Parenthood, Marriage & Household Roles with my Husband

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pursuit of Wellness

Episode: Parenthood, Marriage & Household Roles with my Husband

Date: April 27, 2026
Host: Mari Llewellyn (with Greg)

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Episode Overview

In this candid and insightful episode, Mari Llewellyn is joined by her husband Greg for an unfiltered conversation centered on early parenthood, marriage dynamics, the evolving roles within their household, and the impact these shifts have on personal identity. Together, Mari and Greg tackle the challenges of becoming new parents to their son Kai—as well as the pressures, joys, and unexpected realities that come with balancing entrepreneurial careers, content creation, and family responsibilities. They reflect on societal narratives about marriage and parental roles, the emotional complexities of motherhood, and the importance of honest communication and personal growth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shift in Identity & Household Roles

• Mari’s transition to motherhood:

  • “My whole identity just got flipped upside down…Biologically, you are not the same as me.” (00:13, Mari)
  • Mari opens up about her evolving sense of self since stepping away from work for maternity leave and how this change has prompted a new understanding of her value and responsibilities.

• Two separate journeys:

  • “We’re having two separate journeys. You have, like, this innate calling. Your instincts have kicked in like I’ve never seen in my life…far exceeded my paternal instinctual calling.” (00:22, Greg)
  • Greg acknowledges that the arrival of Kai has affected each of them differently—Mari’s maternal instincts are strong, while his own role is still taking shape.

• Defining roles:

  • “We also…had to somehow live time discuss what are our roles in this household? Because…for the last 12 years…it has been, we’re both entrepreneurs…now we have two very separate roles.” (11:44, Greg)

Memorable Moment

• Greg’s confession on stay-at-home parenting:
  • “Greg looked at me and he goes, ‘I can’t do this.’…He was like, ‘I tapped out.’…I was like, ‘Welcome…see, it’s not so easy.’” (11:13)

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2. Content Creation & Identity Online

• Pressure and boundaries around sharing family life:

  • “The conversation of, like, showing your child online is very heated…Kai is my whole world…it’s really confusing and hard.” (08:26, Mari)
  • Mari discusses the struggle of deciding how much of her child and personal life to share, balancing pride and privacy.

• Greg’s pivot into content:

  • “You are making less of [founder content]…I felt some extra pressure to prioritize it more because I know how powerful it is for our community.” (04:13, Greg)
  • As Mari stepped back, Greg increased his public presence, focusing more on documenting entrepreneurial life and mentorship.

Notable Quote

• On generational content:
  • “We didn’t really have that type of mentorship when we were starting…I don’t even think content like this existed when we were starting.” (04:47, Mari)
• On authenticity:
  • “You truly documented the build of Bloom in public.” (06:19, Greg)

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3. Societal Expectations & “Don’t Marry a Loser”

• Debate on parental roles:

  • “There’s like a narrative now…that the dad needs to be basically like a stay-at-home dad or very hands on…in order to be considered a good dad.” (15:21, Mari)

• Reconciling changing expectations:

  • “My life just quite literally changed less than your life…I feel like…you still come to work every day…my whole identity just got flipped upside down.” (15:59, Greg & Mari)
  • “We’re having two separate journeys.” (16:19, Greg)

Timestamped Segment

• The social media narrative:
  • 15:11–17:05: In-depth debate about societal pressures (“Don’t marry a loser”), division of household labor, and the reality versus online impressions.

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4. Navigating New Parenthood

• Daily challenges and support systems:

  • “Anytime I do have the full day with Kai…it's hard work, dude.” (10:09, Mari)
  • “Respect to the full time stay at home moms, like…it’s hard work, dude.” (10:33, Mari)
  • Discussion of help from nannies, the adjustment to routine, and the energy required for hands-on parenting.

• Changing tolerance for chaos:

  • "It is crazy when you become a mom how much your tolerance goes up for…chaos." (27:14, Mari)

Honest Reflection

• On colic:
  • “Dude, colic is like out of all the things we’ve cured in this world, how have we not figured that the fuck out?” (25:55, Greg)

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5. Communication, Marriage, and Making Time for the Relationship

• Honest check-ins:
  • Mari and Greg stress the importance of ongoing conversations about shifting roles and expectations as parents and partners.
  • “We’re still figuring this all out…Kai’s only four and a half months…everything’s still so new.” (11:26, Mari)
• Prioritizing the relationship amid parenting:
  • “We used to be on the same mission every single day…now…it’s really hard to separate the thinking.” (12:35, Mari)

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6. Philosophical Reading & Personal Growth

• Greg’s reading journey:

  • “One of the things that I've always been very insecure about is my ability to read…I’ve gotten totally hooked on it…” (28:01, Greg)
  • Inspired by fatherhood, Greg shares a goal to become “someone who reads”—despite ADHD and past insecurities. He reflects on reading works like “Navalmanack,” “Book of Elon,” and Rockefeller’s letters, and how literature has shifted his mindset and digital consumption habits.

• Impact on the couple:

  • “Now you’ll come sit next to me and you’ll read, too. And that’s fucking awesome.” (34:13, Greg)

Notable Books Mentioned

• “The Navalmanack” (Naval Ravikant)
• “Book of Elon”
• “Courage to Be Disliked” (Japanese origin, Adlerian psychology)
• Rockefeller’s “Letters to His Son”
• “The Magic Fish” (children’s book discussed critically)

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7. Personal Boundaries, Friendship, and Motherhood

• Learning to say no:

  • “I like being a support and like kind of being a therapy role in a way. But becoming a mom made me realize like I cannot pour so so so much energy into other people. Like I need to leave room for me, Kai and you.” (36:38, Mari)
  • Mari reflects on how motherhood has changed her approach to friendships, energy allocation, and embracing the power of ‘no’ to protect her family and self.

