In the Middle of It

Erin Leech
  • 5.0 (2)
  • 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. Aug 27

    031. The Surprising Connection from Your Home to Your Identity: A Conversation with Kendra Jarrell

    What does your home say about who you are right now? If the honest answer is "I have no idea, all I see is toys," this one's for you. I'm joined this week by Kendra Jarrell, a former realtor turned identity coach and author of the book Becoming Home. Kendra spent years watching women go through the same quiet transformation while buying and selling houses, and she built an entire framework around what she saw: our homes aren't just where we live, they're a mirror for who we're becoming, or who we've lost track of. We talk about what happens to our sense of self when our house fills up with someone else's stuff, why "this too shall pass" only gets you so far, and the simple identity hack Kendra uses to stay grounded no matter what season she's in. This one made me look at my own office differently, and I think it'll do the same for you. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about: Why your home becomes "a vessel for the season" of motherhood, and what that quietly does to your sense of selfKendra's "identity corner" hack: claiming one small space in your home that's just for you, and building a routine around itHow to tell whether your space actually needs to change, or whether you're feeling something else entirely (hint: sometimes it's not about the space)The link between empty nesting, identity loss, and never reclaiming a piece of your home along the wayWhy writing her book, Becoming Home, took Kendra a decade, and what it taught her about visibility and being seenOne low-pressure way to start reclaiming your space today, even if it's just a drawer or a shelfMentioned in this episode: Becoming Home, Kendra Jarrell's book on identity, environment, and life design [link]Kendra's Space Reset Experience and Real Life Real Estate Experience programs [link]consultwithkendra.comStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleechmom identity, identity loss in motherhood, reclaiming yourself, motherhood and home, home environment and mindset, identity corner, empty nest identity, ambitious moms, mompreneur, realtor turned life coach, Becoming Home book, space and identity, default parent, unicorn space, self care for moms, mom guilt, work life balance for moms, home organization mindset, decluttering and identity, new mom identity, postpartum identity, mom of toddlers, second time mom, motherhood transitions, interview episode, women's identity work, home design and mindset, reclaim your space, mindset coach for moms, life design framework

    031. The Surprising Connection from Your Home to Your Identity: A Conversation with Kendra Jarrell

  2. Aug 5

    030. Build Your Own Damn Village: Made for Mothers is coming to Providence, Rhode Island!

    Being a work-from-home mom is way more isolating than anyone tells you. That was the gap I kept feeling, and it's exactly why I said yes to this. I'm officially the Providence, Rhode Island chapter leader for Made for Mothers, and in this episode I'm telling you the whole story of how it happened. From transitioning out of photography and into coaching, to stumbling onto a Made for Mothers Instagram post in May, to realizing there was this gap between professional networking spaces and postpartum mom circles that nothing was filling. I talk through the moment I almost talked myself out of it, what actually made me say yes, and everything I'm envisioning for our first in-person meetups here in Providence this fall. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: The isolation nobody warns you about when you run a business from homeHow I found Made for Mothers and what made it feel like a "why wouldn't I do this" momentThe gap I kept running into between professional networking groups and early postpartum mom circlesWhat almost stopped me from saying yes, and the moment that made the decision clearWhat to expect from Providence chapter meetups, including format, pricing, and how kid-friendly it'll beHow to join the waitlist for first access to our launch party and event ticketsMentioned in this episode: Made for Mothers, founded by Mariah Stockman — the community and chapter program this episode is all about [LINK PLACEHOLDER]Rising Tide Society — the creative entrepreneur networking group Erin references from her pastWIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) — the organization Erin considered starting a chapter for last year💌 Want first access to our launch party and event tickets? Join the Providence chapter waitlist: erinleech.com/MFMxPVD Stay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  3. Aug 1

