Life Coach on Raising a Trans Child and Choosing Love Over Religious Doctrine

The teachings around queer folks, LGBTQ plus folks, that I had been given and then what I was experiencing with my own child did not match up. My child was not what I had been taught. So to call into question these beliefs was in the beginning it was terrifying. Yeah, my world shattered. Probably the biggest thing is I learned to listen to my inner voice. I learned to honor that. I learned that I didn't have to have an intermediary between me and God and the things that were specific to my life. Meagan Skidmore is a transformative life coach, fierce advocate for empowerment and the founder of Meagan Skidmore coaching. Through her work she helps individuals and families break generational patterns, embrace radical self-acceptance and live authentically by trusting their inner voice and reclaiming their personal power. There are so many mothers who feel like they're walking alone on this journey and you sharing your story is going to free so many people from the prison of silence that these kind of conversations create. I hope so. I love how you you uh termed it the prison of silence. Yeah. If there's one thing I know is... It spans the globe like a super high is cold into the eldest Today Apple is going to reinvent the fall. It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. Oh that is sensational. Open Chicago with the lead. You said fall is about this man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to my season of Legacy Makers. My name is Kira Brinton and I'm so excited to introduce to you one of our JOA authors and one of my friends and leaders that I just so respect and admire Megan Skidmore. Hi Kira. So happy you're here. I am so happy to be here with you. What a journey huh? Huge. Huge journey. Huge. And it's just like starting. Can you feel that? It's like what it took to get here and also it feels like we're also just starting. It does. It's wild. It does. It's especially wild to be... I have no shame. I'm 52 and to feel like life is just starting. It's not beautiful. In so many ways. It is. I can feel it. So let's talk a little bit about we met at a conference 2022. Unstoppable business. Unstoppable. I spoke on that stage. Yes. We met. I remember meeting you at the lunch. Yes. I went to that conference because Glennon Doyle was coming. No disrespect to Glennon. I love her and she was amazing to see. In person. But it became very clear to me that I was supposed to go there to meet you. Because I knew I had a story in me through my journey and I had felt it forming. And I just thought I don't... I have no idea how I'm going to get that out there. I had no clue how to find an agent or publishing company that would pick up a story of a mom of a kiddo who identifies as transgender. And when you were there and shared about... It was called Freedom House Publishing at the time, but you shared about your publishing company. I just was like, no way. Get out. Are you kidding me? I'm going to be working with this woman. I just knew it because of that. And it was so exciting to me to know that there were opportunities available and that you didn't have to know certain people at the publishing... Bigger publishing companies and all of that. And how crazy is this that you signed on in 2022? Little did we know that we would not only have legacy makers, TV episodes, but you are on my TV show called Riders Island, where we are going to the Sacred Island in one week to channel your next book. I mean, what? How did this even happen? If you had told me that this was going to happen, I remember you channeled two people on the stage. If you had told me that this was going to be my life three years later, it's almost been three years now. I would have just looked at it like you were crazy. I never would have been able to guess this. And it wasn't time until now. So here we are. I wouldn't have been ready. No, this was exactly what needed to happen. Your book is in the final rounds of editing, correct? It is. Round two. Round two. So give just like a one minute taster so that they have an idea. So the story that I felt forming in my soul, in my gut, was what I had learned through this journey of parenting a queer child, especially coming from a very conservative faith background. I was raised LDS, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I go back six generations. And so that religion, that faith, that heritage runs in my blood, in my DNA. And get the teachings around queer folks, LGBTQ plus folks that I had been given. And then what I was experiencing with my own child did not match up. My child was not what I had been taught that they should be or would be or were. And so to call into question, these beliefs was in the beginning, it was terrifying. Yeah, my world shattered. Because I didn't know when your family unit and the the covenants, the agreements, the promises that you make are tied to your ability to be or not be with them in the next life. It's not something anybody takes lightly to give attention, to acknowledge these questions and doubts that are coming up. Probably the biggest thing is I learned to listen to my inner voice. I learned to honor that. I learned that I didn't have to have an intermediary between me and God and the things that were specific to my life. It was such a gift to just to learn that, but then begin, I think that began the process to really embody it in my actions, in my words, in my observances, and then what my steps forward looked like from that point. So my book that I have written is called Transparency, spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-T-S-E-E, How I Learned to See Through My Journey as a Parent of a Transgender Kitto. When we first learned of his identity, it was as a lesbian. My child is AFAB, assigned female at birth, and that's the language that he had at the time. That's the understanding. I've learned very much that sexuality, gender, it's as much a part of that learning, developing, discovery process in teen years, youth years, whatever, as other aspects of being an individual. Talents, gifts, interests, languages, art, music, drama, theater, whatever. So two and a half years later, when he came and shared that he identified actually as transgender, in some ways, it almost felt like the journey started again, because that is something I just did not have a reference point for. Yeah. It's like a color that no one ever told you about. So how do you even describe? You can't describe. Yeah, and I know that this is just a little taster, so we're going to leave you guys on a cliffhanger. But what I think is so powerful that you are doing is you are sharing the story, and there are so many mothers who feel like they're walking alone on this journey, and you sharing your story is going to free so many people from the prison of silence that these kind of conversations create. I hope so. I love how you termed it the prison of silence. Yeah. Because if there's one thing I know is me opening up and sharing my truth in a vulnerable and authentic way is this unspoken invitation for the person sitting next to me, the person on the other side of this camera, the person who's listening to my podcast to also do the same, even if it's with their own self in the beginning. Oh, it's so powerful. I'm so excited for your episode. Everyone, you're going to love her episode because she's real. She's authentic. And her message is one that I think everybody can gain something from. So enjoy and we'll see you next time. Thank you.