MSI Press Blog

  From the author of  Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth , Julia Aziz - Lessons of Labor  was conceived a few hours after my first child was born. Battered, bleeding, and still in shock over what childbirth had really been like, one thing was clear to me: I had to write everything down, and I had better do it soon, before I forgot. My birth experience was not particularly unusual in any way, but my internal process felt like a long meditation retreat I had done some years earlier: every personal demon I had ever struggled with had somehow come to face me in the past twenty-four hours, and I was reeling from the experience.  Of course in the months to come, I came to see that giving birth, which I had given quite a bit of thought and preparation to, was actually easier than postpartum anxiety, insomnia, hormonal changes, and newborn care. As I began to inexpertly stumble along the path of motherhood, I noticed those personal demons were coming along for the r

  Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , writes: Is it just me, or does it feel like the phrase "impostor syndrome" is getting confused and over-used? To clarify, I want to explore what it's like to feel like you're faking it. Maybe people assume you know what you're doing, but you secretly fear that you don't.  First Things First: Being New is Normal If you're new at whatever you're doing and feel like an impostor, then you're probably an honest person on the right track. When we're first learning anything, it's all skills practice. We follow what we've been taught and practice the tools handed down by those more experienced than us. Over time, we integrate what we've learned into our own personality and style until it becomes our own. Everybody gets there by mucking it up along the way.  Impostor Syndrome is for Everyone Impostor syndrome doesn't just affect newbies though. Everyone has days or weeks, even years, where they&

  Today's shares blog post comes from Julia Aziz, author of  Lessons of Labor . From Julia: Another round of women's circles (online support group and more) are now forming. She writes: Release & Empower is designed for women who are often attending to other people’s needs. We are all helpers in some way, whether that happens as mental health professionals, healthcare or wellness practitioners, moms, elder caregivers, teachers, or go-to friends. Everyone is used to giving a lot of themselves, and most really crave some space to receive. If this sounds like you, maybe you’re also wanting to: Release negative emotions and shift into a more relaxed, centered way of being regardless of what’s going on around you Feel strong enough to make courageous choices and clear about your next steps Be able to set healthy boundaries and feel heart-centered and balanced in your relationships and responsibilities Appreciate your life and know you are not only good enough, but really worth i

  The following post comes from Jula Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor -- On getting triggered: Anger, guilt, blame, and the feelings we don’t want to feel OCTOBER 24, 2023  /  JULIA AZIZ I’m curious, who showed you how to feel and process anger in a healthy way? (Just kidding, that’s not a fair question!) Depending on our background, we may have learned to numb or suppress negative emotions, beat ourselves up, or lash out, but it’s pretty rare for an adult reading this today to have grown up in an environment that modeled well how to work with feelings like anger, guilt, shame, or fear. It’s something we as a species are still learning. We continue to trigger negative emotions in each other all the time though–that’s just being human and living in society with other humans. Part of growing into adulthood is learning how to respect what we feel while also respecting other people’s experience, and while that may sound extremely basic, it’s often extremely missing. You may have heard the

  Today's shared post comes from Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , who writes the following in her post, "When you give your attention to everyone else first," says - Do you ever feel upset at people for asking too much, but you keep those feelings to yourself and do what they as Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages . k anyway? Do you procrastinate what’s import

  Julia Aziz, author of the wonderful book, Lessons of Labor , is once again offering her fall women's circle. Here is what she has to say about this opportunity: The people who give the most of themselves to others often find it hard to create space for themselves. Who has the time for it? There's always someone, whether it be a client, a child, a parent, a friend, a patient... someone who needs a little more of your attention and therefore time in your schedule.  So often, I hear from women who long for more breathing room in their lives, but they feel overwhelmed by the idea of committing to one more thing.  What they want is space and maybe a little freedom, yet if it's not on the calendar, it's not likely to happen. If this resonates for you and you've been considering joining a women's circle this fall, I hope this email helps in your discernment about what's right for you right now. "The writing, movement, and community sound so lovely, but I kno

Excerpt from Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth   (Aziz) - COMPETENCE AND EASE   I started mentally repeating a request to my unborn daughter: “Just hold on until the midwife gets here, and then you can come right out.” The pain of pushing, that now familiar ring of fire, barely registered in my brain. I was only focused on holding my baby in until professional help arrived. I didn’t fight or try to control the pushing, but I didn’t help it along. I just took shallow, panting breaths, let my body do its work, and asked my baby to come slowly.   Just a few minutes later, at 11:30 p.m., my midwife walked in the open door. She came straight over to me, crouched down, and caught my baby as she slipped easily out of my body.   Committing to the moment, I can discover competence and ease.   Do you know the feeling of being in the zone, when everything seems to fall into place with little or no effort? The freedom of living life in a state of flow i

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with the Lessons of Labor (Aziz).  Read more about the Julia Aziz and her book HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.  Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .    

  Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor, is offering another cycle of Release and Empower Women's Circle, starting soon.  Click HERE for all the details, including registration. For more posts about Julie and her book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can!  Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .