Welcome back for Part 2 of our conversation with Tara Mohr, homeschooling mom and expert on women’s leadership. Here’s Part 1 if you missed it.
On today’s podcast, we discuss teaching kids to notice and name their inner critic, the terms “pachad” and “yirah,” and what Tara means when she uses the term “calling.”
You can pick up a copy of Tara’s book, Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead, in the Brave Writer book shop!
Show Notes
Naming the Inner Critic
Girls develop a strong inner critic voice at a very young age. Often, when they express it, well-meaning adults respond by trying to argue with that inner critic. For example, when a girl says “I’m ugly,” the typical adult response is “No, you’re beautiful.”
Rather than trying to argue with the inner critic, we can teach our daughters a much more effective way of dealing with it: notice and name it. When a girl says “I’m ugly,” you can say “That sounds like your inner critic” and then help them develop ways to separate that inner critic from their true selves.
Pachad and Yirah
Tara helps us understand the sensations of fear by breaking it down into two Old Testament words: “pachad” and “yirah.”
“Pachad” is the “fight or flight” kind of fear where we are on high alert for danger and imagine worse case scenarios.
“Yirah” is different. Yirah is more like trembling in awe. It’s the feeling when we step into a larger space than we are used to. We are uncomfortable, but we can breathe through it and allow ourselves to absorb the power of the moment.
When we start to perceive fear in ourselves, we can ask ourselves, “is this Pachad or Yirah?”
What “Calling” Means
Often the term “calling” is used by religious leaders to suggest there is a Higher Authority who has a plan for your life that you must follow. That’s not how Tara uses the term.
Tara describes “calling” as a lifelong process of being in touch with your true self and listening to what pulls you at a point and time. For Tara, the question to ask yourself is not “what’s my calling?” but “what’s calling me now?”
Tara Mohr is a fountain of knowledge and wisdom about raising our kids, especially our girls, to be confident, fulfilled adults.
Resources
- Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
- Tara Mohr’s website.
- Find Playing Big by Tara Mohr in the Brave Writer Book Shop
- Follow Tara on Instagram: @tarasophiamohr
- Check out the Brave Writer Practice Pages
- Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
- Read all Brave Writer class descriptions
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
- Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: @juliebravewriter
- Substack: juliebogart.substack.com
- Threads: @juliebravewriter
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Connect with Melissa
- Website: melissawiley.com
- Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
- Instagram: @melissawileybooks
- Twitter: @melissawiley
Produced by NOVA
