The Becoming Podcast | Season 3; Episode 9 | Nikki McCahon on power, potential and sovereignty in the transition to motherhood

I'm delighted to introduce Nikki McCahon to you today. I have been following Nikki for some time – she has so much wisdom to share about the transition into motherhood, and we share so many of the same perspectives and beliefs.  It was wonderful to dive deeper with her here on this episode. Let me tell you a little bit about Nikki.  She is a matrescence educator, women's life cycle guide, podcast host and mother of one charming and cheeky five-year-old.  Nikki helps mothers who feel lost and overwhelmed by the transition into motherhood to reframe their experiences as an opportunity for expansion, transformation, and personal growth.  Nikki helps women explore their matrescence journey within the context of their broader life cycles and rites of passage, and to reclaim their self-authority and personal power.  She is passionate about creating community and normalizing the physical, psychological and emotional changes women go through during motherhood. I often say that we focus so much on the loss of self in motherhood and all the challenges this rite of passage presents us with that we forget all of the tremendous gifts it offers too.  Postpartum growth is a theme running throughout the conversation between Nikki and I.  She begins by talking about her own journey into motherhood, and how she began to lose the need for external validation and find another way to regard her self-worth as she entered into her mothering years.  She talks about the power of making the transition from the archetypal Maiden to Mother, and how that represents a risk to our "standing" in society, but ultimately results in our ability to develop our own voices and claim a sense of internal power and self-authority.  We conclude with Nikki's powerful insights on building community and finding your "village" – and how to do that in a way that doesn't create even more divisiveness between us.  Her thoughts here gave me pause, and I hope they'll offer you some insight as well. If you're a new (or new-ish) mama, or love someone who is, you will especially enjoy today's special matrescence episode with Nikki.