Dr. Shainna Ali: mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and bestselling author of The Self-Love Workbook — joins Samantha to talk about her newest book, Generational Healing: Shifting Patterns, Creating Change.

In this conversation, Dr. Shainna shares the real clinical definition of self-love ("the practice of accepting, caring for, and intending to yourself"), why parenthood reawakens generational patterns and why that isn't backsliding, her own story of living with undiagnosed childhood anxiety, and the rushing pattern she traced back through her Guyanese heritage — and how she now answers it with "I am safe now."

They also get into the practical stuff: what to do when you have zero bandwidth (surviving is the healing), why boundaries are gates with key codes rather than walls, why the book never asks anyone to forgive or reconcile, what it means that you are already an ancestor, how to reparent yourself while actively parenting your kids, and how to tell mom burnout apart from just being tired. She closes with the book's final line — "the radiance was always within you" — and one thing to do differently at the dinner table tonight.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Shainna Ali's website: https://drshainna.com/
• Pre-order Generational Healing: Shifting Patterns, Creating Change on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1646048989/ref=as_li_ss_tl
• The Mental Wellness Practice Podcast: https://drshainna.com/thementalwellnesspracticepodcast
• Follow Dr. Shainna on Instagram: @drshainna

New episodes of The Running Wine Mom drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

What makes people remember a local business?

It’s not just a great product, a polished Instagram feed, or the perfect logo. It’s the story—and the person behind it.

On this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha Cieslinski sits down with Danielle Gannon, the storyteller and entrepreneur behind Local Spotlight with Danielle and DG Media Relations, to talk about what it really takes to make a business—and the people behind it—feel seen.

Danielle’s career didn’t follow a straight line. After spending more than a decade co-owning a natural food market, she discovered how much she loved meeting local business owners, visiting their spaces, and sharing their stories. When the world shut down in 2020, she took Local Spotlight on the road, highlighting businesses that needed visibility and community support. What began as a passion project eventually evolved into PR, marketing, branding, social media, event planning, and DG Media Relations.

But this conversation goes far beyond marketing.

Samantha and Danielle talk about why relationships still matter in an increasingly digital world, and why Danielle believes face-to-face connection can create something that a perfectly curated online presence simply can’t replicate.

They also get into the pressure so many women and entrepreneurs put on themselves to do everything. Danielle shares why knowing your strengths—and paying someone else to handle the things outside those strengths—can be one of the smartest decisions you make in business and life. The same lesson applies to motherhood: sometimes outsourcing the groceries, cleaning, or another task is exactly what creates room for what matters most.

And in a world increasingly filled with AI-generated content? Danielle believes authenticity becomes even more valuable. She and Samantha discuss using AI as a tool without allowing efficiency to replace creativity, personality, and real human connection. Magic-episode-01 (4)

In this episode:

• How Local Spotlight with Danielle began
• Danielle’s transition from business owner to media and PR entrepreneur
• Why every local business has a story worth telling
• The biggest storytelling mistake small business owners make
• How to identify what makes your brand different
• Why business owners shouldn’t try to do everything themselves
• Motherhood, entrepreneurship, and learning to outsource
• Why in-person connection still matters
• Reinventing yourself and trusting your gut
• Taking action before you feel completely ready
• AI, authenticity, and the future of content
• Preventing burnout when you’re always “on”
• Why Danielle believes Bucks County is such a special place for entrepreneurs
• Her advice for women afraid to pursue an idea

Danielle’s approach to storytelling comes down to something beautifully simple: people want to be heard and recognized. Every business has a unique story, and finding the right way to tell it can help attract the people it was meant to reach.

And for the woman who has been sitting on an idea because she’s afraid to begin? Danielle’s message is to go for it. You won’t know where an idea can take you unless you’re willing to start.

Connect with Danielle:
Instagram: @localspotlightwithdanielle

Connect with Samantha:
Instagram: @therunningwinemom_

Subscribe to The Running Wine Mom wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with a woman, entrepreneur, or small business owner who needs a reminder that their story deserves to be seen.

Cathy Pedrayes, TikTok’s “Mom Friend” and author of The Mom Friend Guide to Everyday Safety and Security, returns to The Running Wine Mom with practical back-to-school safety tips every parent can use without adding more fear to the school-year chaos.

Host Samantha Cieslinski and Cathy talk about safer first-day photos, personalized backpacks, school data privacy, cyberattacks, phishing attempts, group chats, Snapchat, location sharing, and the one habit Cathy says matters most: keeping honest conversations open with your kids.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What not to reveal in first-day-of-school photos, including names, schools, birthdays, and other identifying details.
• How to think about personalized backpacks and lunchboxes based on your child’s age, routine, and level of supervision.
• What parents should know about school apps, portals, school-issued devices, passwords, and two-factor authentication.
• How school cyberattacks can create follow-up phishing risks for families, and why unexpected school texts and links deserve a second look.
• Why every additional app can create new privacy, security, and social risks for kids.
• How a “no trouble for telling the truth and asking for help” approach can keep kids talking when something goes wrong online.

Episode chapters

• 00:00 , Welcome back, Cathy Pedrayes
• 00:59 , First-day-of-school photos: what not to post online
• 03:47 , Are personalized backpacks with kids’ names safe?
• 05:34 , School data privacy: apps, portals, and school-issued devices
• 07:21 , School cyberattacks and ransomware: what parents should do
• 11:55 , School group chats, Snapchat, and location sharing
• 16:25 , Cathy’s most important back-to-school safety takeaway
• 19:07 , Where to find Cathy

Links and resources

• Cathy Pedrayes: Follow @cathypedrayes on TikTok and Instagram.
• The Mom Friend Guide to Everyday Safety and Security
• CISA K–12 Cybersecurity Foundations Resource Package
• Episode 75: How to Stay Safe Online in a Digital World
• The Running Wine Mom on Apple Podcasts
• Samantha Cieslinski: Follow @therunningwinemom_ on Instagram.

If this episode helped you, share it with a mom who needs to hear it, subscribe to The Running Wine Mom, and leave a review. You are strong, you are capable, and you are amazing. Cheers!