In the Middle of It

Erin Leech
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Honest conversations about motherhood, creative business, personal growth, and the messy middle of becoming who you're meant to be. Hosted by Erin Leech, this podcast is for women who are building something beautiful while raising babies, healing old patterns, and rewriting the rules. If you're craving depth, magic, and permission to hold all parts of yourself - you're in the right place.

  1. 6d ago

    026. Mindset Shifts for Mom Entrepreneurs: Perfectionism, Fears + Feeling Ready

    You don't need to feel ready. You just need to decide you are. In this episode, I'm digging into something I think about constantly as I build this business and this podcast: why we stay stuck waiting to feel "ready enough," "expert enough," or "polished enough" before we put ourselves out there — and why that waiting is costing us more than we realize. I share the story behind Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird and her chapter on "s****y first drafts," why that idea has stuck with me since grad school, and how it applies directly to building a business, a brand, or a following as a mom. I also walk you through my own messy path to get here — the wedding planning membership, the wellness-for-photographers idea, Family in Focus — because none of what I'm doing now would exist if I hadn't started with all the versions that weren't it. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why every expert and thought leader you admire started exactly where you are right now, and what actually separates them from everyone who stays stuckThe mindset shift around perfectionism — and why waiting for the "polished" version is quietly keeping someone out there from the help they need from youWhy you don't have to be a full-blown expert to start creating and sharing — you just need to be a step or two ahead of who you're talking toMy real, three-year path through multiple failed business ideas before landing on the one I'm building now, and why I needed every single "wrong" draft to get hereWhy readiness isn't a feeling that arrives — it's a decision you make, and how clarity actually comes from action, not the other way aroundHow motherhood's built-in time pressure can actually work in your favor instead of becoming another excuse to stay stuckMentioned in this episode: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott — her chapter on "s****y first drafts" and the origin of the book's titleEpisode 24 — my OCD episode, referenced as an example of sharing perspective over "expert" credentialsStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  2. Jul 3

    Breaking the Feast or Famine Cycle as an Entrepreneurial Mom: An Unscripted Update

    I almost didn't record this one until I had it all figured out. Then I realized that was exactly the problem. This episode is unscripted, unedited, and recorded before I fully worked through what I'm talking about — on purpose. After weeks of going quiet online, I'm finally naming what was actually happening behind the silence: a feast-or-famine posting cycle, a limiting belief that I'm "not yet a good enough coach," and a whole lot of pressure I was putting on myself to make money and get it right. I'm walking you through how I identified the pattern, what came up when I got quiet enough to hear it, and where I am now — still in the middle of it, still figuring it out, but showing up anyway. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: The feast-or-famine content cycle I kept falling into and finally namedThe limiting belief I uncovered — that I need confidence before experience, when it actually works the other way aroundHow comparison and envy toward other mom coaches was quietly running in the backgroundThe internal work I did during my "quiet" weeks: visualizations, journaling, EFT tapping, and curating what I consumeReframing pressure around money and provider guilt while pivoting away from wedding photographyWhy silence doesn't mean failure — and why you don't owe anyone an explanation for a gapMentioned in this episode: My "Manifest" playlistStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  3. May 27

    OCD, Intrusive Thoughts, and Motherhood: What Nobody Talks About

    Most people think OCD is about cleaning rituals and checking the stove. What they don't know is that there's an entire side of OCD that goes completely unseen — and for a lot of moms, it shows up postpartum in ways that are terrifying to admit out loud. This episode is the conversation I've been wanting to have for a while. I got my OCD diagnosis at the Women & Infants Day Hospital program — which I mentioned in last week's episode — and I said it deserved more than a fleeting mention. So here it is. I'm sharing what OCD actually is beyond the stereotypes, what harm OCD and intrusive thoughts really feel like from the inside, and why so many moms carry this completely alone because the shame of it feels unsurvivable. I also talk about the "just right" OCD subtype that I honestly thought was just my personality for my entire life — until I learned it wasn't. My goal is simple: if even one mom hears this and recognizes herself, and it gets her to talk to someone, then this was worth recording. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: What OCD actually is — obsessions, compulsions, and why the compulsions make the cycle worseHarm OCD and intrusive thoughts: what ego dystonic means and why the horror you feel is proof you're a good momThe moment I finally told my provider Stephanie what I had been experiencing — and what happened when I did"Just right" OCD, what it looks like in real everyday life, and why it's so easy to write off as just being particularThe OCD IOP program, ERP therapy, and what it actually looked like to work through thisHow OCD showed up postpartum specifically around control and letting other people care for LeonMentioned in this episode: Women & Infants Day Hospital Program, Providence, RIEpisode 23 — The Signs I Missed: A Postpartum Mental Health Story and What I'd Do DifferentlyStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechpostpartum OCD, intrusive thoughts postpartum, harm OCD moms, OCD and motherhood, postpartum mental health, maternal mental health, just right OCD, ego dystonic thoughts, OCD intrusive thoughts, postpartum anxiety, new mom mental health, OCD diagnosis story, ERP therapy, OCD IOP program, postpartum intrusive thoughts, mom guilt OCD, postpartum rage, fourth trimester mental health, mental health awareness month, Women and Infants day hospital, OCD treatment postpartum, am I a bad mom, intrusive thoughts new mom, postpartum identity, ambitious mom mental health, obsessive compulsive disorder moms, postpartum control issues, perinatal mental health, OCD subtypes, postpartum support Rhode Island

