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 explore identity, people-pleasing, motherhood, healing, community, and what it means to create a life that feels aligned, even when it looks different than you imagined.

This conversation is a celebration of growth, self-discovery, and the many ways motherhood can transform us.

🔗 Check out The Mom Friends Collective:

Instagram: @momfriendscollective
Website: www.momfriendscollective.com

🔗 Connect with Breanne:

Instagram: @breazieboozhoo
Podcast: The Bloomera Podcast

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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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. Ali shares practical ways moms can begin rebuilding trust with themselves, creating healthier boundaries, and integrating who they were before motherhood with who they are becoming today.

The episode covers:

• Matrescence and why identity shifts are a normal part of motherhood
• The truth about performative motherhood
• Recognizing when you're parenting from pressure instead of intuition
• The connection between identity loss, burnout, resentment, and mom guilt
• Why "finding yourself again" may not be the goal
• How to reintegrate your identity after becoming a mom

🔗 Connect with Ali:

Instagram: @hiroadtomama
Website: www.hiroadtomama.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

Send us Fan Mail

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:

• The Motherhood Fantasy that says motherhood should feel natural, effortless, and fulfilling at all times
• Good Girl Conditioning that teaches girls and women to stay agreeable and selfless
• The Invisible Labor that quietly consumes mothers every single day

Together, they explore identity loss after becoming a mom, the emotional weight women carry behind closed doors, and why so many mothers internalize overwhelm as personal failure instead of recognizing the impossible expectations placed upon them.

This episode is for any mom who has ever questioned whether she is doing enough.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Danielle Dowling:

Instagram: @iamdanielledowling
Website: www.danielle-dowling.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

Send us Fan Mail