No One Ever Told Me

Paige McGregor
  • 5.0 (2)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to No one ever told me, a podcast that interrogates the role of motherhood, career culture and societal norms through a series of essays. This isn’t a how-to for the things new parents google at odd hours of the night. Nor is it a place to find solace in all the reasons we may find parenting hard. It’s an interrogation of the things no one ever told us about motherhood, societal norms and our current culture.

  1. No one ever told me it's time to rebuild the village.

    16/10/2023

    No one ever told me it's time to rebuild the village.

    The notion that it takes a village has become a euphemism for ‘parenting is hard, don’t go at it alone’. And it’s truer today more than ever. But it doesn’t just take a village or tribe to raise a child, it takes a village to raise a mother. It’s time for us to rebuild the village.

    8 min
  2. No one ever told me ignorance isn’t bliss.

    04/10/2023

    No one ever told me ignorance isn’t bliss.

    It takes courage to look at all the dark unexamined places within yourself. But no one gets a free pass in life from dealing with themselves. Ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s an unexamined life.

    5 min
  3. No one ever told me I wouldn’t miss the mental stimulation of work.

    21/08/2023

    No one ever told me I wouldn’t miss the mental stimulation of work.

    It takes effort to feel mentally stimulated in motherhood. It takes effort to connect with other mothers in the community who may be on a similar path. It takes effort not to get sucked up in what can feel like groundhog day of the same routine. We’re willing to put that effort into our careers, so why not do so for our role as mothers?

    8 min
  4. No one ever told me you shouldn’t want to be loved unconditionally.

    07/08/2023

    No one ever told me you shouldn’t want to be loved unconditionally.

    So many of us are searching for partners, with long lists of criteria that need to be filled in order for us to give them a second glance on a dating app. But few of us would put ‘loves conditionally’ at the top of the list. And maybe it’s time we start doing so.

    6 min
  5. No one ever told me busy-ness is the antidote to a meaningful life.

    16/06/2023

    No one ever told me busy-ness is the antidote to a meaningful life.

    Being busy is a mindset, not a state of being. More often than not, busy-ness means we aren’t being present in the in-between moments of our lives. Busy doesn’t mean fulfilled. It doesn’t mean important, purposeful, or productive. It means our lives are frenetic, lacking thoughtful contemplation and consideration of how we spend our time. And it can be difficult to actively avoid this tempo of modern life. No one ever told me it’s time to switch off.

    7 min
  6. No one ever told me chasing happiness is a fruitless pursuit.

    04/06/2023

    No one ever told me chasing happiness is a fruitless pursuit.

    We live in a culture that continually chases happiness  and as a result, we are destined for a life of disappointment. This eternal chase is a type of toxic positivity that is burrowing deep into our minds and preventing us from pursuing lives worth living. I’m not happy in my relationship so I’ll leave it. I'm not happy as a parent so I’ll drown my sorrows in alcohol and pharmaceuticals. I’m not happy at work so I’ll continuously job hop instead of doing the inner exploration to find out what my soul’s true calling is. Happiness is not a destination, it is a fleeting feeling that punctuates a purposeful life. And we should view it as that.

    6 min
  7. No one ever told me identity isn’t lost in motherhood, but expanded

    03/06/2023

    No one ever told me identity isn’t lost in motherhood, but expanded

    Motherhood doesn't have to strip us of our identity. If our identities are tied up with the activities we enjoyed in everyday life pre-babies, then perhaps we haven’t explored ourselves deeply enough. Never is there a more important time than in our youth to heed Socrates’ advice to ‘Know thyself’. Are we telling women they should want to maintain their youth, despite the physical and emotional transition that motherhood requires? It’s time we put greater emphasis on supporting women through the portal of motherhood, allowing them to find comfort in shedding a layer of identity to reveal an inner truth and an expanded version of themselves they can now access.

    6 min
  8. No one ever told me inconvenience can bring out the best in us.

    03/06/2023

    No one ever told me inconvenience can bring out the best in us.

    Our day-to-day is filled with the types of conveniences that are supposed to make life easier, more time efficient. We have delivery services and on-demand for absolutely everything: lunch, alcohol, toilet paper, entertainment, the list goes on. Even romance is available at the click of a button. We date at the swipe of a button, we order our groceries and meals via apps with faceless drivers, and watch our movies at home instead of in theatres with other people. Our convenience culture has stripped us of the parts of life that help us to flourish as human beings: living our lives outside, face to face in communities, providing one another with goods and services that are locally sourced and made.

    7 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to No one ever told me, a podcast that interrogates the role of motherhood, career culture and societal norms through a series of essays. This isn’t a how-to for the things new parents google at odd hours of the night. Nor is it a place to find solace in all the reasons we may find parenting hard. It’s an interrogation of the things no one ever told us about motherhood, societal norms and our current culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Paige McGregor
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Paige McGregor
  • Show Website
    No One Ever Told Me