The Initiation of Motherhood: Identity Loss & Postpartum Reality with Sophie Harris

Feb 23, 2026

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Motherhood can be the most heart-opening experience of your life - and the most destabilising.

In this episode, Caggie is joined by postpartum and motherhood psychotherapist Sophie Harris to explore the emotional reality of becoming a mother - beyond curated Instagram squares and gentle routines.

Together, they speak about the parts rarely admitted out loud:

🧡 Identity loss that can feel like a quiet disappearance

🧡 Rage, overstimulation and intrusive thoughts

🧡 Partner resentment and the shock of how unequal early parenting can feel

🧡 Sleep deprivation that borders on psychological torture

🧡 The fantasy of escape - from Rightmove searches to longing to be “looked after” yourself

Sophie draws on 18+ years in mental health and her own experience of early motherhood to normalise what so many women privately fear means they’re failing.

They explore why the nuclear family model leaves modern mothers trying to do the work of a village alone - and how information overload, expert culture and comparison have pulled many women away from their instincts.

This conversation is an invitation to soften the shame around how hard it can be.

Because what if your hardest feelings are not evidence that you’re broken - but a sane response to an impossible level of responsibility? And what if “good enough” truly is enough?

For anyone navigating postpartum, early motherhood, or the identity shift that comes with caring for another life, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone in the rupture, the rage, the tenderness, or the becoming.

Thank you to Kendamil for making this episode possible. You can learn more about the Behind Every Mum campaign and find Sophie below:

Sophie’s Website: https://lookingaftermum.co.uk/

Sophie’s Instagram: @looking_after_mum

Kendamil’s Website: https://kendamil.com/pages/behind-every-mum

Kendamil’s Instagram: @kendamiluk

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