Let's Be Real: Mama Journeys

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.

Karen Peterson is a grateful mama and is a co-founder of a nonprofit called Couve Collective, community centers for people in recovery. Her and her husband are excited to be grandparents very soon! She worked for Boeing for years but decided she needed to give back to families who experience addiction and the effects that has on their family. She lives in Vancouver, Washington and is grateful for the sunshine when it happens! She had her son in her late 20's but she wasn't as thrilled to be a parent as her husband was and then had him 7 weeks premature. Her son tied a knot in his umbilical cord so it was good that he decided to be born early. Her daughter was born 5 years later and is now going to be a mama! Her biggest challenge was understanding the weight and responsibility of being a mom and wanting to "get it all right." Her biggest supporter was her own mom. She could count on her no matter what and literally knocked on the door and handed her son to her and said, "I need a break." Her husband has also been such a huge support and help. Watching her kids be happy has been such a joy for her. Her son has been through a lot throughout his life, leading him to be addicted to Oxycontin. She watched him become homeless because of his addiction. Her dream from that was to build a community center for people experiencing addiction and the aftereffects of it. Her daughter is an internal medicine doctor and is a huge success as well. To see them happy, healthy and as close as they are is her best mama moment. They realized that his love language wasn't being met and he "found" that when he discovered opioids. She says she wouldn't have wanted to know any of what she knows now as a new mom. The surprise is pretty important to experience as a mom! You face each step as it comes to you and as a mom, you figure it out. You can find them at https://couvecollective.org. This is a community they have created for people to be a helpful and healthy member of their community.

Jason Gibler is a psychotherapist who works with moms, dads and getting people to tap into a deeper healing. He works often with perinatal families, including before, during and after having kids. Even dads get Postpartum depression and many people don't know that. Depression and anxiety are linked and many times that affects dads because we have more conscious fathering. The old paradigm of success vs. failure also is pulling at them. The paradigm is that dads aren't always "good" at being a dad and that causes a deep anxiety and over time, that morphs into depression because they feel alone. There are many different modalities to help couples and many people don't know how to communicate properly. Historically men have been taught how to distance themselves from their own feelings. If you aren't in tune with your own emotional reality, you can't be in tune with someone else's emotional reality. Men have been taught to be disconnected with their feelings and emotions. A crying baby brings out feelings of failure and they need to stop and recognize their own emotions, be honest and be authentic. To get a dad into therapy, ask them why therapy feels "bad" and where did you learn that seeking help makes you weak? Call it "coaching" instead of therapy. Vulnerability is strength because it takes strength to admit you need help. As a partner/wife, giving that positive praise is essential to giving dads that ego boost. The Way of the Jaguar is a novel Jason is writing based around the science of human bonding, the book will be out later this summer. You can find it on Amazon Kindle. You can also find a free download for dads on his websites at aiyanacounseling.com or Jasongibler.com

Keri Henson is a 6th generation Texan and a mom of SIX kiddos! She has a brand called the "Mom'sDay Prepper." These are moments that happen when you don't see them coming! Managing relationships within all of the motherhood journey needs are instrumental in motherhood! She became a mama at the age of 24 and has had six kiddos from ages 21-7 with one of them who was diagnosed with cancer and another hit by a 1 ton truck! Her biggest challenge has been being married to an addict (and this was harder than having a child with cancer or having a child hit by a truck!). WIthout spousal support, it was like being a single parent but she was married! Motherhood is a challenge ALL the time. Most days don't look like it does on TV or in the movies! Her parents have always been a solid support from day one. With her grit as a Texan, and a very strong Christian, nothing could take away her faith as it created a strong base to build off of. We have been conditioned to let community go but we can't do motherhood without it! Her best mama moment came after a horrible diagnosis of cancer before her baby's first birthday with him making milestones that the doctors said he would never do! This kiddo will be 11 soon and has overcome all of it! We have to surrender our children to THEIR purpose and THEIR life. We cannot pave the road. We are here to teach, coach and help but we need THEM to direct their path. DO NOT pave the path for them as they NEED to struggle because that's part of life. You are here to give them the tools, the awareness and the ability to overcome these struggles. She wishes she would have listened to her mommy feelers because they are gifts that we need to listen to above and beyond everyone else's opinions and thoughts! You can find her at momsdayprepper.com!