• Choosing peace, forgiveness, and authenticity:

  • “My goal in life is to change the pattern in my family. So in order to do that, I need to forgive them…choosing to choosing peace.” (40:25, Mari)
  • The couple discusses healing, breaking generational patterns, and being unapologetically authentic in their public and private lives.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the illusion of balance:
  • “But it’s two very different things…there could be, like, an intense moment…And I’m like, is the camera rolling right?” (06:17, Greg)
• On addressing mistakes in public:
  • “And if we made a mistake, I would address it more than I was comfortable with…Sorry. The packaging…” (06:39, Mari)
• On resilience:
  • “Once you get through [newborn chaos],...it’s so much easier.” (26:47, Greg)
• On personal standards:
  • “I think I’m, like, highly critical of anything that you and I touch. So I just hold us to a high standard.” (03:39, Mari)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:13–00:22 – Mari and Greg reflect on the immediate impact of parenthood on identity and instinct.
• 08:25–09:11 – Mari discusses setting boundaries around sharing Kai online and the confusion that comes with it.
• 10:33–12:23 – The struggle and respect for stay-at-home parents.
• 15:11–17:05 – Discussion around social narratives (“Don’t marry a loser”), expectations of fathers, and resentment dynamics.
• 25:55–26:22 – Dealing with colic and newborn challenges—raw honesty about tough moments.
• 28:01–34:13 – Greg on reading as a tool for self-growth and modeling behavior for Kai.
• 36:38–40:25 – Mari on friendship, boundaries, motherhood, and seeking personal peace.
• 40:53–41:32 – On self-reflection, forgiveness, and identity formation as a new parent.

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Tone & Language

True to the show’s ethos, Mari and Greg’s conversation is refreshingly raw, relatable, and injected with both vulnerability and humor (“Have you gone through, like, the list of mom gadgets that have just saved us?”). Their openness about struggles, growth, misunderstandings, and adaptability offers listeners validation and inspiration without glossing over difficulties or giving into perfectionist pressures.

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Summary

This episode of Pursuit of Wellness offers a heartfelt and nuanced look into real-life partnership, shifting family roles, and the messy beauty of becoming parents. Mari and Greg’s willingness to unpack tough feelings, challenge societal scripts, and share their evolving philosophies makes this a must-listen (or read) for anyone navigating relationships or major life transitions. Their honest reflections, practical insights, and warm banter will resonate with both new parents and anyone committed to the ongoing journey of personal growth.

Transcript

[Mari Llewellyn]

This is my husband, Greg.

[Greg]

Yeah, what's up? I'm Greg.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Husband, don't marry a loser.

[Greg]

Define loser.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Oh, my God. Like, my husband is supposed to be in this with me 24 7. Why doesn't he feel the same way I do?

[Greg]

My life just quite literally changed less than your life.

[Mari Llewellyn]

You still come to work every day. You are around the same people, you're having the same conversations. My whole identity just got flipped upside down. Biologically, you are not the same as me.

[Greg]

We're having two separate journeys. You have, like, this innate calling. Your instincts have kicked in like I've never seen in my life. Your instincts of maternal deliverables for Kai have, like, far exceeded my paternal instinctual calling. When Kai tried to latch on my breast. Hey, maybe I have a different role in this house right now.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Becoming a mom made me realize, like, I need to leave room for me, Kai and you.

[Greg]

What's best for Kai. That's really all that the mission is at this point, what is the best for Kai.

[Mari Llewellyn]

This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast, and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn.

[Greg]

Hi, babe.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Welcome.

[Greg]

Back in the chair.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Back in the chair.

[Greg]

These are great chairs.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know. It's fun, right?

[Greg]

No, this is the best. I love. I love how it's kind of the same thing as the studio in la and so I feel like I'm in LA right now.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Is this what it looked like in la?

[Greg]

Pretty close. Also. So we're in the Blume headquarters right now. We have. Pursuit Network has a studio here in the headquarters, and this is the best room in the entire headquarters because of how soundproofed you guys made it.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

So, like, if I have, like, if I have someone with a bit of a dirty mouth, this is where I'll hold that meeting.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Okay. Have you done that?

[Greg]

Yeah. If I bring in, like, you would know their names. I won't say their names in here for a meeting. And, like, it is not appropriate for some of the Blum employees to hear what's going to be said that. I just know they have a wild mouth. I bring them in here. Cause this room's totally soundproof.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Glad you're using it for good. Good reason. It's funny. Oh, by the way, guys, this is my husband, Greg.

[Greg]

Yeah, what's up?

[Mari Llewellyn]

I'm Greg.

[Greg]

Husband Greg.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Go follow him. Greg Lav. What is it? Eglav Reglav. He's been.

[Greg]

You know how, like, Gary Vee. Gary Vee doesn't use, like, Vaynerchuk.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

I thought I would just create Like a brand. Greg.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, I thought that was. And you've always been Greg Lav's life. Remember when you were Greg Lav's life?

[Greg]

I know. And I hated that handle.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And you got banned from that.

[Greg]

People thought it was. No, that was my last handle.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Live Laugh, Love.

[Greg]

No, they thought it was Greg's lavish life. I was like, I need to get rid of this immediately.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I mean, you might as well title your page that at this point.

[Greg]

Okay, I'm not gonna get into this right now.

[Mari Llewellyn]

We should talk about it.

[Greg]

I just document my life.

[Mari Llewellyn]

So Greg has recently become somewhat of an influencer.

[Greg]

Well, upon Mari's retirement. Not retirement.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Okay.

[Greg]

You're a som.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I'm figuring out my identity.

[Greg]

Is your. Your. Your.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I'm a psalm.

[Greg]

Psalm. S. Stay at home, Mom.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Stay at home, Mom.

[Greg]

S, A, H, M. I don't know what I am. No, no, no. But that's the acronym.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Right, sure. Yeah.

[Greg]

All right, so. So with maternity leave, obviously you have stepped away from the same volume of content creation. I won't. The quality is so incredible. But same volume of content creation is down and bloom. You're like, just for some final decisions on. Or for key decisions. Final decisions, you know, new products.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I want to jump back into the creative calls.

