909: The Invisible Work That’s Exhausting Women: How to Name It, Share It, and Lighten It

September 1, 2025·56 min·4 clips

Psychologist Morgan Cutlip explains the invisible mental load that crowds out creativity and patience in women's brains.

The load is invisible. Jenna frames mental load as the running checklist that follows women through client needs, family demands, dinner decisions, and business responsibilities. First comes naming it. Dr. Morgan Cutlip, a psychologist and relationship expert, joins the conversation around helping women feel whole, light, and connected in their relationships. The feeling is easy to recognize. The episode keeps coming back to ordinary moments, where one person tracks appointments, schedules, tasks, and who is supposed to handle what. Calendars become a real relief point. Jenna talks about using a visual calendar so both people can see Google calendars, podcast recording demands, and the energy the week will take. That changes the dynamic. Instead of one person being asked what needs to happen, the plan is visible enough for both people to notice and share. The next tool is practical. Jenna brings up the Fair Play deck of cards as a way to separate physical tasks, like taking out trash, from mental tasks, like scheduling appointments. The shift is ownership. When someone owns a task, Jenna can drop it from her brain instead of reminding, checking, and carrying the follow-up. The gray area is where tension builds. Feeding chickens, handling a puppy at 6 AM, and deciding who gets up show how resentment grows when responsibility stays fuzzy. Clarity makes mornings calmer. The business thread stays personal, too. Jenna connects the mental load to the kind of life a business is supposed to support. The episode lands on one usable move: make the hidden work visible, assign real ownership, and stop treating reminders like free labor.

As heard by us

A practical look at the mental load behind work, family, and the invisible admin of everyday life.

Jenna Kutcher and Dr. Morgan Cutlip make the mental load feel legible here: the remembering, planning, nudging, and carrying that can slowly grind down home life.

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Why you'd press play

If your brain is the family calendar, this one helps you make the mental load visible.

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