Let's Be Real: Mama Journeys

David Hampson is a multi company business owner and author of a book called Rainbow Gold. He advises people on how to run a business. He believes that enjoying the journey is the most important part of owning a business but that doesn't always happen. This happens because of the grind and the need to financially be considered successful. He says that anyone can build a business and that doesn't always mean going to business school. You need to be open to mentorship, having a passion and empowering people. Developing leaders is about listening and mentoring them to find their inner strength. Women are outstanding leaders and often they make better decisions and are open to discussions and mentorship. Men often have an ego issue that gets in the way to actually hear other inputs and take them in. Women don't sleep as well and are always "on." For a leadership position, the balance and the taking in many different inputs is really important. The disproportionate amount of things going on in a female's world is really unfair but somehow they overcome it. For male business leaders, flexibility is such an important part of managing your employees. If you can get the job done, let people enjoy their lives. He wishes he would have done differently is "is the business I am buying something I am passionate about?" Passion can make or break you in what you do with your life. You can find him at www.myrainbowgold.com and his book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can email him at [email protected]

Dr. Marina is an OBGYN in Ottawa Canada in practice for over 35 years and about 3 years ago her daughter graduated from medical school. She was asked by her daughter to pay to freeze her eggs. What a request! In this episode of Let's Be Real Mama Journeys, Nikki Brooker sits down with Dr. Marina, an Ottawa-based OBGYN of 35+ years and author of Optimize Your Fertility Naturally. They discuss real-world fertility solutions beyond IVF—how lifestyle (nutrition, movement, sleep, stress) and reducing exposure to toxic chemicals can improve egg and sperm health, the surprising impact of environmental contaminants, and practical tools like the EWG Healthy Living app, air/water filters, and the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 lists. Dr. Marina also shares personal stories about egg-freezing timing, transgenerational effects, genetics, and why a root-cause (functional medicine) approach matters. Learn more and grab her e-book (prelaunch on Amazon; full release June 20) or sign up for her free report at DrMarinaOBGYN.com. You can vote for her here: https://entrepreneurofimpact.org/2026/dr-marina-straszak-suri

Tara Turnure is a mama of twins as well as a singleton who created a beauty wellness brand called Beauty Drip. She was a model and FOX sportscaster on the sidelines! She is an influencer and has created her own brand so that all women can feel her best. As a FOX News sportscaster, she has worked with men who didn't want her there. She learned a lot and feels like the experience she had there prepared her for just about any other job on the planet. When you are second guessed as much as a woman in a man's world, you are constantly in "prove myself" mode. Her first born is her wild child and when she got pregnant with twins, she cried because she couldn't imagine taking care of 2! She ended up with a girl and boy and she says sometimes you have to dig deep because not every day is a picnic. Finding what brings your joy is the biggest benefit from motherhood because you get to make those decisions. Her best mama moment is when all three of her kids are getting along and playing well together because of the age difference, sometimes that's a challenge. Her worst mama moment is being sick kids who you can't help and make it better. Sleep training with her twins was also one of her biggest challenges and she is so glad that part is over. The real raw truth of motherhood is that all the beautiful and amazing moments AND all the really hard and super challenging moments, none of it lasts forever…so just hold on mama! She wishes she would have known that when she became a mom. Her round 2 (times 2) was a bit simpler because she knew a lot of it was coming but also knew it was a phase that would end and not last forever. You can find Tara on her personal instagram @taraturnure. Beauty drip is found at beautydrip.co and the website is themodelmama.com They want people to look and feel the best they can from the inside out!

Laurie Jacobson is in a small town in Virginia and is a step mom who is semi-retired and a certified health coach. She has done a lot about nutrition, chef work, yoga and has written a book called Unexpected Awakening about her time at a Buddhist Monastery. Laurie did not have kids of her own but is a step mom to 2 kiddos. When she came into the picture they were a little older so she didn't experience being a step mom of little kiddos but building a relationship with older "children" is also a challenge. She worried about stepping on toes and overstepping her boundaries but now that she's a grandma, she feels good about her relationships with her step kiddos. Her book, about the 22 days she spent at a Buddhist Monastery, came from her personal experience. She was in a dark place in a very abusive marriage and when she talks to other women, she has found that 9/10 of the women she talks to have experienced an abusive relationship. She had an opportunity to go to a silent retreat in West Virginia and she thought she had nothing to lose. She had tried everything else! The emotional bubble up that happens when you are in silence for a long time can truly change your whole life. It gave her the clarity and courage to find herself again and walk away from the abusive relationship. She came to the realization that everyone has struggles and most everyone just wants happiness and contentment. It also taught her to SLOW DOWN. You pay attention more and ground yourself in the present moment. Her website is www.lauriesjacobson.com where you can find links to her Amazon page and her book. She also offers a free 24 page digital guidebook called Building Your House of Health if you prescribe to the newsletter on her website.

Carol Moss is an empty nester and loves it. She is the co-owner of One Flesh Ministries working with her husband to help couples in marriage coaching and relationship building. She was 21 when she had her first baby and he passed away at the age of 34. He was a child of special needs but with her blended family of 4 adult kids spread all around the country. Her first born, with special needs as a single parent and she didn't realize he had needs until he was around 2 because he couldn't hit the milestones that most children did at that age. She had no support when she had her first kiddo and her biggest challenge was going through a divorce and becoming a single mom of three. She worked for the government after going to college and her co-workers were her support system. She fought for people to get the benefits they deserved. She worked for the Social Security administration for 32 years and retired. Her lived experience helped so many other families who were experiencing the same challenges. Her best mama moment was when she realized that she didn't have to walk around with sadness of having a disabled child. When she realized he was a blessing and focused on the things he COULD do, not what he COULDN'T do. When we focus on perfection, we will always fail. Her worst mama moment was when she had to go through the divorce and overcoming humility and forgiveness. Trying to co-parent without hatred is hard after a divorce. She wishes she would have known the difference between males and females (in parenting!). There are so many differences that we need to address this in parenting AND our relationships. Pride often gets in the way of relationship building. Be open to learning and changing. You can find her at onefleshministries.org or google Terry & Carol Moss and find all of their offerings.

