The Sparkle Project

Feeling stuck in a rut? Between motherhood, work, relationships, and the never-ending to-do list, it's easy to fall into autopilot and forget to make time for new experiences that are just for you.

But trying new things isn't just about having fun or switching up your routine. It's an opportunity to build confidence, discover new interests, reconnect with yourself, and find more joy in everyday life.

In this episode, Emily explores why intentionally trying new things can be so powerful, especially for moms who spend so much of their time and energy focused on everyone...

Healing from trauma while navigating the challenges of motherhood is no easy task - but it can be an opportunity to break cycles and create generational change. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Breanne Smith is joining the podcast for a conversation about healing in motherhood and turning pain into purpose.

As a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, Breanne knows firsthand that trauma doesn't simply disappear as life moves forward. She opens up about navigating complex PTSD and chronic illness while raising two young boys, the unexpected ways motherhood can bring past trauma to...

You can love your life and family and feel grateful for what you have - and still want more. In this episode, Emily sits down with life and mindset coach Zahra Premji to talk about what happens when the life you’ve built no longer feels as fulfilling as you thought it would. After experiencing burnout and realizing she had spent years ignoring the voice telling her she wanted something different, Zahra made a major career pivot and began learning what it meant to create a life that didn’t just look good, but actually felt good too.

To...

If you’re a mom with ADHD, keeping up with work, kids, schedules, household tasks, and your own needs can sometimes feel like pure chaos. In this episode, Emily shares five things that have genuinely made her life easier as a mom with ADHD.

After being diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s, Emily has spent years learning how to work with her brain instead of constantly fighting against it. That has meant experimenting with planning systems, creating more visible organization at home, finding the right balance between structure and flexibility, talking things through when she feels st...

Does your child’s success ever feel like a reflection of whether you’re doing a “good enough” job as a mom? Motherhood can bring our own childhood experiences, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and need for external validation to the surface, sometimes without us even realizing it.

In this episode, Emily talks with Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Anuja Khadka about self-worth in motherhood, inner child healing, mom guilt, social media comparison, and what can happen when we tie our identity as mothers to our children’s outcomes.

Anuja shares how she recognized this patte...

Motherhood can be beautiful, meaningful, exhausting, messy, overwhelming, and funny, sometimes all at once. So why does social media make it look like everyone else has it figured out? Emily Feret, mom, influencer, and author of Normalizing Normal: Motherhood Without the Filter, joins Emily to talk about taking the shame out of the parts of motherhood we’re often afraid to admit out loud.

Emily shares how becoming a mom challenged the version of motherhood she thought she was supposed to live up to, and how showing the messy, imperfect parts of her life online helped millions of...

In the aftermath of divorce, there is a lot of newness to navigate. What does life look like as a single parent? How do I parent through grief and rebuilding? And who even am I in this new season of life and parenthood?

In this solo episode, Emily shares how learning to read tarot and establishing a consistent tarot practice has helped her reconnect with herself post-divorce. From becoming a tool for self-reflection to creating opportunities for connection, learning, and fun, Emily explores the potential benefits of tarot for all moms at any stage, but particularly those...

Divorce is often framed as a failure or loss. But for many, it can be a profound opportunity to intentionally reset and purposefully decide what's next. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily sits down with divorce recovery coach Leah Marie Mazur to explore how divorce and other major life transitions can become opportunities to reconnect with yourself, rebuild self-trust, and create a life that feels more aligned with who you are now.

Drawing from her own experience with divorce and the women she supports through divorce recovery, Leah shares how self-abandonment can quietly show up...

Becoming a mom changes more than your daily routine. For many, it changes how you see your relationships, your priorities, your career, and even yourself. In this episode, Emily talks with Yasmin Kaderali, author of Mom Your Way: Judgment-Free Wisdom to Empower New Moms and former CEO of Mommy’s Bliss, about identity changes, career shifts, and the expectations women face both at home and in the workplace after having children.

Yasmin entered motherhood with a unique perspective: she was already the CEO of a baby and mom brand, and her own mom was a doula and la...

Mean girl culture doesn’t necessarily end when we grow up. For many women, it just follows us into motherhood. As the kids head back to school, Emily sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Noëlle Santorelli to unpack mean girl mom culture and the relational aggression that can show up in adult female friendships, mom groups, school communities, youth sports, and even group chats.

The episode explores why modern motherhood can feel so competitive, how social media and intensive mothering contribute to the pressure to perform, and why our need for belonging can sometimes bring out beh...

