#5SmartReads - April 11, 2023

Olivia Howell is the co-founder and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry, the first and only platform for everything you need to begin again, including divorce or breakup, moving, career changes, stepping into your truth, or starting again after grief. After her own divorce in 2019, Olivia had an 'aha moment' when she realized that we celebrate weddings and babies with a registry, but in the moments we really need to restock our life, like divorce, job loss, or any brave decision and major life change, we need the support, both in the form of support items for your home and the experts who become our hype team. From there, Fresh Starts Registry was born, the first Support Registry and Divorce Registry - and the only platform which aggregates support experts for all life changes and supports the Fresh Starts Experts in their marketing, business, and public relations.

Olivia currently lives in Huntington with her two amazing boys. In her spare time, she loves to co-host A Fresh Story Podcast, watercolor, make handmade cards, read about generational trauma, listen to 90s music, and collect crystals.

Kids Are Messy. So Why Are So Many Moms Under So Much Pressure To Keep Their Homes Spotless? (Yahoo! Life)

It's a truth universally acknowledged that children are disgustingly messy creatures, and yet, we, as parents (mothers), are endlessly reminded that it is our job to keep our living spaces clean, presentable, neat and tidy. Which, when you think about it, makes zero sense!

This is why I absolutely loved this piece by Meg St-Esprit about the pressure put on moms to keep a house clean and how absolutely ridiculous it is! Think of all of the other things we could be doing in our lives than worrying about a clean house.

So, why is there such an intense pressure on mothers to keep a clean house? Where did this concept come from? Fresh Starts Expert and Therapist (and mom), Bonnie Scott, digs into the details in this very interesting perspective on mental load, household duties, and parenting.

Podcasts Can Help Small Business Owners Build Their Brands And Win New Customers. Here’s How. (Business Insider)

We all know and love podcasts for so many reasons, but did you know that podcasting can be an incredible marketing tool for your brand?

We launched A Fresh Story in November to help tell the stories of people going through all different life changes, and since then, we've become a top podcast, and have absolutely loved meeting new guests and sharing their stories - but, more than that, the podcast has become a pivotal part of the Fresh Starts brand - and has reached people in a way that simply asking people to share wouldn't!

So, why don't more companies have podcasts? How can people use a podcast as a marketing tool? We had the chance to talk to Insider about podcasting for marketing, and why we believe every brand should have their own podcast!

Tamar Adler Shows You How To Make The Most Of Your Leftovers In Her New Cookbook (NPR)

Years ago, I ran social media for Scraps, an A+E TV show about cooking with food scraps, in an effort to teach people about food waste and conservation. So, I'm always intrigued when I see cooks using leftovers to create new meals - I've been following Tamar Adler for a while, and as NPR says, her new cookbook,

I appreciate Tamar's immense creativity and innovation, while also keeping her concepts simple enough for the home cook - we ALL have food scraps, leftovers, and waste, so why not make the most of them - especially when prices of food are on the rise. Plus, the noodle recipe in this article sounds delicious - can't wait to try it!

The Science Behind The Effectiveness Of Word Of Mouth (The Social Media Hat) 

I've been in the world of social media forever, and still, when someone asks me about the most effective way to market a product or service, I tell them, "word of mouth!"

There is simply nothing more powerful than word of mouth marketing - and I loved this piece about the effectiveness and power of word of mouth marketing. In a way, influencer culture has become our generations' word of mouth marketing - do you ever buy products because an influencer you like recommended them?

There's also a subsection of influencers I like to call "IRL-Influencers," which are like the people in your local Facebook groups who people everyone goes to for suggestions - they may be online, but they're still really influential with their IRL people! What do you think? Do you believe in the power of word of mouth marketing?

50 Women-Owned Businesses To Support For Women’s History Month (Sunday Edit)

When I saw my friend Lindsay Tigar wrote this massive piece for Sunday Riley on 50 Women Owned Businesses, I had the most fun checking each and every one of these businesses out!

I love supporting women owned businesses, and this list has a woman-owned business for every state. With everything from food and beverage to home goods to children's items, clothing, and more, there is something for everyone on this list. Follow them on social media, bookmark them for Mother's Day, and support women in business!

We're interviewing Kelley Higney, founder of The Bug Bite Thing, on A Fresh Story podcast soon - so stay tuned for that!