The Black Mother Wound Podcast

The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts
  • 5.0 (317)
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Welcome to The Black Mother Wound, a podcast where we dig deep into the unique challenges faced by Black women in their relationships with their mothers. Join us every week as we embark on an honest, vulnerable, and nurturing journey toward embracing, understanding and healing, and embracing our inner little girl. In a world that often tries to silence our voices, this podcast is a safe space where we unpack the complexities of our relationships with the women who raised us. We confront the reality of toxic dynamics and the profound impact they have had on our lives. But we don't stop there; we're committed to unraveling the threads of generational trauma and weaving new narratives of strength, resilience, and self-love.Visit JenniferArnise.com to start your healing journey.  

  1. 5D AGO

    Introducing Black Mother Wound

    Black Mother Wound is an intimate and thought‑provoking podcast hosted by Jennifer Arnise, exploring the complex, often unspoken dynamics between Black women and their mothers. Through personal storytelling, cultural reflection, and honest dialogue, Jennifer examines how generational trauma, love, silence, and survival collide inside Black families, and what healing can look like. This is a space for truth, compassion, and reckoning, centering voices that have long been dismissed or misunderstood. Black Mother Wound invites listeners to name their pain, question ingrained thoughts, and imagine healthier ways forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    2 min

  2. JAN 20

    Ep 088: Oversharing, People-Pleasing & Identity Confusion

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic.  Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** “Keeping the peace isn’t peace. It is self-erasure.” For many people healing the mother wound, peacekeeping became a survival skill. It meant staying small, agreeable, and easy so no one else exploded. It worked when we were young, but in adulthood it begins to feel like disappearing. Oversharing often comes from the same place: giving too much in hopes of being seen or accepted, mistaking exposure for connection. The shift begins with honest noticing. Before explaining, pleasing, or revealing too much, we pause and ask, “What am I hoping to get right now?” This small moment interrupts old survival habits and teaches our inner child that safety is not earned through performance. With practice, boundaries take the place of peacekeeping, discernment replaces oversharing, and clarity softens guilt. Healing becomes less about controlling how others feel and more about refusing to abandon ourselves. Slowly, peace stops being something we manage for others and becomes something we build within. In this episode, I’m answering listener questions about oversharing, keeping the peace, and identity. We talk about oversharing as a form of seeking approval, how “peacekeeping” leads to self-abandonment, and why guilt shows up when you stop managing other people’s emotions. If you’re tired of performing or pleasing just to feel accepted, this episode breaks down what choosing yourself really looks like.  Topics Covered: 00:00:00 – Episode Snippet: “Who is the peace for?” 00:00:12 – Welcome to The Black Mother Wound Podcast 00:01:32 – Q #1: Is oversharing during healing a sign of seeking validation? 00:03:53 – Oversharing is a form of self-abandonment 00:05:58 – Compulsion, fear, and lack of internal safety 00:07:19 – Q #2: How do I stop keeping the peace and choose myself? 00:09:44 – Knowing your needs before the moment 00:11:21 – Protecting your inner child with real boundaries 00:13:09 – Q #3: Am I acting from authenticity or guilt? 00:14:03 – The habit of performing instead of being 00:15:14 – Authenticity requires self-prioritization 00:17:03 – Building a new sense of safety Key Takeaways: “Any oversharing is you seeking validation. It is giving something that people didn’t earn.” “Prostitution is any exchange of who you are to get something in return.” “Have integrity with yourself to be honest about what it is that I’m looking to get from these people and what I am afraid of.” DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  3. 12/23/2025

