Welcome to another episode of "Create the Space with Cody Maher." In this episode, I engage in a compelling conversation with Emily Bishop, a mother of two who has transitioned from her esteemed role as a biomedical engineering researcher to become a certified embodiment guide. Emily's experience with motherhood, specifically the daunting transition back to work post-maternity leave, prompted a deep reflection on her identity and life's purpose. Now, she dedicates herself to guiding ambitious women in harmonizing their professional roles with their maternal identities to lead balanced and fulfilling lives. My discussion with Emily delves into her journey of self-discovery, exploring the influence of human design, the practice of embodiment, and the importance of carving out meaningful space in our lives. This episode offers valuable insights for mothers who navigate the delicate balance between career and family, aiming to inspire a life rich with purpose and fulfillment. Join me as I explore Emily's transformative journey and the significant wisdom she imparts to mothers at every stage of their journey. If you’re navigating the complexities of motherhood and work or just looking to hear from someone who’s been there, this conversation is full of valuable insights. Thanks for tuning in today. Feel free to reach out with your thoughts; I love hearing from you. Until next time! Take care, Cody
ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN CONNECT WITH EMILY:
Free video workshop you will be guided to reconnect with yourself and figure out what you really want so that you can start experiencing more balance and joy: Click HERE
Instagram @emilylynnbishop
to learn more about her signature private mentorship program, Sovereign Success, head over to https://www.emilylynnbishop.com/sovereignsuccess
Cody maher [00:00:02]:
Hello again, friends, and welcome to what is now called Create the Space with Cody Marr. I'm very excited about this new direction. If you've listened to some previous, like the last couple episodes, you'll remember that I kept saying that this podcast was kind of in its own postpartum because while I love Agency Wellness and everything that that stood for, and I still hold a lot of those beliefs and tenants, however, I have transitioned since becoming a mom and just over the last couple years into focusing on feng shui and that work in the world for myself. Because that feels much more aligned for me than health coaching and all of the stuff that I was doing with Agency Wellness. Now, as you know, I am still doing a lot of that stuff. I've just incorporated it into the work I'm doing with Feng shui. So anyway, that is a very long winded way of saying that having Agency Wellness as my brand wasn't really feeling right any longer. So I waited. I waited until this podcast let me know what she wanted to be next. And Create the Space just feels like the perfect name for what I hope this space will be, which is a space to welcome people who are boldly, bravely stepping into their mission, their prophecy, their purpose in the world, and making space for what that is. So I am still going to be bringing you amazing conversations with thought leaders and artists and entrepreneurs and moms, entrepreneurs and all of all of the beautiful people that will come onto this podcast to inspire you to take these steps.
Cody maher [00:01:45]:
That you want to take in your.
Cody maher [00:01:46]:
Life, however, in a more aligned way. So welcome to the first official episode of Create the Space. Thanks for listening to that entire intro. Anyway, this week I would love to welcome Emily Bishop. She is a mama to two little boys and an award winning biomedical engineering researcher. Cool turned certified embodiment guide. Also cool motherhood and specifically the transition back to work after maternity leave had her questioning everything. Now Emily supports ambitious women to reconcile their professional identity with their identity as a mother so that they can live a more balanced, fulfilling and purpose driven life and thrive in motherhood. I loved this conversation with Emily. It was just really heartfelt, really informative. We talked about human design, we talked about her personal story. We talked about making space for yourself as a mother. So I know you're going to get a lot out of this conversation. I certainly did. Anyway, without further blabbering from me, let's welcome Emily to Create the Space.
Cody maher [00:02:56]:
Hi, Emily.
Emily Bishop [00:02:57]:
Hi, Kody.
Cody maher [00:02:58]:
How are you today?
Emily Bishop [00:03:00]:
I'm doing really good, thanks. Yeah, how are you doing? Thank You?
Cody maher [00:03:04]:
I'm good. Thank you so much for being here. I'm really, really happy to have you.
Emily Bishop [00:03:07]:
I'm so happy to have to have this time with you. So. So thanks for having me on here.
Cody maher [00:03:14]:
Awesome. Well, so you and I know each other from a program that we're in together, and I know, and I'm going to be attending your workshop, either live or listening to the replay that's coming up around human design. So that's kind of how I know you. But I really want to hear for everyone from the beginning, like, how did Emily get to what she's doing now? You know, Anything you want to share about, like, the start?
Emily Bishop [00:03:37]:
Sure, sure. So, yeah, I'll try not to drag it out too much, but, I mean, I grew up on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia. I followed what I see as, like, a really traditional sort of educational and career path. So I ended up, after high school, I went and got a degree in mechanical engineering because I was good at math and science and everyone told me that would be, like, a great career to do. So went and got a mechanical engineering degree. And upon graduating, I was like, none of the jobs that sort of my peers were getting were of interest to me. So I was. I was introduced to the field of biomedical engineering, and I was like, oh, that's kind of cool. That's something I can get behind. So I went and got a master's, which turned into a PhD in biomedical engineering in Calgary, which is where I live now. So, yeah, kind of just like continued to get education and build my career and ended up sort of being a. A biomedical engineer working in between academia and industry. And I'm going to interrupt you for.
Cody maher [00:04:56]:
A second because I have no idea what that means. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is? Like, what is a biomedical engineer? What do we. What do they do?
Emily Bishop [00:05:04]:
A biomedical engineer is really just applying engineering principles to the. To the human body, so using it to understand how the human body works, how injury and disease works, designing new tools to improve human health, everything. Like, it's a. It's a very broad field. So I specifically honed in on biomechanics and, like, specifically knee osteoarthritis was kind of my area of expertise. Yeah. Awesome.
Cody maher [00:05:34]:
Thank you. Sorry to interrupt you, but I just. I was like, I wonder if anyone.
Cody maher [00:05:37]:
Else listening is wondering what exactly that is.
