"Women Can't Multitask — We're Just Asked to Do More Work" | Professor Leah Ruppanner

Women can't multitask. We're just asked to do more work. Professor Leah Ruppanner is a sociologist, researcher, and author of Drained, a book that puts data behind what so many women have been told is anxiety, overthinking, or bad boundaries. She's one of the world's leading voices on the mental load, and in this conversation, we get into what it actually is, why it's so heavy, and what it's costing women, families, and the world. This isn't about to do lists or housework. It's about why women are exhausted, what that costs, and how we can stop disappearing into the load. In this episode, we talk about: – why the mental load is emotional thinking work, not just a to do list – the eight different types of mental load and how they drain you – why your mental load is finite (and how to spend it strategically) – the myth of multitasking and why women aren't better at it – the John and Jane study: why women are judged more harshly for mess – how women's dreams and health get starved first – why men see investing in themselves as investing in the family (and women don't) – the $100 experiment: what women spent it on when they finally chose themselves – guilt as a wasted emotion (and why Swedish mothers don't feel it) – why going back to "the old ways" isn't the answer – the motherhood penalty and what stepping out of work really costs – what drained women are costing the world – why the world would look different if women were in power – how to start reclaiming your mental load energy tonight – what we owe our daughters This conversation is honest, grounding, and backed by research. For anyone navigating motherhood, ambition, exhaustion, or just trying to understand why it all feels so heavy, this one will stay with you. Find Professor Leah Ruppanner on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook. Visit lightenlab.com to take a free mental load assessment. Get her book Drained on Amazon or listen to the audiobook wherever you get your books. https://www.instagram.com/prof.leahruppanner/ Website - https://www.lightenlab.com/ Book Drained - Amazon & Book shops  Join the waitlist for The Load System at motherloading.net Follow us on: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motherloading_x?igsh=d3JkM3lseDNhNnM1 TikTok @motherloading_pod Produced by TAEPodcast www.taepodcast.co.uk