Jean Doolittle is the owner of Southglenn Montessori Preschool in Littleton, Colorado. Her preschool is a mixed grade preschool of ages 3-6 year olds. She is also starting a new program for adults called Womens Roots (stay tuned)! She started young and had her first at the age of 19. She didn't have a community with her first but worked really hard to get connected as she had more kiddos. She has children she has parented and one she "ushered into the world" but then gave the opportunity for another family to parent. This was an unexpected blessing that she was able to pass onto another family. Her biggest challenge (especially with her first) was extreme isolation. She saw our YANA nonprofit flyer at the OBGYN and said "I thought of that nonprofit 22 years ago!!!" She has connected with some amazing women during her mamahood journey who are now her lifelong friends and she was open to the "yes." Her best mama moment was being present with her kiddos. She didn't have a cell phone for most of the parenting time with her little ones. That was a blessing! Her first relationship ended in divorce and telling her 8 year old daughter and her emotional processing of all of that was her worst mama moment. Watching your baby sad is the hardest part of being a mom. Being a first time mom at the age of 19, she wishes she would have known that accepting help (and even asking for it) is your POWER. YOU are powerful. There are no limits to your journey. Growing into yourself and finding your authentic self is part of being a mom. You can find more about her school at www.southglennmontessoripreschool.com or https://www.womensroots.com/ You can find our Podcast on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTKJ9WwE Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfcrreYg Or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5hf6hz

Dr. Gertrude Lyons is a life coach focusing on families couples and the transformational journey of mothering. She leads retreats, is a speaker and an author. Her book, Rewrite the Mother Code. Her book was born out of lived experience as a lifelong learner and student along with her personal journey of being a mom to two daughters. She has two daughters out in the world and is grateful for that they have taught each other. As someone who believes in the preparation and the education side of knowing how to do something, she thought she had done the work to know how to parent. But she found that losing herself a little when having kids allowed her to grow more than she thought would happen. Being challenged and shutting down sometimes is when things set in that growth can happen. The pain and struggle of parenthood is necessary but also beautiful. Having that metamorphosis is essential to the growth and a portal to the cosmos if you let it be. Her best mama moments came when her first daughter was born and she felt like a goddess. Creating life is truly a gift that every mom should be proud of that accomplishment. Her worst mama moment came when she lost a child in the streets of downtown Chicago and she didn't have the immediate response to scream her name in order not to "look crazy." You can find Dr. Lyons on her website Drgertrudelyons.com. Her TedX talk is found HERE.

Dr. Dean Rudoy is a clinical psychologist, author and educator. He is an advocate for lived experience and how we can share stories to help others in learning from other people's experiences and also the lessons we have learned. Children are all created with a gift. Unfortunately, oftentimes those gifts aren't always expressed and that's because their wings were folded in due to the expectations around them (sometimes that's intentional and sometimes it's not). Gender roles determine what they are "allowed" to do, say and how they act. For example, boys at the age of 4 boys are told that they need to "man up" and "big boys don't cry." So to please the big people in their lives, whom they love, they will usually comply and suppress their feelings. Girls are told that "girls don't climb trees." Compliance is often the barrier to true growth. A Star Wars quote says "Your focus determines your reality." Dr. Dean says that couldn' t be more true. He often tells families that being outside is the best way to ground yourself. Everything in nature is exactly what it's meant to be with no need to be anything else. Dr. Dean believes that not only does it take a village to rise a child but it takes a child to raise a village. Giving children attention, affection and admiration and acceptance (as is), as well as listening to them are the best parenting advice he can give. Good enough parenting is a concept that's also important. Dr. Dean believes you should give yourself a break and know that parenting is a constant changing adventure that you will never perfect. Adults need to pause and listen to children because they are truly here to help us remember our beginning. Being listened to and remembered is what we all truly want in life. Before we speak or act, think, "what will this further." You can find Dr. Dean and his infinite wisdom at Deanrudoy.com and you can find his book and other information. He also has a youtube channel found at (9) Dean Rudoy - YouTube

Allison Bray is the founder of My Motherhood Agenda, a line of planners designed for all things included in motherhood. The foundation of their business is that self care is important and essential to be integrated into the lives of moms. Reminding them to take care of themselves is really important. When she realized she wasn't taking care of herself, she realized that so many other moms weren't either so she created one place for all the things. Self care doesn't always have to be massages and facials but it can be a 10 minute call with a friend. As a first time mom, at the age of 28 she had her first. He is 2 ½ now and it has been everything she wanted it to be even though it's been really hard. She says it is the greatest thing she has ever done but also the hardest. Her biggest challenge has been sleep deprivation. That change in her life really rocked her world. When you aren't sleeping, everything is heightened to a place that can send someone over the edge. Her biggest supporter is her best friend who lives right next door! What a dream come true! Her best mama moment is watching her little guy learn something new that she taught him. Her proudest moment is watching her son understand emotional regulation that she modeled. Her worst mama moment has been when her full-on meltdown interrupts the flow of a day and doesn't feel good. Grace is important in these moments and happens to everyone but knowing she doesn't want to dwell on them or repeat them. She wishes she would have known that asking for help is a necessity of motherhood. Asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength. You can find Allison Bray at her website at https://mymotherhoodagenda.com. Check out her publications, My Motherhood Agenda HERE. @mymotherhoodagenda on Instagram and other social medias.

Stella Falkner is a 2-time founder who believes in maternal mental health and the wellness that support can change and save lives. Her experience of being a first time mom compounded with experiencing trauma, she experienced mental health challenges that made her determined to help other moms. She was fortunate to be able to attend a mental health program for moms that changed the course of her recovery journey. She credits the program and the moms who were there with saving her life. Most motherhood support programs only support the first 12 months of postpartum but we know that mothers need support before and well beyond that timeline. She believes (as do we) that expecting moms to find the help they need on their own is unrealistic and without someone who noticed something wasn't right (through texts) she wouldn't have gotten the help she needed. Her biggest challenge changes from year to year but in the beginning it was figuring out how to work full-time without missing any of the special moments. Being present is a challenge for working moms (as well as SAHM's) and sometimes that challenge is overwhelming. Her biggest supporter is her husband and although it wasn't always perfect, it has been a working relationship and has improved throughout the last four years. His emotional support has been life changing for her. Dads go through PPD as well and not talked about. Her favorite mama moments are when her 4 year old is a special gentleman who wants mama to "sparkle." Her worst mama moment was when her 1 and ½ year old was dabbing the tears away trying to make her feel better. That moment made her think that she may have "ruined" him but to flip that script and realize that she was raising a very empathetic child who wanted to make his mama feel better. She wishes she would have been more aware of the toxicity of social media and motherhood. Her amazing app is called DOWA and can be found on the app store. GREAT resource for mamas! Check it out.

Abbey Stone is a mama in Colorado and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a mama of 2 ages 4 and 6. She moved to Colorado in 2011 as a travel nurse (from Tennessee). Her mama journey was a little different than she thought it would be because she was induced with her first. She had her second in a birthing center (which she wanted with her first but it didn't happen). She struggled with perinatal mood disorders and her mom told her that she actually felt "normal" when she was pregnant. So hormonal imbalances can change your whole personality and how you go through the world. Her two pregnancies were very different and her second was more familiar so that was easier. Her biggest challenge was sleep deprivation. Taking care of herself was also a huge struggle with a newborn and the lack of rest multiplied the effects. Her biggest supporter has been her husband and he only got one week of leave so her mom and mother-in-law really stepped up. Her best mama moments are when she explores the world with them. Taking them camping and learning to ride a bicycle as well as learning new things and watching them exploring the world around them. Her worst mama moment has been parenting a challenging kiddo who has deep, big feelings. His feelings become bigger and bigger and holding space for him and yet having the patience to handle it all. She wishes she would have known that most of the things that are going on internally are NORMAL. We don't talk about our mental health in a really good way and we need to do more. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts and worrying can look different for every human being!