Dr. Tamara Beckford is an ED doctor with her own weight loss business in Houston. She helps women get rid of emotional and physical weight. It's 100% online and has been an entrepreneur for years. As a mom at 36 and 38 (considered old in the birthing world) she felt the itch at 2 years and understands why so many people are 2 years apart! She started having babies later in life because she went to school "forever and ever amen." Motherhood came to her like flipping a switch and she was ready however her body didn't see it that way. It took longer than she thought it would to conceive and she also struggled that no one talked about it but once she found her "person" who was frustrated as well, they had babies 5 days apart! Another testament to having a community to support you can change your life. Her biggest challenges were that her son was a preemie and she had the NICU challenge. Two things that helped her get through was the doctor telling her to take her doctor hat off and put on her mom hat. Maternal instincts are a REAL thing. Her mother in law was a huge support while she was on bedrest for 6+ weeks before having an emergency c-section and her parents were amazing emotional supporters. She also had amazing friends who helped too. Being a NICU mom has its own set of challenges because you leave the hospital without your child. It's so hard to emotionally handle not bringing your baby home day after day. She wishes she would have known that it's all going to work out, no matter what. It may not work out the way that you THOUGHT it would but it will work out. You can find her at trulybalancedwc.com or www.urcaringdocs.com and on LinkedIn

Fernanda Shoup, originally from Argentina and turning 40 with two toddlers at home! She married her wife during Covid outside at a barn in Parker but was supposed to be in Argentina! Talk about a different environment. When she connected with her wife, she wasn't sure she wanted to be a mom but when she realized that she would parent with HER and that was what changed the whole thought about motherhood! When you have a wife, everything changes. Her wife didn't want to be pregnant and Fernanda said she was 100% on board with carrying a child but unfortunately it took 2 ½ years of all kinds of infertility issues! Her pregnancy was a breeze and it was glorious. In the 3rd trimester her legs went numb and she was in a ton of pain. She tried many different remedies but it was demoralizing because no one would listen to her. After her wife had to FORCE the hospital to listen, they did scans and found a herniated disc and kept her overnight and had to do survey for her disc issue while 36 weeks pregnant. She had immediate pain relief as soon as she woke up from surgery! Her OB wasn't the best and didn't listen so they switched offices (always advocate for YOU) and she had a c-section at 39 weeks. Her c-section was quite the experience too! She struggled with so much postpartum depression and the "I'm not worthy" feelings. Her midwife told her "is the fact that your child wasn't breastfed going to show up on their application for medical school?" Her feelings of inadequacy lasted months! Even her mom said she was a shell of herself. Her sweet life and her decided that they wanted more kiddos and her wife decided she would carry baby number 2. She got pregnant on the FIRST try! So when they came home with a newborn, they were pregnant with their second! Her wife is a firefighter and hated being pregnant and was on bedrest at 20 weeks!

Emily Hill is a hospice chaplain and licensed social worker. She developed a love for hospice when she was 7 years old because of her grandfather. She was so blown away by how hospice people change the world of the family of the person passing on. She earned a Master's of divinity and connects with death doulas and how to make people comfortable. Regardless where you fall in the spiritual spectrum, death is a kind of rebirth into the next steps. She has two children and grew up as a pastor's kid but in her head she had everything planned out with the "normal" progression of get married, have babies, move on. She has a group of college girlfriends that she can't do life without! She was the first one of the friends to have a baby and they showed up with a party size pizza because they were 24 and didn't know any better! They are her people! Her best mama moment came recently when she was asked to chaperone a field trip and when she was worried what her 10 year old would say about her going. But low and beyond, her daughter was excited to have her, it made her heart so happy! Her worst mama moment was when she had a miscarriage. It rocked her world after having a 3, and 5 year old she had a miscarriage and she was devastated. It also could have ended their marriage because of how they experienced this loss. Humans often experience experiences so differently and they can sometimes make or break a marriage. She wishes she would have known that everyday is a fresh start. We build on things day after day but really every single day can be a do-over! Emily says, "give yourself grace!" You are never going to be perfect so give yourself grace!