    029. Becoming Her, Part One Embodiment, Act As If + Other Mindset Shifts for Manifesting Mom Entrepreneurs

    What if the version of you who already has it all already exists — and all you have to do is start acting like her? This week I'm diving into something that's been coming up over and over with the women I work with, and honestly in my own life too: embodiment. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot in spirituality and manifestation spaces, but I wanted to slow down and actually unpack what it means, why "act as if" isn't just a cute phrase, and why it works. This turned into way more than I expected, so I split it into two parts. Today is all about the what and the why — the mindset and spiritual layer underneath becoming her. In two weeks, I'll come back with Part Two and get into the practical, tactical side of actually living this out. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: What embodiment actually means, and why "acting as if" is the whole premise, not just a mindset buzzwordStephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind" and how I apply it to picturing my next-level selfThe three spiritual laws I keep coming back to: the law of correspondence, the law of vibration, and the law of assumptionQuantum leap thinking, and why the version of you with the business, the house, the income already exists as a possibilityWhy "what got you here won't get you there," and how nothing changes if nothing changesThe "gap and the gain," and why this work can turn into self-criticism if you're not carefulA guided exercise to start uncovering what you're actually longing for underneath the goal itselfMentioned in this episode: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen CoveyJames Wedmore's Business By Design group coaching programNeville Goddard's teachings on the law of assumptionStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  4. Jul 22

    028. It Takes A Village (Part One) Why Asking For Help is Actually Self-Care

    Asking for help isn't the thing you do when you've run out of options. It might actually be the bravest, most self-caring thing you can do. This week I'm talking all about needing a village — timed with Self Care Day on the 24th, because I truly believe asking for support is a form of self-care, not a sign that you can't handle what's on your plate. I also get into a book I recently read, I Heard It Takes a Village by Melissa Wirt (founder of Latched Mama), some honest thoughts on it, and a perspective shift it gave me around what mom friendships actually need to look like. Plus a little gratitude for the village we have right now, and a nudge for anyone who feels like they don't have one yet. In this episode, you'll hear me talk about: Why asking for help is an act of strength, not weaknessMy honest (not glowing) review of I Was Told There'd Be a VillageThe perspective shift that changed how I think about mom friendships that feel "different" from meWhy a mom friendship doesn't need to be a soulmate match to countSmall, low-pressure ways to start building your own village — from the library to your exercise classA little teaser for something big coming next week for Rhode Island moms in business (Part Two of this conversation!)Mentioned in this episode: I Was Told There'd Be a Village by Melissa Wirt, founder of Latched MamaHiccups and Sunshine (postpartum support group, hosted at Well Nested)Southern RI Parent Circle (mom meetup group)Stay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  5. Jul 17

    027. From Losing Yourself to Reclaiming Yourself: Identity, Faith, and Motherhood with Audra Phelps

    When was the last time you knew, without hesitating, what you actually wanted?  This week I'm sitting down with my very first podcast guest — Audra Phelps, a neuroscience-based coach who helps moms rebuild their identity after leaving high-demand religion. Audra spent years quietly pushing down her doubts before she finally walked away from the Mormon church she was raised in — and had raised her own kids in. We talk about what it actually looks like to lose yourself so completely that you don't know your own favorite kind of pie, and what it takes to build a new identity from the ground up, as an adult, alongside your own children. Even if faith deconstruction isn't your story, this conversation is really about something every mom in the middle of it will recognize: the slow erosion of self, and the deliberate, sometimes scary work of getting yourself back. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about: Audra's decade-long "slow erosion" out of the Mormon church, and the exact moment she knew she was doneWhy she didn't have the big conversation with her kids about leaving — and what her twenty-one-year-old daughter later taught her about thatHow to tell the difference between a belief that's actually yours and one that was handed to youThe neuroscience behind rewiring subconscious beliefs (and why "poking holes" in an old belief is the first step)How EFT, tapping, and visualization can retrain your nervous system to feel safe with something newThe Thanksgiving apple pie moment that made Audra realize just how far she'd drifted from herselfMentioned in this episode: Audra's coaching program, Reclaimed — an 8-week identity-rebuilding container for moms who've left high-demand religionAudra's free masterclass, "5 Shifts Every Former Mormon Mom Needs to Make," at mamaaudra.comStay Connected! 🌐 erinleech.com📸 Instagram: @iamerinleech🎵 TikTok: @erinleech

  6. Jul 11

    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

  7. Jul 3

    025. 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

  8. May 27

    024. 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

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

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
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 In the Middle of It
  • Show Website
    In the Middle of It