Not self-abandoning: How motherhood awakened my inner fire with Mayuri Govender-Jonck

Loading player...
I'm joined by Mayuri Govender-Jonck, lawyer, transformation specialist, and creator of Breaking Brown Silence, for a deeply honest conversation about the realities of early motherhood. Eight months into her journey as a mother, Mayuri shares how becoming a parent ignited an unstoppable fire within her to never abandon herself again.

We dive into her traumatic pregnancy and birth experience - from bed rest at 20 weeks, to gestational diabetes, to her daughter's 5-week NICU stay where she wasn't allowed to latch for 3 weeks. Mayuri courageously shares the rage, powerlessness, and institutional trauma she faced, and how she ultimately had to fight the medical system to get her healthy baby discharged.

This conversation explores the political nature of motherhood, the moral burden society places on women's bodies, and why motherhood can be the first visceral experience of oppression for many. We discuss the mammalian reality of pregnancy, the impossible standards women face, and how the fire that burns within mothers - despite systemic failures - reveals our untouchable strength.

Follow Mayuri Govender-Jonck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/may_be.hungry/
Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/mayuri-govender-30462b1b

Follow Carly on:
Website: https://onthecouchwithcarly.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBi56xQookfRGL3zvWVzCg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthecouchwithcarly/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthecouchwithcarly/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onthecouchwithcarly
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/on-the-couch-with-carly/id1497585376
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3t7A2FMnISQ2fz9D5p0Xuw
23 Jul English Explicit South Africa Self-Improvement · Relationships

Other recent episodes

MICRO EP: Why being a psychologist makes parenting harder

I've been thinking about how being a psychologist and a parent at the same time is really hard. After 14 years of practice, I've heard so many stories of messed up childhoods and adults who resent their parents. Now when I'm parenting my own kids, I can almost anticipate which…
18 Oct 7 min

Between privilege and poverty: Mental health inequality with Claire van Dyk

I sat down with Claire van Dyk, an HPCSA-registered counselor working for the Western Cape Department of Health, and honestly, this conversation shook me. Claire reached out to be on the podcast because she's passionate about having uncomfortable conversations about mental health care inequality in South Africa—and we went there…
1 Oct 1 hr 03 min

MICRO EP: Grief, shame, and crying babies - The emotions we don't talk about

This micro episode explores the psychological realities of having a baby through metaphors that make sense of experiences that often feel impossible to articulate. I compare having a baby to that nightmare where you're suddenly in an exam you haven't studied for, or realize you're naked in public - that…
25 Sep 9 min

MICRO EP: Fashion as creative expression

This micro episode is a fun experiment where I channel Bella Freud's "Fashion Neurosis" podcast to explore my own relationship with clothing and style. I dive into why fashion fascinates me as both a psychologist and a human being. I explore clothing as a form of creative expression - like…
10 Sep 7 min