No Guilt Mom | Overcoming Mom Guilt, Mental Load & Parenting Tips for Moms

If gentle parenting has you wanting to back your daughter up without shaking things up at school, but you're stuck on why she keeps getting dress coded in the first place, this episode is for you.

New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

JoAnn goes solo this week on a topic she's been sitting with since her own middle school uniform battles: dress codes, and why they land so much harder on girls than boys. She pulls the research on where dress codes actually came from, what "self-objectification" does to a girl's brain and test scores, and ties it directly into this week's Sydney Sweeney ad backlash. Then she gives you the exact conversation to have with your daughter the next time she comes home dress coded.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why dress codes were never really about safety, and where they actually came from

The research showing it's girls' bodies, not their behavior, that dress codes target

What "self-objectification" is, and how it can measurably lower a girl's test performance

Exactly what to say (and not say) when your daughter comes home dress coded

How to help her decide whether to comply or push back, in her own words

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Happy Home Ladder — our family cooperation system

The Best Mom is a Happy Mom by JoAnn Crohn

No Guilt Mom website

No Guilt Mom on Instagram

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If you've ever dealt with mom burnout and wondered why you can't stop giving until there's nothing left, this episode is for you.

New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

Therapist Dr. Julie Merriman joins the podcast to talk about why so many moms quietly minimize themselves until they're running on empty, and why the idea that "you can't give from an empty cup" is actually a myth, because we do it all the time. We get into little T trauma, why your worth might be tied to productivity, and Julie's five-step framework for coming back to yourself after burnout.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why moms give until they hit "empty cup" burnout, and why the belief that you can't give from empty isn't true

What "little T trauma" is and why almost everyone has some, even without a dramatic backstory

Julie's five-step framework for recovering from burnout: reflection, a nervous system inventory, a reappearance checklist, a self-return ritual, and daily affirmations

A simple full-body-scan technique to check in with your nervous system in under a minute

Why tying your worth to productivity makes it impossible to just sit and relax

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Happy Home Ladder — No Guilt Mom's family cooperation system

Dr. Julie Merriman's website

Julie's free Desire Reset Guide

The Best Mom is a Happy Mom by JoAnn Crohn

No Guilt Mom Podcast page

No Guilt Mom on Instagram

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If you've ever felt the mental load of work follow you home and wondered why you can't turn your brain off the second you walk in the door, this episode is for you.

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

You close the laptop, but your brain doesn't get the memo. In this episode, JoAnn breaks down the real research on why work stress follows you home (and why home stress follows you to work), and gives you three small, doable rituals you can try tonight to actually make the switch.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why "boundary theory" research says your brain needs an actual ritual to switch roles, not just willpower

Why remote and hybrid workers report 20% higher burnout, and what's missing from the workday that used to fix this for free

What a real diary study of 166 employees found is the single strongest predictor of recovering from a stressful workday

Three simple scripts you can use tonight: naming your feeling, noticing and asking what's up, and picking your family's one thing

How the Happy Home Ladder turns these skills into something your whole family builds together, not just you

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get the Happy Home Ladder

When Work Stress Hijacks Your Home: Stop Ruminating and Get Your Patience Back with Guy Winch

Why You Negotiate Better at Work Than at Home (And How to Change That) with Attia Qureshi

The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane

No Guilt Mom Inner Circle

The Best Mom is a Happy Mom (book)

Follow No Guilt Mom on Instagram

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

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If you've ever dealt with mom guilt and wondered why you can't stop replaying the same mistake in your head long after it happened, this episode is for you. Explore practical tools for managing mom guilt and the mental load using gentle parenting principles and a proven self-forgiveness method with Dr. Dravon James.

New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

Dr. Dravon James, founder of Everyday Peace and author of Forgiveness: A Pathway to Happiness, joins JoAnn to talk about why self-forgiveness is so much harder for moms than forgiving anyone else. They walk through Dravon's three-step practice for actually letting go of the mistakes you keep carrying, plus the exact language to use with yourself when you mess up.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why holding onto guilt doesn't actually protect you from making the same mistake again

The three-step self-forgiveness practice: reflect on self-criticism, forgive yourself for past mistakes, and release the memory's hold

The difference between accepting what happened and excusing it

The "sandwich technique" for saying "I forgive you" to yourself without it feeling forced

Why treating yourself the way you'd treat your own middle schooler changes everything

Ready to stop doing everything and start doing what actually matters? Grab JoAnn's free Stop Doing Checklist.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Dravon James's website

Dr. Dravon James on Instagram

Dr. Dravon James on Facebook

Grab the free Stop Doing Checklist

Join the No Guilt Mom Inner Circle

The Best Mom is a Happy Mom (JoAnn's book)

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Mom guilt has a source—and it's not your parenting. JoAnn busts the five biggest "good mom" myths that convince you you're failing, even when you're doing your best.

New here? Start with our ⁠Start Here playlist⁠ — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

JoAnn shares the day she screamed at a wall (and cowered her own kids) to name the perfectionism baked into modern motherhood. Then she busts the five biggest "good mom" myths, the ones telling you that missing the game, serving chicken nuggets again, losing your temper, taking time for yourself, or your kid's report card all mean you're failing. Spoiler: none of them do.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why missing your kid's activity can actually be good for them (and what the research on over-involved parents really shows)

Why your picky eater isn't a reflection of your cooking, and the biology behind food neophobia

The exact repair script to use after you lose your temper, and why the repair matters more than the rupture

Why taking time for yourself is an investment in your kid, not a theft from them

Why your kid's school performance predicts nothing about who they'll become

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Best Mom is a Happy Mom (book)

Calm & Happy Parenting Cohort

Thank you to our sponsors!

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