There's Something You Need To Know, Mama...
Matrescence.
I have traveled oceans and crossed the world to understand this word --
I have spent years asking the questions --
I have heard the voices of thousands of mothers --
Matrescence
As a journalist, I have been seeking the answers to the question ‘what happens to a woman when she becomes a mother’ for more than a decade.
In that time, I have interviewed hundreds of authors, maternal health experts, yogis and teachers. I have been on my own personal pilgrimage to find answers to why I felt the way I did. And I have listened to thousands upon thousands of women who felt the same.
I have been the anthropologist, in the trenches of early motherhood, trying to decipher why so many of us feel burnt out, overwhelmed, and addicted to being busy.
And I have emerged from that time knowing one thing for sure:
Matrescence is the missing link for truly understanding why women feel the way they do, and how we can revolutionise the way we think about and value
motherhood.
Understanding matrescence is the road map of your transformative journey to the woman you want to be.
It’s the insight you’ve been missing.
It’s the ignored part of womanhood.
And without the understanding and framework of matrescence, we are abandoning mothers.
I Believe...
I believe that when a mother understands matrescence, she becomes a powerhouse. She is grace and grit.
I believe that when we change the way mothers value what they do each day, they will own their resilience and joy and true selves.
I believe mothers are the powerhouse of this world.
I believe there is such strength in the softness and vulnerability of mothering...and we’ve dismissed it as weakness. I believe it’s time to change that and when we do, we’ll change the world.
I believe that becoming a mother is the first step on the road to truly becoming your most actualized self.
I am here to do that.
Through my books, my podcast, my programs for mamas, and my training for women working with mamas, I am committed to transforming how we speak about, honour and value this key transformation.
READ MY LATEST BOOK
Matrescence is the transition into motherhood, and the missing link in our understanding of the unique feelings belonging to new mothers.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
The Happy Mama Movement podcast is all about exploring what happens to a woman when she becomes a mama, and revolutionising our understanding of motherhood.
CHECK OUT MY PROGRAMS
My programs have been designed to guide you through the beauty and confusion of this discovery process and help you get to know yourself again.
As a producer with more than 15 years experience at the ABC, I bring the research and dedication of a journalist to the passion of an anthropologist and coach. Since 2013, I have trained as an Internationally Accredited Life Coach, Post-Natal Yoga teacher, and Meditation facilitator. With an Honours Degree in International Studies and a Graduate Certificate in International Development focusing on empowering women in the developing world, I have always been focused on women: why the world views us in a particular way, and what we can do about it.
In 2015, having brought myself to the edge of overwhelm and burn out trying to prove I could “do it all”, I stepped away from my lifelong dream of working for the ABC to dedicate myself completely to the understanding of motherhood. I knew that what I had been through - the inner split and the burn out - was something too many of us were experiencing.
And I wanted to know why.
The search took many years, and many paths, until I found myself in the office of Dr Aurelie Athan at Columbia University in New York in late 2018
and I finally understood what I’d been seeking all this time:
Matrescence.
Since then, working closely with Dr Athan, I have dedicated myself to bringing this understanding to the world.
Over the years, there have been many teachers and influences in my life that have shaped the work I now share with the world. It is important I acknowledge them here:
- Dr Aurelie Athan, Columbia University, the current leader of matrescence
- Dana Raphael, the mother of matrescence
- Judith Duerk and A Circle of Stones, which inspired the dedication to gathering women in Circle
- Marianne Williamson, and in particular her Aphrodite Training and A Woman’s Worth
- Andrea O’Reilly and her ground-breaking teachings on Matricentric Feminism
- Dr Oscar Serralach and his dedication to understanding and supporting mothers differently through Post-Natal Depletion
- Julia Jones and her Newborn Mothers PostPartum Doula Training
- Dr Catherine Birndorf, founder of The Motherhood Centre in New York, for her commitment to creating a safe space for mothers.
And my teachers and mentors (both personal and through books and guidance): Rebecca Campbell, Gabrielle Bernstein, Elena Brower, Belinda Davidson, Julie Parker, Marci Shimoff, and Debra Poneman.
I stand on the shoulders of these
women and teachers.
I thank them.
In the end, after a lifetime of questioning, I can see now that all roads lead to...
matrescence.
I know that understanding this transition of womanhood can and will change the world.
I know that it’s my life’s work.
If you’d like to be a part of this call to action to change the way we support and honour women in motherhood differently, here’s how.
Understanding what matrescence is and how to navigate it is like being
handed a map.
Once you've got the map, the journey gets easier... and really, really exciting. Because it’s the making of you.
Get your Matrescence Map here - a six-page ebook which will empower you to understand why you feel the way you do, and the first steps to take.
Plus, receive updates on my podcast, programs, events and latest teachings every week.
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