A 3 session practice space for mothers.

*A note about the word mother: I use it expansively. This space is for anyone who feels connected to the waters of mothering. I have zero interest in gatekeeping who belongs here. The whole point is to practice making spaces where more people—not fewer—can exhale.

WHAT IS OFF-DUTY?

This is a space for us to TAKE A MOMENT together.

Because a big piece of motherhood is figuring out who we are now. And who we're becoming. Again and again and again.

It's the ongoing business of shedding old skins, trying on new ones, grieving some things, discovering others, and occasionally wondering what the hell is next?

This isn't therapy.

It's not a support group in the traditional sense.

This is a place to practice.

Practice being seen.

Practice witnessing someone else.

Practice letting different versions of yourself take up a little space.

Practice being SILLY.

Think of it as a rehearsal space (I am also an actor, after all). A place to experiment with who we're becoming, without needing to get it RIGHT.

And because we could all use a little more joy, we're going to give that some room, too. Think less self-improvement boot camp, more sleepover energy. A little movement, a little mess, a little existential pondering, a little ridiculousness.

We'll borrow from somatics, internal family systems (IFS), improv, mindfulness, and whatever else helps us choose curiosity over self-judgment.

We'll prod around to see what happens when we stop going around our experience and start going through it.

My hope isn't that you leave "transformed" or perfectly "regulated” or with “it all figured out.”

I hope you leave a tiny bit more porous than when you arrived.

Maybe with a little more room for joy. Maybe with a new question. Maybe with a little excitement about who you’re becoming.

While much of the world is busy optimizing us, isolating us, making everything faster, smaller, and more separate...

Let's practice the opposite.

Let's practice slowing down.

Let's practice being together.

Let’s practice taking a minuteeeeeeee.

WHAT TO BRING

• Your favorite snack. Bring something you love, open it whenever you want, and offer to swap some with your neighbor.

• A journal and a pen. In case you need or want to get something down on paper.

• Clothes you can move and shake in. You're not coming to dance class, but you certainly don't want to feel restricted.

• You, yourself, as you are. No need to arrive feeling grounded, grateful, joyful, or particularly put together.

MORE ABOUT OUR THREE SESSIONS

Session 1: Reconnect

Reconnect with yourself through play.

What do I enjoy? What have I lost touch with? What feels alive?

Who else is in here besides the person everyone currently needs me to be?

Motherhood can take up a LOT of real estate. (Or maybe your kids are older and it's taking up LESS! Which is also freaky!) What happens when we make a little room for the other parts of ourselves?

Through movement, play, a little curiosity, and some experimentation, we'll make room for the bits of us that have gotten quiet, crowded out, or put on the back burner. The parts that want to make things, move our bodies, try something new, be ridiculous, or just exist without being needed by anyone for five minutes.

No pressure to rediscover your purpose, unearth your deepest desires, or become a whole new person. Just a chance to play, follow a little curiosity, and remember there's a whole person in here.

Session 2: Get Curious

Get curious about how you operate.

Why do I react this way? What roles do I fall into? What happens if I don't automatically do what I always do?

We all have our usual moves. The ways we keep things running, keep the peace, say yes when we mean no, take care of everyone else, or fantasize about disappearing to a cabin with no Wi-Fi.

What happens when we get curious about these patterns instead of immediately judging ourselves or trying to change them?

Drawing from somatics, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and a healthy dose of experimentation, we'll play with noticing what shows up, what these familiar ways of being might be trying to do for us, and what becomes possible when we loosen our grip a little.

No need to fix yourself or figure it all out. We're just getting curious about the ways we've learned to move through the world, and what else might be possible.

Session 3: Becoming

Explore what's next.

What am I becoming? What do I want to try? How do I let other people meet that version of me?

We'll play with introducing ourselves in new ways, sharing the versions of ourselves we're trying on, the things we're dreaming up, and the parts of us we'd like to get to know a little better.

No polished elevator pitches required. We don't have to have it figured out. In fact, that's kind of the point.