In the Wash is a space for gentle inquiry into the cultural messages that shape who we're becoming as parents. Each episode examines beliefs that create anxiety, offers compassionate reframes, and includes a guided practice to help you find more peace.

Feeling guilty no matter what choice you've made about work and parenting? You're not imagining it—and you're not alone.

If you work outside the home, there's a voice whispering that you're failing your children. If you stay home, a different voice insists you're losing yourself. And for most of us, both voices speak at once: be fully present at home AND fully committed to your career. Prioritize your children above all else AND pursue your own fulfillment.

This isn't just anxiety. It's an impossible bind created by a culture that's never quite decided what it wants from parents—especially mothers.

In this episode, we explore why this "choice" between working and staying home creates such persistent guilt, and why the question itself might be the problem. We'll examine how this binary framing is relatively new in human history, how economic realities have eliminated real choice for many families, and why parents often direct judgment at each other instead of at the systems that make parenting so unnecessarily hard.

What you'll discover:

• Why this guilt persists even when you know logically you're doing your best
• How to distinguish between productive reflection ("Is this still working?") and cultural guilt ("Whatever I'm doing isn't enough")
• What research actually shows about children thriving in different family arrangements
• A gentle reframe that shifts from "Am I making the right choice?" to "How do I make peace with what my family needs right now?"

The Practice:Using the NOW technique (Notice, Open, Wonder), we'll explore where guilt lives in your body and create space for self-compassion. This isn't about fixing or changing your choice—it's about releasing the weight of impossible expectations.

Whether you work full-time, stay home, or navigate something in between, this episode offers permission to trust that your choice is enough.

Continue the conversation: Join the Wash & Wonder newsletter for deeper reflections on parenting with less anxiety and more intention.

Did you experience birth trauma? Or have you ever judged someone as "unprepared" if they did? There's a quiet belief many of us carry: that trauma means we, or others, didn't prepare well enough. That if we'd just taken one more class or made better choices, we could have prevented what happened.

In this episode, we gently untangle two things that were never actually connected - preparation and trauma. Discover why preparation matters (it builds presence, agency, and adaptability) but doesn't give us control over outcomes. Through compassionate inquiry and embodied practice, you'll explore the difference between feeling capable and feeling in control.

This conversation offers something precious: permission to release shame you were never meant to carry, and space to recognize that trauma can happen regardless of how well-prepared you were.

Perfect for anyone processing a difficult birth, parents preparing for birth who feel overwhelmed by pressure to "do it right," or those supporting someone through birth trauma.

Learn more at birthevolved.com - offering online birth prep classes designed for anxious minds, so you can feel calm and confident, not just informed. Join the newsletter Wash & Wonder to keep the conversation going.

Does true partnership mean splitting everything 50/50? In this episode, we explore the gap between idealized feminist partnership and the messy reality of conscious delegation, emotional labor, and shared caring.

Discover why equity isn't about identical task distribution, but about mutual agency and ongoing dialogue. We'll examine the difference between trusting your partner's expertise and one person opting out of caring entirely, and explore what it means to keep showing up for conversations about shared values even when responsibilities are divided.

Through reflective practice, you'll clarify your family values and find common ground to begin authentic partnership conversations - whether you're renegotiating a long-term relationship or just starting to notice whose voice gets heard.

Perfect for parents feeling alone in their responsibilities, anyone navigating partnership tensions, or those ready to move beyond scorekeeping toward genuine equity.

Exhausted from trying to optimize every moment of your child's development? In this episode, we explore how the pressure to be a "perfect" parent creates anxiety, damages confidence, and ironically harms the parent-child relationship.

Discover why "good enough" isn't settling - it's recognizing that children need authentic, present parents rather than perfect ones. Through gentle inquiry and a grounding practice, you'll learn to shift from optimization to connection, trusting that your regulated attention is often exactly what your child needs most.

Perfect for parents feeling overwhelmed by endless choices, anyone struggling with parenting perfectionism, or those ready to trust their instincts over expert advice.

Please keep the conversation going by joining our newsletter and following us on Spotify. Have questions? Send me a message - I’m happy to help!

Feeling isolated in your parenting journey? In this episode, we explore how Western culture's emphasis on individual self-sufficiency creates unnecessary isolation, turning other families into competition rather than community.

Through Ubuntu philosophy - "I am because we are" - we'll challenge the myth that needing support is weakness. You'll experience a transformative practice to expand your sense of connection and learn practical ways to shift from competition to community in your daily life, leading to more fulfilling connections and a more fulfilling life.

Feeling like you're not measuring up to those perfectly curated images of effortless motherhood? In this episode, we gently explore how social media's "natural mothering" myth creates unnecessary anxiety and comparison for real parents.

Through compassionate inquiry, we'll question whose definition of success we're chasing and why we've been taught to compete with other families instead of supporting each other. You'll discover how to shift from perfectionism to curiosity, and practice the NOW technique to reconnect with your authentic parenting values when comparison strikes.

This isn't about becoming a "better" mother - it's about trusting that your unique way of loving your children is exactly what they need.

Perfect for parents struggling with social media comparison, anyone feeling overwhelmed by motherhood expectations, or those ready to question cultural definitions of parenting success.

What if the anxiety you're feeling about birth isn't really yours? In this first episode, we gently explore the cultural myth that there's one "right" way to birth, and discover how this belief creates unnecessary pressure and comparison.

Through contemplative inquiry and practical wisdom, we'll reframe this story with compassion, remembering that throughout history, women have birthed beautifully in countless ways. You'll learn to distinguish between cultural shoulds and your authentic values, and practice the NOW technique - a gentle tool for returning to your inner knowing when anxiety spirals.

This isn't about finding the perfect birth plan. It's about trusting the wisdom that already lives within you.

Perfect for expectant parents feeling overwhelmed by birth choices, anyone struggling with perfectionism around pregnancy, or those seeking a gentler approach to birth preparation.

In this first episode, you will get an essential quick tip that can change how you think about anxiety as you prepare for birth and everything after. I’ll tell you all about the NOW (Notice, Open, Wonder) framework and how/when to use it. This quick listen can change your experience of anxiety. Visit Birthevolved.com/podcast/2 to get the NOW Framework PDF.

Join us in this pilot episode to explore what you might need from a birth class, birth class options, and stay for an interview with Mama Elena, a birth and postpartum doula in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the Wash is a weekly podcast that helps pregnant and postpartum parents transform anxiety into confidence by gently reframing cultural pressure and reconnecting with their inner wisdom through 10-15 minute bite-sized episodes. New Episodes each Wednesday starting in Sept 2025.