What happens when being a good mother means admitting there are things you would do differently?

In this episode, I sit down with Leah Thompson to talk about becoming a mother at 19 and growing up alongside her daughter. 

This meant losing the opportunity to go to college and play Division 1 soccer, but Leah committed herself to being a strong single mother, working two jobs and eventually building a successful career without a college degree. But some of Leah’s most important growth didn’t come from what she accomplished. It came from learning when to stop defending her decisions and start listening.

Leah opens up about the apology that transformed her relationship with her daughter, releasing the shame she carried as a mother, recognizing when busyness was pulling her away from what mattered, and learning to take accountability while also setting healthy boundaries. She also shares why she traveled alone to Peru for an ayahuasca retreat during one of the hardest periods of her life and what it took to integrate that experience once she returned home.

This is a conversation about motherhood, relationships, self-awareness, and accepting that someone else’s experience can be valid even when it looks different from your own.

Because growth isn’t about getting every decision right. Sometimes it begins when we’re willing to listen, own our part, and choose to show up differently.

Highlights

• (01:20) – Becoming a mother at 19 and finding purpose in an unexpected beginning
• (07:39) – How remarriage and a growing family affected Leah’s oldest daughter
• (09:57) – The shame that can come with making difficult decisions as a mother
• (14:57) – Giving up a Division 1 soccer scholarship and creating a different path forward
• (17:51) – Building a successful career without a college degree and learning from great mentors
• (28:16) – Letting go of shame and finding support through other mothers
• (31:42) – The apology that transformed Leah’s relationship with her daughter
• (33:22) – Why accountability has to begin with yourself
• (33:59) – How helping her daughter inspired Leah to build Collective Kindness
• (36:40) – Recognizing when success and busyness were taking too much from her family
• (43:09) – Setting boundaries and asking for accountability in a meaningful friendship
• (50:08) – Why Leah traveled alone to Peru for an ayahuasca retreat
• (01:10:43) – Returning home and learning that healing also requires integration

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Website: https://sadowstyle.com/

Instagram: @SamanthaSadow