What if your Motherhood guilt isn’t proof you failed, but a sign you’ve been carrying too much for too long? 

You can give everything to your children and still hear that relentless inner critic whispering it wasn’t enough — and over time, that pressure can become maternal Stress, emotional exhaustion, and even maternal Burnout carried quietly beneath the surface.

But what if that voice and the sensations associated with them aren’t telling you the truth?

So much of what we believe about being a “good mother” is shaped by cultural beliefs and unexamined parenting beliefs — expectations that were never designed to be humanly sustainable. The pressure, the second-guessing, the ache of regret…it’s not random. And these thoughts can cause dis-ease in your body.

In this solo episode, I’m talking about parenting guilt and shame, the stories so many mothers carry, and why they can be stored in the body.  We’ll look at motherhood through a compassionate somatic lens and make space for a gentler relationship with your maternal identity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why old emotional patterns can feel so persistent
• How the nervous system reinforces self-critism
• What having impossible standards can do to a mother’s body and sense of self
• Why exhaustion is often a sign that needs attention. It’s not a personal failure
• How inherited messages shape the way you measure yourself
• How to stop mom guilt A body-based approach to without relying on willpower
• Why self compassion for moms is not indulgent, but essential
• How repair can create more honesty, connection, and healing

If you’ve been carrying the quiet belief that you should have done it differently… or that somehow you weren’t enough… You don’t have to keep relating to yourself through criticism and pressure. There is another way to meet yourself — one that includes more understanding, more space, and a different kind of strength.

Cheers to finding your freedom,

Laurie

Click here to purchase my “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” it’s ON SALE for $19.99

Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

Click here to watch the Barbie clip referenced in this podcast

Free Resources

Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.

Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”

Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise

Website

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sandwiched: A book written by Laurie James, detailing her experiences with the “sandwich generation” (raising children while caring for Aging parents).

The Voo Exercise: A vocalization technique used to tone the vagus nerve and discharge nervous system tension.

Barbie the movie clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqlDWHkdHk

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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND Entertainment PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

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Laurie James Laurie James, Author, Podcaster, and Somatic Relationship Coach

Hi, I'm Laurie James...a mother, divorcée, recovering caregiver turned author, somatic relationship coach, and podcaster. My podcast, Confessions of a Freebird, was inspired by my youngest of four children leaving the nest and is the sequel to my book, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go.

My memoir is about my journey from loneliness to finding belonging during a time when I was raising four teenage daughters, my mother had a heart attack and needed care, all while my marriage began to crumble underneath me.

Now I love helping people divorce, heal, and date differently in midlife. I love blending my somatic training and coaching to help clients develop a better relationship with their bodies and nervous system. Doing so allows them to find the inner freedom to experience more happiness, joy and create the life they desire through nervous system regulation.

When I'm not coaching clients or podcasting, I can be found nurturing my free spirit by walking my adopted husky Lu, skiing, sailing, hiking, spending time with my four adult daughters, close friends or planning my next adventure.