Deborah Mallow never thought she wanted kids but after spending time with her friends and their kids, she fell in love with the idea of being a mom. She is one of the positive, happiest people you have ever met! In fact, she has written a book called 6 Steps to Fewer Days That Suck. What a great title! She was 38 when she had her son and now he's in his 20's, living in Minnesota. She struggled with balancing it all. She was exhausted through motherhood because she was so stressed about making sure everything was "good." She wishes she would have taken more time to "chill." She says living in the moment is important. Her husband was her biggest supporter and is still the doting father. He was always a very active dad and he used to have their son strapped to him. He has always LOVED being a dad. Her best mama moment was when her son went to college! As a helicopter mom, she was so proud! She encourages you to understand that if people are not kind to you, it's not something YOU need to worry about. Disengage from toxic people. Confidence, resilience and positivity are the three life skills you need for this life. Find the things in life that are positive because all things are contagious and if you go down the negative road, that's what you will attract. You can find her at thedailydecisions.com.

Dr. Jann Blackstone is a Jan of all trades as a behavioral scientist because she studies people's behaviors. She likes to call it mediation to bring people together. She predominantly works with co-parents to get families to be able to parent in a cohesive way for everyone in the family. A bonus family is basically a step-family but she didn't like the word "step." That word was just too negative. THe biggest need of a bonus family is acceptance. All of the people in the family need to feel nurtured and accepted and that all starts with acceptance. The logistics of a bonus family are really important to make everyone feel comfortable and "at home." She coined the phrase "bonus" as how the family can all work together. Bonus means a reward for a job well done. Once you feel like you are part of the family, then you want to be involved and you will respect your bonus parents. She says there can't be too many people who love your child. Everyone is different and that's what the acceptance thing is all about. Comparing is when things go badly. You need to reach out for help to have a relationship because putting the kids first should be your priority. Using the children as the criteria for all decisions. Modeling apologies for your kids is really important. She isn't saying you can't fight in front of your kids. BUT what you can do, is disagree but then when things are calmed down, model the "I'm sorry." Using the words that you want your children to learn, and model in the real world. When you tell your kiddo NOT to do something, you need do tell them what TO do. Also, when parents are splitting up, try to talk to them together and what those kids really want to know is how this is going to affect THEIR life. Kids are egocentric and that's their job. As children get older, you are going to have to repeat yourself many times. As they grow, their cognitive ability has changed and they need reassurance. Adding children to a bonus family all comes down to communication and respect so that the unknown isn't feared. You can find Dr. Jann Blackstone at https://bonusfamilies.com/ She wrote a book called The Bonus Family Handbook and is found on Amazon and all places where books are sold!

Angela Tipton runs a website called fireyourcareer. She believes in empowering other women to live their truths. She became a mom at the age of 30 because she focused on creating her career. She had a tough time balancing her career and personal ambitions with being a mom. She didn't want to set aside her career but finding the time to be 100% at both. Her husband has been her biggest supporter and was truly her 50% parenting partner. She also has some family around her in Oregon. Her mother- in-law and aunt were two of her biggest supporters and she doesn't know how she would have done it all without them. Choosing her best mama moment was tough because she has so many great memories and times with her two boys. She took her eldest skiing for the first time and was so impressed with his tenacity and the chance to watch him enjoy a sport that she loved was a highlight in her mamahood journey. Her worst mama moment came during Covid when childcare wasn't available and figuring out all of the dynamics behind all of that was really tough. She wishes she would have known that parenting was harder than she ever thought it would be. But she also learned that she is getting through it and you can work things out. Preparenting she had lots of opinions but they didn't turn out to be very realistic. Going with the flow is so important in parenting. At Fire Your Career is all about living life on YOUR terms. The pursuit of what makes you happy is so important, especially financial freedom. She has a free ebook on her website. Check it out!

Riana Milne is a coach and psychotherapist for parents. She specializes in childhood and relationship trauma. 100% of us have childhood trauma because sometimes it comes from 3 generations. She is a mama of two very empowered ladies as a single mom. She uses the theory of mindset for success, she created a modeling agency. She has written 13 books and has a podcast all about relationships. She believes in empowering women to be healed in order to be the best mom they can be. When you know what childhood trauma is, you can change how you parent and how your kiddos grow. She teaches people about the top 10 childhood traumas: Alcohol or addiction issues, verbal messaging, emotional abuse or neglect, physical abuse, abandonment, foster care or adoption, personal trauma, sibling trauma, community and family trauma, mental health issues with mom or dad are the top 10 traumas that absolutely touch 100% of people. Understanding what traumas are in your past can help you understand your own behaviors and how you parent. The first step to healing is identifying your traumas and then working through those traumas. Parents have a direct impact on who their kids become and watching what you say and how you encourage or don't encourage makes a huge difference. Plant the positives. Riana works 100% virtually and can help any parent to help them become the best parent and human that they can be. Rianamilne.com is where you can find her. She has free book downloads and tests and quizzes. Her podcast is called Lessons in Life and Love. Check her out because her expertise can really help you.

