When Good Moms Feel Bad: Befriending the Parts of Motherhood, with Jessica Tomich Sorci

About this episode

Natalie Deering and Jessica Tomich Sorci discuss the complexities of motherhood and the concept of 'mom parts' through the lens of Internal Family Systems therapy.

In this powerful and deeply validating conversation, I sit down with Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT, Level 3 Certified IFS Therapist and creator of the Mom Parts Method, to talk about something so many mothers silently carry: Mom parts. The anxious ones.The angry ones.The overwhelmed ones.The “I should be better at this” ones. And the truth that often feels radical:There are no bad mom parts. Jessica brings her expertise in Internal Family Systems and perinatal mental health to help us understand how motherhood activates powerful manager and firefighter parts—and how IFS offers a compassionate path forward. We Discuss: What “mom parts” are and why they make so much sense Common manager mom parts Common firefighter mom parts Why guilt and shame keep moms blended with their parts How IFS helps mothers unblend and move toward compassion instead of self-criticism The cultural burdens of motherhood and the impossible expectations placed on women How vulnerable parts can re-emerge as our children reach different developmental stages The concerning decline in maternal mental health—and why this isn’t about individual failure The “selfish vs. selfless” burden so many mothers carry internally…

People in this episode

Host: Natalie Deering

Guest: Jessica Tomich Sorci

Topics covered

• motherhood
• mental health
• Internal Family Systems
• self-compassion
• guilt and shame
• perinatal mental health

Keywords

• mom parts
• maternal mental health
• IFS therapy
• self-criticism
• cultural burdens of motherhood
• self-reflection
• emotional parts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mom Parts Method, IFS, IFS Institute

Books & works: When Good Moms Feel Bad

More episodes of Intuitive Self: IFS + Intuition + Spirituality with Natalie Deering

• Sensitivity, "Too Muchness", & the Field-Aware Soul with Dr. Steve Chee · May 18, 2026 · 49 min
• Self-Trust, Intuition & Inner Knowing with Andrea Tessier · April 23, 2026 · 58 min
• Breath as a Pathway to Healing, Regulation, and Connection, with Tracey Soghrati · April 1, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Breaking the Trance: Hypnotherapy as a Bridge to Inner Knowing with Zarina Tariq · March 3, 2026 · 1h 27m
• IFS Therapy for Gay and Queer Men: A Companion for After Coming Out, with Max Littman · January 26, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Clairvoyance, Intuition, and IFS: A Conversation with Catherine Cope · December 31, 2025 · 1h 10m