Sz 2 Ep 9 | What if the hardest part of motherhood isn't the emotion itself—but what we do to ourselves after we feel it?

In this solo episode, Elle unpacks one of the most invisible sources of suffering in motherhood: the pattern of feeling bad about feeling bad. She reveals how we take a natural human emotion—frustration, sadness, overwhelm—and then bury ourselves under layers of guilt, shame, and judgment.

This isn't about toxic positivity or pretending hard emotions don't exist. It's about learning to recognize when we're digging ourselves deeper into the well... and how to stop.

Elle shares personal stories from her early motherhood, a powerful moment teaching emotional skills to young girls, and a real coaching example that shows how one woman's "mess in every area" was actually just one emotion hiding under a mountain of self-judgment.

You'll walk away with a simple three-step practice to drop the unnecessary suffering and befriend the emotions that actually hold the key to your growth.

Timestamps:

01:34 - Feeling bad about feeling bad

04:37 - Primary vs. secondary emotions

06:39 - Something is wrong with me

07:40 - The three-step practice

10:43 - Case study: Coaching a friend

12:45 - Befriending your emotions

Down The Well Links:

Elle's Substack - https://substack.com/@ellerowley

Elle's Instagram - instagram.com/ellerowley

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About Down The Well:

Motherhood should be full of joy and meaning. But it often isn't. Why is that? On Down the Well, Elle Rowley, talks through the mother's hero's journey, and why it's different from the one you might have learned in school or books.

Unlike the traditional hero's journey, mothers have to descend into the depths of their own soul. No one comes out of motherhood the same, and with the right perspective and resources, we can make sure that transformation is for the better.

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