Episode 13: The Plumbing Leak That Launched a World Trip:

Episode OverviewRowan returns to talk about the identity shift that comes with becoming a mother later in life, from matrescence and perimenopause to body image and the guilt that follows big decisions.She shares how she and her husband sold their house, purged years of accumulated stuff, and left careers they loved to travel the world with their five-year-old and eight-year-old.Key Topics• Matrescence: the developmental transition into motherhood and why the transition is harder for middle-aged moms who have spent decades forming their individual identity• Rowan gave up fitness instruction, flamenco, sleep, and spontaneity to travel the world• How partnership roles shifted when her husband stepped up at home• Going through perimenopause while raising young children• How mainstream parenting frameworks assume a younger mother• Healing a relationship with food and body image before modeling it for two daughters• The practical reality of selling a house, quitting a dream job, and leaving to travel the worldEpisode Highlights[00:00:00 - 00:02:00] Welcome Back, RowanShelley recaps Rowan’s background from her first appearance in episode 10: growing up on a ranch, fertility challenges, two natural births with a miscarriage in between, postpartum anxiety, and the decision to leave her dream job after eight years to travel the world with her family.[00:02:00 - 00:04:00] Matrescence, ExplainedShelley introduces the term matrescence, the developmental process of becoming a mother, coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s.Like adolescence, it reorganizes body, brain, relationships, and identity. For older mothers, this transformation occurs with a deeper, richer identity that has been forming for decades, which is part of why middle-aged new moms experience disorientation, grief, and ambivalence and often interpret it as a sign that something is wrong, when it’s not.[00:04:00 - 00:09:00] What Rowan Gave UpRowan describes entering motherhood intentionally after feeling like life had lost some purpose. She grieved spontaneity, teaching indoor cycling, dancing flamenco, and most of all the freedom to exercise on her own terms, which stung double because fitness and wellness is her career.She also gave up sleep, at one point getting two broken hours a night with two littles.[00:09:00 - 00:14:00] When Her Partner Stepped UpBefore kids, Rowan handled most of the cooking, cleaning, and planning.Breastfeeding while working full time forced a redistribution, and her husband took over cooking, worked four 10-hour days to minimize daycare, and eventually took over all the travel planning for their trip.Rowan notes this looked different from the more traditional roles modeled in her childhood, and that the shift also gave him space to bond with their kids without her present.[00:14:00 - 00:16:30] Friendships at Different StagesHaving kids later meant some friends were already empty nesting, and Rowan felt the FOMO of only spending time with those friends when they had a babysitter. Her best friend since childhood had a baby a year after her, which kept her from feeling lonely.She points out her husband lost more social connection than she did, missing golf trips and concerts in the newborn months.[00:16:30 - 00:20:00] Perimenopause with a Five-Year-Old and an Eight-Year-OldRowan says she feels like she went from a vibrant 30-year-old to an ancient 40-year-old overnight: hair falling out, hormone changes accelerating an old knee injury.She is in the early stages of acceptance and taking a proactive approach with exercise, nutrition, acupuncture, and medical support.She wants her daughters to see her having a period so menstruation is normalized as part of being a female human.[00:20:00 - 00:25:00] Parenting Frameworks Built for Younger MomsShelley names the popular parenting frameworks (attachment, gentle, conscious parenting) and how they are built for a new mom with more time, more energy, and a younger body.Rowan shares what resonates for her, including the Nurtured First page and courses, and reflects that being an older parent gave her the wisdom to know perfection is impossible and the real work is modeling what you want to see, not controlling behavior.[00:25:00 - 00:29:30] Breaking the Diet Culture CycleRowan grew up in 90s diet culture and displayed eating disorder behaviors in her teens and 20s. With two young daughters, she now works hard to stay body neutral, avoid labeling foods good or bad, and protect their intuitive relationship with eating.She credits therapy, and the experience of pregnancy and birth, with giving her a new appreciation for her body, and says she could not have modeled this in her 20s.[00:29:30 - 00:33:00] Guilt That Travels with YouRowan’s guilt has shifted from working too much when the kids were little to being far from grandparents, cousins, and milestones like her nephew’s graduation.Shelley reframes guilt as information that points to a value. Rowan talks about the urgency she feels: if the kids are going to have meaningful relationships with their aging grandparents, it has to happen now.