Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What's Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want

Rate this book
The ultimate guide to defeating the "never enough" mentality that haunts modern motherhood! In this empowering and transformative book, Katherine Wintsch, CEO of the women's interest consultation company The Mom Complex, shares her proven strategies for breaking free from the limitations that hold women back. With a no-nonsense approach and a feisty sense of humor, she helps you unleash your inner strength and conquer the challenges that motherhood and life throw your way. Discover the secrets to becoming the fearless, confident, and unstoppable woman you were born to be. Slay Like a Mother provides practical tools and actionable advice to help Packed with inspiring real-life stories and transformational advice, this book will guide new moms, mom experts and any mom in between on a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and personal growth. If you're ready to slay the doubts, fears, and obstacles that have been holding you back, Slay Like a Mother is your go-to resource!

320 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

163 people are currently reading
3975 people want to read

About the author

Katherine Wintsch

1 book28 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
272 (37%)
4 stars
265 (36%)
3 stars
153 (21%)
2 stars
23 (3%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
Profile Image for Katherine Wintsch.
2 reviews6 followers
November 12, 2018
I wrote it and I love every word. What can I say? I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Slay on!
Profile Image for Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader.
2,785 reviews31.9k followers
July 25, 2019
I have to mention the cover of this book. I love that it doesn’t have a dust jacket (anyone else take those off while reading?), and everything is printed right on the hard cover. It’s so sleek!

Ever feel not good enough when trying to manage all of life’s responsibilities? Katherine Wintsch has been there, too, and she has a supportive way of sharing with her own stories and those of other moms, to let you know everyone feels that way at one time or another.

But how can you feel different? Wintsch is all about the empowerment and believing in yourself. Many of us, even those of us who aren’t moms, wear a mask of everything being ok, where deep within we feel anything but. Wintsch recommends just being yourself and taking off that mask; that you are already good enough and slay that dragon that keeps you down!

She also talks about the mom comparisons being the thief of joy and how not to compare ourselves to others. Wintsch takes her book to a deeply personal place with honesty and an overall uplifting, “You’ve got this” feel. I definitely recommend it for a pick-me-up.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Profile Image for Jenny.
268 reviews104 followers
September 7, 2019
3.5 stars
Every Mother has had that moment or maybe moments! Motherhood is too hard. Mom says. I can’t do anything right. So frustrated and fatigued, she sits down and cries. Wintsch wants us to realize that the frustration that the frustration is real, the frustration is self induced. Mothers can slay the dragon! She wants Mothers to cease being super harsh critics of themselves.
Slay Like a Mother addresses the issue of the motherhood drive for perfection. In self assessing, thought provoking exercises, Wintsch provides a base that will allow one to determine what holds you back from really enjoying life. You can silence that negative, bullying voice in your head. When suffering stops, you can recognize the struggles and the steps to adapt and adjust.
Each of us has a dragon in their lives that needs to be slain. This book will help you to determine what the dragon actually is and provides the sword (tools) to slay it.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #SlayLikeaMother
Profile Image for Natalie  all_books_great_and_small .
3,121 reviews166 followers
July 3, 2022
I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Slay Like A Mother is a book that all women, especially mothers, need on their shelves! This book will be staying on Mt shelf indefinitely ready for me to pick up and refer back to whenever I need it's reassurance and support.
This book offers such a great way to self-reflect on yourself and your life. As a single working mother I often feel overwhelmed and stressed and this book helps me to put things not only into perspective but gives me the tools to work on things that I need to work on and offers self-improvement too. Nobody is perfect and motherhood doesn't come with a handbook. We all need to remind ourselves that as long as we do outline best that is the most important thing.
This book has space and areas to write in and exercises to do along the way through it. I loved how the book was broken down and the bold quotes scattered through the book. This is a fantastic book for women supporting women and I can't urge enough for mothers everywhere to grab themselves a copy!
Profile Image for MaryBeth's Bookshelf.
527 reviews97 followers
August 16, 2019
This is the book every mom should read. We have all doubted ourselves and our ability to be a "good" mom in the eyes of society. What I loved about this book is it's not a "how to" manual, but helps you examine what are doing that is right and quiet the voices that tell you that you're doing it wrong!
Profile Image for Nursebookie.
2,888 reviews451 followers
June 14, 2021
As a working mom to two kids, this book was everything I needed and never had when I struggled to be everything to everyone.