Kim Keane is a mom of two daughters and lives in Pennsylvania who also helps women through their healing journey through sound healing and reiki. Using vibrational frequency helps healing through tuning into your chakras. She was 27 when she became a mom and her biggest challenge has been letting go of perfectionism. This was a huge issue because both girls are strong willed and arguing with "yourself" is really hard. Motherhood hasn't always been a fun journey until she healed her own trauma and could see that she couldn't expect perfectionism from them or herself. She felt she was on her own since her husband worked a ton and often struggled with frustrations of teaching Kindergarten and having kids who didn't listen at work and at home. Her husband is her biggest supporter now and all of the things that we are responsible for and transport kids where they need to be. Her mom has always been the pitch hitter in the family when she needed her. Her best mama moment is watching the sisterhood relationship that has developed with her daughters. Having them spill the tea with her makes her realize that she has done a good job to cultivate the trust. Her worst mama moments came with her lack of patience. Again, it came back to her own need to control the situation. She wishes she would have known she didn't need other people's validation or opinions. You are setting yourself up for disappointment because other people's opinions don't matter in the long run. She wants moms to know that it's ok to ask for help and it's ok to care for yourself (whatever that looks like for you). Kim wants to help moms and you can find her at kimkeane.com Find our Podcast on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTKJ9WwE Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfcrreYg Or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5hf6hz

Aureen Monteiro is an author of a book called Rise Higher, to manage stress for women in higher profile positions. She became a mom at 27 with her one and only baby girl. She is a teenager now and it's been a roller coaster as a mama of a teenager! The spectrum of emotions is something she didn't see coming. She was worried she would lose her connection with her preteen but she learned that she needed to listen more and talk less. Evolving as a mom as our kids evolve is so important. Tweaking your communication methods is essential in order to continue the relationship in a positive way. Her biggest challenge as a new mom was the unintended c-section and breastfeeding. It truly takes a village to raise a child. She had a village and sometimes that wasn't enough. There are nights when you just sit and cry right alongside your kiddos. Her daughter made her proud when she was in 5th grade when she wrote her own book. She had her own book published about being bullied and how to get through that. They are both writing books simultaneously and it's a really wonderful way to connect with each other. Her least favorite mama moment was when she realized she had an identity crisis. She went from being Aureen to only being her daughter's mom. Losing your own identity is hard. Be open to listening to what your kids share without judgement. Their way of communicating might be different than the ways you expect but give them the time and space. Be willing to pivot your communication ways! She used to wish she would have had a manual but learning alongside her daughter has been an amazing 14 years. Her website is risefromtheash.com where you can learn more about her journey and how to manage stress.

Jalisa Hardy joined us from Maryland, where she is a publisher, author and all around amazing single mama. She got pregnant with her second only 6 weeks after giving birth to her first at 30 weeks! She struggled with landing in her body again. The biggest challenge she faced was the person she chose to have her kids with. She wanted her kids to grow up in a non-broken home so she and her parents moved in together and they are neighbors with her sister and her kids. Intergenerational living is amazing! Her co-parent chose to walk away from her and his three kids so she pulled herself up and did the bravest thing she could do. Her mom has always been her biggest supporter and she was right there with her through all of it. She even thought at one point that her kids would be better off without her but thanks to her mom and her therapist, she realized that wasn't true and kept putting one foot in front of the other. Monster mom comes out sometimes but she does the best she can to prove to her kids that no matter how broken you are, you keep picking yourself up and learn from it to move on. Giving yourself grace is so important and our kids give it to us so we need to give it to ourselves. These moments teach our kids that no one has to be perfect. The best apology is changed behavior. She wishes she would have known what a roller coaster mamahood can be. Embrace the moments of the ups and downs! Some days all you can feel is "I kept the little people alive," and that's more than enough! jalisahardy.com is where you can find her. She has a blog, books, webinars, and her youtube channel! Check her out! @jalisathegoldenchild

Shakila Marando Is the owner of Doulas by the Bay in San Francisco, CA. She had a tough time with breastfeeding and realized that other moms needed that help too. She started working as a nanny and then accidentally started working with a family who taught her about what a doula is and what they do. She love it and that started her journey to help other moms. She puts herself in the shoes of the other moms so she can touch the families and make a difference in their worlds. Lived experience speaks volumes as a doula and she loves to normalize the struggles of motherhood. She trains her other doulas that normalizing them and their experiences. Moms deserve support and should be the priority after birth and her organization starts with moms and also supports babies and partners. Her best mama moment is right now with grown children who are good humans who truly love one another. Her worst mama moment happened recently while the California's 2025 fires and being separated from her family on opposite sides of the state. She wishes she would have known that parenting is harder than she thought and having support is essential. She also wants moms to understand that mama guilt is normal but when you don't fill your own cup, you can't fill others. Sometimes prioritizing YOURSELF is really important.

