123. 'When Good Moms Feel Bad': IFS, Motherhood, and the Healing Power of Parts Work with Jessica Tomich Sorci
In this episode I’m joined by Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT - a Level 3 Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional, and the creator of “Mom Parts.” Jessica brings decades of experience in maternal mental health and introduces us to the profound concept of parts work within the context of motherhood. We explore how IFS offers a radically compassionate lens through which to understand maternal distress, not as pathology, but as a protective and adaptive system.
Jessica shares how her own postpartum years “blasted apart her psychological infrastructure,” and how discovering IFS brought the structure and depth she needed, both personally and professionally. We talk about her groundbreaking book When Good Moms Feel Bad (forthcoming in 2026 from Hachette Balance), which helps mothers reconnect with their inner wisdom through compassion, creativity, and curiosity. From rage and reactivity to grief, shame, and intergenerational wounds, this conversation holds space for the full range of the emotional experiences of mothers.
Connect with Jessica:
🌿 Website: https://www.instagram.com/jessicatomichsorci/
🌿 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicatomichsorci
🌿 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.sorci.14
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122. When Motherhood Feels Like Too Much AND Not Enough
I explore the emotional complexity that motherhood brings in the context of post-Mother’s-Day – and how we can feel both deep love and deep exhaustion, often in the same breath.
I speak to the invisible labour mothers carry, the craving to be seen, and the cultural expectations that shape how we think we “should” feel.
You'll hear some of my own reflections about ambivalence, overwhelm, tenderness, identity, and what it means to take up space as a mother.
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If this conversation resonates with you and you're curious about what it looks like to bring this lens into your current or future mother-care work, tune in to the previous episode: Ep 121 - A Free Training + A Final Invitation: The Next Wave of Motherhood Studies. I share details about the free Missing Piece training and the final days to join The Motherhood Studies Certification - https://drsophiebrock.com/motherhoodstudies
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121. A Free Training + A Final Invitation: The Next Wave of Motherhood Studies
Get your free training: https://motherhoodstudies.newzenler.com/courses/the-missing-piece-in-mother-care-work/buy?coupon=missingpiecefree
Enrol in the certification: https://motherhoodstudies.newzenler.com/courses/thenextwave/buy/plan/150986
Enrolment for the certification closes this Wednesday, May 14th.
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In this episode, I’m giving you a short and clear overview of the Motherhood Studies Practitioner Certification - a globally recognised training that equips you with the frameworks, language, and tools to transform the way you support mothers (and see your own motherhood, too).
We are in the final days of enrolment – with the certification beginning May 19th
In this episode you’ll hear what makes this certification truly different (and why it’s still so rare), how it supports your personal growth and your professional work, and some of the outcomes you can expect - from increased clarity and confidence to ready-made client resources.
I’ve also created a free training for you to explore this work: The Missing Piece in Mother-Care Work: An Introduction to Motherhood Studies and the Sociological Lens. You’ll learn the foundational models and paradigm shifts we explore inside the certification.
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120. In Conversation with Prof Andrea O’Reilly: The Revolutionary Emergence of Motherhood Studies
Join us for a groundbreaking conversation with Professor Andrea O'Reilly, the internationally renowned pioneer who founded the field of Motherhood Studies. In this powerful episode, Dr O'Reilly shares her 40-year journey from questioning motherhood's absence in Women's Studies as a pregnant undergraduate to establishing an entire academic discipline dedicated to mothers' experiences. She discusses the creation of the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, Demeter Press (which has published nearly 200 titles), and concepts like "Mother Outlaws" and Matricentric Feminism. Key themes explored include the difference between patriarchal motherhood and empowered mothering, the ongoing struggle for legitimacy in academia, raising "outlaw children" against patriarchal norms, the vital importance of community for resistant mothers, and her vision for making mothers "the before thought, not the afterthought." Andrea reflects on the costs and joys of feminist mothering, the need for a mother-centered lens in all disciplines, and why mothers need their own feminism. This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in understanding how motherhood shapes our world and how we can create more supportive spaces for all mothers.
Demeter Press Website: https://demeterpress.org/
In (M)otherwords (Prof O’Reilly’s essays) book: https://demeterpress.org/books/motherwords
The Mother Wave collection: https://demeterpress.org/books/the-mother-wave
Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, open access: https://jarm.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/jarm
For those inspired to dive deeper into this field, you can be trained in the sociology of motherhood through the Motherhood Studies Certification. The next wave of this certification has been directly inspired by my chapter in "The Mother Wave" book, helping to contribute to Dr O'Reilly's ground-breaking work, and turning Motherhood Studies concepts into practical application for professionals working with mothers - https://drsophiebrock.com/motherhoodstudies
Listen to free training on The Missing Piece in Mother-Care Work here: https://motherhoodstudies.newzenler.com/courses/the-missing-piece-in-mother-care-work/buy?coupon=missingpiecefree
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119. Perinatal Suicidality: A Conversation with PANDA CEO Julie Borninkhof and Dr Laura Biggs
Content note: perinatal suicidality
In this episode Sophie speaks with midwife and Research Fellow Dr Laura Biggs, and CEO of PANDA Australia, Julie Borninkhof about the Making Sense of the Unseen partnership between the Stronger Futures CRE and the Murdoch Children’s REsearch Institute, PANDA Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia, and James Cook University.
In the episode you’ll hear discussed key findings from ground-breaking research conducted by the team on experiences of perinatal suicidality, the first study of its kind ever to be carried out. Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in Australia and other high-income countries and yet so far, we’ve known little about women’s experiences of suicidality at this time in their lives. As discussed in this episode, the research identified that perinatal suicidality is driven by experiences of shame, and feelings of being disconnected and ‘defective’ as a mother.
We talk about how societal pressures and the perfect mother myth narrative profoundly impact women’s mental health, and share stories from the research that demonstrate the profound importance of compassionate care and rehumanising relationships and care experiences for mothers. This episode is an especially important listen for all of those who work in healthcare and/or with mothers.
We want to acknowledge the 139 women who shared their experiences of perinatal suicidality with the research team, as without their generosity, this research and this conversation on the podcast sharing these important findings would not be possible.
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Episode webpage: https://drsophiebrock.com/podcast119
Connect with Laura on Twitter @l_biggs
Follow PANDA on Facebook at facebook.com/pandanational and Instagram @pandanational
Laura Biggs’ email: laura.biggs@mcri.edu.au
Learn more about Making Sense of the Unseen: https://www.strongerfutures.org.au/making-sense-of-the-unseen
Read the journal article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10497323231164278
Support lines
Australia - www.panda.org.au/ - 1300 726 306
@pandanational @lifelineaustralia @13yarn
UK - pandasfoundation.org.uk/ - 0808 1961 776
USA - www.postpartum.net/ - Text “Help” to 800-944-4773 (EN)
The EU/EEA - Mental health helpline - 116 123
The role of being a Mother offers us the potential for incredible expansion, growth, and power, while also being one of – if not THE – most challenging, undervalued, and taken for granted roles in the world. Motherhood Studies Sociologist, researcher, and single Mother, Dr Sophie Brock hosts The Good Enough Mother (TGEM) podcast with an aim to change how Motherhood is culturally defined and individually experienced. TGEM draws its name from a theorist and pediatrician Winnicott, who highlighted the ways ‘good enough’ parenting is actually what is best for our children – not perfectionism. The podcast centres the Mother as the starting point for conversations with experts and change-makers who are passionate about seeing social, cultural, and institutional change to better support Mothers and therefore our families, and communities.
México