When you’re stretched between work, parenting, relationships and trying to show up as your best self in every role—it’s easy to feel like you’re failing at all of it. And as Erin Andrews recently shared on her Calm Down podcast, even high-profile moms aren’t immune to those overwhelming moments.
During a live taping with co-host Charissa Thompson, the longtime Fox Sports reporter opened up about the emotional toll of the past year—balancing travel, her career, and parenting her toddler, Mack, with her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll. Mack turns 2 in June, and Andrews says that as he’s gotten older, the emotional challenges of motherhood have only grown.
She described “multiple meltdowns,” constant guilt, and the sinking feeling that she wasn’t giving 100% to anything.
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“I felt like I was barely above water”
It’s a familiar script for many moms: juggling deadlines with daycare pickups, meals with meetings, and always wondering—am I doing enough?
“I feel like I’m not giving 100 percent of myself to my son, or my job, or my clothing line,” Andrews said. “I felt like I was barely above water.”
The pressure she described—of being present for her child while also managing a demanding career—echoes the silent struggles of countless working moms. And while Andrews has resources that many don’t, her words speak to a universal pressure so many moms carry quietly.
“And then he starts talking and realizing you’re leaving, and it was just really, really hard,” she said of her son. “I didn’t see any of my girlfriends throughout football season… I’ve said to [Charissa], ‘I don’t know how the f–k I did that.’”
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A long road to motherhood
Andrews, who endured a nine-year IVF journey and welcomed Mack via surrogate in 2023, has been open about the challenges she and her husband faced on their path to parenthood. The couple tied the knot in 2017, not long after Andrews underwent surgery for cervical cancer. After years of heartbreak and waiting rooms filled with hopeful parents, finally holding her son felt like a hard-won victory.
“We worked so hard to have Mac. And, you know, it took us forever to have him. And then we faced a lot of loss, and then he finally came,” she said.
“I had this attitude that I was going to be like, well, you know, I have this career and it’s, this is the way it’s going to be.”
But that shifted once Mack grew old enough to understand when she was leaving. The emotional toll of separation hit differently.
Learning to let go of perfection
Like so many working parents, Andrews found herself pulled in all directions—and blaming herself for not doing enough in any of them.
“I didn’t do myself any favors with how hard on myself I was. I just, I didn’t. But I’m excited about next year. I’m excited to take what I’ve, I’ve, you know, learned with everything and apply it to this year. I need to go easier on myself. And I’ve realized that.”
Why her honesty matters
Through it all, Andrews says the past year taught her a lot about balance and self-compassion.
“I was so worried. I wasn’t giving all of myself to both things, um, that I, I was doing the best I could and everybody’s fine. And I think I just need to give myself a little bit of grace.”
It’s the kind of lesson many moms have to learn the hard way: balance isn’t always realistic. But self-compassion? That can be a lifeline.
Because maybe the goal was never to do it all perfectly—but to show up, love hard, and learn to give ourselves grace along the way.