Releasing the Mother Load, Erica Djossa
Releasing the Mother Load, Erica Djossa
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Releasing the Mother Load
How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More

Author: Erica Djossa

Narrator: Erica Djossa

Unabridged: 9 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/09/2024


Synopsis

Winner of the Gold Literary Excellence Award from the Institute of Child Psychology

“If you've ever felt like you're the only one struggling with motherhood, this book is for you.” —Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play

From a maternal mental health specialist comes an empowering guide to help reshape your internalized expectations and beliefs around motherhood.

Every mom wants to be a good parent—but if you’ve found yourself burned out and overwhelmed trying to be “the perfect mom,” you’re not alone. “We get handed a rulebook of motherhood without realizing it,” says Erica Djossa. “That rulebook comes with an invisible load—a world of mental and physical tasks that keeps us pushing toward perfection while barely being able to breathe.” With Releasing the Mother Load, this renowned parenting specialist shares a guide to help you break free from the crushing burden of unrealistic expectations and reclaim the joy of motherhood while staying true to your own values.

As a therapist and the founder of the Momwell community, Erica has learned how many mothers from all backgrounds and walks of life feel trapped by modern motherhood. Here she dispels the falsehoods our culture has built around what it means to be a mom and shares practical, proven guidance for a more empowered approach to parenting, including:

• What is the Mother Load? Where our expectations come from and why they don’t serve us or our children
• Making the Mother Load visible—the true emotional and physical cost of the many jobs, habits, and beliefs we carry
• Sharing the load—tools to establish strong boundaries, express your needs, and build a support system
• Practical techniques and scripts to help you create a healthy, balanced, and enriching approach to motherhood

“You can chart your own journey in a way that is freeing, feels right to you, and reignites passions and dreams that you thought had died when you began to put everyone else’s needs first,” says Erica Djossa. Here is a life-changing guide for developing a new vision of motherhood that lets you parent more freely and with greater fulfillment—so you can finally release the Mother Load.

About Erica Djossa

Erica Djossa is the CEO and founder of Momwell, and a registered psychotherapist specializing in maternal mental health with over a decade of experience. She founded Momwell to set a standard of care for providers and ensure mom-centered, specialized mental health support at any stage of motherhood. She’s been featured in Time magazine, USA Today, the Toronto Star, Cityline, Scary Mommy, PopSugar, and Romper. Her graphics have been shared by celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Ashley Graham, Hilaria Baldwin, and Christy Turlington. For more, visit momwell.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rachel on July 15, 2025

Probably a 3 star, but the timing for this in my life was impeccable and I learned a lot. This is the mental load of mothering explained. I’ve previously read up and experienced that realization, so the listing of and describing of all that goes into mothering was not groundbreaking or particular in......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on February 20, 2025

Another book that insightfully identifies the problem but does not really offer concrete solutions to solve it. I am not someone who really struggles with “intensive mothering” in most arenas - I have made a conscious decision to not do many things a “Pinterest-worthy mom” would do because I don’t c......more

Goodreads review by Nicole on April 23, 2024

I feel very lucky I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I was able to read it as I was nearing my son’s first birthday. I cried a lot. I highlighted passages like crazy. It made me feel understood after nearly a year of not understanding myself. I would recommend anyone who is mothering to read t......more

Goodreads review by Katie on December 03, 2023

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I’ve read similar variations of this topic, but this book completely nailed it. Often times when we think of a task, it can either be step wise or big picture. Regardless, there’s a lot of planning and motivation that goes into household manageme......more

Goodreads review by Ely on December 19, 2024

At first I thought it was the dullest book I’ve ever read! Then the magic happened and I felt so seen by this book! The load moms carry daily broken down into bite size pieces and I felt validated like never before.......more