/
Episode 23: Living Authentically, Confidently and Intentionally – a Conversation About How We Show Up in Our Lives, with Teresa Wiedrick
A few months ago, Teresa Wiedrick shared her experience of her coaching work with homeschool moms and supporting women to get “out of their own way” and it struck a chord. We were so happy to have her chat with us more specifically about living authentically, confidently and intentionally and many of the common themes we might encounter. Teresa’s website, Capturing the Charmed Life, is home to her many offerings such as blogging and coaching as well as her podcast, Homeschool Mama Self-Care. She is also the author of Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer. Join us around the table as we chat about this important journey!
We Discuss:
The idea of “getting out of our own way” to do the things we’d like to or feel inspired to do
Thoughts around our lives in the areas of authenticity, confidence and intention
How this existential work can be helpful to do at various ages and life seasons for a range of people
Authenticity:
How growing up as a people pleaser can potentially make it difficult to show up authentically
Being a “chameleon” – worrying about whether we’d be too much for people showing up as our full selves and so keeping others comfortable and ourselves safe
The desire to be authentic, yet the challenges with authenticity when stepping outside of the box
The courage needed to publicly step out in the form of writing, blogging, etc
Wanting our children to be able to really show up as themselves because not doing so comes with a degree of cost
That years of showing up in ways that were acceptable, praised, and rewarded in school but didn’t necessarily reflect who we were, are very integrated and the grace we need to have with ourselves as we move away from that
How homeschool philosophies and communities can also be difficult places to show up authentically
How aligning with a particular philosophy and community can be really helpful as long as we can show up as ourselves and our children can too
Embracing community based on the children in front of us rather than a particular dogma or method
Kids having difficult experiences while we’re around and available to communicate and support them
Kids choosing school even when we wouldn’t – checking where homeschooling affects our identity as parents
Confidence:
That by children having more flexibility in their life and the things they choose to do, the hope is that more confidence will come from that opportunity to make and follow through on their decisions
Not doing anything at all rather than risking making a mistake
Noticing and moving through “imposter syndrome”
The reasons we might feel that sense of being an imposter
The different kind of confidence young adults might have
Deciding to move through the apprehension because it feels meaningful enough
Thoughts about stepping out into paid employment after having been home with kids for a period of time
How the more we do things, the more our confidence builds
Recognizing over time that there’s so much more ‘grey’ in life than we realized
Getting better at sitting with the tension of not making a decision right away
Deschooling our own lives, not just our children’s
Leaning into something that feels reflective of who we really are
At times sounding less confident than we really are either because we aren’t wanting to offend others, BUT that when we can be honest and confident, it’s an opportunity for the other person to learn
Culture trying to persuade mothers to move out of the home
How what we are doing can be enough – there don’t have to be roles on top of roles
How the idea of “only” being a mother is such a difficult one when it’s such a full role
The myth of being able to do it all
Intention:
Getting clarity on what we want and accessing support
That we are always being invited into growth
Finding people who support us in the ways we need – accountability partners
Getting pulled into small requests that become big requests
Resources:
Homeschool Mama Self-care Podcast, Episode with Teresa and Erin
Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer, Teresa’s book
Virtual Kitchen Table, Episode 21: Emotional Labour
Virtual Kitchen Table, Episode 22: Does Homeschooling our Children Shape our Identity?