Share

cover art for Ep 72: Secure Attachment, Postpartum and Growing up in Motherhood with Jodi Pawluski

Grow Yourself Up

Ep 72: Secure Attachment, Postpartum and Growing up in Motherhood with Jodi Pawluski

Ep. 72

In this episode Cath was joined by Dr Jodi Pawluski, they talked about Jodi’s path to motherhood, her postpartum time, how she prepared for this time and how her own parents’ support impacted her.

Jodi shares a bit about her family history, about the partnership she has with her husband in parenting and how her own work and knowledge of the brain supports her in her mothering role. 


Dr Jodi Pawluski is a Behavioural Neuroscientist, Psychotherapist and Author. Her research is affiliated with a research unit of the INSERM institute, the University of Rennes, France.


For over fifteen years Jodi has studied the neuroscience of motherhood and the effects of perinatal mental illness and antidepressant medications on the mother and developing offspring.


In 2020 Dr. Pawluski started a podcast called "Mommy Brain Revisited" which focuses on bringing current research on the parental brain to the general public. She also recently published a book (available in French and English) titled "Mommy Brain: Discover the amazing power of the maternal brain". 


Dr Pawluski's work has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, CNN, The Boston Globe, Die Zeit, Elle, Marie Claire, to name a few


You can connect with Jodi on her website listed here www.jodipawluski.com


Instagram: @dr.jodi_pawluski


X (formerly twitter): @JodiPawluski


If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.


To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 


Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 101. Ep 101: Neurodivergence, Unschooling, Consent Based Living and Growing Up in Motherhood with Fran Liberatore

    01:09:16||Ep. 101
    Cath was joined by Fran Liberatore in episode 101. Cath and Fran talked about Fran's path to motherhood and how she felt she found her purpose through motherhood, her becoming and growing up in motherhood. Fran talked about her own neurodivergence, how she learnt to let go of control in parenting and how she continues to focus on this. Cath and Fran talked about the imprecise nature of diagnosis and some of their thoughts on this. Fran talked about the schooling journey in her family and how she uses a consent based model in life and education and much more.Fran is an unschooler, mother, writer and child advocate. She writes and podcasts about consent-based, self-directed education, youth autonomy and challenging social norms on her Substack, 'A Life Unschooled' (www.alifeunschooled.substack.com).She is also publishing a book about centering consent-based practice via her Substack. She does some volunteering work around youth advocacy and self-directed education, and is studying for a Masters in Early Childhood Education, hoping to focus on consent-based education. Her favourite things are long walks, coffee and a good book. She lives with her two unschooled children, her husband, and her dog on a little island off the coast of Maine.You can also find Fran on Instagram @bigmotheringIf you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 100. Ep 100: Home Education, Extracting ourselves from Systems and Growing Up in Motherhood with Julie Walter

    01:06:17||Ep. 100
    Cath spoke with Julie Walter in episode 100. They talked about Julie’s motherhood journey, home educating her children, how she left teaching, unschooling from whatever position we are in and what Julie is currently involved in.Julie's BIO:Julie is a certified teacher with years of experience in the classroom, a degree in fine arts, and long-time homeschooler. She has taught students from Kindergarten to Grade 10, including roles as School Librarian and Special Education Resource Teacher. She also has taken on specialised roles such as teaching at an arts school, technology lab instructor at a provincial demonstration school for students with severe learning disabilities, teaching a forest school pilot program, and her most recent role teaching Gifted Education. She currently teaches a forest school homeschooling enrichment program on her farm in Ontario, where she combines what she has learned in classrooms, and more importantly through homeschooling, within a small community of children. Julie also has an online presence as “Family Yields” where she inspires and coaches parents and homeschoolers on how to create more integrated and sustainable family lives. She is also the host of “The Family Yields Podcast.”Julie's SERVICESJulie offers coaching services for people who wish to step into their authenticity in their parenting, homeschooling and life and she has some also online courses, which are all available to purchase on her website. LINKS:Instagram @familyyields and Facebook @familyyieldsPodcast:https://familyyieldspodcast.buzzsprout.com/Website:https://familyyields.com/If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 99. Ep 99: Birth, Postpartum, Mother in laws and Growing Up in Motherhood with Concetta Ferretti

    58:58||Ep. 99
    Cath was joined by scientist Concetta Ferretti in episode 99. Cath and Concetta talked about Concetta’s path to motherhood, how she used science to support her in thinking about birth, how she does this on an ongoing basis and all about how Concetta is growing herself up in motherhood. We talked about her relationship with her mother in law, how she manages it and how she got to this place. This is a conversation packed with realism and richness, hope you enjoy it.Concetta is a scientist with a background in Biology, a Ph.D. in Oncology, and research experience in chronic disorders. She is currently studying to become a Marriage and Family therapist with a medical specialization. She aims to understand how stress and early life experiences shape mental and physical health. Her work is trauma-informed and benefits from the latest findings in developmental neurobiology and interpersonal neuroscience. She shares her knowledge on Instagram, where she wants to empower mothers with science and wisdom to manage their stress and nurture their babies’ brain and attachment relationship.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 98. Ep 98: Intrusions, Control and Growing Up in Motherhood with Anna Butcher (Re-release)

