Becoming a mother isn’t just a personal change but a profound identity transformation on par with adolescence. In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben is joined by Dr. Aurélie Athan, clinical psychologist and scholar of reproductive identity, whose groundbreaking work on matrescence reframes motherhood as a major developmental passage. Together, they unpack how motherhood alters our physiology, status, relationships, economics, spirituality, and sense of self, and why recognising these shifts matters more than ever in today’s fractured support landscape.

This is a conversation that reshapes how we think about mothers, not as a monolith, but as individuals on distinct and complex reproductive journeys. From delayed childbearing to chosen childlessness, from postpartum crisis to existential reawakening, Aurélie and Danusia delve into the real universals of becoming, and being, a mother. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about honouring the full, evolving story.

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Credits:

• Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben

• Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz

• Cover art by Anthony Oram