Debunking the Myths of Motherhood and Womanhood

In this episode, we’re debunking the myths of motherhood and womanhood with Dr. Gertrude Lyons. She has been a Master Life Coach and Relationship Expert for over two decades. Through her Rewriting The Mother Code initiative, which challenges the traditional notions of motherhood and womanhood, Dr. Lyons has become a national mothering revolutionary. She challenges the myths surrounding womanhood, mothering, and challenges what it means to be a mother. She believes the current model for mothering in our culture is broken, limited, constricting, and disempowering. She questions preconceived beliefs and leans into topics that will tap into the powerful femininity within all of us.

In this episode of the Woman of Value Podcast:

What is the Mother Code Initiative?
The myths of motherhood and womanhood
The true meaning of self care as a woman
The difference between masculine and feminine values (and why we need both)

S3 EP 8: Dr. Gertrude Lyons – Debunking the Myths of Motherhood and Womanhood

Audio

Video

WHAT DOES ‘WOMAN OF VALUE’ MEAN TO YOU?

Honoring feminine values over masculine values, such as being and caring. We live in a world that overvalues the masculine values of achievement vs the feminine value of wisdom and collaboration.

I was valued for external values of beauty. I needed to develop my masculine qualities.

YOUR ‘AHA’ WOMAN OF VALUE MOMENTS

I was engaged to my now husband, and my boss said I should get premarital counseling. I had an aha moment of how we both didn’t have great models for a relationship, and I didn’t realize it at the time. I didn’t have a vision for our relationship. I needed to confront that the vision I had was shallow and empty. I started to value myself and my emotions and what I cared about through counseling.

Another pivotal moment was when I was my daughters were grown and I was reaching the empty nest phase of my life. I went on a spiritual quest to Laos. There, I confronted who I was as a mother having raised my daughters. Who was I now? I realized I had made a lot of mistakes, and it was okay. I felt my feelings fully, and realized I needed to re-mother myself now. I had stopped growing while raising my daughters. That’s when I decided to go back to school and got my doctorate in education and transformational leadership and coaching. I researched this topic to become an advocate for women.

THE PRESENT

Mothering ourselves is about nurturing who we are. We’re wired to care, and we need to care for ourselves and value ourselves. Set up systems for yourself. The inner work is the most valuable. Explore the blocks and barriers and what we can expect from the world.

Myth: it’s selfish to care for ourselves.

Self care is critical. I also expanded the definition of mothering. All women mother; children, careers, relationships, ideas, birthing all the time. We’re all connected in that arena.

We look at tools to explore the dynamics that happen through raising children.

THE FUTURE

My vision is to do my part in creating a world that works for everyone. I want to continue to work on my own transformation to provide coaching, masterminds and my podcast to help others with Rewriting the Mother Code message.

THE LIGHTNING ROUND

I used to think I wasn’t smart enough.
What was the #1 thing holding you back from becoming a woman
of value? Not developing my masculine values within myself in service of my feminine values.
What’s the best advice you can give to a woman who wants to
become more empowered? Build your social emotional intelligence. That’s your superpower.
What advice would you give to your younger self? Be curious. Question more.
What’s something people get wrong about you? They don’t know that I have skills in the analytical arena, and I’m good with numbers.
How would you like to be remembered? As a woman who made a positive difference, creating a world more in balance, that I did my part personally and ignited things in them.