Working Moms: Societal Pressures & Identity Shifts with Leanna Laskey McGrath Artwork

The Sparkle Project

(Formerly Worthy Mother Podcast)

The Sparkle Project is a podcast for moms who are done carrying the weight of motherhood alone and are ready to connect with who they truly are - their sparkle, if you will.

So many of us feel overwhelmed not because we’re failing, but because we’re mothering inside a patriarchal system that expects us to give endlessly, stay quiet, and lose ourselves in the process. This space challenges those outdated expectations and embraces a more empowered, more supported, more self-honoring version of motherhood.

Hosted by Emily Rose MacDonald, a divorced mom of two on her own journey to shine a little brighter, each episode explores the realities of modern motherhood through a feminist lens that values equity, autonomy, mental health, and the humanity of moms.

You’ll hear conversations about identity, mental health, self-care, healing, and the many ways we can reclaim ourselves in a world that often overlooks the needs of mothers.

If you’re a mom who believes we deserve more than survival, and that our culture has to evolve for moms to truly thrive, you’re in the right place.

Welcome to The Sparkle Project.

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The Sparkle Project

Working Moms: Societal Pressures & Identity Shifts with Leanna Laskey McGrath

February 20, 2024 • Episode 85

Working mothers are expected to work like they don't have kids, and parent like they don't have jobs. Balancing it all can be exhausting, and trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations can leave moms feeling defeated when they feel like they are failing in both areas of their lives. This week, I'm joined by executive coach Leanna Laskey McGrath to explore the identity shifts and pressures faced by high-achieving women once they become mothers, and what we can do to make working motherhood work.

In the episode, Leanna and I talk about:

The identity shift that happens when career-focused women have kids
Societal expecations for moms to work like they don't have kids and raise their children like they don't have jobs
How workplaces are changing, and what we expect for future generations
Adjusting our expectations of what it means to be a career-oriented mother
The skills mothers bring to leadership roles

A little about our guest:
Leanna Laskey McGrath is a former tech executive turned full time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach. As a high achieving, ambitious, Type A woman in a male-dominated field, Leanna spent her career building her identity and value around her work ethic. When she became a mom, she brought her all-or-nothing approach to parenting too, and started feeling like she was failing at everything. She began a journey of self discovery and eventually made the decision to step away from her company. As a coach, she now helps women break free of the inertia of their lives and the weight of other people’s expectations to enjoy this one and only precious life we’ve been given.

To connect with Leanna, follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram @execcoachleanna. You can also visit her website www.coachleanna.com. Check out Leanna's podcast Executive Coach For Moms wherever you like to listen.

If you found this episode valuable, share it with other moms in your life. Follow along with The Worthy Mother Podcast on Instagram @emily.rose.hardy and @worthymotherpodcast, and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen!

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