NTM 523: Redefining Capacity Through Motherhood

What if your capacity wasn’t a measure of your worth? In this episode, we dive deep into motherhood as the ultimate redefinition of capacity — where contraction and expansion dance together, and holding more often comes with the relief of letting go.

We explore the emotional labor mothers invisibly carry, the myth of the perfect mother who endlessly gives, and what happens when over-functioning becomes your normal. Because capacity isn’t static; it stretches and recoils, it asks you to meet yourself honestly in your edges.

What if your children’s growth was as much about your own? What if tending to your limits was the most loving thing you could do for them? This conversation is a gentle, honest reckoning with how we hold, share, and sometimes spill over.

In this episode we discuss:

- Why capacity isn’t a fixed trait: it contracts and expands, often in response to life’s demands.
- The hidden energy of emotional labor in motherhood, from preempting needs to managing outcomes.
- How overriding your own limits becomes normalised, and how that leads to cycles of burnout.
- The relief that can come with hard changes, and how your kids asking more of you can reveal where your capacity truly sits.
- The tension between what your kids “should” do and what they can realistically handle.
- The power of saying “I need a moment to regroup” instead of pushing through.
- How voicing your needs creates room for others to respond and support you.
- Releasing the perfect mother myth to honour what you actually have space for.
- Why sustainable family life requires equitable emotional labor — teamwork rooted in well-being, not sacrifice.
- The concept of emotional currency in relationships: building deposits so you can both withdraw when needed.
- The importance of checking in with your nervous system and giving yourself genuine rest breaks, not just bracing for the next tsunami.

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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