Episode 62: The mother in the mother: Unearthing hidden stories - with Pippa Grace.
We all come from the feminine — from the mother. You and I have unfolded from bodies within bodies. (Did you know the egg that created you was already in your mother’s ovaries when she was still a fetus in your grandmother’s womb?) And yet, we often take her — the mother — and her story for granted. We forget our greatest source, Mother Earth, and our maternal lineage, which is often tangled with shame, grief, and silence.
In this episode, I speak with Pippa Grace — a socially engaged artist, writer, sculptor, and author of Mother in the Mother. This powerful anthology brings together stories from over fifty women, exploring the many layers of motherhood — particularly through the lens of the three-way relationship between grandmother, mother, and child.
Pippa’s work is devoted to amplifying quiet, everyday stories that are often overlooked or forgotten. Where voices have been silenced, her practice helps them find expression through creative means. A lifelong feminist, she specializes in working with women to explore themes like motherhood, grand-motherhood, menarche, the female body, and trauma.
In this conversation, we explore:
Pippa’s personal journey and what inspired her to write Mother in the Mother. She shares from her experience of estrangement from her birth family, how she felt the lack of mother, and how giving birth became a portal to reconnecting with her maternal lineage and the power of her female ancestors.
The themes of maternal lineage and women's experiences when they themselves became a mother. We touch on what are some of the challenges or joys women often encounter in their own relationships when they themselves become a mother, how becoming a mother in itself, can be healing for some women, and we look at how Pippa explored the role of being both a mother and a daughter in the same body.
Her work as an arts therapist, using creative methodologies that help participants rediscover their creative voice, share their stories, and connect more deeply with themselves, their communities, and their environments.
Practical and inspiring ways we can begin to explore our own maternal lineage for both personal and collective healing.
Enjoy!