  4. May 20

    What Marriage Really Looks Like When You're Raising Babies and Building a Business

    Nobody's posting the 2am feeding fight or the "whose turn is it" standoff on their Instagram grid. But that's the stuff that's actually happening — and it's the stuff worth talking about. This week's episode is airing on my wedding anniversary, and even though Scott didn't end up joining me, I still wanted to mark it with something honest. I'm sharing what marriage actually looks like for us right now — in this season of two kids, two businesses, and all the beautiful mundane chaos in between. And then I'm getting into what I genuinely believe it takes to stay connected to your partner when life is this full. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: What our marriage really looks like day-to-day — the real version, not the anniversary dinner versionWhy the "roommate era" of early parenthood is real, temporary, and doesn't mean anything is wrongThe difference between little things and real things — and the question I ask myself before I open my mouthWhy Scott and I started couples therapy when nothing was "wrong" — and what that taught me about investing in what's good before it breaksWhat it's actually like when both partners are building online businesses at the same time, and how we navigate the tension around bandwidth and who carries whatMentioned in this episode: Scott Leech — my husband, who also has his own coaching business, podcast, courses, and membershipStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechmarriage and motherhood podcast, raising babies and building a business, marriage in the newborn phase, entrepreneurial couple, stay connected to your partner, roommate era marriage, couples therapy for healthy marriages, intentional marriage, co-parenting and business, ambitious mom marriage, female entrepreneur relationship, default parent burnout, marriage mindset, both partners building businesses, newborn season marriage, choosing each other, work life balance marriage, postpartum relationship, mindset for moms, in the middle of it podcast

  5. May 14

    The Signs I Missed: A Postpartum Mental Health Story and What I'd Do Differently

    Nobody warns you about week six. I'm sharing my own postpartum mental health story in this one — specifically the signs that my mental health was unraveling that I missed, explained away, or flat out ignored because I thought I was just supposed to be able to handle it. I waited way too long to ask for help. And I really believe that if I had understood what was actually happening to me earlier, things would have been a lot less hard for a lot less time. This episode is the one I needed someone to record when Scott went back to work and the support all disappeared at once. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why the six-week mark — not the newborn days — is often when things fall apart, and why no one prepares you for itThe five signs my mental health was unraveling that I didn't recognize at the time (including one that's really quiet but really real)Why I waited so long to ask for help — and the beliefs underneath that made asking feel like failureHow the Women & Infants Day Hospital program came into my life and what finally pushed me to say yes to itWhat I would do differently, including how to build your support scaffold before you actually need itWhy you do not have to be in crisis to deserve support — struggling is enoughMentioned in this episode: Women & Infants Day Hospital Program, Providence, RI — the postpartum day program that changed everything for meStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechpostpartum mental health, maternal mental health, signs of postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum rage, new mom mental health, fourth trimester, week six postpartum, postpartum support, asking for help as a mom, mom guilt, OCD postpartum, perinatal mental health, postpartum identity, functioning but not okay, postpartum isolation, default parent, ambitious mom, entrepreneurial mom, mom burnout, postpartum intrusive thoughts, postpartum resources, Women and Infants, day hospital program, mental health awareness month, new mom struggles, postpartum story, what I'd do differently, village for moms, support for new moms

  6. May 6

    Redefining Your Identity After Motherhood: There's No "Bouncing Back" (And That's the Point)