Terry Iverson is a dad of 3 who has worked in the manufacturing sector for over 45 years. His career has focused on mentoring younger people. In 2012 he started a new organization called ChampionNow. This organization is meant to teach kids and parents that the perception of manufacturing in our country has become very skewed and is very important in our country. Going into student debt can really derail and delay success for a young person. He believes that moms have a phenomenal influence on their children and knowing the other options that are out there, can help steer their children in different ways. In 1980, when Terry started, computers were just starting to change the way that things are done. As a bored student, he attended college and after 6 years he quit because theory wasn't what interested him. He believes in skills, education and degrees but they don't always fit every person. Thinking outside the box is important because we still need a hands-on workforce and that could be YOUR kiddo! Keep options open because every child has a different set of skills and goals. There are so many people who earn a degree and never use it in their profession. What is the return on education? Keep that in mind when directing or encouraging your kids. You can find his books, Finding America's Greatest Champion, and Inspiring Champions in Advanced Manufacturing. You can find them on Amazon and his website championnow.org

Diane Cherico is in Midland Park, New Jersey and a therapeutic massage therapist and mother of 2. She started the journey of massage when she had to leave her abusive husband (and father of her kids). She wanted to be a registered nurse but didn't have the money or time to go to school for it. Her kiddos are 40 and 35 and she has always been shocked by how fast it all goes. Her biggest challenge has always been keeping herself healthy. Being a mom means you put yourself on the backburner all the time. When you do good things for yourself, you aren't pampering yourself, you are helping yourself. She takes care of herself by strengthening her core, a daily walk, eating healthy and drinking plenty of water. Her mama and her sister were her biggest supporters and her mom says that because of Diane, she is walking better. Watching her daughter say the words now that she is an adult makes her so proud and is her best mama moment. Her son married someone who doesn't love her light and it's not going well. That's hard on a mama heart. She wishes she would have known that sweating the small stuff isn't going to change it. Breathing deeply and taking care of YOU is so important. Taking the time to breathe and think of all of the blessings in your life. She has written a book called Stretch Your Pain Away in Just 10 Minutes a Day. You can find her on Amazon and her website at gettheknotsout.com

Chris Livezey is an author, speaker and mindset coach. He is also a real estate investor. He was born and raised in the Philadelphia area but now lives in Florida. Back in 1999 he set the goal to be a motivational speaker and took the path to be an investor so he can go out and change lives. His dream to be a motivational speaker started all because he was pigeonholed into a place where his teachers saw him as a behavior issue. He was diagnosed with a lot of different things that removed him from the regular classroom and this made him a victim of other people's beliefs. This led him to getting into trouble at an early age. In 9th grade he read See You At the Top by Zig Ziggler. This changed his whole life. Being told over and over that he "couldn't" do things programmed him to not be able to do things. Our environment programs into our subconscious mind and can reject others ideas. There are many instances where people were told they will never walk and 6 months later they walk out of the hospital. Your mind works in mysterious ways and we have the ability to accept or deny what we want or don't want for our own lives. People become a victim of their environmental heredity. As a mom, help your kids find their interests, talents and encourage them that they can overcome their weaknesses. Whatever you are looking at and listening to seeps into your unconscious mind and through our conscious mind we can realign. As soon as you tie emotions to what's going on around you, that's when it creates a vibrational state. His book is called The Shortcut to Magnificent. You can find his book on Amazon and on his website at chrislivezey.com You can find our Podcast on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTKJ9WwE Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfcrreYg Or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5hf6hz

Melissa Rod is a budding author, a nanny who married her last employer who had a little boy. Her book is about a man she thought was her dad but wasn't. Her mom doubled down and said she was switched at birth! This caused her to write a book about her experience. When she started nannying for her current husband, his baby was 13 months old. She has six children now from ages 33-19. Her biggest mamahood challenge was adopting two children because although one was placed in her arms at 1 minute old, the others were 7 and 9 and their experiences were complicated and difficult so parenting them was more challenging. She thought love would fix it all and make it all go away. Her own mom was her biggest supporter from the time she met her husband and they started their family. Her best mama moments were when they were all little and hug on her and tell her that they love her but watching them all start their own families and be parents is life changing. Her worst mama moments came when her youngest was 2 years old and spent 1 week at Texas Children's Hospital. They thought he had Leukemia. As it turned out, he didn't have cancer and he went home with all symptoms gone! It was a crazy 5 days. She wishes she would have known not to take the little things so seriously. In the long run they aren't that big of a deal! You can find her book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble online or on her website at melissajeanrod.com.

Toni King is a Texan mom who has a goal to help the world navigate medicare. She has experienced being a part of the "sandwich generation" where we are caring for our kids and also our parents. She was talking to a gentleman who was confused about his benefits and his experience made her realize she needed to help more people with Medicare. She wrote a book called Medicare Survival Guide and you can find it at tonisays.com. If your parents or grandparents are going on Medicare, you can help them navigate it through Toni's information! Check it out! Did you know that if you are on social security disability, in 2 years you automatically get medicare services (no matter what your age). You can reach her through her website or at her office at [email protected], 832-519-8664.

Stacy Price is a Colorado native and the mother of two angel babies. She splits her time between Colorado and Virginia, working as an accountant and volunteering with several nonprofits, including serving as a Director on YANA's Board. Stacy experienced her first pregnancy loss at 22 and, due to age and circumstance, grieved quietly and without support. After years of difficulty conceiving, she became pregnant again in June 2024, only to experience a second, more traumatic loss that required additional medical intervention. For a long time, Stacy struggled to identify as a mother, but she now embraces that she is a mom to heavenly children. She has found healing through sharing her story and honoring her daughters, Naomi and Kanis. She donated her wedding dress to the Angel Gown Project in honor of her first daughter, and after her second loss, the same organization gifted her a gown for her daughter. Stacy hopes that by sharing her journey, she can help normalize conversations around pregnancy loss and bring visibility, compassion, and hope to others navigating similar paths.

