Episode Summary
In this first Ask Susannah episode, Susannah explores one of the most common and distressing questions moms ask when struggling with intrusive, anxious, or unwanted thoughts in postpartum and early motherhood: What do these thoughts mean about me?

This episode breaks down why intrusive thoughts feel so charged, why they do not reflect your true desires or character, and how fear, nervous system activation, and psychological stress fuel the anxiety loop. Susannah explains how postpartum and matrescence create the perfect storm for fear-based thinking, why your mind targets what matters most to you, and how assigning meaning to thoughts is often what keeps you stuck.

You’ll walk away with a more compassionate and accurate understanding of your mind—and the beginning of a new way to relate to fear thoughts so you can reclaim your presence, peace, and trust in yourself.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why intrusive thoughts feel meaningful—but aren’t inherently so
• The difference between thought content and nervous system activation
• How postpartum stress and major identity shifts intensify fear thoughts
• Why your mind targets your deepest values
• The cycle of fear, rumination, and reinforcement
• How assigning meaning to thoughts increases anxiety
• Why intrusive, anxious, and unwanted thoughts are all fear-based
• How to begin changing your relationship with thoughts instead of trying to solve them

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Guide: Intrusive Thoughts in Postpartum & Early Motherhood

• Website: susannahlongcoaching.com
• Instagram: @postpartumwithsusannah
• Submit your questions for future Ask Susannah episodes via email (in show notes)

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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When a mother feels anxious, foggy, or not like herself postpartum, the conversation often centers around mental health — stress, sleep, hormones, or diagnosis.

But what if there’s another layer that often gets overlooked?

In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitian Brittany Jones to explore postpartum depletion — and how nutrient deficiencies can sometimes mimic or amplify what feel like symptoms of anxiety or depression.

This isn’t about replacing mental health care with nutrition. It’s about expanding the lens and understanding how the body and mind are deeply connected in early motherhood.

We talk about what depletion actually means, why so many women are told everything is “normal” when it doesn’t feel that way, and how diet culture and the pressure to “bounce back” can contribute to under-fueling, low energy, and emotional overwhelm.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In Part 2, we’ll break down specific nutrients and how they support mental and emotional well-being.

In this episode:

• What “postpartum depletion” actually means
• How deficiencies can feel like anxiety or depression
• Why it’s not just psychological — and not just physical either
• The impact of diet culture and under-fueling in early motherhood
• A more integrated way to understand postpartum mental health

Brittany Jones, MS, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian with 15 years of experience, business owner, and mom who helps women and families simplify nutrition in real life. Through her weight-inclusive, non-diet approach, she supports clients in building sustainable habits that work for their busy lives—without guilt or overwhelm. As a mom herself, Brittany understands the challenges of feeding a family while also taking care of your own health.

Resources mentioned:

• Brittany Jones: brittanyjonesrd.com
• Instagram: @brittanyjonesnutrition
• Work with Susannah: susannahlongcoaching.com
• Free guide: Intrusive Thoughts in Early Motherhood (free mini course coming soon)

If this resonated, be sure to check back for Part 2 — where we’ll get more practical and break down key nutrients.

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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When you are experiencing anxiety, your mind has a way of making everything feel important.

In this episode, we’re looking at the difference between something being possible and something being likely—and how anxiety tends to treat those two things as the same.

When your mind believes that anything that could happen is something you need to figure out or prevent, it can pull you into cycles of overthinking, checking, and trying to get certainty.

This episode will help you step out of that loop and begin to come back to what’s actually real, instead of what your mind is imagining.

In This Episode:

• Why anxiety confuses possibility with likelihood
• How the search for certainty keeps you stuck
• Why not every thought needs your attention
• How to gently return to the present moment

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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This conversation is about so much more than breath and breathing.

In this episode, I sit down with Perrin White — speech-language pathologist, orofacial myologist, yoga teacher, and breath coach — to explore the deeply personal journey that led her into the work she does today.

What unfolds is a conversation about motherhood, grief, and what can happen when we stop trying to escape pain and begin to gently turn toward it instead.

Perrin shares the story of her daughter, Leona, and how the experience of losing her became a turning point — one that invited her to question everything, reconnect with her body, and ultimately discover a path toward deeper healing.

We talk about what it looks like to live with loss, to stay open when everything in you wants to shut down, and how even the most painful experiences can shape the way we care for ourselves and others.

This is a conversation about grief, loss, and motherhood — including the loss of a child — and what can grow and transform as a result of that kind of deep pain.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• How Perrin’s personal experiences shaped the work she does today
• The connection between breath, the body, and the nervous system
• What it means to “lean into” pain rather than avoid it
• The role of rituals, symbolism, and self-connection in healing after loss
• Learning to listen to your body as a source of guidance
• Motherhood after loss and maintaining a continued connection with a child
• Why healing doesn’t follow a timeline — and doesn’t need to

Contact Perrin:

https://www.breathewellbewell.info/

Follow Perrin on Instagram @breathewellbewell

Perrin offers both virtual and in-person work focused on functional breathing, airway health, and nervous system regulation. You can book a discovery call through her website to learn more.

