How I Lost and Found Myself in Motherhood (E19)

Mom's Guide to Finding Herself
Written By Mom Identity Project

Becoming a mom changes everything. It shifts your identity, reshapes your values, and even alters your sense of purpose. I know, because I've been there. In episode 19 of the "Mom's Guide to Finding Herself" podcast, I'm sharing my personal journey through the sometimes-turbulent waters of motherhood and how I'm rediscovering myself. This episode is for you if you've ever felt like the person you were before motherhood has vanished, or that everything you thought you knew about life, parenting, and yourself has been turned upside down.

My Story: From Educator to Mom (and Back Again)

For 15 years, I thrived as a teacher and administrator. Education and childhood development were my passions. I had a strong sense of self, fueled by productivity, purpose, and independence. Multiple side hustles, constant networking, and a drive to try new things defined me. My identity was deeply intertwined with my career, projects, and accomplishments.

Then came motherhood. It was a whirlwind, a complete shock to the system. Suddenly, nothing made sense. Overwhelm was my constant companion. The confidence I once had in my parenting philosophies evaporated, and I questioned everything. I experienced a full-blown identity crisis. The independent, driven woman I knew felt like a stranger. There were moments of profound doubt, feelings of invisibility, and the nagging question: would I ever feel like myself again? It felt like I was a background character in my own life.

Rediscovering Myself: A New Chapter

But even amidst the struggles, a realization began to dawn: motherhood hadn't erased me; it was about rediscovering who I was now. My definition of success shifted. It wasn't just about achieving goals and ticking boxes anymore. It was about finding joy in the small moments, nurturing connections with my children, and creating a life filled with meaning.

I needed an outlet, a way to connect with others. So, I started an Instagram page sharing my expertise on baby products and fun, low-prep kids' activities. It gave me a renewed sense of purpose and allowed me to connect with other parents. I also launched an online book club for moms navigating similar life phases, creating a space for reflection and connection. These experiences ultimately led to the creation of this very podcast, "Mom's Guide to Finding Herself."

Why Tune In?

I created this podcast as a safe haven for moms – a place where you feel seen, inspired, and truly understood. "Mom's Guide to Finding Herself" offers real stories and genuine support for moms who feel lost, unsure, or overwhelmed. It's a space to explore how motherhood changes us – our identities, our priorities, and our sense of self. We delve into the beautiful, messy, and everything in-between aspects of motherhood.

I'm not here to preach picture-perfect advice. I'm sharing real stories, real struggles, and real lessons I've learned along the way. I'm in the trenches with you, understanding what it feels like to be overwhelmed, invisible, and disconnected.

What You'll Find on the Podcast:

  • A mix of solo episodes and guest interviews with inspiring moms sharing their own journeys.

  • Conversations about parenting, the challenges of motherhood, and the crucial process of rediscovering your identity.

  • A supportive community where you feel seen, heard, and understood.

This podcast is a reminder: your story matters. In the next episode, we'll dive deeper into your rediscovery journey and explore practical steps you can take to start feeling more like yourself again.

Key Takeaway: Motherhood is transformative. It can trigger an identity crisis, but it also offers an incredible opportunity for deep self-discovery. You are not alone on this journey.

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a comment or review! It helps other moms find our community. Let's connect! You can find me on Instagram at MomIdentityProject. And don't forget to subscribe to "Mom's Guide to Finding Herself" wherever you listen to podcasts!

Help Us Grow

The BoldLittleMinds MomCast is made possible by you - the listener. Your support goes directly into making each episode happen—thank you for being part of the journey!

All donations go directly to supporting the production of the Mom's Guide to Finding Herself podcast

For Your Binging Enjoyment…

19 Audio

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[00:00:00] Have you ever felt like becoming a mom changed everything about you?

Your identity, your values, even your purpose? I've been there. In this episode, I'm going to share my journey so far. How I went from being totally confident in who I am, to feeling completely lost, and how I've been working on finding myself again. I'll share some of my struggles, my wins, and why I created this space for moms like you.