This is truly for every woman and mom.

The book is interactive with a chance to self reflect and apply into practice the lessons along the way!

This is fantastic!
Profile Image for Misha.
199 reviews48 followers
Read
November 5, 2021
"We are not who we pretend to be."

I enjoyed this raw look into Human nature. This one was easily relatable.

Great material for a book club read!
Profile Image for Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee.
1,107 reviews268 followers
June 1, 2022
I thought this was a powerful read, and really think any mom could benefit from reading this book. The author does a great job making this book compulsively readable, and gives you exercises to help you become stronger, and more empathetic to yourself. If you feel like you sometimes talk down to yourself, or just feel like you struggle with being a busy mom….this will empower you and help you to realize that you can change your thoughts. A worthwhile read for all mom's! 

Thank you to the publisher, author and suzyapproved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!
Profile Image for Summer.
581 reviews407 followers
October 5, 2021
“The Dragon raging inside you has a name, and it’s self-doubt. You’re the only one who can see it, so you’re the only one who can slay it.”

Slay Like A Mother sends the empowering message to today's modern woman that our biggest setback is ourselves. The negative voice in our heads telling us that we need to do more, we must agree to do things we don't want to do, how we have to keep up public appearances and so many more. Unlike so many self-help books that tell the reader what the problem is, Slay Like A Mother actually tells the reader how to solve the problem.

This book is divided into 4 parts with chapters in each part. There are also questions/exercises and checklists included in the book that help the reader become more self-aware and to help solve their struggles. Also included are diagrams of the research the author conducted while writing this book and gorgeous illustrations of motivational quotes.

I'm always skeptical of self-help books. I feel like a lot of self-help books give readers false hope and unrealistic advice that ultimately make the reader feel worse. Also, a lot of these books generally give bad and sometimes harmful advice. But Slay Like A Mother is an exception to this genre. It lists realistic and obtainable goals, and it also gives advice that I feel will help a lot of women. Plus the research that was conducted in this story is 100% credible. After reading this amazing book, I feel more motivated and I feel as if a weight has been lifted! I would highly recommend this book to all women(not just mothers) and this would be a wonderful gift for all of the women in your life!

Slay Like A Mother is available now from Source Books. A massive thanks to Katherine Wintsch for the gifted and signed copy of Slay Like A Mother!
Profile Image for Sarah.
44 reviews
February 13, 2019
Quick story: I first heard Katherine Wintsch speak in 2017. She was the keynote speaker at a Richmond-area marketing seminar that I attend every month. Just a week before this particular seminar, I found out I was pregnant.

As I sat in the conference room with 200 strangers and listened to Katherine speak about motherhood, I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I spent the entire seminar choking back tears -- excited tears, oh-shit tears, how-did-she-know-I-was-thinking-that tears. She addressed so many of my concerns head on and made me start to really think about the many, many layers of motherhood. Katherine speaks about "the sparkle of synchronicity" in her book. This may have been one of those moments for me.

Two years later, when given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of her book, "Slay Like a Mother," I jumped at it.

I'm still a relatively new mom. I haven't experienced sibling fights or shuttling kids to soccer practice. But what I appreciate about Katherine's book is how relatable it still is to me at my stage of motherhood -- just like her seminar spoke to me when I was three weeks pregnant. "Slay" helps readers slow down and take a good hard look at how you treat yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Katherine's personal experience, as well as the real-life mom stories peppered throughout the book. I found myself gaining a deeper understanding of some of the ways I'm feeding my own dragon (superhero expectations, quietly yelling at myself, can't. say. no.), while also applauding myself for some of the things I'm already doing to help.
7 reviews
February 13, 2019
Motherhood is Hard - Not because you're doing it Wrong, but Because it's Plain Hard.

Seems obvious right? Ask any parent and most will tell you that parenthood is the hardest job there is. Why, then, do so many of today's moms beat themselves up for not living up to what they perceive is the perfect mom. This is a topic Wintsch has spent years researching, speaking to moms all over the world and she shares all that she's learned in Slay Like a Mother.

In what Wintsch describes as The Perfect Mom Paradox, moms often set their expectations awfully high considering motherhood is a job they've NEVER DONE. Yet, we hardly ever give ourselves the break we deserve. As moms, we set our expectations so high, that when we perceive ourselves as not living up to that [unrealistic] perfection, we don't just feel bad about X, Y or Z, we feel like an all-out failure who is surely ruining our kids' lives by not having it all together.

