Shows / The Good Enough Mother
The Good Enough Mother
The role of being a Mother offers us the potential for incredible expansion, growth, and power, while also being one of – if not THE – most challenging, undervalued, and taken for granted roles in the world. Motherhood Studies Sociologist, researcher, and single Mother, Dr Sophie Brock hosts The Good Enough Mother (TGEM) podcast with an aim to change how Motherhood is culturally defined and individually experienced. TGEM draws its name from a theorist and pediatrician Winnicott, who highlighted…
Episodes
The Good Enough Mother73. How understanding the sociology of motherhood helped me step into my power as a single mother
In this episode I share 5 different ways that my understanding of the social construction of motherhood helped me to step into my power as a single mother. I…
- The Good Enough Mother
72. Behind the Scenes of The Motherhood Studies Certification Training
A behind the scenes insight into my creation of The Motherhood Studies course, and an insight into the 2022 round of the program. Program starts June 20th…
- The Good Enough Mother
71. Transformative relationship-based parenting tools - with Fiona from Mama Matters
In this conversation with Fiona you’ll hear us both talk about our personal experiences of mothering our children and some of the challenges we’ve experienced…
- The Good Enough Mother
70. My Path to Becoming a 'Motherhood Studies Sociologist'
I'm often asked this question and in the spirit of relaunching the podcast felt it might be helpful to share the path I've taken to becoming a Motherhood…
- The Good Enough Mother
69. I'm back! :) And where I've been...
Hello and welcome back, or welcome for the first time! In this episode I share: - where things have been for me as a mother, creator and business owner over…
- The Good Enough Mother
68. A New Take on 'The Mummy Wars’
What have we been led to believe about the ‘mummy wars’ and how do they relate to patriarchal motherhood and ‘the perfect mother myth’? These are the questions…
The Good Enough Mother67. Housework is not Mothering
Anyone who has had children or cared for children knows that they contribute to the creation of housework! But the work that goes into the domestic sphere of…
The Good Enough Mother66. Rage and Anger in Motherhood
What remains ‘under the surface’ in Motherhood and still so taboo to talk about directly? ‘Mom-rage’. Minna Dubin published two articles in The New York Times…
The Good Enough Mother65. Why 'Motherhood'? Claiming Space in our Culture and our Work
In this solo episode I reflect on my own journey of coming to Motherhood Studies and what is has meant to study Motherhood before coming a Mother myself. I…
The Good Enough Mother64. The Ecological Awakening of Motherhood
We may recognise, acknowledge, and seek to explore biological, psychological, and sociological dimensions that are involved in the transition to motherhood and…
The Good Enough MotherEp 63. When Productivity in Motherhood is Linked to our Worthiness
In this episode I share my reflections on how the ‘perfect mother myth’ is linked to notions of productivity and worth, and add some nuance to the conversation…
The Good Enough Mother62. Awakening to the Possibilities of Birth
In this episode, Maha Al Musa, founder and creator of BellydanceBirth® and EmbodyBirthᵀᴹ shares her passion and advocacy for an expansion and reclaiming of…
The Good Enough Mother61. Motherhood as a Rite of Passage
“I know that women can remember the wholehearted ways of knowing carried deep in our bones to heal their own their own lives, and this work is the medicine…
The Good Enough Mother60. Perfectionism in Partnerships and in Parenting
How do the pressures we experience both individually and contextually, shape the relationships we have with our partners, children, and ourselves, and what can…
The Good Enough Mother59. The Sexual Revolution of Motherhood
“We become mothers in the womb of society. A mother’s relationship with sex can’t be disentangled from how she feels about herself, how she feels about her…
The Good Enough Mother58. Alternatives to The Perfect Mother Myth
Our ongoing journey through Motherhood can involve a process of letting go as much as of new learning and growth. In this episode I reflect on the process of…
The Good Enough Mother57. Embracing Our Maternal (and Professional) Expertise
Maternal knowledge and the expertise we develop through the practice of mothering our children is often defined as being in the ‘private’ realm, while…
The Good Enough Mother56. Identity Creation as Mothers
How do we navigate challenging the model of self-sacrificial motherhood to ‘find ourselves’ as Mothers, when our children need us so intensely and we lack…
The Good Enough Mother55. Maternal Ambivalence
