In this episode of Hot Mom Shit, I'm getting real about something I've been quietly carrying for three years: the complete unraveling of my identity.
It started with a single observation from my couples therapist — that somewhere in the middle of miscarriages, pregnancies, postpartum, and two kids under two, nobody stopped to acknowledge what I had actually lost. My career. My income. My sense of self.
The woman the world knew as Carmella — 12 years under contract with WWE, traveling the world, performing in front of thousands — walked away from all of it. And then became a mom. And then did it again.
That's not one identity shift. That's three. All at once. And this episode is the first time I'm really saying that out loud.
In this episode I chat about:
What my therapist said that stopped me in my tracks
12 years as Carmella — what it gave me and what it cost me
Two miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and the limbo of trying to become a mom while still under contract
The moment my WWE contract expired and what the finality of that felt like
Going from five nights a week on the road to never leaving the house
What it means to lose your financial independence — and why it's not about the purse
My mom's story and why it matters
What I want for myself that I couldn't name yet
The Snatch community — why I built it and who it's for
This one goes deep. But it ends with something that feels like the beginning of something.
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