Slay Like a Mother teaches you how to change (ahem, Slay) this line of thinking (ahem, Dragon) and believe in yourself as a mother.

All moms should read this book if for no other reason than to have a copy of Wintsch's Tedx speech on the masks that mothers wear. It's genius. Moms act like we've got it all together, like everything is fine, and like we don't need help. Yet on the inside, we are reeling with self-doubt and guilt that we aren't doing it right. Other moms do it better. We wear the masks because we want to appear like those other moms, like we have it all together the way they do. Wintsch teaches moms how to take off this mask and be themselves. Because we are already good enough. Mom enough. We've just had a dragon telling us that we aren't. That dragon fills us with doubt and brings us down. He needs to be Slayed.

We're also given the tools that help us moms not to constantly compare ourselves to other mothers - to not look at other moms as women to compete with, but as comrades.

After all, we moms share much of the same DNA - and we're all doing the very hardest job in the world.
1 review
February 15, 2019
Katherine's deeply personal story hit home and had me in tears within the first 30 pages.

Before I knew it, I was taking a deep look into what has shaped me as a woman, wife, business owner, mother, daughter, and friend.

More importantly, it gave me practical tools to take control, reshape my perspective, and own my future.

The "write it down now" sections are an immediate call-to-action -- taking your learnings and moments of brutal honesty with yourself, and owning them. Too often, we read a book, have a moment of learning, and then move on. Writing down our triggers, our plan, our learnings is a concrete promise to yourself.

I highly recommend this book to ALL MOTHERS. And daughters. And soon-to-be-mothers.

Bravo, Katherine!
And thank you for baring your beautiful soul.
Profile Image for Shelby (catching up on 2025 reviews).
1,003 reviews166 followers
November 22, 2022
REVIEW

Slay Like a Mother
By Katherine Wintsch
320 pages
Pub: March 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ • 5/5 stars

"The struggle is real. Your suffering is optional."

"Mothers are not at war with other mothers. We're at war with ourselves!"

"It's not empowering to think you can always do more. It's actually exhausting!"

Slay Like a Mother is an interactive, researched-based self-help book specifically for modern mothers. Its main objective is to empower moms to slay the "dragon" in our minds that tells us we aren't enough -- that voice that tells we must be more, and do more. The self doubt, the critical voice, the need to be everything, all the time, or the guilt when we don't measure up. If you're a mom, you likely know what I'm talking about. 😉

Slay Like a Mother gives us the tools (via a workbook-like format) to work through these things to begin slaying the beast in our minds. It teaches us to be kinder to ourselves. What sets this book apart is that it actually provides the steps, and allows the reader to work through them as we read. It's a guide, not just a Ted Talk. As a social scientist, I also appreciate the evidence-based approach to this book. This isn't just one woman's thoughts about moms and our struggles. This is pulls from studies, market research, as well as the author's own experiences.

💭 I'm not usually big on self-help TBH. I read enough in my 20s to last a lifetime! 😆 But when the Slay Like a Mother team reached out and offered to send me a copy, the synopsis really resonated with me. Thankfully that was the case while reading as well. Many times, it felt as if Wintsch was speaking directly *to* me. The perfectionist me. The everything-must-be-just-so me. The gotta-measure-up me. The am-I-good-enough me. If you've ever had these thoughts, this book is probably for you as well. ☺️

Note: I read some reviews from people who aren't moms who still benefitted from reading this. Working women, wives, caregivers, pet moms, etc.

Thank you @sourcebooks and @slaylikeamother for my gifted, signed copy in exchange for my honest review. 💕


.
.
.
.
Profile Image for Jamie.
640 reviews
April 30, 2021
I don’t read many self help books and I’m not a mom but when I was asked to feature this book I was intrigued. I have two German Shepherds and I am a full time care taker for my husband who has ptsd so in a way I thought I’d be able to relate. I was oh so right! This book was definitely for me! I am tired! Many days I’m running errands, going to appointments only to come home to dishes, trash overflowing, dogs that have to pee & eat, and dinner to be made. Needless to say I do it all.
I often feel alone because I’m not a mom and my family dynamic is different. I see moms juggling a few kids, dinners, activities, play dates and date night and think surely I can handle a few dogs! My habit of Looking at the Joneses aka setting my expectations too high and then ultimately failing!
So many parts in this book just spoke to me! I loved the interactive parts where I could write down my thoughts and reflect. One of my favorite quotes “If you despise “perfect” mothers, then stop trying to be the bitch you hate.” How often do I look at what I think is perfect and strive for that, putting on my perfect mask too.