[Greg]

We're very excited about that, by the way. Are you saying that because things are not looking good?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. I mean. No, no, no, no, no. Just. I don't like when I see some. You know how I am. Like, if I see something and it's not perfect, I do get upset.

[Greg]

Yeah, no, you always have, because it's

[Mari Llewellyn]

a representation of us.

[Greg]

You're the goat.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I get upset when I see things on your page that I don't like.

[Greg]

All right, so now we're going back

[Mari Llewellyn]

to my page, which is JJ's in the room who runs Greg Social, and he's crushing. JJ is a fantastic content creator and manager and person.

[Greg]

Honestly, creative director.

[Mari Llewellyn]

You know him a lot better than me, but he seems amazing. But I'm just. I think I'm, like, highly critical of anything that you and I touch.

[Greg]

Yes.

[Mari Llewellyn]

So I just hold us to a

[Greg]

high standard with your, quote, maternity slowdown.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

I have picked up my personal brand.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's not the reason you did.

[Greg]

It just happened. It hap. I mean, it just happens to have worked that way because, like, it'd be fucking weird if we were both, like, getting content in a scenario.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I mean, some couples function that way.

[Greg]

But I don't know how.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's not the. That's not the Reason you, what would you say is the reason you started?

[Greg]

I, I, I would say I felt more pressure to make some founder content because you are making less of it. And I was obviously not going to suggest to you to make content with a baby in your hands. You know what I mean? So I definitely felt some extra pressure to prioritize it more because I know how powerful it is for our community.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I liked the. Well, first of all, I also think you are very passionate about business and mentorship.

[Greg]

I'm very passionate about passing down the baton to the youth that I know is probably lost, as a lot of us were.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, yeah. And we didn't really have that type of mentorship when we were starting.

[Greg]

I don't even think content like this existed when we were starting.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, it really didn't.

[Greg]

We truly had no idea what was going on.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, we didn't.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Which looking back, we didn't have AI. We didn't have. We had no guidance, which I think was almost a blessing because we so did it in our own way. And we moved so quickly. Imagine ChatGPT would have been like, take a beat, slow down for a second.

[Greg]

Would have told us every idea was a good idea.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. Amazing.

[Greg]

Yeah. Yeah, you should definitely do that.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And we probably would have had it run customer service. Like, think about it, how different it would have been.

[Greg]

No, it would have been so different.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And then we wouldn't have had the experience we had.

[Greg]

Well, we also like so much of what Bloom is. I'll tell people, like, sometimes you just need to go with your gut. Like, you're not going to be able to get a definitive answer from some sort of AI tool or whatever. They're like, what do you mean, go with your gut? I'm like, wait, has this generation, like, lost that term?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Our whole life was just going with our gut.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Yeah, that, that was our chatbot.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I would love to, like, be a fly on the wall of us back in the day. Just, like, watching the way we did things. It was a lot of, like, inefficiencies. No, to be fair, it was a lot of, like, whiteboarding, brainstorming. Like, just, like, problem solving. It was a lot of problem solving.

[Greg]

We were firefighters.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And a lot of, like, risk taking.

[Greg]

Yes. But somehow at the same time, you were trying to. You especially were trying to put out the fire while creating content.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Oh, I loved it.

[Greg]

But it's two very different things. There could be, like, an intense moment. This is what I'm currently needing to think about. There's an intense moment. Going on. And I'm like, is the camera rolling right? Those are like, what I didn't film, though, that you definitely built Bloom in. In public.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's true.

[Greg]

You had samples. You were, you know, taking photo. You were. You were.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And if we made a mistake, I

[Greg]

would address it more than I was comfortable with. Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I was like, hey, guys. Sorry. The packaging.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like, we had an. Remember, we had an outline of a

[Greg]

straw that was so funny coming out.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And then we had, like, we had a few things where I addressed it online.

[Greg]

Generally, the mistakes were only packaging. Thanks, God. Thank God.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, thanks God.

[Greg]

Thank you, God.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Okay, so you've kind of taken, like, a little bit of a pivot with your career since we last spoke.

[Greg]

I've. I've added it on. I haven't left anything.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's a good point. Yeah, you've added it on.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And now when we're out in public, like, people are coming up to Greg, which is so cool. We're in, like, in New York, and, like, guys will run up with their products in their hands. Like, I've been waiting to meet you. I want to show you my product. And it's kind of nice for me. I mean, not that I don't like meeting people. I love meeting people. And I ran into a few super sweet girls when we were in New York. But mostly it's like, guys coming up to you.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Which is really nice. I get to take a backseat and

[Greg]

be like, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's awesome. It's been really nice.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I feel like I passed on the baton.

[Greg]

You passed onto my. Me as the. I am the younger generation. More.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Oh, Greg's, like, a little. Greg's, like, a little younger than me. So that's, like the running joke in our house.

[Greg]

You pass it on to the younger generation.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, yeah. So what's like, the goal and the plan with the content?

[Greg]

There is no goal. There is no goal. There is no finish line. We are just documenting the build of bloom, the life of an entrepreneur. You know, I don't really show fatherhood. I don't really show, like, our home life, which you obviously did and do. Currently, it is very much a little bit business entrepreneur on the go. That is the content. I. I omit quite a bit.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Of my actual life.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I think that's why. Just a tangent. I think that's why I'm struggling so much with my content right now, because the conversation of, like, showing your child online is very heated, and people have a lot of opinions about it. And it was Something that I think about a lot.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And it's. It's harder than you expect because when you. It's easy to come up with what you think you're going to do when you don't have a baby, but then when you have the baby and you're. It's your whole world. Kai is my whole world. I'm so proud of him. All I want, he's my whole life. And to not show him is like pretty much me deciding to not show my life. So it's really confusing and hard. So I've kind of come up with like a boundary of like what I'm comfortable with.

[Greg]

I think that's great.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And I show him here and there in ways that I think is appropriate. And I also think with babies, we don't fully know what they look like yet. Like, a lot of.

