The Identity Shift No One Warns You About in Motherhood ft. Ruth Pokes | The Goodmother Series Ep. 7

What happens when motherhood stretches every part of who you are, your identity, your body, your marriage, your ambition, and your emotional capacity? In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Ruth Pokes, wellness entrepreneur, founder of Pure Celi, and mother of two, for an honest conversation about postpartum depression, maternal identity, partnership, resentment, emotional regulation, and the quiet evolution of self after children. Rooted in lived experience, this episode explores the inner shifts of modern motherhood through a culturally grounded lens.Ruth reflects on who she was before motherhood, how becoming a mother reshaped her sense of self, and why the early postpartum period gave her a deeper understanding of emotional overwhelm and maternal mental health. She speaks candidly about raising children while married to a touring musician, the invisible load women often carry, the tension between ambition and caregiving, and what it means to feel stretched while still growing. Together, Ezinne and Ruth unpack marriage, identity, support systems, birth choices, children’s emotional intelligence, and the importance of patience as mothers become new versions of themselves.This is a conversation about womanhood in motion, the body as evidence, and the unspoken truth of motherhood.Connect with Ruth:InstagramR42 CollectivePure CeliRelated links:Nana PokesThe CompozersThe Goodmother Series | The Unspoken TruthA modern motherhood podcast documenting how becoming a parent reshapes identity, body, and cultural belonging across the African diaspora.Hosted by Ezinne, this series centres on lived experience over advice. These are intimate, culturally rooted conversations about maternal identity, body transformation, inherited expectations, and the emotional realities of motherhood.If this episode resonated, like, comment, and subscribe to help more women find these stories.Watch on YouTube Follow The Goodmother Series:TikTokInstagramFacebookNew episodes every Sunday at 6am GMT.Produced by APodcastGeekhttps://apodcastgeek.com/