The Role of Mom Will Be Played By

The Year I Had a Baby and Became Myself

By: Shawna Lander

Narrated by: Shawna Lander

Perfect for new mothers and mothers-to-be, this deeply personal and funny memoir from a beloved actress and storyteller reveals why motherhood isn’t just a new chapter in your life—it’s a metamorphosis.

As the creator of the witty humor account @ShawnatheMom that delights more than 4 million followers with her comedy skits, Shawna Lander knows what it’s like to play a lot of different roles. But before she ever took to the online “stage,” her role as a mom changed everything, not only about her life, but about her identity. Like many first-time mothers, she imagined her baby as a beautiful addition to her life—and instead found that every aspect of her world changed completely so that her new life could begin.

Through motherhood, Shawna was reborn. And in The Role of Mom Will Be Played By, she’s sharing her empowering, transformative journey for the first time.

Through candid anecdotes and humorous reflections, Shawna reveals how motherhood reshaped her identity, worldview, relationships, and understanding of human worth. She debunks the prettily romanticized version of motherhood, presenting it instead as a raw, challenging, and profoundly rewarding experience.

Central to this heartfelt book is the belief that every mother's journey is linked and, while there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, the magnitude of the experience is universal. She captures the essence of motherhood as weird, gross, profound, mundane, and incredibly personal—all at once.

The Role of Mom Will Be Played By is a celebration of the resilience, love, and humor that defines motherhood. Shawna’s authentic voice and relatable experiences provide comfort and inspiration to anyone on the extraordinary journey of becoming a mom, offering wisdom, support, and a deep appreciation for the beautiful chaos.

© 2026 by Shawna Lander. ℗ 2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“What seems like a candid exploration of early motherhood is actually a front-row seat to the creative process. In these pages we witness a spark that leads to gestation, analysis, and breakthrough, showing us, with humor and heart, that mothers are creativity incarnate.”
—KC Davis (@DomesticBlisters), USA Today bestselling author of How to Keep House While Drowning

“Powerful, curious, and deeply human, this book captures the weird, liminal phase of pregnancy and postpartum so well it should be required reading for all fathers.”
—Liz Swenson (@LizSwensonBFF), author and illustrator of You Got This, Mama!, Raising Tiny Humans, and Trying

“Shawna Lander offers a candid and deeply personal account of how motherhood reshapes a woman’s inner world, drawing us into the intimate and often unspoken experience. Her writing reads with the ease of a conversation and the craft of a seasoned storyteller, inviting readers into her thoughts, grounding and reassuring them along the way. With an honesty that feels both intimate and universally recognizable, she gives language to the emotional shifts of early motherhood, allowing readers to feel seen and less alone. What a comfort this will be to new mothers.”
—Karen Kleiman, founder of The Postpartum Stress Center and author of Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts