In this episode of the Dear Mama Project I chat with Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator and  all round Early Parenting Support Wonder-Woman Jen Butler. 

At the time of recording Jen was 31 weeks pregnant with her third child so we dived into the reflections of becoming a first time Mum and how moving into it for a third time, hindsight has gifted her more love and compassion for the shifts that are about to happen.  

Jen shares with us the validation she felt upon hearing about the word Matrescence for the first time and how it perfectly described her journey into Motherhood,  unpacking the issue of identity as a Mother and reflecting on how it impacted Jen's  sense of self, questioning her feelings of who she was as a woman, mother and wife. 

We also talk about the fact that the work of Mothers can feel utterly invalidating because the completion loop never reaches accomplishment... from this Jen shares the most liberating thing a Mum can come to realise.

Jen Butler  https://www.jenniferbutler.com.au/home-page
Jen Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jenbutlerearlyparenting/

Nikki instagram https://www.instagram.com/nikkimccahon/
Discover Matrescence https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence
Alignment https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/alignment
Website https://www.nikkimccahon.com

 --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

Matrescence Tale - Jen Butler | three children, identity, achievement in motherhood

Becoming a mother leaves no woman as it found her, it unravels and rebuilds her, it cracks her open, takes her to her edges, it’s both beautiful and brutal often at the same time.&nbsp;

This transformation has a name; matrescence. The monumental shift a woman experiences through becoming and being a mother. Like adolescence, matrescence is a time of radical transformation; physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. However unlike adolescence, matrescence remains largely unacknowledged in mainstream culture. And it’s time for that to change.&nbsp;

Welcome to Seasons of Matrescence - The Podcast, where we explore the changing seasons of becoming, and being a mother.&nbsp;

I’m your guide, Nikki McCahon, mother, matrescence educator and womens life cycle guide. Let’s explore the transformative potential of matrescence and change the conversation about motherhood, together.&nbsp;

© Copyright Dear Mama Project™ 2020 - See podcast terms and conditions on website

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Kids & Family

Self-Improvement

In todays episode I speak to Julianne Boutaleb about grief and growth through motherhood, exploring the expectations we have of ourselves, our children, and motherhood and what happens when our expectations don't match our lived experiences.

Julianne is the Clinical Director and Founder of the Parenthood In Mind practice. She is a passionate and highly experienced perinatal psychologist who has worked for over 15 years in the NHS and private practice with parents-to-be, parents, and their babies. Julianne is a member of the Birth Trauma Association and the Association for Infant Mental Health. She specialises in working therapeutically with birth trauma, PTSD, and tokophobia (fear of giving birth) as these issues impact the mother, the couple's relationship, and parent-infant attachment.

In addition, she is also affiliated with BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) and offers therapy to individuals and couples who are pregnant or parenting following ART (IVF, ICSI, donor conception, surrogacy), or adoption. In her practice, Julianne draws on a range of perspectives including psychodynamic and attachment models, CBT, integrative work, ACT, and compassion-focused work. She also engages in couples' work and can offer parent-infant sessions using the Watch, Wait & Wonder model.

You can connect with Julianne here:
https://www.instagram.com/parenthoodinmind/
https://www.parenthoodinmind.co.uk/ --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

Grief + Growth through Mothering with Julianne Boutaleb

Today we talk with Fiona Weaver from Mama Matters. Fiona is a social worker turned infant sleep specialist. She provides attachment-centred, real-life parenting and sleep support to responsive parents and their renegade babies & kids. Fiona is passionate about busting through the missed truths of the mainstream sleep industry. She aims to empower parents in alignment with their values, with evidence-based, biological normal sleep advice and relationship-centred approaches to optimising sleep and well-being for families. 

In this episode, Fiona and I discuss what being a highly sensitive person (HSP) means. Fiona shares how high sensitivity can manifest for both children and adults and how this can impact our experiences as mothers who are highly sensitive ourselves or who have children who have high sensitivity. She shares the gifts and challenges of high sensitivity and offers some practical self-care strategies. 

Connect with Fiona
https://www.mamamatters.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/mamamatters.au/ --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

Highly Sensitive People with Fiona Weaver

In today's podcast I am speaking to Melanie Dimmitt, a writer, author, editor and broadcaster and mother of two young children. In 2019 Melanie released her debut book; Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child’s disability after she was thrust into the disability space when her six-month-old son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Special is an uplifting, candid companion for parents in the early stages of navigating their child’s disability. Combining content from dozens of interviews with parents of children with wide-ranging disabilities (including Jocelyn Moorhouse, Chloe Maxwell and Ricky Stuart) alongside professional input from psychologists, researchers and specialists, it shares stories, advice and actionable coping strategies for parents not yet ready to sign up to ‘the special-needs club’. 

In this episode Melanie shares her journey of becoming a mother, her son Arlo’s diagnosis with cerebral palsy, the challenges and joy of raising a child with a disability, her journey of writing her book Special and how this supported her to find acceptance and healing.  If you’d like to connect with Melanie you’ll find all of her contact details and a link to purchase her book Special in the show notes.  You can connect with Melanie here: 
https://www.instagram.com/the_special_book
https://www.melaniedimmitt.com.au/ --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

'Special' - Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child's disability - a conversation with Melanie Dimmet

Arden Cartrette is a Certified Birth & Bereavement Doula and Trauma Support Specialist who focuses on helping mothers navigate pregnancy loss and life afterwards. Following her personal journey with infertility and two traumatic miscarriages, she is passionate about breaking stigmas, providing education and validation to those who are suffering. Arden currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, two living children following her loss journey along with her four pets!

In this episode, I speak to Arden about her own journey of loss, the role of a bereavement doula, our cultural stigma around grief and pregnancy loss and how to offer support to mothers and families who have experienced loss.  

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Arden. If you’d like to connect with Arden or her team of bereavement doulas you’ll find all of her contact details below. Connect with Arden here:
themiscarriagedoula.co
instagram.com/themiscarriagedoula


 --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

Pregnancy Loss and What Comes Next with Arden Cartrette

Today I'm speaking with Yara Heary from Life after Birth Psychology. Yara is a Perth Psychologist who works exclusively with women throughout conception, pregnancy & motherhood. Yara started Life After Birth Psychology following the birth of her first son, which started her on yet another journey of self-discovery. Her experiences throughout early motherhood sparked her passion to support other women as they navigate their own family-of-origin dynamics - the social programming of the good mother, relationship changes with those around them, identity shifts and role changes to find their place of balance and authenticity as mothers. 

Yara offers 1:1 and group coaching programs for mothers, including her group program 'The Re-Birth', alongside e-courses and workshops and her own podcast 'Life After Birth with Yara'. 

In today's episode, I speak with Yara about how mothering can be a time of re-experiencing and, in many ways, grieving our own experiences of childhood and how this can be both painful and an opportunity for growth and healing. We talk about exploring our triggers, reparenting ourselves and nurturing our own inner child. 

Connect with Yara
https://www.lifeafterbirth.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterbirthpsychology/ --

You can connect with me on Instagram @nikkimccahon and the Seasons of Matrescence Instagram account @seasonsofmatrescence.

Website:
https://www.nikkimccahon.com
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com

Free Discover Matrescence e-book
https://courses.nikkimccahon.com/discovermatrescence

Free Seasons of Matrescence quiz
https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/quiz

Matrescence Tale - Jen Butler | three children, identity, achievement in motherhood

Download our free app to listen on your phone