About Good Girl, Bad Mom-
Think Eat, Pray, Love meets “Bad Moms”—a potent blend of spiritual quest, irreverent Mom humor, and fierce sisterhood.
In Good Girl, Bad Mom, Danielle Dowling takes readers on an intimate, revealing, and often humorous journey through the raw realities of Motherhood. She shares her own struggles with self-doubt, identity loss, and the crushing pressure to be a “good” Mom—while also embracing the deep, unexpected growth that chaos can bring.
This memoir is a love letter to Mothers—and to Womankind: those who struggle, those who thrive, and especially those who keep showing up. Through personal stories, heartfelt letters, and a soul-deep exploration of identity, Danielle invites you to reclaim your role as Mother—not as an ideal to live up to, but as a complex, imperfect, and deeply human journey.
Good Girl, Bad Mom also explores the systemic challenges that make modern Motherhood harder than it should be—from invisible labor and emotional overload to the Care Gap that leaves so many women unsupported and unseen.
This is a story of letting go—of impossible standards, quiet martyrdom, and the myth of perfection. It’s a guide to radical self-compassion, cultural truth-telling, and coming home to yourself in a world that keeps asking you to disappear.
A curl-up-on-the-couch, highlight-the-pages, gift-it-to-a-friend kind of book.
For Every Mom Who’s Ever Felt Imperfect—Good Girl, Bad Mom Is for You!
The unfiltered, hilarious, and healing read you didn’t know you needed.
Why This Isn’t Your Average Motherhood Book
Not Just Tips
Good Girl, Bad Mom isn’t just another collection of parenting tips or lofty affirmations—it’s a raw, unflinching memoir. Alongside candid storytelling, the book delivers practical strategies for coping with guilt, overwhelm, and perfectionism–woven into Danielle’s own 2 a.m. Motherhood chaos.
The Care Gap Exposed
This memoir disrupts the narrative by naming the hidden, gendered labor expectations and institutional blind spots that leave Mothers undervalued and under‑resourced.
Powerful Blend
Good Girl, Bad Mom merges psychological rigor, systemic advocacy, irreverent humor, and soulful practice into one narrative—making this the most comprehensive, candid, and transformational Motherhood book you’ll ever read.
Laughter & Heart
From diaper disasters to social‑media–fueled self‑doubt, to self‑compassion exercises, Good Girl, Bad Mom is as funny as it is transformative. More than a guide, this book is a love letter to imperfection—inviting readers to grieve losses, embrace messiness, and claim the transformative power of Motherhood.
Sneak Peek
After all, isn’t parenthood where the ego goes to die?
Meaning, while you might have been fortunate — or unfortunate — enough to avoid the pitfalls of discontent, the sting of rejection, or the isolating loneliness of shame or self-doubt thus far, Motherhood has a brutal way of catching you up to speed. It’s a whopping one-two punch of every emotion a person can possibly feel. As I see it, it’s every experience you’ve ever had, haven’t had, and will have — seemingly all at once.
Initially, it feels like a wicked turn of events, like trying to scale a glacier in tennis shoes — formidable, daunting, and a slippery descent into egoic ruin. Truly, who was meant to endure an emotional deluge of this magnitude? Who can neatly untangle the convergence of so many dovetailing yet oddly competing feelings
You can.
Maybe not neatly — I'm learning that's painfully overrated — but you can.
You will.
Because there’s little choice but to feel it all: ride every wave, crash, burn, and begin again. There’s no avoiding it. If you’re a Mom, emotional demise is coming for you. Given the reasonable chance this sounds like bad news, let me reassure you — it’s not.
Or rather, it doesn’t have to be.
Let me explain.
What Readers Are Saying
Finally—a book that tells the truth about Motherhood! Danielle nails feelings I didn’t know I had. I laughed, I cried, and I felt seen. If you’ve ever doubted your ‘mom’ game, this reminds you: you’ve got this.
—Jessica R., Mom of two
Reading Good Girl, Bad Mom is like chatting with a friend who truly gets it. Danielle names motherhood’s struggles and makes you feel lighter. A gift for every mom who’s ever felt overwhelmed.
—Megan L., First-time mom
Good Girl, Bad Mom isn’t just a motherhood memoir—it’s a love letter to being a woman. Danielle honors our joys and struggles, reminding me of the power and resilience we carry. Flawed, fierce, and fully alive.
—Sophie T., Mom of three
Meet Danielle
Dr. Danielle Dowling is a Los Angeles–based therapist, life coach, and writer with over 12,000 hours of 1:1 coaching since 2011. She helps ambitious, self-aware individuals rewrite old narratives and reclaim their worth and navigate identity shifts, big decisions, and the messy middle. As a longtime seeker, mystic, and Mother, she brings a rare blend of grounded wisdom and soul-centered insight to everything she does.
Her debut memoir, Good Girl, Bad Mom, is a raw and revelatory look at the invisible labor of Motherhood, the quiet ache of self-erasure, and the courageous act of choosing self-trust over performance. With a doctorate in psychology and certifications in Reiki and energetic healing, Danielle’s work invites women to release perfection, soften control, and return to the truth of who they are — worthy, lovable, and already enough.