Final Note

If you are moving through grief or loss in your own motherhood journey, I want you to know that you are not alone.

There is no timeline for healing.
There is nothing you need to rush or force.

And even here — in the places that feel the hardest — something meaningful can still unfold.

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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What if anxious thoughts don’t mean you have a disorder?

In this episode, we challenge the way anxiety and intrusive thoughts are commonly understood in early motherhood, and explore how identifying with labels can create more limitation than freedom. I share a different perspective—one that can fundamentally change your relationship with your mind.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why intrusive thoughts and anxious feelings don’t automatically indicate a disorder

• How labels can initially reduce fear—but later become an identity

• The difference between the presence of thoughts and your relationship to them

• Why lasting change requires a shift in how you understand your mind

• A different way to view depression and emotional overwhelm

• The role of systemic pressures on mothers—and how they shape our experiences

• How changing your perspective can create more freedom and less fear

• Resources mentioned:

  • Download my free guide to anxiety and intrusive thoughts in postpartum and early motherhood at susannahlongcoaching.com

  • Learn more about my 1:1 coaching program, Motherhood Beyond Fear, through the link in the show notes

  If this episode was helpful, please share it with another mom and consider leaving a review—it truly helps this work reach more women

  
  

  Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

  
  

  DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

  
  

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Why does trying harder to feel better so often make anxiety worse?

In this episode, I revisit the classic Aesop’s fable The Wind and the Sun — a story I first heard years ago while watching Mad Men, and later rediscovered while reading to my daughter.

While the fable is often interpreted as a lesson in persuasion, today I explore it through a different lens: healing.

If you’ve ever tried to pressure yourself into calm, shame yourself for still struggling, or force intrusive thoughts to disappear, this conversation is for you. I talk about why condemning ourselves into change doesn’t create lasting results, how force actually reinforces the anxiety cycle, and what our nervous systems truly need in order to soften.

Healing doesn’t happen through pressure; it happens through gentleness and acceptance.

If this episode resonates and you’re ready to change your relationship with anxiety and intrusive thoughts in a deeper, more sustainable way, you can learn more about working with me inside Motherhood Beyond Fear through the link in the show notes.

Resources mentioned:

• Download my free guide to anxiety and intrusive thoughts in postpartum and early motherhood at susannahlongcoaching.com

• Learn more about my 1:1 coaching program, Motherhood Beyond Fear, through the link in the show notes

If this episode was helpful, please share it with another mom and consider leaving a review—it truly helps this work reach more women

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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In this episode, I reflect on a story from Aesop’s Fables that I came across while reading to my daughter one night—and how it perfectly captures the way so many of us relate to our minds in early motherhood.

I talk about why we don’t need calm, reassuring, or “good” thoughts in order to live a meaningful, healthy life, and how letting the mind lead—especially when it’s saying things we like—can quietly keep us stuck in fear and anxiety.

This episode is an invitation to stop organizing your life around your thoughts and start making choices based on your values, even when fear or intrusive thoughts are present.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why listening to your mind when it sounds reassuring still gives it authority

• How anxiety keeps us waiting for feelings of certainty before living

• Why values—not thoughts—are meant to guide your life

• How to live fully even when your mind feels loud

Resources mentioned:

• Download my free guide to anxiety and intrusive thoughts in postpartum and early motherhood at susannahlongcoaching.com

• Learn more about my 1:1 coaching program, Motherhood Beyond Fear, through the link in the show notes

If this episode was helpful, please share it with another mom and consider leaving a review—it truly helps this work reach more women

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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“Just pray about it” is often offered with good intentions — but when it’s used to bypass fear, emotions, or support, it can actually make anxiety worse.

In this episode, we explore the difference between faith that supports healing and faith that unintentionally silences emotional experience. We talk about why anxiety and intrusive thoughts are nervous system responses — not spiritual failures — and how prayer can be integrated in a way that honors both faith and emotional honesty.

Download my FREE guide to understanding anxiety and intrusive thoughts in early motherhood ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want more support on your journey? Check out more offerings and apply to work with me 1:1 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠susannahlongcoaching.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got a question about early motherhood, anxiety, or anything we discussed today? I'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to susannah@susannahlongcoaching.com and I might feature your question (anonymously) in a future episode.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents the opinions of Susannah Long, LMFT. The content of this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical or mental health care from a licensed mental health professional. In no way does listening, emailing, or interacting on social media platforms with content establish a therapist - client relationship or coach - client relationship.

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