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You walk into a room, forget why, stand there blinking like a confused Sims character. Then you start spiralling: Is my brain broken? Is this what motherhood does?!

If that moment feels freakishly familiar, this episode is your official permission slip to stop blaming your brain - and start understanding it.

In this illuminating convo on Chill Like a Mother, Kayla Huszar chats with neuroscientist Dr. Jodi Pawluski to dismantle the myth of “mommy brain” as a bad thing. Instead, you’ll learn how your brain is actually doing something remarkable: adapting, fine-tuning, and rewiring itself to help you care for your baby (and probably also pack a lunch while ordering more baby wipes on your phone).

But there’s a twist: The foggy, forgetful, fried feeling? It’s not just biology. It’s the sheer mental load - the nonstop juggling of details, emotions, invisible work, and Goldfish cracker inventory—that’s making recall and focus feel slippery.

Here’s what you’ll receive in this episode:

• What’s going on in your brain during pregnancy and postpartum (spoiler: a LOT)
• Why your “mom brain” moments say more about overstimulation than brokenness
• How society quietly convinces moms their cognitive struggles are personal failings
• Why you don’t need another list of self-care hacks - you need solutions tailored to your nervous system
• The serious research gap in perinatal mental health, and why it matters more than ever

This episode doesn’t just offer answers - it offers relief. Real, science-backed relief that your forgetfulness isn’t a flaw. Your brain isn’t malfunctioning. It’s multitasking survival and sensitivity, all at once.

📚 Want to go deeper? Check out Dr. Jodi Pawluski’s book Mommy Brain, her podcast Mommy Brain Revisited, and her upcoming course through Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings.

🎧 Listen now and reclaim your brain—not from motherhood, but for it.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Maternal Mental Health
02:35 Neuroscience of Motherhood
08:05 The Reality of Maternal Mental Health
12:29 Research Gaps in Maternal Mental Health
15:21 Understanding Mental Health in Context
19:44 Mommy Brain and Mental Load
28:01 Supporting Maternal Mental Health
31:00 Resources and Future Learning

Support the show

Meet Kayla Huszar, the Host of the Chill Like a Mother Podcast

Kayla Huszar is a Registered Social Worker and Expressive Arts Therapist who helps mothers reconnect with their authentic selves through embodied art-making. She encourages moms to embrace the messy, beautiful realities of their unique motherhood journeys. Whether through the podcast, 1:1 sessions or her signature Motherload Membership, Kayla creates a brave space for mothers to explore their identities beyond parenting, reconnect with their intuition, and find creative outlets for emotional expression and self-discovery.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day—kids running amok and all! If this episode helped you feel a little more chill, please leave a rating or review. Your feedback helps the podcast reach more moms who need to hear it.