This Isn't What I Signed Up For

This week on *Oh That’s Deep: Black Women Conversations*, Janine and Nicole step into an uncomfortable but necessary conversation about motherhood, regret, identity, and the pressure women—especially Black women—can feel to simply be strong and make it work. First, the ladies catch up on life, from Nicole’s adventures at sea to Janine’s ongoing health journey—and a little disagreement over whether Janine should be anywhere near Nicole’s upcoming bachelorette festivities. Then, **What’s on Our Timeline?** takes the conversation much deeper. A mother admits that although she loves her children, if she could do it all over again, she wouldn’t become a mother. Can you love your children and still regret motherhood? Janine and Nicole unpack pregnancy, postpartum emotions, identity, sacrifice, the expectations placed on Black women, and why we need to make room for women to say what they’re really feeling—even when it makes us uncomfortable. In **Letters From Our Listeners**, Adam writes in with an emotional dilemma of his own. He believes his wife regrets becoming a mother—and he fears their children are beginning to feel her emotional distance. What do you do when you love your spouse, love your children, and aren't sure everyone wants the same life anymore? Janine and Nicole weigh counseling, building a stronger village, bringing in additional support, protecting the marriage and, above all, making sure the children have what they need. Finally, in the **Motivational Moment**, the words of Zora Neale Hurston offer the perfect reflection for this conversation: *“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”* Sometimes the answers about who we are—and who we want to become—don't arrive when we expect them to. It’s honest. It’s complicated. It may even make you uncomfortable. But that’s exactly why we need to talk about it. Until we meet again… **Pray. Work. Slay. And show off your melanated excellence.** Find more shows like this on the Mean Ole Lion app. Follow, rate, comment, and share.