Welcome to Mom's Guide to Finding Herself, where we share stories of side hustles and surviving while parenting young children. I'm your host, Chrissy Bold. Let's make motherhood less lonely and help you find joy in being you again.

If you've ever felt like the person you were before motherhood just vanished, or like everything you thought you knew about life or parenting, or even yourself was suddenly just upended, you are in the right place. Hi, I'm Krissy. I am a stay at home mom to two young boys, and I am the host of Mom's Guide to Finding Yourself.

I'm here to support you on your journey to reconnect with you now [00:01:00] that you're a mom. And today. I'm here to share my story, who I was before becoming a mom, the struggles that I faced as my identity shifted, and how I'm working to find my way back to myself. My hope is that by sharing my journey, you'll be inspired to embrace your own story, wherever you are on your path.

But let's start with why I created this podcast. The mission is simple. I started this podcast because I wanted to create a space where moms could feel seen, inspired, and understood. It's about sharing real stories and providing support for moms who might be feeling a little lost, unsure, or honestly just overwhelmed by all of it.

It's so easy to feel isolated and invisible when you're deep in the trenches of motherhood, but I believe that by sharing real stories and learning from each other, we can start to feel less alone and more connected, not just to each other, but to ourselves. This [00:02:00] space is for moms who, like you, are navigating all of the ways motherhood has changed us, our identities, our priorities, and even our sense of self. We're going to talk about this whole journey through motherhood, the beautiful and the messy parts of it, the ups and downs, everything in between.

And along the way, we're going to explore ways to reconnect with yourself so that way you don't lose sight of the person that you were before you became a mom, but while embracing this incredible person that you're becoming because you're a mom. first let me take you back to where my life was before I became a mom.

Before becoming a mom, I spent 15 years as a teacher. I taught students from third grade all the way through college level, and I was an administrator where I coached teachers on their teaching practices. My training and my professional background gave me this understanding of childhood development and a real passion for education.

I loved my work. It gave me purpose and a clear sense of who I was. [00:03:00] Outside of work, I was so busy. I always had at least one, if not two, side hustles going at the same time. I was out in the world. I was meeting people. I was making connections and trying new things.

I ran a trivia night. I held a position on my town's recreation commission. I was into crafting. I loved playing board games. I mean, if it sounded like a fun idea, I would give it a go. I also had personal philosophies that shaped my life. I believed in structure, in balance, and this idea that if you worked hard enough you could achieve your goals.

And my identity was deeply tied to this. My career, my many side projects, my accomplishments, and my independence. I had a clear vision of who I was and where I was going. I was someone who thrived on being productive and having a purpose. I loved the independence of having my own goals and the confidence that came from knowing who I was.

And then I became a mom. And to say that was a whirlwind would have been a [00:04:00] complete understatement. Suddenly all of the things that I thought I knew, the things about parenting, the things about life, the things about myself, none of it made sense anymore. I remember one day, I was walking in circles around the kitchen island for like the millionth time trying to get my son to sleep and I was feeling I was so completely overwhelmed.

I had these visions of these beautiful routines that I would have in my life, in my day, everything, and none of it seemed to work. The confidence that I had in my parenting philosophies were completely gone. All of the expertise that I thought I had from school, from teaching, from all of it, none of it applied in the same way that I thought it would, and it left me questioning everything I believed.

Becoming a mom completely shook me to my core. It wasn't just about the sleepless nights or that complete loss of control, although those were huge. It was about feeling like I had [00:05:00] lost myself. I went through what I now realize was an identity crisis. The person I had been before, right, that independent, driven woman with a clear sense of purpose, was a stranger, and I was struggling to figure out who I was now.