[Greg]

I mean, like, safety wise.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Safety wise. A lot of babies look somewhat similar. I think once you get to the age of like two, one and a half, two and they're recognizable is when I would really rethink this. I think a lot of moms go through this, but there is this like, like your brain and I've spoken about this. Just. You just feel so confused. It's like this crazy experience where your identity is different and you care. Like, I've never cared about something as much as I care about Kai, obviously ever. And it's also like a very difficult job. And I think there's like the huge misconception and we are super lucky that we have great help. We don't have family around us, but we do have a nanny who I love and is like a teammate for me.

[Greg]

That's how you're here right now.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's how I'm here right now. But anytime I do have the full day with Kai, it's. He's the best thing ever. He's so much fun and I love it, but it is hard fricking work. It's like physical, it's mental, it's emotional. It's hard to find time to do anything for yourself. It's hard to like eat a meal. It's harder to me than some of our hardest days with Bloom.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

So like respect to the full time stay at home moms, like, it is. It's hard work, dude.

[Greg]

Shout out to the moms. Do you, do you feel like the day. If you ever. If you have a 24, 7 day with Kai with a lack of help? Because like sometimes I travel for work. Like sometimes you're like, truly, you travel a Lot. I travel a lot. Do you feel like the day flies by or you feel like the day goes slow?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Slow?

[Greg]

Because that's how I. When we have, like, when I'm home all Sunday and we have Kai all day and you know that starts at 6:30, depending on when he wakes up.

[Mari Llewellyn]

5:30?

[Greg]

Yeah. Some days it's 5:30. I think this last Sunday was 5:30. I checked the clock. I thought it'd be like 4:00pm it was 11:00am and I was like, can I tell?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Can I tell this? Can I tell the story?

[Greg]

He's just staring at me like, what's next?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Greg looked at me and he goes, I can't do this.

[Greg]

I tapped out.

[Mari Llewellyn]

He was like, I can't.

[Greg]

I tapped out.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I was like, welcome.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

See, it's not so easy.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. I mean, Greg and I think it's good for us to say transparently we're like, still figuring this all out. Like, Kai's only four and a half months and everything's still so new. And Greg is like at the pinnacle of his career right now and super busy and doing all these new things and traveling a lot. And we just had a baby and

[Greg]

like, we also, like, had to somehow live time, discuss what are our roles in this household? Because keep in mind, for the last 12 years that we've been together, it has been, we're both entrepreneurs. We're stuck to the hip all day. We're just going to continue to grow, bloom, and try to prioritize our relationship. Honestly, maybe second to our careers, although our relationship has always thrived. And now we have two very separate roles in our household. And it's like, but we're. But we're still dabbling in both other sides as well. Right.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And it's more complicated now than it's ever been.

[Greg]

It's very complicated.

[Mari Llewellyn]

We used to be on the same mission every single day. And even if we were like a little bit separate, like, maybe I was more on the content front and I was like, creative front and you were behind the scenes or whatever. It was like, very clear.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Now it's like, it's really hard to separate the thinking.

[Greg]

Yeah. Cause it's easy to say divide and conquer. But then it's like, but what's best for Kai? Because that's really all that the mission is at this point, what is the best for Kai. But we also still need to, like, work and we have career goals and we have. I would say our fun goals are the last thing on the list right now. It's not like, we're doing that much stuff for, like, personal fun.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I care about his experience, experiences in life, and he may not remember, like, the trip we're taking him on this summer, but I want to.

[Greg]

But we're bringing him.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

You know what I mean?

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's why I'm saying it.

[Greg]

Right. Well, because, like, that is what just to be with us is probably what's the best for Kai.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. And I want to travel. Like, my goal. I always told myself I wanted to be a parent that traveled a lot because it was one of my favorite things about my childhood was that I saw a lot of different cultures and countries, and I want that for him.

[Greg]

His first solid food will probably be in Europe.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, it won't.

[Greg]

Yes, it will.

[Mari Llewellyn]

It will be May 20th. It's on the calendar. You have no idea what's going on. Like, you really don't.

[Greg]

Okay.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Greg loves to make these bold statements and just.

[Greg]

I thought it was at six months.

[Mari Llewellyn]

That's like, starting solids is, like, a serious thing.

[Greg]

Yeah. Why not do it where the food is?

[Mari Llewellyn]

We have to. Allergy tests. We have to make. You know, we can't just, like, throw them an octopus tentacle in Europe.

[Greg]

Sounds. Sounds pretty.

[Mari Llewellyn]

We probably will do that, but we got to start at home in a controlled environment.

[Greg]

No, like, we were talking in his little chair. We were talking about weaning off the pacifier, and I was like, just put some chili peppers on the pacifier.

[Mari Llewellyn]

People are going to think you're actually clueless and listen to me.

[Greg]

But I am. And I would imagine most. You have, like, this innate calling. Your instincts have kicked in like, I've never seen in my life. Obviously, similar to entrepreneurship content. We were just talking about. There's so much just, like, motherhood content and books that you've been reading, and you're just consuming motherhood stuff all day. I, I, My time for Kai, for the most part, has just, like, been with Kai. Like, we're on two totally different

[Mari Llewellyn]

are

[Greg]

your instincts of maternal deliverables for Kai have, like, far exceeded my paternal instinctual calling of how to raise Kai.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I think that's normal.

[Greg]

Yeah. That's what I. And I would imagine everyone listening to us would feel that in their.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Probably a lot of people are, like, afraid to talk about it. I think, like, there's a lot of, like, I've talked about this in a previous episode. There's a lot of, like, content online about, like, don't marry a loser. Have you seen that?

[Greg]

No. And it sounds like a great concept.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I, I don't love it because I

[Greg]

think, what does it define? Loser.

[Mari Llewellyn]

There's like a narrative now with girls my age who have babies that like, the dad needs to be basically like a stay at home dad or like very hands on in order to be considered like a good dad.