Caroline Kalicki's focus is making moms to be the best human they can be (not just mom). "Where are YOU on that list of things you are doing." If you don't take care of YOU first, there is no room to take care of others. Her wife and her took 5 years just to have her first. It was a long, heartbreaking journey and had miscarriage and 17 IUI's, they were finally successful through IVF. These 5 years made them THINK they were prepared for all of it but postpartum hit them like a bus. Not only was it hard on her and her wife but the way that society treats postpartum moms really rocked her world. The anxiety she experienced over the "silly little things" were such a shock to her that she realized that taking care of herself was truly the biggest need she had. "Bouncing back" is not the norm and more moms need to realize that there are moms in your corner. NO ONE knows what they are doing and that's OK! Her wife was her biggest supporter but because she hadn't been through it herself, she struggled with how to support her. She did also tell her to trust her gut and look inward to see what she needed. Finding other moms who had been through it was her saving grace. Her best mama moments are when her 5 year old says "I love you" and when her daughter sees how she is coaching and supporting moms. She now coaches her babydolls the way she sees her coach other moms. Those words mean the world to her. Her worst mama moments come when she feels like she can't help her 5 year old manage her emotions. These are things as a mom, we are working out on a daily basis for the rest of our lives…it's exhausting! She wishes she would have known that postpartum isn't a phase but a transformation. You can find Caroline at motherhencoaching.com and she works with mamas all over the country. Her instagram is @motherhencoaching

Katie Dwyer is a mom of a very big spirited 8 year old named Hazel Rose. She lives in NYC and today released her third album! She runs participation classes for babies and mamas. She is working on building confidence in children through music. She writes all of her own music that she sings. She grew up singing in youth choir and really enjoyed music but reading music wasn't her thing because she performs by ear. She has many connections to Broadway and the world of the arts in NYC but being a mom was her number one focus so she worked out her career to land right where she is meant to be. She had a baby through IVF to ensure that her daughter didn't have the gene to have Cystic Fibrosis (that her husband has and she carries the gene for). Her biggest challenge was the isolation aspect of being a new mom. Her whole family is from Arkansas so she didn't have the physical support she needed. She got herself out of the house and walked about the Natural History museum just to get out of the house. Her biggest supporter was her husband and had lots of friends and family but he was her gentle soul who never "made me feel as crazy as I felt." Her favorite mama moments are seeing her be a good human. When someone addresses her and tells her that her daughter made someone else feel good, that makes her mama heart happy. Her worst mama moments are when she feels the pressure to ensure her child is kind, loving and empathetic and her child doesn't act that way. The "what are people thinking about me" issue she had made her realize it isn't about HER. She wishes she would have not been able to sneeze the same ever again (but she can with pelvic floor PT!!!). She wishes she would have known how much she would love and worry about this child she gave birth to. You can find her amazing album called Warm Fuzzies @https://www.katiedwyermusic.com An album about feelings and being kind.

Yara N. Ortiz is the owner and CEO of Bookkeeping Consulting Services and founder of Money Moves with Yara, and is a mama. She is a financial consultant working with small businesses and nonprofits to get their books in order. She's also a master personal financial coach who works with single moms to help them manage their finances to fit their lifestyles. She believes in experience over education even though she absolutely believes in higher education. She had her only son at the age of 30 and her pregnancy was a dream. She worked until the last minute and everything was beautiful until birth. She was in labor for 33 hours! YIKES! She was in labor for so many hours that they ultimately ended with a c-section. Her biggest challenge was the fear of being a mom. She was fearful of dropping him, who was going to care for him when she had to go back to work and because she was a single mom with family in Puerto Rico and no one near her, she was struggling to figure out childcare. As it turned out, she found someone the night before she had to go back to work! It was so meant to be! Her parents were her biggest supporters and even though her mom was so far away, she supplied a lot of support to her. Her dad was a big supporter and filled in as a father figure for her son and a huge support for her. Her Christian upbringing and beliefs have been her driving force. Her best mama moment was seeing her son walk across the stage at his High School graduation. After everything they went through together, watching him accomplish this was everything she worked towards. Her worst mama moments were when she was in a toxic relationship and couldn't shield him completely from those situations. Telling him that his father has passed away was also gut wrenching. She wishes she would have known that you don't have to have it all together all of the time. Supermom doesn't exist. It's ok to cry, ask for help, be tired. Don't try to do it all on your own! It goes SO fast! You can find her at [email protected] or bookkeepingcs.com or Yaranortiz on Facebook. You can find our Podcast on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTKJ9WwE Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfcrreYg Or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5hf6hz

Sabrina Wright-Hobart is an advocate for women in crisis through the Crisis Center and also a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed at 37 years old and has been a huge advocate for care for women experiencing that diagnosis. She has always dedicated her life to nonprofit support with mamas and women in need of domestic violence resources. All of her programs are evidence based and anonymous. Domestic violence is the number one crime in counties all over the world because it is 100% about control and that doesn't have to be physical. It can be emotional, financial or sexual and getting rid of the shame around it is step one. The first thing you can do is believe people who report they are being abused. Shelters will take a victim no matter where they live (if there is a bed available). At 28 she gave birth to her first child but she was paralyzed and couldn't do any of the pushing they wanted her to do! She had a traumatic experience at the hospital and had chosen and wished she would have thought to file a complaint. With two kiddos with their own challenges, the biggest challenge came with her Breast Cancer diagnosis. She connected herself and her kiddos to support through that diagnosis and realized that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Her son spent some time at a mental hospital and was sent home and Sabrina's number one job as a mom was to keep him alive and learn how to handle a child who didn't want to be on this earth even though she sure did. "We can't fix things for other people but sometimes people knowing someone cares is all the help they need." When you share your story, you help others to not feel alone. Share your story and know that you are probably helping someone out there! She wishes she would have known it is ok to not to be ok.

Julie Vera is a mom of two and the host of the Mom Walk Collective, a free space for mamas to walk, get to know each other and walk together. She has started a consulting business where she helps moms who need some operational efficiencies in their own businesses. She wants moms to set up a path for success by helping people on the operational backend. The Mom Walk Collective was created in California and now in 400 cities globally!! Julie became a mom right before turning 30 and pretty much knew she always wanted 2 kiddos and now her family is complete with one girl and one boy. After 8 miscarriages, she finally had 2 healthy pregnancies. WIth many complications, she is happy to say her family is complete. She advocates for mamas with pregnancy complications because she has been there. She believes in giving women a sounding board about their feelings, especially on grief after a loss. DO NOT say, "well, at least you can get pregnant" after a loss. Her biggest challenge has been the pressure we put on ourselves as moms. The comparison we put on ourselves is ridiculous. Having a supportive husband has been the best partnership she could imagine. She is blessed to compliment her husband's parenting style with hers. The times are when she sees her kiddos happy. Seeing their joy makes for a great mama! Her struggle is being hard on herself and the expectations she has on herself. She wishes she would have known that it's ok to take care of herself and prioritize her own self care. Having a brand new human who needs you 24/7, you feel terrible leaving them BUT your soul needs that. Feed your soul in whatever way that looks. You can find Julie on instagram @JulieRVera or on her website at rootedconsultingllc.com or the mom walk collective on Instagram @themomwalkco.littleton

Mackenzie Kryzer has a 9 month old daughter and is adjusting to working full time for AllHealth Network working in the substance use/mental health world. She is in Colorado but moved from Minnesota and wasn't really sure she wanted to be a mom all of her life. She was born with a 10% chance of survival. She was in the hospital for 3 weeks after birth because she was born with diaphragmatic hernia or other. Many of the people in her sphere had very traumatic birthing situations so she was not sure she wasn't sure. As a baby she had to have surgery and a breathing tube so she was very worried about the somatic issues that could have all caused. Pregnancy scared her, parenting scared her, being tied down scared her but ultimately she decided she did want to try it and low and behold she found out she was pregnant 7 months into trying. The invisible labor of managing all of the emotions in a household is one of the hardest parts of being a mama. She didn't bond immediately with her baby but that has come and having her baby on Christmas Eve made it even more amazing with family around for the birth but then everyone left. To be on your own with a new baby and having very little family who live locally is tough but her and her little family is working for them. She loves bedtime with her baby for all of the reasons and she has her brother and her mom Facetime once a week and read a story to her daughter at bedtime. She had a pretty traumatic situation on her first solo trip with her daughter but they made it home for a visit and all was well. She wishes she would have known that the emotional work is hard but sometimes it doesn't always feel right. That's ok.

