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If you feel like motherhood is wearing you down, you aren’t imagining it. Research shows moms’ mental health has been steadily declining over the past several years—and I know how heavy that can feel in real life. Sleepless nights, constant worry, the endless mental load, and that quiet question in the back of your mind: Am I enough?

But here’s the part I don’t want you to miss—there’s hope. Science also shows there are protective factors that buffer us against stress, protect our mental health, and actually help us thrive in motherhood. And the best part? They’re simple, doable practices you can start weaving into your day without adding more pressure.

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Motherhood often comes with a silent struggle that few dare name: the overwhelming feeling of depletion that can leave you feeling like a shadow of yourself. Even when we love our children fiercely, the constant giving without replenishment leads many mothers to a state of burnout that affects every aspect of life.

This powerful episode delves into why so many mothers feel worn down and what to do about it. We explore the science behind maternal depletion – how your emotional, mental and physical energy can be drained faster than it's replenished, especially under the weight of modern parenting expectations. You'll discover that these feelings aren't signs of failure but natural responses to unsustainable demands.

Whether you're in the depths of burnout or simply feeling the first signs of depletion, this episode provides the validation, permission, and practical tools to begin your journey back to wholeness. Remember: this is your life too, and you deserve to experience it fully, not just survive it.

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Ever found yourself reacting to your children in ways you immediately regret? The space between trigger and response might be the most powerful parenting tool you've never fully utilized.

Stress, frustration, and overwhelm aren't personal failings—they're biological responses deeply wired into our nervous systems. When faced with the constant demands of parenting, our bodies interpret these challenges as threats, activating our fight-or-flight response and temporarily shutting down our capacity for rational thought. But what if just three seconds could change everything?

This episode reveals how a simple pause can completely transform your stress response. Through mindful breathing, physical grounding techniques, and practices like Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping), you can create vital space between feeling triggered and choosing your response. These micro-moments of awareness aren't just coping mechanisms—they're rewiring your brain, strengthening neural pathways that lead to more intentional parenting aligned with your deepest values.

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Navigating life's hardships comes with the added challenge of deciding what to share with others. Whether you're facing job loss, health concerns, or family difficulties, questions from others can feel intrusive and overwhelming. In this episode, I introduce a powerful framework called The Four Levels of Response, designed to help you know exactly what to say—and what not to say—depending on who’s asking.

At the heart of this episode is a powerful four-layer framework that puts you back in control of your narrative. You'll discover how to create different levels of response for various people in your life—from your innermost circle to casual acquaintances. This isn't about being secretive or deceptive; it's about being intentional with your truth and protecting your emotional energy. This episode offers a transformative approach to handling these sensitive conversations with confidence and grace.

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In this episode of The Leadership Parenting Podcast, we’re talking about the most powerful shift you can make as a mom: choosing love over fear. You’ll learn how your nervous system toggles between threat mode and calm mode, why your body can’t tell the difference between real danger and everyday parenting stress, and how to use practical tools to reset your system in seconds. With real-life examples, stories from moms just like you, and two simple tools—the Safety Reset and the Love Question—you’ll discover how to bring grounded energy into your home. This isn’t about being perfectly in love with your life all the time. It’s about finding your way back to love again and again, and showing your kids what resilience really looks like.

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Ever feel like happiness keeps slipping through your fingers as a mom? You're not broken – you're just chasing the wrong thing.

The happiness trap is all too familiar. You've orchestrated a smooth morning, everyone's fed and out the door on time, and for a brief moment, you feel that elusive sense of contentment. Then your phone buzzes – school nurse, fever, pickup needed – and just like that, your carefully orchestrated day crumbles. That fragile happiness dissolves instantly, leaving you wondering what you're doing wrong.

Here's the truth rarely discussed: happiness was never designed to be permanent. It's a weather pattern, not a constant climate. When we chase happiness as our primary goal in motherhood, we're essentially trying to control the weather – an exercise in futility that leaves us feeling like failures when the inevitable storms roll in.

What sustains us through motherhood isn't happiness but resilience – the ability to find profound meaning amid difficulty, to breathe underwater, to discover we can hold grief and gratitude simultaneously. Resilience recognizes that you're doing sacred work in unremarkable moments – shaping neural pathways in developing brains and creating relationship templates your children will use for life.

This episode introduces five practical ways to build genuine resilience: reframing your daily rhythm around energy rather than achievement, strategically creating moments of lightness, developing a meaning-making practice, building your support ecosystem, and practicing emotional granularity.

Remember, motherhood is a love project, not a happiness project. Real, transformative love is far more complex and resilient than happiness could ever be. Your children don't need you to be happy all the time – they need you to show up and love deeply, even when it's hard. That's the gift of resilience, and that's what makes motherhood not just bearable, but profound.

Subscribe now to continue exploring the skills that build confidence and joy for both you and your children.

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What if your child’s difficult behavior isn’t disrespect, but a reflection of their developing brain? In this episode, we explore how our internal lens—shaped by past experiences, emotions, and expectations—can distort how we interpret our children’s actions. You’ll learn how to shift from reactivity to resilience using neuroscience, emotional self-awareness, and developmentally-aligned thinking. Discover how to parent with more clarity, curiosity, and compassion—and teach your child the same.

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All-or-nothing thinking is a common mental pattern in children that can be frustrating for parents who want to help their kids gain perspective and stay emotionally grounded. We explore what's happening beneath the surface when kids think in extremes, and how we can gently support more balanced and resilient thinking.

• Children's brains are still developing, especially in the prefrontal cortex responsible for complex thought and emotional regulation
• Binary thinking (black and white, all good or all bad) is a normal developmental stage, not a flaw to be fixed
• The emotional centers of a child's brain develop before their reasoning centers, explaining many extreme reactions
• Identifying when your child is stuck in all-or-nothing thinking is the first step to helping them
• Validate emotions without reinforcing extreme statements - say "losing feels frustrating" instead of "you don't always lose"
• Model continuum thinking by verbalizing your own balanced thoughts out loud
• Use language that adds nuance like "sometimes" and "a part of me feels..."
• Praise effort, courage, and learning rather than just outcomes to build a growth mindset
• Recognize that moving from all-or-nothing to nuanced thinking is a developmental journey

*Did you know?

I'm currently opening a few one-to-one coaching spots for moms who are ready to go deeper and get personalized support as they build their own resilience. If that sounds like something you're craving, just head to LeeGerman.com and click on one-to-one coaching. We'll set up a free call to talk about where you are, where you want to be, and whether coaching is the right next step for you.

If you'd like to get the show notes for this episode, head to:

https://leighgermann.com