Sara Nudd is a mama of 4 with a heart bigger than you can imagine. Her birth story with her first, at the age of 21 was traumatic and heart wrenching, on top of having no support or knowledge of what being a mom would be like. She struggled and struggled but after 3 more kiddos, she realized that she was suffering with PPD. Her life now is super full and her favorite mama moments are when all 6 of her family are together (including the senior Golden Doodle who is her soulmate!). She is almost finished with her Nurse Practitioner Degree and will specialize in Maternal Mental health. She has been a pediatric nurse for years and owns her own business called The Mama Co-op (find her here:themamacoop.com). She understands the need for good sleep and how that can completely derail your life. Her practice focuses on ensuring families have the resources they need to thrive and not just survive. You have not met a more genuine, lovely human as Sara Nudd. We are honored to have her as a YANA Board of Directors!

Julie Morey is a school social worker who does a lot for single moms because she chose to become a single mom by a donor with an unconventional motherhood journey. Her goal is to do a TEDx. She empowers women to write their own story and make decisions for themselves instead of waiting around for Prince Charming. She thought things were going to be more difficult than they were but she created a situation that worked. She believed in having a village and lived in an area that was walkable because it was important to her to have the availability of getting out of the house when she needed it. Being a 40 year old first time mom was a great choice for her because she was older, wiser and didn't sweat the small things. She had some great help along the way and was open to accepting it (which is such a great trait!). Her best friends were her biggest supporters and created an open experience for her birthing experience and allowed many friends and families to experience it with her. Her little girl is her travel buddy and they have been to numerous countries together. She also has a fear in the back of her mind that she could lose her and that causes some mama anxiety. Julie was well prepared to be a mom (at the age of 40) but things she wished she would have known was that you need to stop sweating the small stuff. You can make mistakes and your child will survive! She was rigid at the beginning but now she has learned that she has to let go of some of the things that she thought were so important. You can find her at juliemorey.substack.com or on instagram at the.unconventional.mom.

Savannah Becerril is the Assistant Program Director of the Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies program for our nonprofit, YANA. She has done a lot in the marketing world before coming to YANA including social media, websites and small business expansion. She was a teen mom at the age of 18, is currently a foster mom to a 16 year old, a mom to a 13 year old and a 6 year old. She has so many different ages and personalities in her house that her life is chaotic on a daily basis! Her biggest challenge of being a teen mom was building a mama village. Her village has come but it took some time. Being a single, teen mom was so difficult but didn't think she needed the help. As she grew in her motherhood journey, she was really lucky to marry into a family who truly stepped up and became an amazing mother-in-law, giving her the support she didn't even know she needed. She has been a mom for 18 years and finding the joy in motherhood isn't always easy to find but all the small moments of being a present parent. Her worst mama moment was when her youngest son, who was 11 months old was in the school when an active shooter was shooting up the school. Her son is the youngest child on record of being in a school shooting. This is NOT something you want to be known as and the unknown time when she didn't know where her son was or if he was safe, was the worst day of her life. She wishes she would have known that teenagers are really tough and maybe been a little more prepared even if she doesn't know what that means. Parenting in 2024 is not for the weak at heart.

