The Sparkle Project

Toxic positivity is rampant in modern society - but the flavor that comes along with motherhood is particularly harmful. In this episode, Emily unpacks the real impact of toxic positivity in motherhood and why messages like “enjoy every moment” or “at least you have healthy kids” can actually leave moms feeling more isolated, guilty, and emotionally burned out.

The episode explores how toxic positivity shows up in everyday parenting culture, why suppressing difficult emotions can harm moms’ emotional wellbeing, and how pretending everything is fine affects both mothers and children. This conversation explores the pressure moms feel to appear endlessly grateful, the emotional masking so many women carry, and why emotional honesty matters so much in raising emotionally healthy kids.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for struggling, ashamed for needing a break, or like you have to hide how hard motherhood really feels, this episode is for you.

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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Why are so many moms feeling completely depleted in modern motherhood? In this episode, therapist and matrescence practitioner Vanessa Leveille joins The Sparkle Project for a powerful conversation about maternal depletion, identity shifts in motherhood, nervous system overwhelm, and the transition into motherhood known as matrescence.

This discussion goes beyond postpartum depression to explore the physical, emotional, and systemic realities impacting mothers today, especially women of color navigating unrealistic expectations, burnout, invisible labor, and chronic depletion. Vanessa explains why motherhood is deeply body-led, how maternal depletion can mimic anxiety and depression, and why so many moms feel like they’ve lost themselves after having children.

Whether you’re in early motherhood, struggling with burnout, or simply trying to understand why motherhood feels so overwhelming, this conversation offers validation, language, and insight into what so many women experience silently.

🔗 Connect with Vanessa:

Instagram: @matrescenceincolor
Website: www.matrescenceincolor.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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Motherhood has a way of bringing anxiety, overwhelm, and unresolved trauma to the surface. In this episode, EMDR therapist Abbie Ames joins Emily to explore how motherhood can trigger old wounds, why so many moms feel overstimulated and emotionally exhausted, and how healing is possible through approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy.

Abbie shares her own journey through pregnancy loss, fertility struggles, postpartum anxiety, and becoming a mom during COVID, along with the insights that led her to specialize in EMDR therapy for women and mothers. Together, they unpack the nervous system’s role in trauma, the pressure modern moms carry, and why so many women feel like they’re failing when they’re actually overwhelmed and unsupported.

This episode covers:

• Why motherhood can feel so triggering
• How trauma lives in the body
• Birth trauma, fertility struggles, and postpartum anxiety
• Why moms can’t always “think” their way out of overwhelm
• How EMDR therapy helps heal trauma beyond traditional talk therapy
• Breaking generational cycles and finding more peace in motherhood

This episode is an honest, compassionate conversation about healing trauma in motherhood, breaking generational cycles, and learning how to care for yourself without shame.

🔗 Connect with Abbie:

Instagram: @emdr.mom.therapist
Website: www.abbieamescounseling.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review! 

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May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and to kick it off, Emily is sharing what she's learned from her personal experience navigating mental health in motherhood and what every mom needs to know for their own wellbeing. 

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why mental health struggles don’t always look the way we expect
• The difference between coping and actually healing
• Why “white knuckling” through motherhood isn’t the answer
• The impact of societal pressure on maternal mental health

If you've ever felt like you're just getting by, questioning yourself, or silently struggling, this episode will meet you right where you are.

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

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Motherhood doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and for many moms, that means navigating broken systems while also managing your own internal battles. In this episode, Emily sits down with Ciara Lyons, a nurse, mom, and founder of Her Black Wellness, to talk about the realities of maternal health, identity, and what it actually takes to keep showing up as a mother in today's world.

The episode dives into:

• The maternal health crisis in the United States, and how Black mothers are the most impacted
• How systemic issues impact all mothers
• Why “doing your best” might look different every single day
• What it looks like to advocate for yourself inside the healthcare system
• The role of community, boundaries, and capacity in modern motherhood

This conversation will validate your experiences navigating the challenges of modern motherhood, while also equipping you to fight for a better future. 

🔗 Connect with Ciara:

Instagram: @herblackwellness
Links: https://linktr.ee/herblackwellness

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review! 