Emily Bishop [00:05:40]:
Yeah, no, thanks for asking. Yeah. So, yeah, I always knew that I wanted to start a family and have kids, and so I had my first son when I was. I think I was 33. So I had, you know, by this time I had spent 15 years of, you know, higher education and building my career. I had my son. And it was never, I, it was never a question to me whether I was going to return back to my career. I was always like, okay, you know, I'm gonna, I'm, we're gonna have a baby. I'm gonna take time off. We live in Canada, so we have generous maternity leave. So I took a year off and then was like, had child care lined up. We found, you know, a daycare that we were really happy with. And I was kind of like, I wasn't really worried about the return to work. And I returned to work and I was just like, what the heck? Like, it was so hard. And I still say that, like, that transition from maternity leave back to work was the hardest part of my motherhood journey so far. Wow. You know, like, I felt like, I felt like I was prepared for pregnancy and prepared for birth and postpartum, and I was, felt really supported during those times. But, like, the return to work was just something that nobody had really talked to me about, and it just, like, it caught me completely off guard. So, yeah, I was back to work for a year before I had my second son. And I was really just like, in survival mode for most of that year. And I was kind of like, like, why, you know, how are other people doing this? Why isn't anybody talking about this? And like, I had, I, I, I say that knowing that I had a lot of privileges. So, you know, I have a very supportive partner. His parents live in town, so we have in town support. Both of our, our work supervisors were pretty, were very supportive, and we had flexible work schedules and we had reliable and affordable daycare. So those are things that I know that not everybody has. And despite having all of those privileges, it was still so hard.
Cody maher [00:08:10]:
Can you tell us if you're willing to share just like a little bit more? I'm so curious about this. I feel like it's, a lot of people will resonate with that, which is like, what, what about it was hard? Was it leaving your kid or was it like, feeling like you were split? Like, what was the. Yeah. And how did your baby do? Like, how, how was that? And I'm really curious to know all of those things.
Emily Bishop [00:08:31]:
Yeah, I mean, especially like that initial transition is, I mean, just a huge shift for the whole family. Right? Yeah, of course. So, yeah, separating especially, I mean, with any, with any baby. But first, my first baby, right? Separating from him for, you know, eight plus hours a day. Having him under someone else's care was just, like, heartbreaking. And he was very. I mean, he was also a Covid baby, so we were like, together all of the time, right. For the first year of his life and didn't. Didn't interact with too many other people right outside of our household. So now, yeah, dropping him off was really hard. So I, you know, I anticipated that part would be hard for a bit, but it was really like my whole. My whole perspective on my work changed, and I was very surprised by that. So, like, I think it was two weeks or a month back to work, and it's like I had dropped my. My son off to daycare that morning, and it. It was, and still is sometimes that initial separation is hard for both of us. And then I was sitting at my desk and I was just like, man, like, my work just really needs to be meaningful and fulfilling in order to earn this spot in my life. In order for me to be spending this much time away from my child, like, it's got to mean something to me. So I really just in that moment, like, raised the standards for what I was willing to accept in my career to be spending that time away from my child. That being said, I also, for me, having that, like, having. Having a career and a purpose outside of motherhood is also really important to me and I think for me enhances my motherhood. So I say that. I don't know. I guess there's kind of two sides to the coin. But if I. Yeah. Just to expand a little bit more on, like, feeling like we were living in survival mode. I mean, it was really just like, for most of that year, it was. We were in a pattern of just, like, getting through the week was like, okay, we just gotta, like, get through the week to the weekend. Like, it was just. It was. And like, yeah. And then the weekend, like, it was like, okay, maybe Saturday we can relax a little bit, like, spend time as a family. And then Sunday, the anxiety and the Sunday scaries would start creeping in. Right. It's like, okay, what do we got to do to get ready to, like, gear up for another week? Because it was just like, it was full on. Yeah. So, and so I was kind of just like, I was like, I don't want to live like this. Like, I don't want to live in a way where we're just, like, trying to get through the week. And I really just like, I didn't. I didn't like how I was showing up for Especially for my family, especially for my son. Like, I was just this super stressed out, anxious, impatient version of myself. And so that was kind of one of my really big motivators, too, is I was like, I want to. It's important to me to show up in a way that feels good for me, for my family. Like, that's really important to me now.
Cody maher [00:12:00]:
So that's really powerful to just, like, have a look into that. Like what you just described of just, you know, because I'm assuming since you had a year with him, it was like. And you're. And during COVID Right. So it's like you're really close, and then all of a sudden it's just. Yeah. It's funny, my husband and I were just talking about this, actually, because my daughter's 21 months old, and I've mostly been home with her. And, you know, I feel very similarly. Like, I think that I have a lot of passion that I want to pursue in my career, and I think that there's space for that. Right. Like, I think that would serve her as well. So we've been talking about, like, what does that look like? And how does that work? And it's tricky. And we had the same conversation about, like, wow, we also have so much privilege in what we can do, and there's so many people that don't. So, you know, we don't really need to talk about that because you can always. There's always someone that's in a worse and a better situation. Right. But it. But all that to say, I think we're both saying, it's like, it's just such a challenging thing. And no matter where you're coming from, Right. Like, it's so. It's a challenging time. So, yeah, thank you so much for going into that. So, okay, so now you are at work and you're pregnant. What happens next?
Emily Bishop [00:13:16]:
Yeah, so, like. So, yeah, I had those kind of two realizations. Like, I raised the standard for my work, and I was like, something needs to change. I don't like how I'm showing up. A few other things happened in that year. Back to work that really sort of challenged my definition of stability and security. So, you know, upon having that realization about my work needing to be meaningful and fulfilling, I sort of started looking for other opportunities. Anyways, ended up I. I had a few options on the table, ended up choosing an opportunity that was kind of postdated. And so it was to start in sort of six months time. And that time got closer, and then it was. I Think two weeks before that position was supposed to start, and it just. There was a change in leadership at the. And the signed employment agreement that we had just kind of got ripped up and was like, this is this. This is. This doesn't stand anymore. And I was eight weeks pregnant at the time. They didn't know, obviously, but, like, you know, part of our decision as well, like, what we factored into, you know, expanding our family further was like, okay, I now have. I was. I was really chasing this. This. This feeling of security and stability. And I thought I had gotten that in this. In this new job that I was going to be taking on. And for it to be taken away so quickly with no repercussions, I was just like, okay, maybe I think I need to rethink about what I need to make myself feel safe and secure and stable. And maybe that doesn't come in the form of a signed employment agreement like I thought it did. Right. Yeah. So I guess maybe a little bit of foreshadowing for entrepreneurship.
