Mom guilt is one of the most talked-about experiences in motherhood - and one of the least understood. In episode 89 of Chill Like a Mother, Kayla sits down with Emily Rose MacDonald, host of The Sparkle Project podcast, certified motherhood studies practitioner, and single mom of two boys, to get into what mom guilt actually is, where it comes from, and what you can do about it.

Emily opens with a distinction that reframes the whole conversation: mom guilt is almost never just guilt. It's guilt plus shame. And those two things do very different things to a mom.

In this episode:

• Why what most moms call mom guilt may actually be toxic guilt in disguise - and what the difference means in practice
• Emily's real story from 2024: a separation, a season of survival, more screen time than she planned, and why she stands behind every choice she made
• Why the perfect mother myth was not written by mothers - and how cultural conditioning keeps so many moms measuring themselves against a standard they never actually chose
• Two specific things Emily recommends when toxic mom guilt shows up
• Why taking care of yourself and taking care of your kids may not be competing ideas at all

Emily Rose MacDonald is the host of The Sparkle Project podcast and co-founder of Mom Friends Collective. Find her on YouTube at @thesparkleprojectpod and on Instagram at @honestlyemilyrose.

Kayla Huszar is a mom guilt therapist and Registered Social Worker licensed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Book a free consult at kaylahuszar.janeapp.com.

Every mom knows the voice. The one that says you're not patient enough, present enough, calm enough. The one keeping score.

This episode is a guided inner critic meditation for moms - a visualization practice that gives your inner critic a shape, a color, a form, and then calls in the voice that actually has your back. Your inner champion. The part of you that knows you are good enough, even when the guilt says otherwise.

Kayla Huszar is a Registered Social Worker and maternal mental health counsellor specializing in mom guilt, identity loss, and expressive arts therapy. In this episode she leads you through a body-based relaxation and into a visualization where your inner critic and inner champion meet - and your champion gets the last word.

After the meditation, spend 15 to 20 minutes making something. A sketch, a doodle, a splash of color.

Get it out of your head and onto the page.

Find the full meditation script and journal prompts at kaylahuszar.com/blog/inner-critic-guided-meditation-for-moms

Most moms I know have said it out loud at some point - if I don't do it, it's not going to get done.

In this episode, Kayla sits down with licensed mental health therapist, couples coach, and Cedar & Rain Consulting founder Angela Tam to pull that sentence apart and find out what's actually living underneath it.

We talk about why the mental load is a symptom, not the root cause - and why focusing on the task imbalance often keeps moms stuck in resentment. Angela shares five concrete steps that helped her move from household prime minister to a woman who has room for pleasure, creativity, and actual partnership.

This one is honest, a little uncomfortable, and ultimately freeing. Because the dishes are not really about the dishes.

Topics: the over-functioning mom identity, why Angela deliberately renovated her kitchen sink, the role childhood plays in how moms carry the mental load, and how to repair without an agenda.

Find Angela at cedarandrain.org and on YouTube at Invisible Load Reset.