Mojo Mom continues her series of interviews with contributors to the upcoming new anthology she's editing, Courageous Parenting.  This week Amy Tiemann talks to Melissa Stanton, author of The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide, about The Courage to Become Your Own Parenting "Expert."

You can learn even more about Melissa's work by visiting her websites, StayAtHomeSurvivalGuide.com and the Real Life Support for Moms blog.

This week Mojo Mom author Amy Tiemann continues her series of conversations with  "Courageous Parenting" anthology contributors, talking to Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions.

Amy McCready's training gives parents valuable tools that prevent behavior problems from arising in the first place, and give parents tool and strategies to respond constructively when problems do arise.

Today Amy and Amy delve into the substance behind the recent headline, "For Some Parents, Shouting is the New Spanking," and talk about the themes of personal belonging and significance, why this is important to kids, and how to develop these qualities within your family.

Sign up on MojoMom.com and you will receive a free e-book edition of "Courageous Parenting" when it is released in March 2010.

Mojo Mom is launching her next project:  a new book called Courageous Parenting.  Its goal is to give parents the skills and strategies they need to raise independent kids, with courage and confidence rather than worry and fear.

This anthology will bring together over a dozen talented authors who cover this topic from their unique angle.  So on The Mojo Mom Podcast, we'll be talking to the anthology contributors, starting out this week with the founders of the social networking site for Moms, TheMotherhood.com, Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann.  This dynamic duo returns to the podcast to talk about how community support can empower us all to be more courageous, and how they plan to transform a chat we had online at TheMotherhood into a chapter for the new book.

You can register to receive a free e-book copy of Courageous Parenting by signing up to receive the MojoMom.com newsletter and Party Kit, so stop by today!

We're trying out a new format on The Mojo Mom Podcast, focusing on one segment to give us more time for our expert guest interviews. 

This week's guest Kristin Maschka is a great person to help kick off this new format, because Mojo Mom and Kristin sure have a lot to talk about.  Kristin is a past president of the national advocacy group Mothers & More, a successful businessperson, and the author of the new book This Is Not How I Thought It Would Be: Remodeling Motherhood to Get the Lives We Want Today.

So tune in to learn how you can put more energy into all the facets of your identity, and find out how Mothers & More helped Amy Tiemann take a step forward on the path that eventually led to writing Mojo Mom.

You can learn more about Kristin Maschka's work and sign up to receive her free "remodeling tools" at www.RemodelingMotherhood.com

Amy and Patty talk about upcoming changes in Mojo Mom, which will be more fully announced in October.

Then Mojo Mom interviews Rachel Simmons, a respected author, educator and coach who helps girls develop their authentic selves.  Rachel's new book is The Curse of the Good Girl, which fascinated Amy as a guide to helping young women develop, and a reminder that grown-up women may still have some relationship skills to learn, especially when it comes to dealing with conflict.

It's time for fall cleaning.  Amy Tiemann and this week's co-host Patty Ayers talk about letting go of clutter, as Patty has done in a major way by moving to Mexico and embracing a life rich in experiences that is not weighed down by possessions.

Then Mojo Mom turns to "Neat Freak" professional organizer Perri Kersh for her tips for creating a landing pad for your family's belongings. As school gets into full swing it's a good time of year to look at the flow of informaiton and "stuff" into your household, and the small step of creating a landing pad can help with that process.

Amy has been writing on her Mojo Mom Blog about what experiences students should have before they get to college.  She and Patty Ayers talk about this balance between exploration and knowing where you are going.

Then Mojo Mom welcomes leading parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba to the podcast.  Michele Borba is the author of 23 books and a regular contributor to The Today Show.  Her latest release is The Big Book of Parenting Solutions:  101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries.  This encylopedic guide is organized by topic to give parents the specific solutions they need to address a wide range of issues for kids ages 3 to 13.

We're kicking off the fifth season of The Mojo Mom Podcast!  We wish a fond farewell to co-host Sheryl Grant who is starting grad school full time.  Amy welcomes her new co-host Patty Ayers.  Amy and Patty have worked together behind the scenes for many years and are excited to talk about current issues together on the podcast.  In this episode they talk about Patty's empty-nester move to Mexico (you can see photos on Patty's blog) and then discuss the controversy that erupted this week about a breastfeeding mother who was fired by the Totes/Isotoner corporation for taking "unauthorized" breaks to pump her milk.

Then Mojo Mom talks to Po Bronson, co-author of NurtureShock:  New Thinking about Children.  In this important new book, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman bring to light new scientific findings that can change the way we view child development.

Amy and Sheryl talk about radical self-care and the times it rises to the level of self-preservation.  Sheryl has decided to take a break from almost all of her responsibilities outside of her family and her job.  That means this week is Sheryl's final Mojo Mom Podcast.  Amy sends out her appreciation for four seasons together, more than 60 shows.  We may take some breaks this summer, but The Mojo Mom Podcast will continue with a new co-host.  Stay tuned for details....

Then Mojo Mom talks to Ms. Mindbody, Kate Hanley.  Kate is a yoga instructor and author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide:  77 Simple Strategies for Serenity.  She shares stress reduction strategies on her website, MsMindBody.com, and talks about her own experience caring for herself as a new Mom.

The Mojo Mom Podcast goes global this week.  First, Amy checks in with  guest co-host Patty Ayers, about Patty's ongoing adventures as an empty-nest North Carolina Mom turned global citizen living in Mexico.  Patty is a web designer who has untethered herself from her desk to create a business as a virtual assistant that will allow her to work anywhere in the world.

The Mojo Mom interviews Maya Frost, author of the book The New Global Student:  Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education.  Maya addresses the WHYs and HOWs of creating an international opportunity for your children or whole family.

Mojo Mom highly recommends The New Global Student, as detailed in her complete Amazon.com review.