The Mental Load No One Talks About & A Bare Minimum Summer

About this episode

Renee discusses the mental load of motherhood and her decision to embrace a bare minimum summer to prioritize family time over productivity.

Thursday May 14th, 2026: There’s a part of the mental load that no one really talks about… your own thoughts. The constant questioning. The nonstop noise. The invisible checklist running through your brain 24/7. In today’s solo episode, I talk about a bit of an epiphany I had recently: why am I working so much? Somewhere along the way, I slipped into full workaholic mode and started prioritizing productivity over the things I’m constantly stressed about “neglecting”, home cooked meals, organizing the house, quality time with family, maintaining friendships, slowing down, and actually enjoying my life. So this summer? I’m embracing a bare minimum summer. Doing what truly needs to get done and letting the rest go. Because I only get one summer where Milo is 7 years old, and honestly? This might be my favourite age yet. The BEST. I don’t want to miss it because I was too busy answering emails or chasing productivity for no reason. I also get into the exhausting mental gymnastics of motherhood and womanhood… the constant second guessing, guilt, overthinking, and pressure to optimize everything. Why does my brain work like this? Why does it feel like moms carry around so much…

People in this episode

Host: Renee Reina

Topics covered

• mental load
• motherhood
• work-life balance
• productivity
• summer activities
• self-care

Keywords

• mental load
• motherhood
• workaholic
• self-care
• summer
• productivity
• family time
• guilt
• overthinking

More episodes of The Mom Room

• The Symptoms I Could Never Explain & My New Fave ChatGPT Hack · June 11, 2026 · 26 min
• Oona Metz’s Essential Divorce Guide For Women · June 9, 2026 · 41 min
• The Sinus Saga, Burnout & Why I Had to Slow Down · June 4, 2026 · 25 min
• Miranda Kerr on Teaching Kids Forgiveness and Creating a Certified Organic Skincare Brand · June 2, 2026 · 43 min
• Your Algorithm Is Not Your Kid’s Algorithm, Grade 6 Memories, & The Parking Garage Disaster · May 28, 2026 · 29 min
• Taylor Wolfe on Having A Busy Season, the Extreme Sport of Parenting, & Using Humor in Dark Moments · May 26, 2026 · 38 min