What’s Really Blocking Your Joy in Motherhood Artwork

The Sparkle Project

(Formerly Worthy Mother Podcast)

The Sparkle Project is a feminist podcast for moms who are done carrying the weight of motherhood alone and are ready to connect with who they truly are - their sparkle, if you will.

So many of us feel overwhelmed not because we’re failing, but because we’re mothering inside a patriarchal system that expects us to give endlessly, stay quiet, and lose ourselves in the process. This space challenges those outdated expectations and embraces a more empowered, more supported, more self-honoring version of motherhood.

Hosted by Emily Rose MacDonald, a divorced mom of two on her own journey to shine a little brighter, each episode explores the realities of modern motherhood through a feminist lens that values equity, autonomy, mental health, and the humanity of moms.

You’ll hear conversations about identity, mental health, self-care, healing, and the many ways we can reclaim ourselves in a world that often overlooks the needs of mothers.

If you’re a mom who believes we deserve more than survival, and that our culture has to evolve for moms to truly thrive, you’re in the right place.

Welcome to The Sparkle Project.

Instagram:
@honestlyemilyrose
@thesparkleprojectpod

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@thesparkleprojectpod

All Episodes

The Sparkle Project

What’s Really Blocking Your Joy in Motherhood

February 17, 2026 • Episode 183

0:00 | 19:19

If you’ve ever found yourself doing things that are supposed to feel joyful but still feeling disconnected, numb, or dissatisfied… you are not alone. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, we’re talking about what’s really blocking your joy in motherhood. Not surface-level advice. Not toxic positivity. The deeper patterns and misalignments that quietly shape your day-to-day experience.

Emily is exploring the difference between joy and happiness, how living out of alignment impacts your ability to feel joy, and five factors that may be blocking your own capacity for joy. From disconnection from self and others to guilt around not "enjoying every moment," you'll leave this episode with a clearer understanding of what's keeping you from experiencing real joy in motherhood.

You deserve to feel joy, and it is possible.

✨ Let’s keep the convo going:

Follow Emily on Instagram → @honestlyemilyrose
Follow the podcast on TikTok → @thesparkleprojectpod

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