MissPerceived

In this episode of Misperceived, Leah gets honest about her late-night doomscrolling habit and why “just checking your phone” leaves so many women wired, anxious, and exhausted the next day. Drawing from her research and her upcoming book Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More, she explains how constant exposure to heavy news and social media pings our mental load to care, to keep our families safe, and to emotionally support others—draining the limited energy we need for work, parenting, and showing up in the world with any sense of power or hope. You’ll learn how to see doomscrolling as a mental load leak instead of a moral obligation, what to do in those 2 a.m. wakeups instead, and how to realign your time, feeds, and attention so you can actually rest and still have capacity to take meaningful action on the things you care about.
Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Misperceived, Leah pulls back the curtain on a powerful mental load category from her forthcoming book, Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More—dream building. She explains how women’s dreams get quietly starved as they carry invisible, boundaryless, and enduring thinking work for their families, workplaces, and communities, and why that’s a loss for everyone, not just women. Leah digs into why work and caregiving feel impossible to combine, why so many women are stepping out of the labor market, and how ageism and a rapidly changing, AI-driven economy make it so hard to get back in. You’ll hear why you cannot personally fix broken systems, why adaptability is now a core future-of-work skill, and how the Mental Load Audit can help you make small, strategic shifts toward the life you actually want—without burning yourself out trying to “do it all.”
Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode Prof Leah breaks down why Valentine’s Day can feel less like a celebration and more like a mental load marathon for moms, partners, and singles. She talks about the pressure to plan the “perfect” day, the emotional exhaustion of dating apps, and the hidden expectations women carry around romance, gifts, and feeling seen. You’ll hear practical reframes for taking the pressure down, spreading love across all 365 days, and turning February 14th into a day of self-nurturing on your own terms
Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Leah explores how generational messages have taught women to feel shame about their changing bodies—from tight jeans and bodysuits in the 80s and 90s to today’s high-waisted shorts and leggings. She reflects on growing up hyperaware of every outline and curve, and how that discomfort still echoes when she sees her own daughter getting dressed. Through personal stories, a feminist lens on choice and self-expression, and a look at how media and beauty culture have policed women’s bodies, Leah asks what it means to stop hiding, stop apologizing, and allow girls and women to exist in their bodies without embarrassment. In the end, she celebrates a new generation that seems less interested in shrinking themselves and more interested in living fully, visibly, and unapologetically in the skin they’re in.
Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone is sick right now—and somehow, you still feel bad for needing to lie down. In this episode of Misperceived, Leah unpacks why so many women feel guilty when they get sick, even when their families are fine, fed, and happily living on Hot Pockets and Uncrustables.
Drawing on global stories from the U.S., Australia, and Sweden, she breaks down how culture, capitalism, and the lack of a safety net teach us that illness is a personal failure and rest is something we have to earn. She then connects this to the mental load of motherhood: when you’re the keeper of everyone’s schedules, prescriptions, and needs, being “out of commission” feels dangerous—like everything might fall apart.
Leah offers a different script: letting others step in is not neglect, it’s necessary. You are one essential piece of your family, not the only one. You deserve rest in your body and your mind without narrating a guilt spiral the whole time. If you’ve ever felt anxious under the covers instead of actually recovering, this episode is your permission to be sick, be cared for, and stop apologizing for being human.

Follow Leah: @prof.leahruppanner
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.