Kalissa Braga is the Regional Program Coordinator for the Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies program through our nonprofit, YANA. She has quite a birthing story with her 3 babies. She was diagnosed with PCOS as a teenager so she knew getting pregnant was going to be a struggle so they started with Clomid to get the process started and sure enough, she was able to get pregnant after the second round! She struggled with breastfeeding and had no support nor did she know what she was doing. She thought pumping and feeding would be such a great way to feed her new baby but boy did she realize that wasn't easier! She found out she was spontaneously pregnant 18 months later but lost that baby. After lots of fertility treatments and IUI's and after 9 rounds of IUI's, she finally found out she was pregnant, right before they were going to start IVF! They moved from Iowa to Colorado with her mom and dad, having family close by for the first time in her life! She was so excited to have a 2 ½ year old and about to give birth to number 2, was helping her mom start a business, moved to another state and her water broke! The birthing center she was supposed to deliver at didn't have the capabilities she needed so off to the hospital they went (NOT the plan!). Incompetent medical providers made it quite the story but she eventually had her second baby but she wasn't crying and it was a traumatic situation from start to finish. They started the fertility process again quickly, including IUI's and Progesterone shots. After 5 IUI's and were about to start IVF treatments when she finally got pregnant…AGAIN on the last IUI! She was almost rushed into emergency surgery to stop the hemorrhaging that happened because of a "piece of placenta that was left." She is blessed to have her 3 but was told she had to stop having babies because of her inability to stop bleeding. This was heartbreaking and sad for her but at the age of 32 she had to have a hysterectomy. Her story hopefully will encourage you that it CAN happen for you, even when you think you might not.

Jessica Jamison is a therapist and personal trainer in the eating disorder and body image space. She found herself there because of her own journey. When she couldn't get pregnant, she needed to find ways to do things differently. She specializes in women who need help finding themselves. When she finally decided to have kids, it took her over 2 years to get pregnant with her first but it took years for her to slow down and take care of herself with love and respect for her own body. The pressure of new moms to "bounce back" and get back to their pre pregnancy weight is unrealistic and ridiculous. She feels like she adjusted to her first baby really well. It took over 2 years so she seemed to "have it together" but after the second baby, she realized she was NOT ready for that. Her kiddos didn't get along from the beginning and that was hard on her mama heart. She had to be physically in between the 2 kids because she was concerned for the safety of the baby because her son was NOT happy about having another child in the mix. Sibling rivalry is a REAL thing and can derail a whole family and the dynamics in the household. She has had a lot of support from her parents as a mama and has childcare by her parents! She is super lucky to have them available to her. Her worst mama moment came with her first and only panic attack due to an irrational fear of something happening to her daughter. She had a miscarriage before giving birth to her daughter and she believes the fact that she didn't truly process the grief of her loss was a catalyst to her panic attack. She wishes she would have known how much she would change. Her beliefs, values, and priorities have all shifted. You genuinely change when you become a mom. That's NORMAL and ok. You can find Jessica at Revolutionhc.com Her Facebook group is called dumbbells and donuts and is specifically for women struggling with food, fitness and body image. Check it out.

Nicole Majik was a chemist over 16 years but almost died of mercury poisoning. She has had a business for almost 17 years to help people overcome their limiteding beliefs and step into their authentic selves. She has a genetic mutation (that she didn't know she had) that doesn't allow her body to metabolise heavy metals and the exposure to them in her job created a catastrophic situation where she couldn't even speak! She was in chronic pain and it took 18 months to get the metals out of her body and cost thousands of dollars! She had to diagnose herself and figure it out for herself. She is now healthy, happy and doing well but it was something she doesn't wish on her worst enemy. She is a mom of 4 and started having kiddos at 24. She is a mom to a 25, 22, 19 and 15 year old. She was pregnant with her first baby and the doctors told her that the baby was not "well" but they couldn't ever figure out why. She decided at that time that she couldn't control what that outcome was going to be so she was going to let it be what it was and accept it. As a parent, we have to learn that we can't control what paths our kids take and sometimes we have to just sit back and watch, hoping that what we taught our kids is enough to keep them safe, happy and healthy (however that looks for them). She believes we are all meant to follow our own divine alignment. Nicole is the Empowerment Alchemist and you can find her on all social medias with Nicole Majik or nicolemajik.com

Whitney Frost is not only the Founder and CEO of The Riley Center for Hope and Healing as well as a Board member for YANA! Her center takes all insurances including Medicaid and are on a sliding scale! Her journey has been a rough one. She had 5 losses between the 2 earth-side girls and her two pregnancies were very high risk! She has two sassy girls, who obviously get their sassiness from their dad! She is working hard at leaving her work at work and needing to be PRESENT for her girls. Being a working mom is close to impossible and we are often so overwhelmed by things like packing lunches! The jobs that moms are expected to fit into our days are never ending! Her hubby is her biggest cheerleader and biggest support but also part of the challenge (like most spouses). With postpartum OCD, she has struggled with moments of needing to be perfect even today. Traveling is the time when it tends to come out more. She wishes there would have been a handbook of things to understand. Her baby had 2 heart defects and postpartum depression is really hard. She wishes there was a playbook for motherhood. But the surprises just keep coming. You can find her at theryliecenter.com