Cody maher [00:15:16]:
Yeah. So how does that come in?
Emily Bishop [00:15:19]:
Yeah. So I as that. As that chapter of being back at work full time for a year closed, I was going into my second maternity leave. I was really just like, okay, I need to use this time to figure myself out. Like, I felt like I had been swallowed whole by motherhood and. And my career. Like, besides being a mom and doing my job, there wasn't really a lot of time left for myself. So it was like I don't even really know who I am anymore, aside from being a mom and being a biomedical engineer. Like.
Cody maher [00:15:55]:
Right.
Emily Bishop [00:15:55]:
And that was a little bit scary. So I felt like I completely lost myself. So I was like, I need to figure out who I am. Like, what I'm here for, what I want, what I want my life to look like. These were all kind of the questions that I was asking myself at this point. And I really committed to myself to figuring that out on my second maternity leave.
Cody maher [00:16:20]:
I have a question about that. So the maternity leave in Canada, is that through Canada and not through, like, an employer? Is that how that works?
Emily Bishop [00:16:27]:
Yeah. So in Canada, you're entitled to up to 18 months of your job being protected. Wow. Yeah.
Cody maher [00:16:37]:
We get six weeks here.
Emily Bishop [00:16:39]:
I know. Don't even get me started. I. That's amazing. Yeah. Yes. So. And yeah, you essentially get. Get paid as if you're kind of like, unemployed during that time.
Cody maher [00:16:52]:
Got it.
Emily Bishop [00:16:53]:
And your company may choose to top you up or not, but the government supports you in that way.
Cody maher [00:16:58]:
Got it. So that's so you, you basically have job security for that time.
Emily Bishop [00:17:03]:
Yes.
Cody maher [00:17:03]:
Yeah, they can't fire you.
Emily Bishop [00:17:05]:
Yeah, sounds nice. Okay.
Cody maher [00:17:08]:
Right. I'm sure there's always, you know, nothing's ever black and white, but so now. Okay, so now we're in that time and now you've, you're. It's interesting, right, because you've had the experience already. So you're not a spring chicken to this whole maternity leave thing and how like how that works, right?
Emily Bishop [00:17:23]:
Yeah, exactly, exactly. So yeah, this is where like, I don't know, I mean I did so many things, you know, started like committed to a journaling practice was like one of the first things I did. And then I signed up for a group mentorship program. It was a month long program called Next Level Success through my mentor Casey Bergland. And that was really about start. I mean it was all of these things. It was it starting to, you know, understand more about your purpose. That that was kind of the work. So that was kind of what drew me into that program because I was asking these questions of like, you know, what, what am I here to do? So that kickstarted sort of a mentorship journey and introduced me to a lot of new things that I had never learned about. I had been introduced to human design briefly prior to that, but we dove into human design in that program embodiment, the nervous system, like all of these things. So my, my awareness was just opening up to lots of different tools and knowledge that I wasn't aware of before to support sort of my self discovery journey. And the other thing that that program did for me was provided a community of other people who were sort of asking those same questions, some of whom were entrepreneurs as well. So you know, in my immediate circle is mostly people who are working in corporate and doing the nine to five. Right. So for me to start to see like, oh, there's other ways of doing things, there's other ways of working and living that I hadn't really been exposed to most of my life in the path that I took. So yeah, I would say that that kick started sort of my, my self discovery journey a little bit. And from there, from there I really just started following the breadcrumbs is really only how I can describe it. That's. Yeah. So I mean if I think back like that was that program anyways was November 2023. So just over a year ago and like I didn't. I had. Entrepreneurship wasn't on my mind at all. And to now basically July of last year I stepped into entrepreneurship fully and it's just kind of crazy to think about. Really?
Cody maher [00:20:09]:
Yeah. That's amazing. And was your. Was your family supportive? So that's. That's something I'm curious about.
Emily Bishop [00:20:15]:
Right.
Cody maher [00:20:15]:
It sounds like no. No one in your world. This is. This is not what's done. Right. So how did your world react to this, like, quote unquote awakening almost?
Emily Bishop [00:20:25]:
Yeah, totally. I mean, my bless. My mom, like, she's just like, she's my number one supporter.
Cody maher [00:20:37]:
Oh, that's great.
Emily Bishop [00:20:38]:
She's just like, she thinks it's so great what I'm doing and sort of the journey that I've been on. So my mom's definitely been there. My partner has been really supportive. Like, he's kind of. You know, when I was doing all, like, this mentorship and. And a lot of this self discovery, he's kind of. He kind of just gave me the space to do that is kind of the best way that I can put it. It's not like he was like, asking questions all the time and wanting to know, but he was just kind of like, okay, you go, like, you do your thing. Which was nice. But, yeah, the entrepreneurship thing, I mean, yeah, it's been. It's been. It's been challenging for sure. I feel like one of the most challenging parts for me, you know, going from being an engineer and, like, I don't know, when people ask you what you do, right? You're like, I'm a biomedical engineer. And people are like, oh, wow, that's so cool. And then, so it was, like, it was very well accepted, and I was, you know, felt like, praised for it and understood and all of those things. And then to step into entrepreneurship where I'm like, I'm, you know, certified embodiment coach, and I'm a career and purpose coach for moms, and people are like, what? Like, you know, I do know. Yeah. So to. To not feel understood in that way was really hard. And I really had to get to the place of like, just. Just standing strong in my own knowing that it was the right thing for me and not needing that validation from others. Yeah, that's. That's really kind of where I needed to get to. And that was. That was a lot of the work that I did as well.
