The Re-Imagining Motherhood Podcast Episode 11 - Michaeleen Doucleff: A Cross Cultural Perspective on Being a Mother, Mothering and Building your Village
Welcome to episode ELEVEN of the Re-Imagining Motherhood podcast.
I am thrilled to bring you Michaeleen Doucleff, Ph.D., author of "Hunt, Gather, Parent". As a science journalist for over a decade, Michaeleen studies and reports on cross-cultural parenting, psychology and neuroscience, primarily for NPR. Michaeleen began her career as a research chemist, completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. In this episode, Doucleff and I unpack what it really means to be a mother—through both the lens of Western, patriarchal ideals and the wisdom of cultures that approach parenting in entirely different ways. We deconstruct the myth of the “village,” offering tangible, realistic ways to begin rebuilding one for yourself. We also explore the pressure to do parenting “right,” the myth of the “good” mother, and how these ideals quietly fuel guilt and isolation for so many women. I’m deeply grateful for her work and perspective—this conversation left me wanting to read her book all over again.
Episode Summary:
In my work supporting mothers over the years, I’ve witnessed time and again how guilt, shame, and loneliness quietly shape a mother’s sense of self. From endlessly researching the latest parenting trends to second-guessing how they “should” mother in public, so many women are carrying the invisible weight of doing it right—according to standards they never consciously agreed to.
That’s why Doucleff’s book, and this conversation, feels like such a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t offer another checklist, another strategy, or another way to perfect motherhood. Instead, it invites you to pause. To get curious about why we parent the way we do. To see that much of what we call “modern motherhood” is rooted in systems and norms that disconnect us...from ourselves, our children, and our communities.
What Doucleff offers is not a new set of rules, but gentle permission to ease up—to remember that there is no single “right” way to raise a child, only a way that honors your humanity too.
Additional episode resources:
To purchase Hunt, Gather, Parent: https://michaeleendoucleff.com/hunt-gather-parent/
To learn more about Doucleff's work: https://michaeleendoucleff.com
Doucleff’s full bio:
After earning her PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, Michaeleen Doucleff spent a decade working in labs before realizing her true passion was storytelling. In 2012, she joined NPR’s Science Desk, where she’s since reported from three continents—covering everything from the Ebola outbreak in Liberia to ancient pathogens in the Arctic and early warnings of a coronavirus pandemic in Borneo.
As an award-winning science journalist, Michaeleen’s work bridges neuroscience, psychology, and parenting, combining her scientific training with a deep curiosity about human connection and culture. Her unique background allows her to translate complex research into meaningful, relatable insights for everyday life.
She’s written for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and her reporting with NPR earned a Peabody Award for coverage of the Ebola outbreak. With degrees in biology, horticulture, and chemistry, Michaeleen brings a rare blend of scientific rigor and heart to her exploration of how we live, learn, and parent.
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