Episode 87: We're Not 1950s Moms... So Why Are We Still Trying to Be? | Motherhood, Identity & Expectations

We're raising families in a completely different world, so why are so many moms still trying to live up to an outdated definition of what a “good mom” should be? In this episode of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki, Nikki sits down with her friend Laura for a conversation that was supposed to be about friendship...and quickly became something much deeper. Identity. Who are you when you take away the titles? Mom. Wife. Career woman. Business owner. Daughter. Volunteer. Household manager. And what happens when we keep adding more and more roles until we can barely find the woman underneath them? Laura shares her own experience of going from an ambitious career woman and entrepreneur to becoming a new mom after a major move, and realizing she kept describing herself by saying, “I used to...” Her identity had not caught up with her reality. That realization sparked a powerful conversation about the version of motherhood women have been taught to chase: the mom who takes care of everyone, keeps the house running, prepares the meals, raises great kids, succeeds professionally, stays healthy, looks good, maintains relationships...and somehow does it all happily. Except maybe the problem isn't that we're failing at motherhood. Maybe we're trying to succeed at an impossible version of it. In this episode, Nikki and Laura talk about: ✨ Why attaching your identity to one role can leave you questioning who you are when life changes ✨ The pressure moms feel to “do it all” and still make it look effortless ✨ Why mom guilt seems to exist no matter which choice we make ✨ Decision fatigue and the invisible mental load moms carry every day ✨ Why outsourcing, simplifying and asking for help aren't signs of failure ✨ The difference between managing your time and managing your priorities ✨ Why taking care of yourself models something important for your children ✨ How boundaries protect your energy for the things only YOU can do ✨ Why knowing who you are also requires knowing who you're NOT And Laura leaves us with a challenge that might be harder than it sounds: Say no to something this week. Not because you're selfish. Not because you don't care. But because every no creates room for a more intentional yes. Maybe being a good mom was never supposed to mean becoming everything to everyone. Maybe our kids need to see women who love their families deeply without disappearing inside motherhood. 🎙️ Listen to Episode 87 of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki. Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with another mom who needs permission to stop trying to do it all. 📲 Connect with Nikki: Instagram: @nikkiwallace247 Facebook: @ConnectWithNikkiW