    Ep 087: Managing Mother Wound Grief

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic.  Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** “Grief doesn’t disappear when it’s ignored. It waits.” Healing often begins in a softer place than we expect. It starts when we stop pushing our sadness away and allow ourselves to notice it without judgment. Avoiding grief can feel like survival, but it keeps us stuck. When we give our emotions space instead of rushing them or explaining them away, they begin to move. What once felt overwhelming starts to feel more understandable, more human. Over time, this gentler way of being with ourselves changes things. As we practice meeting our feelings with care and patience, loneliness begins to loosen its hold. Not because the past no longer matters, but because we’re no longer facing it alone. Healing becomes less about fixing what was broken and more about learning how to hold ourselves with kindness, even in the midst of what still hurts. In this episode, I’m answering your questions about grief, loneliness, and feeling emotionally stuck while healing the mother wound. We talk about why avoiding sadness keeps you stuck, how to create safety for your emotions, and what it means to actually let feelings move through your body. We also discuss estrangement from toxic family systems, releasing guilt, building family of choice, and why support is essential when healing feels overwhelming. If you’re ready to stop carrying this alone and start creating a life that feels lighter and more grounded, this episode is for you. Topics Covered: 00:00 — Episode Snippet 00:21 — Welcome to The Black Mother Wound Podcast   02:33 — Q #1: How do you get unstuck from sadness and loneliness? 04:28 — Allow emotions instead of managing them away 06:31 — Using daily basics to create safety in your body and environment 09:07 — Why patience with yourself is essential for healing 11:24 — Q #2: Coping with grief after distancing from toxic family systems 12:53 — The grief of being the cycle breaker in your family 15:11 — Q #3: Do thoughts of self-harm still come up? 16:23 — Why believing you don’t matter is a trauma response 19:16 — Expanding support beyond the podcast and online spaces 21:03 — Being in “hell on earth” 23:14 — The pendulum metaphor 24:36 — Gratitude for the community and shared growth DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmotherwound  Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min

  4. 12/23/2025

    Ep 086: Building a Solid Foundation of Self-Love & Self-Esteem

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic.  Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** “Self-love becomes harmful when it’s only offered in short bursts.” Self-worth and love often feel out of reach when we grow up learning that our value depends on what we do or how others see us. For many, especially those with mothers who couldn’t give the care we needed, worth was something to earn, not something we simply had. That leaves a gap that can follow us for years, shaping how we see ourselves and how we let others treat us. Healing doesn’t mean undoing the past, it means seeing it clearly. It means noticing the ways we’ve been taught to perform for approval, to measure ourselves by achievement, and to accept less than we deserve. It means recognizing the loss without letting it define us. Even when we grieve what we didn’t get, there is power in facing it, naming it, and understanding it. In this episode, I’m answering your questions about self-worth, confidence, and learning how to love yourself after growing up with an emotionally immature mother. We talk about self love-bombing, performing for approval, and why building worth often means starting from scratch. We also get into inner-child reparenting, affirming yourself through consistent actions, and making peace with grief tied to the mother wound. If you’re ready to stop proving your worth and start treating yourself like you matter, this episode is for you. Topics Covered: (00:00:00) Episode Snippet (00:00:16) Welcome to the Black Mother Wound Podcast (00:01:15) Questioning who you actually owe your energy to (00:02:42) Q#1How do I rebuild my sense of worth when my mother only praises me now?  (00:06:39) Acknowledging yourself outside of productivity (00:09:53) Small wins as proof of worth (00:10:38) Being gentler with yourself after mistakes (00:12:41) Q#2: How do I learn what love feels like at 64 when I've only known heartbreak? (00:13:31) Why self-love must continue (00:15:11) Self-abandonment is self-inflicted love bombing (00:16:37) Distancing from non-affirming people (00:21:05) Actions over affirmations (00:22:39) Q#3: Do you ever feel remorse about the time lost to your mother wound?  (00:25:11) Letting go of “fairness” (00:27:12) Accepting loss and moving forward DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmotherwound  Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    Ep 085: How Not to Turn Into Your Mother

