Motherhood can be beautiful and brutal — and in this episode of The Wellthy Healthy Life, host Nicole Johnson gets real with author and mom of two Cindy Woulfe, about the identity shift so many women experience after becoming a mom… and the guilt that comes with admitting it’s hard.

Cindy, author of In the Weeds: A Guide to Saving Your Soul on This Crazy Journey Called Motherhood, shares the moment she realized she felt lost even though she had everything she thought she wanted: a healthy baby, the ability to stay home, and a life she was “supposed” to be grateful for. Together, Nicole and Cindy talk about maternal mental health, mom burnout, postpartum emotions, and why so many mothers silently struggle with feeling alone, overwhelmed, and unsure of who they are beyond the title of “mom.”

This conversation is for you if you’ve ever thought:

• “Why doesn’t anyone talk about how hard this is?”

• “I love my kids, but I feel exhausted and disconnected from myself.”

• “My partner’s life didn’t change like mine did.”

• “I need support, but I don’t even know what to ask for.”

Nicole and Cindy dive into:

• Mom identity loss and the “who am I now?” crisis that can happen early or later in motherhood

• Why women often carry the emotional load and become the “mood” of the household

• How to ask for help clearly (without resentment) and communicate needs in marriage/partnership

• Practical tools for self-care that actually work: journaling, meditation, quiet time, nervous system regulation, and self-compassion

• Letting go of mom guilt, perfectionism, and the pressure to look like you have it all together

• How social media comparison makes parenting harder — and how to “stay on your own mat”

• Handling tantrums and public meltdowns without absorbing judgment from others

• The mindset shift from “I have to” to “I get to” — and why it changes your day-to-day experience

Cindy also shares where to find her book and why the included journal prompts can help moms reconnect with themselves and start taking care of their mental and emotional wellbeing again — without shame.

If you’re navigating new motherhood, working motherhood, stay-at-home mom life, or just feeling stretched thin, this episode will remind you: struggling doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong — it means you’re human. And you have permission to take care of yourself.

Follow The Wellthy Healthy Life for more conversations on women’s wellness, motherhood, mindset, confidence, and your next era. If this episode resonates, please share it with a mom, and don’t forget to rate and review the show — it helps more women find these conversations.

Grab Cindy's book HERE

Learn more from Cindy HERE