A Letter to the Mother Who Is Trying to Make It to Bedtime without Yelling // Johanna Seagren

In this fourth episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Johanna Seagren joins me to discuss emotional regulation, our interior life, and burnout in our motherhood.

Parenting is hard work, and sometimes it’s louder, messier, more complicated, and packed with tantrums (yours included) than you expected. And so many times we end up exhausted and feeling like this can’t be the vision that God had for your family. We’re diving into a conversation about what it means to be an emotionally-healthy family without losing your mind.

So if you’re ready to understand your own emotional triggers, learn how to connect with your kids instead of reacting to their big feelings, and grow closer to each other and God, this episode is for you.

Topics we cover:

• Johanna’s story as a Catholic woman

• Why Johanna created the Interior Kingdom as an emotional regulation program for her family and what Catholic families will find inside the program

• What the Catholic Church teaches about emotions and what it looks like to grow in our awareness of our emotions as adults

• The things that set Interior Kingdom apart from the calm kits and calm down spaces you’ve seen on Instagram

• How to become curious about the triggers (unmet needs!) in your parenting

• The reason that Interior Kingdom is for every family, regardless of your kids’ ages, abilities, and temperaments

• How Johanna lives out the feminine genius in her daily life as a Catholic mother

Resources for you:

• Explore the Interior Kingdom program (and use the code LTW25 for $25 off the program now through April 10, 2024!)

• Today’s episode sponsor is Rooted for Good! Use the code Letters20 for 20% off your order at checkout

• Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes

Discussion questions:

1. What have been some moments of disregulation in your motherhood? And on the flip side, what have been some moments of peace, regulation, and rest in your parenting journey?

2. When you were a child, what did your parents teach you about emotions? Do you feel confident in your understanding of emotions or is there room for growth?

3. What are some of your triggers (unmet needs) in your motherhood and how can you begin to meet those needs and invite the Lord into those unmet needs?

4. Have you ever felt guilty for anger in your motherhood? How did Johanna’s explanation of anger impact your understanding of emotions you may have labeled as “bad” before?

5. How can learning more about your emotions as a mother impact the way that you parent and live out the feminine genius in your daily life?