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic.  Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** "Sometimes the voice you fear the most is the one you carry inside yourself."  It is the echo of criticism, impatience, or harshness that once shaped your earliest days. Many people don’t notice it until they hear that voice in their own words, in their reactions, or in the way they judge themselves. The patterns you vowed never to repeat can creep in quietly, showing up as control, overworking, or self-sacrifice. These are survival strategies learned in the absence of safety, not signs of failure, yet they can quietly repeat the harm you once endured. Healing begins with noticing. Every moment of frustration, every urge to overcorrect or withdraw, is a clue pointing back to the inner child who was never fully seen or protected. Slowing down, listening, and learning to respond with care to that child is how the cycle begins to break.  In this episode, I’m answering your questions about inner child healing, emotional identity, and why the patterns you’re trying to break keep showing up. As we close out the year, we talk about celebrating your wins, learning what real love actually feels like, and what happens when you ignore the mother wound and end up abandoning yourself. We get into re-parenting the inner little girl, unlearning harsh behaviors, and releasing overworking and self-sacrifice as proof of worth. If you’re ready to stop living in survival mode and start choosing yourself, this one matters. Topics Covered: (00:00:00) Episode Snippet (00:00:13) Welcome to the Black Mother Wound Podcast (00:00:52) Celebrating personal wins (00:04:57) Q1: How does ignoring the mother wound lead to self-abandonment? (00:07:05) Q2: How do you teach yourself love if you have never experienced it? (00:09:14) True love is safety (00:10:55) Q3: How do you stop behaving like your mother in your marriage? (00:14:13) Behavior is the fruit, not the root (00:14:32) Q4: How do you stop repeating patterns of overworking and self-sacrifice? (00:19:58) Your situation is not unique (00:21:03) Releasing shame and reframing healing as skill-building DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmotherwound  Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    23 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    Ep 084: How Do I Heal When I Still Live With My Mama?

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic. Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** Home is supposed to be a place of safety, love, and comfort. But for many, it can feel like the opposite. Living with constant criticism, emotional pressure, or dismissive behavior can leave a deep, invisible wound. Every day becomes walking on eggshells. You may love your family, but that love doesn’t erase the tension or the ways your boundaries are ignored. Trying to be the “good daughter” often comes at the cost of your confidence, peace, and emotional health. The hardest truth is this: no matter how much you try to explain or reason, you cannot make someone else change. Healing feels impossible when the source of pain is always present. Your home should nurture you, but when it doesn’t, it forces you to confront the gap between the life you have and the safety you deserve. In this episode, I break down one of the most common questions I get: How do you heal when you still live at home with the very mother who’s hurting you? As we close out the year, I’m answering your real, raw questions about unsafe homes, criticism, grief, and trying to build a future while your past is still sitting in the next room. We talk about safety, autonomy, community, and the honest truth about what it actually takes to protect your peace and plan your way out. If you’re stuck in a house that drains you, this one matters. Topics Covered: (00:00:00) Episode Snippet (00:00:19) Welcome to the Black Mother Wound Podcast (00:04:26) Q1: How can you heal when your environment is unhealthy? (00:05:40) Establish internal safety (00:07:09) Rebuilding trust in yourself and cultivating physical spaces (00:10:41) Q2: Should you show compassion to your abusive mother? (00:12:35) Q3: Processing grief while estranged and still living at home (00:14:06) There’s no autonomy when you live with your abuser (00:16:31) Q4: How do I deal with my mother’s constant criticism and emotional pressure while preparing to move out? (00:17:19) Limit your presence and practice silence as a boundary (00:21:03) Q5: How do I heal the mother wound while being my mother’s full-time caregiver? (00:24:01) Release the need to be seen as “a good daughter” (00:26:15) Be honest about what you can give (00:27:28) Create a life outside the home (00:28:45) The false sense of care DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmotherwound  Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min