Right? I was still me, but I wasn't. And there were moments of doubt. Moments when I felt completely invisible, and times when I wondered if I would ever feel like myself again. I remember so many times I was laying in bed, and I would wonder, am I even a person anymore? I just, I just felt like my own wants and my needs didn't even matter.

I felt like I was a background character in my own life, but I had no idea how to start becoming a main character again. Nothing that I used to use to define myself felt right anymore. I had no idea where to start. But all of those struggles also sparked something in me, a [00:06:00] spark that wanted to start something new.

And slowly, I began to realize that yes, motherhood did change me, but it didn't erase me. It wasn't about losing myself. It was about rediscovering who I am now in a new and deeper way. So what did I do? How did I start finding my way back? One of the best. Biggest shifts that I made was redefining success.

For so long, I thought success was about achieving goals and checking off boxes. But motherhood taught me that success wasn't necessarily about being productive. It could be about so much more. Like finding joy in the little moments, right? Building connections with my kids and creating a life that truly aligned with my values, creating a life that felt meaningful and fulfilling, even if it didn't look the way I had imagined.

So that's about when I started my Instagram page. I started it to share some of the expertise that [00:07:00] I had learned in all of my research. Some of the top products that I had found in my research preparing for a baby and the ways that I was finding deals and bargains.

And eventually it shifted to focusing on creating fun, low prep activities for kids. It was a way for me to channel my creativity and my passion for education into something that made a difference.

It made a difference for me and my family because my kids were really benefiting from these intentional activities that I was planning for them, but it also supported other parents as well. So it gave me this different sense of purpose and this like different professional outlet almost that felt really meaningful.

And then through that I also started to make connections with other people and eventually they became my friends. So starting this Instagram page has really been an incredible force in my life. Along the way, I also started an online book group for other moms that were going through similar phases of life as me.

We read three books before I put it on a pause to start this [00:08:00] podcast, but it was really amazing. We took the opportunity to really dive into the book and get deep into our reflections and learn from one another. We read the books very slowly, and then the podcast was born. And for me, storytelling has been such a powerful way to reclaim my voice.

By sharing my story and inviting other moms to share theirs, I'm creating this space where we can all feel a little less lost and a little more like ourselves. So why should you trust me on your journey to go back to you? Well, yes, I bring this experience as a teacher and a teacher coach, right? My background in childhood development, my experience exploring and starting up all these different hobbies and side hustles, and of course, my real life journey as a mom.

But more importantly, I bring my honesty.

I am not here to share polished or picture perfect pieces of advice, or pretend like I have it all figured out, because I do [00:09:00] not. I am here to share real stories, real struggles, and real lessons that I've learned on my way. The messy and the imperfect ones, because that's what motherhood is.

I am right here in the trenches with you. I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed and invisible and disconnected, to question yourself and to wonder if you're doing enough. I am right here with you. I'm learning and growing every single day, but I also know the joy and the growth and this profound love that motherhood brings.

So what can you expect from this podcast? You'll hear a mix of episodes, ones like this that have just me and also guest episodes that feature inspiring moms who have their own stories to share.

We're going to cover topics like parenting and the challenges of motherhood, but also rediscovering your identity and how you can work towards that. Most importantly, you're going to find a space where you feel seen and [00:10:00] supported and understood. A space that reminds you that your story matters just as much as anyone else's.

I would love to hear how this episode has helped you. Scroll down to the comments or reviews and leave me a note there. This will make a big impact in helping moms like us find the show. Make sure to click those five stars and follow so you can join me on this journey of finding ourselves.

In the next episode, I'm going to go more into what you're going through that has led you here on this rediscovery journey and what you can start doing to start feeling more like an individual again.

Until then, take a moment for yourself and remember you are an amazing mom, just as you are. I would love to hear how this episode has helped you. Scroll down to the comments or reviews and leave me a note there. This will make a big impact in helping moms like us find the show. Make sure to click those five stars and follow so you can join me on this journey of finding ourselves.

Mom Identity Project https://momidentityproject.com
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