Stories

Bea Fagerholt on honest conversations about motherhood

1 January 1970

Bea Fagerholt is the co-founder of To The Moon, Honey, a podcast and community for women navigating motherhood and family life. Through conversations with women sharing their experiences of pregnancy, birth, and family, Bea has witnessed how storytelling creates connection, understanding, and strength. Since founding the platform in 2018 with Liv Winther, she has helped build a space where women can share openly and learn from each other.

You’ve talked to so many women about motherhood over the years. What common aspects have stood out in particular for you?

With our community we have succeeded in creating a space in which the women who participate feel safe in honestly sharing their experiences – these are often personal and vulnerable stories, and there is immense power in being in that space. So that is probably the common aspect that has stood out most for me: how much strength there is in sharing from a vulnerable place.

Have there been any specific stories or conversations that have had a strong impact on you? And why?

I am often moved by our conversations, especially those post-birth conversations where not only has a child been born, but so has a mother. Getting to share in that beautiful and fragile moment is pretty unique. I always feel as if I’m standing right beside them because the stories are so powerful. That being said, there are a couple of episodes that truly touch your heart – including one of the very first we made in which Noor Yassin talks about having a child with Down’s syndrome – that was a story with so much love, vulnerability and strength. Liv hosted that episode and I can still remember where I was when I listened to it afterwards.

"When women are in a safe space and share their experiences with one another, very special bonds are formed..."

Have these women taught you anything that you can apply to your own motherhood?

The sum of these stories we have shared over time shows that there is no one way to be a mother, but also that we are not alone – we all go through difficult things and challenges in life, and it feels reassuring and less lonely to know that you are not the only one.

Are you seeing a shift in how women today talk about motherhood?

One of the reasons we started To The Moon was that we ourselves noted a lack of conversation about the many emotions and factors at play both before, during and after pregnancy. Our experience was that everything motherhood encompasses was invisible in the media environment. We felt a desire to bring honest accounts to the forefront, both so they could help others and also to highlight how much power there is in motherhood. Today, happily, we see a different picture, and it has become much more natural to see motherhood presented on all kinds of platforms.

Curiosity is the antidote to judgment – I believe that ultimately this is what it takes for we as women to stand stronger together.

What kinds of connections do you think arise when women share the raw and unfiltered moments from everyday life?

It’s not something I think, it’s something I know: when women are in a safe space and share their experiences and lessons learned with one another, very special bonds are formed and that is exceptional to experience. For example, when we record a panel discussion, it’s not unusual for the conversation to continue – both immediately afterwards and also in the form of long-lasting friendships between the participants.

Is it doubts, delights or surprises that come out in your conversations?

There are certainly always emotions at play in our podcast – and they come in many hues, ranging from great happiness to severe traumas.

What would you say is the biggest myth about motherhood that your conversations have helped to debunk?

It would be hard to claim that motherhood is not life-changing. That life change also brings potential for development, and we love to delve into that. Exploring and getting to know yourself better is a big part of our community.

What do you hope women take away with them from listening to and reading content from To The Moon, Honey?

Our mantra is that all women have the right to their own story. Therefore, curiosity is always a key ingredient in our conversations, and I hope listeners find that their perspective has expanded after listening. Curiosity is the antidote to judgment – I believe that ultimately this is what it takes for we as women to stand stronger together.