  7. 12/02/2025

    Ep 083: Audience Q&A: Estrangement, Distance, and Letting Go

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic. Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** Letting go of guilt after going no contact with a mother begins with understanding that the guilt is not truly yours, it’s rooted in codependency and enmeshment. Often, we feel responsible for someone else’s happiness or think we owe our mothers for what they gave us, even when that “giving” came with emotional harm. True freedom comes when you redefine how you deserve to be treated. Going no contact is the first step, like stopping the bleeding, but real healing happens when you turn your attention inward. Establish safety with yourself, learn to care for your needs, trust your intuition, and set clear boundaries. As you practice self-respect and autonomy, the guilt fades. It’s not about forgiving or fixing your mother, it’s about reclaiming your life and cultivating a healthy, loving relationship with yourself. In this episode, I answer your questions about estrangement, guilt, and healing from difficult mother-daughter relationships. We explore how to let go of guilt after going no contact, handle manipulation, and process grief when a mother has passed. Healing your mother wound isn’t about your mom, it’s about reclaiming your autonomy, setting boundaries, and creating a loving, supportive relationship with yourself.  "If you let go of somebody who doesn't treat you well, you're going to have to establish a new baseline of how you're treated." – Jennifer Arnise Topics Covered: (00:00:00) Episode Snippet (00:00:17) Welcome to The Black Mother Wound Podcast (00:04:31) Question 1: Letting go of guilt and worry after going no contact (00:06:37) No contact isn’t the final step (00:09:19) Question 2: What to do about a mother who manipulates you (00:10:29) The desire to keep her happy (00:12:33) Question 3: Healing after a traumatic relationship with a mother who has passed (00:14:29) Why healing is about your autonomy (15:22) The false sense of “debt” in traditional Black parenting (17:08) Challenging the logic behind abusive dynamics (19:25) Shifting how you see yourself (21:00) The truth about going no contact (23:17) No contact helping establish autonomy (25:14) How history shaped Black parenting patterns (27:04) You still have to do the work Key Takeaways: "Letting go of guilt and worry, no matter what the reason is, is the same." "Shame and isolation has taught you that no one has gone through what you've gone through." DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    Ep 082: Boundaries, Motherhood, and the Grandmother Role—Let’s Talk About It

    Hey! Click here to send me a message to tell me how much you love the podcast or suggest an episode topic. Ask me anything about healing your mother wound and I’ll answer it on the podcast. Click here to ask. *************************************** How we can stay connected and work together! 1. Grab my free mini-course 2.  Work with me one-on-one 3. Join RESOLVE Evolved Today *************************************** "How can you continue your healing while staying connected to a mother who hurt you, just so your child can know the love of a grandmother?" Wanting your child to have a relationship with their grandmother is natural, but when that grandmother causes you pain, it becomes complicated. Holding onto the hope that your child can get what you didn’t may feel healing, but it can put them in the middle of adult wounds they cannot handle. True love for your child is about protecting their emotional safety. It means letting go of fantasies, setting boundaries, and creating a circle of care built on authenticity and respect. Your child doesn’t need a perfect family to feel loved. They need a parent who sees them, values them, and models what healthy love looks like. By doing this, you break the cycle and give your child something far greater than a relationship with a grandmother. You give them a foundation of real love and self-worth.In this episode, we explore the challenge of keeping a grandmother in your child’s life, even when that relationship has hurt you. I share why holding onto the fantasy of a “perfect family” can keep old wounds open and affect your child. We also discuss setting boundaries, creating emotional safety, and letting go of guilt around “missing grandparents” to break the cycle. Tune in to learn how to protect your children, honor your healing, and redefine what family really means. Topics Covered: (00:00:00) Episode Snippet (00:00:15) Welcome to The Black Mother Wound Podcast (00:03:51) Healing while your child maintains a relationship with grandma (00:07:04) The fantasy of the “perfect mother (00:10:04) Hoping your mother will change through your kids (00:16:06) The cost of the fantasy (00:20:15) The illusion of “cute phases” with grandparents (00:22:25) Choosing your child’s family intentionally (00:24:11) Don’t assign authority to harmful adults (00:27:16) Letting go of the fantasy of a fairytale family (00:29:13) Stop projecting your fears onto your children (00:31:08) Kids don’t necessarily need grandparents (00:32:00) Come late and leave early DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional and my services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors or other healthcare professionals. All opinions expressed here are my own. If you feel you are in any danger of harming yourself please call 911. I am not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition. All opinions are my own and based on my personal lived experience. Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmotherwound  Support the show Follow me on IG @jenniferarnise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min
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out of 5
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About

Welcome to The Black Mother Wound, a podcast where we dig deep into the unique challenges faced by Black women in their relationships with their mothers. Join us every week as we embark on an honest, vulnerable, and nurturing journey toward embracing, understanding and healing, and embracing our inner little girl. In a world that often tries to silence our voices, this podcast is a safe space where we unpack the complexities of our relationships with the women who raised us. We confront the reality of toxic dynamics and the profound impact they have had on our lives. But we don't stop there; we're committed to unraveling the threads of generational trauma and weaving new narratives of strength, resilience, and self-love.Visit JenniferArnise.com to start your healing journey.  

Information

  • Creator
    The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    The Black Mother Wound Podcast

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