Per usual, my “Stuff I Buy at 3am” picks are at the bottom of this letter.
Okay so the trailer for my new podcast is out, which means it’s real now. I’ve been sitting with this podcast for months — recording it, thinking about it, losing sleep over it — and now it’s just out there for people to watch and have opinions about. That’s the part I keep coming back to. The opinions part.
And then there’s the name. Tell Me I’m a Good Mom. I love it. I chose it on purpose. It’s funny and a little ironic and it says everything about what this show is in five words.
But I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about what happens if I do something publicly that someone decides makes me a bad mom. Because the internet will use that name against me. I know that. I named the show knowing that. I did it anyway because that’s kind of the whole point. the scrutiny moms face is exactly what we’re here to talk about. I just didn’t fully anticipate what it would feel like to hand people the headline on a silver platter. So that keeps me up at night a little. Just a littleeeee.
Episode 1 premieres Wednesday and I’m genuinely nervous in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. What if it flops. What if nobody cares. What if the thing I’ve been so sure the world needs — honest conversations about what motherhood actually does to you — turns out to be something only I needed. I’ve built an entire company on the belief that women deserve better. I show up for that every single day at Love Wellness. And now I’m doing it again, in a completely different format, 10 weeks postpartum, on not enough sleep, with a baby who has opinions about literally everything including when I’m allowed to record.
I just really want it to matter.
One thing that has genuinely helped with the nerves: Dear Media said yes to this show. And I don’t take that lightly. Dear Media is one of the most respected podcast networks for women and they chose to partner with me (ME!!!) on this. To me that means something bigger than just a business deal. It means that the conversation around matrescence, around what actually happens to a woman when she becomes a mother, is one the culture is ready to have. They validated that before a single episode aired. That has meant more to me than I expected it to.
Here’s what episode 1 is: before my daughter arrived I sat down and recorded my birth plan. And I want to be honest about something — the way women choose to give birth is one of the most loaded conversations in motherhood. Everyone has an opinion about what brave looks like, what informed looks like, what the right choice is for a body that isn’t theirs. I made a decision that was right for me. For my health, my history, my body. I made it with my doctor. I made it without apology.
And then I recorded my birth story six-ish weeks later. It did not go to plan. It never does, does it? I want you to hear it the way I lived it: the plan first, then the reality, back to back. It’s the most honest thing I’ve recorded since I started talking publicly about my health when I founded Love Wellness. And I already know people will have thoughts. That’s kind of the point.
I also posted a video this week about regular mom bodies and the response stayed with me. Here’s where I actually am: I gained 60 pounds during my pregnancy. And I want to be clear that I’m not trying to bounce back right now. I’ve rejected that conversation for years and I’m not about to start now. But I do want to feel like I’m in my own body again. There’s a difference. It’s not about size. It’s about ownership. It’s about recognizing yourself when you look in the mirror and feeling like you live in your body rather than just borrowing it for a while. The comments showed me how many women are sitting with that exact feeling and staying quiet because they’re afraid of being told they’re vain or not focused enough on their baby. We have so far to go. And also you guys showed up in a way on that post I wasn’t expecting. That’s exactly why this show exists. So thanks!
Here’s what I need from you. Watch it/listen to it/subscribe to it (yea, get out the ol’ YouTube account from your makeup tutorial days my friend bc all the episodes will live there).
Send it to one mom who needs to hear she’s not alone right now. That’s the whole ask. I still run Love Wellness every single day. And I’m doing this too because I genuinely believe moms deserve a seat at the cultural table and few are pulling the chair out for us. So I’m doing it. MWAH!
Tell me I’m a good mom. 🥹
— Lo
body: this thin Skims dress for cozy sleep (I wear it almost every night)
wellness: Quick Melt Strips (I love the energy and sleep ones right now)
home: the hatch baby sleep machine (the new design is so cute)
bag: my trusty revealer concealer from Kosas
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