175. The Mental Load in Motherhood: Why It Feels So Overwhelming with Leah Ruppanner

2026-01-29

Download

Many moms already wake up feeling tired, and it's not because they're doing too much, but because they're carrying too much. In this episode of Electric Ideas, Whitney sits down with Leah Ruppanner, professor of sociology, to talk about the mental load of motherhood and why it's so often invisible, brushed off, or just accepted as "part of being a mom." They talk about the constant background thinking moms do all day long, including keeping track of schedules, anticipating needs, managing emotions, making decisions, and holding everything...

Many moms already wake up feeling tired, and it's not because they're doing too much, but because they're carrying too much. In this episode of Electric Ideas, Whitney sits down with Leah Ruppanner, professor of sociology, to talk about the mental load of motherhood and why it's so often invisible, brushed off, or just accepted as "part of being a mom."

They talk about the constant background thinking moms do all day long, including keeping track of schedules, anticipating needs, managing emotions, making decisions, and holding everything together in ways no one really sees. Leah breaks down the 8 categories of mental load, helping put language to the many different ways this shows up in daily life. From emotional labor to future planning and decision fatigue, this conversation helps explain why so many moms feel overwhelmed even when they can't point to one specific thing.

Whitney and Leah also dig into why the mental load builds quietly over time, why it's so hard to hand off to someone else, and how cultural expectations keep moms taking on more than their fair share, often without realizing it. Leah shares her mental load assessment, a simple but eye-opening tool that helps moms see where their energy is actually going and which areas are asking for more support.

If you've ever felt exhausted, resentful, or on edge and wondering why everything feels so hard, this episode will help you make sense of it and give you a place to start naming what you're really carrying.

Here's what you can look forward to in this episode:

The many mental loads moms take on and how deep the mental load actually goes
The 8 different mental load types moms experience
Where to start when we want to be aware of our mental load capacity

Reflection question to ponder: Am I spending my mental load aligned with my purpose?

Learn more about 1:1 coaching with Whitney - book a 15-minute Spark Session

Connect with Whitney: Instagram l Website l 5 Days to Less Stress, More Satisfaction l Tend to Your Soul Toolkit l 10 Soulful Journaling Prompts | Electric Ideas Podcast

Connect with Leah: Instagram | Website | Book: Drained | Free Mental Load Assessment

Comments (3)