E25: Exploring the Stress of Modern American Motherhood and What We Can Do About It with Dr. Molly Dickens

It’s Stress Awareness Month and we dive head first into the complexities of maternal stress with fellow mom and PhD, Molly Dickens. As a scientist, writer, advocate, and founder, Molly has the fascinating insights to share around the physiological and psychological impacts of chronic stress on mothers, along with personal lessons learned throughout her career journey from academia to maternal health advocacy, and her latest initiative, The Maternal Stress Project.

In this episode you will learn:

• What is “The Maternal Stress Project”? - Molly maps the stressors related to modern American motherhood in a way we’ve never seen before with the goal of better understanding and supporting the health and wellbeing of women and working caregivers around the country.
• What is “Maternal Stress” and what are the societal acceptances of maternal stress and its impact on health outcomes, with an emphasis on the need for targeted interventions that actually help!
• The physiological and psychological impacts of chronic stress. Spoiler alert: they each have significant effects on both the body and mind of mothers, influencing our overall wellbeing and health.
• Coping strategies to help manage your day to day life, emphasizing the importance of taking care of your body and mind, while identifying and leaning on support as often as you can.
• What is needed from a policy and domestic initiative perspective to better support us mamas in managing stress and advocating for systemic changes.

We took away tons of actionable insights from this conversation and hope you love it, too!

Links:

• Maternal Stress Project Substack
• Maternal Stress Project LinkedIn
• Molly’s LinkedIn

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