Hello everyone! Welcome back to a tell-all episode featuring one of THE most honest moms I know, and an incredible close friend of mine, Brandi Wiatrak. She is the host of the Mom After Hours podcast, which she needed to take a break from (I’m in denial and feel she will be going back to it in some capacity!) when she returned to work full time. She is the incredible mother to her daughter, Violet, and an amazing stepmom. She is the perfect person to have for this topic as she is as honest as honest can be. And she makes all of you know that it’s OK to have our mom judgement moments, we allllllll have them. Listen to the episode here: Listen on Spotify! or here: Listen on Apple Podcasts!
Brandi and I chat about our own judgements towards other moms and how we have grown to get out of those weeds that strangle us. We have full-blown confession time where there were ones I didn’t want to share, I was embarrassed, but Brandi made me feel so accepted and… not judged for my feelings I had. Listen, it’s human nature to judge. Whether we are feeling bleh about our own parenting, eating, exercising, how we spend our time, or what we do on Instagram, we have our moments of judgement. There are values that you may have where you just don’t understand “how she could DO THAT?!” when it’s OK to have your feelings, but what do we actually do with them so we don’t hurt someone that just trying their best like us?
We talk about things that we really don’t apologize for judging. But who are your safe people to release your feelings with so you can move on and not care what she is doing? Even if their kids are total a-holes? Why do we even care? I don’t know the answer to that. I have feelings that pop in when I witness others and their behaviors. The yogi and personal development fairy inside me coaches me to accept people, focus on myself, find empathy, try to put myself into their shoes, but it’s f’in HARD to do that. Does it make me feel better about myself when I have my judgy moments? Sometimes. I’m trying not to be so hard on myself because 95% of the time I’m doing anything BUT judging. And Brandi is one of the coolest chicks and moms I know. She is so accepting and loves variety in her life. If you ever meet her and talk to her for a hot second, you couldn’t imagine her judging anyone. But, like you, she’s human and we all have our moments. We aren’t terrible people.
I hope this episode helps you check in with your judgement zone. Is it something you do constantly with your mom friends? Do you find yourself judging almost everyone you encounter? Do you want to find ways to make a change so you’re not focusing on what others are doing? Then this episode is for you. It’s also for you if you simply want to feel better and not believe you’re a terrible person because you do judge certain people in your life. I hope you love Brandi as much as I do and thank you for listening and sharing this episode!
Instead of the Mom Card Drawing of the Week we are going with a judgment-inspired quote from one of the fathers of Yoga:
“When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake. This is the way to take judgment & turn it into improvement.” -BKS Iyengar
Brandi’s Favorite Mom Resources: “Working Moms” on Netflix. Funny mom accounts like @fruitsofmotherhood and @simplyfalaksid on Instagram. Oh and find her podcast, @momafterhours, and listen to her episodes.
Brandi’s Favorite Things: Adam & Eve products www.adameve.com , simple Dawn soap and water to get out pesky makeup on those winter coat collars, shop and grab a coffee at your local bookstore every once in a while, “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., “Temptation” by Ivy Smoak.
Grab your copy of my book, “The Honest Mom Project: Acknowledge Your Feelings. Break Free From Expectations. Build Your Beautiful Life as a Mother.” on my website, www.michellemansfieldauthor.com where you can also find the Amazon link.
