Welcome to a Soulful Mom's Wisdom Podcast, where I'm Africa O, your host and wellness coach. Join us on a journey to infuse positivity, wellness, and mindfulness into your daily life through the transformative power of quotes. Our conversations aim to uplift, empower, reignite your passion for living your best life.
Join LiveAfricaO community at LiveAfricaO. com as we embark on this journey together.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of A Soulful Mom's Wisdom. I am your host, Africa O and I am as always excited to be here. Yep. I'm going to say it again. I'm excited y'all. We are at episode 18. That is something to get excited about. Okay. Your girl is on episode 18 and I'm learning. Because this podcast stuff is not, it is not simple work, but as I talked about in the very beginning, when you're passionate about something, you understand your why, you just stick with it.
You believe in it. And I am a living example of that. I believe there may be someone out there who needs to hear that today. So I hope you, I hope you receive it. I really do. All right. So by the way, we are two episodes away from episode 20. I don't know, but 20 sounds like a big deal. I'm going to have to figure out something that we can do for that episode.
So just stay tuned. Stay tuned. Stay tuned because it's coming. Now, more on today, more on what we will be talking about in today's episode. We are still in the month of building a supportive community. That is the theme for this month. So important, for those of you who are new to the LiveAfricaO community.
That is literally what LiveAfricaO is about. LiveAfricaO is my wellness space, which my podcast, A Soulful Mom's Wisdom, was birthed from. LiveAfricaO is all about just helping mothers live their holistic wellness journey and me, Africa O is simply providing bits and pieces of what I've learned from my holistic wellness journey to help you live the journey that's right for you, right?
The wellness journey that is sustainable for your life and your goals. So we can both ultimately prioritize our mental well being. That's what I'm here for. That's what I'm about. And A Soulful Mom's Wisdom, well, we're just having conversations about it, really. We're starting off with a quote, and then we're just talking about how the quote has helped me do just that.
Put my well-being first. Now today's quote is an African proverb, and you have probably heard this so many times, but it is just so fitting for my experience. It goes like this. It takes a village to raise a child. So basically what that means is that an entire community of people must be present, active, and accountable in children's lives for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.
Wow, it's powerful, right? Ooh, there's so many elements of that that we can talk about, and I won't be able to get into the depths of all of them, but I got that particular definition, like that full one, from Law Insider, and I really liked it. I really feel like it's the most comprehensive way to describe the meaning of that African proverb.
Real support. I want to start there. Look, you've heard the saying before, but it's all about quality over quantity. Now, while I originally desired more people than what I currently have to help me with my little, with my daughter, for those of you who don't know, I have a two year old daughter who is beautiful, creative, intelligent, all of the things, but she is also so much energy.
From the moment she wakes up to the moment She knocks out because she just literally can't go anymore. I got a lot on my hands. I really do. And I'm so grateful for what I have, but I'm also even more grateful for the help that I have. And I am really just grateful to have at least one very dependable person.
I have more than one, but I am so grateful. God knows because I have prayed to him about this on multiple occasions to have just one. That is a privilege that I know many others do not have. Words cannot describe the urgency and importance of having someone that's dependable. When you don't know where, but you just know you need to get away.
I mean, I'm not trying to be funny, there's no pretty way to put it, but sometimes as a parent, and especially as a mom, you just need to step away into a different environment. And having someone that can help you, allows you to do that. Somewhere where you can go without hearing your baby crying for a duration of time, or where you can go and just be, without someone having your undivided attention, somewhere where you can go and you don't have to worry about changing diapers, cleaning, refilling bottles.
I mean, the list of responsibilities are endless. And I 100 percent signed up for it, so I am down for the job, but I also realize I am not superwoman, just like anything else. We are not meant to do it fully alone. Even if we can, we are not meant to. I really believe that's true with motherhood. Again, I love my child dearly.
I really do. However, taking a break is imperative for my mental wellness. And trust me, stepping away for even 30 minutes can be life changing, to me can be the difference sometimes between you going in a downward spiral of postpartum depression or just a place where you otherwise don't want to be.
We need that help y'all. I'm so serious. I'm really just thinking about different moments where I, I can't explain how much I needed the help. And I'm so grateful that I got it. It really gives me a peace of mind, but it also gives me the freedom to come back to my daughter. Even better than I left. It also helps me get closer to myself when I'm away, because naturally when you're pouring so much into other things and you're going to pour a lot into your child, I think most people who are intentionally parenting will. You can very easily lose yourself if you are not aware and intentional about pouring back into yourself.
So spending those moments with self really help you get closer to you again, the things that you enjoy, which are important to remember because I'm a firm believer in the individual as well as the mother. Like I'm not just a mother. I am both. I was an individual before I had my daughter. I'm still an individual once I have my daughter.
Yeah. Those are the things I think are really important. All right. So as I start closing out this episode, you know, I always love to leave y'all with an applicable tool or call to action or just summarizing some takeaways that you can sit with. So go ahead and get out your journal or re-listen to this so you can take some mental notes.
But I want to share with y'all, just in summary, some of the most important reasons behind having a village and some of the things to consider when you're creating one. So ideally, in my opinion, you want more than one person because let's face it, children can be a lot of work and people get burnt out quickly.
So you want someone that can show up as their best, so your child can also experience their best. A burnt out person can't do that. Watching a child is not for the faint of heart. That's just my thought process on that. So if possible, it's a great idea to have more than one sitter, at least two in rotation, if possible.
I also think for some people, it may even serve them better to have one of those people not be a family member, but someone you've hired. And this is not going to work for everyone's situation, but I think for some, it can be appropriate. and even necessary. I'm just of the mindset that family is there to help but they shouldn't feel obligated to or be burdened unnecessarily with your child.
I just try to respect the fact that family has a life too. So while some family may desire to watch your child regularly, others may not and that's okay too. There's more than one way family and friends can show up for you, you know what I mean? And so I just always keep that in mind. But we will definitely dive into more of this in next week's episode.
So if you've enjoyed this one, be sure to tune into the next one. And as always have a wonderful week. Stay sweet, until next time. Well, thank you for tuning in today. If you've enjoyed this episode and find value in our podcasts, we'd love to hear from you. Please take a moment to rate and review our show.
Your feedback helps us improve and reach more listeners like you, and your support means the world to us. You can follow the show on Instagram at Live Africa o and be sure to join our live Africa o community@liveafricao.com. You'll discover lots of goodies after joining, including the chance to be featured on one of our episodes.
We hope today's discussion has warmed your heart. And inspired mindfulness. Don't forget quotes can light your path just as they've done for me until next time, breathe, reflect, and embrace the wisdom around you, wishing you a soulful journey ahead.
