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Why Working Moms Can’t Stop Trying to Be Perfect, and what it's costing you

May 19, 2026 · 11 min

Show notes

There was a morning in 2018 when I was driving on the highway listening to an audiobook I had been avoiding for weeks.

I did not even make it to chapter one.

Something about what I heard cracked open a pattern I had spent most of my life calling ambition, high standards, discipline. And once I saw it, I could not unsee it.

In this episode, I talk about perfectionism in working mothers. Not the polished version people compliment you for. The quieter version. The one that keeps raising the bar, keeps you performing, keeps you exhausted even when everything looks fine from the outside.

We talk about the things perfectionism takes that nobody really warns you about. The moment I realized my daughters were learning something from me I never intended to teach. And the shift that finally made “good enough” stop feeling like failure.

If you have ever felt like you are carrying an invisible standard you can never fully reach, this one will probably feel familiar.

Topics Covered: working mom perfectionism, perfectionism in motherhood, mom guilt and perfectionism, good enough mother, working mom burnout, high functioning burnout, over-functioning women, self worth and productivity, perfectionism burnout, working mother mental load, fear of failure perfectionism, perfectionism and anxiety, burnout in working mothers, working mom self compassion, identity after motherhood

COME SAY HI AND LEARN MORE ABOUT US:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/andi.momtoring

Website: http://momtoring.com

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. New episodes every week.

If something landed for you, share it with another working mom who needs to hear it.

And if you're ready to go deeper, find me at www.momtoring.com or come say hi on Instagram at @andi.momtoring. I'd love to hear what cracked open for you.

Questions, reflections, or just want to reach out? Write to me at [email protected].

Music by prettyjohn1 from Pixabay

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