Feeling Like You Lost Yourself in Motherhood

Send us a text In this episode, we talk about something only moms can really understand—feeling like we lost ourselves in motherhood. We share our personal experiences of what it looked like for us in feeling disconnected to who we once were and our journey back to that (that some of us are still on). We also talk about the constant tug-of-war between personal identity and societal expectations, and the importance of community and connection among mothers. Our conversation highlights the need for social interaction, the significance of building a supportive village, and the understanding that struggles are often temporary. Ultimately, we hope episode serves as a reminder that every mother's journey is unique and worthy of recognition. Thanks for listening! THIS EPISODE IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY RELAY ACTIVE . Save 15% on these cute & comfortable running clothes with code MILESWITHMOMS. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Its Purpose 01:08 Feeling Lost in Motherhood 10:11 The Struggles of Balancing Motherhood and Career 15:53 The Struggles of Motherhood During COVID 19:37 Finding Support and Connection 23:18 Rediscovering Identity and Self-Care 27:40 The Impact of Running on Mental Health 28:00 Navigating Guilt and Societal Expectations 33:02 The Reality of Stay-at-Home Parenting 37:29 The Evolution of Friendships and Identity 45:00 The Power of Social Connection 48:56 Building Your Village 50:48 Finding Hope in Community 51:42 Navigating Motherhood's Challenges 54:19 Engaging with Your Community 57:52 Inspiration Through Shared Experiences Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com . When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs. www.themotherrunners.com Instagram: @themotherrunners YouTube: The Mother Runners whitney@themotherrunners.com