Meet Talia Molé, Phd

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Talia Molé, Phd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Talia, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

My mother likes to share this story of me in kindergarten. When I was about 4 years old I temporarily wore walking braces. Every now and then I was met by some class bully who made fun of me. One day, my mother received a call from my teacher who explained to her the remarkable thing I did that afternoon. It seems that, upon reaching the limits of my toddler-esque patience, I asked the teacher if I could stand in front of the class to explain to everyone why I wore the braces. I proceeded to give a show-and-tell of the device and even allowed kids to ask me questions. From that moment forth, no one bothered me about my braces again. Today, after 44 cycles around the sun, I truly believe that the only way to enter a space is with an tender, open, and curious heart and with the willingness to educate others, should the time and place warrant it. This is how I have been effective in the communities I move with and through. When I center honesty and transparency, I am received expansively, and in turn, am able to extend that generosity to others.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

As an artist, activist anthropologist and word doula, I focus my time on creating what I term “motherhood spaces” aimed at holding collaborative explorations around birthing liberatory worlds. My framework, Motherhood Phoenixing™, is a mother-centered framework positioned to alleviate labor pains inherent in the process of unlearning oppressive systems. It encourages a learning, leaning, and (re)membering centered around liberation, healing, and reconnecting humanity’s interconnectedness to each other and the Earth. My horizon is set at ushering a paradigm shift dedicated to midwifing sustainable, thriving, just and joyful futures. My forthcoming book is the culmination of a decades long collaborative journey aimed at centering motherhood as an inclusive and expansive social practice, rather than a predetermined, biological, exclusive, gendered experience.

As a developmental editor and creative consultant, I support and mentor practitioners across artistic disciplines who are struggling with creative blocks. By using my framework to create a collaborative space, I guide my clients through a series of explorative sessions that are focused on their specific needs and desired outcomes. Our time together is designed to help them stay connected and committed to their creative process. I strive to help clients overcome their creative difficulties so that they may arrive at transformative breakthroughs inspired, energized and full of joy.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I firmly believe in being in right-relationship with timing. Every time I arrive at the culmination of a bountiful cycle, it is because I allowed timing to do its thing. Is it easy to be faithful to the knowledge that timing will lead you to where you have to be? Absolutely not! Which leads me to another skill that I believe is important and I am constantly honing— patience. Patience is one of my greatest teachers. It keeps me honest and humble. It teaches me to call myself out when I am burned-out and to claim the time and space I need to rest and regenerate. It teaches me to listen and acknowledge that every process, cycle, journey has a beginning and an ending which we will experience, no matter how fast we try to arrive. So, we can either undertake our projects with an idea of “being the first at the finish line” and arrive stressed, anxious, and wasted, or commit to honoring the flow of our days and all the interactions in them and patiently allow timing to guide our steps. Which leads me to the final skill— letting go of control. When I let go and “move with” my projects/collaborators my time feels endless and full of joy. When I try to control every aspect of my collaborations, they cease to be that— collaborations. Instead, they become dictatorial, stressful, and I always feel as though I am running out of time. Trusting the timing of cycles, letting patience teach me a thing or two, and letting go of the reigns have been instrumental in shaping who I am today.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to allow me to be a free thinker. Both my parents encouraged me to develop my own ideas, cultivated my critical thinking skills, and instilled in me the importance of feeding my curiosity. This special upbringing fostered my passion for holding meaningful conversations rooted in imagining and creating communities/networks of care, love, joy and liberation.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmtalia