Who Am I Now? Rediscovering Yourself Beyond Caregiver Burnout and Medical Motherhood
About this episode
This episode explores the identity loss and caregiver burnout experienced by mothers in medical parenting, offering encouragement for self-reconnection.
When your child's diagnosis becomes your whole world, what happens to the woman underneath it all? In this deeply personal solo episode of Born For This Stories , Johanna speaks directly to the moms who have quietly disappeared into caregiving — the women who have poured so completely into keeping their child safe, healthy, and supported that they no longer know what fills their own cup. This episode explores the invisible identity shift that happens in motherhood, especially when medical complexity, chronic caregiving, or long-term advocacy become part of daily life. Johanna opens up about caregiver burnout, hypervigilance, guilt, nervous system exhaustion, and the unsettling realization that many moms no longer know what they enjoy outside of their child's medical world. More importantly, she offers gentle, practical encouragement for reconnecting with yourself — not through big sweeping changes, but through small moments of play, breath, movement, and joy. If you are a medical mom, caregiver, or parent who feels disconnected from yourself, this episode is a reminder that the woman you were — and the woman you are becoming — is still there. In this episode – The identity loss…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Johanna
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