be interviewed a week from now.
We can’t wait to release her episode and update her name here. 
Come back to see who it is.
 
Some Background on the hosts!
Ariella Vaccarino-
Once an opera singer, mother to 5 children, voice and piano teacher, creator of
Voice Lessons To Go, a line of voice lesson CDs/downloads that sell nationwide.
She is also the host of the podcasts:
The Talented Magical Mommies Club
Ariella's Vocal Notes
and she has her own YouTube channel about singing:
www.youtube.com/VoiceLessonsToGo
 
Theresa Ofstad-
Is currently working a fulltime job while running a Basketball Club with her husband and teenage son. She is developing a business called Fuller Life, a resource for patients, seniors and their families. She is an area director with Toastmasters, a lifetime learner, leadership fanatic, and community connector.  
Sign up for her monthly newsletter to volunteer and support:
Fuller Life
 
Join MOMentum's private Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/849622462704055/
Become a Patron by clicking the link at the top of the page or clicking here:
https://patron.podbean.com/momentum

Ep. 26 Happy Mother’s Day collaboration with Burke Williams

Theresa Ofstad and Ariella Vaccarino take the time to celebrate Mother’s Day and show how to relax and focus on self-care.  They managed to collaborate with Burke Williams Spa by recording this episode on location in one of their private rooms.  They had services done at the spa then went to lunch and shopping.  A special tribute to both their mom’s, mothers-in-law, and share what it is like to be a mom.  Listen, comment, and share this episode.  Tag a mom in your life. Become a Patron and help support us.  
 