With the Lindsay Clancy taking center stage in the current cultural conversation, this week's conversation is adding to the discussion about how a systemic lack of postpartum supports impacts moms, families, and society at large. In this episode, Emily explores what happens when one of the most vulnerable seasons of motherhood teaches you that you’re supposed to handle everything yourself.

Emily digs into the connection between inadequate postpartum support and the patterns of martyrdom, mom guilt, and self-sacrifice that can follow us into later stages of motherhood. She talks about why prioritizing yourself can feel so un...

You spent your whole life being the woman who worked hard, achieved your goals, and built an identity around being capable. Then motherhood arrived - and suddenly the strategies that always worked stopped working. 

Many ambitious women enter motherhood believing they'll simply add "mom" to everything they've already built. Instead, they find themselves questioning their identity, battling perfectionism, and wondering why they no longer feel successful in the ways they once did. In this episode, Emily sits down with licensed mental health therapist and coach Alexis Adams to unpack the challenges high-achieving women often face in motherhood.

Have you ever wished life felt a little lighter? In this episode, Emily is joined by Morgan Jackson, founder of Light 56, to explore how small, intentional habits can help you experience more joy, gratitude, playfulness, and peace in your everyday life.

Morgan shares the mindset shifts that transformed her own life after a difficult season and explains why feeling lighter isn't about doing more, but actually noticing what truly brings you joy, giving yourself grace, and creating simple rhythms that help you reconnect with yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

Summer is supposed to feel fun and relaxing... so why does it often leave moms feeling completely exhausted? In this episode, Emily is uncovering the invisible labor of summer as a mom. From planning vacations and coordinating childcare to carrying the mental load of keeping everyone fed, entertained, and happy, summer often creates more work and stress instead of less.

If you've ever felt guilty for counting down the days until school starts, questioned whether you're doing enough to make summer "magical," or wondered why everyone else seems to be enjoying the season more than you, this...

Many moms move through life feeling disconnected from themselves, stuck in survival mode, or wondering where their sense of self went after motherhood. In this episode, Emily is joined by Sara Putney, trauma-informed somatic breathwork facilitator, host of The Modern Matriarch Podcast, and founder of Remothering Mamas, for a powerful conversation about reconnecting with your body, your nervous system, and your innate power.

Together, they explore how somatic healing and breathwork can help you move beyond autopilot, reconnect with your true self, and begin breaking generational patterns without relying on willpower alone.

In...

Mothers today have more access to resources and information than ever before, but the result isn't necessarily greater confidence in our parenting journey. Instead, many moms feel overwhelmed by the constant input. If you find yourself questioning every parenting decision, carrying constant mom guilt, and feeling like you've lost trust in yourself, this conversation is for you. 

Kaitlyn Dove, a therapist, coach, and mom of two, is joining The Sparkle Project to explore why motherhood feels so emotionally loud in today's world. Between social media, Google, AI, comparison, and the pressure to get everything "right," many moms a...

If you've ever felt like you need to become a better version of yourself before you deserve self-love, this episode is for you. In this solo episode, Emily shares the perspective that transformed how she thinks about self-love and why it has nothing to do with being perfect. Instead, it's about the small decisions we make every day that either reinforce self-sacrifice or build genuine self-love over time.

This episode covers:

Motherhood changes everything, including the way we see ourselves. But what happens when the support you expected never arrives? And how do you reconnect with yourself when you're carrying the mental load of caring for everyone else? In this episode, Emily sits down with Julia Lotin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, maternal mental health advocate, and founder of Melanin Mass Moms, to explore the powerful role community plays in helping moms navigate identity shifts, isolation, and the journey back to themselves.

Julia shares her own experience of feeling alone as a new mother, why she created a community...

Motherhood has a way of exposing wounds that may otherwise have stayed locked away under the surface. In this powerful conversation, Emily sits down with EMDR therapist, coach, and Healing Mothers Club host Danik Bernier to explore the connection between motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and the complex process of breaking family patterns. Together, they unpack why becoming a mother can bring unresolved experiences to the surface, how trauma can live in the body for generations, and why true healing involves more than simply deciding to do things differently.

Danik shares her own journey of uncovering generational patterns within...

This episode is unlike any other! To celebrate 200 episodes of The Sparkle Project (formerly Worthy Mother Podcast), the microphone is turned around as Emily steps into the guest seat and opens up about the personal journey that has shaped both her life and this podcast.

