How Guilt Led Me to Build a Business That Helps Other Mothers Flourish, By Belinda Jane Batt
Hi Mobsters, I’m Belinda, mobster, mum, coach, an author, and the founder of The Flourishing Mother - a business built to help mothers move past guilt and other negative emotions so they can truly flourish. This is my building story.
Belinda with her book “challenge your Guilt”
In 2017, 35-year-old me was living in Belgium, working for a reputable PR agency - the kind of role that twenty-something me had once coveted. On paper, I was thriving. But under the surface, something wasn’t working.
I didn’t feel fulfilled. I didn’t feel right. Honestly? I felt like an imposter. I was also acutely aware of time ticking - not just career-wise, but biologically. Already squarely in the “geriatric mother” category (who did come up with that term? A man, I bet), I knew I wanted to start a family soon. But I also knew, deep down, that a career in PR would be near-impossible to maintain alongside early motherhood.
So, I did what any level-headed woman preparing for the biggest transition of her life would do: I started a master’s degree.
Specifically, I enrolled in a distance learning MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology - with no real idea where it would lead. Fortunately, within months something clicked. I had a revelation: I could coach. I could coach well. I could be a coach.
At the same time, another seed was taking root inside me - I was pregnant.
I assumed I would return to work after maternity leave, but fate had other plans. When my son was seven months old, on the very day we were about to sign a lease on a new apartment, my husband’s employer told him he needed to return to the UK - within eight weeks.
We moved back to London, and while the change was jarring, there was also relief. I didn’t want to go back to PR. Plus, I was able to switch my study to on-campus, which made everything feel more real, more embodied.
Except it wasn’t easy. My world felt suddenly small. Our breastfeeding journey had come to a heartbreaking end after I introduced a bottle at night (on the advice of my male paediatrician). My son had frequent respiratory issues. I was exhausted - and drowning in guilt.
The guilt of sending him to nursery so young (the only way I could continue my studies). The guilt of not taking him to enough baby groups. The guilt of not feeding him the right foods. The guilt of him watching too much TV. The guilt of not being present enough.
It was relentless. It felt like I was failing - all the time.
Then the pandemic hit.
My world, like everyone else’s, shrank overnight. But by a stroke of luck, we had escaped to Devon just before lockdown - and we stayed. I was 16 weeks pregnant with our second child. The idea of completing my dissertation felt ludicrous. But one of my tutors gave me the push I needed: You’re so close. Just finish it.
So I did.
And the topic I chose? Maternal guilt.
Because it was eating me alive.
In writing that dissertation, something shifted. I began to see maternal guilt not as a personal failing, but as a systemic issue. I knew I couldn’t leave the conversation there.
After finishing my degree and settling permanently in Devon, I started coaching mothers one- to-one and running baby-friendly group coaching sessions and retreats. It felt meaningful and aligned. But the guilt - both my own and that of my clients - still haunted me.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that guilt was the root of so much distress in modern motherhood.
So, I started speaking to other mothers - informally, at first. I conducted 28 interviews and eventually expanded to include nine experts in the motherhood space. Bit by bit, a book began to take shape.
And in 2024, I committed to writing it.
Challenge Your Guilt: How to Flourish in Motherhood, Work and Life, published in June 2025, draws on everything I’ve learned - from my academic training in positive psychology, coaching psychology and motherhood studies, to my lived experience as a mother of two. It explores where guilt in motherhood comes from, how it shows up in our lives, and what we can do to move past it.
And crucially, it shares a vision for a guilt-free future.
Today, I am a coach, an author, and the founder of The Flourishing Mother - a business built to help mothers move past guilt and other negative emotions so they can truly flourish.
My work is grounded in a five-step framework that helps mothers:
Dissolve shame through awareness and connection
Identify and honour their needs
Reclaim their identity
Build confidence and self-trust
Move past guilt and create a flourishing life
But the biggest thing I do? I validate. I bear witness. I help mothers see that the guilt they feel isn’t their fault - it’s a symptom of a system that has failed to evolve.
And I support them to advocate for themselves - at home, in the workplace, and in the world.
If you’re a mother reading this who wants to start a business or pivot your career, my biggest piece of advice is this:
Don’t give up.
Our society will try to grind you down. You’ll be told you’re selfish for pursuing your dreams. You’ll be encouraged to feel guilt for wanting more than “just” motherhood. But it’s a trick. It’s a smokescreen.
When you start to question the guilt - when you ask is this helpful or harmful? - you begin to break free.
We’re not meant to carry this alone. The guilt. The shame. The invisible load. The hustle. It was never meant to be just yours. Find your people. Connect. Build your village. Let go of perfection. Know, above all else,
that you’re not broken - the system is.
Mothers are the changemakers. And we’re stronger than we’ve been led to believe.
Thank you for listening! Please feel free to pop any questions you have in the comments box below and If you’s like to connect my instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/flourishingmother/
About Mums Who Build
Mums Who Build is a fast-growing London-based community empowering female founders, women in business, and mums on a mission to build impactful ventures. We support leadership for women, offer practical education for women, and open doors to meaningful business opportunities—both online and in person. Through our digital membership, MOB+, and inspiring mum meetups across London and beyond, we provide the connection, confidence, and tools to help mums thrive in business and life. Whether you're just starting out or scaling up, Mums Who Build is your space to grow.
