Mothercentered

"I don't want to say no because that causes disconnection, right? So my parts are like don't say no. So I'm going to say this pretend yes with all this resentment which causes even more disconnection." —Tammy Sollenberger

On this episode we're talking about the struggle to say no with Tammy Sollenberger.

• Caretaking parts automatically accommodate and say yes, even when it doesn't serve us. We were raised as little girls to ...

"The blamer is protecting the feeling of being unloved. In my system, to be loved, you have to get it right. And I'm undoing that conditioning, but it's still there." - Hannah Enright

On this episode we're talking about Blamer Parts with Hannah Enright.

• The Blamer is here to manage shame. It kicks shame away by projecting it onto someone else, especially when things don't go to plan with kids or in attachment relationships. It's ...

"To think about what our ancestors have been through. The fact that we are even here, in our body, is a miracle." —Sara Putney

On this episode we're talking about adoption, abandonment and belonging with Sara Putney.

• Adoption creates a disconnection from belonging. The need to understand where we come from runs deep, and motherhood often prompts us to explore lineages of abandonment

• When moms show up in motherhood without en...

"What I notice when I'm not kind of helicoptering—the relationship between my son and I is so much better. He appreciates the fact that I trust him." —Karen McWilliam

On this episode we're talking about Controlling Mom Parts as well as mothering teenagers with Karen McWilliam.

• Your Controller is trying to preserve your identity as a good mom by managing your child's success

• The Controller works overtime because it's pr...

"There's this pressure to get it right—to get down on their level, talk to them in the right tone, be so regulated ourselves—that it creates this perfectionism. That voice of criticism saying 'this is how you have to do it to be a ‘good mom.’ —Jillian Perry

On this episode we're talking about Inner Critic Parts with Jillian Perry.

• Your inner critic is a carbon copy of people who found fault with you ...

From my album Sticks & Stones, this song is about having to be firm with boundaries in my relationship with my mom, who was abusive and alcoholic. It's very much about my own healing and health - and how hard it is to differentiate from a mom who tells you you're terrible.

A central theme explores how our relationships reflect our own feelings and beliefs, and how we create our own reality in some ways. The chorus reminds us: "Y...

"Midlife is this time where we are ready to bring all the wisdom we've collected through the years, gather that up and integrate it, and bring it out into the world more fully as our authentic true gifts." —Daphne Ogle

On this episode we're talking about midlife, motherhood, and trusting ourselves with Daphne Ogle.

• Midlife women are the people who will make the much-needed shift in the world - the shift to power with, to be...

"I remember my therapist pointed out I was using very strong words, like I was preparing for battle. That really shocked me. But yeah, I was feeling protective over my space, over my baby's experience. That was Mama Bear. She was sharpening her claws." —Cassie Blom

On this episode we're talking about Mama Bear parts with Cassie Blom.

• Mama Bear shows up with physical and emotional power to guard what needs protection—b...

"I'm planning for a healthy pregnancy and also planning for a loss. If the baby dies now, what do I need to do? That's a little weird. People who haven't had loss aren't thinking through all that." —Raluca

On this episode we're talking about being pregnant at 45 with Raluca.

• After three pregnancy losses and being told the odds were really small, this fourth pregnancy feels like a miracle—but the further along she gets...

"One of the hardest things in motherhood was that I didn't get all of this time anymore to just disappear into my thoughts and think. That feels like such a luxury." —Rebecca Lesser Allen 

On this episode we're talking about Numbing Parts with Rebecca Lesser Allen.

• Your numbing part helps you tune out when emotions feel overwhelming—it dulls your awareness so you don't have to feel the discomfort, fear, or sadnes...

"My responsible part kept me very high functioning for a very long time. It worked really great until it didn't. When the demands of motherhood and working became too much, the self-recrimination started." —Angele Close

On this episode we're talking about Responsible Parts with Angele Close.

• The responsible part is a parentified child that feels burdened, overwhelmed, and disempowered—it didn't ask for this role and d...

Before becoming a therapist, I was a singer-songwriter for several decades. Music was how I expressed myself honestly as a teenager, almost like diary entries set to song. Recently, I unearthed some never-before-released songs and put together an album with my collaborator Frank Sorci, (my daughter's father).

On this episode, I'm sharing a song called "Building a Blessing" that I wrote during my pregnancy with my daughter. It reflec...

"When reality is way too overwhelming and our nervous system is in overdrive, it naturally wants to do a little bit of a shutdown. Depression comes to say, 'Okay, take a break.'" —Ana Morante

On this episode we're talking about Depressed Mom Parts with Ana Morante.

• Depression is a protector that tourniquets the wound when reality is too overwhelming—it shuts off contact with pain to keep you alive, but leaves you feel...

"I'll tell my kids 'I'm really tired, I'm going to sit here for just a minute,' but then as soon as somebody needs something, I respond to it as though it's an urgent need, even when it's not." —Chelsea Solorzano

On this episode we're talking about the Minimizer Part with Chelsea Solorzano.

• The Minimizer can look like vulnerability on the surface—you say the words about being overwhelmed or tired—but the words a...

"Our children do not need perfection from us in order to be thriving human beings." —Michelle Brown

On this episode we're talking about Frustrated Parts with Michelle Brown.

• Frustration is often the first signal that something's not right—whether it's unmet needs, violated boundaries, or your nervous system being maxed out

• The Frustrated part is one of the only socially acceptable expressions of maternal discontent, so...

"I got really good at not having wants. I learned how to practice that pretty effectively for a long, long time." —Kelly Williams

On this episode we're talking about the Wanting Part with Kelly Williams.

• Wanting is closely connected to hunger for intimacy, connection, being deeply seen—and it often gets pushed away in motherhood

• There can be a polarity inside mothers—one part wanting to be the most attuned parent...

"We're designed to be vulnerable along with being strong."

On this episode we're talking about Superwoman Parts with Jillian Early.

• Why Superwoman craves rescue and recognition but hides her craving masterfully—keeping her isolated and lonely

• How for some moms (single parents, those facing racism or economic hardship), being Superwoman isn't optional—it's survival

• The fear underneath: if I touch the grief that's there, ...

"No mom sets out intentionally saying 'I'm going to f*ck up my kids.'"

On this episode we're talking about Guilty Mom Parts with Karen McWilliam.

• Why guilt can activate even when there's no real transgression—just violating social or familial expectations

• How guilt becomes a nexus point that can either spiral into shame or open toward compassion

• The importance of intellectual parts in helping us make sense of overwhelming emo...

"Being a mom doesn't mean that we don't have limits and needs."

On this episode we're talking about Angry Parts with Rachel Brnjas.

• Why anger rarely makes it into the therapy room—the taboo of moms being angry and the courage it takes to share it

• How anger protects something tender and is linked to shame, fear, and ideas of danger

• Why exploring your Angry part is actually safe and a loving way to help a part that's probably b...