Motherhood Uncut, parts 1 & 2 - Tracey Yokas Creates

A Conversation with Kate Kripke

In part 1 of our moving conversation, Kate and I talk about my journey mothering a daughter with significant mental health challenges. I open up about the incredible frustration and pain I felt when nothing I was doing to help my daughter seemed to be working and the ultimate opportunity that offered itself when I realized that to support my daughter well I needed to address my own mental health challenges first.

This story touches on generational trauma, mental illness, self-care, secure attachment, and creativity. And, it is a perfect example of what it looks like to ignore our own needs in motherhood (perhaps simply because we haven’t yet identified that they even exist) and what becomes available to us when we go inside and do the inner work first. Kate says that I remind us that our own self-care will always be in service of our children.

In part 2 of our conversation, Kate and I discuss my relationship with my daughter and what it means and looks like to be a “securely attached” parent. With vulnerability and deep wisdom, Kate says I share my journey from being insecurely attached to being securely attached, the work I put into getting there, and the joys and gifts that come from having an extraordinary relationship with my daughter today.

Motherhood Uncut

Real Women. Real Talk.

Join Kate Kripke each week for Motherhood Uncut—an unscripted podcast where she candidly explores all facets of motherhood—the good, the bad, the messy, and the hilarious. There’s no holding back. Kate tackles everything from the lighthearted and quirky to some of the harder topics related to motherhood with humor, authenticity, clinical knowledge, research, and personal experience.

Be prepared to learn, laugh, and feel inspired.

Episode #1 Highlights

I share, in part:

How my history inhibited me from being fully present and the type of mother I wanted to be.
The shift that helped me identify that I was experiencing generational trauma and what signifiers people could be missing.
Why healing isn’t fast or easy, but is totally worth it.
What a surprise and gift feeling compassion was.
The torture it is for mothers to witness their children’s pain, and why wanting to “fix” it is normal, but not possible.
Some mistakes I feel I made along the way.
How I understand self-care now.

Episode #2 Highlights

I share, in part:

How I learned to understand compassion and self-compassion in the face of my daughter’s (rather than my own) suffering.
How our relationship with ourselves impacts every relationship we have.
The necessity of discomfort in a healing journey.
Staying in connection with our kids IS a willingness to sit in our own discomfort.
The way my beliefs of what it means to be a “good” mother changed over time. (and why good is in quotes)
What an expanded view of self-care entails and why a great mani-pedi falls short.
The joy, peace, and contentment that comes from the internal healing, and how life becomes much more effortless.
Where my relationship with my daughter stands today and why it’s my favorite thing to talk to about.