524: The Motherhood Myth with Vanessa Bennett

With Mother's Day approaching, this week we are revisiting one of my favorite conversations of 2025. My guest is Vanessa Bennett, LMFT, author of "The Motherhood Myth: A Depth Therapist's Guide to Redefine Parenting, Reimagine Intimacy, and Reclaim the Self." So many of us who were socialized as women are considering what it means to exist in a female body, and expectations around womanhood and mothering in a colonized culture - Vanessa and I discuss the shadow and light aspects of this identity, and our experiences, in this soulful conversation. Through the lens of depth psychology, Vanessa Bennett explores themes of motherhood, including the archetypal wounds that women carry. You may be familiar with the mother wound, and we also talk about how we carry sister wounds, witch wounds, father wounds and more. We discuss societal myths surrounding motherhood and the importance of reclaiming one's self and intuition after becoming a parent. Vanessa Bennett, LMFT, is a licensed depth psychotherapist, author, and facilitator known for her no-nonsense yet compassionate approach to personal growth and healing. She is the coauthor of the bestselling relationship book "It’s Not Me, It’s You," with her partner John Kim and co-hosts the Cheaper Than Therapy podcast. A former New Yorker now based in Los Angeles, Vanessa leads transformational retreats and workshops grounded in Jungian and depth-oriented psychology. Through her writing, teaching, and digital content, she helps others break generational patterns and reconnect with their truest selves. Find everything Vanessa Bennett offers on her website here . Resources for Therapists and Helping Professionals: Therapists and mental health professionals: I created a FREE video to help you feel more confident in supporting survivors of sexual violence in an embodied and trauma sensitive manner. Check it out here ! Therapists - if you're ready to allow yourself to be held in nature with a community of like-minded therapists, my Mind, Body + Soul Healing Retreat for Therapists in Tulum, Mexico is here . November/December dates are on the website now! Also, new members are being accepted in the Trauma Therapist Network membership community now. I facilitate 4 live calls per month. We have a new membership tier - check out everything included in TTN membership and choose the tier fits your needs! You can upgrade or downgrade your membership at any time. Learn more and apply here . Watch Therapy Chat episodes on YouTube: Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on CE trainings, save $1000 on Synthesis Institute's Psychedelic Facilitation training beginning next month, other recommended resources and more. Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com ! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. TherapyNotes® is the highest-rated EHR, practice management, and billing software for mental health professionals. Its all-in-one platform is designed to streamline all aspects of your practice, from connecting with clients via secure messages, to scheduling, to notes, to billing, and more; you can trust TherapyNotes has you covered. And one of the best parts? 24-7 customer service. It's beyond easy to get help over the phone or by email at any time of day from their knowledgeable and friendly representatives. The best time to give TherapyNotes a try is now! Sign up for your free trial by going to TherapyNotes.com , clicking "Start my free trial", and accessing your first two months free with the promo code CHAT. See why TherapyNotes is the most trusted EHR for behavioral health professionals today. Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review,

You can listen to 524: The Motherhood Myth with Vanessa Bennett online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

524: The Motherhood Myth with Vanessa Bennett is an episode from Therapy Chat by Laura Reagan, LCSW-C.

This episode is 48:37 long.

This episode was published on Apr 20, 2026.

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