How to Become a Mother Without Losing Yourself

She had four children, two marriages, and once lived in the same building as her ex-husband while married to her current one. Christine Amour-Levar built a life most people would call impossible: mother of four, social entrepreneur, climate investor, and leader of thirty all-female expeditions to some of the most extreme places on earth. But ask her which comes first, being a woman or being a mother, and her answer might surprise you. This week, Christine sits down with Steph to talk about the guilt she carried when she chose ambition over staying home, the sea turtle story she used to help her children understand divorce, and the annual ritual she has kept for twenty five years that keeps her whole life on track. She also opens up about a decision so unconventional that even her own mother struggled to understand it. What happens when you refuse to choose between the woman you are and the mother you became? And what does it actually cost to have it all? Hit play. **IN THIS EPISODE:** 00:00 | Why Motherhood Shouldn’t Erase Who You Are 00:31 | Meet Christine Amour-Levar: Mother, Investor and Explorer 02:44 | From Nike Executive to a Life of Purpose and Impact 05:26 | “I’m a Woman First”: Redefining Motherhood and Identity 08:33 | The Mum Guilt Behind a Successful Career 15:20 | How to Divorce Without Breaking the Family 22:44 | Why Self-Love Is the Key to Letting Go of Guilt 27:17 | You Can Have It All — Just Not All at Once 31:28 | Inside Christine’s 180-Page Life-Planning System 36:58 | How to Build a Career Around Everything You Love 41:45 | What Extreme Expeditions Teach You About Leadership 44:10 | Why Your Children Shouldn’t Always Come First 47:40 | The Three Biggest Lessons on Motherhood and Identity **About the Christine Amour-Levar** Christine Amour-Levar is a French-Swiss-Filipina social entrepreneur, climate investor, and bestselling author who has led thirty all-female expeditions to places like Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Danakil Depression, raising over $3 million for women and climate causes. She co-founded Her Planet Earth and Investors for Climate, is Founder of Women Beyond Limits, and is a mother of four. Connect with Christine: https://www.christineamourlevar.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineamourlevar/ https://www.instagram.com/christineamourlevar/ **What You'll Take Away** - Why Christine calls herself "a woman first, and a mother second" - The sea turtle story she used to explain divorce to a four and six year old - What happened when she and her ex-husband lived in the same building, married to other people - The annual ritual she's kept for 25 years, and why it runs 180 pages - Why she thinks "always put your child first" is bad parenting advice - What went wrong during a 50 degree desert expedition - The one thing she says is the true opposite of love (it isn't hate) ### **Connect with Growing Pains** Growing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykids Instagram: @honeykidsasia Website: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one resonated, share it with a parent who needs it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #GrowingPains #HoneyKidsAsia #ChristineAmourLevar #WorkingMothers #MumGuilt #WomenFirst #CoParenting #WomenInLeadership #PortfolioCareer #FemaleEntrepreneur #ConsciousParenting #WomenBeyondLimits #Podster