Terms of Service for The Motherload

Last updated: May 19, 2025

Welcome to The Motherload, a newsletter and content platform created and written by Ryan Shepard. Before diving into the meal plans, motherhood musings, and everything in between, please take a moment to read these Terms of Service.

By subscribing to The Motherload, whether as a free or paid subscriber, you agree to the following terms:

1. Content Ownership

All content—including text, images, recipes, essays, downloadable PDFs, and videos—published under The Motherload is the intellectual property of Ryan Shepard unless otherwise credited.
You’re welcome to cook the recipes, share a quote or two, or tell your group chat about something I said. But please don’t copy, reproduce, or republish my content elsewhere without my written permission.

2. Personal Use Only

Paid content is for your personal use only. That means no sharing full meal plans, PDFs, or subscriber-only content outside of your household. (Think: this is for you, not your cousin’s group chat or your entire Slack channel.)

If you love it and want to share, send folks the subscribe link so they can join the community too. That kind of support keeps this space going.

3. Refunds + Cancellations

You can cancel your subscription at any time through your Substack account. Refunds are not guaranteed and are handled on a case-by-case basis.

If you’re unsatisfied or subscribed by mistake, just reach out to me directly at ryan@lifewithryan.co—I’m a real human and I’ll do my best to make it right.

4. Community Guidelines

This space is designed to support and uplift women—especially moms—navigating the mental load of life. Hate speech, harassment, or disrespectful behavior in comments or replies will not be tolerated. I reserve the right to remove subscribers or commenters who violate this policy.

5. Changes to Terms

I may update these Terms of Service from time to time. If I do, I’ll let you know via email or a post. By continuing to subscribe after those changes are made, you agree to the updated terms.

6. Contact Info

Got questions? Need help with your subscription? Want to license a recipe or talk business?
You can email me directly at ryan@lifewithryan.co