Performative Motherhood & Reintegrating Your Identities as a Mom with Ali Colpack Artwork

The Sparkle Project

The version of motherhood we're sold looks nothing like the one we're actually living. That's by design.

The Sparkle Project is for the moms who are done pretending otherwise, and ready to reclaim the parts of themselves that got lost along the way. Hosted by Emily MacDonald, a single mom, feminist, and late-diagnosed ADHDer, each episode digs into the identity shifts, invisible labor, and systemic failures that make motherhood so hard. You'll hear from the experts, advocates, and real women who are finding their way back to themselves, so you can feel less alone in the hard parts and more like yourself in all the rest.

Somewhere between the mental load and the mom guilt, your shine is still there. The Sparkle Project is your space to find it.

(Formerly Worthy Mother Podcast)

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The Sparkle Project

Performative Motherhood & Reintegrating Your Identities as a Mom with Ali Colpack

June 09, 2026 • Episode 199

0:00 | 44:09

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: