Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of severe mental health struggles. Please listen with care and take breaks if needed.

In this episode, I sit down with Alina (you can follow her at @alinamlinarova) for a raw and honest conversations about motherhood beyond the episode.

We talk about her experience with perinatal depression, the quiet grief of losing your sense of self, and the complicated emotions that can come with becoming a mother. Alina shares what it looked like to move from survival mode into gradual healing, not through perfection, but through acceptance, support, and small daily self-care practices.

We explore:• The identity shift that no one prepares you for• Why seeking help is strength, not failure• Generational perspectives on parenting• How treating motherhood as real labor changes everything• Finding balance without chasing unrealistic standards

This conversation is for the mother who feels overwhelmed, unseen, or unsure of who she is becoming.

You are not alone.