Never Off Duty: Perfectionism and Motherhood Dr. Cassidy Freitas grew up watching her mom - a Hispanic judge who fought her way into white male spaces with no margin for error — come home carrying that same no-error version of herself. Her dad pushed straight A's as the path to financial safety. She absorbed all of it. And then she became a mom. She had a plan. A written, formatted, shared-with-her-doctor birth plan. When it fell apart in the operating room — her daughter already here, her husband saying "look at her," and Cassidy turning her face away — the drive that had gotten her through everything else had nothing to offer her. Dr. Cassidy is a therapist and the author of *Mom Needs a Moment*. In this conversation with Dr. Becky, she traces how perfectionism forms in childhood as a survival strategy, why it works right up until you have a baby, and what it actually looks like to loosen the grip without losing your edge. There's a phrase she comes back to: context is the bridge to compassion. You can't have compassion for the way perfectionism shows up in you as a mom if you don't understand where it came from. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: - Ole Henriksen: Use the code DRBECKY30 for 30% off the Banana Bright+ Eye Crème: https://olehenriksen.com/collections/eyecare/products/banana-bright-eye-creme - Airbnb: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb: click.pscrb.fm/2f - Coterie: Get 20% off with the code GOODINSIDEBABY20: https://www.coterie.com/ Follow us on social media for more parenting content: 📱 Follow Good Inside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodinside/ 📱 Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/ 📱 Follow Dr. Sheryl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsherylatgoodinside/ 📱 Follow Dr. Becky on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbeckyatgoodinside