I connected with today’s guest on Facebook, and then we met in person at a conference last September. We have so much in common! We are joint members in several communities, we’ve moved from working with children to working with more adults, and we’ve both been busy in the past year refining what we want to do and how we want to help people.
Molli Osburn is better known as “Molli the Math Rebel,” formerly “Molli the Math Lady.” She is an author, public speaker, and transformational coach. As a former math teacher and tutor since 2006, Molli is the author of Beyond Math Anxiety: 99 Insights (and a Calculation’s Not One!) She specializes in spreading awareness of the widespread problem of math anxiety and its deeper cousin, math shame. Recently, she started exploring the connection between math shame and money shame, especially among women. She’s been sober since January 2019, and that progress is a vitally important part of her journey. In her spare time, Molli enjoys hiking, traveling, crafts, and gluten-free baking.
Show Highlights:
- Why Molli is intense about math, but also about helping people understand the social aspects of math anxiety and math shame
- How Molli wants to help people find social and emotional solutions
- How Molli is passionate about everything and obsesses over little details
- Why math anxiety is not an academic problem with an academic solution
- Molli’s experience in growing up as a math, science, and STEM person with social anxiety
- How negative feelings and attitudes are passed down through generations
- How Molli’s passion extends to eradicating sexism and gender bias in math, science, and STEM
- Molli’s experience in growing up with Jewish AND Catholic parents---the best and worst of both worlds
- How Molli had to tone herself down and tune herself out because she was too intense and passionate about everything
- How Molli’s intensity got out of control when she wasn’t clear about her message
- The difference in math anxiety and math shame
- How Molli got sober a little over one year ago
- The connection between math shame and money shame, especially for women
- How Molli educates people about math anxiety and math shame, helping them connect through stories
- Molli’s struggles with mental health
- Why a morning routine is vital for Molli’s mental health; it includes tech-free time, essential oils, coffee, and morning journaling
- Books that have helped Molli: The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and Judgment Detox and Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein
- How Molli helps others with their goals, thoughts, and feelings in healing their wounds and transforming their stories to empower them
Resources:
Molli The Math Rebel (website in progress)
Beyond Math Anxiety Book
Find Molli the Math Rebel on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Judgment Detox by Gabrielle Bernstein
Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein