NTM 525: The Guilt Pendulum: When Work and Motherhood Feel Like a Tug-of-War

Nourishing the Mother

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10d ago 29:35

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What happens when your heart is at home, but your body’s at work — or when your head’s in the spreadsheet but your child’s in tears at daycare drop-off?
In this episode, we explore the inner tension so many mothers feel between being present, connected parents and being purposeful, ambitious humans doing meaningful work in the world. It’s not just about time management — it’s about the deep, identity-level stretch of holding two powerful callings that often ask for completely different parts of you.
We talk about the primal urge to nurture and protect, the heartbreak of early separation, and the guilt that rushes in when your heart isn't in it — wherever “it” is. We also explore the cost of maintaining a work track built on outcomes and mental focus, while simultaneously trying to parent in a way that is attuned, relational, and emotionally available.
And we name what doesn’t get said enough: that this isn’t just personal; it’s systemic. The modern nuclear family model, the lack of community care, the outdated expectations placed on women to “balance it all” — these all feed the guilt loop. But there is another way.
This is an invitation to integrate rather than split, to move from guilt into awareness, and to begin gently merging the parts of you that long to belong — at home, and in the world.

Want support on this journey?Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub
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