Dear Mama,

What if I told you there’s no such thing as snapping back after giving birth, only expanding into? What if I asked you to imagine Black motherhood without suffering? Could you do it? Have we made suffering a rite of passage in Black motherhood? Have we shrouded Black motherhood in self-sacrifice as opposed to sacred sacrifice? These are the questions we explore in this episode about matrescence.

Coined by reproductive psychologist Dana Raphael, matrescence is the process of becoming a mother, including the physical, psychological, and emotional changes that occur during pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period.

Lissen yall, this episode drove us Thea to drink! So we’re glad to have one of our favs Stepha Lafond of Unlearning Motherhood, ridin’ shotgun with us who provides context to all the things we know and feel about transitioning to and in motherhood but didn’t have the language for.

✨Much like adolescence, matrescence involves ongoing shifts that shape our identity and understanding of ourselves.

✨How self-forgiveness sets the tone for your motherhood journey

✨Why setting the strong Black women free is essential for us and our children

✨Normalizing not doing motherhood alone

💗Black Mama Magic Card for this episode: Card # 39 - My Children Are My Teachers💗

EPISODES MENTIONS/RELEVANT TO THIS EPISODE:

🎙️DBM Episode 51: When It All Falls Down, Finding Freedom & Transitioning to Conscious Parenting w/ Domari Dickinson

🎙️DBM Episode 33: Haitian American Mama w/ Stepha LaFond

🎙️Meditations By Mamas: Full Moon/Shedding Meditation featuring Stepha LaFond

✨MERCH OF THE MONTH - Black Mama Magic Card Deck ✨

✨PATREON BONUS CONTENT - Grounding lead by Thea: “If I surrender to the air I can ride it” - Toni Morrison✨

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Stepha is a Life Coach, Mentor, and Speaker, dedicated to helping moms navigate the space between who they were and who they’re still becoming. As a mom of two young children, she knows firsthand the struggles of juggling the demands of motherhood, career, and life. She started her practice out of a desire to put moms at the center of the conversation, with an emphasis on shifting the narrative on modern motherhood to one that allows space for mamas to grow, heal and take care of themselves at all stages of their journey. Her work on Matrescence- the transition into motherhood- invites her clients and spectators to explore and hold space for this common but rarely discussed phase of development, whilst taking a critical look at the unjust systems and power structures impacting motherhood and creating necessary shifts towards liberation.

Connect with Stepha LaFond & Unlearning Motherhood: Instagram

🔗 Connect with Dem Black Mamas

• Instagram
• YouTube

🗣️Engage: This is a conversation. Share your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #DemBlackMamas, DM us or email us at magic@demblackmamas.com.

For full show notes & transcript, check out our website: demblackmamas.com

Dear Mama,

Who is the girl the woman who survived in the belly of the boat that brought you here? Where did she come from? How do we find our way back to that place? Why should we find our way back to that place? In this episode, WE JOURNEY & Dr. Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry is ridin with us! Along the way:

✨Thea shares the profound impact of tracing African roots through DNA had on her

✨NeKisha reveals the impact Dr. Paige’s business model had on her journey as a tech innovator

✨Dr. Paige reminds us that the ancestors are a cloud of witnesses always working in our favor with a beautiful story about Chadwick Boseman.

But the road isn't always smooth. We delve into some tough terrain when Crystal shares a personal story about her trip to South Africa that brought her face to face with the complexities and idealizations of her African Heritage.

💗Black Mama Magic Card for this episode: Card # 39 - My Children Are My Teachers💗

EPISODES MENTIONS/RELEVANT TO THIS EPISODE:

🎙️DBM Ep 4: How I Made It Ova

🎙️DBM Ep 27 The Upper Room

✨MERCH OF THE MONTH - Black Mama Magic Card Deck ✨

✨PATREON BONUS CONTENT - Issa Black Thang: Default Oven Temperatures✨

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Dr. Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry, Inc. (AfricanAncestry.com), is a pioneering luminary known for revolutionizing African lineage tracing through genetics. Starting her entrepreneurial journey at age 8 with a magazine to fund family trips. Before AfricanAncestry.com, she led GPG Strategic Marketing Resources. Paige travels globally to demystify African roots, promoting Black identity empowerment through ancestral connections. She has traced the ancestry of prominent figures like Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, and Chadwick Boseman. A sought-after speaker and partner for corporations like Netflix and Nike, Paige collaborates with community and faith-based organizations worldwide. Featured in Time Magazine and on platforms like PBS' Finding Your Roots, Paige co-hosted African Ancestry Radio and appeared on MSNBC and CNN. She holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy.

Connect with Dr. Gina Paige: Instagram | Website

Grab an African Ancestry Test Kit

🔗 Connect with Dem Black Mamas

• Instagram
• Patreon
• YouTube

🗣️Engage: This is a conversation. Speak back to us! Share your thoughts about the episode using the hashtag #DemBlackMamas, DM us or email us at magic@demblackmamas.com.

For full show notes & transcript, check out our website: demblackmamas.com

Dear Mama

You are worthy to rise each day and dance in your dreams with your children by your side.

You are worthy of serenity in birth.

You are worthy of joy while holding your children.

Join Midwife Jamarah Amani of Southern Birth Justice in partnership with the WNBA for a meditation experience to remind you: You are complete. You are not alone. You are magic.

Meditations by Mamas are led by Black mamas to help us maintain alignment with healing, creativity, and liberation to manifest joy and abundance.

We’re coming to LA on September 3rd!!! Early bird has been EXTENDED TIL SUNDAY, AUGUST 20th. Get on the mothership & ride with us LIVE! GET YOUR TIX NOW>>>https://demblackmamas.com/events/

For more about Jamarah visit the shownotes for this episode on our website: https://www.demblackmamas.com/podcast