In the Middle of It
Honest conversations about motherhood, creative business, personal growth, and the messy middle of becoming who you're meant to be. Hosted by Erin Leech, this podcast is for women who are building something beautiful while raising babies, healing old patterns, and rewriting the rules. If you're craving depth, magic, and permission to hold all parts of yourself - you're in the right place.
In the Middle of It
Redefining Your Identity After Motherhood: There's No "Bouncing Back" (And That's the Point)
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There is no bouncing back from becoming a mom. And honestly? That's kind of the whole point.
This episode is the wrap-up of the informal series I've been building since the beginning of the year — and I wanted to bring it all home in one place. We've covered the grief of losing who you were before kids, the mom guilt around ambition, the mental load, the martyr mindset, all of it. Today I'm connecting all the dots and landing on the thing I keep coming back to: you were never lost in motherhood. You got overshadowed. And there is a massive difference between those two things. You don't need a brand new identity. You need to reclaim the fullness of the one you already have — and build a life that's actually structured to hold her.
In this episode, you'll hear me talk about:
- Why "bouncing back" after kids was never actually possible — and why that's something to celebrate, not grieve
- The difference between being erased by motherhood and being overshadowed by it (and why it matters)
- Why every planner, productivity system, and course hasn't moved the needle — and what actually has to happen first
- The martyr mindset that quietly sets the norm for self-sacrifice, and how it leads to losing yourself entirely
- Why the inner work has to come before the strategy if you want anything to stick sustainably
- What it looks like to pair your softer, intuitive side with real left-brain strategy — and why that's the bridge I'm building in 2026
Mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 10: You Are More Than Mom — 3 Truths for the Ambitious Mother Redefining Herself
- Episode 17: From Martyr to Matriarch — Redefining the Mental Load to Create Space for Your Business
- Episode 20: The Postpartum Mental Health Factor Nobody Talks About: Fulfillment for Ambitious Moms
- Matriarch Rising — Erin's 1:1 coaching program: erinleech.com/coaching
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