The Sparkle Project
The version of motherhood we're sold looks nothing like the one we're actually living. That's by design.
The Sparkle Project is for the moms who are done pretending otherwise, and ready to reclaim the parts of themselves that got lost along the way. Hosted by Emily MacDonald, a single mom, feminist, and late-diagnosed ADHDer, each episode digs into the identity shifts, invisible labor, and systemic failures that make motherhood so hard. You'll hear from the experts, advocates, and real women who are finding their way back to themselves, so you can feel less alone in the hard parts and more like yourself in all the rest.
Somewhere between the mental load and the mom guilt, your shine is still there. The Sparkle Project is your space to find it.
(Formerly Worthy Mother Podcast)
Episodes
291 episodes
How to Create a Life That Actually Feels Fulfilling with Zahra Premji
You can love your life and family and feel grateful for what you have - and still want more. In this episode, Emily sits down with life and mindset coach Zahra Premji to talk about what happens when the life you’ve built no longer feels as fulf...
ADHD Motherhood: 5 Strategies That Help Me Manage the Chaos
If you’re a mom with ADHD, keeping up with work, kids, schedules, household tasks, and your own needs can sometimes feel like pure chaos. In this episode, Emily shares five things that have genuinely made her life easier as a mom with ADHD....
Self-Worth, External Validation & Inner Child Healing in Motherhood with Anuja Khadka
Does your child’s success ever feel like a reflection of whether you’re doing a “good enough” job as a mom? Motherhood can bring our own childhood experiences, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and need for external validation to the surface, som...
Normalizing Normal: Taking The Shame Out of Motherhood with Emily Feret
Motherhood can be beautiful, meaningful, exhausting, messy, overwhelming, and funny, sometimes all at once. So why does social media make it look like everyone else has it figured out? Emily Feret, mom, influencer, and author of Normalizing...
How Tarot Helped Me Reconnect With Myself After Divorce
In the aftermath of divorce, there is a lot of newness to navigate. What does life look like as a single parent? How do I parent through grief and rebuilding? And who even am I in this new season of life and parenthood?In this solo episo...
Starting Over After Divorce: Rebuilding Your Life with Intention with Leah Marie Mazur
Divorce is often framed as a failure or loss. But for many, it can be a profound opportunity to intentionally reset and purposefully decide what's next. In this episode of The Sparkle Project, Emily sits down with divorce recovery coac...
Mom Your Way: Letting Go of the “Shoulds” at Home and at Work with Yasmin Kaderali
Becoming a mom changes more than your daily routine. For many, it changes how you see your relationships, your priorities, your career, and even yourself. In this episode, Emily talks with Yasmin Kaderali, author of Mom Your Way: Judgment-F...
Mean Girl Mom Culture: Why It Happens & How to Break the Cycle with Dr. Noëlle Santorelli
Mean girl culture doesn’t necessarily end when we grow up. For many women, it just follows us into motherhood. As the kids head back to school, Emily sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Noëlle Santorelli to unpack mean girl mom culture and...
Unsupported and Unseen: How a Lack of Postpartum Support Breeds Martyrdom and Disconnection
With the Lindsay Clancy taking center stage in the current cultural conversation, this week's conversation is adding to the discussion about how a systemic lack of postpartum supports impacts moms, families, and society at large. In this episod...
The Identity Shift No One Warns High-Performing Moms About with Alexis Adams
You spent your whole life being the woman who worked hard, achieved your goals, and built an identity around being capable. Then motherhood arrived - and suddenly the strategies that always worked stopped working. Many ambitious wom...
Create a Lighter Life: Joy, Gratitude, & Ease in Motherhood with Morgan Jackson
Have you ever wished life felt a little lighter? In this episode, Emily is joined by Morgan Jackson, founder of Light 56, to explore how small, intentional habits can help you experience more joy, gratitude, playfulness, and peace in your every...
