In the Middle of It

A year ago today, I hit publish on the very first trailer of this podcast. I had no idea what the next twelve months held — and that’s kind of the whole point of this episode.

This is episode 32, and it’s landing right on the one-year anniversary of the show, with my birthday just a few weeks behind it. So I’m doing what I always do this time of year: taking stock. I’m walking you through the real timeline — starting this podcast, joining a group coaching program, having my second son Lewis, finally letting photography go for good, and launching the Rhode Island chapter of Made for Mothers, all while living through a genuinely busy, slightly chaotic football season. And I’m introducing something new: my group coaching program, Metamorphosis, opening on my birthday next month.

In this episode, you’ll hear me talk about:

• Why I chose podcasting over YouTube, and how that one decision changed everything
• The real story of my VBAC birth with Lewis, and how different this postpartum round has felt
• Why I finally retired my photography business for good, and what fear had to do with holding onto it
• How a single Instagram comment turned into founding the Rhode Island chapter of Made for Mothers
• Three reflection questions I’m asking myself, and you, about speed bumps, mirrors, and open space
• An inside look at Metamorphosis, my new ten-week group coaching program for ambitious moms

Mentioned in this episode:

• Business by Design Live & Next Level — James Wedmore’s group coaching program: https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/
• Made for Mothers (national org) & the Virtual Village — https://made-for-mothers.mykajabi.com/a/2148227629/7zVZ8KQF
• Metamorphosis — my new group coaching program, opening November 10th — https://erinleech.com/metamorphosis/

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

What does your home say about who you are right now? If the honest answer is "I have no idea, all I see is toys," this one's for you.

I'm joined this week by Kendra Jarrell, a former realtor turned identity coach and author of the book Becoming Home. Kendra spent years watching women go through the same quiet transformation while buying and selling houses, and she built an entire framework around what she saw: our homes aren't just where we live, they're a mirror for who we're becoming, or who we've lost track of. We talk about what happens to our sense of self when our house fills up with someone else's stuff, why "this too shall pass" only gets you so far, and the simple identity hack Kendra uses to stay grounded no matter what season she's in. This one made me look at my own office differently, and I think it'll do the same for you.

In this episode, you'll hear us talk about:

• Why your home becomes "a vessel for the season" of motherhood, and what that quietly does to your sense of self
• Kendra's "identity corner" hack: claiming one small space in your home that's just for you, and building a routine around it
• How to tell whether your space actually needs to change, or whether you're feeling something else entirely (hint: sometimes it's not about the space)
• The link between empty nesting, identity loss, and never reclaiming a piece of your home along the way
• Why writing her book, Becoming Home, took Kendra a decade, and what it taught her about visibility and being seen
• One low-pressure way to start reclaiming your space today, even if it's just a drawer or a shelf

Mentioned in this episode:

• Becoming Home, Kendra Jarrell's book on identity, environment, and life design [link]
• Kendra's Space Reset Experience and Real Life Real Estate Experience programs [link]
• consultwithkendra.com

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

mom identity, identity loss in motherhood, reclaiming yourself, motherhood and home, home environment and mindset, identity corner, empty nest identity, ambitious moms, mompreneur, realtor turned life coach, Becoming Home book, space and identity, default parent, unicorn space, self care for moms, mom guilt, work life balance for moms, home organization mindset, decluttering and identity, new mom identity, postpartum identity, mom of toddlers, second time mom, motherhood transitions, interview episode, women's identity work, home design and mindset, reclaim your space, mindset coach for moms, life design framework

Being a work-from-home mom is way more isolating than anyone tells you. That was the gap I kept feeling, and it's exactly why I said yes to this.

I'm officially the Providence, Rhode Island chapter leader for Made for Mothers, and in this episode I'm telling you the whole story of how it happened. From transitioning out of photography and into coaching, to stumbling onto a Made for Mothers Instagram post in May, to realizing there was this gap between professional networking spaces and postpartum mom circles that nothing was filling. I talk through the moment I almost talked myself out of it, what actually made me say yes, and everything I'm envisioning for our first in-person meetups here in Providence this fall.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• The isolation nobody warns you about when you run a business from home
• How I found Made for Mothers and what made it feel like a "why wouldn't I do this" moment
• The gap I kept running into between professional networking groups and early postpartum mom circles
• What almost stopped me from saying yes, and the moment that made the decision clear
• What to expect from Providence chapter meetups, including format, pricing, and how kid-friendly it'll be
• How to join the waitlist for first access to our launch party and event tickets

Mentioned in this episode:

• Made for Mothers, founded by Mariah Stockman — the community and chapter program this episode is all about [LINK PLACEHOLDER]
• Rising Tide Society — the creative entrepreneur networking group Erin references from her past
• WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) — the organization Erin considered starting a chapter for last year

💌 Want first access to our launch party and event tickets? Join the Providence chapter waitlist: erinleech.com/MFMxPVD

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

What if the version of you who already has it all already exists — and all you have to do is start acting like her?

