Mean girl culture doesn’t necessarily end when we grow up. For many women, it just follows us into motherhood. As the kids head back to school, Emily sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Noëlle Santorelli to unpack mean girl mom culture and the relational aggression that can show up in adult female friendships, mom groups, school communities, youth sports, and even group chats.

The episode explores why modern motherhood can feel so competitive, how social media and intensive mothering contribute to the pressure to perform, and why our need for belonging can sometimes bring out behaviors we don’t recognize in ourselves. Dr. Noëlle also shares practical ways to recognize patterns of relational aggression, decide when a friendship needs stronger boundaries, and protect your peace without automatically walking away from your community.

The episode discusses:

• What mean girl behavior can look like in motherhood
• How competition, scarcity, and belonging influence mom friendships
• The connection between social media and performative motherhood
• Signs that a mom group or friendship may be affecting your mental health
• Strategic distancing versus ending a friendship
• How to avoid contributing to toxic mom group dynamics

This episode is for every mom out there navigating her own sense of belonging while raising kids. Tune in, and don't forget to leave a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen!

🔗 Connect with Dr. Noëlle Santorelli:

Instagram: @drnoellesantorelli
TikTok: @drnoellesantorelli
Website: www.drnoellesantorelli.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

With the Lindsay Clancy taking center stage in the current cultural conversation, this week's conversation is adding to the discussion about how a systemic lack of postpartum supports impacts moms, families, and society at large. In this episode, Emily explores what happens when one of the most vulnerable seasons of motherhood teaches you that you’re supposed to handle everything yourself.

Emily digs into the connection between inadequate postpartum support and the patterns of martyrdom, mom guilt, and self-sacrifice that can follow us into later stages of motherhood. She talks about why prioritizing yourself can feel so uncomfortable, how early experiences in motherhood can influence what you believe you should be able to handle, and why understanding where these patterns came from can be an important part of reconnecting with yourself.

In this episode:

• The gap between prenatal care and postpartum support
• How the lack of support becomes normalized in early motherhood
• The connection between postpartum experiences and maternal self-sacrifice
• Why asking for help can bring up shame and mom guilt
• How martyrdom contributes to losing your sense of self
• Why prioritizing yourself benefits more than just you
• The role of awareness and self-compassion in reconnecting with yourself

Whether you recently had a baby or you’re years beyond postpartum and wondering when you stopped feeling like yourself, this conversation offers a new way to understand why changing these patterns can feel so difficult.

If this episode resonates, share it with another mom who needs this conversation. And if The Sparkle Project is supporting you in your motherhood journey, subscribe and leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

✨ 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!

Episode Topics:

• postpartum support
• lack of postpartum support
• postpartum care for mothers
• postpartum mental health
• motherhood and identity
• losing yourself in motherhood
• feeling lost in motherhood
• reconnecting with yourself after motherhood
• maternal self-sacrifice
• motherhood martyrdom
• mom martyrdom
• mom guilt
• putting yourself first as a mom
• prioritizing yourself as a mom
• asking for help as a mom
• motherhood burnout
• support for new moms
• postpartum recovery
• postpartum anxiety
• postpartum depression
• postpartum mental health support
• motherhood and self-worth
• finding yourself again after having kids
• rediscovering yourself after motherhood
• sense of self after becoming a mom
• identity loss after having a baby

Send us Fan Mail

You spent your whole life being the woman who worked hard, achieved your goals, and built an identity around being capable. Then motherhood arrived - and suddenly the strategies that always worked stopped working.

Many ambitious women enter motherhood believing they'll simply add "mom" to everything they've already built. Instead, they find themselves questioning their identity, battling perfectionism, and wondering why they no longer feel successful in the ways they once did. In this episode, Emily sits down with licensed mental health therapist and coach Alexis Adams to unpack the challenges high-achieving women often face in motherhood.

Together they explore the hidden pressure to perform, the emotional patterns that keep moms stuck, and why the answer isn't simply doing less. Alexis also shares her POWER framework for creating lasting change, helping moms move away from reacting out of fear and toward living with greater intention.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why high-achieving women often struggle with identity after becoming moms
• How patterns of perfectionism and people-pleasing show up in motherhood
• Why success before kids doesn't always translate into confidence after kids
• Alexis's POWER framework for breaking reactive patterns
• Why self-awareness alone isn't enough to create change
• Learning to pursue ambition without sacrificing yourself

If motherhood has left you feeling unfulfilled and unsure of yourself, this is one you don't want to miss!

🔗 Connect with Alexis:

Instagram: @confidently.alexis
Website: www.confidentlytherapy.org

✨ 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

Have you ever wished life felt a little lighter? In this episode, Emily is joined by Morgan Jackson, founder of Light 56, to explore how small, intentional habits can help you experience more joy, gratitude, playfulness, and peace in your everyday life.

Morgan shares the mindset shifts that transformed her own life after a difficult season and explains why feeling lighter isn't about doing more, but actually noticing what truly brings you joy, giving yourself grace, and creating simple rhythms that help you reconnect with yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why life and motherhood can feel so heavy
• What it really means to "feel lighter"
• Morgan's LIGHT Framework for living with more intention
• Simple habits that help you build lasting change
• How to embrace imperfection and still make meaningful progress
• Finding joy in ordinary, everyday moments

This episode is an invitation to consider what light is needed in your own life, and shift towards bringing more of that energy into your day-to-day - all to create a life that feels aligned with your truest self.

