I was feeling all the feels in this episode! We're taking an evolutionary and nervous system approach to looking at shame. Shame is an important topic, and for really good reason! But did you know that there's more than one function of shame, and more than one kind of shame? We're using shame all the time, but there are ways we can use it that are supportive, and even helpful at times, and there are ways that we use it as humans that can have profoundly negative effects on individuals and social groups. The distinction is really important to know, because it can inform how shame manifests in our parenting. We may also start to second guess how we use shame on the level of social engagement, because that matters, too. Have a listen and let me know what you think about shame!

And don't forget to share this episode with anyone who might benefit!

Don't forget the free download that goes with this episode: karinebell.com/podcast/3featuresofshame

We take for granted the things that we think we already know (about ourselves, about others, and about the world around us), but for anyone who's familiar with the ways in which we can suffer from the the beliefs we hold that limit us and keep us from our growth and expansion, we understand why it's important to open ourselves up and to take in new perspectives and new ideas. We could all benefit from some healthy skepticism about the beliefs we hold and the stories we tell ourselves and pass on, without awareness, to our kids. It can be difficult to challenge "what we think we know" because so many of our ideas have been with us for a long time and were often shaped in the earliest part of our lives, but we can learn to leave the door open to new perspectives and we can teach our kids how to do this as well. It's an empowering way to get started in life

Today is a Halloween-themed episode! And I'm excited about it because I get to talk about ghosts in today's episode. You might be wondering what on earth ghosts have to do with us as mothers, and to this idea of waking up and growing up? Well they have so much to do with that, actually. Because ghosts are metaphors for the things we don't want to face. So, there's no need to be afraid - this podcast is about BOLD LOVE - and we're going (together) to places that scare us...to find...often...that what seems so scary from a distance is often nothing more than the call for us to come home again. Life gets SO MUCH better when we learn to FACE our ghosts, so let's get into the show!

Show notes here: https://www.karinebell.com/podcast/ep007

Why is overwhelm plaguing so many women and mothers? It's the number one most commonly used adjective mamas use to describe their experiences to me. And I'm no stranger to overwhelm myself. While we could find many different contributors to this - longer to-do lists, higher expectations, more technology, more information, more demands on our time, there's something else, rooted in our biographies and our biology, that we need to consider. Let's explore this together!

Show notes: What's Really Behind Your Overwhelm?

This is the time year when the natural slowing down of the world around us can be an invitation for us to slow down with it. But that's not easy for many women who are neck-deep in the culture of doing. There's a kind of trauma to everyday life in the modern world. The busy-ness of our minds reflect the hurriedness of our lives. Even when we're in a calm environment, the mind can be a madhouse of activity. This experience alone - of not having the time and space to digest the many experiences we have are one thing, but when they also happen to people living in a state of disconnection (from themselves), well, this situation gets increasingly challenging. It's as if you'd eaten something, and then, instead being allowed to digest what you've just eaten, you keep eating and eating...until you're in a state of overwhelm and anxiety. And without the ability to slow down, it's hard to ever break the cycle. Slowing down, while scary, invites us back into a relationship with self and life that has a rhythm we can dance to.

I'm talking about anger in this episode and I'm sure it won't be for the last time. The subject of anger, and especially anger for women (in Europe and the Americas), has come up a lot recently, and I feel that's important. But the anger we hold often points us to something else in our experience that we need to address because anger often holds the powerful energy of healthy aggression captive - an energy that wants to move and transform something in our lives. This is the first of other discussions of how our vital and healthy life energy is mobilized to help us respond to the world but key for us in knowing how to allow it to move is knowing how to be with it and allow it to inform a wise and creative engagement with the world. While anger can hold us captive and fuel an unhealthy aggression, healthy aggression can propel us forward and fuel wise, creative and assertive action in the world.

Welcome back! In this episode I talk about the power of relationship for children. I tell you a story about how a simple but intentional television figure was able to establish relationship (not only with me, but with thousands of other children) that made a huge impact on my life. And how this speaks to the important presence of other figures in the lives of a child (alloparents and others) who can help provide for that child a foundation, a base, upon which they can stand when the environment around them is shaky. You might be surprised to know just how impactful a simple (but intentional) question like: "how are you doing?" can provide a thread of stability for a child who needs it. As an advisory - I do briefly talk about abuse relationships. I hope you enjoy the show!

You can find more detailed show notes here: karinebell.com/podcast

There are many myths of motherhood, but the one about the "self-less" mother is one of the most insidious and difficult to challenge because being selfless is really honorable, right? The sweetest hallmark cards talk about how much mom does for us, how much mom sacrifices for us, and loves us, and how big and limitless that love is. A mother's love can be beautiful, but there's an undercurrent here for the selfless mother that speaks to an expectation many women feel to be the good and sacrificial mother who doesn't think of herself. Her ability to always respond to the needs and demands of others, however, often comes at a cost to her. What if we could do both - love ourselves and give to others?

Welcome, mama, to the Bold as Love podcast! I'm Karine Bell, and I'm a mama on a journey of motherhood I, honestly, never anticipated. It's challenged me like NOTHING else has, but it's been probably one of the most powerful avenues I've ever traveled for waking up and growing up to my life so that I could parent the way I most deeply wished to. But, more than that, I've realized how, on this journey, I've also given birth to an entirely new experience of myself in this life, and for that I could be more grateful. My work is focused around what it means to claim your ability to author your own life experiences and also to become empowered to break with the momentum of past conditioned patterns and learning to make way for something new for yourself, and for your children going forward. We're creating a new legacy through the work that we do to be awake to our lives, and this has the ability to impact future generations. This is the introductory episode where you can meet me and hear a little about my motivation for starting this podcast. I hope that it serves as a source of education, inspiration, and perspective-shifting reflection to help point you in the direction you want to go and add fuel to your desire to go there.