Ever feel like your brain won’t stick to one task, your to-do list breeds at night, and every decision carries the weight of a parenting manual? Same. Jess sits down to unpack the first year of motherhood with candor and humor: why trusting your intuition beats crowdsourced panic, how a “second baby mindset” lowers stress on the very first kid, and the simple truth that rest isn’t a reward—it’s strategy.

We walk through seven real-life lessons that actually change the day-to-day: combo feeding to relieve pressure, splitting night shifts to protect sanity, and asking for help without apology. Jess gets honest about identity too—the part no one can do for you. There’s no going back to who you were before, and that can feel like loss until you realize it’s an opening. With therapy, deconditioning old beliefs about time and worth, and a tighter circle, the new version starts to feel like home. That shift touches everything from how you work to how you show up for joy, like stopping to feel snow on your face instead of racing to the car.

Community is the throughline. The village probably won’t arrive fully formed; you’ll build it from neighbors, online groups, library programs, and one friend who answers at 2 a.m. That’s why we’re reopening the Selfish Sisterhood—connection first, less calendar clutter, deeper support. And when sleep wobbles or routines fall apart, we lean on a grounding mantra: it’s just a phase. It will pass. Meanwhile, choose presence where you can and laugh at the yogurt on the floor before you wipe it up.

If this resonates, hit play and share it with a friend who could use a softer, sturdier way to parent. Subscribe for more honest conversations, rate the show to help others find it, and drop your biggest life lesson in a review—what would you tell your younger self?

Self(ish) Sisterhood —> https://jessclerke.com/self-ish-sisterhood

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