Touched Out and the Impact of Motherhood on Autonomy with Amanda Montei

CW: brief mention of sexual assault. 

Have you ever felt the kind of overwhelmed, overstimulated, or triggered that we might call being “all touched out”? Maybe you’ve even felt guilty about not being available to your kids or spouse, or surprised by the intensity of your feelings. 

If you ever wondered why your body doesn’t feel like your own, if you are grappling with how to parent in a post-Roe, post #MeToo world, you might be realizing how much bigger this is than just you.  Amanda Montei is here to talk about the histories we carry in - our culture and in our bodies - themes she discusses in her new book:  Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent and Control. This week, episode 48 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is about why we might feel touched out and how we can understand women’s bodily autonomy. 

Amanda Montei is the author of TOUCHED OUT: MOTHERHOOD, MISOGYNY, CONSENT, AND CONTROL, (now out in September 2023), the memoir Two Memoirs (Jaded Ibis Press), and a collection of prose, The Failure Age (Bloof Books), as well as co-author of Dinner Poems (Bon Aire Projects). She has an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a PhD from the Poetics Program at SUNY Buffalo. Her writing and criticism explores literary and cultural representations of gender, work, care, sexuality, feminism, creativity, and the body.

In this episode of Poised & Powerful Podcast, Amanda and I discuss the following:

• The heavy gender norms and unrealistic expectations imposed on mothers.
• New parenthood forces us to confront cultural beliefs and unprocessed memories, which can lead to feelings of isolation and overwhelm - but this is also an opportunity for change. 
• The importance of acknowledging and addressing the power dynamics in sexual and romantic relationships, particularly in the context of postpartum and parenthood.
• How our larger social and political context affects us as we cope with the day-to-day of parenting. 

Don’t forget to order Amanda’s new book “Touched Out” today! 

Want to know more about what to do to take care of yourself when you’re tense, stressed, or overstimulated? Bookmark my free Nervous System Slowdown playlist to build some bite-sized bodymind practices into your day. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5dXuxUdFQYYE6xxDZwwxTX?si=KUdjv-cWSNqmKng52Zanjg

CONNECT WITH AMANDA MONTEI:

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CONNECT WITH SARAH MAYHAN:

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Work with Sarah!

LINKS MENTIONED:

Slate: How American Moms Got Touched Out by Amanda Montei

Moms Rising

Chamber of Mothers

Info & action re: the US Black Maternal Health Crisis: 

Black Mamas Matter Alliance

The Momnibus Act<