[Greg]

I would, some would define that as a second mom.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Greg]

That would be a toxic angle of taking that.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Sure. And I honestly, it got to me and I think it gets to a lot of new moms. Cause you're like, oh my God, like, my husband is supposed to be in this with me 24 7. Like, why doesn't he have the same, like, you do have this, like, kind of resentment at the beginning because you're like, why doesn't he feel the same way I do?

[Greg]

My life just quite literally changed less than your life.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yes. For sure. I feel like it's still. You still come to work every day. You are around the same people, you're having the same conversations, and I'm. My whole identity just got flipped upside down. But I think it's good that we, like, talk about that because biologically you are not the same as me.

[Greg]

But it took us weeks, if not months to be like, to even get what was going on. Like, hey, why is there odd feelings here? Why is this something that we. What are we, what do we even need to talk about right now? Like, oh, we're having two separate journeys.

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[Greg]

good, so good, so good.

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[Mari Llewellyn]

I also think thinking about things in a little bit more of a long term frame has helped me a lot. The baby stage is not often a dad's favorite stage or like the most natural stage for a dad. I think the dad really locks in.

[Greg]

Around two years old, when Kai tried to latch on my breast, I was surprised that Mari didn't just realize this that day right like, hey, maybe I have a different role in this house right now. Um, so, yeah, I was surprised that that wasn't, like, just, like, an immediate.

[Mari Llewellyn]

What are you talking about?

[Greg]

Remember when Kai would just try to, like, latch on everything?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, he still does.

[Greg]

No, he doesn't try to latch on me anymore. He knows I'm a man.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Well, okay, now we've gotten to the point where Kai will, like, hear Greg's deep voice and, like, turn and look.

[Greg]

He also loves dudes. He loves seeing guys around. Cause he's always around women. Because Amari only has women in the house for the most part. Unless there's, like, a handyman there or something. But so, like, when there are guys around, he just gets. So maybe just because he thinks Dad's

[Mari Llewellyn]

around, I think he, like, admires you.

[Greg]

Maybe.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Maybe I'm projecting.

[Greg]

Also, there's no baby action figures. We need to talk about this. There's just, like, animals. To find him a male play figure that doesn't have a sharp finger that he might put in his eye has been impossible. And he's gonna put it in his mouth. So it has to be natural and organic. I need an organic, natural GI Joe. If anyone can source me that.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Do you wanna start that business?

[Greg]

Perhaps?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Organic.

[Greg]

Organic. But that's another thing, is there's been a few books that I get to the last page, and I'm like, I fundamentally do not agree with the message in this childhood book.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I'll give an example. We were reading him the Magic Fish. Isn't that what that book's called? Magic Fish with the Shiny scales?

[Greg]

So there's one fish in the ocean that's born with, let's say, 100 shiny scales, and none of the other fish have shiny scales.

[Mari Llewellyn]

She's stunning.

[Greg]

She's stunning and she is depressed all the time.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, no, no, you skipped a whole part.

[Greg]

What?

[Mari Llewellyn]

They all hate her because she has shiny scales and they don't have shiny scales.

[Greg]

Is that what happened?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yes. None of the other fish had shiny scales and they all hated her, so she was sad.

[Greg]

Wow, this was an intense book.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know. And we're reading it and we're both

[Greg]

like, and so what happened?

[Mari Llewellyn]

So she goes, oh, I guess I'll just, like, remove all my shiny scales.

[Greg]

I hand one of my scales to each one of the hundred fish so that we each have one shiny scale.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. And at the end, it was like, yay.

[Greg]

And then at the end, she was like. And then I just swam happily in the ocean because we all had one shiny scale. And I Was like.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And me and Greg looked at each other and we were like, no, no, no, no, no.

[Greg]

If you're listening, no one gives Shaquille o' Neal shit for being born seven two. Right. You're just born with what you've got. This fish was born with seven. With 100 shiny scales.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

They're not. You don't need to remove any of the things that you are blessed with or that you're. Everyone has their own set of advantages.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Don't dull your shine.

[Greg]

Don't dull your shine. So that book was. We have a wood burning sauna that provided some great fuel that night.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, we both looked at each other and we were like. I was expecting another page to be like. And then she realized she should just own it.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

You know, I was waiting for that.

[Greg]

I like that.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I like that.

[Greg]

Because it almost made that you feel like if you're an outcast, you need to become one with the pack.

[Blinds.com Ad]

Yes.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Or if you're special.

[Greg]

Yeah. It made you feel like that you shouldn't embrace being special or told you that you shouldn't.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Which, by the way, I felt like that.

[Greg]

Yeah. Also, Kai happens to be massive, so he's gonna be bigger than me when he's 14 years old, which is a whole other conversation. It's one of the reasons why I need to stay in shape so I can kick his ass.

[Mari Llewellyn]

But by the way, he's also out of his mind.

[Greg]

Yes. He's crazy.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like, day by day, we are screwed.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like we need a full playground.

[Greg]

He's become too powerful.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like, I'll just be trying to put him down for a nap or feeding him. And he will push himself off my chest and look at me and just

[Greg]

go, he's getting very strong.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And lose it and just start trying to eat my nose and grab my hair. He's so active.

[Greg]

Yeah. And he's very happy.

[Mari Llewellyn]

He's bonkers. Like, I've. I've never seen such a small baby. Well, he's not small, but like 4 months old.

[Greg]

Have you gone through another episode trying to crawl? Yeah, he's trying to call it four months old.

[Mari Llewellyn]

He gets pissed if there's a toy that he can't reach. He's. He's literally pissed.

[Greg]

Have you gone through, like the.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Oh, now I'm pissed.

[Greg]

Have you gotten. Oh, wait, sorry, wait. I wanted to ask you for the loser husband thing. So what's trending? Are they saying are now? Are they saying that you shouldn't have a stay at home dad?

[Mari Llewellyn]

I see both sides of the Coin. I see.

[Greg]

This is a debate live time.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I see both types of content. I see people saying, don't marry a loser. And, like, the husband's, like, changing the diaper and doing the bottle.

[Greg]

And so they're saying that that's a loser.

[Mari Llewellyn]

No, no, they're saying that's not a loser.

