Four Faces of Femininity tells the story of remarkable women who, through their creativity, passion, intelligence, and sheer determination, have left an indelible mark on the history of humankind.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Barbara McNally about her new release, Four Faces of Femininity, which explores the many ways in which women have changed the course of history—and demonstrates how crucial it is that women from every background be provided with role models that inspire. Barbara chats about its inspiration, its structure, the women featured, and more!
Hi, Barbara! Thanks for chatting with us! Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am the author of Unbridled, a soulful memoir of personal liberation, and Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife, firsthand accounts of woman thrust into the role of caregiver when their spouses return from the battlefield with major wounds. These stories inspired the launch of the Barbara McNally Foundation, which offers seminars, scholarships, and workshops dedicated to enhancing the lives of women. I am a licensed physical therapist who makes my home in Southern California, where I juggle the responsibilities of being a mother, lover, warrior, and sage. I’m excited about the release of my latest book coffee table book, FOUR FACES OF FEMININITY!
Your new book, Four Faces of Femininity, released on April 7th. If you could only use five words to describe it, what would they be?
“Women: Mirrors for your reflection.”
Now, tell us a little more! What can readers expect?
I wrote this book to celebrate the stories of trailblazing women, who in shaping our past and present, have pushed the boundaries of what women can be in the world. Some belong to history, some to Hollywood, and some myth. Some of these women relied on their intelligence and ingenuity to succeed, while others leveraged their creativity, curiosity and talent. They tapped the gifts they were born with and worked hard to cultivate skills. They listened to their hearts and demolished obstacles. They harnessed their inner fire to step up as leaders and stand out as individuals.
Did anything inspire you to write Four Faces of Femininity? Were there any women that were right there from the beginning?
Great question. In writing the book my favorites that I felt closest to Oprah, our TV mom, a mother figure, and Madonna, a dancer and lover. These women inspired me to write this book, because I feel close to women with different backgrounds and live a multidimensional life.
I connect with inspiring women from across the globe, across time, and across our imaginations. They push me to chase my dreams with abandon and encourage me to be nurturing, loving, daring, wise—and wonderfully complex.
Many of the women in this book are paired with archetypes you might find surprising. Some, such as pioneering nurse Clara Barton and early environmentalist Rachel Carson, evoke the nurturing Mother despite never raising children of their own. One of the world’s most famous mothers, Mother Teresa, embodies the open-hearted Lover. Many of the Warriors in these pages can also be heralded as Sages, and so on.
I hope you’ll see a little of yourself in each of them. Perhaps meeting them in a new framework will inspire you to dig deeper within yourself and unearth unexpected aspects of the Mother, Lover, Warrior, and Sage in you.
Four Faces of Femininity is broken up into four sections: Mother, Love, Warrior, and Sage. Was this always the plan or did this come later as you compiled the stories?
Yes, I’ve chosen to render the stories of the heroic women in these pages as expressions of four ancient archetypes all women carry within ourselves—qualities that in different measure make all our lives heroic: Mother, Lover, Warrior, Sage. I see these figures everywhere: in art and culture, in entertainment and politics, and in my own life and the lives of those around me. Like all archetypes in what Jung called our collective unconscious, they are present in our psyches and lurk in our imaginations.
You may not have thought of yourself in these specific terms before—Mother, Lover, Warrior, Sage—but they resonate, don’t they? At one time or another in our lives, we’re likely to embody each of them—or two or more of them at once.
There are over forty stories in this book. Are there some stories or women that you hold more closer to your heart?
I feel close to all the women in this book and that’s why I chose them, but I feel most connected during this crisis with Clara Barton, Tina Fey, Margaret Thatcher and Ann Frank (I expand on this below.)
What was your writing process like? Did it change at all as you went on?
I embrace the philosophy of write drunk and edit sober. What I mean by that is I use my imagination and fun-loving spirit to write about what excites me and have fun with it! Then I go back and edit which is a long-detailed process. I blogged for over 10 years on inspirational women, so one of the biggest challenges in writing this book was choosing which women to include in the book. Maybe there will be a second edition with more women included! Ten years ago, when I started writing about women in four archetypes, I used the word Fighter, instead of Warrior but received a lot of push back that fighter can have a negative meaning. In the beginning I used the word Saint instead of Sage to describe the wise woman within, our inner wisdom, our spiritual and intuitive side, but I changed it to Sage as this is more universal word for wise.
It’s a crazy world right now. What is it like at your household right now and have you made any changes to get through the now very long days at home?
I am disappointed that I can’t do events in person, but thankful for The Nerd Daily and other social media to interact with. I live alone, as my girl s are grown, so I don’t have the same challenges of young families being quarantined together. My heart goes out to those working from home with young children…
During this quarantine, I’m reaching deep within to find my inner warrior and keep a disciplined routine of working out and eating healthy. I think of Margaret Thatcher who said, “Make your plan, then work your plan.” I plan a walk or bike ride and yoga at home daily. I’m stronger than I thought and can work out on my own! My other routines are working at the hospital, picking up groceries for anyone who needs them and writing. My favorite habit is writing 2 hours every evening with no interruptions…
I tap into the mother archetype of Clara Barton who started the Red Cross. She said, “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it and while our soldiers stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.”
I’m tapping into the lover within. I think of Tina Fey, the comedian who has the ability to laugh about everything, even finding comedy in tragedy. I’m taking funny photos, sending my friends humorous posts and slowing down to enjoy moments. The lover in me helps find joy every day. “Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they will forever be amused.” Tina Fey.
The sages who have gone before me inspire me to stay calm. I think of Ann Frank.
Her heartfelt deeply moving diaries chronicling the two years she spent hiding form the Nazis, are frequently assigned as reading to middle schools the world over. Although she died at the age of fifteen, Ann Franks’ insight, compassion and wisdom make her a true sage. She said. “I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more.” Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see the wonderful world, but her words and positive spirit live on.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Four Faces of Femininity is like a cruise ship stopping at different ports giving readers a taste of mothers, lovers, warriors and sages. Learning about women piqued my interest to read more in depth biographies about all the women in my book. My favorite book I’m reading now is Madam C J Walker’s biography and watching her new miniseries on Netflix called SELF MADE.