Cody maher [00:22:29]:
That's awesome. I promise, we're gonna. Everyone's probably like, just tell us about what you do. But I don't. I'm sorry, I can't help myself. I have a question. They know me by now, but. So one thing that you mentioned before that I thought Was really interesting was you were saying how at one point, you know, when that job didn't come through, you had to sort of rethink what safety and security meant. And I'm hearing that again, almost like in your description of, you know, telling people what you do, like there's sort of a safety and like a sitting back that can happen when you have this like, title, right. That people understand, like, I'm a doctor, da da da da, you know, say no more scene. But, you know, so I'm curious, like in the last couple years, because it's pretty fresh, right? Has that come in for you yet? Like, have you found. What have you found to be that safety? Like, what have you fallen into? Because I'm sure there's people that are in a similar place, right, where they like, maybe are feeling like they want to make a change, but it's really scary. So I'm curious, sort of where you source that safety from now that that like, you know, safety of the status quo is gone.
Emily Bishop [00:23:35]:
Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's really, it's. I mean, so many things. Nervous system work has been huge. Right. The nervous system was another thing that I was like, why was I 36 with two kids when I learned about the nervous system? Like, you know, why don't they teach us this in school? But yeah, so understanding, understanding the, the nervous system and, you know, we can't think our way to calm. It's through the body. Right. So learning those practices to a try and keep myself as much as I can in, you know, a regulated state, knowing that it's, you know, that's, it's normal to go in and out of that, but as much as possible to try and kind of keep that baseline. And then having tools in my belt to be able to. When I feel myself getting to a more activated state where I'm, you know, not feeling safe to be able to interrupt that and bring myself back into more of a regulated state. So nervous system has been huge. But then it's also been a big process of just like, of, of self recognition, recognizing myself and my own worth and my gifts and, you know, feeling good about my own value, which is much easier to do, or I felt it was much easier to do. When you're in a job and people tell you what to do and you do a good job at it and you're like, yay, good. You know, I'm doing great. Yeah. But in entrepreneurship, it's, yeah, it's like you got to see yourself first. Right. That's been my Experience. Anyways.
Cody maher [00:25:23]:
Yeah, thank you, that's super helpful.
Emily Bishop [00:25:25]:
Yeah, there was one more thing that was coming to mind, but it might have slipped in feeling safe and secure. It might come back. Anyways, those are, yeah, those are two big things for sure.
Cody maher [00:25:39]:
Yeah. Thank you. Okay, let's tell it, let's tell the people what it is that you're up to now. So. Well, we'll take many a tangent, but tell us. Like, I know that human design is a part of what you do, but it's not all of what you do. So. Yeah, let's hear about it.
Emily Bishop [00:25:53]:
Yeah. So, I mean, through sort of following the breadcrumbs, I, I started to really, I was like, I think I really want to help other working moms just based on my own experience. And it was, it really came through of like all of the things that made me really angry kind of and all of the things that I had to work through that I was just like, yeah, I, I felt really passionate about supporting other working moms specifically. And so, yeah, I, I've done human design training and I, I, last year I did a, an embodiment coach certification. And yeah. So I really, my work now is really in supporting working moms to really come back to themselves on the other side of motherhood. Right. So really start to cultivate a deeper self awareness of, you know, who they are, what they value, what they desire, what their vision is for their life on the other side of entering motherhood and acknowledging that motherhood is such a huge transformation. And I think society in general really downplays that and yeah, giving moms the permission to like, to take that pause and re. Evaluate on the other side of like, right. You're, you're, you're not the same in my experience anyways. You're not the same person you were before. And I think a lot of my challenges and discomfort came from just trying to go back to living a life I designed for myself before I had kids. And it didn't fit anymore. Right. And that's where so much of that tension and discomfort and anxiety came from. Was like, yeah, essentially trying to like, you know, I had this new role as a mom and then also trying to still be. Show up in the same way as the biomedical engineer as I was. And they were just like, it wasn't, it wasn't fitting anymore.
Cody maher [00:28:05]:
Oh my God. Oh my. Yeah, I could just want to like shout that from the rooftops, everything you just said. Because I think it's, even if it's not consciously in us, you know, like that all I feel like when you say when. When I. When I hear that I'm speaking for myself. When I hear that, I'm like, yeah, of course. Of course we're not the same. We had a baby. Right? But it's. But it's so much deeper than that, because I think there is this subconscious programming, at least in the Western world where we live like, that, you know, you're gonna go back to yourself. Like, get back, get your body back, get this back, get that back. Like, you know, women saying, I want to get myself back, back, back, back, back, back, back. Right? You hear the word back, like, a gajillion times. And so even if that's not something that you consciously adopt, I think it is in there. And that has certainly been my experience, too, is like, yeah. And then the same. I feel so passionate about this with you. Because there's no. We've lost the ceremony in life to a certain degree, right? Like, how amazing would it be if when you were, like, at the end of your pregnancy, you were to gather with some elders, and they would, you know, really tell you, like, in a ceremonial fashion, like, we are gonna let go of who you were. Cause that person is gone the minute this baby comes out. Right? Like, and that's beautiful. Like, there. It's not that you have to completely give up everything you once loved, but if it would be so cool if women could just, you know, do what you're saying, like, be supported by someone like you, to really explore and feel open to. Like, okay, who am I now? Like, maybe I don't like spinach anymore. Or, you know, that's a silly example, but, like, maybe my job doesn't fit. Maybe this doesn't fit. So, yeah, I'm just. I'm just really excited about what you're doing, and I think it's so important. And I think this topic is really important because I think it's kind of like it's coming, right? Like, there's some sort of revolution happening around motherhood. I feel where people are starting to recognize that maybe, like, everything we've been indoctrinated into isn't. Doesn't really fit anymore.
Emily Bishop [00:30:08]:
Totally. Totally. Yeah. And it just. It makes me think of. Yeah, I. I was getting chills as everything that you were saying as well. And if we think about specifically the workplace, like, I was just. I was so, you know, you. There aren't any, like, policies and procedures in place to. To really support women in integrating back into the workplace in the way that it needs to be. And hopefully that's coming. But that's just another sort of, you know, that was an indicator to me. It's like, okay, there wasn't even a meeting for me to sit down and be like, okay, you know, you're like, you're. You have a child now, you have a family now. Like, how, how. How is this going to work for you? How. How can we make this work for you? It was just like, okay, well, this is how you left, so this is how you're going to come back. And there weren't really any other options. Like, if you think about even, like, stress leaves, there are policies and procedures in place to gradually bring someone back into the workplace. But for some reason, for moms, you grow a baby for nine months. During that time, you're also expected to work the same as if you're not growing a baby and you birth, you birth that baby, you stay off for whatever AM time, and then you come back and they're just like, okay, welcome back, like, back to it. You know, like, that was my experience anyways, and I think it's a lot of people's experience. And the research shows that. And the research shows, shows, you know, women dropping out of the, out of the workforce who, who never intended to. And I'm sure there's a myriad of reasons why, Right? But it's just like, there's lots of data to show that it's not working.