[Greg]

Ah, ah, ah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like, in that scenario, you are a loser.

[Greg]

I change diapers. What do you mean?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, occasionally.

[Greg]

Yeah, I change diapers.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg]

Wait, all right, so then. And then there's another side of the table that's just like, I married a provider.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like, the other one is, like, more trad wife energy.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Where, like, the husband goes to work

[Greg]

and, like, that's his role for the house.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I, I. There's like, a gray area, guys, you know?

[Greg]

Well, I'm glad that you have a diverse algorithm. You're seeing both sides.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Thanks.

[Greg]

That's cool.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. When I was pregnant, it was all.

[Greg]

The first one, it was, it was all, dad should be stay at home.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. Which, by the way, gets in your head.

[Greg]

Dude. I was home for the first month.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, I know.

[Greg]

The first month, by the way, that was the best. If you are, you were home for two weeks or married to an entrepreneur. That's not true. If you are an entrepreneur, married to an entrepreneur. If you can have the baby around the holidays or around a period that is, you know, when he happens, or he or she happens to be home from work, that was such an insane blessing because I was so concerned about needing to have a paternity leave and wanting a paternity leave during a very active time at Bloom. And since he was born on December 4, I was already home because of Thanksgiving. So a week prior to his birth, I was home through Thanksgiving. And then I just pretty much stayed home, like, for the most part through Christmas and through New Year. So I was like. But I would have never been able to pull that off if it wasn't during December.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Remember the first week you wanted to come back to the office? I was so scared. Cause I was by myself.

[Greg]

Oh, that's great. I remember the first time you even drove him by yourself, which is still crazy to me. Like, going back to just, like, solo momming. Like, there's this baby that's crying in the backseat that is so unsafe. Like, it's so distracting. It's so, like, I get so scared when you're driving him by yourself. It's not unsafe to me, but I know all you want to do is soothe him. And so if you're, like, in a Situation where you can't pull off.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, but now I'm a pro. Now I time it perfectly. I know when is a good time to go. Of course I have the camera set up. Like I actually am not nervous anymore.

[Greg]

You don't get distracted driving I'm so proud of.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Huh?

[Greg]

You don't get distracted driving if he's like making noises and stuff. Like you don't want to like constantly check on the camera. Like is he okay?

[Mari Llewellyn]

I hold the camera up. Yeah. Like I'm looking.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

But I'm also driving really carefully.

[Greg]

Yeah. Have you gone through like the list of mom gadgets that. That have just saved us? No, because like one of them is obviously just like you have a camera and not just like a mirror.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. The girls have asked for that episode for like baby registry and stuff.

[Greg]

Obviously Baby brezza. We love for formula for. What's the one that cleans all the

[Mari Llewellyn]

bottles Also baby breast.

[Greg]

We don't put the bottles and stuff in a dishwasher. We put them in this like little dishwasher that's on the countertop. Just bottles.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Spectra pump.

[Greg]

David's bottles.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Well, don't forget. No.

[Greg]

David, what's the bottle with the tube that we use?

[Mari Llewellyn]

Dr. Brown.

[Greg]

Dr. Brown. Sorry. Dr. Brown's bottles have been huge for us. The glass bottles.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Well let's not forget what we used at the beginning. Like everything's changing.

[Greg]

No, we didn't use Dr. Brown's from the beginning.

[Mari Llewellyn]

We did but like I was breastfeeding exclusively at the beginning so we didn't have. We didn't use the formula.

[Greg]

But if you overproduced we would put it in a Dr. Brown's bottle.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg]

We always use Dr. Brown's bottle whether it was formula or breast milk. What else has been like a life saving gadget?

[Mari Llewellyn]

When we had the gas, the.

[Greg]

That wasn't actually that helpful.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Windpipes. Are you joking?

[Greg]

I don't think I ever found him. Finding. Getting real. Honestly. We had a colic baby and I say had. Cause he got over it at 10 weeks. There was fucking nothing that helped. We tried everything. Yeah, they produced gas. Like gas came out.

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But he was so furious.

[Greg]

No, like gas came out of the windy pipe. But he was so furious.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, he was.

[Greg]

Dude, colic is like out of all the things that we've cured in this world, how have we not figured that the fuck out? Like colic babies, man. Shout out to everyone who has a colic baby at home. Like that was the only reason it makes me feel this way is because he was so uncomfortable.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know. It was the saddest thing.

[Greg]

There was nothing we could do.

[Mari Llewellyn]

The first night it happened, we almost went to the hospital.

[Greg]

Yeah. Because he's. He would get so upset. He was sweating red. Sweating.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Oh, it was so sad.

[Greg]

I hate thinking about that.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know. And that was like. We didn't go out. We would not, but people would know. People were taking their fresh babies out to coffee shops and I was like, how?

[Greg]

Yeah. We were pretty nervous about germs too, for the first couple weeks. Like you would wait outside a cafe if we went to a cafe.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

But honestly, now that we've done it, like given without the colic part, like

[Greg]

the new now it's easy.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

It's so much easier.

[Greg]

I know. Hopefully he feels the same way.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Like the second baby. I feel like it's gonna be chill.

[Greg]

Oh, that's a whole other conversation.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I'll probably eat my words, but I

[Greg]

was in the middle of downtown Austin at like 5:30 last night. I saw a mom pushing a stroller with three kids and had a dog.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[Greg]

I mean, it is just. I just cannot. I mean, you've been pushing a stroller with Lulu though.

[Mari Llewellyn]

It is crazy when you become a mom how much you're toler. Tolerance goes up for like, chaos. Chaos.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Because I am not someone that can handle a lot of chaos. And now, like, walking Kai and Lulu, like, at the beginning I was like, so overstimulated. Lulu's like pulling me.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And I was like, there's no way I can walk them together. And now I do it every single day.

