The Good Mother Myth: Breaking Free from Burnout with Mariah Vargo

Send us a text

Are you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out as a mom? You're not alone. Burnout can look different for everyone, but it often involves feeling numb, absent, and physically drained. In this episode, Mariah Vargo shares her personal story of burnout and how she overcame the toxic time messages women receive about caregiving, work and home life. 

Kayla and Mariah share some of their best practices in responding to burnout by setting boundaries, prioritizing their values, and asking for help.

Ah Ha Moments:
- When you are burnt out, the answer is doing LESS, way less, not MORE.
- None of the "things" (the perceived self-care things) will work if you aren't willing to deal with the one thing at the root cause of stress.
- Asking for help does not make us weak. It makes us healthy. It makes us able to keep showing up for our kids.
- We need to get curious about where the messages we receive about what it means to be a "good mom" come from. By prioritizing our values, setting boundaries, and asking for help, we can combat burnout and overwhelm and show up for our families in a healthy, authentic way.

About Mariah Vargo: 
Through my work as an educator, over the past number of years I have witnessed a significant increase in the number of kids struggling in schools. This led to me wondering what more I could do to help, which led to the birth of Motherhood Unravelled which seeks to provide a supportive community for women to learn and grow as well as receive support from other moms so they aren't functioning in isolation. The goal is eventually to offer courses for both parents and children.

Mentionable's:
Follow Mariah on Instagram: @motherhood_unravelled

Support the show

Meet Kayla Huszar, the Host of the Chill Like a Mother Podcast

Kayla Huszar is a Registered Social Worker and Expressive Arts Therapist who helps mothers reconnect with their authentic selves through embodied art-making. She encourages moms to embrace the messy, beautiful realities of their unique motherhood journeys. Whether through the podcast, 1:1 sessions or her signature Motherload Membership, Kayla creates a brave space for mothers to explore their identities beyond parenting, reconnect with their intuition, and find creative outlets for emotional expression and self-discovery.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day—kids running amok and all! If this episode helped you feel a little more chill, please leave a rating or review. Your feedback helps the podcast reach more moms who need to hear it.