Jenna Johnson opens up about mom guilt, life on 'DWTS' tour
"Dancing with the Stars" pro Jenna Johnson is speaking out about experiencing mom guilt.
Johnson and her husband, "DWTS" season 32 Mirrorball Champion Val Chmerkovskiy, are currently on the "Dancing With The Stars Live 2024" tour with Johnson scheduled to perform through Feb. 4.
"Since becoming a mother (truly the greatest role I've ever dreamed of) I've felt like I lost my identity as an artist. I've felt guilty and torn between being the best mom possible and feeling fulfilled as a performer," Johnson opened up in an Instagram post Sunday. "I didn't think I was allowed to have both… until this experience rehearsing for and now dancing on tour. I've never been more exhausted waking up at 7am with Rome on the bus, being mommy until I need to start getting ready, finishing the show at 10:30pm, and going to bed on average around 1:30am/2am every night.
She added, "It's drained me but it's brought me an insane amount of happiness that gets me choked up if I think about it long enough."
Despite the challenging schedule on the road and juggling her life as a mom to 1-year-old son Rome, Johnson said she still feels strongly about putting in the work to chase one's dreams, a message she hopes to share with Rome.
"I've realized that you can do it all. Mama's out there… don't give up on your dreams!!" she continued. "It's a lot of work and you might not get as much sleep as you'd hope for, but showing up for your BABY and YOURSELF is the most rewarding feeling."
Johnson, who has previously talked about taking pride in showing her son her work as a professional dancer and choreographer, said she still feels excited about performing even though her plate has expanded in the last year since welcoming Rome.
"I've fallen in love with dance even more than I thought was possible these past couple of weeks and can't believe I get to dance for all of you each night," she finished her post. "Thank you for making my heart so happy!!"
