Lashana Lynch says motherhood helped her find herself again

Lashana Lynch says becoming a mother has changed how she approaches both her personal life and her work, giving her a chance to rediscover herself while learning to accept that plans do not always go as expected. The actor and her husband, Zackary Momoh, welcomed their first child last year. Speaking to Elle, Lynch said early motherhood had become a lesson in seeing herself anew. What she has learned during this period, she explained, has also begun to influence other parts of her life. She said the constant changes can make it difficult to feel in control or expert in any one area. Before having a child, Lynch tried to fit everything into a carefully managed plan. That approach no longer works, she said, and she has had to step back from ideas about what motherhood should look like and respond to what is actually happening. Returning to stunt training after pregnancy brought another adjustment. Lynch, who has trained for action roles throughout her film career, said she began training again around six months after giving birth. At first, her body did not respond as it had before, leaving her confused and emotional. She had known her body since childhood, when she took part in athletics, and said the change was difficult to make sense of. Lynch described rebuilding her relationship with her body as a gradual process. She said she has learned to appreciate the reasons for its changes before thinking about altering her appearance, and to find strength in a different place. The experience has also affected her approach to clothes. Rather than concentrating on finding outfits that fit a particular ideal, Lynch said she now feels more inclined to celebrate her postpartum body and experiment with colour, patterns and structure. She has not settled on one style, she told the magazine, and enjoys treating fashion as a space to try new things.