Podcast opens up - How a Counsellor Mum Coped with the Coming Out of Two Transgender Children

•  At 16 and 21, just 5 months apart, Josephine's daughters came out as transgender

• Neither sibling knew about the other, with one being away at University and one being at home

• Counsellor of 10-plus years Josephine struggled to adapt but found solace in other parents and now wants to offer the same to people in her situation

When Josephine Hughes's two children came out as transgender 5 months after one another she felt as though she’d lost something precious and experienced feelings typically associated with grief.

The parents she initially came across who also had transgender children didn’t express those feelings and so she felt so bad and selfish as a result. Eventually, she found parents who did admit to feeling the way she did and over time that allowed her to deal with her difficult and complex emotions.

Through this new 7-part podcast Gloriously Unready Josephine will reveal all about her experience in this searingly honest, no holds barred podcast where she makes some difficult admissions.

Josephine wants to help other parents who have children coming out as transgender to understand there will be difficult emotions to deal with and overcome and give them support to cope with the massive change they are experiencing.

Speaking on her experience she says: “I know just how much of a shock it can be when your child comes out to you and what a huge impact it can have on the whole family. It can be a difficult and confusing time and having been through it twice I have now been able to process my feelings and the experience.  I learned that, although my children had changed forever and life would never be the same again, I could live a life of joy and hope.  The answer lay not in what was outside myself, but what was within me.”

Previously, she worried she wasn't a good enough mum but when he children came out and she was able to support them that fear went away as it became obvious that her children just wanted her love and acceptance.

It’s taken some time to come to terms with and there have been some big hurdles to overcome, such as navigating medical intervention and Jospheine worrying her children might regret these big, no going back from decisions.

Years on, Josephine’s children - now young adults who are not named in the podcast - are happy and living as themselves and she wants to help other parents reach that point, learning to live a different way and help people address their fears.

Episodes 1 and 2 of Gloriously Unready will be available to listen to on all major podcast platforms on Monday the 14th of November here, then the following 5 episodes will be launched daily the same wee from Tuesday - Saturday.

Previews of all episodes can be found here, for guidance episode 3: Changing Parental Identities talks about being a mother and the pride and identity you have in your children which you have to let go of.  

Episode 6: Choose Your Response talks about what it’s like to face your children potentially choosing medical intervention that will harm their fertility and how I responded to that.

Parents seeking support beyond the podcast can find resources on the Gloriously Unready website here.

Listen to Gloriously Unready wherever your get your podcasts now and on Apple Podcasts here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gloriously-unready/id1653385322