🔗 Connect with Morgan:

Instagram: @lightfiftysix
Website: www.light56.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

Summer is supposed to feel fun and relaxing... so why does it often leave moms feeling completely exhausted? In this episode, Emily is uncovering the invisible labor of summer as a mom. From planning vacations and coordinating childcare to carrying the mental load of keeping everyone fed, entertained, and happy, summer often creates more work and stress instead of less.

If you've ever felt guilty for counting down the days until school starts, questioned whether you're doing enough to make summer "magical," or wondered why everyone else seems to be enjoying the season more than you, this conversation is for you.

Emily unpacks the unrealistic expectations placed on mothers during summer break and shares a fresh perspective that can help you release some of the pressure for the rest of the season and beyond.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another mom who could use the reminder that she's already doing enough.

✨ 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

Many moms move through life feeling disconnected from themselves, stuck in survival mode, or wondering where their sense of self went after motherhood. In this episode, Emily is joined by Sara Putney, trauma-informed somatic breathwork facilitator, host of The Modern Matriarch Podcast, and founder of Remothering Mamas, for a powerful conversation about reconnecting with your body, your nervous system, and your innate power.

Together, they explore how somatic healing and breathwork can help you move beyond autopilot, reconnect with your true self, and begin breaking generational patterns without relying on willpower alone.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why so many moms feel stuck in survival mode and disconnected from themselves
• How the nervous system influences our emotions, reactions, and sense of identity
• How body-led healing complements traditional mindset work and therapy
• Simple practices to build a stronger mind-body connection
• Why tuning into your body can help you make more aligned decisions
• The ripple effect of healing yourself for future generations

This conversation offers gentle, practical ways to begin listening to the wisdom your body has been holding all along.

🔗 Connect with Sara:

Instagram: @remotheringmamas
Website: www.remotheringmamas.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!

Episode Topics:

• somatic healing
• somatic breathwork
• breathwork
• body-led healing
• nervous system regulation
• nervous system healing
• mind-body connection
• reconnecting with yourself
• self-discovery
• self-trust
• innate power
• healing journey
• motherhood
• identity after motherhood
• motherhood and identity
• survival mode
• emotional regulation
• generational trauma
• childhood trauma
• trauma healing
• trauma-informed healing
• reconnecting with your body
• body awareness
• intuition
• healing for moms

Send us Fan Mail

Mothers today have more access to resources and information than ever before, but the result isn't necessarily greater confidence in our parenting journey. Instead, many moms feel overwhelmed by the constant input. If you find yourself questioning every parenting decision, carrying constant mom guilt, and feeling like you've lost trust in yourself, this conversation is for you.

Kaitlyn Dove, a therapist, coach, and mom of two, is joining The Sparkle Project to explore why motherhood feels so emotionally loud in today's world. Between social media, Google, AI, comparison, and the pressure to get everything "right," many moms are left feeling disconnected from themselves and unsure of their own instincts.

Kaitlyn shares why rebuilding self-trust is one of the most important things we can do as mothers and why awareness, not perfection, is the foundation for lasting change.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why modern motherhood feels more overwhelming than ever
• How social media, Google, and AI can undermine self-trust
• The connection between mom guilt and unrealistic expectations
• Why awareness is the first step toward breaking generational patterns
• How motherhood changes your identity and why that's okay
• The importance of defining your own values before seeking parenting advice
• Practical ways to reconnect with yourself in everyday motherhood

If you've been feeling overwhelmed by modern motherhood, this conversation will remind you that you don't need another parenting script. You need to reconnect with yourself.

🔗 Connect with Kaitlyn:

Instagram: @thenurturedtheory
Website: www.thenurturedtheory.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!

Episode Topics:

• modern motherhood
• overwhelmed mom
• motherhood in the age of social media
• trust yourself as a mom
• mom guilt
• maternal mental health
• motherhood burnout
• how social media affects motherhood
• parenting advice
• parenting confidence
• millennial motherhood
• identity in motherhood
• motherhood identity
• emotional overwhelm
• parenting in the digital age
• comparison in motherhood
• motherhood expectations
• breaking generational cycles
• cycle breaking
• motherhood and mental health
• postpartum identity
• motherhood coaching
• therapist for moms
• reconnecting with yourself after motherhood
• motherhood and self-worth
• motherhood mental load
• finding yourself after becoming a mom
• parenting without comparison
• overcoming mom guilt

Send us Fan Mail

If you've ever felt like you need to become a better version of yourself before you deserve self-love, this episode is for you. In this solo episode, Emily shares the perspective that transformed how she thinks about self-love and why it has nothing to do with being perfect. Instead, it's about the small decisions we make every day that either reinforce self-sacrifice or build genuine self-love over time.

This episode covers:

• What self-love actually means
• Why self-care alone isn't enough
• How boundaries build self-worth
• The daily choices that shape your relationship with yourself
• Why loving yourself helps your children learn to do the same

You deserve your own love and care, and this episode is one small step towards a life of more self-love (and all the good things that come with it).

✨ 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