Voices from Around the World
Welcome to Voices from Around the World — a soulful space where stories breathe, borders blur, and humanity speaks.
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a gathering.
A circle of voices—intimate, courageous, and deeply personal—echoing from every corner of the globe.
Through heartfelt interviews and reflective solo episodes, we explore the lived experiences that shape our shared world:
The struggles that stretch us.
The triumphs that lift us.
The quiet moments that remind us we belong.
Each episode invites you into conversation with artists, healers, activists, educators, and everyday visionaries—people whose perspectives are rooted in culture, resilience, and truth.
And sometimes, your host steps into the silence alone, offering gentle reflections on global issues through the lens of compassion, curiosity, and care.
This is a space for listening deeply.
For honoring difference.
For finding connection in complexity.
Because in a world that often divides, Voices from Around the World dares to weave us together—one story at a time.
Voices from Around the World
The Echo of Her Voice: Unraveling the Mother Wound
Have you ever found yourself nodding along to someone else's words while your own thoughts fade into the background? That moment of disconnection—of performing for approval rather than honoring your authentic self—may be more significant than you realize.
The mother wound exists in the tender, layered spaces of our primary relationships. It's not always dramatic or obvious; instead, it manifests in the subtle ways we've learned to shrink ourselves, seek validation, and silence our needs. From saying yes when we mean no to smiling when we feel unseen, these patterns form the invisible architecture of our interactions with others and ourselves.
What makes this wound particularly fascinating is its universality across cultures. Through conversations with women in Ghana, Japan, Brazil, India, Thailand, and Indonesia, similar themes emerge despite vastly different cultural contexts: mothers who gave everything but never verbalized love, daughters who learned to disappear in order to belong. While shaped by cultural expectations, these wounds remain deeply personal, requiring both cultural awareness and individual reflection to heal.
Healing begins not with blame but with understanding—naming the patterns that no longer serve us and reclaiming the voice we've quieted. Through practices like writing unsent letters, setting loving boundaries, and asking ourselves what we truly need in moments of disconnection, we stitch new threads into our stories. Each time we choose truth over performance, we affirm our inherent worthiness and wholeness.
Your voice matters, even when it shakes. If these reflections resonated with you, share them with someone who might need them. Subscribe to Voices Around the World wherever you get your podcasts to join us next week as we continue exploring the threads that connect our shared human experience.
Welcome to Voices Around the World. I'm your host, obadiah. Today I'm speaking from a place that's tendered, layered and often unspoken the mother womb. It's not just about conflict or absence. It's about the quiet ways we learn to shrink, to seek approval or to silence our needs. And it's about the moment we begin to see those patterns for what they are Echoes of a wound we didn't know we carried. I didn't name it at first. I just noticed the patterns, saying yes when I meant no, smiling when I felt unseen. I remember one moment. Clearly, I was standing in my mother's kitchen, nodding as she spoke, the hum of the fridge louder than my own thoughts. I wanted her approval so badly I forgot to ask myself what I needed. That moment stayed with me, not because it was dramatic dramatic, but because it was familiar. I realized I've been performing for love, believing that if I pleased her I'll be safe, that if I didn't challenge myself I'll be accepted. But safety built on silence isn't safety at all. As we take time to reflect, ask yourself when did you first feel unseen by someone you loved? What patterns do you repeat that no longer serves you?
Speaker 1:The mother womb is a one-size-fits-all. For some it's rooted in emotional neglect. For others, it's emotional over-dependence, criticism or the pressure to be perfect. It often shows up as self-doubt, chronic people-pleasing or fear of being too much. It's the internalized belief that our worth is conditional. As we take time to reflect, what emotions was off limits in your family? What did you learn about love that wasn't said? I've spoken with many women from across the globe during my travels Ghana, japan, brazil, india, thailand and Indonesia. Different languages, different customs, but all shared similar stories A mother who gave everything but never said I love you. A daughter who learned to disappear in order to belong. These wounds are shaped by culture, yes, but they've also deeply personal, and healing them requires both reflection and reclamation. Now, as we take time to reflect, how has your culture shaped your relationship with your mother or caregiver? What expectations was placed on you because of your gender or role in the family?
Speaker 1:Now let's take a moment to pause for some guided reflection. Take a deep breath. Think of a moment when you felt unseen by someone you loved. What did you do with that feeling? Did you say it or did you swallow it? Now ask yourself what did I need that moment? What part of me was asking to be held, not fixed?
Speaker 1:Healing begins when we name the wound not to blame, but to understand, to reclaim the voice we quieted. Now, as we take time to reflect, what truth have you been afraid to speak? What boundary will honor your healing today? One practice that have helped me was writing letters I've never sent. I wrote to my mother not to accuse but to express. I told her what I needed, what I miss and what I'm learning to give myself now. Another was setting boundaries, not as a punishment but as protection. I learned that love without boundaries isn't love at all, is invisibility.
Speaker 1:As we take a moment to reflect, if you can say anything to your mother, what would it be? What do you wish she would have said to you? The mother's womb doesn't disappear overnight, as we know, but every time we choose truth over performance, every time we honor our voice, we stitch a new thread into our story, one that says I am worthy, I am whole, I am healing. Thank you for listening. If this resonated, share it with someone who might need it and remember your voice matters, even when it shakes. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. We'll be back next week with another voice from another part of our shared world. Until then I'm your host, obadiah, and this is Voices Around the World. Let's keep listening, let's keep sharing Until next time, thank you.