Episode 7: How Tori Heals Her Inner Child While Raising Her Toddler

Episode Summary:

I’ve witnessed repeatedly that every parent, no matter their culture, race, class, gender, and ability, is capable of showing up as the parent they want to be. But are they getting there? Getting to that place is complex, and the journey is so much more joyful when you have the support you need to be accountable and keep practicing. 

Tori was so kind to chat with me about her experience in the program. It was heartwarming to see Tori and Chris come to understand each other’s upbringing and social conditioning to see how they each discovered new ways to communicate and support each other and deepen their co-parenting game. 

Full episode transcript here.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• Nat's honor to be a storyteller and story keeper and to share Tori's journey to becoming a decolonized, embodied, and intergenerational parent with her husband, Chris, and her  two-year-old daughter, Joy

• Tori doesn't want her "loud" inner child wounds or her experiences growing up to hijack how she's raising her daughter

• Tori describes what it looks like for her to be a decolonized, embodied, and intergenerational parent

• Tori shares her new understanding of her nervous system and how she uses this awareness to bring compassion to "Little Tori" or her inner child

• How Tori uses self-reflection and body-based practice at the moment with her daughter (who's pushing her parenting button) to intentionally RESPOND to her instead of  automatically REACTing to her

• Tori gain new awareness of her parenting trigger and has new ways to "befriend her nervous system" and stay present with her daughter

• How Tori and Chris support each other as they go through the six weeks in the Program together

• Tori uses journaling to deepen her understanding of her parenting.

• Tori shares about the GIFT Journal and how she wants to give it to her daughter one day as a family heirloom

• Nat shares her inspiration behind the creation of the GIFT Journal

• Tori and Chris find a new way to co-parent and support each other in challenging moments using the language of the nervous system and the body to BE with each other

• Tori describes the sense of community she found in the cohort

• Tori shares her hesitation in the beginning before joining the program

• Tori talks about what helped her through the six weeks to do this hard and heart work with the cohort

• Tori's thoughts about what kinds of parents/caregivers will be an excellent fit for this decolonized, embodied, and intergenerational parenting work

• Tori's final words of support and encouragement for the listeners