Mom Guilt, Postpartum and The Heavy Cost I Paid For My Joy (Kristen Mychelle)

Can a woman fully love her family without abandoning the parts of herself that make her feel alive?

In this deeply honest episode of A Different Kinda Woman, Dr. Stacii Jae Johnson sits down with dancer, choreographer, Pilates instructor, and mother Kristen Mychelle for a vulnerable conversation about postpartum depression, anxiety, mom guilt, identity, and the emotional cost of pursuing joy.

Kristen shares how becoming a mother to twins changed her life in ways she never expected. After struggling with severe postpartum depression and anxiety, she fought her way back to herself and eventually returned to the career she loved. Going on tour made her feel alive again, but when she came home and saw how deeply her absence had affected her young son, that joy quickly became guilt.

She began to question whether being a devoted mother and a fulfilled woman could truly coexist.

Together, Dr. Stacii and Kristen unpack the pressure women feel to choose between family and purpose, the danger of allowing our wounded inner child to make grown-woman decisions, and why loving your children should not require burying the gifts God placed inside you.

In this episode, they explore:

• Kristen’s experience with postpartum depression and anxiety

• The pressure to become the “perfect” mother

• Why pursuing joy can trigger guilt in women

• The struggle to balance motherhood, partnership, and career

• How childhood wounds can influence adult decisions

• The difference between loving your family and abandoning yourself

• Creating a new vision for your life instead of living by outdated expectations

• Finding your way back to your purpose, passion, and authentic self

This conversation is for every woman who has ever felt guilty for wanting more, felt pressured to shrink for the people she loves, or wondered whether choosing herself meant failing her family. You do not have to choose between being a loving mother and a thriving woman. Your family can matter deeply, and so can you.

Subscribe to A Different Kinda Woman here and the video of the show on @StaciiJaeJohnson Youtube page and share this episode with a woman who needs permission to release the guilt, reclaim her joy, and step fully into her purpose.