Mothering is hard, but we don’t want to admit that there is pain in everyday mothering. Why is that? Confessing to the dark moments of mothering keeps us from living up to the high bar of perfection that we–and society–has asked of mothers.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Margo Lowy, a psychotherapist and the author of Maternal Ambivalence, about why we need to embrace the light and dark moments of mothering. She shares how the complicated moments can fuel our love, help us practice self-compassion, and model forgiveness to our children.

Resources Mentioned

Torn in Two by Rozsika Parker

Happy Event film

The Hedgehog film

Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman

Ladybird film

Connect With the Guest

Maternal Ambivalence by Margo Lowy

Is your relationship with money inherited? What if, when it came to your finances, you mothered yourself? In this episode of About Your Mother, personal finance expert Elizabeth Husserl shares the radical redefinition of wealth that we all need to hear.

Elizabeth is the author of The Power of Enough, which she dedicated to her ancestors and the wisdom they instilled in her.

Resources Mentioned

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Manfred Max-Neef

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Scarcity Brain

Connect with the Guest

The Power of Enough book

The Wealth Mandala

Website: elizabethhusserl.com

Instagram: instagram.com/elizabethhusserl

 What if you wrote something, something that was true and significant to you, and those words launched a media attack of shame and judgment that rendered you nearly silent - how would you feel? What would you do?

Melissa Petro is a writer, a mom, and a wife. Her book, Shame on You, How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, is a brilliant examination of how society, and people in general, mortify women that we don't understand.

It happens every day. Taylor, JLo, Britney, to name a few well-known ones. Artists living in the public eye until, for some reason, the media decided to take them down. Melissa and I connected on a quote: “I think we become whoever would have saved our younger self.”

Originally, Melissa and I were going to discuss how she and her mother became estranged, but we only touch on that briefly and don't dig into the reasons why. In reflection, that is okay. What you witness when listening to Melissa is someone becoming the person that she needed when she was young. This is Melissa’s story.

Resources Mentioned

Forest For the Trees by Betsy Lerner

Judith Herman

The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel

Connect With the Guest

Melissa’s Book, Shame On You