Hey friends! I started a podcast last year called “Women Who Know”, and I am posting the scripts for each episode here on the blog. This post contains the “prologue” episode where I introduce myself and give my purposes for creating the podcast. Here you go!
August 31, 2022
Hello hello everyone! This is my introductory podcast episode, and I am so excited to get started. This is going to be a shorter episode, as I just want to introduce myself a little bit and talk about what this podcast is and why I’ve decided to create it.
about me
My name is Meagan Corniea, and I live in Utah. I have lived here for most of my life! I’m very lucky that my family also lives in Utah. I come from a family of four girls – that’s right, no brothers – and yes, my dad loved it. He will try to convince you otherwise but we all know it’s true. We had a lot of fun just us girls. I love my family and I love getting to spend time with them.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I attended Utah Valley University where I received my Associates degree, and I transferred to Brigham Young University and received my Bachelor’s degree in Human Development. Most people don’t know what that is, and I like to explain it as a mixture of human biology, sociology, and psychology. And also lots and lots of research, which is okay with me because you will find out that I love researching. I tried out many different majors because I have way too many interests and I’m very indecisive, so I tried culinary arts, nursing, graphic design, photography, and French (so, a pretty wide array of very different subjects haha) – before I finally landed on Human Development. But all those changes of my major meant I graduated after 5 years of school, including some spring and summer semesters! It was kinda crazy! I chose Human Development because I am fascinated by humans. I love learning how humans work, particularly their minds, emotions, and relationships. I also chose it because I knew I wanted to be a mother, and I figured this would help me be more prepared. Haha…Well, little did I know there’s not much that can prepare you to be a mother. Not even college classes all about child development…we will get more into that later, but I graduated 6 weeks after giving birth to my first child! It was a very crazy time of my life, but he is the best graduation gift I ever could have asked for.
One of my favorite memories of that time is going to the testing center with my big pregnant belly. The desks at the testing center are classic school desks where the desk is attached to the chair. There’s no room for any leeway there, so I was very squished and had trouble breathing while taking my midterms. Then, after I had my son, I went back to the testing center for finals and it was such a beautiful thing to be able to actually breathe while taking my tests haha. It’s the little things, right? Anyways, within my major, I used all of my elective classes to focus on infant and child development because I love and have always loved kids. I loved my major and love that it continues to help me in so many ways today, even though it wasn’t quite the preparation for motherhood that I was hoping for haha.
I’ve been married to my husband, Robbie, for almost 10 years! We celebrate our 10th anniversary in September. He is such a blessing in my life, and I love being married to him. He is so kind and fun and he knows how to make me laugh no matter what, even when I don’t want to laugh. He is my full partner in every way, he is a full partner with me in parenthood. He is involved in our kids lives and loves them so much and plays with them so well, he’s there for them no matter what, and I love that. He is also there for me no matter what, and he always supports me and my dreams and random projects I want to do…he’s the best. I love him so much and I love being married to him. We also have basically the best love story ever, and maybe one day I will talk more about it because I love our love story.
My husband and I have four amazing kids. My oldest is 8, and my next child is 7. They are only 15 months apart – yes, it was planned, and yes, it is crazy! Then I have a 3 year old and a 20-month old. They are all very busy but all so fun. I had 4 kids in under 7 years, which is pretty crazy to me when I sit down to think about it, but I wouldn’t change a thing. My oldest is the only boy, and he loves his little sisters. I don’t think he will let Robbie and I stop having kids until he gets a brother though! We’ll see if that’s in the cards for us 🙂
mental health
Okay, enough about me. Let’s talk about the podcast. I decided to start this podcast for two main reasons. The first reason stems from my deep desire to help women and mothers, particularly with their mental health. I mentioned that my first two kids are only 15 months apart, and it was really hard on me physically and mentally and emotionally. After I had my second child, I had severe postpartum anxiety and depression. I could not eat or sleep, I lost an unhealthy amount of weight very quickly, my face always felt like it was on fire but the rest of my body was freezing. I felt so paralyzed all the time that I spent most days laying down on our couch with a blanket even though it was the middle of a hot summer in Utah – it was the only thing that helped me feel a little more comfortable in my body. My mind was in even more disarray, and I had racing thoughts constantly. I couldn’t sleep at night or even take naps during the day. The racing thoughts I had were all about how inadequate and incapable I was of taking care of two little babies, and a host of other fears and lies about myself. It was such a difficult time for me, for my husband, and for our then two children.
