EP057: Curious and brave: Emma Stroud on building a made-to-measure family and life

Get ready for a blast of delight in the form of this week’s guest, Emma Stroud. Em is serious about having fun. So much so that she’s made it (part of) her business to teach adults how to laugh and think in ways many of us have forgotten. She also occasionally gets told off by her son for being too silly. That’s a win in my book!

Emma never wanted to be a mum -- until she did. Her journey to holding baby William in her arms was as refreshingly creative as she is. I loved hearing how Emma and her friend and business partner Deon consciously created a family that worked for them. For a while it included two loving couples living in "one big gay house” and sharing coparenting equally.

I was fascinated and a little envious of the set-up Emma had then and still has now. It’s every parent’s dream: having someone else fully share the coparenting and having an entire tribe to raise her son. It's meant that when she's mum, she's mum. And the rest of the time, she's Em. Period. I’d definitely be up for that!

I loved talking to Emma about the power of words, why it drives me bonkers to hear women say they’re “just mum” and what Emma thinks is behind that. I agree fiercely about the importance of bravery, and how it’s the precursor to curious and open connection. 

In fact it’s got me musing, for all of us: where are you curious? Where do you meet other people with preconceived judgements? Where could you be more open? Where could I? Where and how do you put yourself or other women into the "mum box?"

I hope this conversation leaves you wondering about the roles you play of have had foisted upon you. About how you meet yourself and other mothers. And about how you might make big, brave decisions to help bump your life out of conventionality so it starts to look and feel the way you want it to, so you can truly be yourself. 

I’d love to hear what comes up for you as you listen. The conversation will continue over in the MamaFuel Virtual Village, which is our free Facebook home, and I’d love to read your tuppence. Click here to join us. And if you haven’t yet, please leave a review of this podcast wherever you’re listening. It helps so much to know that these conversations are landing, and it makes the little internet robots share conversations like these with more mamas.

If you’d like to learn where to find Emma and discover the resources, films and more that we talk about during this conversation, head over here to the MamaFuel web site for all the goodies.