Motherhood Uncut

Kate Kripke
  • 4.9 (57)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

This heartwarming and inspiring podcast brings the parts of motherhood that nobody wants to talk about to the table. With humor, authenticity, clinical knowledge, research, and personal experience in mothering, Kate and Deb discuss and facilitate conversations about everything mothering-related including the good, the bad, the messy, and the hilarious.

  1. 4d ago

    When You Feel Like You've Lost Yourself in Motherhood

    📌 Book a free Assessment Call to find out what your nervous system needs: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Catch yourself in the mirror on a random Tuesday and for a second you do not recognize the woman looking back. You love your kids. That was never the question. But somewhere between the feedings, the drop offs, and the mental list that never ends, the woman you used to be got harder and harder to find. You are not broken and you are not ungrateful. You are just deep in a season that quietly asked you to set yourself aside, one small choice at a time, until one day you looked up and could not remember the last time you did something just for you. In this episode, I'm going to explain why missing your old self is not a betrayal of motherhood, and show you exactly how to find your way back to her without leaving any of it behind. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 When You Feel Like You've Lost Yourself in Motherhood  0:47 Kate's own story of losing herself as a new mom  1:43 What's actually happening when you feel this way  1:58 The guilt of missing your old self  2:13 Why missing her is grief, not ingratitude  2:17 How she quietly disappeared over time  3:04 The lie about choosing between motherhood and yourself  3:26 What your kids actually need to see from you  4:31 How to find your way back in ten minutes  5:20 Three honest questions to wake her up again ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  Why do I feel like I lost myself after becoming a mom?  You did not lose yourself. You poured your time and energy into your kids and quietly set aside the parts of your identity that were only yours, expecting to return to them later, and that quiet setting aside adds up faster than most moms realize.  Is it wrong to grieve who I was before motherhood?  No, that grief is not ingratitude. It is love pointed at yourself, and it only shows up for things you truly loved, so feeling it actually means you have not lost her at all, just lost touch with her for a while.  How do I start feeling like myself again as a mom?  Start small with ten minutes a few times a week doing something that is only yours, like reading, walking without the stroller, or reconnecting with an old friend. Small consistent moments like these rebuild your sense of self far faster than waiting for a big block of free time that may never come. 📱 RESOURCES Free Assessment Call: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Free Webinar: https://calmconnectionsystem.com/register Website: https://www.katekripke.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekripke/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly tools to help high-achieving moms move through postpartum anxiety and into calm, confidence, and deep connection with their kids. ABOUT KATE KRIPKE:  I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist. For over 20 years, I've helped thousands of high-achieving, career-driven moms move through postpartum anxiety without years of therapy. #PostpartumAnxiety #MaternalMentalHealth #MomIdentity #MotherhoodAnxiety #LosingYourselfInMotherhood

  2. Jul 27

    Motherhood, Creativity, and the Courage to Not Know with Jennifer Hinton

    What if creativity isn’t about painting, writing, or making beautiful things? What if creativity is our ability to remain open when we don’t know the answer? In this conversation, Kate sits down with Jennifer Hinton, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Carve Designs, to explore creativity as a human capacity rather than an artistic talent. Together they discuss why creativity requires vulnerability, how fear and perfectionism narrow our thinking, and why slowing down may be one of the most important practices for living a meaningful life. The conversation naturally turns toward motherhood, where uncertainty is constant and creativity becomes essential. Rather than seeing motherhood as something that diminishes creativity, Kate and Jennifer explore how it asks us to develop it in entirely new ways. In this episode, we discuss: Why everyone is born creative—even if they don’t think they are.The relationship between creativity, safety, and vulnerability.How perfectionism can limit curiosity and imagination.Why collaboration often produces our best ideas.The importance of slowing down and creating space for inspiration.Creativity beyond art: leadership, business, parenting, and everyday problem solving.Why play becomes uncomfortable for so many adults.How motherhood changes our relationship with creativity.The tension between structure and openness—and why we need both.Small ways to reconnect with creativity in everyday life. About Jennifer Hinton Jennifer Hinton is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Carve Designs, where she has spent more than two decades building a brand that celebrates adventure, authenticity, and thoughtful design. Her approach to creativity is rooted in openness, collaboration, and a deep belief that every person has the capacity to see the world in new ways. Learn more about Jen Hinton and Care Designs at www.carvedseigns.com an on IG @carvedesigns