What is maternal ambivalence and how can embracing ambivalence help us as Mothers? I share what maternal ambivalence is and isn’t, whether it is something we…
The Good Enough Mother54. The Expectations of the ‘Good Child’ and the ‘Good Mother’
Have you ever felt judged as a mother based on the way your child has behaved? In this episode I discuss the concept of the ‘good child’ and how it relates to…
The Good Enough Mother53. How the Perfect Mother Myth Impacts Individual Mothers
The social construction of Motherhood impacts us as individual mothers. This is the case even when we resist the ‘shoulds’. In this episode I discuss what some…
The Good Enough Mother52. The Personal is Political: Birth, Grief, and Motherhood
Janet Fraser’s story is one that I think every woman and mother needs to hear. As she says, when feminists said the personal was political, they probably did…
The Good Enough Mother51. 'Mothering Ourselves Back to Wholeness' Within The Social Construction of Motherhood
As mothers, we shoulder the burden of structural inadequacies but can feel these inadequacies as personal failings – like it is all ‘on us’. As so many of us…
The Good Enough Mother50. Addressing Misconceptions about Good Enough Mothering
In this episode I address what I believe are some misunderstandings about the concept and application of the ‘good enough’ mother as an approach to parenting…
The Good Enough Mother49. Rethinking 'Mummy Brain'
Did you know that a Mother’s brain is more malleable and receptive to learning after giving birth? In this episode of TGEM I chat with Dr Jodi Pawluski…
The Good Enough Mother48. The Festive Season as the Arena for the Perfect Mother Myth
This final episode of 2020 is a reflection on the ways perfect motherhood shapes the lives of mothers, and explains how and why the festive season and other…
The Good Enough Mother47. Neuroscience and the Nurture Revolution
Dr Greer Kirshenbaum is the first ever neuroscientist doula and is founder of Nurture Neuroscience. She has worked in academic neuroscience labs, studying how…
The Good Enough MotherEp 46. Child Bereavement and Mothering with Grief
This is a conversation about grief and mothering, and the complex challenges that arise when not only grieving the death of your child, but in also supporting…
The Good Enough Mother45. Conscious Parenting as Our Opportunity for Growth
What does ‘conscious parenting’ mean and how does it afford us the opportunity for growth as mothers? This conversation is with Bridget Wood, thought leader on…
The Good Enough Mother44. Infant Feeding as a Social, Cultural, and Political Issue
This conversation about breastfeeding may be unlike any you’ve heard so far. I speak with world-renowned breastfeeding expert Professor Amy Brown from Swansea…
The Good Enough Mother43. Scary Thoughts as Part of Motherhood
*Trigger warning – talk of intrusive harm thoughts. Perhaps surprisingly, having unwanted and intrusive thoughts as a mother is incredibly common, and in fact…
- The Good Enough Mother
42. Revealing the Mask of Motherhood
In this solo episode I reflect on the cultural construction of Motherhood as a ‘mask’ that we are expected to wear. We recognise, internalise and perform what…
The Good Enough Mother41. Allying the Needs of Both Mothers and their Children
Often, there can feel as though there is a conflict between the ways we would like to parent, and the social and structural forces that shape and influence our…
- The Good Enough Mother
40. A Mother’s Matrescence
This is a conversation about the concept of ‘Matrescence’ as the transition into the identity of being a mother – a process that is unfolding and ongoing. I…
The Good Enough Mother39. Financial Value and Self-Worth: In Motherhood and in Business
In this episode I talk with Leisa Masters from Earthside Birth Services on the subject of money and worth in motherhood and in business. We are both single…
The Good Enough Mother38. The Soul-Work of Mothering
The ever-unfolding transition into motherhood is one that often asks us to connect in with our values, our desires, and our sense of identity, to embark on a…
The Good Enough Mother37. 'Time to Fly': On Grieving, Mothering, and Loving Again
This is a conversation with Eileen Robertson Hamra about her memoir ‘Time to Fly: Life and Love after Loss’ – a story of resilience, grief, and love, told with…
- The Good Enough Mother
36. Anger in Motherhood
The imagery of the ‘perfect mother’ is almost the antithesis of the ‘angry mother’. Yet anger is commonly experienced in motherhood, particularly within a…
The Good Enough Mother35. How Trauma Impacts our Mothering
Motherhood has many challenges, some that are talked about more publicly than others. One common challenge within mothers’ experiences that isn’t often…