Mehri Relin has had a fitness company, operating out of NYC and Denver. She works with women throughout their pregnancy, postpartum journey and beyond. The idea is to address how your body changes throughout all of those times through the life of a mama. She runs that program still but is also a therapist working with many different populations. She started working with children and worked on how their brains developed. She likes helping women weave their opportunities as a mom into their lives they had previously. Her training to start working with pregnant clients as a dance teacher was a joke and knew she needed to do better for pregnant women and their wellness. She saw a big need for better care for pregnant women so she built it around her. She helps women through pregnancy in fitness by using more of a Physical Therapy strategy with pelvic floor health, core strength and the changes their body goes through throughout the entire 40 weeks of pregnancy. She also works with mamas through their postpartum journey through their unique body and needs including their posture, core and functional movement, not size or aesthetics. She is more focused on functionality and moving your body in a healthy way. As a therapist she works with women about how their experiences may make them feel alone and how to navigate that. Sometimes we need to find a meaning to the reason and the season of the people in our life. Her advice is to build your village and working things through to plan for your postpartum people before you get there. You can find her online at empoweredlivingcollective.com and at psychologytoday.com. @bodyconceptions on instagram is where you can find her in the fitness world. bodyconceptions.com is her fitness website.

Emily Redondo is an author, a stay at home mom with four kids who are teenagers and young adults. She worked as a nanny, care salesperson but since she was married she really wrapped her identity around being a mom. She became a mom when she was 23 and the last when she was 34. With her first, she was a single mom and moved back home for help but with the other three she had a different support system. In the beginning she had this perfect picture of what motherhood was going to be like but then had to wing it (as a single mom), and she struggled attending school, commuting and working and kept a journal about being in love with her baby. She found out she was pregnant with her fourth when she was admitted into a detox center for alcoholism. She was working really hard at having the "picture perfect life" while drinking in the closet and hiding it from everyone. After going to treatment 7 times, she is finally healthy and sober. It took a long time to get to this point but she is now a good mom and is proud of that. When she sees her kids doing something that they love, and watching them shine is her favorite part of motherhood. Being an alcoholic while raising children causes many bad mama moments, so much so that she wrote a book! "At some point, I became their trauma." This led to her writing the book, Wife, Mother Drunk (coming out November 4). She wishes she would have known how her mom felt when she was a young mother. It wasn't until a few years ago that she started to hear more of her own mom's story. Her grandmother didn't say"I love you" until she was 50 years old. That upbringing shaped her mom into who she was and therefore that's how she thought being a wife looked like. She also wishes she would have realized earlier that motherhood is not a competition! You can find her at emilyredondoauthor.com and slightly on Instagram @emilyredondoauthor. Her book can be found at https://www.simonandschuster.com

Luba Patlakh Kaplun is a mom of three, speech language pathologist and a small business owner called Kidology. She is also an advocate for parents with children with IEP's. She became a mom at the age of 28 and she has three under the age of 10, the loves of her life. She was born in Ukraine but immigrated to the US when she was 2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is her hometown and where she currently resides. Her biggest challenge of mamahood was raising her business while raising her kids. The juggle is real and balancing the three kiddos and making sure all three of them are cared for in the same ways. Her mama was her biggest supporter and she lost her three years ago to pancreatic cancer. She lost her biggest supporter and has been parenting for three years without her, and that's tough. Her best mama moment was when she earned her Master's Degree and was able to share that with her first born! She also loves the fact that her children speak with such pride at school about their family and home. That feels like a "win" in her mama pride book. Her worst mama moments come when her reactions to the situation are not putting her best foot forward. She wishes she would have known that nothing that happens with your kiddos lasts forever so embracing those moments. She started the advocacy for parents with kids with IEP because of her lived experience in her speech/language pathology world. Her website is theconfidentiepparent.com to help train parents on how to handle their IEP journey.

Dana Dose, THE Family Nutritionist Pro sees patients nationwide where she works with them online to reduce the stress of making meals and being nourished. She has two kids and became a mama at the age of 33. Her biggest challenge of becoming a mom was figuring out her new place in the world and doing it without any sleep. She lost her lifelong best friend 2 months after the birth of her first baby and that rocked her world. Her biggest supporter was her husband (even though there were days that weren't all that wonderful), her family who were all 2,000 miles away but her sister was a huge support for breast feeding. As a clinical person, she thought she had it all figured out but then when reality hit, things changed and after finding good moms groups, that changed her motherhood journey. Finding good mama moments come when her kids are laughing and enjoying each other. Watching them love one another in their own way is so important. The worst mama moments are when her kids experience any kind of medical issues that she can't solve for them (like surgeries and illnesses). She wishes she would have known that finding your place in the world is a REAL struggle and going back to your pre-pregnancy self isn't a thing. You have become a new person, have a completely different list of new responsibilities and emotions. You will never be that person again. You are a new you and that's ok. She wishes parenting was a judgement free zone. Can't we all support one another and stop judging one another. There is not one way to do things and that's the best thing to realize so you don't beat yourself up! Her instagram is @thefamilynutritionpro The website can be found at thefamilynutritionpro.com. Check her out!

Alison Beder Solway is an Canadian mom of 4, a fitness professional with an online fitness platform called www.absfitness.ca. Her new book is called The Miles we Run and can be found HERE. She had a long infertility story and wrote a book about it to help explain the obstacles and hurdles that she overcame with that journey. With fertility, anything can be "normal" because every body is different and every journey is also different. Starting at the age of 27, she birthed baby number one after no fertility issues at all but the pregnancy was very challenging and being the first in her friend group to be pregnant, she had no frame of reference. She experienced congestive heart failure throughout her pregnancy but finally at eight months, she finally listened to her body (and against her OBGYN) and took herself into the hospital. Being your own best advocate can truly sometimes be life or death. We all need to remember that doctors can sometimes gaslight their patients because they don't always want to be proven wrong but we are the experts of our own bodies and that needs to be respected. The relationship between you and your doctor needs to be a partnership and shouldn't be a dictatorship. She talks about the isolation she felt in her fertility journey because our bodies are "meant to do this." Her biggest challenge of being a mom was her first birth was like an episode of ER or Grays Anatomy. It was like not knowing if the final episode was going to work out or if everyone wouldn't live. She spent a lot of time in the ICU after birth and was in shock when she got home that she was now in charge of another human life. She and her husband decided to take the surrogacy route in Canada but ended up finding success in the United States. Pennsylvania was the state that was the most surrogacy-friendly state and they had great success with 2 pregnancies and 3 kiddos! She wishes she would have had a grasp on the worry factor that happens when you become a mother!. Find her at www.absfitness.ca and see what her program is all about!