  3. Jul 23

    The Hidden Reason Motherhood Feels So Hard for High Achievers

    📌 Book a free Assessment Call to find out what your nervous system needs: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Your toddler is on the floor screaming in the middle of the store. Everyone is watching. You try every trick you know and it only gets louder. There is one question that actually changes what happens next, and it has nothing to do with what you say to your kid. It has everything to do with what is happening inside your own body in that moment. In this episode, I'm going to show you the one question to ask yourself in the middle of a tantrum that helps you get calm, so your child can borrow that calm from you. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 This One Question “Fixes” Tantrums 0:37 What your kid actually needs from you  1:46 Why the fix reflex takes over  2:59 The guilt that makes you grip harder  3:37 Your kid is having a hard time, not giving you one  4:16 The real question to ask before you do anything  5:03 What to do with your body in the moment  5:32 My own story of sitting through my daughter's cries  6:03 Why doing less works better than trying harder ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  What should I say to my toddler during a tantrum?  The words matter far less than your own state. Your child is reading your body and nervous system, not your sentences, so steadying yourself first is what actually helps them calm down. Once your body settles, your child has something calm to borrow from, and that shift often does more than any script or phrase ever could. Why does trying harder make a tantrum worse?  Pushing to fix or stop the tantrum usually cranks up your own stress, and your child then has nothing calm to borrow from you. Stepping back and steadying yourself often works faster than any technique, because your nervous system is the thing your child is actually responding to in that moment. What question should I ask myself during a meltdown?  Ask yourself what this moment actually requires instead of what would end it the fastest. Often the honest answer is that your child is having a hard feeling that simply needs to move through both of you, and your job is to stay steady while it passes rather than rush to shut it down. 📱 RESOURCES Free Assessment Call: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Free Webinar: https://calmconnectionsystem.com/register Website: https://www.katekripke.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekripke/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly tools to help high-achieving moms move through postpartum anxiety and into calm, confidence, and deep connection with their kids. ABOUT KATE KRIPKE:  I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist. For over 20 years, I've helped thousands of high-achieving, career-driven moms move through postpartum anxiety without years of therapy. #PostpartumAnxiety #ToddlerTantrums #MaternalMentalHealth #GentleParenting #NervousSystemRegulation

  4. Jul 16

    The Hidden Reason Motherhood Feels So Hard for High Achievers

    📌 Book a free Assessment Call to find out what your nervous system needs: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call You can run a meeting with 30 people watching. You can hit a deadline under pressure and hold everything together. Then your toddler refuses to put on his shoes, and you completely fall apart. If you have ever asked yourself what is wrong with me because you are capable everywhere else except with your own kid, this episode is for you. In this episode, I'm going to explain the two kinds of intelligence every high achieving mom is working with, and why using the wrong one in the wrong moment is what makes motherhood feel so much harder than it needs to. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 The Hidden Reason Motherhood Feels So Hard for High Achievers 0:43 The high achieving moms I see over and over  1:16 Your achievement brain explained 1:50 Why your achievement brain is not the enemy  2:07 Your connection brain explained 2:36 What small children actually need from you  2:56 Why we grab the wrong brain under stress  3:29 The fear driving the achievement brain  4:11 The one question that changes everything  5:12 How to actually use this in real life ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  Why does motherhood feel harder than my career even though I am capable everywhere else?  Motherhood often demands a different kind of intelligence than the one that made you successful at work. Your achievement brain solves problems, but young kids often need your connection brain, the part of you that can stay present without fixing anything. What is the difference between the achievement brain and the connection brain?  The achievement brain organizes, plans, and solves problems, and it is the brain that built your career. The connection brain notices, waits, and stays present inside hard feelings instead of rushing to fix them. How do I stop feeling like I am failing when my child melts down? Pause and ask yourself one question: does this moment need me to do something, or does it need me to stay? That simple pause interrupts autopilot and lets you respond on purpose instead of out of fear. 📱 RESOURCES Free Assessment Call: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Free Webinar: https://calmconnectionsystem.com/register Website: https://www.katekripke.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekripke/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly tools to help high achieving moms move through postpartum anxiety and into calm, confidence, and deep connection with their kids. ABOUT KATE KRIPKE:  I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist. For over 20 years, I've helped thousands of high achieving, career driven moms move through postpartum anxiety without years of therapy. #PostpartumAnxiety #HighAchievingMom #MaternalMentalHealth #MomAnxiety #NervousSystemRegulation