The Good Enough Mother34. Postnatal Depletion as the Physiological and Social Cause of our Exhaustion
This conversation is with Dr Oscar Serrallach, GP and author of the ground-breaking book, The Postnatal Depletion Cure. In both his clinical work, and as a…
The Good Enough Mother33. Surrendering and Softening into Mothering During Challenging Times
This conversation is with Sophie Burch, mother of 4 boys including twins, and therapist and coach, who is on a mission to help people maintain their mental…
The Good Enough Mother32. The Becoming of a Mother
In this episode I talk with Julianne Boutaleb – a consultant perinatal psychologist and Director of Parenthood in Mind – about the transition to motherhood…
The Good Enough Mother31. Beyond Sleep Training - with Carly Grubb
In this conversation with Carly Grubb, founder of The Beyond Sleep Training Project, Little Sparklers, and Grubby Mummy and the Grubby Bubbies blog, we talk…
- The Good Enough Mother
30. A Pause in your Day
Let this be a little slice in your day where you take a moment to draw inwards and connect with yourself – even when (and perhaps most importantly when) you…
- The Good Enough Mother
29. Screentime: research and integration
What does the research actually say on screentime, particularly for young children? I provide an overview of both the detrimental impacts and the ways…
- The Good Enough Mother
28. Self Isolation as a Single Mum
In putting together this week’s podcast I reflected on the extent to which our lives and the information that surrounds us at the moment is shaped by this…
- The Good Enough Mother
27. The 'Story' of Life and Letting Go
We generally go through a number of points in our lives where we come to question our identity and who we are: we experience a shift in how we see ourselves…
- The Good Enough Mother
26. Conscious Preparation for Birth and Motherhood
I talk about the process and practice of conscious mothering through The Good Enough Mother, but what does that paradigm look like when applied to birth? This…
- The Good Enough Mother
25. Aggression as a Call for Connection
What does dealing with aggressive behaviour in your child look like when you're a conscious parent? In the first part of this episode I dive into what it means…
- The Good Enough Mother
24. Grieving the Loss of Motherhood - with Sarah Roberts
What is it like to grieve the lost opportunity of motherhood? This week’s conversation is with Sarah Roberts who is a grief teacher and counsellor with over 25…
- The Good Enough Mother
23. Reconstructing Motherhood: Special Needs Mums
Sociologists pull back the veil on lived experience and connect this experience with the broader social and cultural context that we live within. Diving into…
- The Good Enough Mother
22. Embracing Good Enough Mothering as your 'Self Care'
Current notions of ‘self care’ are letting mothers down. Part of the ‘perfect mother myth’ is that mothers are self sacrificial saints who have responsibility…
- The Good Enough Mother
21. Seven Sleep Myths (Part II)
This episode offers insight into what the research says on sleep training practices and frames the struggle with baby sleep as a structural and cultural one…
- The Good Enough Mother
20. Sleep... To the Brink of Despair, and Through. (Part I)
Sleep is one of the most loaded and controversial topics you can discuss within motherhood. There is judgement regardless of whether you sleep train or not…
- The Good Enough Mother
18. Responsiveness, Rage, Rupture and Repair
In this episode I delve into research and evidence behind why the way we parent is so important – from a neurobiological perspective. I talk about polyvagal…
- The Good Enough Mother
17. (Re)claiming our Power as Good Enough Mothers
This episode is about injecting passion, energy, and power into you as listeners and as mothers. I open up difficult and controversial conversations around the…
- The Good Enough Mother
16. Creating Purposeful Habits for 2020
The move into a new decade is a great opportunity to harness this time and energy to be intentional about what you want for the year ahead and who you want to…
- The Good Enough Mother
15. Embracing and Transforming Holiday Dysfunction
This time of year and the festive season can bring pressure, expectation, sadness, a bubbling of grief, intense gratitude and joy, and so much more. Often, the…
- The Good Enough Mother
14. Love, Loss, Hope
Note: Trigger warning that there is discussion of my Dad’s death and some of the acute challenges that came with his illness. If you’re a listener with MND/ALS…
- The Good Enough Mother
13. Mum Guilt
Feeling guilt as a mother is almost part of an initiation process into modern day, intensified motherhood. There can be guilt from the moment of conception…