    56:57||Ep. 98
    In this episode Cath is joined by Anna Butcher. We talked about Anna's journey to motherhood, how she experiences mothering and how the act of becoming a mother is an intrusion into our lives (on multiple levels). There is some deeply personal storytelling illustrating the concepts being discussed and we focused on how control turns up for both Cath and Anna and the antidote to this. Anna Butcher is a counselling psychologist specialising in perinatal psychology and the experience of motherhood. She came to the field of perinatal psychology after becoming a mother herself and becoming fascinated in the magnitude of the process which is often simplified and misunderstood. Anna is a lover of psychoanalytic theory and practice, for its richness in exploring early life experiences, relationships with caregivers and what it is to be a person.She loves marrying these ideas with her new found enthusiasm for the journey into and process of becoming a mother. She is also an advocate for speaking about the darker sides/emotions of motherhood which psychoanalytic theory give voice to. Anna taught and trained psychologists for ten years and teaching remains a passion of hers. Anna is trained in perinatal and infant mental health as well as newborn behavioural observation and Watch, Wait & Wonder, a parent-infant psychotherapy approach. She runs monthly support groups for mums in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and you can find her on Instagram @mums_and_microwaved_teaIf you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 97. Ep 97: Power, Systems, Gardening and Growing Up in Motherhood with Marchelle Farrell

    01:04:35||Ep. 97
    Cath was joined by author and medical psychotherapist Marchelle Farrell in episode 97. Cath and Marchelle chatted about Marchelle's childhood in Trinidad and Tobago, the systems her parents operated in, how those systems still operate today, privilege, power, relationships and so much more. We talked about Marchelle's path to motherhood, the power within mothering and how she learnt to let herself be held and supported and the role of her garden in this.Marchelle Farrell is a writer, medical psychotherapist and amateur gardener. Born in Trinidad and Tobago she has spent over 20 years attempting to become hardy here in the UK. She is curious about the relationship between our external and internal landscapes, the patterns we reenact in relation to the land, and how they might be changed. Her debut book, Uprooting, won the Nan Shepherd Prize for nature writing. You can contact Marchelle on Instagram and her handle is @afroliage and on twitter @afroliage (though she rarely uses twitter) or you can contact her via her website www.marchellefarrell.comYou can catch Marchelle at the following upcoming events around the UK:Saturday 27-28th April at the BOCAS Lit Fest in conversation with Safiyah Sinclair and running a nature writing workshop.Saturday 11th May at Nurturing Soils at the Platt Fields Market Garden Manchester in conversation with Amy Jane Beer of Right to Roam and running a nature writing workshop.Sunday 26th May at the City of Literature weekend of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival in conversation with Jessica J Lee and running a nature writing workshop.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 96. Ep 96: Partner Rage, Postpartum Health and Healing in Motherhood with Molly Caro May. (Re-release)

    51:43||Ep. 96
    In episode 96 Cath was joined by author Molly Caro May. This rich and beautiful conversation covered so much ground. They touched on Molly’s memoir ‘Body Full of Stars’, talked about Molly’s postpartum health experiences, breaking cycles in motherhood, rage and self responsibility.Molly Caro May is an author of two books, teacher, and holder of space. For 13+ years, she has facilitated personal story workshops for hundreds of people across the globe. She is trained in (Somatic Experiencing) and focuses on where language/voice and the animal body meet each other.Her mission is to democratise expression and explore, in good company, the healing alchemy between story and nervous system. She runs online workshops, in-person retreats and keeps the fire lit for her membership community 'The Loam'.You can learn more about her work at www.mollycaromay.com or on Instagram @mollycaromayIf you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 95. Ep 95: Hypervigilence, Knowing Ourselves, Enoughness and Values in Parenting

    27:03||Ep. 95
    This episode is a continuation of some of the themes from episode 94 (and can also be listened to alone).Cath speaks about the core of people pleasing and how carrying this into parenting sets us up to feel bad, she touches on ‘metrics’, getting to know ourselves and having an embodied sense of our enough-ness. There is also discussion around values.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 94. Ep 94: People Pleasing, Boundaries and Our Needs

    23:58||Ep. 94
    In today's episode Cath focuses on people pleasing. She looks at how and why it arises in our family of origin, how it manifests in the way we are in relationships and how it can turn up in parenting. She suggests ways in which to counteract this urge. And next week there will be more on this subject.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan
  • 93. Ep 93: Matrescence and Growing Up in Motherhood with Lucy Jones (Re-release)

    56:13||Ep. 93
    In this episode Cath is joined by author and journalist Lucy Jones. Cath and Lucy discussed Lucy's matrescence journey, her most recent book (Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood), how she makes sense (and continues to) of the huge transition to motherhood, what Lucy finds supportive, how we are all eco systems and some of the realities of mothering at this time in our history.  Lucy Jones is an award-winning journalist and the author of four books including the best-selling book Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild (Allen Lane), a Times and Telegraph Book of the Year, and most recently Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood. Her writing on science, health and ecology has been published in BBC Earth, The Sunday Times, GQ, the Daily Telegraph and the New Statesman. Lucy is a mother of 3 and lives in Hampshire in England.If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. Follow Cath on social media here:Instagram: @cathcounihanSubstack: Nurture.Heal.GrowFacebook: Cath Counihan