Jean Alfieri is an author, speaker and a dog fan. She is in Colorado Springs and works with Pikes Peak Animal. She is a step-mom of a little boy and he was the "best part of th deal" when she married her husband. She learns so much from her adult step-son and believes that we can learn so much from our kiddos if we are open to hearing it. She wrote a book about how to handle the loss of a pet. She was visiting a 2nd grade class and a little boy asked if she ever had a dog that died. That started the 2nd grade therapy group and the idea of writing her book about the loss of a pet. Her book is an idea and project guide with examples of how to process grief in a healthy way that are available for all ages on how to process the loss of a pet. When your family pet dies, sometimes you just don't know how to process that because pets are animals but still a part of the family. Her book is an adult guide to help themselves and children process the experience. Jean and her husband like to adopt senior dogs who are harder to place because they aren't going to be around much longer and they deserve a second chance. While writing her book, she became a grief coach specifically for pet loss and she loves helping people explore how they can heal. She has some great tips and tricks in her book. https://www.amazon.com/Ways-Weather-Loss-Your-Pet/dp/B0F3N9TMVX, Say the things to people who have lost a pet…it's healing to say, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Jamie McClung is focused on making mamas a priority in their own life. Her number one focus is self care because that was the game changer for her own life. "Beauty and health from the inside out" as a mom of 2 boys 17 years apart is a huge part of what she talks about with her clients. The excuses people, especially mamas, make about how they cannot do self care for whatever reason is something we need to talk about. Jamie became a mama when she was 19 and had him at the age of 20 and although she had a water birth with her midwife at the hospital! She was one of the last birthing people to experience that. Living with her parents, and having a baby at the age of 20, she had great support but she also knew what she wanted from day one. A natural childbirth was in the cards and it was a beautiful experience. Her eldest son is her best friend and since they grew up together, they have always had an amazing bond. She had her second baby 17 years later! Her biggest challenge of being a mama has been mostly being a single mom. Being a single mom of boys can be challenging. Patience is key! She couldn't have been a mom without her mom and when she needed something, the answer was always yes but ultimately her biggest supporter has been herself (and this totally made my day). She took her 11 year old son to his first concert last night and creating memories has been her best mama moments! It's not our job to take away our kids' lessons. We have to let them struggle in order to be able to fly. To teach your kids how to take good care of themselves, you have to take care of YOU. She wishes she would have known that worrying about all of the things, especially how other people "see you", aren't important. Take the time to take care of yourself, however that looks for you. You can find her at cleanbodycleanlife.com

Emily Markley is a Clinical Psychologist, a nonprofit Executive Director and a mama of 3. Her nonprofit, Ardent Grove is a partner of YANA's and is doing amazing work in our community. As a mama of three littles, she started having her babies at the age of 32 after struggling with fertility for 2 years. She always knew she wanted to be a mom and the rest of her goals and path came after that as secondary priorities. Being a mom was always her first priority. Her second and third pregnancies didn't need fertility intervention. The day of our podcast was her oldest son's first day of Kindergarten! This milestone was a huge step for her. One of her biggest challenges as a mama was the fantasy that when she became a mom that everything else would be on hold but as the world continues to spin, nothing stops. All of the drains of mind, body and the inability to be present with any one thing is really hard. Being a parent exposes so many things in a positive way but also fills old wounds with salt. The heartbreak of not feeling "enough" is probably the hardest part of motherhood. Her biggest supporter has always been her partner. He is her rock and a phenomenal human. Her best mama moments with happy chaos in her home and can look at her husband and smile and say, "how's that working for you?" Worst mama moments come when she gets in her own head and her feelings of ineffectiveness get in her way. When she feels like she isn't "enough" she gets in a repetitive, negative space is the hardest part of being a mama. Being a clinical psychologist at Ardent Grove has been a huge blessing to help other people hold space for what they are going through.

Gerard Wouters, a therapist in Holland who specializes in all things therapy. 98% of his clients are women. He is a dad of a little girl and his therapy was covered by their insurance in Holland but as of 2010 it is not. He developed a kind of therapy that is based on the Taoist religion. This monk took one look at him and knew everything Gerard needed and invited him to stay for five weeks. After about seven years of learning from the Taoist way, he created a treatment for outside the monastery. His experience with young moms and children starts with ancient manual therapy because when you are closed physically, you are closed mentally. He starts by opening up the body to get more into the whole mind of the client. He then goes into EMDR with the tone of his voice, not electronics like is done today. He works through making life simple again by helping people unlearn things. So many people believe they are "not good enough" which causes people to try to become "good enough." But this causes burnout. He also believes that fear is always in our faces and when you fear, you give the control and power of your life to someone or something else. When you fear, you lose control. The thing that creates fear is overthinking. Fear is often projected onto us by others and that's what makes people believe they aren't enough. Every one of us has value. His clients come to him with grief, wrong partners, children who don't listen, fear, addiction and he works through helping them unlearn fear, you see what is behind all of the noise out there. When you fear something, you will attract it to you. When you stop fearing, you will really see what is happening around you. You can learn more from his book, "How to Make Life Simple, Happy and Successful the Taoist Way" on Amazon.

Kimberly J. Ward has been many things but being a mom has been her favorite title! She has written a book, lived on a boat for 2 years and became a mom at the age of 35. She was a late bloomer and had her first baby late in life but now is loving watching her daughter become an adult (she is turning 21 this year). She says the best things she has given her daughter are roots and wings and Nikki will be using that! She wasn't a fan of the newborn stage because the baby had colic and she really struggled with the fact that even if babies had everything they needed, they shouldn't be unhappy. She was so wrong and struggled with self doubt and frustration. Knowing that all babies cry is so important and thank goodness she had her husband who was the best support for her and their daughter. Watching her daughter bloom as a young adult has been her best mama moment even from across the world. Her worst mama moment was when her daughter had a mental health crisis during her senior year of high school. Thank goodness her daughter was 17 and she still had some control of her mental health care. Covid was very difficult on her daughter and it spilled into the whole family. They all learned a lot from the situation and how to support one another in the best way for each of them. She wrote a book called Crew of Three, a story about their three years on a boat and it can be found on her website HERE,

Kathy Allen is a mom of a 56 and 55 year old as well as her first great granddaughter! She is a nurse and has started a group called the gutsy nurses. She was the second oldest of nine kids so she was very well prepared to be a mom! Her mom ran a daycare so she was very ready to be a mom! She thought having only 2 and a step son so three in her home and her challenge was to not be so responsible and play more. She was the team mom, the classroom mom and was very involved with them and her biggest supporter was her mother-in-law because she was so thrilled her son was so happy. Her own mom was working so hard, she couldn't really be her biggest supporter so they lived in San Diego near her husband's family to raise their kids. She has really enjoyed watching her kids become amazing adults. Her first birth was only 4 hours long and she was thrilled how he came into this world. She had a stepson who came to live with them when he was 9 years old and when he became an adult, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away as a young man and watching that happen was the worst mama moment. She also had to learn that he was going to go through his own process and she wasn't in control. As a nurse, she worked as a nurse on and off throughout her whole life. She worked in almost every department in a hospital as well as mental health locations. She is now working with nurses who are on the verge of burnout. Her program is called gutsy nurses to help nurses understand what is actually going on with them. The extra added stress of having a patient of theirs who could die at any time. They are experiencing a different kind of exhaustion called traumatic exhaustion. Parenting with this burnout is a huge issue. She is writing a book to help nurses with this burnout and exhaustion and how to handle it. You can find her at gutsynurses.com