Cody maher [00:31:53]:
Yeah, yeah, it's not. And if it's not working for mothers, that also means it's not working for the children. Because, like you were saying you were stressed. You, you were showing up as a stressed out, overwhelmed, hanging on by a thread just to get to Saturday only to have Sunday be scary. Totally, you know, woman. And, and our babies pick up on everything. So it's so interesting because this ripples out to the generations, right? Like, this work that you're doing is not only for moms, but it's actually for their kids too. Because if a mom, you know, and this, I think this is something that's hard for, personally for me to really take in. Like, I'm trying to. I'm trying to. Like, this is one of those concepts that I know intellectually, right? I'm like, yes to this intellectually. And I'm trying to know it on all the levels, which is that if a mom is not happy, satisfied, calm, that really affects the whole family. I mean, a father or partner, too. But there's something different about the mom's role, especially in these early years when, you know, your Kids are young, my kid is young. Kids, God willing, my baby is young. But yeah, it's just like, and then we're sort of perpetuating this cycle.
Emily Bishop [00:33:06]:
Right.
Cody maher [00:33:06]:
It's like if we don't disrupt this space, then our sons and daughters are gonna have the same experience that we're having. And so it's just, it's so important to, to do this work that you're doing and yeah. Do you, so do you more work mostly with mothers or are you interested in working with businesses like to help create policies or. Yeah, tell me a little bit more about that because that just popped into my mind. I'm like, oh, she would be so good at that.
Emily Bishop [00:33:33]:
Yeah, I mean right now it's mostly, mostly working with mothers. But yes, that's like, that's for sure. Part of my bigger vision and mission definitely is just like. Yeah, changing, changing the working mom experience. Right. Yeah, I'm, I'm working on a couple of book chapters right now for a book that's, it's a collaborative effort, it's for mid career women in stem, so slowly, slowly kind of expanding my reach a little bit. But yeah, certainly I hope to play a role, whatever, however big that is in, in that space as well.
Cody maher [00:34:20]:
That's so cool.
Emily Bishop [00:34:21]:
Yes. And I just wanted to, I just wanted to echo back to you too. I loved what you said and it's my philosophy too that yeah, like when a mom's thriving, like everyone around her benefits. Right. Especially her kids. And I think there's so much cultural conditioning too around like self sacrifice and motherhood and like a good mother just puts, puts everyone else's needs ahead of her own. And I, I, I don't, I don't believe in that. Like I really do think that when a mom prioritizes her own well being and her own personal satisfaction and her own joy, that only benefits her kids.
Cody maher [00:34:57]:
Yeah. And that's so important to stand for and radiate out because it's hard. Like I know that mother is spelled, you know, mobile T H E R and not M A T R Y. Did I spell martyr right?
Cody maher [00:35:13]:
But it's hard because you have this.
Cody maher [00:35:15]:
Tiny thing that is wholly dependent on you for the first however long. And you know, I've personally really struggled, really struggled with that. Like for the first, I don't have to go into our whole story, but our baby was in the NICU when she was little and I was separated from her in the early times and I think due to that trauma, I like didn't want her to Cry and want me for one second. So, like, early on in motherhood, I was really like, so depleted at a certain point because I just couldn't, like, I couldn't get myself to take an hour and be away from her, you know, it was so. It's like there's so many factors in here and it's so important. I'm just going to say this for like, anyone that's listening to this, that's in this phase, like, please reach out to someone like Emily and be supported in this because it's almost impossible to do this without support. Like, I really truly feel, yes, maybe some women can, but I really truly feel that it's very difficult. It's one thing to understand it, it's another thing to like, actually do it, you know, to like, actually take that time to figure out, like, okay, who am I now? Woo. Where do we go from here? You know? And like, yeah, and also to your point, like, we need women in the workforce, right? Like, to a certain extent, like, it's wonderful to be out of it and to do your own thing. And yet there are people that probably will thrive within it if they could be supported, right?
Emily Bishop [00:36:42]:
Totally.
Cody maher [00:36:42]:
Yeah. I'm curious, like, tell me like, how you feel about that too, because I think like you mentioned that people are leaving the statistics saying that women are leaving. Right? Like, but then if we have a workforce that doesn't have any mothers in it, we need mothers in the workforce.
Emily Bishop [00:36:56]:
Totally, totally. Yeah. I mean, that's such a good question. What my stance is on it because. Yeah, I mean, for me, for me it really didn't work. But we're all like, we're all so individual and. Yeah, but I, So I think, Yeah, I mean, I think there's not, there's not a one size fits all. There's not a one size fits all solution. And everybody's, everybody's needs and desires are, are different. What was I gonna say? Yeah, I think it's, I think it's just though, about getting away from this like, really rigid structure that we've just normalized so much. And I mean, you know, if you, if you trace back the history of the 9 to 5, it was, it was, it started in 1940 with Henry Ford, with factory workers. Right? It's like, so when you think about that and, and that was a time when, you know, typically one person from the household, typically the man would go and work and the other person, typically the woman, would stay home and take care of the house and kids. It was never designed for two Two working parents. Right. And that's what so many families are trying to do right now. So it's just like, yeah, I'm like, why are we still tolerating this kind of structure that's so outdated today?