[Greg]

And I. I think the dogs have kind of like registered what the hell is going on.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

And they're just like, I'm just happy to be on a walk because I know mom will just bring me back if I'm like, putting Kai in an unsafe situation.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. But like, I. I do feel like I'm able to handle a lot more stress and chaos now. I think so I've gotten way more used to it.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I also wanted to talk about your deep dive into books lately.

[Greg]

Just like total, like, not parenthood wise

[Mari Llewellyn]

can be parenthood related, but like philosophical books and like, what have you been loving and what have you. Like, how has it changed your life?

[Greg]

So every time I do a lap around the year, every time I do a lap around this. What the hell do they say? Like, every time I. I lap around the sun. Yeah. Every time I get a year older.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Okay.

[Greg]

Every time I get a year older. So on my birthday is probably what I'm trying to say.

[Mari Llewellyn]

You are so dramatic. It's crazy.

[Greg]

Every year on my birthday, you, like,

[Mari Llewellyn]

look at the camera, like another lap around the sun.

[Greg]

Yeah, every. Every year on my birthday, which is March 27th, every.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Thanks for telling us.

[Greg]

Well, it's relevant. Every year for everyone. You should just know. Every year. Every year, my birthday, which is at the end of March. Every year. Every year on my. On New Year's, right? I try to write it down, like a list of, like, all right, this is what 31 year old Greg looks like. This is what, you know, the Greg in 2026 looks like. And I keep the list down to, like, three, four, five, max, seven things. And it could just be like, Greg is someone who reads. Greg is someone who, you know, looks put together every day that he goes to work. Like, just like, if someone were to explain what I look like from a stranger's point of view or who Greg is from a stranger's point of view, like, what are a couple quick things they would say? And I try to write those things down. And then that's what I try to follow throughout the year or throughout the next few months, depending on the next time I make that list. And hopefully some of those habits stick. And so I did the same thing when Kai was born. And one of the things that I've always been very insecure about is my ability to read. So I have extreme adhd. I'd actually never finished an entire book. I mean, honestly, I probably never even got halfway into a book my entire 30 years on this planet. I would skim things. I just cheated my way through school, and so I had never read a book. And I was very insecure about my ability to read. My ADHD is so bad that if I was trying to read at the time, I would either have to read out loud or literally use my. My fingers along the words to, like, keep my eyes in the right place. And generally after a few sentences, I would just zone out or, like, move on to a different thing. Right? I wanted Kai when he explained his father or thought about me, and hopefully he won't even have to think about this, because it shouldn't be something you need to think about is my dad is someone who reads or knows how to read. Hopefully you won't need to tell somebody, my dad knows how to read.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And.

[Greg]

And so when Kai was born, I was home for a month or whatever it was, and I decided, I'm gonna buy some books and try to start reading. And I'VE gotten totally hooked to it. I've gotten totally hooked to the idea of like, especially books where it's people who have been somewhere that I want to be or in a perfect world. There are ideologies that have stood the test of time. So one of my favorite books, for example, would be John D. Rockefeller's. I think it's 36 letters to his Son, which is obviously relevant also with, you know, fatherhood. And there's like so many lessons that apply to the 2026 world. I've loved everything related to Naval. So he's a modern day serial entrepreneur, but also modern day philosopher.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I also read that.

[Greg]

Yeah, there's a book that has really summed up all of the content he's produced called the navalmanak which was like very game changing for me. And now I'm reading the Book of Elon which is a similar idea. It's almost an encyclopedia of everything Elon has ever spoke about in terms of, you know, his, his business success, not necessarily like his political views or anything. And yeah, I don't know, I've just gotten like totally hooked on it and I think I wish I picked it up sooner. And it has definitely become a majority of my media consumption.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Okay.

[Greg]

I think the, I think the social media was getting a little crazy. I was like what kind of 31 year old father is spending time on, you know, TikTok on Instagram? Like that's probably not like a trait that I am proud of. So I've, I've drastically limited that consumption and I've tried to replace it with literature.

[Mari Llewellyn]

It's awesome.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

How do you manage how much you

[Greg]

read a day and, and I guess where I would. But I would conclude that is like now I kind of can read, which is super cool. Like you guys try it if you don't know how. Now I can kind of read and I'm like going chapters in and definitely the books aren't advanced. I find I have to read the same thing three times. But I am sorting a lot.

[Mari Llewellyn]

There's self help.

[Greg]

Oh no fiction. I haven't jumped into any fiction. We still watch this.

[Mari Llewellyn]

You know, I love fiction.

[Greg]

I feel like my fiction is generally the TV that we watch at night. We'll always watch like 30 minutes of a show at night. And that's enough fiction for me.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know. I just love fiction.

[Greg]

Oh yeah. I'm sure it's awesome. And I'm sure there's like also really cool lessons from like some of the best fiction. Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And you learn great Vocabulary.

[Greg]

That's also been cool.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Reading was, like, a big thing in my house. For some reason. Me and my sister were obsessed. Like, that was what I did for fun. Like, we would put down books.

[Greg]

Yeah. And I've. You've always. I've always thought that was so cool about you guys.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. Like, on vacation, that's, like, my favorite thing to do is, like, get a really good book.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Can't wait for the next.

[Greg]

And honestly, reading and learning some modern philosophies has gotten me into the idea of sharing them through my content. Because, like, you learn, you read these philosophies that are kind of like these, like, laws that have just applied to the earth for hundreds of years. And you're like, oh, I've experienced that law. And, like, here's two stories from my life where I've experienced that law. And I can just tell these stories on my Instagram and YouTube and teach this law to somebody who maybe hasn't picked up this book or hasn't realized how this law could apply to their, you know, adult life.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yep, totally. And it's inspired me to be reading more because I'll, like, have spurts of fictional reading and then I stop. But seeing you read a lot has, like, made me want to do the same.