Barb Stone is all about creating things from life stories to be able to help people on their journey. She left her career 6 years ago to become a leadership development coach to help teams on their path. She has found that we all need some guidance and she loves to do that with a vast amount of people. She has published a book called "Lessons to Drool About." Sometimes we get into a victim mindset where we think there is nothing we can do about that. BUT she says that life can happen FOR you, not TO you. The good can find the story and the resilience from the story to create wisdom for yourself and the people around you. If you can focus on what you WANT, that's where the energy will come from and you will walk that path instead of seeing all the obstacles in the way. Sometimes baby steps are the best way to get started with one step at a time. BUT don't go it alone. You should always be looking for people to join you on the journey. Having other perspectives around you because they will see things you don't see. We have to go through the hard stuff to get to the good stuff. We should live more like our pets, especially dogs because they wake up every day and are happy to be alive…EVERY SINGLE DAY. Don't do it alone! They feel the moment RIGHT NOW. We need to feel what we are feeling right now. They ask for what they want WHEN they want it. You can find her book that will help you find inspiration to be grateful, mindful and inspirational. Find it HERE

Jeni Golomb is a mom of 2 boys ages 19 and 16, a wife of 25 years and a Harvard MBA with a new adventure in a marketing start up nonprofit. She was 28 and 31 when she had her kids because those were the same ages her mom was when she had kids. She thinks that putting your children's needs ahead of your own is how you create amazing humans and if you are too young and don't have a completed frontal lobe, you can't necessarily handle that. She thought that being 28 as a new mom was the best age BUT the pivot of losing her independence and freedom was truly a slap in the face. She sobbed in her brand new nursery because she realized that she will FOREVER have to check in with that child…for the REST of her life. That was a really hard realization. You can LOVE someone so much it hurts but then also be overwhelmed by it. Her biggest supporter was her mom who came and stayed for 2 months. She woke up every night and sat with her daughter while she breastfed at night. She was there to help with her own baby and her baby's baby. Showing up with consistency means being the witness to her children's life. We are not here to paint the picture of our children's lives but hand them the paintbrush and let them paint. Her teenagers are very communicative and she credits that with having a close relationship throughout their lives. She calls herself the GPS mom…her kids are in the driver's seat of their own lives and as their GPS, she helps direct them to get there. Her worst mama moments come when she loses her temper because we ALL KNOW those kids of ours always know how to push our buttons! Jeni can be found at www.glassbrkr.com

Beatty Carmichael is a dad of three adult children, missing littles running around and married to his wife for 32 years. He and his wife have never had a large argument! He comes from a family of doctors and decided he wanted to pivot into helping people have blessed lives. As a business owner, you don't always know what you are doing so it's a learning process every day so he looked at parenthood like that too. He gives a lot of the credit to his wife who read all the books on parenthood and he took what she learned from those books and provided the guidance and discipline to the kids. He leaned on her and asked, "how can I help?" His expertise is helping people get set free from all kinds of issues including unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is the source of many issues people have. Over 700 people, he has worked with where unforgiveness is the block that many people face. Along the way, someone may have hurt us deeply and we haven't let that go. Resentment is often the reason there is a block in relationships. Learning to forgive is a HUGE part of having a positive relationship with many people in your life. This can include parents, children, spouses/partners, friends, neighbors, etc. In early motherhood, it is important to be careful not to bring in past hurts that we haven't let go of. Forgiveness starts way back in childhood because we are just our younger selves in a bigger body. Forgiving someone doesn't mean excusing their behavior but instead understanding them that causes us to do things that aren't meant to hurt us. He believes you need to separate the person from their actions. It may not be easy to do but the benefits outweigh the consequences of holding onto those feelings. You can find his book called The Prayer of Freedom at theprayeroffreedombook.com

Sally Raymond, from Santa Barbara, California, living near the ocean AND the mountains and at the age of 82, and believing that aging is a choice, she stays present. She was married at the age of 19 and had two kids as a young mom. She realized that children are here to teach us. Her first born, at the age of 2, read the sign outside the car, Texaco! She realized he was a genius and she was NOT prepared for a genius son. With 45 minute debates at the age of 4 about why he didn't need to make his bed. She went back to school to keep up with his intelligence and became a psychologist. She was just becoming a therapist when her genius son took his life. He was in calculus at the age of 14 and at the age of 15 was teaching calculus. Unfortunately she didn't have the tools to see anything but a high achieving student. He graduated at 21 with his bachelors and masters degree from Carnegie Mellon but took his life right after. She was lost and had no idea how she got to that point. She wrote a book as a roadmap of motherhood. She wishes she would have had this when she was a young mom. Suicide is the top cause of death for people ages 11-34. We need to do better. Her book took 28 years to write but doesn't want anyone else to go through what she has. She realized, after he died, that we aren't teaching our children social/emotional skills in school or at home. We aren't teaching them to empathize, how to use their own emotions and how to be in tune with their own emotional needs. Being a mom is the biggest education she has ever had. She wishes she would have been more of a supporter than a mom. You can find her book and more information about parenthood at https://sallyaraymond.com/. Her book is called The Son I Knew Too Late and you can find it on Amazon.

Bill Williams is a dad of two after having many different jobs including photography, managed a TV network, and a TV station in Bowling Green Ohio (thinking there were mountains there). He decided to set up his own communication consultant business but since everything went digital he decided to change his whole life and became a dad! And then became a financial advisor. He has been doing that for years but also found publishing and started sending out a thought for the day in email and 30 years later he has readers all over the world! He decided people need to laugh more! He has published his first book, 20 Years of Internet Humor. His two daughters are in their 30's and active in theater. He loves telling jokes about mamahood and wants to make mamas laugh! Laughter and telling jokes are a great way to break the ice but also a great way to lower tension when things get tight. He wrote for a few comedians for a while and was never a performer but he thinks laughter is the way to go through life. Keeping laughter in parenthood can help break tension and think about finding the bright side of life. He sends his a thought for the day overnight so you wake up to a thought for the day. You can find him at internet-humor.com and sign up for a thought for the day.

