This episode explores why so many mothers feel like they’re parenting without a village, even when they’re surrounded by people who care.

I break down the five different kinds of support mothers actually need, and why expecting them all from the same people creates disappointment, resentment, and exhaustion. When we understand that the village isn’t one thing, it becomes easier to stop blaming ourselves for what’s missing.

You’ll hear about:

• Why loneliness in motherhood is often structural, not emotional

• The difference between emotional support, practical help, and time

• Why the people who love your child aren’t always the ones who can lighten your load

• Why collapsing all needs into one place leads to burnout

🎧 Free audio guide:
The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.

We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@nataliekmartin.com⁠⁠

☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠

📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

One year into The Mama Circle Podcast, I’m revisiting one of the most listened-to episodes and checking in with myself.

In episode two, I shared what I wanted my motherhood to feel like. Ease. Fun. Flow. A sense that my child would naturally fit into my life.

A year later, a lot has changed. My son is older. I’m working. My relationship has ended. And my assumptions about how motherhood would feel have been quietly challenged.

In this episode, I reflect on what actually shifted, what surprised me, what felt heavier than expected, and what turned out to be easier than I imagined. I talk about ease as a daily practice, how fun looks different than I thought it would, and why stability now matters more than I realised then.

This isn’t an audit or a how-to. It’s a pause. A noticing. And an invitation to reflect on your own motherhood, not to fix it, but to understand it more clearly.

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.

We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@nataliekmartin.com⁠⁠

☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠

📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

Motherhood doesn’t exist in isolation.

Two women can love their children just as deeply, want motherhood just as much, and still have completely different experiences of it.

In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked and rarely named factors shaping motherhood: the person you have children with, or raise children with.

This is not about blame, judgement, or “choosing wrong”. It’s about understanding the environment you are mothering inside of, and why motherhood can feel heavier than expected for some women.

We explore:

• Why your partner is part of your motherhood ecosystem

• Emotional regulation, nervous system load, and co-regulation

• Mental load, initiative, and the slow build of resentment

• Capacity, illness, trauma, burnout and long-term compensation

• Money, financial security, and the hidden costs carried by mothers

• Why motherhood looks easier for some mums and not others

  
  

  🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.

  We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:

  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@nataliekmartin.com⁠⁠

  ☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠

  📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode

  New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.