[Greg]

Yeah. And maybe, I don't know, your show might like this topic. One of the. It started as a very, like, individual, almost selfish thing that I was doing, where I was like, hey, Mar, I'm now home. We have a baby here. I'm going to go sit outside and read for 30 minutes. And it was just like, you know, it was almost as if I was consuming social media outside for 30 minutes, which would be ridiculous, but it was. Mari knew it was a priority of mine, and she totally supported it. But now you'll come sit next to me and you'll read, too. And that's fucking awesome. And I think there's something to be said about spending time together, even if you're not literally engaging with one another. It's been so nice just sitting next to you when I'm reading and it feels like we're doing something together.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And, yeah, I'm reading a book called the Courage to Be Disliked, so it sounds really badass. And I feel like it was literally like the universe put it in my hands because it is so me. Like, I am the person that needs to read this book. I. I think you would read it and probably actually not gain as much from it as me because. Because you don't care.

[Greg]

But it seems like Motherhood has been this giant wave of like polarizing ideologies.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Well, it's like this wake up call, so.

[Greg]

But it's like whatever you choose, it's going to piss off somebody. Somebody's not going to agree with what you're doing.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Honestly, it. That's something I've really been struggling with. I feel like I am constantly disappointing people because I'm not as fast to answer texts. I don't say yes to everything because it has to be worth it for me. It has to be very scheduled in advance. Like I can't just like pop over or like do things spontaneously how I used to. And honestly like I, because I wasn't the most social person in my 20s because we were building bloom like at college, I was very social. But that wasn't a good example of what friendship should be. College, you like literally live on top of each other. You do everything together. Like it's not a healthy.

[Greg]

You both happen to be there kind

[Mari Llewellyn]

of and you're like drinking 24 7. Like it's not a good example of adult friendship. I never really learned what adult friendship should look like. Right. So when I moved to Austin and I really wanted like a social life, I head first, dove in. Head first, but also like made myself way too available and like invested so much of my time and my energy and like heads up space to other people. And that's something I like like about myself. Cuz I care very much about my friends and like what they're going through and I like being a support and like kind of being a therapy role in a way. But becoming a mom made me realize like I cannot pour so, so so much energy into other people. Like I need to leave room for me, Kai and you.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And I love being supportive where I can, but it's just not the same as it used to be.

[Greg]

Yeah, you definitely weren't. You did not embrace the power of saying no perhaps. And now you're throwing lots of no's.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I know, which is hard for me because I really hate upsetting people. But I also like, I'm really excited to be in a place where I have friendships where it's like we can go two weeks without seeing each other and we're just like back on the same page, you know?

[Greg]

And the book is, the book is like a Japanese origin. Yeah, I think that's so cool. I've only dove into like Marcus Aurelius and like Roman Empire type of ideologies. If I, if they aren't somebody domestic. And I could imagine Just like Asia history unlocking some crazy stoicism type.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Well, it's Adler philosophy. It's Adler psychology. It's. It's anti Freudian. I want to say, like, so the conversation in the book is between a student and a philosopher, which makes it really easy to read because it's not just huge chunks of text, it's conversational.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

But the student goes in with this idea that trauma and, like, what happened to you in your childhood shapes the way you are and there's nothing you can do about it. And I've definitely, like, gone down that path a few times.

[Greg]

You just blame trauma for something.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah. You're like, yeah, I'm that way because this happened in my childhood.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And I can't. There's nothing I can do about it. And the philosopher is saying, well, actually we all have a choice and you can choose to not. So for the. In this example, the student has no friends and, like, doesn't leave his apartment and whatever. Like, doesn't have the life he wants. And the philosopher's like, it's easier for you to blame your trauma because it gives you a reason of why your life is very.

[Greg]

Is the easiest option.

[Mari Llewellyn]

It's basically about. It talks about victim mentality, but it also talks about, like, if you constantly just try to please everyone, you end up living a life that is a lie.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And you will never be happy with yourself because you're just caught up in constantly performing for other people.

[Greg]

I wonder if that hits you extra hard because you are a content creator and there's something to be said about, like, needing to live up to the avatar that you have always portrayed on social media. So I would imagine a lot of burnout from content creators comes from them portraying something they're not. Right. And you've always been incredibly authentic.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

But because of this huge change in your life and you've continued to be authentic, the change was probably what has made it so hard because it's like, this is not why people were originally here. Perhaps.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Which is also probably why I have not found content creation that hard, even though it's from. In a unique angle, as you've expressed. Because I'm just truly documenting.

[Mari Llewellyn]

I. When I'm reading this book, I'm like, thinking about my original fitness journey and how that. That was like, my choice of like, well, sure, I had an interesting childhood and witnessed some things I shouldn't have. But, like, I'm choosing to create my own life regardless and, like, move forward. But even in that, I still, like, had a hard time forgiving people. And now I feel like I've found like so much forgiveness because I've recognized that my goal in life is to change the pattern in my family. So in order to do that, I need to forgive them.

[Greg]

And I think that you can not hold a grudge while still never forgetting something that someone did.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Yeah, but just like choosing to choosing peace. Yeah, but also yes. With what you said, like the content creation is. I feel like I never was an avatar. Like I was always being fully myself but now I don't know who I am. So it's like a little more challenging. I just, you know, I think just being real.

[Greg]

We're only four and a half months into two. I know Kai. It feels like it's been forever.

[Mari Llewellyn]

And so far, by the way, I way prefer myself now.

[Greg]

I think you're doing great. Um, you're totally crushing it. But it feels like it's been forever. But it's only been four and a half months. So having any type of clarity would be incredible right now, let alone full clarity.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Just even getting little glimpses of like who I am as a mom and who I like, what choices I make and like maybe the confidence I have in saying no and whatever. Anyway, I think we should wrap this part of the conversation and this can be our part one episode and we can move into our Q and a for part two.

[Greg]

Hit me with some Q&As.

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Foreign.

[Mari Llewellyn]

Thank you for joining us on the Pursuit of Wellness podcast to support this show. Please rate and review and share with your loved ones. If you want to be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast or video player. You can sign up for my newsletter to receive my [e-mail] it will be linked in the show Notes. This podcast is a Pursuit Network production. Love you Pow girls and PO boys. I will see you next time. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor or health team.

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[Mari Llewellyn]

Edu Sci Fi.