Motherloading Podcast

Women can't multitask. We're just asked to do more work. Professor Leah Ruppanner is a sociologist, researcher, and author of Drained, a book that puts data behind what so many women have been told is anxiety, overthinking, or bad boundaries. She's one of the world's leading voices on the mental load, and in this conversation, we get into what it actually is, why it's so heavy, and what it's costing women, families, and the world. This isn't about to do lists or housework. It's about why women are exhausted, what that costs, and how we can stop disappearing into the load. In this episode, we talk about: – why the mental load is emotional thinking work, not just a to do list – the eight different types of mental load and how they drain you – why your mental load is finite (and how to spend it strategically) – the myth of multitasking and why women aren't better at it – the John and Jane study: why women are judged more harshly for mess – how women's dreams and health get starved first – why men see investing in themselves as investing in the family (and women don't) – the $100 experiment: what women spent it on when they finally chose themselves – guilt as a wasted emotion (and why Swedish mothers don't feel it) – why going back to "the old ways" isn't the answer – the motherhood penalty and what stepping out of work really costs – what drained women are costing the world – why the world would look different if women were in power – how to start reclaiming your mental load energy tonight – what we owe our daughters This conversation is honest, grounding, and backed by research. For anyone navigating motherhood, ambition, exhaustion, or just trying to understand why it all feels so heavy, this one will stay with you. Find Professor Leah Ruppanner on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook. Visit lightenlab.com to take a free mental load assessment. Get her book Drained on Amazon or listen to the audiobook wherever you get your books. https://www.instagram.com/prof.leahruppanner/ Website - https://www.lightenlab.com/ Book Drained - Amazon & Book shops  Join the waitlist for The Load System at motherloading.net Follow us on: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motherloading_x?igsh=d3JkM3lseDNhNnM1 TikTok @motherloading_pod Produced by TAEPodcast www.taepodcast.co.uk

We talk a lot on Motherloading about the invisible load. This episode gets into what it's actually doing to your body. We are exhausted. Not just tired... depleted. And most of us have been running on caffeine, cortisol and sheer willpower for so long we've forgotten what it feels like not to be. Rhian Stephenson is the founder and CEO of ARTAH, one of the UK's most respected nutrition and supplement brands, but more importantly for this conversation, she's a registered nutritionist, naturopath, ex-athlete, mum of two, and a woman who openly admits she still hit burnout despite knowing everything she knows. She built a business while pregnant with her second baby, went straight back to work five days after having her, and one day woke up with nothing left. We talked about all of it. The slow drain of burnout and why it never announces itself. The nervous system that never switches off. What years of broken sleep, the mental load, postpartum and perimenopause actually do to your body and why so many of us are living through all of them at the same time without anyone naming it. The pressure to keep functioning no matter what. The hospital fantasy. World Book Day. And what it actually looks like to start rebuilding from a place of support rather than shame. We cover: — Burnout as a slow drain, not a dramatic crash — What modern motherhood is doing to the female nervous system — Postpartum colliding with perimenopause and why the symptoms are identical — Why only 4% of women are meeting exercise guidelines correctly and how you can fix it — The non-judgment food audit and why we're tricking ourselves — Creatine, vitamin D, electrolytes and fibre, what's actually worth taking and why — Pausing vs giving up, the reframe that changes everything — Why you can't out-supplement a bad diet and where supplements genuinely fill the gap — Learning your body again in your 30s and 40s — The lie we're done with: you can do it all This episode is in proud partnership with ARTAH, a brand I reached out to personally because I use their supplements and I believe in what they make. No noise, no quick fixes, just science-backed nutrition that actually works. ARTAH are giving Motherloading listeners 20% off. Use code MOTHERLOAD at www.artah.co LINKS Shop ARTAH: www.artah.co ARTAH on Instagram: www.instagram.com/artahhealth ARTAH on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@artahhealth ARTAH on Facebook: www.facebook.com/artahhealth Rhian Stephenson on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rhianstephenson Rhian Stephenson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rhian-stephenson-nd-003a9a22 About Rhian: www.artah.co/pages/our-founder FIND MOTHERLOADING Instagram: @motherloadingpodcast Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube www.motherloading.net

Life's problems aren't separate. They're outcomes of patterns we've been carrying for years. Kelly Armitage is a therapist, TED speaker, author of Ask a Serenity Kit, and creator of a framework that's helped thousands shift emotional patterns quickly. With over 15,000 therapy sessions behind her and a platform that's reached 100 million views, she's built something that actually works — not just for talking, but for changing. In this episode, we talk about: – why traditional therapy often doesn't work (and what does) – the mother and father wound (and how to identify yours in 30 seconds) – why healing is the purpose, not achievement – over functioning, over giving, and the burnout that follows – the subconscious payoff keeping you stuck in unhelpful patterns – victim mindset versus warrior mindset (and why both are valid) – how to stop trying to change your partner and start setting boundaries – why passive, passive aggressive, and aggressive communication keeps you powerless – learning assertiveness, expressing needs, and vulnerable communication – why you can't love anyone else until you love yourself – the nine step Ask technique that shifts emotions and rewires thoughts – a live session where Nicky works through emotional distance, loneliness, and guilt in her relationship This conversation is honest, grounding, and deeply practical. For anyone navigating motherhood, relationships, burnout, or just trying to understand why the same patterns keep showing up, this one will stay with you. https://www.instagram.com/kellyarmatage/ https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyarmatagetherapist https://www.youtube.com/@kellyarmatage https://linktr.ee/kellyarmatage Join the waitlist for The Load System at motherloading.net Follow us on: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motherloading_x?igsh=d3JkM3lseDNhNnM1 TikTok @motherloading_pod Produced by TAEPodcast www.taepodcast.co.uk