Cody maher [00:38:28]:
Yeah, I mean we could open a whole can of worms that we're not going to here because we are at a time in history, I really feel like. And feng shui supports us in this. Right? Like I'm not going to go into period nine. Maybe I'll do a podcast about period nine. But basically there's this, there's cycles of energy in feng shui from the cosmology perspective and one of them is a 20 year cycle and we just ended period eight last year and now we're in period nine and it's a whole new energy, like male energy, yang energy dominated period 8 and more Yin energy dominates period 9. It's actually called the rise of the middle aged woman. So there's. But the reason I'm bringing that up is because there's conversations like this that are being had. We're starting to think as a people like hey, maybe this way that we've been doing things for the last 20 or so years isn't working anymore. And that's because we don't have the energetic support in my perspective. But sorry. So yeah, this is just like one of those conversations that we could really spend hours on and you and I aren't going to dismantle corporate America today here, so maybe anyway. But it's just so important and I'm so happy that you are doing what you're doing and I think it's just so, so, so, so, so valuable. So let's get a little bit more into the nitty gritty of what you're doing. So tell me a little bit about human. Sort of helped you in your own self discovery because it's, you know, it's pretty topical. Like most people know what human design is, but I'm assuming that most people know human design the way most people know astrology. Like they know their, maybe they know their sun sign, but they don't know like the depth of it.
Emily Bishop [00:40:02]:
Yeah. So human design is part, is part of what I offer. But for me it was really so I feel like motherhood was really kind of my initiation and then human design was really like my gateway into this like deeper self awareness. So yeah, I'm a 6:2 splenic projector, so there's five different energy types. So mine I'm a projector and so even just like that, that knowledge in itself was like my, not my, my energy naturally ebbs and flows and 70% of the population has, you know, this kind of consistent access to life force energy. Whereas me as a projector, which are 20% of the population, it ebbs and flows. So we kind of live in this world that was designed for 70% of the population who has this consistent access to energy and doesn't really honor other energy types like me, who, whose energy naturally has inflow. So that was kind of, that was a big realization for me. And a lot of, you know, human design is, we've all kind of, we've, we've all received, you know, different patterning and conditioning as we're growing up through all of the experiences that we've been through. And it's sort of starting to undo some of that and, and figuring out like, okay, how am I uniquely designed to thrive? Right. And it's not like everyone else in my life. None of us are. All of us are completely unique individuals and have different strengths and gifts that we bring to the world. Right. So yeah, learning that I was a projector, I have, yeah. My authority. So that's how you're actually designed to make decisions. So I have splenic authority, which is, I'm very, I'm very intuitive. So I'm meant to make decisions like in the now based on my intuitive knowing, which is very different from how I was taught to make decisions in my life. Right. I mean I was very like logical. Pros and cons, list, research, everything. Right. And to learn that, oh, I actually have access to like really strong intuition that I can use to guide me in, in big and small decisions. Like just all of these things were really started to open up my awareness and deepen my level of understanding how I'm, I'm designed to move through the world.
Cody maher [00:42:45]:
That's awesome. I love that. And has that do, you know, like your kids design and does that impact how you treat them and your husband, like, how has that worked within your family? Because I'm sure as soon as you found out where you are, you're like, what are my kids? What did my husband. Yeah, right.
Emily Bishop [00:42:59]:
Totally, totally. Yes. And that's why, like, I'm also like, human design is amazing for everyone, but especially for moms, like, I feel like, yeah, it can be so supportive for parenting and just like family dynamics. Yeah. So I mean, for example, if we think about decision making, my husband has a different authority than me. He has emotional authority. So he's designed to like, he's designed to sleep on things. And I remember I always used to, I'm like, why? Like, why can't you just make a decision? Like. Right. And so it was. I didn't understand, but I was like, oh, that's me. Like, I'm deciding to make decisions really quickly. He is not. So honoring that and supporting him in that. Right. Has been super.
Cody maher [00:43:41]:
Yeah.
Emily Bishop [00:43:41]:
Yeah. And then so, and so my whole family all. So my husband and my two boys are all manifesting generators.
Cody maher [00:43:50]:
Wow.
Emily Bishop [00:43:52]:
So I, So they, you know, they've got lots of energy. Right. Which is very. Which can be different from me. So having that understanding is really helpful. Even like, so there's different ways that people experience emotions. So understanding that about my, my two boys. So one of my boys has a defined emotional center. And so this was like, this was, I don't know, mind blowing information for me to learn. He. He naturally, like, naturally his emotions ebb and flow. They. He has a natural wave of emotions and that's completely normal and it has nothing to do with anything in his world. Whereas my other son has an open emotional center. His baseline is like, cool, calm and collected. And he'll experience emotions based on things that happen in his world. But otherwise he's just, he's cool, calm and collected, but he picks up on other people's emotions and experiences them as if they're, they're. They're his own. So I see this, I totally see this in the two of them. And so honoring, honoring my one son who it's like, you know, he might just be in an emotional high or an emotional low and we need to, to, you know, teach him that that's okay. Right. And my other son, who. It's going to be a process of, of helping him learn to discern like, what emotions are his and what are what. What's mine and what's not mine. Right. And, and helping him move, move through those. Right. So I mean, that's just like a small, that's like one small, small, small piece. But those are just some of the examples of like how you can apply it to your own family dynamics too.
Cody maher [00:45:34]:
Yeah. And it's just, it's awesome because there's so many different ways that we can do this. Right. Like, we can do this through human design, we can do this through astrology. In feng shui, there's something called the nine star key. There's, there's so many different, like, ways that we can understand ourselves, but at the end of the day, it's just so helpful. Whatever way resonates with you because it helps you have compassion for the fact that even though we know it, that everyone's different. To really understand that everyone is different, especially our family members. So, yeah, it's just awesome. Like, I'm so curious about my daughter because she really does not. I mean, this is sort of a toddler thing, but she doesn't really like to sit and eat. Like, she likes to eat on the run. Like, she likes to like, have a cup of whatever and be moving. And I could fight her on that. Right? Like, I could try and make her like sit at the T. But.
Emily Bishop [00:46:18]:
Yes.
Cody maher [00:46:19]:
Why?
Cody maher [00:46:19]:
Because it's okay. Like, her digestion's fine. Like, there's nothing. She's not suffering in any way from this. So, you know, I'm sure there's an explanation in human design as to why she does not like to sit and eat, you know?
Emily Bishop [00:46:32]:
Totally. Yeah. Yeah. There's so many layers to human design and yeah, one of them is even like on digestion, like how you're designed to eat. Yeah, it's wild.