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In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, it’s easy to spiral into overwhelm - especially when there's additional chaos in your own home. In this episode, Emily opens up about the anxiety that comes with feeling like everything is out of control, from global uncertainty to the everyday challenges of raising kids. She introduces a powerful mindset tool, the Circle of Control, and explains how it can help you refocus your energy, reduce stress, and show up more intentionally in your life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why focusing on what’s outside your control increases anxiety
• How to identify what you can control in your daily life
• The difference between control, influence, and concern
• Real-life examples from motherhood and everyday decision-making
• A simple exercise to help you regain clarity and emotional balance

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, mentally exhausted, or unsure where to put your energy, this conversation will help you reconnect with what actually matters.

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

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What does it really mean to be a woman in today’s world - and how much of that is tied to motherhood? In this episode, Emily Maynard joins the podcast for a conversation on societal expectations, friendships, and smashing the patriarchy - from the lens of a woman who is child-free by choice. Together, Emily and Emily explore the expectations placed on women (both those who are mothers and those who aren’t), and how those expectations shape our identities, relationships, and sense of self.

They talk about:

• The societal pressure to become a mother, and what happens when you don’t
• Being child-free by choice (and the assumptions that come with it)
• The overlap between moms and non-moms navigating the same patriarchal systems
• Friendship dynamics between women with different life paths
• Regret, identity, and the freedom to choose your own life
• Why motherhood is not the only meaningful way to live a full life

 At the end of the day, we’re all navigating the same world together!

🔗 Connect with Emily:

Instagram: @emilymaynardlmft
Website: emilymaynardtherapy.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review! 

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Becoming a mom can absolutely change your daily routine, but it also changes how you see yourself, your work, and what success even means. In this episode, Emily is joined by Paige Figueroa, a former teacher turned business alignment coach for moms, to talk about the identity shift that happens after becoming a mother, and how it can completely reshape your career path.

The conversation explores what it looks like to leave a “safe” career, navigate burnout, and build a new way of working that actually aligns with your life as a mom. Paige shares her experience of redefining productivity, honoring her capacity, and letting go of old expectations around ambition and success. They also dive into the deeper emotional layers of this transition, including the loss (and rediscovery) of identity, the pressure to “do it all,” and why so many moms are collectively rethinking the systems we’ve been taught to operate within.

If you’ve ever felt like the version of you from before motherhood no longer fits, this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone, and that you’re allowed to choose something different.

🔗 Connect with Paige:

Instagram: @mombossfreedom
Website: mombossfreedom.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review! 

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Motherhood is often framed like it's the final destination. Once you become a mom, it can feel like the big decisions are already made. The life path is set. The identity is locked in.

But what if that isn’t true?

In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily explores the idea that motherhood isn’t your final form. You’re still growing. You’re still learning who you are. And you’re still allowed to change your mind about the life you want.

Emily shares reflections from her own experience becoming a mom at 23, navigating career shifts, leaving teaching, going through a divorce, and doing the internal work of redefining identity beyond motherhood.

This episode is an invitation for moms who feel stuck in decisions they made years ago. The truth is that circumstances change, priorities evolve, and the version of you today might want something different than the version of you who made those choices. And that’s okay.

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

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Motherhood isn't supposed to feel lonely. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily sits down with Dana James, nurse, mom of two, and the voice behind Mother Mentality. Dana describes herself as a “mom’s mom” and her mission is simple but powerful: create spaces where mothers feel seen, supported, and validated instead of judged.

Together they explore the healing power of hearing another mom say “me too,” and why community matters so much in modern motherhood. Dana shares her personal postpartum experiences, the realities of navigating mental health as a mother, and how those experiences ultimately led her to pursue a doctorate in psychiatric mental health.

This conversation dives into the emotional weight many mothers carry today. From the isolation of early postpartum seasons to the pressure of unrealistic expectations, Emily and Dana unpack why validation can be such a powerful antidote to shame and mom guilt.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough as a mom, this episode is a reminder that you’re not the only one asking that question.

🔗 Connect with Dana:

Instagram: @mothermentality
TikTok: @mothermentality_

📌 Resources & Mentions:

Mom Friends Collective
Dana's Busy Mom Book Club

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review! 

Send us Fan Mail