I’d absolutely recommend this book to all women, mom or not, I guarantee you’ll be able to relate and get something meaningful out of it!

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours @slaylikeamother and @sourcebooks for my gifted copy!
Profile Image for Nicole reading_with_nicole.
200 reviews17 followers
July 30, 2019
Where was this book 25 years ago when I had “Irish Twins” at home and felt like the biggest failure of my life. It is so hard to be a mother; even now, my kids are 24 and 25 and I still feel like I fail them at times.
I have never been a fan of self-help books but Slay Like A Mother does not read like ones. Throughout the book Katherine shares her story and insight and stories from thousands of other mothers; mothers like you and I.
Being a mother is no easy task and it is never-ending.. NEVER.. This book gives you the insight to know its OK to not have it all together, speaking just for myself being a mother was so hard when the kids were young; I honestly felt the constant need to always have it all together and inside I was dying, literally dying.
That does not have to be anyone, reading this book was eye opening for me; it’s perfectly ok to not be ok and we women in general forget that. I really enjoyed the little exercises throughout the chapters, it is a great way to help you put things in perspective. I am passing this book along to my newly engaged 24 year old daughter; I see so much of me in her and I do not want her to ever feel the way I did when she was little.
Thank you Katherine for writing this book, for me reading all of this was so much more powerful than if someone were to speak it to me. This is a must read book ladies.
Profile Image for Jodie | GeauxGetLit.
755 reviews113 followers
October 19, 2023
“Healthy doses of self-esteem, confidence, and respect are critical stones in building your path to fulfillment”
“Worrying about the future steals JOY from today”
“Of all the tasty, self-esteem-annihilating snacks you're feeding your Dragon, a lack of love for yourself is central to each and every one of them”

This book completely and totally resonated with me, as I, like the author, wore a mask for 3 decades of my life. When I became a mother, I was a perfectionist and had set myself with very high expectations. I crumbled under the pressure of having a career and kids and didn’t think I was good enough.

This book sums up everything you need, to slay the dragons that are burdening you and to come out of hiding to live your true life! She teaches you, you are not alone and you do not have to suffer anymore.

I wish I had this book when I was on my journey to freeing myself, instead of reading 30 books that got me to the same place.

Also, this book might be for moms, but I believe anyone with a perfectionism default and lack of self-esteem, would be incredibly relatable to you.
Profile Image for MJ Beauchamp.
66 reviews39 followers
April 14, 2021
Have you ever started reading a book without knowing anything about it?

I picked up Slay Like a Mother, by Katherine Wintsch, last week - had seen it all over bookstagram and was curious, but had no idea I’d be embarking on a real journey of self-discovery...

First off; I’m not a mother. So, when I quickly realized this book was meant more to inspire struggling mommies, I had some serious doubts. That said, kept on reading and glad I did because Wintsch’s words truly resonated with me.

As a woman, the pressure is real and our insecurities often get the best of us; messing with our head and with our outlook on life. This is true with or without children in the mix. In fact, not having the added responsibility of children, I personally feel at times as though I have no right to complain. Comparing myself to my mom friends - really, how can I claim to be tired and stressed out?

The truth is everyone has a right to feel overwhelmed, life is hard. Slay like a Mother helps identify and accept the sources of our inner pain, to recognize and better focus on our strengths, and on making them shine.

Thank you @slaylikeamother for the gifted copy. The book is available in hardback, paperback and on Audible.
Profile Image for abdulia ortiz-perez.
634 reviews39 followers
July 15, 2019
I received this book for honest Review.

This is the first time reading anything from this author and let me say that I loved it so much.
I like this was my life in this book.
You now that feeling when you want something so badly but it hard cuz you have kids. Well I felt like that!
For example I have 5 kids now but one time I didn't. When I only had 4 I so badly want to go back to High School and finish and also go to college. One day I made up mine and decided to do it. I wasn't going to let nothing hold me back and has a mom I had to do this for my kids. To give them a better life. I end up finishing High School and went to College while my kids were in school. I was a college mom, working, and taking care of mine. I got my College degree on Criminal Justice.
Life doesn't stop cuz you have kids. It just the beginning! 💃
Life doesn't STOP it Continues! 😎
Once you have something in your head go for it and don't let nothing stop you.

