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Welcome to episode EIGHT of the Re-Imagining Motherhood podcast.

I am thrilled to bring you Moira Mikolajczak, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, and a Professor of Medical and Health Psychology at the University of Louvain in Belgium, co-creator of the Parental Burnout Scale. In this episode, Mikolajczak and I explore the field of parental burnout and how her research carries significant implications for mothers and those that support them professionally. “Parental burnout is a syndrome that affects parents exposed to chronic parental stress in the absence of sufficient resources to compensate,” she writes. Our conversation is validating and encouraging - it truly illustrates that burnout is a “WE” problem, not a “ME” problem and leaves me feeling inspired that we can re-imagine Motherhood together.

Episode Summary:
The rates of burnout are on the rise. With Mothers doing more with less, there is a clear recipe for burnout. Between systemic failures, unrealistic cultural expectations, and our own personal history and the personality of our child, burnout lurks just around the corner for so many Mothers. Is there a way to prevent it? How do we treat it? Who is most at risk? This conversation is NOT intended to shame anyone - rather to bring awareness to the potential outcomes of parental burnout when left unaddressed and unsupported (clinically and otherwise). This conversation is full of research, hope and validation through and through, with the overall intention that parental burnout becomes more than another trendy, self-care marketing tactic in the Motherhood space - and instead is seen and understood with nuance, complexity and holistically…as it so much a symptom of being a mother, mothering within Patriarchal Motherhood today. This conversation is crucial to better understanding our mothering experience today. It’s from this knowledge and Mikolajczak’s research, that we can re-imagine Motherhood together.

Additional episode resources:
https://www.burnoutparental.com

Moira Mikolajczak’s full bio:
Mikolajczak is the mother of a little Louise, a Doctor of Psychological Sciences, and a Professor of Medical and Health Psychology at the University of Louvain in Belgium. Moïra is a leading figure in the field of parental burnout, a subject she has been studying since 2015 in collaboration with Isabelle Roskam. Together, they initiated a large research program aiming to shed light on the nature, causes, consequences and treatment of parental burnout. They founded the IIPB, an international research consortium on parental burnout that now includes 50 countries. With the collaboration of their team, the consortium and many researchers (and parents!) around the world, they have developed this field of research and published the results of their work in numerous scientific articles and several books for parents and professionals. They also co-direct the Training Institute for Parental Burnout and the Parental Burnout Research Lab, reference centers for parental burnout.

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Welcome to episode SEVEN of the Re-Imagining Motherhood podcast.

I am thrilled to bring you Tracy Sidesinger, PsyD a clinical psychologist, trained in Jungian and relational psychoanalysis, that is bringing a feminist lens into psychotherapy. In this episode, Sidesinger and I explore the concept of matrescence as opportunity versus a potential experience of trauma for a mother. We examine the invitation that such a period of transformation can have on us, as Mothers and as women more holistically - thus then diving into the concept of maternal subjectivity. Our conversation inspiring, thought-provoking and reconnecting - she left me believing that there is opportunity for wholeness as Mothers and indeed, we can re-imagine Motherhood together.

Episode Summary:
The question of identity often is paramount in matrescence. Who am I? What kind of a Mother am I? How can I reconnect with myself outside of being a Mother? In this episode, Sidesinger explains the theory of maternal subjectivity and the invitation that is, becoming a Mother: one that allows for us to reflect on our own past experiences, see ourselves as part of and apart from our children and how we exist outside of Motherhood. We tend to have a very narrow view of Mothers, especially as defined by patriarchal Motherhood - so what would it look like to see Mothers as full humans - capable and deserving of entire fulfilling lives outside of being Mothers? What does it mean for Mothers to explore this expansion themselves and then furthermore, bring their children into this idea as well? Sidesinger is a wealth of knowledge and truly brings a deeply reconnecting and feminine lens to this space. This conversation further challenges the constraints of Patriarchal Motherhood and indeed, allows us to…re-imagine Motherhood together.

Additional episode resources:
https://nycdepthpsychology.org/publications
https://www.instagram.com/nycdepthpsychologist
https://nycdepthpsychology.org/
Stay tuned for future writing retreats: https://nycdepthpsychology.org/writing-retreats

Tracy Sidesinger’s full bio:
Tracy Sidesinger, PsyD is a clinical psychologist in New York. She earned her doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary studying the intersection of psychology, religion, and attachment. From there she went on to study Jungian and Relational psychoanalysis in New York at the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association and The William Alanson White Institute, respectively. A mother herself, she also uses personal experience along with thousands of hours with patients to bring a feminist lens back to psychotherapy.

In her writing, Dr. Sidesinger challenges gender norms in culture and psychoanalysis and she has also been invited to speak across the country on the new frontier of psychoanalysis from a feminist critical, community-based lens.

Like what you heard and want more?!

• If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5 star rating, a glowing review and make sure to share this podcast with all your friends and family.
• Make sure to check out: www.mamasmodernvillage.com for my Becoming Mama groups and The Matricentric Way professional training!
• Sign up for my newsletter to stay in the know of all my latest happenings AND tips to support you in all things matrescence and Motherhood on the website.
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Welcome to episode SIX of the Re-Imagining Motherhood podcast.

I am thrilled to bring you Christine Carrig, M.S.Ed. a Montessori educator and writer in residence with Khora Lab. In this episode, Carrig and I explore the intersection of child-development and maternal development and what it could mean for us, individually and collectively, to bring mothers more into focus. Carrig’s unique perspective as a Montessori educator and administrator brings into curiosity how child-centered we really need to be in order for our children to develop healthy attachments with us as Mothers - as well as how much we need to give of ourselves to our children. Our conversation was validating, normalizing and encouraging - she left me believing that indeed, we can re-imagine Motherhood together.

Episode Summary:
“If only I would have known…” say so many mothers as they reflect on their initiation into Motherhood, “Maybe I would have had more grace for myself, more compassion.” Carrig’s honest account of her own matrescence will leave you feeling validated as you reflect on your own experience becoming a Mother - not to mention, her experience was so much a catalyst for further exploring the theory of matrescence for herself (like so many of us!). Bringing in her expertise of child-development, Carrig suggests that Mothers need a focus of their own - from research and policy to culture change. If Mothers are centered, then, ultimately, children are too. We further explore the nuances of attachment and gentle parenting - leaving you, hopefully, with a breath of fresh air and an expanded perspective - maybe even more grace for yourself. I believe these are the crucial conversations we need to have that challenge Patriarchal Motherhood and indeed, allow us to…re-imagine Motherhood together.

Additional episode resources:
You can subscribe to her Substack or follow her on Instagram@christine.m.carrig.

Christine Carrig’s full bio:
Christine Carrig, M.S.Ed, is the founding director of Carrig Montessori School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With a background in early childhood development, she has been a Montessori educator and administrator for the past 18 years. After studying under Dr. Aurelie Athan she became the Writer in Residence for the Khora: Maternal and Reproductive Psychology Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University where she focuses on the intersection between maternal development and child development. Her writing has been featured in Postpartum Support International, Scary Mommy and Business Insider. She lives in Queens, NY with her husband and their four children.

Like what you heard and want more?!

• If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5 star rating, a glowing review and make sure to share this podcast with all your friends and family.
• Make sure to check out: www.mamasmodernvillage.com for my Becoming Mama groups and The Matricentric Way professional training!
• Sign up for my newsletter to stay in the know of all my latest happenings AND tips to support you in all things matrescence and Motherhood on the website.
• Plus - follow me on IG @mamasmodernvi