Book excerpt: WINNER OF THE CHILD PSYCHOLOGY GOLD AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE BY THE INSTITUTE OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY. "If you've ever felt like you're the only one struggling with motherhood, this book is for you."—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play An empowering guide that helps you unburden the load of impossible expectations and reshapes your internalized ideals, expectations, and beliefs around motherhood. Every mom wants to be a good parent—but if you’ve found yourself burned out and overwhelmed trying to be “the perfect mom,” you’re not alone. “We get handed a rulebook of motherhood without realizing it,” says Canada's maternal mental health specialist and the founder and CEO of Momwell Erica Djossa. “That rulebook comes with an invisible load—a world of mental and physical tasks that keep us pushing toward perfection while barely being able to breathe.” Here she shares a guide to help you break free from the crushing burden of unrealistic expectations and reclaim the joy of motherhood while staying true to your own values. Join her to explore: Where the Mother Load comes from, and why it doesn’t serve us or our children The true emotional and physical cost of the many jobs, habits, and beliefs we carry Tools to establish strong boundaries, express your needs, and build a support system Practical guidance to help you create a healthy, balanced, and enriching approach to motherhood “You can chart your own journey in a way that is freeing, feels right to you, and reignites passions and dreams that you thought had died when you began to put everyone else’s needs first,” says Erica Djossa. Discover a new vision of motherhood that empowers you to parent more freely and with greater fulfillment—so you can finally release the Mother Load.