Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Parents Who Think


The Parents Who Think podcast interrupts the parenting status quo. Join Danusia Malina-Derben (entrepreneur, author, and mother of 10) for raw, unfiltered explorations of the modern parenting landscape. Through the lens of diverse perspectives and intelligent inquiry, PWT dives into the crucial dilemmas that define our lives. Whether you’re mainstream or "marginalized," we provide the clarity needed to navigate the hard realities of raising humans. We aren’t looking for consensus; we’re looking for truth in the messy, real-world chaos. Flex your agency, sharpen your thinking, and redefine parenthood with PWT: where the conversation goes deeper.

Aug 9, 2025

Becoming a mother isn’t just a personal change but a profound identity transformation on par with adolescence. In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben is joined by Dr. Aurélie Athan, clinical psychologist and scholar of reproductive identity, whose groundbreaking work on matrescence reframes motherhood as a major developmental passage. Together, they unpack how motherhood alters our physiology, status, relationships, economics, spirituality, and sense of self, and why recognising these shifts matters more than ever in today’s fractured support landscape.

This is a conversation that reshapes how we think about mothers, not as a monolith, but as individuals on distinct and complex reproductive journeys. From delayed childbearing to chosen childlessness, from postpartum crisis to existential reawakening, Aurélie and Danusia delve into the real universals of becoming, and being, a mother. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about honouring the full, evolving story.

Discover more from us:

• Join the Parents Who Think community on  Substack

• Follow us on Instagram

Connect with Danusia

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

• Advertising Inquiries here

 

Credits:

• Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben

• Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz

• Cover art by Anthony Oram