I got to sit down with writer, mother and woman-in-a-body Ruthie Ackerman to talk about her powerful memoir The Mother Code—and let me tell you, this one cracked something open in me. Ruthie is re-imagining what motherhood even means, beyond the scripts and myths we inherited. We went deep into the messy truths: maternal ambivalence (yes, it’s normal), the weight of cultural expectations, and the way writing can become a radical act of self-discovery and freedom.

What I love about this conversation is how Ruthie makes space for the many ways motherhood can look and feel. Success isn’t a performance—it’s caretaking, community, and emotional health. And for those of us rewriting our own mother code, this dialogue is a reminder that we don’t have to do it alone. We get to choose the stories we carry forward, and we get to make them fit the families and lives we’re actually living.

This is one of those episodes that will stay with you—especially if you’ve ever questioned the old rules of what a “good mother” is supposed to be.

You can access more of Ruthie's work here: https://www.ruthieackerman.com/

Enjoy the episode!