Meredith Cole is the owner of the Denver Village, an inclusive environment near the Stanley Marketplace where they bring together many different practitioners to support people, but especially moms. She and her husband have two sons and had the second during the pandemic. She says things seem really hard at the time but memories seem to fade a little and each new stage is a new shift and that's really hard. Having the support of her husband has been amazing but her mama friends and "village" is also one of the most important parts of motherhood. Watching her kids be kind to others with empathy is so prideful for her. When her kids show the glimpses of who they are becoming, she realizes that she is doing the best she can. Finding the moments that are going well and emphasizing them is so important. Nobody is perfect and neither are our kids so take everything as a learning experience. She had a rough mama moment back when her little one got "lost" at an Easter celebratory event in a bouncy house. That moment truly made her realize what's important! She wishes she would have known that when people give you advice, you truly just need to trust your gut. You are doing the best you can and nobody knows your baby like you do. Trust yourself. The amount of unsolicited advice is ridiculous. Trust your gut. You can find out more about the Denver Village by following them @thdenvervillage or www.thedenvervillage.com

Hollie Wildehorn is from Australia and had her first baby at the age of 21! She was a very young mom and the town she was in was a very business oriented city (Cambria) and she was really mostly on her own. She was part of the alternative industry and she was part of a great community of moms and now with a 18 and 21 year old, she has a great relationships with her kids. Her biggest challenge was the fact that she didn't know what the heck she was doing and you don't know what you don't know! How do you be a mom when you don't have someone to help you with it? She was very prepared for the birthing process but after giving birth she wasn't as prepared for when the baby came home. She turned to books and literature but turned away from mainstream books. In Australia she had a midwife who followed throughout her whole journey. She thought she would have a home birth but after looking at the mess she was worried about who would clean it up so she went to the birthing center. She homeschooled on and off throughout their educational career and that was her best mama moment. She struggles with with mama fears even to this day. She wishes she would have known that leaning into community and having supports that could have taught her so much. Why not lean on those who have come before us? She wants moms to know that you know better than anyone else. MOMS know and she tells their partners to LISTEN to them. Moms need people behind them cheering them on. Instituteforselfcrafting.com

Sharon Harmon, from Nashville, Tennessee who works with highly sensitive people using frequencies to help people figure out what's going on with them. As a New York native, she met her husband in NYC. She had her son at the age of 42 and they weren't preventing pregnancy but also weren't planning on it. As the eldest of five kids, she was the only girl and the "second mom" so that was like being a mom! She had a home birth and did everything holistically and didn't plan for after the pregnancy. The paradigm shift was a huge change in her life and one of the hardest parts of motherhood. She also had a huge health issue with Lyme Disease that resurfaced. The exhaustion was so unreal that she couldn't even climb a flight of stairs! She also couldn't breastfeed because of Lyme's disease. Her husband has been her best support and she had her parents both there as well for a few weeks. Her husband and her figured out how to parent mostly on their own until they found some of their people. Their son went to a Waldorf preschool/daycare and it was the perfect place for their son because they focused on allowing them to use their imagination and be kids. She decided that 2nd grade was the perfect time for her to homeschool until 8th grade. Her worst mama moment was when her son was in middle school because they started to butt heads a little more than they should have. She wishes she would have stopped homeschooling sooner. She wishes she would have had a better plan after giving birth. It's messy and unknown and scary. She has a blog on end of life planning because she struggled with that when her parents passed away. She works with highly sensitive people. These are people who are more sensitive to the energy around them whether that is human energy or electronic energy. She works with her clients both in-person and virtually. She works with moms more than children to set the environment for their child. You can find her at sharonharmon.com and on Instagram @sharonharmonphd You can find our Podcast on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTKJ9WwE Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfcrreYg Or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5hf6hz

Katie Fenske is a mom of 3 with three boys at home! She is enjoying having all three in school, but also it's hard to let go sometimes. She was 33 when she had her first kiddo and THOUGHT she knew what she was doing and then she had kids. The biggest challenge she experienced was self judgement. She didn't think others were judging her but SHE was worried what others would think. She sees a mom struggling and doesn't think at all about that mom being a bad mom…so why are we so hard on ourselves? The things we say to and about ourselves we would almost NEVER say to anyone else so why is it ok for us to do to ourselves? Her biggest supporter was her own mom as an amazing example with so much fun and tons of support but she lived an hour and a half away. She found her people at a yoga class and joined a mom group even though it was tough to walk in that first day but she is so glad she did. Pivoting the groups of moms throughout motherhood is not always easy but it's necessary. Her best mama moments are when she gets her cuddles from her three boys. She didn't think she would love watching her kids play sports but she lives for Saturday's and her time watching her kids but also creating her community with the other parents. She didn't think she would be a big yeller but yelling comes natural as the kids get older. She wishes she would have known she didn't have to be perfect and that it's ok to not know what she was doing. She realized she didn't have to be perfect the first time for everything because "everyone burns their first pancake." She has a podcast called Burnt Pancakes with Katie where she talks about all the motherhood stuff! You can find her on her website at burntpancakes.com and on instagram @burntpancakeswithkatie

Alessia Lloyd is the mom of three amazing kids who are everything she ever dreamed them to be. She started when she was 22 with her first son and although he wasn't planned, he has always been loved and wanted. She was not in a healthy relationship when she had Alexander but after finally getting the strength to get out of the relationship. She is in a much better place now with two other children with her husband outside of Cleveland, Ohio. She works for a nonprofit helping the unhoused and the housebound in the greater Cleveland area. She also opened her own art studio a year ago and is enjoying creating with kids again. She believes in supporting and loving the people in her life and is very good at it. As one of Nikki's very best friends, they have been through many years of friendship through the good times and the hard. Her mamahood journey was very different with her first born and then her second and third but she wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

Samantha Foote is a mom of three, all with neurodivergent conditions and is near Boise, Idaho. All three of her kiddos have autism and ADHD combined. She was 28 when she started having kiddos and they are 10. 8 and 5. Her SEVERE Postpartum Depression (PPD) was her biggest challenge. No one listened to her or took her seriously and she struggled a lot. It took way too long for her to get help. The "baby blues" was all doctors kept telling them. She was diagnosed with OCD after having her first baby. She listened to a podcast that literally described her whole life and it made her realize how she had been misunderstood her whole life. The intrusive thoughts were every hour and not just occasional. She was so ashamed about having intrusive thoughts that she didn't talk to anyone about it. After talking to someone about these thoughts, that person told her that "everyone" has those thoughts (when in fact that person also had OCD) she figured she was "normal" for going through all of these things. Her biggest challenge as a mom has been managing the appointments of three neurodivergent people with their appointments. Not just the management of all of it but also the fear of hearing something else is wrong with her babies. She also struggled with the realization that her kids weren't interested in the same things she was as a kid. Her husband is her biggest supporter, especially when she had babies and had PPD. As a music therapist she struggled that her son hated music but when he turned 4, he turned a corner and enjoyed music and she could share it with him and that was one of her best mama moments. Her worst mama moment was when her son was 3 and she put him in time out (even though she didn't believe in time out!). She forgot him in time out! She wishes she didn't take things so seriously! Everything will work out and the judgements of others don't matter. You can find her at https://www.boisemusictherapycompany.com and https://www.boisemusictherapycompany.com/podcast.