This read was a eye opener!
I love the writing and the style!
I highly recommend it. 👍
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Mom_Loves_Reading.
370 reviews88 followers
February 17, 2020
This book is exactly what all women should read. It discusses ways women can & should support & empower each other & how we should be lifting one another up instead of tearing each other down. (Let's face it, women can be the absolute worst, am I right?) We often say we are all about supporting other women, yet we are also the ones judging each other the hardest, comparing ourselves to one another, trying to conform to what we feel society expects us to look like, & pointing out what we are told are flaws on ourselves and others. Being a woman & a mother is really fracking hard!
.
I know I, for one, am my own biggest critic. I strive too hard for perfection in everything I do, & it ends up backfiring on me in one way or another, & I end up mentally or physically exhausted. Motherhood is hard, one of the hardest jobs in the universe; but it doesn't have to be.
.
I will chose to be the best me I can be, but not get down on myself when I don't feel like I am matching my own expectations or societies even. I will choose instead to love myself- my imperfect self- & be the best mother I can be & not compare my life or looks to another mothers. I will be the Mother of Dragons (#GOTreference) & slay like one as well!
.
"Slay Like a Mother" is thought-provoking, inspiring, relatable & brutally honest. The paperback comes out on 3/3 & the hardback is available now. I strongly encourage women everywhere to treat yourselves to this gem! The cover is gorgeous, too! Or get it as a gift for the special women in your life!
1 review3 followers
November 19, 2018
Great perspective on women and being a mom. Made me rethink a few things and allow myself a break from keeping up with too high expectations. Easy to read, great sense of humor, and life changing on how I think about myself.
Profile Image for Cindy(groundedinreads).
639 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2023
Everyday, I feel pressure to maximize my time by making a to do list and striving to check off every item. There was a time where I would exceed my self-imposed expections but over the past couple of years I have felt unmotivated. I’ve been seeking purpose for my newest life chapter of becoming an “empty-nester” now that my day doesn’t revolve around my kids.

After reading this book, I now realize that my inner “dragon” of self-doubt is causing me to feel this way. My new chapter has brought on so many emotions and thoughts; some being unkind to myself. Slay Like A Mother has given me some great focus points to consider as I navigate this new path.

This book isn’t preachy but rather suggests strategies to turning negative thoughts around in order to manifest meaningful self-expectations. The author urges the reader to BE the slayer (of dragons) that we want to see in the world and I’m on board with this! Slay Like A Mother is geared towards young moms, but I feel that every woman has thoughts of self-doubt and could benefit from reading this book.

“The struggle is real. Your sufferning is optional” Katherine Wintsch
Profile Image for Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff).
2,554 reviews93 followers
February 24, 2021
When this book first became available, I thought to myself, my kids are in their twenties this book isn’t for me. But in reality, you never stop being a mom, and with each stage of life, comes new challenges.

I’m in total agreement with Wintsch that motherhood can bring out a lot of our self-doubts. Whether it’s personal baggage we carry from our past or our perfectionisms we place onto our children, we tend to worry that we aren’t doing this mothering thing right.

As for me, with older kids, I tend to look back and wonder if I should have done some things differently. Something I constantly worried about was passing on all my “yuck” to my kids. Wintsch discusses this briefly in a great chapter called “Raising Dragon Slayers.”

I appreciate that Wintsch also reminds mothers to be real, they shouldn’t pretend they can do it all; it’s okay to ask for help. She also notes the key differences between struggling as a mom and suffering.

We as moms need to take care of ourselves, as well as support other moms and encourage them to love and care for their families in a healthy, confident way.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedtours and @slaylikeamother for a #gifted copy.
Profile Image for April.
2,102 reviews950 followers
May 15, 2020
I get that people like to dog on self help books - I know a lot of cynical people. Personally, I like them and the idea of trying to be better. I am still somewhat new in my motherhood journey, as of this writing my son is three years old. Slay Like A Mother by Katherine Wintsch appealed to me because I think that being a mother adds a whole new dynamic and dimension to life. The book really spoke to me as it is so relevant to my season in life.

