Ep 13. The Occupation of Motherhood with Ally Owen

Season #1

Show Summary:

Becoming a mama is arguably the biggest role change someone will ever experience. The occupation of motherhood is beautiful, exhausting, chaotic, but so amazing. It’s life changing in so many ways - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and of course financially. But how exactly does becoming a mama change us an OT? And what happens when we decide we want to pause our career as an OT to pursue motherhood full time? What do those sacrifices look like? Today on the show I’m joined by my very sweet friend, Ally Owen, who is an occupational therapist and fellow stay at home mama. In this conversation we take a deep dive into the occupation of motherhood and particularly what it’s like being stay at home OT mama’s and the silent sacrifices that we’ve had to make to make this dream we have for our motherhood journey a reality. So, if you’re an aspiring OT mama or current OT mama who is thinking about how your career may be shifting or need to shift in order to accommodate for this new role, and the financial implications that may bring, then this is the episode for you.

In today’s show, we’re chatting about:

  • Ally's journey to OT
  • Is family planning a factor when choosing OT? 
  • Using our skillset and mindset as OTs in motherhood
  • Separating the "mom brain" and "OT brain"
  • The importance of partner conversations when deciding to become a SAHM
  • Our biggest sacrifices and lifestyle/financial adjustments 
  • Navigating student loans as a couple on one income 
  • How our perspectives on money has changed since becoming moms
  • How OTs can fill the gap to support the mother-baby dyad in non-traditional ways
  • Advice for aspiring stay at home OT mama's 

Guest Bio:

Originally a pediatric OT “by trade”, Ally is now in her ‘balancing being a stay-at-home mom while also continuing to exercise her OT brain’ era, and she loves it there! She has an eight month old daughter and a business called Live Freely Nourished where she helps families live nourished lifestyles. Combining her love and knowledge of occupational therapy with nutrition, she works with women in the perinatal period to nourish their bodies before, during, and after pregnancy. Once baby is here, she works with the mother-baby dyad to optimize functioning in areas of feeding, development, and play. Since incorporating Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) - The Gillespie Approach into her client visits, she is able to help moms and babies free themselves from tight fascia and stored trauma in the body that can cause physiological dysfunction. When Ally worked in an outpatient clinic she could not imagine enjoying OT as much as she does right now, but she enjoys nothing more than she enjoys being a mama!

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