The Space Between Who You Were and Who You're Becoming (And Why Your Not Broken)

There's a feeling many mothers know intimately. It’s the sense that the coat of your old life is now too small, but the new one you're supposed to wear feels too big and unfamiliar.

You're left floating in an awkward, disorienting, and often lonely space.

In this episode, Shawna and Cara give this feeling a name: "liminal space," the transitional threshold between who you once were and who you are becoming.

Getting vulnerable, Shawna shares her experience as a new mom feeling distant from her pre-baby self, including a full-blown meltdown over packing away outgrown baby clothes.

Together, she and Cara discuss the sadness of saying goodbye to a past version of yourself while simultaneously feeling frustrated that you haven't yet reached the vision you have for your future.

But what if this uncomfortable space isn't a problem to be solved?

Shawna and Cara reframe this period not as a failure, but as a necessary and powerful part of growth.

They argue that, just like pregnancy, this transitional time is required to catch up to the monumental shifts happening in your life. Discomfort isn't a signal to stop; it's the key to keep going.

The goal isn't to sprint through this phase.

It's about learning to be gentle with yourself, to breathe, and to trust the process. This episode is a reassuring reminder to stop chasing clarity and start trusting yourself in the magic and mess of becoming.

TLFMTR (Too LONG for Mom to read):

• "Liminal space" is the necessary, transitional phase between who you were and who you're becoming, a place where much of our life is lived.
  
  
  

• Feeling uncomfortable or disoriented during a major life shift doesn't mean you're doing it wrong; the discomfort is often a sign that you are growing and on the right track.
  
  
  

• Small progress is still progress. When you feel like you aren't getting to your goal fast enough, remember that the only true failure is standing still.
  
  
  

• Be as compassionate with yourself as you would be with a baby learning to walk or crawl. That harsh, critical inner voice is often not your own, so don't let it rush your process.
  
  
  

• If you stop trying to rush to the next version of yourself, you allow space for healing and growth to happen naturally. Trust the timing of your life.

How can you honor the person you were, while also giving yourself grace and patience as you become the person you are meant to be?

Remember, you are not broken, you are becoming.

Want to continue the conversation with a group of moms who get it?

See you there!

Shawna & Cara