The premise of Slay Like A Mother is that many of us mothers have a dragon comprised of self doubt within us. We feel like we have something to prove to the world and we have to be all the things and do all the things. This drive toward perfection is not helping us. This book posits that we need to figure out when that dragon of self doubt came into being, recognize its current voice, and do the work to slay it. I loved that mindfulness is explored in this book - as well as how you can reframe things and talk to yourself in a different, more positive and gentle way.

I am a person who has had a lot of crippling self doubt but I engage in masking behaviors. So, I can come off as brash, mean, haughty, and its because I am deeply self critical and often do not feel I am enough. This is a trait that has had a very large impact on my life. As you can imagine, I felt like this book was so relevant to me personally. I came away wanting to engage in more mindfulness practices and aware of the story that I tell myself. There are some useful exercises within Slay Like A Mother and I am glad to have picked it up. I'd recommend if, similar to me, this is something you do struggle with.
Profile Image for Julie.
823 reviews159 followers
April 29, 2019
I received this book complimentary as part of a tour.

"The Struggle is Real. Your Suffering is Optional."

OMG this quote from Slay Like A Mother by Katherine Wintsch spoke to my soul. I have been enjoying curling up with this book and allowing it to motivate and validate my feelings as an exhausted, plate-too-full, working mom.

Motherhood is HARD. It's overwhelming. Working full-time is hard. Doing both and trying to do both perfectly, is exhausting. There is SO much mental load.
That's why Mamas you should grab this book at your local Walmart and get your mom-fidence back!
Profile Image for Vanessa (bookscallmyheart).
403 reviews35 followers
September 7, 2020
From the moment I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it. I have always been my own worst critic and becoming a mom 13 months ago only exemplified my self-doubt. I was doing everything wrong or I was never doing enough and I couldn’t help but compare myself to all the other moms I knew. I was depressed and wore myself out trying to be perfect.

Slay Like a Mother has drastically shifted my mindset and made me realize that I need to give myself some grace. Katherine Wintsch speaks from a place of understanding and gives such concrete advice that I was able to start immediately putting the advice into practice. I still have a lot of work to do, but I am much happier and have learned to set boundaries for myself so I can enjoy life and being a mom!

4/5 stars!
490 reviews10 followers
January 31, 2019
Have you ever felt like you keep failing as a Mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend and person? Do you compare yourself to others? Feel constantly drained but continue to take on more in your quest to be the perfect Mom? This book is for you!

On the outside I like to appear as if I have everything in control, my kids get to school on time, they participate in competitive soccer, I have completed two diplomas after my Bachelor degree while working full time, I volunteer at our local soccer club and life is perfect right? Under all of that, I suffer from severe anxiety and feelings of being unworthy, unloved and never enough. I criticize myself constantly for making mistakes or for forgetting something. I take on more work then I can complete, get mad at myself for doing so and stress myself out to complete everything. As I am typing this, I almost signed up for two more Human Resource courses this term but decided against this as I just don’t have the time.

This book helped me realize that I am not alone. That many women are struggling through the same issues but that this is not normal, we need to learn to be kinder to ourselves, to love ourselves, to forgive ourselves and to give ourselves time. This quote really stuck out for me:

“What’s astonishing to me is that when the cruel voice in our head is giving us a real tongue-lashing, we don’t turn a deaf ear. We don’t tell the voice to shut up, we listen.”

This is me – I would never speak to anyone else the way I speak to me but I don’t hesitate to tell myself how awful I am, how forgetful, how I have gained weight, always late, not smart enough and the list goes on and on.

I worked my way slowly through this novel as I wanted to take in every word and practice each suggestion. I found myself over and over in the other women in this story and it was comforting to know I was not alone. By the time I got to the last page, I felt empowered to make changes, to recognize when I start down the wrong path and how to make changes. Not signing up for those courses this morning was a huge challenge for me, I want that Human Resource Diploma but this would mean sacrificing the little time I have to myself and overstretching myself which not only affects me but my family to.

