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Becoming a mom is a life-changing event for our bodies, our minds, and our identities. This concept forms the heart of Amber Trueblood’s wonderful book Stretch Marks: A Self-Development Tool for Mothers Who are Being Stretched in Every Direction. Amber is a licensed therapist, author, podcaster, and mother to four sons. As an avid reader and learner, she curates courses, workshops, and simple self-care tools for women. In our conversation with Amber, we delve into her work on helping moms find calm, peace, and fulfillment by silencing self-judgment, identifying unreasonable expectations, and banishing baloney beliefs. We discuss some of the expectations that might be causing you frustration, as well as how to identify and address them. Amber unpacks some of the challenges parents might currently be facing, like getting kids to bed at a reasonable hour and establishing a morning routine. We also discuss teaching kids independence from an early age and interrogate how moms can sometimes become addicted to their family being dependent on them. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why Amber used the term ‘stretch marks’ as the title for her book.
• The drastic changes that happen in your mind and body when you become a mother.
• Why guilt and expectations are the two major hurdles standing in the way of moms finding joy and success.
• Why the first step is identifying your expectations of yourself.
• Why expectations are often the primary source of frustration and guilt.
• How to determine whether your expectations are helping or hurting you and your family.
• Identifying how letting go of an expectation can help your family.
• How you can become addicted to your family relying on you for everything.
• How families learn the habit of automatically consulting the mom when they can’t find something.
• Why this pattern forms and how it impacts different family members.
• How this dependence can affect kids later in life.
• How to disrupt this pattern by telling them where the item is that they are looking for.
• How morning routines set you up for the rest of your day.
• Tips for helping yourself and your family with their morning routines.
• Why getting enough sleep as a parent is crucial.
• How to slowly shift bedtimes back to an earlier time.
• Why removing devices from the bedroom at night is integral to a good night's sleep.
• How to replace digital activities with activities like yoga or reading that deregulate the nervous system.
• How to delegate more responsibilities while also giving the support they need.
• Why it’s important to realize how delegating benefits both you and your child.
• Ask yourself what qualities you’d like to see in your children as they age.
• How meditation helped Amber bridge the gap between her heart and brain.
• Some of the biggest things Amber learned about parenting misconceptions.
• The neurological effects of meditation and how Amber practices self-care.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Amber Trueblood

Amber Trueblood on Instagram

Stretch Marks: A Self-Development Tool for Mothers Who are Being Stretched in Every Direction

The Stretch Marks Podcast

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