Joined by her friend and Mom Friends Collective co-founder Breanne Smith, Emily reflects on becoming a mother at 23, navigating a divorce after more than a decade-long relationship, leaving a career in teaching, and learning who she was outside of the roles she thought she was supposed to play.

Together, they...

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered where you went after becoming a mom? In this episode, Emily sits down with licensed mental health counselor, mom of two, and Road to Mama founder Ali Colpack for a powerful conversation about identity loss in motherhood and the hidden pressure of performative motherhood.

Together, they explore why so many mothers feel disconnected from themselves, how social media and societal expectations influence the way we parent.  They also discuss what it actually looks like to reconnect with your intuition without abandoning the version of yourself motherhood has shaped. A...

Motherhood was supposed to feel natural. So why do so many moms secretly feel overwhelmed, exhausted, resentful, anxious, or like they’re failing? In this episode, Emily sits down with therapist-trained life coach and Good Girl, Bad Mom author Dr. Danielle Dowling to unpack her groundbreaking framework: The Motherhood Setup.

Danielle explains how modern mothers are caught in the collision of three overwhelming forces:

Toxic positivity is rampant in modern society - but the flavor that comes along with motherhood is particularly harmful. In this episode, Emily unpacks the real impact of toxic positivity in motherhood and why messages like “enjoy every moment” or “at least you have healthy kids” can actually leave moms feeling more isolated, guilty, and emotionally burned out.

The episode explores how toxic positivity shows up in everyday parenting culture, why suppressing difficult emotions can harm moms’ emotional wellbeing, and how pretending everything is fine affects both mothers and children. This conversation explores the pressure moms feel to appear...

Why are so many moms feeling completely depleted in modern motherhood? In this episode, therapist and matrescence practitioner Vanessa Leveille joins The Sparkle Project for a powerful conversation about maternal depletion, identity shifts in motherhood, nervous system overwhelm, and the transition into motherhood known as matrescence.

This discussion goes beyond postpartum depression to explore the physical, emotional, and systemic realities impacting mothers today, especially women of color navigating unrealistic expectations, burnout, invisible labor, and chronic depletion. Vanessa explains why motherhood is deeply body-led, how maternal depletion can mimic anxiety and depression, and why so many moms feel...

Motherhood has a way of bringing anxiety, overwhelm, and unresolved trauma to the surface. In this episode, EMDR therapist Abbie Ames joins Emily to explore how motherhood can trigger old wounds, why so many moms feel overstimulated and emotionally exhausted, and how healing is possible through approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy.

Abbie shares her own journey through pregnancy loss, fertility struggles, postpartum anxiety, and becoming a mom during COVID, along with the insights that led her to specialize in EMDR therapy for women and mothers. Together, they unpack the nervous system’s ro...

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and to kick it off, Emily is sharing what she's learned from her personal experience navigating mental health in motherhood and what every mom needs to know for their own wellbeing. 

In this episode, you'll hear:

If you've ever felt like you're just getting by, questioning yourself, or silently struggling, this episode will meet you right...

Motherhood doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and for many moms, that means navigating broken systems while also managing your own internal battles. In this episode, Emily sits down with Ciara Lyons, a nurse, mom, and founder of Her Black Wellness, to talk about the realities of maternal health, identity, and what it actually takes to keep showing up as a mother in today's world.

The episode dives into:

In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, it’s easy to spiral into overwhelm - especially when there's additional chaos in your own home. In this episode, Emily opens up about the anxiety that comes with feeling like everything is out of control, from global uncertainty to the everyday challenges of raising kids. She introduces a powerful mindset tool, the Circle of Control, and explains how it can help you refocus your energy, reduce stress, and show up more intentionally in your life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

What does it really mean to be a woman in today’s world - and how much of that is tied to motherhood? In this episode, Emily Maynard joins the podcast for a conversation on societal expectations, friendships, and smashing the patriarchy - from the lens of a woman who is child-free by choice. Together, Emily and Emily explore the expectations placed on women (both those who are mothers and those who aren’t), and how those expectations shape our identities, relationships, and sense of self.

They talk about:

Becoming a mom can absolutely change your daily routine, but it also changes how you see yourself, your work, and what success even means. In this episode, Emily is joined by Paige Figueroa, a former teacher turned business alignment coach for moms, to talk about the identity shift that happens after becoming a mother, and how it can completely reshape your career path.

The conversation explores what it looks like to leave a “safe” career, navigate burnout, and build a new way of working that actually aligns with your life as a mom. Paige shares her experience of r...

