Welcome to the Black Girl Burnout podcast. Kelly here. And today we are talking with Dr. Amber Thornton. She's a licensed clinical psychologist and default parenting plus millennial motherhood wellness

expert. She's the founder of the balance working mama where the mission is to support

millennial mothers and creating a life of more balance and wellness. Dr. Thornton lives in D.C.,

which is right where I am currently, with her husband and two children,

and she is deeply passionate about helping other working mothers fulfill their goals, passions,

and find more joy throughout their motherhood experiences.

I am so excited to talk to her.

As a woman who's intentionally decided to be child-free, I love the discussion about motherhood.

I love everything about what makes people decide to be mothers, what makes motherhood effective, what makes motherhood difficult.

And I particularly am on a mission to elevate the health of black

mothers, as I feel like you all are absolutely the ones passing down a new generation of black

girls who we don't want to be burned out of black children who need access to joy. And part of that starts with

debunking the myths about motherhood that so many of us walk around that may make us avoid having

children or make us feel exhausted as mothers. Dr. Amber and I have a powerful conversation this week where we dig into

those myths and we talk about the way out. So if you are a mother, this episode is for you.

If you are an auntie, this episode is for you. If you are like me and intentionally child-free, trust me, this episode is for you. If you are like me and intentionally child-free,

trust me, this episode is for you. We need to have more conversations like the ones

we're about to have with Dr. Amber about motherhood, about the legacy of blackness and

co-opted myths about blackness and how it is impacting our

community and all of us. So let's get into it. Here's the first segment of my conversation with

Dr. Amber on Motherhood. For a long time, I've been a rider to running hide us. And I took the blame. But I missed it.

Hi, Dr. Amber. I'm so excited to have you here and be a guest on our podcast. You are with us all week.

...