The Moment Self-Awareness Becomes Self-Permission

Yesterday in our MotherMind group coaching session, we explored what it truly means to value our own time.

After reflecting together on some of Eve Rodsky’s powerful work about finding your "Unicorn Space"—those essential moments for self-care, creativity, and flow, outside of work and caretaking, we then turned inward. In dyads, we coached each other around the supports we need: support from ourselves, from others, and in our environments to make space for own joy.

As always, we closed by sharing our greatest learnings from the past 90 minutes. Out of ten brilliant Scientist Mothers, more than half shared some variation of the same striking insight:

“𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆.”

At first glance, this might sound heavy. But here’s the thing: so many of us are carrying the impossible weight of being the perfect mother, perfect partner, perfect employee. No wonder there’s no time left for our own joy.

And yet… realizing we are the ones standing in our own way is also deeply empowering. Because, guess what! 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

So I leave you with these questions:

✨ Where might you be standing in your own way when it comes to joy, creativity, or self-care?

✨ And what would it look like to give yourself permission to step aside?