April '25 in the SMP
The Neutral Attitude
Online Community Update
Construction continues in our Mighty Network (the platform that houses our online community for mamas destabilized by a trans-identity among one or more of their children.) I’ve upgraded the Mighty Network package and am taking advantage of all the rich community building features and adding value to the membership. The existing community will get to play with these new features first, and I’ve still got some work to do before we’re ready to open the doors to new members.
One thing that has been decided and is important for those considering membership to know: rather than offering ongoing enrollment, we’ll open the doors to new members only briefly each quarter. We’ve made this decision for a few important reasons:
This gives us a chance to embrace a new group of mamas all at once with an in-depth orientation, allowing them some time to acclimate to the different way we do things in the SMP. This also offers them an opportunity to bond with each other and the existing community, and settle in for a time before bringing in a new cohort.
Speaking of cohorts, the SMP is not just another peer-led support group. It is a professionally led learning environment with content and exercises meant to facilitate a shift in Mom’s experience. Each month, we play with a theme that is part of a larger quarterly exploration around important concepts. These conceptual studies help us to better understand the human experience and can even facilitate transformations that lead to healthier lives. Moving through the learning experiences with a cohort can create precious friendships that offer important safety and hasten your growth.
Two and half years into this Project, I’m blown away by the beautiful connections that have been formed; by the care our committed member mamas offer each other and the shifts they’re experiencing. I can no longer imagine doing anything different with my work life–finding ways to support mamas toward their own wholeness so they can better care for themselves and their families is as meaningful as it gets for me, and I’m so beyond grateful to everyone who recognizes and embraces the painful transformation this circumstance invites. I believe that every stable and peaceful heart adds a little more peace and stability to a chaotic world.
There will be limited spots (number still to be determined) in each quarterly cohort and those spots will be offered first to those who’ve completed the application and been vetted. Once approved, I’ll invite you to register on the waitlist for our May 2025 cohort.
bit.ly/SMPCenter
I’ll continue to update on pricing and terms of membership. In the meantime, completing the application and getting on the waitlist is how you ensure receiving an invitation into the next cohort, should you decide you’re ready for something new, different, and more empowering to emerge in your life.
The Neutral Attitude
In case you missed it, The Parenting Paradox launched recently with it’s first podcast episode. Regina, the Project’s new Magical Media Fairy, interviewed me about the decision to launch this new platform. I explain this choice while also telling the story of the cascade of events leading up to and reinforcing the decision to launch. Regina asked brilliant questions and I confessed to experiencing more neutrality on the gender topic now, no longer identifying as “gender critical”.
I want to be clear that this is not because I’ve come to disagree with the gender critical side of things. In fact, I still hold most of the same opinions, so it’s not really true neutrality but more of a neutral attitude. Regina and I dig a little deeper into this difference and the benefits and challenges of adopting a neutral attitude in episode two, scheduled to publish this Sunday, April 13.
If you missed that first episode, I encourage you to give it a listen. Here’s what a few of our listeners had to say about the conversation:
An excellent discussion about the grappling for clarity we are all seeking in current times and with every difficult circumstance we come across. Kudos to Stoic Mom and Regina. Very clear and so helpful.
This was a very hard, painful, beautiful, challenging, and healing podcast to listen to. Thank you for venturing into these new waters, Stoic Mom. Your experience and your viewpoint once again challenged me to think beyond where I am, to grow.
Also in this first episode, I shared what details I could about my recent cancellation from a professional collaboration as a result of my “philosophical stance”. This may seem somewhat ironic, considering the neutral attitude I describe throughout the podcast episode. I cop to my own missteps throughout the experience, and explain my suspicions about what was happening for those who cancelled me (and subsequently removed my chapter from the project. It was clear the content of the chapter was not the problem.)
To get your PDF copy of the cancelled chapter, simply subscribe at any level to The Parenting Paradox. The chapter content is also the perfect introduction to what the TPP is all about.
All content at TPP is free, including the chapter! Link to the chapter PDF is in the welcome email you’ll receive immediately upon subscribing.
For most, Spring has sprung. If you have any interest in moving toward a neutral attitude (which I’m pretty sure supports every aspect of your and your community’s health) unplugging from all the noise whenever possible and getting outside, breathing fresh air, touching grass, playing in the dirt, hugging a tree, listening to the birds, holding hands with anyone and taking a walk—I think you get the picture—are all satiating activities that support this freeing attitude, which in turn supports a more peaceful, healthy society.