Influence doesn’t always look like a grand gesture; often, it’s found in the smallest corners of our lives. From the moment we’re born, we’re shaped by the people and environments around us. The influence of others begins long before we even notice it and, as we grow, it molds our beliefs, choices, and the way we see ourselves. By the time we become mothers—or even consider the possibility of motherhood—that shaping continues, but with new layers.

There’s a reason that the story of Beauty and the Beast got so popular. The shock of something so seemingly lovely, meant to be preserved...