Cody maher [00:46:41]:
Yeah, it's so cool. That's awesome. I love that. And I just love that. Like, you know, one of the things I'm. I'm really picking up on is your own self discovery and really taking this interest in yourself as a mother and who you are now has really, like, really enriched your family life as well.
Emily Bishop [00:46:58]:
Totally. 100. Yeah. The human design, even like the nervous system, right. That, I mean, you're gonna like, that helps so much with understanding. I mean, your, your own reactions in motherhood and understanding, you know, what your kids are going through and how to help them from a nervous system perspective. Like just all these things. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, you're. You're totally right. It's like a lot of the work that I do with my clients is the, the goal and the focus is in themselves and in helping them, you know, understand themselves on a deeper level. But it always, it ripples out totally into their family life as well.
Cody maher [00:47:42]:
Yeah, I think that's like a really beautiful thing to just kind of put a circle around for this episode is just, you know, like, it's. It's not selfish to be interested in yourself as, especially as a mother. Like, it's just, you know, I say that about feng shui all the time where it's like when we enhance the energy of our home, our whole, you know, our neighbors feel that, like, and, and then, you know, the more people do that, like, the more. The more something is in energetic alignment, whether it's a Person or a space, like it ripples out, even though it might seem like, oh, I can't take the time for myself or whatever. Like that is a nonsense thought because you taking the time for yourself is going to have these ripples, these ripple out effects, you know, into like totally so many different places.
Emily Bishop [00:48:29]:
And our kids learn so much from just what we're modeling to them. Right. So when we prioritize our own well being and we, you know, we have the courage to go after our dreams and all of those things, like you're setting that example for your kids too, for, to, for them to be able to do that. So that's been like, that's been one of my big motivators too in doing this is like showing them, showing them the power of like believing in yourself and, and going after your dreams and so that one day they hopefully they feel empowered to do that as well.
Cody maher [00:49:06]:
Yeah. And our generation, I mean, I'm a little older than you, but our generation in general is like, I really feel we're like these pattern breakers, you know, I feel like so many people I talk to are like, my family has done this for this way forever and now I'm doing things this way, you know, like, and I think that there's a purpose to that. Right? Like, I think there's. It's hard sometimes to be that pattern breaker, but we have access to things that our parents didn't have access to. And I mean, is human design the thing that was like downloaded? Is that it or is that something different? Where did it come from?
Emily Bishop [00:49:38]:
Yeah. So in like 1987. Yeah. This wasn't his name before, but his name now or his name after he did this was Ra Uruhu. And he, he was in Ibiza and he like he channeled the whole thing. It's a wild, like, it's a wild story.
Cody maher [00:49:56]:
What's so wild about that is that it's such a, you know, quote unquote out there, inception story. And it is wildly popular. Like it, I mean, it took a while. I guess that's like what? Many, many years. So we don't have to go into the whole origin story of human design. But the point is like, it is a kind of an awesome wild story, Right?
Emily Bishop [00:50:16]:
Yeah.
Cody maher [00:50:17]:
For those of you that are interested. Amazing. Okay, so before we wrap it up, I want to just know what you're excited about. Like, you know, what is, what are you excited about for yourself for this year? And like, you know, well, we'll get to how people can find you. You can put that in this part too. But yeah, just tell me like, what you're excited about for yourself for this year.
Emily Bishop [00:50:37]:
Oh, good question. Yeah, I'm, I don't know. I'm, I'm really excited about 2025. I think 2024 for me was a lot of like, letting go, Letting go of old ways of being. Letting go of patterns that were no longer serving me. And 2025 really feels like this energy of really stepping further into my, my work and my purpose and my mission and really just, I'm, I'm feeling a sense of wanting to, you know, build a community of other like minded moms who are, you know, doing this work and going through this sort of transformation on the other side of motherhood. So, yeah, I'm just, it's, it's feeling like opportunities are starting to present themselves and things are flowing more. So I'm really, I'm really excited for 2025 and to see what it brings. And I just. 2024 was, you know, I was still learning to build that, that trust. Right. That trust muscle of like that, you know, I'm, I'm going the right direction and things are going to happen. And 2025, it just, it feels like that, that that muscle is a lot stronger and that, you know, I'm, I'm feel like I'm on the right path. So that's a really, it's, it's a nice feeling to have.
Cody maher [00:52:06]:
Yeah. To keep following those breadcrumbs.
Emily Bishop [00:52:09]:
Yeah.
Cody maher [00:52:09]:
Getting. The pieces are getting larger. They're like easier to see now. Right?
Emily Bishop [00:52:12]:
Totally. Totally. It's just. Yeah, it's, it's such a, it's such a process. But yeah, I mean, I, I curious what you feel about entrepreneurship. I think you been in the game longer than I have, but it's just, it's the, it's. Yeah, it, it challenges you in, in. It's like, it's like the best, like, personal growth path, really. Like, you know.
Cody maher [00:52:38]:
Yeah. And then put that in like early motherhood together.
Emily Bishop [00:52:40]:
Yeah.
Cody maher [00:52:44]:
Yeah, totally. I mean, yeah, I feel you. It's. It's hard. I really resonate with what you said about like, you know, I had, I was receiving my like cookies, for lack of a better word, from a very different source. Like, I was a circus performer for the first part of my life and you know, I had a different reaction. Like people were like, what do you do? And I'm like, I'm a circus performer. It's like, whoa, you know, like razzle dazzle. Right. So, so yeah, it's it's. Entrepreneurship is like a roller coaster that, you know, it does really, for me, like, caused me to have deeper faith and deeper trust and to just like, keep going. And I'm also in the very early stages of my business too, so we're in it together. And yeah, I'm excited to see where this year takes you, for sure. Okay, Emily, tell everybody where any. First of all, I just want to give you some space for like, anything else that might be on your heart or mind to share. I have one final question for you, and then I also want to know where everybody can find you. So in any order, we'll get to those three things. Thanks.
