Introductory podcast segment from the "Optimal Living 101" masterclass series where host Brian Johnson introduces guest teacher Alexandra J. Johnson, who presents an overview of "Mommahood 101: Celebrating Motherhood—The Most Creative Work of Your Life." Alexandra frames motherhood as both deeply rewarding and challenging and outlines 11 core "big ideas" (mothering from your essence; archetypal energies princess/mother/queen; ignite desire power; self-care/blissiplines; sacred/invisible work; play; don't do it all/mindfulness; warrior goddess; trust yourself; heroine's journey; preparing to become a mama) that will structure the course.
You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson. More wisdom in less time.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to the Optimal Living 101 Masterclass Series. Today, I'm thrilled to welcome a special guest teacher, my wife, Alexandra J. Johnson. She's going to focus on a subject that I am not qualified to teach. Mamahood 101. Alexandra, welcome.
Thanks, babe. Hi, I'm Alexandra. I am Brian's wife and also a mama. And welcome to Motherhood 101. Celebrating motherhood, the most creative time of your life. And motherhood has become one of my biggest pets passions. It's become part of my mission, part of my purpose to support myself and being the most awesome mom that I can be and also supporting other moms in being as awesome as they can be. And essentially, this class is about moms. So we're focusing on the moms for this class. At some point, Brian and I will do a parenting class on all the things that we've learned and the things that we're implementing with our child. And then also, if you want more support with your. Your intimate partner, we just did a class called Love 101, so you can check that out. But this class is for you mamas. And motherhood has really changed me and continues to change me into the woman that I am destined to be. And that sounds really exciting. And it is. And it's also not always easy, which all of you moms out there know. And I'll just share a little bit of. A little story of my process. When I was pregnant, I interviewed Dan Siegel. So if you haven't checked out his work, I highly recommend you check out his work. And he was saying how our lives change so much when we have our children. And he said, you know, it's so rewarding, and it's also so challenging, me being the naive mother not yet holding my child in my arms. I said, you know, I hear people say this all the time, that it's the most amazing thing they've ever done and also the hardest thing they've ever done. I don't get it. What's so hard about it? You bring this child into your life and you love your child, and it's just pure bliss. Right? So, yes, I know you're probably laughing like, that is not how it goes when you become a mother. So today I stand here and I echo Dan Siegel, that motherhood is, yes, it's so, so rewarding and so joyful and also so just so challenging and downright hard at times. Like, I Get it? I totally and completely get it. And my intention with this class though, is to inspire us all to rise up above our limitations and also see motherhood as one of the best ways to optimize and actualize. So let's do a quick overview of the top big ideas for MamaHood101. So starting with big idea number one, mothering from your essence. This is all about connecting to your authentic self and living from that place. And in this big idea, I'll share four questions that have supported me in mothering from my essence. And we will also explore comparison and how it just sucks comparing yourself to other mothers. And we'll talk a little bit about how we move through that. And big idea number two is princess plus mother plus queen equals goddess. And these are the three energies that I work with in my work to support women to embody these kind of archetypes in our bodies and our minds and our hearts. So we'll explore more about what that means and how we can turn those energies on. Big idea number three is ignite your desire power. And this is all about getting clear about what you want with everything. It's pumping up your desires and expressing them. And also we'll talk about staying out of victimland, which I may have made a few trips there in my past and sometimes in my current, but we'll talk about how to stay out of being a victim in your mothering journey. Big idea number four is self care queen. And in this we will talk about what Brian calls fundamentals and I like to call blissiplines. So again, we'll come back to this. What are yours? And also I'll explore different ways that you can create mini self care habits in your daily life. Because for most of us, we don't have long chunks of uninterrupted time. And we'll also explore honoring your womanly cycles and celebrating your unique body wherever it is right now. And big idea number five is holy work plus invisible art. And this big idea is all about experiencing motherhood as sacred. It's using motherhood to be an incredible path to actualization and optimization. And it's also celebrating all the things that you do that looks like nothing, which all the little things that you do I see as being an art. So, so celebrating that more big idea number six is have more fun and play. And I think that we are, most of us mothers are deficient in play. So we'll explore that more and how we can cultivate an attitude of play. And that for a lot of us, we're waiting to have less responsibility to have fun and enjoy our life. So this idea is like, what are we waiting for? Like, today is the day. Enjoy your life, have fun and play. Big idea number seven is don't do it all and be mindful. And we'll focus on ditching. Doing it all. The idea that you have to do it all and ditching busyness and also creating spaciousness in your life by simplifying your life so that it reflects your highest values. And I'll also share a few simple, mindful practices that can support you in your daily life. Big idea number eight is channel your inner warrior goddess. This idea is all about putting your superhero mama cape on and being on your game. Like, living your life like you're training for the Mama Olympics, because you are. And this idea is also how to move through some of your challenges and heal your life and come back to your essence in a whole new way. And how that's not always easy, but motherhood can really help you transform who you are and be the person that you're destined to be. Number nine is trust yourself and just do you. The idea is that you are the queen of the family and that you set the tone for your family. So cultivating trust in yourself, in your family, your children, your partner. And then how to work with your fears and your concerns that come up while you're mothering, and then letting your light shine, being bold and owning your mama genius and honing your strengths. Big idea number 10 is honoring your heroine's journey. You are on a hero's journey, and the intention with this big idea is to support you in creating an epic story like, be the hero of your own life. Live your purpose as a mother and make yourself proud. Allow motherhood to help build your character so you can be more beautiful, stronger, and more resilient than you ever thought possible. And big idea number 11, the bonus is becoming a mama soon. So I'll share some ideas of what to do if you're thinking about becoming a mama soon or you're going to be a mama soon.
