Motherhood changes everything, including the way we see ourselves. But what happens when the support you expected never arrives? And how do you reconnect with yourself when you're carrying the mental load of caring for everyone else? In this episode, Emily sits down with Julia Lotin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, maternal mental health advocate, and founder of Melanin Mass Moms, to explore the powerful role community plays in helping moms navigate identity shifts, isolation, and the journey back to themselves.

Julia shares her own experience of feeling alone as a new mother, why she created a community that now serves thousands of moms of color, and how support systems can become a critical protective factor for maternal mental health. Together, they discuss the reality of modern motherhood, the pressure to do it all, and why many moms struggle in silence even when surrounded by people.

The episode explores:

• Why so many moms feel isolated, even when they have support
• The connection between community and maternal mental health
• What it really means to reconnect with yourself after having children
• The power of culturally affirming support spaces
• Why asking for help is a crucial act of self-care
• Practical ways to begin building your village
• Small daily practices that can help you feel more like yourself again

If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself, longed for a village, or wondered how to start finding your way back, this conversation is for you.

🔗 Connect with Julia:

Instagram: @journeytoselfservices and @melaninmassmoms
Website: www.journeytoselfservices.com

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

Send us Fan Mail

Motherhood has a way of exposing wounds that may otherwise have stayed locked away under the surface. In this powerful conversation, Emily sits down with EMDR therapist, coach, and Healing Mothers Club host Danik Bernier to explore the connection between motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and the complex process of breaking family patterns. Together, they unpack why becoming a mother can bring unresolved experiences to the surface, how trauma can live in the body for generations, and why true healing involves more than simply deciding to do things differently.

Danik shares her own journey of uncovering generational patterns within her family history, the role of the nervous system in cycle-breaking work, and why creating new patterns can feel just as challenging as letting old ones go.

The episode explores:

• What "cycle breaking" actually means, and why cycle creation is a crucial component
• Why motherhood can act as a portal for healing
• The connection between intergenerational trauma and parenting
• How trauma and attachment patterns can be passed through generations
• The role of the nervous system in parenting triggers
• Practical ways to support yourself while raising children

If you've ever wondered why certain parenting moments feel bigger than they should, why motherhood can feel unexpectedly triggering, or how to navigate healing while raising children, this conversation offers a compassionate and thought-provoking perspective.

🔗 Connect with Danik:

Instagram: @healingmothersclub and @liberatedtherapistsclub
Podcast: Healing Mothers' Club

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is unlike any other! To celebrate 200 episodes of The Sparkle Project (formerly Worthy Mother Podcast), the microphone is turned around as Emily steps into the guest seat and opens up about the personal journey that has shaped both her life and this podcast.

Joined by her friend and Mom Friends Collective co-founder Breanne Smith, Emily reflects on becoming a mother at 23, navigating a divorce after more than a decade-long relationship, leaving a career in teaching, and learning who she was outside of the roles she thought she was supposed to play.

Together, they explore identity, people-pleasing, motherhood, healing, community, and what it means to create a life that feels aligned, even when it looks different than you imagined.

This conversation is a celebration of growth, self-discovery, and the many ways motherhood can transform us.

🔗 Check out The Mom Friends Collective:

Instagram: @momfriendscollective
Website: www.momfriendscollective.com

🔗 Connect with Breanne:

Instagram: @breazieboozhoo
Podcast: The Bloomera Podcast

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

Subscribe + Review:
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mom and leave a 5-star review!

Send us Fan Mail