Vacation Mode: The Invisible Labor Behind Summer Fun
Summer is supposed to feel fun and relaxing... so why does it often leave moms feeling completely exhausted? In this episode, Emily is uncovering the invisible labor of summer as a mom. From planning vacations and coordinating childcare to carr...
Your Body Knows the Way: Reconnecting to Your Innate Power with Sara Putney
Many moms move through life feeling disconnected from themselves, stuck in survival mode, or wondering where their sense of self went after motherhood. In this episode, Emily is joined by Sara Putney, trauma-informed somatic breathwork f...
Why Modern Motherhood Feels So Overwhelming (& How to Trust Yourself Again) with Kaitlyn Dove
Mothers today have more access to resources and information than ever before, but the result isn't necessarily greater confidence in our parenting journey. Instead, many moms feel overwhelmed by the constant input. If you find yourself question...
The One Shift That Makes Self-Love Finally Feel Possible
If you've ever felt like you need to become a better version of yourself before you deserve self-love, this episode is for you. In this solo episode, Emily shares the perspective that transformed how she thinks about self-love and why it has no...
How Community Helps Moms Reclaim Their Identity After Motherhood with Julia Lotin
Motherhood changes everything, including the way we see ourselves. But what happens when the support you expected never arrives? And how do you reconnect with yourself when you're carrying the mental load of caring for everyone else? In this ep...
Motherhood as a Portal: Breaking Intergenerational Trauma Cycles with Danik Bernier
Motherhood has a way of exposing wounds that may otherwise have stayed locked away under the surface. In this powerful conversation, Emily sits down with EMDR therapist, coach, and Healing Mothers Club host Danik Bernier to explore the...
From Good Girl to Authentic Self: My Story of Motherhood, Divorce, and Finding Me
This episode is unlike any other! To celebrate 200 episodes of The Sparkle Project (formerly Worthy Mother Podcast), the microphone is turned around as Emily steps into the guest seat and opens up about the personal journey that has shaped both...
Performative Motherhood & Reintegrating Your Identities as a Mom with Ali Colpack
Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered where you went after becoming a mom? In this episode, Emily sits down with licensed mental health counselor, mom of two, and Road to Mama founder Ali Colpack for a powerful conversation a...
The Motherhood Setup: Why We Always Feel Like We're Failing with Dr. Danielle Dowling
Motherhood was supposed to feel natural. So why do so many moms secretly feel overwhelmed, exhausted, resentful, anxious, or like they’re failing? In this episode, Emily sits down with therapist-trained life coach and Good Girl, Bad Mom
How Toxic Positivity Is Making Motherhood Harder
Toxic positivity is rampant in modern society - but the flavor that comes along with motherhood is particularly harmful. In this episode, Emily unpacks the real impact of toxic positivity in motherhood and why messages like “enjoy every moment”...
Why So Many Moms Feel Depleted During Matrescence with Vanessa Leveille
Why are so many moms feeling completely depleted in modern motherhood? In this episode, therapist and matrescence practitioner Vanessa Leveille joins The Sparkle Project for a powerful conversation about maternal depletion, identity sh...
Healing Trauma in Motherhood Through EMDR Therapy with Abbie Ames
Motherhood has a way of bringing anxiety, overwhelm, and unresolved trauma to the surface. In this episode, EMDR therapist Abbie Ames joins Emily to explore how motherhood can trigger old wounds, why so many moms feel overstimulated and emotion...
3 Hard Truths Every Mom Needs to Hear About Mental Health
May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and to kick it off, Emily is sharing what she's learned from her personal experience navigating mental health in motherhood and what every mom needs to know for their own wellbeing. In ...
Motherhood, Advocacy & the Fight for Better Maternal Care with Ciara Lyons
Motherhood doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and for many moms, that means navigating broken systems while also managing your own internal battles. In this episode, Emily sits down with Ciara Lyons, a nurse, mom, and founder of Her Black Wellness, to...