Emily Bishop [00:53:49]:
Okay. One thing I didn't mention, and that didn't kind of come up through our conversations, but I just wanted to mention as well, you know, we talk, I talked about, you know, nervous system, human design. The other big piece of what I do is embodiment, which is really just getting out of your mind and tapping into your body, which I had never really been taught to do. I was such a. Like, I was living from the neck up, really, most of my life. And it's. Yeah, it's a practice of, you know, our. Our bodies hold such wisdom and inner knowing, but it takes. It takes quiet and it takes intention and it takes pausing to tune into that. And we just live in such a fast paced, busy world and especially motherhood. But that's been a huge part two of what I offer. But what has served me in my own transformation too, and something that I'm also trying to teach my kids as well. Right. Is. Is helping them to be aware of, like, what their body is telling them. Because our bodies have a lot, a lot to offer. So I just wanted to pop that in there as well.
Cody maher [00:55:03]:
Well, now I have a question. What's been your favorite simple way to do that?
Emily Bishop [00:55:09]:
Oh, I mean, one really simple way. You know, I think just the other week I was like, I was finding myself really in my head really kind of spinning. And like, it can be as simple for me as just like closing my eyes, like one hand on my heart, one on my belly, like, taking some breaths and like, finding that place of inner calm is just like a really simple way. I mean, there's. There's so many little things you can do, but yeah, that's one that I. That I resort to if I'm feeling really, really in my head.
Cody maher [00:55:49]:
What about with your kids?
Emily Bishop [00:55:53]:
I. Yeah, I mean, I. We do breathing techniques with our toddler for sure. I mean, I. When I think about That I think, I mean, it's all connected, right? I think about nervous system, but it's, it's all connected. But even like, you know, when they're. If, if he's having, if he's having a feeling, whether it be, you know, a happy feeling or a sad feeling, like asking those questions of like, how, like, how does that feel in your body? Like, where do you feel that in your body? Right. Just helping them to make that connection as opposed to just like, yeah. Oh, I. This feeling I'm going to label as sad. It's like, how does that show up in your body?
Cody maher [00:56:31]:
Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. I, I feel like my daughter might be a tiny bit young, but I suppose I could say it. She just might not fully understand quite yet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I love that. Okay, so my final question for you before we get to where people can find you is what does wellness mean to you? This is a question that I, 95% of the time remember to ask people.
Emily Bishop [00:56:55]:
Wellness. Ooh. I mean, what, I mean, what come. How I often, how I, how I often think about it, but I use the word. I talk about success a lot. And success for me used to, like, my mind would just immediately go to like my career and like financial success and the things that you have in your life. Right. But now when I think about success or like what a successful life looks for, like, for me it's like, what is success in all areas? Right. What is success in my family and relationships? What is success in my career and my service? What's success in, in my health and well being. Right. And like rounding that definition of success out to creating what, what I define as success in all of those areas. So, well, being for me, yeah. Fits into that larger definition of success. And yeah, I mean, if I think about wellness, it's just like, it's. Oh, I mean, feeling like feeling fulfilled and feeling vibrant and feeling good in my body and feeling confident and I don't know, those are the things that come to that come to mind when I think about it.
Cody maher [00:58:17]:
I love it. Thank you so much. Where can people find Emily?
Emily Bishop [00:58:21]:
You can find me on Instagram. My handle right now is at the Empowered Mom Collective. And my website is emily lynn bishop.com and that's the two best places to find me right now.
Cody maher [00:58:35]:
Amazing. I will make sure that those links are in the show notes for people so they can just click on them and. Yeah, thank you so much for being here. This was wonderful. I'm really excited for everyone. To hear conversation. Well, actually you just did. So I'm really excited that you all heard this conversation. Have a great rest of your day.
Emily Bishop [00:58:54]:
Thank you so much, Kody. Bye bye.
Cody maher [00:58:58]:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, friends, for joining us today in another episode of Create the Space. So now it's time to dive into a little feng shui. We're going to be doing this at the end of each episode. Some will be more on the lengthy side and others will be short and sweet. And this will probably be somewhere in the middle. I want to talk to you about two things today. One, I shared this on Instagram in a post. So if reading is more your style, go check it out. You'll find it. It's the practice and feng shui adjustment of moving 27 things. So first, let's start with why 27? Both in numerology and in Feng Shui, 9 is the number of completion. It's a very powerful number. So when we multiply that times three, we're just amplifying that energy. So we're going to move 27 things around in our house and we're going to do this when we're feeling stuck, when we're feeling stagnant, when we have had a chronic health issue, something that's just not moving in our lives. So we're going to move some things in our space. Feng shui is incredibly rich with metaphor. So that's what we're tapping into here. And these can be small shifts. You don't have to rearrange your furniture for this to have an impact. You could shift a plant from one side of the room to the other. You could change a piece of art on the wall. You could swap out a bath mat. You could move your sock drawer with your T shirt drawer. So think about all the different ways and I want you to very intentionally state what it is that that you're wanting to shift, that you're wanting to free, that you're wanting to find flow with. And then move those 27 things and see what happens. Please let me know. Come find me on Instagram. Hweiwithcodi that's S H U I with C O D Y and let me know. Try it out. It's so fun. It's so easy. I really want to take this light hearted approach to feng shui because while feng shui is extremely incredibly impactful and incredibly important, it shouldn't be met with such rigidity, which I see a lot, a lot of fear, a lot of rigidity. And I want you to have a light hearted attitude when you're approaching your space. With reverence, of course, with gratitude. But if something is working or sorry, if something you do doesn't feel good, you can always undo it. So it's not the end of the world anyway, so let try that out. Let me know how it goes. And the other thing I want to remind you is that there is one more live session of a free workshop that I've been giving in the beginning of this year called Prep to thrive in 2025 and it's been going so well. I've had two sessions already and it's just really great. This is all about the first part of the workshop is a deep dive into the energetic report for the Year of the Wood Snake. We're going to talk about all about what that means and how you can align both your personal goals and energy with that energy. And then we're going to shift into how to align your space to really support you in this energetic year. Anyway, it's a really fun workshop. It's totally free. I will put the link to sign up in the show notes and you'll find it also all over Instagram. So that's the place I like to hang out on the socials and I'm doing my best to really show up there and I'd love to connect with you. So I hope you enjoyed this episode and I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful time, however long it is, until we meet again. All right, have a beautiful day friends.
Cody maher [01:02:32]:
Bye.