Without a Village: Isolation, Honesty, and the Paradoxes of Modern Motherhood
Medicine Stories
Amber Magnolia Hill
4.7 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2018
⏱️ 84 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We evolved raising children in clans of 50 or more other humans; today we live in homes with just a few other people. It goes against our very biology to raise children in isolation. It's really hard and really lonely, and it's not your fault.
In this episode I ramble into the microphone about my parenting journey. I am brutally honest and don't paint a rainbow over everything at the end. If you're already a parent, this episode will comfort you. If you're not and want to be, it'll give you a glimpse of your possible future and also maybe terrify you. If you're not and plan to keep it that way, you'll learn how to better understand and support the parents in your life.
I talk about:
-How our fractured, nuclear family living hurts families and relationships
-Emotional labor, women's invisible work, and the endless To Do list
-The very different experiences I had with my daughters, born ten years apart
-Sleep: I've both co-slept and sleep trained (also- SIDS and entrainment)
-Realistic self care- does it exist? Kinda. Here's what I do
-Building community
-Herbs for mamas & kiddos
-When does postpartum end?
-Anxiety & motherhood
-Choosing not to have kids
-How the Maiden to Mother transition is different for everyone
-The bone deep depletion of mothering
-Being envious of non parents
-Failing every day
-Come gather around this fire with me
Links:
- Medicine Stories Patreon & my favorite parenting resources
- Medicine Stories Facebook Group
- Music by Mariee Siou (from the song Wild Eyes)
- Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello friends and welcome to Medicine Stories. I am Amber Magnolia Hill and this is episode 11. |
| 0:08.8 | Real quick, I want to let you know that up on Patreon.com slash medicine stories I have put a post with |
| 0:15.9 | resources links to my favorite parenting books blogs, |
| 0:20.4 | podcasts, etc. |
| 0:23.0 | I am just going to be rambling at you in this episode. |
| 0:28.0 | No interview, just me and my thoughts around mothering based quite a bit on feedback I got from you the |
| 0:37.7 | listeners on my Instagram at Methic Medicine and in the Medicine Stories Facebook group. |
| 0:46.4 | So, oh gosh, I'd want it to be a little more organized |
| 0:52.4 | and prepared, but I can't be because I'm a mom. |
| 0:56.3 | So, you know, here's kind of the theme of this whole episode. |
| 1:01.2 | I have a super messy note, notepad in front of me of all the questions I got online |
| 1:08.3 | and all the things I wanted to talk about and I'd wanted to organize them more, but just the days and weeks went by and I didn't have time to get it done, and I decided I just have to sit here and do it and do my best. |
| 1:21.0 | So I got a pen with me, I'm going to cross off things as I go through them. |
| 1:25.0 | There's no way. I'm going to get to all of it. Thank you for those of you who |
| 1:30.4 | wrote, who asked questions or expressed what comes up for them around issues of motherhood, including all the non-moms. |
| 1:38.0 | My intention in this is both to bring comfort and corroboration and a sense of community to moms and to parents |
| 1:51.2 | in general but I'm a mom I come from a very female perspective. |
| 1:55.7 | Someone once told me I was the most female person they ever knew. |
| 1:59.1 | I think that's kind of true. |
| 2:00.8 | So I want to be using the word mom and but you know certainly applies to dads to you. |
| 2:07.7 | I think I have like two male listeners out there I'm sure. |
| 2:11.5 | And so also for people who aren't parents, like if you and maybe want to be parents, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Amber Magnolia Hill, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Amber Magnolia Hill and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