    There is no bouncing back from becoming a mom. And honestly? That's kind of the whole point. This episode is the wrap-up of the informal series I've been building since the beginning of the year — and I wanted to bring it all home in one place. We've covered the grief of losing who you were before kids, the mom guilt around ambition, the mental load, the martyr mindset, all of it. Today I'm connecting all the dots and landing on the thing I keep coming back to: you were never lost in motherhood. You got overshadowed. And there is a massive difference between those two things. You don't need a brand new identity. You need to reclaim the fullness of the one you already have — and build a life that's actually structured to hold her. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why "bouncing back" after kids was never actually possible — and why that's something to celebrate, not grieveThe difference between being erased by motherhood and being overshadowed by it (and why it matters)Why every planner, productivity system, and course hasn't moved the needle — and what actually has to happen firstThe martyr mindset that quietly sets the norm for self-sacrifice, and how it leads to losing yourself entirelyWhy the inner work has to come before the strategy if you want anything to stick sustainablyWhat it looks like to pair your softer, intuitive side with real left-brain strategy — and why that's the bridge I'm building in 2026Mentioned in this episode: Episode 10: You Are More Than Mom — 3 Truths for the Ambitious Mother Redefining HerselfEpisode 17: From Martyr to Matriarch — Redefining the Mental Load to Create Space for Your BusinessEpisode 20: The Postpartum Mental Health Factor Nobody Talks About: Fulfillment for Ambitious MomsMatriarch Rising — Erin's 1:1 coaching program: erinleech.com/coachingStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechidentity after motherhood, redefining yourself as a mom, mom identity loss, bouncing back after baby, ambitious mom, entrepreneurial mom, default parent, mom guilt and ambition, postpartum identity shift, matrescence, inner work for moms, mindset for moms, female entrepreneur, mompreneur, mental load, martyr mom, reclaiming yourself after kids, identity-led pivot, work life balance for moms, business and motherhood, postpartum mental health, new mom entrepreneur, coaching for moms, In the Middle of It podcast, Erin Leech

  7. Apr 22

    The Postpartum Mental Health Factor Nobody Talks About: Fulfillment for Ambitious Moms

    You don't just want more than motherhood. You need it. And there's research to back that up. I've been building toward this episode for a while — it's the one that ties together everything I've been talking about in this series on ambitious motherhood, and honestly, it's the reason I do this work at all. Today I'm getting personal about my own postpartum experience, the identity loss I didn't see coming, and why I believe fulfillment isn't a nice-to-have for women like us. It's a protective factor for our mental health. And the absence of it has real consequences. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why fulfillment is a genuine mental health need — not a luxury — for ambitious, entrepreneurial momsWhat the research actually says about purpose and identity outside of caregiving as a protective factor against postpartum depression and anxietyMy personal postpartum story, including the moment the fog lifted and what I know now that I didn't thenEve Rodsky's concept of "unicorn space" and why it matters for women like usWhat our kids are actually learning when we advocate for our own purpose and go after what we're called to doWhy wanting more than motherhood is not selfish — it's survivalStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechpostpartum mental health, ambitious mom, fulfillment for moms, mom identity loss, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, entrepreneurial mom, mompreneur, unicorn space Eve Rodsky, purpose outside motherhood, identity shift postpartum, mental health for moms, ambitious women, female entrepreneur, work from home mom, postpartum identity crisis, building a business with a baby, mom guilt, postpartum support, fourth trimester, new mom mental health, postpartum entrepreneur, self-worth for moms, thriving in motherhood, women's mental health, business and motherhood, female founder, mindset for moms

  8. Apr 15

    The Postpartum Entrepreneur: You're Not Falling Behind (A Love Letter to Ambitious New Moms)

    You grew a human. You're keeping them alive. And somehow you still feel behind. This one's for you. I'm recording this at 5:30am from my couch, three weeks postpartum with my second son Louis, and I just needed to come on here and say the things I wish someone had said to me the first time around. This episode is my love letter to every ambitious woman in the thick of the newborn season. If you're listening during a pumping session, a contact nap, or the one quiet moment you managed to steal today — I see you. You still have that fire. This season just has a different kind of work for you right now. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why you are not behind — and where that pressure is actually coming fromHow I'm reframing this "rest season" and why it's not wasted timeThe truth about your ambition, your business, and what's actually at risk if you slow down (hint: nothing)Why I'm giving myself — and you — full permission to be present without guiltHow this season won't just make you a better mom, but a better coach, mentor, and leaderStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechpostpartum entrepreneur, ambitious mom, new baby, fourth trimester, maternity leave for business owners, mom guilt, postpartum identity, newborn season, work life balance for moms, female entrepreneur, mompreneur, business and motherhood, postpartum mindset, contact nap, pumping mom, new mom encouragement, identity shift postpartum, entrepreneurial mom, building a business with a baby, season of rest, permission to slow down, postpartum grace, ambitious women, mom boss, newborn stage, early motherhood, postpartum support, mindset for moms, business growth, female founder

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About

Honest conversations about motherhood, creative business, personal growth, and the messy middle of becoming who you're meant to be. Hosted by Erin Leech, this podcast is for women who are building something beautiful while raising babies, healing old patterns, and rewriting the rules. If you're craving depth, magic, and permission to hold all parts of yourself - you're in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Erin Leech
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 In the Middle of It
  • Show Website
    In the Middle of It