[00:33:00 - 00:35:00] Longevity as the New Training GoalAt 43 with young kids, Rowan talks about mortality and the joke that she and her husband have to live to 100 and 101 to meet their grandkids.Her new fitness goal is longevity: keeping her body and brain healthy enough to be fully functional and present for all of it.[00:35:00 - 00:41:00] How the World Trip Actually HappenedThe plan had been simmering since the kids were born, delayed by newborn logistics, COVID, and her stepdad’s illness and passing.Then two plumbing leaks meant re-piping the entire house, and her husband proposed doing the repairs to sell it.When Rowan’s mom announced she was moving out of state, the last piece of local support fell away and they committed. They renovated, purged nine years of belongings down to a 10 by 20 storage unit, and bought the tickets.[00:41:00 - 00:43:30] Leaving the Dream JobRowan still carries guilt about leaving the team she led and loved. What helped was being able to train her successor and support the transition, so she left knowing she had set them up for success.This is the stepping away for a season model she wished she had seen when her kids were younger.[00:43:30 - 00:45:00] Best Laid PlansRowan’s daughter needs her, so the conversation wraps early, a fitting live demonstration of letting go of control.Part 3 will cover world schooling, the Boundless program, and raising kids on the road between countries.Understanding MatrescenceWhat It Is:• A developmental process of becoming a mother, coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s• A transformation of body, brain, hormones, relationships, and identity, comparable to adolescence• A normal transition that mainstream culture rarely namesWhy It’s Harder for Older Mothers:• Matrescence comes on top of an identity that has been forming for decades: career, partnership, routines, sense of self• Reorganizing that identity takes more time• Without language for it, disorientation, grief for a former self, and ambivalence get misread as something being wrong with youWhy This Matters:• Naming matrescence removes the shame from a normal process and gives mothers permission to grieve what they gave up while building who they are nowKey Quotes“I’m trying to lead with kindness and grace and focus on joy when I can.” - Rowan“Sometimes guilt points to a value for us, and sometimes our values change, especially midlife, with kids.” - Shelley“You can’t do it perfectly even if you tried. There’s no way. You have to let go of some of the control.” - Rowan“Self-care is did you drink enough water today? Are you sleeping enough? Are you moving your body? These are fundamental.” - ShelleyPractical TakeawaysFor Middle-Aged Mothers:• Learn the word matrescence. Disorientation and grief after becoming a mother are part of a normal developmental transition, especially when it reorganizes decades of established identity• Treat exercise, sleep, and hydration as foundational self-care rather than luxuries or vanity• Use guilt as information. Ask what value it points to and whether that value has changed• If you are parenting daughters while healing your own relationship with food, focus on modeling body neutrality rather than achieving body love overnightFor Partners:• Stepping into cooking, planning, and childcare is a necessity for the health of the whole family, and it builds your own bond with the kids• Talk explicitly about who does what and how it feels rather than defaulting to old patterns• Watch your own social connection. Partners of breastfeeding or primary parents often lose it firstFor Everyone:• Big life changes rarely wait for perfect conditions. Sometimes a plumbing leak is the shove to move forward.• Stepping away for a season is a real option, and doing so well (training your successor, supporting the transition) can ease the guilt.• Relationships with aging family members are important and may require reorganization of priorities, even temporarily.Resources MentionedConcepts and Research:• Matrescence, coined by anthropologist Dana RaphaelPages and Programs:• Nurtured First (@nurturedfirst on Instagram): parenting page with scripts, courses, and a body safety toolkit with printables. https://www.instagram.com/nurturedfirst/• My Body Positive Home (@mybodypositivehome on Instagram): content on reframing how we talk about food and bodies. https://www.instagram.com/mybodypositivehome/• Boundless: the world schooling program Rowan’s family is traveling with (full discussion, with a discount code, coming in Part 3)Related Episodes:• Episode 10: Rowan’s first appearance, covering fertility, birth, postpartum anxiety, and leaving her dream jobCall to Action• Share this episode with a mom navigating an identity shift or thinking about stepping away for a season• Look up matrescence and share the word with a mother who needs it• Subscribe and leave reviews to spread awareness• Email: [email protected]: Our community is stronger and better because you are in it. You belong here exactly as you are. Get full access to Middle-Aged Mama Drama at shelleybee.substack.com/subscribe