It is not the absence of fear is it the presence of courage by Julie Clarke

During my teenage and early adult years I was fascinated by biology and psychology, read a lot on those topics and selected courses that fed the yearning, which led me quite naturally towards becoming a childbirth and parenting educator.

For me, I think if I had done the nursing training; which until recently was required in Australia, prior to midwifery training I think it would have distorted me as a person and prevented me from growing in the direction I have.

Given some personal life experiences I’ve been through I have grown in a way that has increased my sensitivity, compassion, empathy and understanding of challenges and fears people face. Call it the university of life!

By drawing on what I’ve learned through difficult circumstances I am able to, without necessarily revealing my personal journey, share some gems of wisdom to really meet them where they are at in their pregnancy and talk with them in a philosophical way about the importance of courage and determination.

It is not the absence of fear is it the presence of courage, that pregnant, laboring, birthing and mothering women need to reach deeply within to draw out of themselves to use in their journey.

Determination is another quality that we women really specialize in, don’t we?

Whenever a woman becomes determined to do something, nothing stands in her way does it?

Think about that for a moment. It’s so true isn’t it?

Courage and determination are indeed important qualities for women.

Often when I am sharing these ideas someone will say, quite logically, “But what if something goes wrong?”
and then I, reply that we also need to be flexible and adaptable and women specialize in those qualities too – don’t they?

We women certainly are amazing!