Hi mamas. Today, I’m excited to have Joy Netanya Thompson on the podcast. Joy is a writer who covers the intersection of motherhood, culture and identity and whose writing has appeared on sites like Parents, Motherwell, Romper, Coffee & Crumbs, and she’s also the author of the substack newsletter, Midweek Joy. She lives in LA with her husband and 8-year-old daughter.  This is a rich and raw episode where Joy shares with me her experience of becoming a mother, the traumatic birth of her daughter and how this, amongst other factors including postpartum depression, shaped her decision to have no more children. We discuss the inner conflict this decision has brought about for us both, the considerations of both our own needs and those of our existing children in this decision, and how the lack of societal and personal support plays a role in this too.  In this beautiful conversation, we also discuss:The journey to knowing yourself better through motherhood, in terms of the mirrors your children hold up which allow you to see yourself in a more honest and truthful light than what you might have experienced before. We discuss parts work and the journey of seeing and accepting the different parts of ourselves that live within us and have been shaped by our own childhoods. Our experiences of mothering without a blueprint, how this can play out with regard to our desire to parent differently, and the process of reparenting while parenting.  Joy’s experience of birth, her feelings of failure surrounding it and her journey towards acceptance. We also touch on her experience with EMDR as treatment for this trauma.   The beauty of the moments where we delight in our children, the honour of having a front-row seat on our children’s lives, and the importance of them feeling this love above all else. And so much more. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation today as much as I loved having it.  Here is where you can find out more about me (Yara), how to work with me and some resources: Why Am I So Angry Workshop *** Waitlist for The Rebirth, Group Coaching for Mamas ***This is my signature 3 months online group coaching container for mothers which covers family of origin, inner child work, nervous system basics, anger, boundaries and much more.  @lifeafterbirthpsychology   www.lifeafterbirth.com.au Free Inner Critic Workbook Free Values Aligned Living Workbook  Find out more about Joy: @joynetanyathompson www.joynetanyathompson.com Looking for support for anger while you mother? To access my Why Am I So Angry Workshop click HERE