This book is a welcome eye opener. You laugh, you cry and you can relate to the stories shared throughout the book. I felt humbled and full of hope by the end. That while I am my own worst enemy, I can get better, I can be a good Mother, wife and person. I can learn to be happy and to support others in their journey as well. This book was easy to read and Katherine is personal, funny and down to earth. While it is a book, you feel like she is right there with you, helping you through the exercises. This would be a great gift for any Mother regardless how many children she has. A definite must read!
Profile Image for Melissa.
697 reviews78 followers
Read
April 26, 2021
CW: Suicide attempt

I decided not to give this book a star rating as I don’t feel I’m the right audience for it. But here are my thoughts:

First, let me just say this book begins with a recollection of a suicide attempt. As a mental health advocate and mother to someone who attempted around the same age, this description felt flippant. It was hard to read and rubbed me the wrong way. BUT after reading it a second (and third) time, I was reminded that this description is eerily similar to the detached way my kid talks about his experience. So I decided not to judge someone else’s views of their experience but instead appreciate how they view that as one of things that got them where they are today.

The reason this book really didn’t work for me was it felt like it was geared toward moms of younger kids, probably grade school and down. It might have benefited me five to ten years ago, but it doesn’t have many applicable lessons to where I am at in life now.

The one thing I would really like to applaud the author for mentioning, however, is meditation. Meditation is an incredible tool for anxiety and overthinking and patience and I love that she brings it up.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for my review.
1 review1 follower
February 18, 2019
A refreshing, honest, and witty read that isn't a self help book but more of a "take note of yourself book" that we need more of. Not every chapter may resonate with every type of reader, it all depends on where you are at in life on this journey to realize that mothers aren't "at war with each other, but rather at war with ourselves."

I'll admit I had been "observing the other chapters," possibly acknowledging that they reconciled chapters of my life that I believed I had worked through already. That is, until I hit Chapter 6. Chapter 6 brought me to tears - and action.

Chapter 6 stopped me dead in my tracks as I sat at my desk one morning eager to read another chapter before starting my work day. Look at (The Real) Me in Chapter 6 arrested my thinking and made me put pen to paper about What I Think Motivates Me compared to What Really Motivates Me. And secondly, how I can't rely on anyone else to have this talk with me, to guide me through it -- only I can chart this journey I have been on since I was a young girl because I am the only one that has been around the whole time to narrate my path. It was freeing to have this moment, those three pages of my notebook filled with an honest assessment of what I have been after my entire life. And, the best part, there was no self-judgment, criticizing, or "you should'ves" ... it was just an honest digest and one of the most positive and self-nurturing exercises I have done for myself in the past several years.

Dive into this book, enjoy Katherine's witty stories, empathize with the resonating stories of others, but most of all, allow yourself to see part of yourself in the book - and know that you are not alone. We are all in this together.
1 review2 followers
January 18, 2019
I was skeptical at first. I don't read self-help books. I mean, if I were broken, how could I fix myself? But the author, Katherine, through straight forward, brutally honest speech and thought provoking exercises; forces you to identify your "dragon". This book is for anyone that wishes to silence the negative, bullying voices in their head that prevents them from really experiencing their BEST life. [book:Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What's Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want|40409731 helps to reveal what's been holding you back and gives you the tools to confront your worst fears and SLAY unscathed. The book leaves you refreshed and gives new meaning to self-help. "Slay Like A Mother" is easy to read, relatable and relevant. One of my favorite chapters addresses, "wearing a mask". I learned that I had been wearing a "mask" to hide my inner struggles and appear perfect in my professional life. However, after completing the accompanying chapter exercise, I discovered that I would be much happier, if I allowed people to see that I was a work in progress and that I too had room for growth. Katherine also compares "struggle vs suffering". Honestly, there are too many nuggets to name. You just have to read the book. Learn to slay your dragons with Katherine's manual and live the life you want.
Profile Image for Hilary Dixon.
Author 2 books8 followers
February 14, 2019
As a follower of Katherine Wintsch's blog, In All Honesty, I was very excited to read her book. Although skeptical about self-help books, I found myself in a place where I was willing to be open minded when this book came into my hands. I have written in the margins, underlined sections, and completed the handful of fill-in-the-blank sections throughout, learning quite a bit about myself in the process. The content is that solid.

While Wintsch completely hits the nail on the head with her observations of how motherhood changes even the most confident of women, I was hard pressed to find any of her observations that included women who don't work outside of the home. Over the course of the book, when listing the challenges mothers face, more often than not, work/boss/job/business trip/co-workers were most often included in the examples. I can appreciate that moms who work outside of the home are a large part of the women Wintsch is addressing, however as a stay at home mom, moms who stay at home or don't have traditional 9 to 5 careers could benefit from being represented.

After having seen a lot of myself in these pages, I will be putting many of the techniques discussed to good use. Slay on!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.