Episode Details

In this episode, I talk with Dr Maggie Wyss, a researcher and global health expert who has spent years studying how women make decisions in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.

We talk about why modern motherhood often feels overwhelming, the crucial (but little-known) transition of matrescence, and why asking for help should be seen as strength – not weakness. Dr Maggie also shares what we can learn from our ancestors about raising children and how reconnecting with our intuition can help us make better decisions as mothers.

Dr Maggie and I talk about: 

• The importance of context in decision making 
• Why modern day motherhood is so much harder than it has to be 
• The messy, transitional time of matrescence that no one is talking about 
• How motherhood changes us forever 
• Why the countercultural practice of creating community and accepting help is essential for mothers’ and their children’s wellbeing 
• Asking for support is an act of rebellion, not a sign of weakness 
• Why we must get reattuned with our intuition and why this is essential for making better decisions 
• What we can learn from our ancestors about mothering 

Dr Maggie Wyss is a researcher, writer, and global health expert whose work centers on the social and systemic forces that shape motherhood. From East Africa to Switzerland, she has studied how mothers make decisions in the face of uncertainty, pressure, and power imbalances – research that has informed her work with organizations like UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank. Today, she writes about motherhood as a public issue, not just a personal journey – arguing that it deserves recognition, investment, and collective responsibility. Originally from Canada, Maggie lives in Switzerland with her husband and three young children.

Episode Links:

• Say hi to Dr Maggie on Instagram 
• Learn more about Dr Maggie 
• Read Dr Maggie’s writing about motherhood at Made and Making 

• Come say hello to me on Instagram