Giving Birth: A Transformative Experience

In this episode of the "Growing Humans" podcast, we explore, together with our dear friend, Kim Dawe, the transformative journey of motherhood and its intersection with workplace performance. We each share our own stories of becoming mothers - from the decision to bring a child into the world, to the actual moment of birth and the discombobulating adventure of the first few months of parenthood - and the impact they have had on our becoming.Kim offers her experiences and wisdom as a mother, a human development expert and a birth doula, reminding us of the importance of choice, empowerment, and intuition in the birthing and parenting journey. She invites us to notice the depth of perspectives and capabilities a new mother gains and how valuable they can be not just at home, but in the workplace - and how much is lost when women returning to work after having a baby are not seen as the precious resources they truly are. Episode Timeline* [00:01:18] Guest introduction* [00:05:31] Kim's journey into motherhood* [00:15:03] Choice and conscious decision-making* [00:24:49] The role of intuition in birth and afterwards* [00:35:19] Empowerment and letting go* [00:46:50] Learning from postpartum challenges* [01:02:33] Developmental growth through parenthood* [01:13:35] The gifts of new mothers in the workplaceLeadership books Kim recommends: Frederic Laloux: Reinventing OrganisationsJonathan Reams (Ed): Maturing LeadershipGuest Bio: Kimberley DaweKim Dawe is a highly experienced, values-led, and commercially minded Leadership Development practitioner and leader. She leads teams to design and deliver transformative leadership development solutions in service of developing purposeful and adaptive leaders/organisations who thrive in complexity.Kim is currently studying and is interested in how we can integrate the lessons, skills and mindsets from birth and motherhood into leadership.She asking the questions: * What growth/transformation occurs for women in becoming a mother? * What would happen if we provided different support structures and scaffolds around women during this season? * How could we harness the transformation that occurs during birth for leadership development?* How do we shift the narrative of ‘time out of the workforce’ to ‘accelerated leadership potential’?Are you new to Vertical (Adult) Development? Start by listening to this: In this episode, we mention “development” several times. If you are not familiar with the notion of “adult (vertical )development”, we encourage you to listen to this introductory podcast Alis recorded a while ago, exploring what vertical development is and the stages of development humans go through throughout their lives: Dive deeperJoin our in-depth, self-led developmental course for adults who raise and educate children - Growing Humans: How Raising Children Raises Us. As a paid subscriber to this substack, you will receive a 50% discount on the price of the program (you will receive the code when you activate your paid subscription). Head on to the program page to learn more.Spread the word…If you’d like to see this community grow, we hope you share this article with other parents, grandparents or educators who could benefit from the reflection.and, if you haven’t done it yet, Subscribe!Join the ‘Growing Humans’ community and let’s keep supporting each other to keep on growing up, as we raise the kids in our care!As a paid subscriber, we’ll welcome you into a smaller, closer-knit community where we regularly meet, share, and learn together. You will have access to the chat and comments on every article, as well as dedicated, facilitated fireside chats for the community. You will also receive a 50% discount on our self-led program for parents and educators: Growing Humans: How Raising Children Raises Us.Growing Humans is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Growing Humans at www.growinghumans.education/subscribe