207 | Self(ish) Motherhood: Raising Daughters Beyond the Good Girl Script with Paige Christiansen

In this episode of Wild & Waking, I’m joined by Paige Christiansen, Co-Founder and CEO of Self(ish), behavioral strategist, entrepreneur, and Human Design expert, for a conversation about raising daughters beyond the good girl script. So many women are actively unraveling people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning, and the belief that being loved requires being agreeable, helpful, easy, or endlessly accommodating. But when we become mothers, an entirely new question emerges: how do we teach our daughters to be kind, thoughtful, and connected without accidentally teaching them to abandon themselves?Paige introduces the “villain edit”, the fear women carry of being perceived as selfish, cold, difficult, dramatic, or too much, and explains how that fear begins shaping our identities from an early age. We explore how women become a threat to themselves when they are constantly editing, suppressing, or overcorrecting who they are in order to remain likable. Paige offers a powerful reframe of selfishness as self-possession: centering yourself in your own life, trusting your internal authority, and allowing other people to have their own reactions without making their comfort your responsibility.Together, we talk about what it means to model self-possession, boundaries, emotional honesty, and personal power for our daughters. Paige shares how she uses Human Design to understand her children as whole individuals rather than extensions of herself, support their unique emotional and energetic needs, and guide them through sibling conflict, communication, decision-making, and self-trust. We also explore how to teach empathy without emotional over-responsibility, why children need space to experience discomfort, and how mothers can stop parenting through the lens of perfection, performance, and fear of being judged.In this episode, we explore:How good girl conditioning begins in childhood and shapes women’s identity, relationships, motherhood, and self-worthThe difference between raising kind, thoughtful daughters and conditioning girls to people-please, over-function, or self-abandonPaige’s concept of the “villain edit” and why women fear being seen as selfish, difficult, cold, dramatic, or too muchReclaiming selfishness as self-possession, self-respect, and the ability to center yourself in your own lifeWhy mothers must model self-trust, emotional honesty, boundaries, and authentic self-expression for their daughtersHow to raise girls who can ask for what they want, hear no, disappoint others, and remain connected to themselvesThe importance of seeing children as whole individuals rather than extensions or reflections of their parentsHow Human Design can support conscious parenting, self-awareness, decision-making, and understanding a child’s unique needsUsing Human Design to navigate emotional sensitivity, sibling conflict, communication patterns, and family dynamicsTeaching children empathy without making them emotionally responsible for everyone around themHelping sensitive children understand which emotions belong to them and which emotions they may be absorbing from othersThe ways perfectionism and good mother conditioning can quietly influence parenting choicesPaige’s vision for Self(ish) Media and the intersection of Human Design, cultural psychology, relationships, self-concept, and modern womanhoodBe sure to hit subscribe so you never miss the latest episode!Connect with Paige:Learn more about Paige’s work, Self(ish) Media, Human Design, relationships, self-possession, and modern womanhood:Follow Paige on InstagramFollow Paige on ThreadsFollow the Officially Selfish Show on InstagramVisit Paige’s websiteExplore Paige’s Human Design reports:Loved by Design Relationship ReportYou + Your Child Parent and Child ReportYou + Your Business ReportConnect with Emily:Website: www.EmilyReuschel.comInstagram: @emilyreuschelFacebook: Emily ReuschelLinkedIn: Emily ReuschelJoin my Book Insiders List: Sign up here!Resources and Links:Sign up here to get the inside scoop to my book writing journey!Book me as a speaker for your next event - email inquiries to [email protected] or schedule a call hereWild & Waking – Produced by Jill Carr Podcasting | Learn More