  5. Jul 16

    We Survived, and We Are Thriving With Jessica Buchanan

    In October, 2011, Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped while working as a humanitarian aid worker in Somalia and held captive for 93 days. During that time, she discovered that even when her options were painfully limited, she could still make choices about how she cared for her body, where she placed her attention, and what she chose to believe. After being rescued by SEAL Team Six, Jessica returned home and became pregnant just days later. Still healing from captivity, illness, grief, and trauma, she entered motherhood and experienced severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. In this deeply honest conversation, Jessica shares why motherhood required her to call on reserves of strength she did not know she had—even after surviving captivity. We talk about: • Finding purpose after life falls apart  • The difference between options and choices  • Learning to trust your intuition  • Finding safety within yourself when life feels unsafe  • The emotional and physical toll of telling a trauma story  • Pregnancy and motherhood after captivity  • Postpartum depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and PTSD  • Why gratitude does not erase suffering  • The shame mothers can feel when motherhood is harder than expected  • The healing power of having someone believe in you  • Why thriving does not mean feeling happy or calm all the time  • Using painful experiences in meaningful service to others One of the most powerful moments in this conversation comes when Jessica remembers what a therapist told her during pregnancy: She had survived captivity without losing her mind, and she could survive becoming a mother, too. Jessica chose to believe her. Today, her children are nearly 14 and 12. She does not pretend that their journey has been easy. But she can now say: “We survived, and we are thriving.” Thriving does not mean everything feels good. It means developing a deep internal trust that even when life is hard, you can find your way through. Please note: This episode includes discussion of kidnapping, violence, miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts, postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma. Learn more about Jessica: https://www.jessbuchanan.com/ Read Jessica’s book, Impossible Odds. Connect with Jessica on Instagram and LinkedIn. Learn more about Soul Speak Press and its work helping women share their survivor stories.

    We Survived, and We Are Thriving With Jessica Buchanan

  6. Jul 9

    Three Truths That Make Motherhood Feel So Much Easier

    📌 Book a free Assessment Call to find out what your nervous system needs: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Motherhood isn't hard because your child is hard. It's hard because of the beliefs you were never meant to carry. After 20 years and thousands of moms, I've found three truths that change everything, not by making motherhood easier on paper, but by changing how you experience the hard moments when they come. These truths don't ask you to do more. They ask you to see differently, and that shift alone can take the weight of impossible expectations off your shoulders for good. In this video, I'm going to share the three truths that make motherhood feel dramatically easier, so the next time you're overwhelmed, pulled in ten directions, or wondering if you're getting it wrong, you have something real to come back to. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 Why motherhood feels so hard (it's not what you think)  1:10 Truth 1: Your child's emotions are not a problem to solve  2:45 Truth 2: You only have one ball to keep in the air  3:26 Truth 3: Healthy connection requires separation  4:02 What secure attachment actually looks like  5:07 How these three truths work together ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming even when nothing catastrophic is happening?  A: Motherhood often feels overwhelming because of the beliefs we bring into it, like the idea that we must fix our child's emotions or keep everything running perfectly. Those beliefs create unnecessary suffering that has nothing to do with the actual demands of the day. When you release the belief that hard feelings in your child are your problem to solve, the weight of the ordinary day becomes something you can actually carry. Q: Does my child struggling with separation mean I've done something wrong?  A: No. Separation anxiety is a normal part of child development, not a sign of bad parenting. Secure attachment is built through a rhythm of leaving and returning, not through avoiding separation altogether. A child who protests when you leave and settles when you return is showing you the attachment system is working exactly as it should. Q: What is the one thing moms should focus on when they feel overwhelmed?  A: Focus on regulating your own nervous system first. When you are steady on the inside, you think more clearly, respond instead of react, and handle the demands of the day with far more ease. Your nervous system is the one ball worth keeping in the air, because everything else follows from there. 📱 RESOURCES Free Assessment Call: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Free Webinar: https://calmconnectionsystem.com/register Website: https://www.katekripke.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekripke/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly tools to help high-achieving moms move through postpartum anxiety and into calm, confidence, and deep connection with their kids. ABOUT KATE KRIPKE:  I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist. For over 20 years, I've helped thousands of high-achieving, career-driven moms move through postpartum anxiety without years of therapy. #PostpartumAnxiety #MaternalMentalHealth #MomMentalHealth #SecureAttachment #NervousSystemRegulation

