Episode 1

Here for You, Not a How To

You already know how to raise your kids. I’m not here to tell you how to do it. I’m here for you—to encourage and empower you when you don’t know why in the world you bother trying.

And in this episode, I share why this pandemic is the perfect occasion to get real about the challenges of motherhood. It’s time to get unmasked!

#motherhoodunmaskedpodcast

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Episode 1 transcript

Hello and welcome to the first episode. I’m so excited to have you here.

What a time to start a podcast! For the benefit of those listening years from now, we are currently in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic which has us sequestered in our homes, practicing physical distancing.

And that’s changed ALL of our realities—moms included.

Whether you’re a SAHM or a mom who works outside the home, we’re ALL at home with the additional responsibilities of teaching our children, finding and constantly preparing food, on top of our non-stop accessibility to our children.

And it is more than a notion.

You’re stretched so thin you don’t have time to find your mask.

What mask? The one we moms normally wear.

The one that says you’ve got this whole situation under control.

Your kids are perfect and you have the social media posts to prove it.

No ma’am, the only mask we care about these days are the respiratory kind as we fight to keep our families and homes infection free.

And in case you’re wondering, the title Motherhood Unmasked isn’t a play on words based on the current pandemic.

I had the idea for this podcast complete with title last year and even recorded a couple episodes in the fall but I didn’t follow through.

Part of it was because of the busyness of family life, but also my insecurity.

I wasn’t sure moms would be interested in the kind of transparency that happens when you’re willing to drop the mask and have honest conversation about the challenges you and I face as moms and the courage we need to meet them.

So I shelved it.

But then came the coronavirus.

And it’s forced us to drop our masks. Because everything’s NOT OKAY and we’re too overwhelmed to pretend otherwise.

Our lives are literally stripped down to what really matters most—the people we live with every day and our purpose in life.

For years I thought my purpose was in practicing medicine. After residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine I looked forward to going into maternal and child health at the policy level.

But when I got married then pregnant with our first child, God interrupted that plan with the call to stay home and take care of my own children.

That was hard to swallow.

I’m a recovering control freak, so the thought of having my plans hijacked after all the years of study, student loans and training didn’t sit well with me—but I knew God was right.

Aside from the impact our frequent moving as a military family would have on my career aspirations, God knew there were pieces of my motherhood puzzle I needed to figure out beyond all my pediatric training.

Pieces like what kind of mom I want to be and how my childhood experiences help or hinder that?

How the choices I make with my children eventually affect theirs, so what kind of legacy do I want to leave?

And the trickiest puzzle piece of all: how do I become that mom when I didn’t see that modeled growing up?

And I learned tons over the years in the lab called home.

It wasn’t easy. The truths I faced were uncomfortable and required decisions “people” didn’t always agree with but were best for these kids God gave us.

So when moms at the park, the grocery store or at the mall struck up conversation with me, I realized they needed the same thing I did: to understand their value in their children’s lives goes well beyond clean diapers, stocked pantries, full bellies and free taxi service.

You’re not only the heartbeat of the home, you impact generations. Living that out is totally attainable. It’s a matter of perspective.

Now to be clear, this podcast is not about how to raise your kids. There are plenty of books and other podcasts doing that.

This podcast is about nurturing and empowering YOU to do what God chose you to do—be the mother to your children.

It’s a space for real talk about the challenges you face and the support you need in your motherhood journey.

And if you’d like a coach or cheerleader, I’m here for you.

Does that mean I have it all figured out? Nope, I’m on the journey just like you.

But by taking off the mask and encouraging you to do the same, I hope to do a twist on what I wrote in my med school application essay years ago: help give your kids a firm foundation from which to approach the world.

Thank you for joining me on this first episode of MOTHERHOOD UNMASKED. I appreciate you and the friends and mentors who poured into me—especially the ones who encouraged me to start this podcast.

So until next time, remember, when it comes to you being the mother of your children—YOU are the woman for the job! Take care.