OM DENNE EPISODE
I've been asked so many times how I came to be the way I am. My honest answer has always been the same: have you ever met my mom?
This episode is one I've wanted to make for a long time. My guest today is my mom, Deb, known to basically everyone in my world as Mama Deb. She spent 42 years in the operating room holding human life in her hands, raised two very different daughters with grace and specificity, and has quietly been the steadiest force I've ever known. She doesn't seek the spotlight, she doesn't ask for much, and yet the ripple of everything she puts forward is visible everywhere you look. I invited her in today because I think the silent supporters deserve to be seen.
KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS
Steadiness can be inherited. Mama Deb traces her calmness back to her grandfather, Papa Lenny, who came over from Norway and modeled quiet strength in how he lived and worked.
The supporter needs supporting too. Being the steady one is real labor, and Deb is honest about those moments when her plate is full and she has to stop and take stock.
Knowing when to step in vs. step back is a skill that evolves over time. What looks like support in one season of life looks completely different in the next.
Being raised in a village changes you. I grew up with my great grandparents down the alley, grandma two blocks away, 18 cousins nearby.
Unwavering support doesn't mean saying yes to everything. My parents got real with me. They'd ask if I'd thought things through. That was part of the support.
Who you become has a lot to do with who believed in you first. My mom didn't try to change me when I was a two-and-a-half year old negotiating my way into a parade. She just walked behind me.
OUR FAVORITE QUOTES
"The supporter needs supporting."
"I'm not sure I developed it. I think I was just born with it."
"Being supportive can really bring you so much goodness and love in my life. I've just been very lucky."
"Let me know when you land and let me know where you're staying."
"You're not the boss of me." (Me, before I was three years old, apparently.)
CHAPTER MARKERS
0:21 Welcome, Mama Deb
3:46 Where the steadiness came from
7:37 Support inside a marriage
10:26 How I grew up knowing what support felt like
15:15 How Deb likes to be supported
20:05 Staying steady through decades of change
25:16 Little Katie, painted rocks, and the parade
33:30 Full circle: traveling the world with mom
YOUR TURN
This week's reflection: Who in your life is doing the quiet, steady work of showing up for others? When did you last tell them you see it?
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How to connect with Katie
Website: https://www.attunewellness.love/
Say hi to Katie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/
Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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