Motherhood is often framed like it's the final destination. Once you become a mom, it can feel like the big decisions are already made. The life path is set. The identity is locked in.

But what if that isn’t true?

In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily explores the idea that motherhood isn’t your final form. You’re still growing. You’re still learning who you are. And you’re still allowed to change your mind about the life you want.

Emily shares reflections from her own experience becoming a mom at 23...

Motherhood isn't supposed to feel lonely. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily sits down with Dana James, nurse, mom of two, and the voice behind Mother Mentality. Dana describes herself as a “mom’s mom” and her mission is simple but powerful: create spaces where mothers feel seen, supported, and validated instead of judged.

Together they explore the healing power of hearing another mom say “me too,” and why community matters so much in modern motherhood. Dana shares her personal postpartum experiences, the realities of navigating mental health as a mother, and how those experiences ultimately...

Motherhood can bring out emotions many moms never expected: rage, guilt, resentment, and the overwhelming feeling of not being “good enough.” In this episode, Emily sits down with therapist and author Jessica Tomich Sorci to unpack why even the most loving, devoted mothers often feel like they’re failing. Drawing from her work in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and her book When Good Moms Feel Bad, Jessica introduces the concept of “mom parts” and explains what's behing the internal voices that show up in motherhood.

Together, they explore why motherhood can activate old wounds, why intense emotions like rage...

In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily dives into one of the most common and complicated experiences in motherhood: mom guilt.

Many mothers feel like they’re constantly falling short. Whether it’s working too much, not working enough, losing patience, or simply wanting time for themselves, the feeling of guilt seems to follow moms everywhere.

But what if mom guilt isn’t actually about you at all?

Emily explores how the pressure mothers feel is deeply tied to societal expectations that are often impossible to meet. She breaks down the difference betwee...

"I'm not really a creative person." Have you ever said that line, especially since having kids? Most people have a narrow understanding of what it means to be creative, and Expressive Arts Therapist Kayla Huszar is joining the podcast to explain how creative expression can actually be the path towards healing and reconnecting with ourselves in postpartum and beyond. 

In the episode, we discuss:

Why do so many moms with ADHD feel like frauds? In this conversation, ADHD mindset coach Katie Burns shares what it’s like to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life, how masking shows up in motherhood, and why so many high-achieving women secretly struggle with imposter syndrome.

The episode covers:
• Why so many women with ADHD struggle feel like frauds
• The connection between perfectionism and masking
• The hidden burnout of high-achieving moms
• Why discipline isn’t the answer for ADHD brains
• How to start unmasking safely and intentionally

This convers...

If you’ve ever found yourself doing things that are supposed to feel joyful but still feeling disconnected, numb, or dissatisfied… you are not alone. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, we’re talking about what’s really blocking your joy in motherhood. Not surface-level advice. Not toxic positivity. The deeper patterns and misalignments that quietly shape your day-to-day experience.

Emily is exploring the difference between joy and happiness, how living out of alignment impacts your ability to feel joy, and five factors that may be blocking your own capacity for joy. From disconnection from self and othe...

Motherhood reshapes everything: Your time, your body, your identity, and often the way you show up in the world. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily sits down with personal stylist and founder of Shop the City, Sahra Brandt, for an honest conversation about personal style as a form of self-care, identity reclamation, and confidence for modern moms.

Together, they explore why getting dressed can feel so hard after kids, how the mental load of motherhood impacts style, and why moms deserve permission to dress like themselves not just “like a mom.”

In...

Motherhood changes everything, including how we see ourselves. But what happens when the role of “mom” starts to crowd out every other part of who you are? In this episode, Emily sits down with Dr. Nichelle Haynes, a perinatal psychiatrist, podcast host, and mom of two, to explore the connection between identity and mental health in motherhood. Together, they unpack why so many moms feel disconnected from themselves, how biology and society both play a role, and why reclaiming your identity is not selfish, but essential.

This conversation goes beyond surface-level self-care. Dr. Haynes explains how values, alig...

Motherhood can feel especially heavy when the world feels unstable and life demands keep piling up. In this solo episode, Emily opens up about the emotional weight many moms are carrying right now and why self-compassion matters more than ever.

Rather than striving for perfection, Emily explores what it looks like to meet yourself with grace when parenting feels hard, when emotions run high, and when you are navigating challenges both personally and globally. She shares honest reflections from her own life as a single mom, and offers practical ways to shift from criticism to kindness.