Liberating Motherhood
Liberating Motherhood
Podcast Description
Mothers are tired of anti-mother misogyny, household labor inequality, and a culture that expects mothers to bear the burdens of its many shortcomings--all without complaint. Mothers are vital to feminism, and have been neglected in feminist discourse for far too long. Mothers are constantly told that political problems are personal--that if we communicate better, mother better, behave better, things will improve. The only path to change is through widespread political change. That's what this podcast is about. Maternal feminism is an important prong of social justice work, and all people interested in a just world should care about what happens to mothers, families, and children.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Focuses on maternal feminism, social justice, and family dynamics, with topics including household labor inequality, child advocacy in political climates, and the impact of patriarchal structures on relationships, illustrated through episodes like 'The Patriarchal Playbook' and 'Talking to Your Kids About Sexism.'
Mothers are tired of anti-mother misogyny, household labor inequality, and a culture that expects mothers to bear the burdens of its many shortcomings–all without complaint. Mothers are vital to feminism, and have been neglected in feminist discourse for far too long. Mothers are constantly told that political problems are personal–that if we communicate better, mother better, behave better, things will improve. The only path to change is through widespread political change. That’s what this podcast is about. Maternal feminism is an important prong of social justice work, and all people interested in a just world should care about what happens to mothers, families, and children.
Naomi Fisher helped me become a better mother without ever even meeting me. I stumbled across her work when one of my children was dealing with school anxiety. Doing so empowered me to take my child’s distress seriously and trust my instincts as a mother.
In this podcast episode, Dr. Fisher and I discuss the myriad harms of authoritarian parenting practices, that focus on compliance above all else. Dr. Fisher’s work focuses heavily on school anxiety and refusal. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:
- The weaponization of mom-guilt and mom-shaming to gain compliance from mothers and children.
- Why we spend so much time teaching parents not to trust their children’s emotions.
- Alternatives to forced compliance, and what to do when a child doesn’t feel like they can go to school.
- Why catastrophization plays such a significant role in parenting.
- Antidotes to rigid thinking, and what to do when plan A (or B, or C) doesn’t work.
- Why the relationship with the child must always come first.
- Trusting children to know their needs, and helping them to advocate for those needs.
About Dr. Naomi Fisher
Naomi Fisher is an independent clinical psychologist. She specializes in trauma, autism and alternative ways to learn.
She has a doctorate in clinical psychology from Kings College London (Maudsley), a PhD in developmental cognitive psychology also from Kings College (IoPPN), and a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cambridge. She is the author of four books: Changing Our Minds, The Teenager’s Guide to Burnout, A Different Way to Learn, and When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse.
I urge everyone to visit her incredible Substack, where you will find so much wisdom.
You can also check out her website here.
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- Leaving a positive review on your favorite podcast platform.
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- Heart-reacting the Substack post.
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