Motherhood Unmasked
As a pediatrician, I loved helping children heal and grow while giving their moms guidance and support. After five seasons of speaking with compassion, candor, and clarity, encouraging moms to own their pivotal role in the lives of their children and the generations that follow, I, Vanessa Harris, realized I left some moms behind. Moms still struggling to survive their own childhood trauma, in addition to the typical demands of motherhood. Stumbling under that weight feeds the guilt and shame that keeps you from showing up as the woman you're meant to be and the mom your children need. So, you wear a mask to hide both from your pain and the judgment of those observing you. I know what that is like. So, I'm speaking directly to you, the mom battling the effects of your childhood trauma. If you’re raising children while carrying unresolved childhood wounds from traumatic experiences including abuse, abandonment, and neglect and you struggle with expressing compassion, showing up with confidence and connecting with your child, this podcast will inspire your own healing journey and empower you to break the negative cycles threatening your family. Because no matter your childhood traumatic experiences, the hand that rocks the cradle impacts generations. And you have the right to decide what kind of impact. You have a legacy to change. It’s difficult, but Motherhood Unmasked is here to support you. Change starts with you believing that when it comes to you being the mother of your children; you are the woman for the job. Follow or subscribe to the Motherhood Unmasked podcast so you don’t miss a moment.
Episodes
It's not just you, Mama Bare. Everybody has issues—even those who don't have the courage to admit it.
So don't you get free from old false narratives to get tied up in a new one.
Imposter Syndrome tried to label you, but you're on your healing. Removing all the masks.
So who's the imposter...
No one likes to bleed all over people. And when you first start counseling and old wounds reopen, you may feel like you're doing just that.
So, except for your support circle, you hold back a lot.
But as your wounds heal, is there a way to serve from your scars? Does it make you an imposter? Does your story even matter?
...Sometimes it’s all you can do to make it to and through your therapy session.
Having the presence of mind to take notes sounds like a luxury.
But as you heal, the time will come when you have the bandwidth to invest more of yourself in your recovery. And this episode is full of practical tips on how to do it.
There's no shortage of people ready to comment on your parenting skills.
But they don't know what you step over in your soul to show up as a mom.
They don't know the skeletons in your childhood trauma closet that you're battling in therapy. And they don't have to—as long as you have a squad who does.
Read more
We say stuff like, “They drive me crazy!” But the truth is the only reason they can, is because we allow it.
But ...
In the last episode, we talked about the reality that healing gets a little ugly before it gets better. And we covered the importance of acknowledging what therapy causes to rise to the surface without getting tripped up by it.
Well, in this episode Vanessa's unpacking a key component we need to do just that. Are you up for a little R & R?
When you see a potter fashioning clay on the wheel, it’s not a pretty sight.
It’s a wet, splashy mess and that’s on top of the varying degrees of pressure needed to shape it into the potter’s vision. And that’s before it gets fi...
Healing from childhood trauma is not a 100 meter dash.
It's a marathon you run at the pace of grace. And in this episode, Vanessa talks about what trips you up on the way and how to avoid it.
After the last couple years, everyone could use some therapy.
But in this episode, Vanessa runs down a list of reasons why therapy is the game changer you need to live an abundant life.
Read more
Motherhood Unmasked is back for season 7 and in this episode Vanessa's uncovering the reason so many moms feel forced to fake it and how to show up authentically as you.
Forgive has seven letters, but depending on your level of pain, it sounds like a four letter word!
Forgiving the person or people who abandoned, abused, or violated when you were most vulnerable sounds like asking the impossible.
And I get it. I lived it.
You feel like forgiveness validate...
Women talk about glass ceilings in the corporate space, but for those who experienced childhood trauma, there’s another kind.
The ceiling that says what your mother was like is all you’ll ever be as a mom.
If your mom was awesome, you may be happy to be half the mother she was.
But if your experience with your mom growing up was far from pleasant, are you satisfied with hitting your head against the ceiling of her limits?
Or are yo...
Trauma is traumatic. “Someone having it worse than you” doesn’t make your trauma less significant. And the fact that it happened as a child doesn’t mean it shouldn’t affect you now. So how do you respond to the pressure to “get over it?” Listen in.
When they say you can’t pick your family, it’s often about that embarrassing aunt or uncle or the cousin who asks to borrow money.
When you’re assaulted as a child and no one notices, much comes to your rescue, you learn to fend for yourself. Later in life, you may even doubt the sincerity of those who offer to help because well—once burned twice shy.
But if you’ve noticed, life is getting stranger and harder. And the reality that no one should do life alone is clearer than ever.
You pinky swore to hold someone accountable because you don’t have to be alive long to figure out people make promises they don’t keep—even to protect children.
So when you were mishandled and left to fend for yourself, you pinky swore you wouldn’t let that happen again. But that’s a promise to the little girl...
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