This paralyzing time lasted for about 4 months, but while it was happening, it felt endless. I had never felt that way before, and I never knew that anxiety could have such a physical manifestation in my body. I didn’t know what was happening to me – I honestly felt like I was going to die. I know that sounds super dramatic, but I felt completely lost and scared and confused. I felt like I had no control over my body or my brain. I eventually went to therapy and got on medication, and after about a year, I was able to finally feel more like myself. That experience changed me forever. My mental health still requires a lot of attention, but I’ve come to believe that that’s normal. I have worked hard to get to where I am today, and I want to share what I’ve learned with other mothers in an effort to help. Being a mother is so much more difficult than anyone can really prepare you for, and if there is a way for me to help mothers know their worth and feel fulfilled in their role, then I want to do it.
All that being said, I am NOT a therapist. None of what I share here is medical advice, rather just my opinions and experiences. I will also share resources and ideas that I’ve found helpful. I will often share scriptures, quotes from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other faith-based sources. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it has been a major part of my life and my journey to good mental health. You don’t need to be a member of the church to find value in this podcast, but I want you to be aware right from the start that I will often share my testimony and my thoughts from a spiritual perspective.
space for all
My second reason for creating this podcast is because I started to notice that the podcasts I was listening to all had guests who have large social media followings. This bothered me, and I thought about how cool it would be to create a platform for women to be able to share what they feel called to share – no matter their social media following, financial status, appearance, education, religion, or anything else that differentiates us. We can be uplifted by any and all voices – not just those who already have a strong social media presence. I believe that every woman has something to teach the world, and I wanted to create a space for women to share whatever that something is. I don’t have any guests lined up yet, but this is one of my goals, and as we get going, I am hopeful that I will have guests willing to come onto the podcast.
honorable mention
A reason for creating this podcast that gets an honorable mention has to do with something I mentioned earlier – that I love children. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved caring for and nurturing children. My dream was always to be a mother. I am passionate about children and their safety, their education, and their childhood. I am a firm believer that childhood needs to be safe and full of love. I have always felt called to be an advocate and a caregiver for children. What does that have to do with this podcast? Well, the main audience I have in mind for this podcast is women and mothers. And one of the best ways to help children is to help their mothers and future mothers. When women and mothers are supported and uplifted, so are all those within her sphere of influence – especially children. When a mother is healthy and thriving, her children benefit as well. So in making this podcast, my goal is to help women and mothers become better, and a happy and welcome bonus is that children will reap the rewards as well.
The name of this podcast, “Women Who Know,” comes from one of my all-time favorite general conference talks. General Conference is a semi-annual meeting for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that spans over two days. There are five 2-hour sessions, and in each session, leaders of the church share gospel messages. In October 2007, the then-General Relief Society President, Julie B. Beck, gave a talk called, “Mothers Who Know.” I was only a teenager when she gave this talk, but it pierced my heart and has stuck with me to this day. I would highly recommend reading this talk. I chose to base the name of my podcast after this, but to change it to Women Who Know. While we will be talking about motherhood often, my hope is that all women will be able to find value in this podcast, whether they are mothers or not.
I am not perfect, and this podcast will not be perfect. When I had the idea to create this podcast, I struggled for a long time with imposter syndrome. What could I possibly offer to women? How could I possibly help anyone? What do I know? That kind of thinking held me back for a long time, and I did nothing. But I have since felt strongly that I need to overcome those feelings and act on the call to create this podcast. I will pray for guidance every step of the way. I will do my best to create a podcast that helps women and mothers, and even if no one else ever hears this podcast, it will still be worth it because I am being true to myself and doing what I feel called to do. A lot of episodes, it will just be me and my thoughts. Other episodes will have amazing women as guests. If you or someone you know is interested in coming onto my podcast, please let me know. I would love to talk to you about it. I am so excited to get started, and I hope you enjoy!!