  7. Jul 7

    Redefining Success Without Giving Up Your Ambition: A live coaching call with Alexis

    Alexis has spent twenty years building an impressive career. She’s a senior executive at a global technology company, leading teams, influencing strategy, and working 60-70 hour weeks. From the outside, she’s incredibly successful. But beneath that success is a question she can no longer ignore: Is this sustainable? She joins Kate for a live coaching conversation expecting to explore whether she should stay in corporate leadership or finally pursue entrepreneurship. Instead, the conversation uncovers something much deeper. Together they explore: Why high-achieving women often live almost entirely from their “achievement brain.”The hidden beliefs that keep ambitious mothers pushing long after they’re exhausted.How redefining success changes both work and family life.Why presence with our children requires a willingness to tolerate emotional discomfort.The surprising role self-compassion plays in resilience, growth, and secure attachment.How to begin choosing connection without giving up ambition.Rather than offering simple career advice, this episode invites listeners to ask a more meaningful question: What if success isn’t about accomplishing more—but about creating a life that actually feels the way you want it to feel? If you’ve ever struggled to balance a meaningful career with the motherhood experience you long for, this conversation will leave you with a new lens for thinking about both.

  8. Jul 2

    3 Signs Your Effort to Be a "Good Mom" Is Sabotaging The Connection With Your Child

    📌 Book a free Assessment Call to find out what your nervous system needs: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Trying hard to be a good mom and actually connecting with your child use two completely different parts of your brain. The harder you push to get it right, the more disconnected your child can feel. You are not failing. You might just be stuck in the wrong brain. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the 3 signs your effort to be a good mom is sabotaging the connection with your child, and the simple shift that brings them back to you. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 3 Signs Your Effort to Be a "Good Mom" Is Sabotaging The Connection With Your Child  0:25 The 3 signs your connection might be suffering  0:44 Sign 1: Why fixing your child's hard moments blocks connection  1:09 Why the urge to fix comes from love but isn't what your child needs  1:52 Sign 2: Why unstructured play feels harder than routine  2:16 Achievement brain vs. connection brain explained  3:00 Sign 3: Why your child reaches for you the moment you stop trying  3:43 What your child's nervous system has been sensing the whole time  4:35 How to notice which brain is leading and connect before you control  5:18 A simple breath practice to settle your nervous system ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: Why does trying hard to be a good mom hurt your connection with your child?  A: Fixing or managing a hard moment uses the achievement part of your brain, not the part built for connection. The harder you work to get it right, the more your child can sense you are not actually present with them. Q: What are the signs your effort is sabotaging connection with your child?  A: Three signs to watch for are jumping into fix-it mode the moment your child gets upset, unstructured playtime feeling harder than routine, and your child reaching for you only after you stop trying so hard. All three point to achievement brain running the show instead of connection brain. Q: How do you build secure connection with your child instead of just managing behavior?  A: Connect before you control by pausing, taking one slow breath, and asking whether you are trying to fix the moment or simply be present in it. Your child does not need a perfect response, they need a present one. 📱 RESOURCES Free Assessment Call: www.calmconnectionsystem.com/call Free Webinar: https://calmconnectionsystem.com/register Website: https://www.katekripke.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekripke/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly tools to help high-achieving moms move through postpartum anxiety and into calm, confidence, and deep connection with their kids. ABOUT KATE KRIPKE:  I'm a licensed clinical psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist. For over 20 years, I've helped thousands of high-achieving, career-driven moms move through postpartum anxiety without years of therapy. #HighAchievingMom #NervousSystemRegulation #MaternalMentalHealth #PostpartumAnxiety #MomMentalHealth

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4.9
out of 5
57 Ratings

About

This heartwarming and inspiring podcast brings the parts of motherhood that nobody wants to talk about to the table. With humor, authenticity, clinical knowledge, research, and personal experience in mothering, Kate and Deb discuss and facilitate conversations about everything mothering-related including the good, the bad, the messy, and the hilarious.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Kripke
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    102
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Motherhood Uncut
  • Show Website
    Motherhood Uncut

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