Fractured Self
Out There
Willow Belden
4.6 • 608 Ratings
🗓️ 4 October 2018
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Monica Gokey was an avid whitewater kayaker. Paddling had stolen her heart, shaped her identity, and given her a tribe to belong to.
Then she had kids.
These days, Monica’s kayaking life has been replaced by the routine of caring for three small children. The adventurous side of her has been eclipsed by her new identity as a parent. And some days, that new identity is tough to swallow.
On this episode, Monica shares her story. It’s a story about the parts of ourselves we give up when we choose to become parents. And it’s about attempting to reconcile yourself with a new identity.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors. |
| 0:14.8 | I have a quick announcement to make before we get started, and that is that we are going to be teaming up with the University of Wyoming |
| 0:21.5 | Art Museum to host a storytelling workshop later this month, and we would love for you to join us. |
| 0:27.9 | We all have stories to tell, but it's often tough to make them interesting to people outside your |
| 0:33.7 | immediate circle of friends and family. That's where this workshop comes in. |
| 0:38.3 | It's a one-day event and it'll help you develop stories about the outdoors that are fun and engaging. |
| 0:43.3 | We'll use the museum's current exhibitions to fuel your creativity, and by the end of the day, you will have the tools you need to |
| 0:50.3 | captivate your audience and keep them spellbound, even if they have |
| 0:54.8 | no interest in the outdoors. |
| 0:57.1 | The workshop is October 27th at the UW Art Museum in Laramie, Wyoming. |
| 1:01.9 | No experience necessary, just come prepared to have fun, but you do need to register ahead of |
| 1:07.2 | time. |
| 1:08.2 | Head over to our website or Facebook page to do that. And I should say we are |
| 1:12.5 | capping registration at 15 people. So don't wait too long to sign up. |
| 1:32.0 | Okay, on to our story for today. |
| 1:37.0 | Major life events have a way of changing who we are. |
| 1:40.2 | It can be falling in love or a really bad breakup. |
| 1:43.6 | Maybe it's a serious injury or a career change. We tend to emerge from these experiences, |
| 1:46.2 | a changed person. Often we're stronger or more capable, but sometimes the opposite. In some |
| 1:54.2 | cases, we're left feeling like two different people, the person you were before the very |
| 1:59.2 | big thing happened, and the person after. |
| 2:03.0 | Four years after a major life change, today's storyteller is still trying to reconcile her two |
... |
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