Sometimes the most “emotionally healthy” thing you can do as a mom is admit the truth: you’re overwhelmed, you’re over-functioning, and social media is not helping.
In this episode, Holly, Hannah, and Meredith sit down with Alli Worthington (author, speaker, business coach (Holly’s actual business coach!), and mom of five) to talk about what it looks like to become an emotionally healthy mom… so we can raise emotionally healthy kids.
What we unpack in this conversation
1) Why moms feel so much guilt (and why it’s getting worse)
Alli doesn’t mince words: social media can be toxic for moms. Because your brain starts believing “everybody is doing everything,” when you’re really watching a highlight reel + a business model.
Instead, find your trusted people, and go to them when things feel merky.
2) Confidence doesn’t come first… reps come first
We talk about how confidence is built through action, mistakes, and evidence over time, especially in motherhood. Stop believing the lie that one mistake can mess everything up and instead put effort into becoming the mom you want to be...over and over again.
3) What “regulation” actually means in real life
Not in a fluffy way. In a “how do I calm myself down before I snap” way.
Tools that came up:
Counting down (and saying out loud what you’re doing)
Taking a pause before disciplining
Naming what’s happening in your body (hot, sweaty, escalated)
Preparing for your predictable “activation moments” (car line, dinner rush, bedtime)
4) Overwhelm makes reactivity inevitable
We talk about how chronic overload pushes you into emotion-brain (amygdala) and takes your thinking-brain offline, which is why you say things you don’t even agree with later…and how to stop this hamster wheel.
5) “Over-functioning” (aka: doing too darn much)
One of the biggest mic-drop themes: over-functioning doesn’t just exhaust you, it quietly trains everyone around you to do less.
Alli’s practical gut-check:
If someone can do it 75% as well as you, let them.
6) The long game: don’t make your kids your identity
This part matters: if your worth comes from being needed, you’ll accidentally rescue too much, and your kids won’t build competence or confidence.
Get Mom Ready isn’t here to tell you how to parent. We’re here to help you stay connected to who you are while you’re doing it, so both you and your kids can thank you later.
A question to sit with this week
Where am I over-functioning right now… and what’s one “75% solution” I can accept without fixing it?
Mentioned + linked in this episode (Alli’s stuff)
Alli’s book: Remaining You While Raising Them: The Secret Art of Confident Motherhood
Alli’s Instagram: @alliworthington
Alli’s website: alliworthington.com
The Alli Worthington Show (podcast)
If you’ve been doing everything and calling it “being a good mom,” consider this your permission slip (actually, your order) to stop over-functioning.
And if you know a mom who’s drowning in decision fatigue and trying to do it all perfectly…send her this episode as a little love note.