This week I'm diving into something that's been coming up over and over with the women I work with, and honestly in my own life too: embodiment. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot in spirituality and manifestation spaces, but I wanted to slow down and actually unpack what it means, why "act as if" isn't just a cute phrase, and why it works. This turned into way more than I expected, so I split it into two parts. Today is all about the what and the why — the mindset and spiritual layer underneath becoming her. In two weeks, I'll come back with Part Two and get into the practical, tactical side of actually living this out.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• What embodiment actually means, and why "acting as if" is the whole premise, not just a mindset buzzword
• Stephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind" and how I apply it to picturing my next-level self
• The three spiritual laws I keep coming back to: the law of correspondence, the law of vibration, and the law of assumption
• Quantum leap thinking, and why the version of you with the business, the house, the income already exists as a possibility
• Why "what got you here won't get you there," and how nothing changes if nothing changes
• The "gap and the gain," and why this work can turn into self-criticism if you're not careful
• A guided exercise to start uncovering what you're actually longing for underneath the goal itself

Mentioned in this episode:

• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• James Wedmore's Business By Design group coaching program
• Neville Goddard's teachings on the law of assumption

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

Asking for help isn't the thing you do when you've run out of options. It might actually be the bravest, most self-caring thing you can do.

This week I'm talking all about needing a village — timed with Self Care Day on the 24th, because I truly believe asking for support is a form of self-care, not a sign that you can't handle what's on your plate. I also get into a book I recently read, I Heard It Takes a Village by Melissa Wirt (founder of Latched Mama), some honest thoughts on it, and a perspective shift it gave me around what mom friendships actually need to look like. Plus a little gratitude for the village we have right now, and a nudge for anyone who feels like they don't have one yet.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• Why asking for help is an act of strength, not weakness
• My honest (not glowing) review of I Was Told There'd Be a Village
• The perspective shift that changed how I think about mom friendships that feel "different" from me
• Why a mom friendship doesn't need to be a soulmate match to count
• Small, low-pressure ways to start building your own village — from the library to your exercise class
• A little teaser for something big coming next week for Rhode Island moms in business (Part Two of this conversation!)

Mentioned in this episode:

• I Was Told There'd Be a Village by Melissa Wirt, founder of Latched Mama
• Hiccups and Sunshine (postpartum support group, hosted at Well Nested)
• Southern RI Parent Circle (mom meetup group)

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

When was the last time you knew, without hesitating, what you actually wanted?

 This week I'm sitting down with my very first podcast guest — Audra Phelps, a neuroscience-based coach who helps moms rebuild their identity after leaving high-demand religion. Audra spent years quietly pushing down her doubts before she finally walked away from the Mormon church she was raised in — and had raised her own kids in. We talk about what it actually looks like to lose yourself so completely that you don't know your own favorite kind of pie, and what it takes to build a new identity from the ground up, as an adult, alongside your own children. Even if faith deconstruction isn't your story, this conversation is really about something every mom in the middle of it will recognize: the slow erosion of self, and the deliberate, sometimes scary work of getting yourself back.

In this episode, you'll hear us talk about:

• Audra's decade-long "slow erosion" out of the Mormon church, and the exact moment she knew she was done
• Why she didn't have the big conversation with her kids about leaving — and what her twenty-one-year-old daughter later taught her about that
• How to tell the difference between a belief that's actually yours and one that was handed to you
• The neuroscience behind rewiring subconscious beliefs (and why "poking holes" in an old belief is the first step)
• How EFT, tapping, and visualization can retrain your nervous system to feel safe with something new
• The Thanksgiving apple pie moment that made Audra realize just how far she'd drifted from herself

Mentioned in this episode:

• Audra's coaching program, Reclaimed — an 8-week identity-rebuilding container for moms who've left high-demand religion
• Audra's free masterclass, "5 Shifts Every Former Mormon Mom Needs to Make," at mamaaudra.com

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

You don't need to feel ready. You just need to decide you are.

In this episode, I'm digging into something I think about constantly as I build this business and this podcast: why we stay stuck waiting to feel "ready enough," "expert enough," or "polished enough" before we put ourselves out there — and why that waiting is costing us more than we realize. I share the story behind Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird and her chapter on "shitty first drafts," why that idea has stuck with me since grad school, and how it applies directly to building a business, a brand, or a following as a mom. I also walk you through my own messy path to get here — the wedding planning membership, the wellness-for-photographers idea, Family in Focus — because none of what I'm doing now would exist if I hadn't started with all the versions that weren't it.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• Why every expert and thought leader you admire started exactly where you are right now, and what actually separates them from everyone who stays stuck
• The mindset shift around perfectionism — and why waiting for the "polished" version is quietly keeping someone out there from the help they need from you
• Why you don't have to be a full-blown expert to start creating and sharing — you just need to be a step or two ahead of who you're talking to
• My real, three-year path through multiple failed business ideas before landing on the one I'm building now, and why I needed every single "wrong" draft to get here
• Why readiness isn't a feeling that arrives — it's a decision you make, and how clarity actually comes from action, not the other way around
• How motherhood's built-in time pressure can actually work in your favor instead of becoming another excuse to stay stuck

Mentioned in this episode:

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott — her chapter on "shitty first drafts" and the origin of the book's title
• Episode 24 — my OCD episode, referenced as an example of sharing perspective over "expert" credentials

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

I almost didn't record this one until I had it all figured out. Then I realized that was exactly the problem.

This episode is unscripted, unedited, and recorded before I fully worked through what I'm talking about — on purpose. After weeks of going quiet online, I'm finally naming what was actually happening behind the silence: a feast-or-famine posting cycle, a limiting belief that I'm "not yet a good enough coach," and a whole lot of pressure I was putting on myself to make money and get it right. I'm walking you through how I identified the pattern, what came up when I got quiet enough to hear it, and where I am now — still in the middle of it, still figuring it out, but showing up anyway.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• The feast-or-famine content cycle I kept falling into and finally named
• The limiting belief I uncovered — that I need confidence before experience, when it actually works the other way around
• How comparison and envy toward other mom coaches was quietly running in the background
• The internal work I did during my "quiet" weeks: visualizations, journaling, EFT tapping, and curating what I consume
• Reframing pressure around money and provider guilt while pivoting away from wedding photography
• Why silence doesn't mean failure — and why you don't owe anyone an explanation for a gap

Mentioned in this episode:

• My "Manifest" playlist

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

Most people think OCD is about cleaning rituals and checking the stove. What they don't know is that there's an entire side of OCD that goes completely unseen — and for a lot of moms, it shows up postpartum in ways that are terrifying to admit out loud.

This episode is the conversation I've been wanting to have for a while. I got my OCD diagnosis at the Women & Infants Day Hospital program — which I mentioned in last week's episode — and I said it deserved more than a fleeting mention. So here it is. I'm sharing what OCD actually is beyond the stereotypes, what harm OCD and intrusive thoughts really feel like from the inside, and why so many moms carry this completely alone because the shame of it feels unsurvivable. I also talk about the "just right" OCD subtype that I honestly thought was just my personality for my entire life — until I learned it wasn't. My goal is simple: if even one mom hears this and recognizes herself, and it gets her to talk to someone, then this was worth recording.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• What OCD actually is — obsessions, compulsions, and why the compulsions make the cycle worse
• Harm OCD and intrusive thoughts: what ego dystonic means and why the horror you feel is proof you're a good mom
• The moment I finally told my provider Stephanie what I had been experiencing — and what happened when I did
• "Just right" OCD, what it looks like in real everyday life, and why it's so easy to write off as just being particular
• The OCD IOP program, ERP therapy, and what it actually looked like to work through this
• How OCD showed up postpartum specifically around control and letting other people care for Leon

Mentioned in this episode:

• Women & Infants Day Hospital Program, Providence, RI
• Episode 23 — The Signs I Missed: A Postpartum Mental Health Story and What I'd Do Differently

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

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Nobody's posting the 2am feeding fight or the "whose turn is it" standoff on their Instagram grid. But that's the stuff that's actually happening — and it's the stuff worth talking about.

This week's episode is airing on my wedding anniversary, and even though Scott didn't end up joining me, I still wanted to mark it with something honest. I'm sharing what marriage actually looks like for us right now — in this season of two kids, two businesses, and all the beautiful mundane chaos in between. And then I'm getting into what I genuinely believe it takes to stay connected to your partner when life is this full.

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:

• What our marriage really looks like day-to-day — the real version, not the anniversary dinner version
• Why the "roommate era" of early parenthood is real, temporary, and doesn't mean anything is wrong
• The difference between little things and real things — and the question I ask myself before I open my mouth
• Why Scott and I started couples therapy when nothing was "wrong" — and what that taught me about investing in what's good before it breaks
• What it's actually like when both partners are building online businesses at the same time, and how we navigate the tension around bandwidth and who carries what

Mentioned in this episode:

• Scott Leech — my husband, who also has his own coaching business, podcast, courses, and membership

Stay Connected!

• 🌐 erinleech.com
• 📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech
• 🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

marriage and motherhood podcast, raising babies and building a business, marriage in the newborn phase, entrepreneurial couple, stay connected to your partner, roommate era marriage, couples therapy for healthy marriages, intentional marriage, co-parenting and business, ambitious mom marriage, female entrepreneur relationship, default parent burnout, marriage mindset, both partners building businesses, newborn season marriage, choosing each other, work life balance marriage, postpartum relationship, mindset for moms, in the middle of it podcast