Join our community at www.timefreepod.com Find Julia here: https://www.instagram.com/birthinspain/ In this episode of TimeFree, Michelle speaks with Julia about motherhood, identity, moving abroad, birth, business ownership and redefining success after children. Julia shares her journey from working in universities and nonprofits in the United States, including Boston University, to moving to Spain and building a business that supports pregnant women, new mothers and international families navigating birth, postpartum, breastfeeding and motherhood abroad. Before having children, Julia and her husband were living what looked like the American Dream: good university jobs, a house and the traditional boxes ticked. But motherhood became a turning point. Julia describes birth, the fourth trimester and becoming a mother as a seismic transformation that changed how she saw herself, her work, her family and the life she wanted to build. Michelle and Julia discuss the emotional reality of motherhood, including identity shifts, postpartum transformation, parenting triggers, attachment, conscious parenting, neurodivergence, maternal instinct and the pressure women feel to “bounce back” instead of allowing motherhood to change them. Julia also shares how her son’s needs, including his neurodivergent nervous system, helped her understand the importance of presence and creating a family life that worked for them rather than following what society expected. This became part of the reason her family chose to leave the US and move to Spain. The conversation explores what it takes to walk away from a prestigious career, a good salary and a conventional version of success in order to choose a life that feels more authentic. Julia speaks honestly about the humility of stepping out of paid work, the discomfort of a career gap, and the process of rebuilding her professional identity as a business owner, doula, lactation counsellor and yoga teacher in Alicante. Michelle and Julia discuss the emotional challenge of starting a business, being visible online, asking for testimonials, learning through failure and claiming the title of business owner without minimising your work. Julia reflects on how her business has grown by supporting women through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum and the realities of becoming a mother in a new country. This episode is especially relevant for mothers, expat families, pregnant women, doulas, birth workers, breastfeeding mothers, women moving to Spain, business owners, career changers and anyone questioning whether the life they built still fits who they are becoming. Julia’s message is powerful: motherhood is not weakness. Motherhood is not the end of something. Motherhood can be a source of strength, clarity, creativity and transformation. When women step into that power, they can choose work, family and life on their own terms. Topics include motherhood and identity, birth, postpartum, fourth trimester, conscious parenting, attachment, Gabor Maté, neurodivergent children, moving to Spain, leaving the US, expat motherhood, pregnancy in Spain, doula support, lactation support, breastfeeding, business ownership, career change, women entrepreneurs, time freedom, flexible work, redefining success, starting over, motherhood as power and building a life by the Mediterranean. TimeFree is a podcast about motherhood, money, work, identity, freedom and building a life where your time is your own. Through conversations with mothers, founders, entrepreneurs and professional women, we explore how we are redefining success.