Ep. 26 Happy Mother’s Day collaboration with Burke Williams.
:18 – Happy Mother’s Day, you deserve this day and stop to take care of yourselves.
:45 – Theresa and Ariella volunteered to show you what its like to take time for self-care as they
collaborated with Burke Williams and recorded this special episode from one of their rooms.
2:50 – History of Burke Williams: Founded by Theresa and Bill Armour in 1984 as they shared the vision of bringing the luxury experience of a world-class resort-style spa to the city. In order for Families to rejuvenate. See the link below…
4:15 – We would love to interview Theresa Armour and find out her journey. 
5:13 – As mom’s we don’t take the time for ourselves. A lot of other countries, being in a spa is a part of their life.
6:28 – In the steam room we tried to record a quick audio clip on our apple watch.
6:50 – We then went to lunch and got to try a product of another mom we will be interviewing very soon.
7:50 – All mom’s, mompreneur’s and women in general, you deserve to take time for yourselves.
8:30 – Theresa shares a story about her mom as a tribute. She taught me to be myself and encouraged me to get dirty and have fun.
9:30 – Theresa wears a necklace with a picture of her and her mom in a locket. She wears a bracelet with a tree of life because her mom wanted to be planted as a tree. The little necklace charm is for her son and shares what it’s like to be a mom.
10:45 - Ariella shares her story about becoming a mom, when her and her husband never thought about being parents.  Then after having five children the gapping hole inside her got filled up.
11:50 – After Ariella’s mother died she went to therapy and her therapist said, “I don’t think you are depressed, I think you are bored.” This was before she was married and had five kids and five dogs as if they were waiting for her.  She didn’t realize how much she needed to help keep her level. 
12:55 – Theresa always knew she wanted to be mom, when she was in a major accident when she broke her pelvis bone the first thing her mom asked the doctors was, “Can she still have children.”  Because her mom knew how important it was for her.
14:30 – When Theresa and her husband first met and got to know each other they found a lot of similarities, including having a family.  They both wanted to have a big family, yet they were blessed with one.  Until they formed HYPE Basketball with five team and now have 54 kids…
15:50 – It’s the love that you give. Ariella didn’t realize it but she was a voice teacher that would go to fancy homes with her little dog Chewbacca, and started her motherly thing.
17:00 – Being a mom is amazing. Because of medical reasons, Theresa and Chris considered adopting and asked their son if he would mind if they adopted vs having additional children of their own.  He said, “I don’t care, I just want a brother or sister.” Then asked if he wanted a brother or sister. He said a sister because they are just so darn cute.
19:15 – Ariella lost her mom in her early 30’s before she got married and had children. When her and her now husband reconnected, her mom said she was looking forward to being a grandma and pushing the stroller down the beach.  She never got to do that.  Her parents were in the holocaust, she was born in a refugee camp in Germany. She had a really tough life but was filled with light, energy, and fun. Kinda like I am a little fun, and my kids got that too which is nice.
20:00 – Her mom didn’t get the same opportunities that Ariella gets. She didn’t get to pursue who she could have been.  So many people are struggling to go after their dreams. 
21:58 – Past generations didn’t have the same things or the same opportunities that we have now.  From Ariella’s story, Theresa can hear and feel the talented magical mommies club coming out of her. Part of that is knowing that her mom didn’t get to experience the same things.  Her podcast, Talented Magical Mommies Club is amazing. (Check it out in the link below.)
22:45 – Theresa’s parents got divorced when she was six years old, her mom raised her on her own.  Even though she got to see her dad on weekends.  Her mom worked in the same place and retired after 40 years, which is great, but now a days we have so many more creative opportunities.
23:30 – Theresa feels her mom guiding her along a divine journey with a series of things that Theresa has experience.
24:00 – Story of mom guiding her while shopping. And taking her son to the carousel ride in the mall. 
26:47 – Ariella’s mother-in-law helped hold and take care of her five babies as she lived with them. She was a very different person than her mother but she was a huge part of her children’s upbringing.  “All my love to her.”  It’s a bummer when your parents don’t get to experience you as a mother.
27:30 – Theresa shares a story about her mother-in-law who is a very special woman, yet she doesn’t tell her that enough.  She has always been open arms. 
28:30 - Being a mother-in-law and daughter in law can be very difficult. When you understand that what you truly love brought you together, you find a way to connect and find a way to work through any struggles. It’s coming from a place of love. I do love my mother-in-law and we do get a long very well.
29:50 - There are great aunts out there that don’t have children of their own but act as a mother to their nieces and nephews.  Just so many kinds of mother figure out there.
31:00 – Theresa’s husband has two aunts that have been like moms to him and his brother.  The first-time meeting Auntie Carla Theresa was so nervous to meet her because she didn’t like any of her husband’s other girlfriends. She passed the Auntie Carla test on the first day.  His other Aunt treats all of her nieces and nephews as her own. 
32:35 – Ariella had two moms; one was her mother’s mother who had a rough life. She was a brilliant woman; she left her house to study medicine which was unheard of at that time.  Then went through tough times in the war.  The other mom was her mom’s sister who she really loved.  She was the fun Aunt. She sees a certain energy, youthfulness, playfulness that she sees in herself and in her kids.
33:33 - Theresa has a fun Aunt too.  There was a 20-year gap between her mom and aunt but only a 10-year gap between Theresa and her aunt, more like a sister.
34:12 – There are so many special women out there.  Happy Mother’s Day!
34:50 - We love this podcast so much because we love sharing the stories of mompreneurs because moms do so much already.  If you are trying to start your own business, it takes so much work.  We want everyone to come listen and be inspired about something that they said.  Even if you just take away one thing from each person.
35:44 - Ariella edits videos, Theresa adds the content, when they listen back they hear so many great tips.  They both get inspired and say, “That was really good.”
36:25 - Ariella wants to highlight Theresa, she made this thing happen with Burke Williams today.  She is really good at getting on the phone and talking to people.  We know each other’s strengths.  Ariella is great at editing, social media, and reels.  As a win for MOMentum, this is our first collaboration.
37:29 – Thank you for saying that.  If you don’t ask for what you want, you will never get it.  When you are talking about your business with people, friends, and family, they want to support you.
38:00 – When you can align with someone else’s mission it enhances the whole experience. We need to spend some time to figure out what we want to do with this platform.  We have so many great ideas and fun things coming up. Go to our social media page and share some thoughts and ideas. We are happy to go on location.  
Subscribe, Rate, Share… We have a patron now to help sponsor us…
We always deliver with Kindness.  Happy Mother’s Day everybody, Follow Your Dreams…
 
Thank you to Burke Williams for the Collaboration:
Burke Williams | Mother's Day 2023
About Burke Williams
 
Some Background on the hosts!
Ariella Vaccarino-
Once an opera singer, mother to 5 children, voice and piano teacher, creator of
Voice Lessons To Go, a line of voice lesson CDs/downloads that sell nationwide.
She is also the host of the podcasts:
The Talented Magical Mommies Club
Ariella's Vocal Notes
and she has her own YouTube channel about singing:
www.youtube.com/VoiceLessonsToGo
 
Theresa Ofstad-
Is currently working a fulltime job while running a Basketball Club with her husband and teenage son. She is developing a business called Fuller Life, a resource for patients, seniors and their families. She is an area director with Toastmasters, a lifetime learner, leadership fanatic, and community connector.  
Sign up for her monthly newsletter to volunteer and support:
Fuller Life
 
Join MOMentum's private Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/849622462704055/
Become a Patron by clicking the link at the top of the page or clicking here:
https://patron.podbean.com/momentum
 
 

Ep.27 - Gift Giving Tabitha Brown

After being away from each other for three weeks, Ariella Vaccarino and Theresa Ofstad share gives with each other and talk about how inspiring it was to see Tabitha Brown at a Basketball game.  If you don’t know who Tabitha Brown is, listen to this episode, she will inspire you to follow your dreams.
Ep. 27 - Gift Giving – Tabitha Brown
:30 – Ariella and Theresa send greetings and love to their husbands who support them creating this podcast.
1:00 – We have been apart for a few weeks while Theresa trained for her new job.  We batch recorded a bunch of episodes and interviews to get us through several months of weekly releases.
2:00 - We are figuring things out and continuing to build MOMentum
While apart we each got gifts for each other
3:00 - Ariella gifted Theresa with a journal so she can write one good thing that happened today.  “The best way to protect the future is to create it.” By Abraham Lincoln
5:08 - “Never give up!” Card for support and a reminder that we are in this together for the long run building MOMentum for everyone, us, moms, and anyone who needs the motivation. Love, Theresa
6:45 – First gift is Tabitha Brown’s book, Feeding the Soul Because Its My Business.
7:25 – After reading her book, Theresa feels it was meant to be that we ran into her, it’s Bashert.  Her story is very similar to Ariella and Theresa in different ways.
8:48 – We mentioned on a previous episode that we ran into her at a basketball game, she is the “Super Successful Secret women” from episode 25.
9:40 – Ariella started off watching her cook, sing, pray, say inspirational message through the pandemic. Then she suddenly took off and got all these brand deals with Target, Whole Foods, McCormick Spices, Ulta, etc.
11:30 – Theresa introduced herself and gave her a compliment after Ariella saw her at basketball and told her who Tabitha Brown is.
12:00 - A quote in the book really connects the three of us. “Your pregnant with something right now, maybe it’s a dream of a family, maybe you want to start a non-profit in your community (Fuller Life), maybe you always wanted to sing and make an album (Ariella opera singer). That sentence right there connects the three of us.
13:45 – Additional gifts are for the outside table to decorate for future episodes. Theresa kept buying more gifts to support Ariella and Tabitha.
15:45 – The mug Theresa bought looks just like Mr. Yummy Tummy, our co-host and her other 4 dogs.
17:30 – Story of the connection to another podcast Tabitha was on with Crystal Evans. The sister of Anthony Evans, who Theresa follows his songs that she heard when she got the idea to create Fuller Life Story.
21:00 – After reading her book, Theresa found so many connections between the three of us, Tabitha, Ariella, and Theresa.
22:00 – Tabitha Brown inspires Ariella and reminds her that you don’t have to be in a box. She is out to the masses.
22:38 – Tabitha wants to be known as America’s Mom, what better show than MOMentum.
23:40 – Trust that God sees you and is working things out for you.  She heard God say to her, “This is not the life I planned for you.” Similar to Leap and the Net shall appear quote was a moment in Theresa’s life that she knew where she was in her life was not what she was meant to do.
24:35 – Theresa was so emotional seeing all of the connections. It is Bashert that they met Tabitha Brown.
25:15 – Ariella loves that Tabitha works out of kindness.  “If you are not having a good day, don’t you dare mess up somebody else’s”
26:30 – It’s unbelievable what She has done.  Theresa just wanted to give her a compliment and tell her how she is inspiring.    
27:30 - Manifestation, hopefully get Tabitha Brown on our Podcast, getting us on Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi’s stage.
28:00 – Sara Blakely is also inspiring, because she pays it forward and does something amazing for her friends and staff out of kindness. 
30:00 – Giving women compliments when they are so kind and stay true to who they are.
31:00 - If you don’t ask, they won’t know. You have to manifest it and go after what you want.
33:20 – We are going to manifest Tabitha Brown being on MOMentum Podcast.
 
Tabitha Brown Products:
Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Book on Amazon
 Tabitha Brown for Target : Target
 
Some Background on the hosts!
Ariella Vaccarino-
Once an opera singer, mother to 5 children, voice and piano teacher, creator of
Voice Lessons To Go, a line of voice lesson CDs/downloads that sell nationwide.
She is also the host of the podcasts:
The Talented Magical Mommies Club
Ariella's Vocal Notes
and she has her own YouTube channel about singing:
www.youtube.com/VoiceLessonsToGo
 
Theresa Ofstad-
Is currently working a fulltime job while running a Basketball Club with her husband and teenage son. She is developing a business called Fuller Life, a resource for patients, seniors and their families. She is an area director with Toastmasters, a lifetime learner, leadership fanatic, and community connector.  
Sign up for her monthly newsletter to volunteer and support:
Fuller Life
 
Join MOMentum's private Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/849622462704055/
Become a Patron by clicking the link at the top of the page or clicking here:
https://patron.podbean.com/momentum