Christi Gmyr is a mental health counselor in upstate New York who virtually specializes in helping moms with managing and understanding all of the things it takes to be a mom. She had her own Covid baby but then had a 4 year old at home with her too during the pandemic. Mothering the 2 at a time was really challenging when she expected to have her 4 year old in preschool and having one-on-one time with the new baby. She had an idea of what it would look like but life changes and is different than we think it is going to be. The unknown is one of the hardest parts of parenting because when we become moms, we realize so much about it outside of our control. Many moms have expectations of themselves even though they have never been in this place before. Moms are always expected to be supportive of others. Judgements are just opinions and the nature of opinions is that everyone has a different one. We get to decide who we get to listen to and whose opinion we want to listen to. We have expectations of ourselves AND of others. The messages we get from others can really derail us as moms. Moms struggle with losing friendships but good friends will be flexible and honor the fact that having a baby changes your availability. Life changes, people change and we need to be flexible about our relationships too. Watching her children show kindness are her best mama moments and her worst mama moments were during the pandemic when she lost her "cool." We ALL have those moments and beating ourselves up doesn't serve anyone! She is a coach of stressed out mamas who have demanding careers, helping them overcome burnout, resentment and guilt Check her out at ChristiGmyrcoaching.com

Sarah Boes is a multifaceted mama who started her own business during covid but sold it and moved into advocacy. She found out that her daughter had congenital heart disease and has 4 heart conditions! With numerous ultrasounds, she thought she was going to have a healthy, happy baby. She also found out that she had OCD and her baby became her obsession. Her daughter will have to have numerous heart surgeries as she grows. Her spouse was her biggest supporter but she also had a postpartum doula who changed her whole motherhood journey. Her daughter has had a lot of medical issues throughout the last two and a half years but she is healthy, happy and doing amazing but it has been quite the journey. She was frustrated with how the after birth process worked and the lack of support she had in the NICU. She advocates for Congenital Health Disease awareness on Capitol Hill! She has been unseen and unheard and diagnosed in her 30's with OCD after years of therapy. One in 100 babies will be born with a heart defect! She is out in the world, making sure people know about it! Find her at SarahMichelleBoes.com

Dr. Bragg is a doctor in Norfolk, Virginia who treats people with non-surgical solutions for orthopedic and spinal problems. She is a pain management physician who does comprehensive pain management with as little pain meds as possible. She isn't completely against opioids but has treated over 20,000 people. She has been working with pain management since 1995! She wrote a book after taking care of her mom and it sparked her need to help others with their pain. Women are more apt to have back pain because of their daily routines. Moms can do small things to alleviate back pain and injury. The routine changes can make or break you (and your back!). Exercise during pregnancy is really important if approved by your doctor as well and after birth you will benefit from those efforts. Her YouTube channel is called Dr. Winifred Bragg and you can hear some of her tips and tricks! You can find her website at www.knockoutpain.com and can download a chapter of her book there.

Margot Bisnow spent 20 years working for the government and then her oldest son started a company and she decided she wanted to get involved! She joined his young entrepreneurs and most of them had people who believed in them. Most of the time, that person was their mom. Her book is called Raising an Entrepreneur and she interviewed 70 entrepreneurs and their moms to learn about how the support of a mom helped shape who they became. She has learned a lot from these interviews and what parents seem to want for their kids. She is a mom to kiddos in their thirties where she travels to visit them now. She was ambivalent about being a mom and she loved her life. She didn't feel a gap and since she had done the big career thing first, she felt secure and took 6 weeks off with her first. With her second child, 20 months apart from her first son, she wanted to have them close enough in age so they could be friends. She had a nanny to help with the kids and felt great about that relationship. She tells moms that they have three choices…they can not work and feel guilty, they can work full time and feel guilty or they can work part time and STILL feel guilty! For her book, she interviewed 70 entrepreneurs and learned so much and really enjoyed learning what she could about the different family dynamics and the fact that they were all basically raised the same. ALL of them had an interest outside of school and their parents supported them in it. Supporting your kiddos looks different for each parent and however you are supporting your kiddos is best for you and them. Be proud of who you are and how you are parenting!

Susan Caso is a mom of 3 and a therapist who works with teens and adults for many years. She lives in Boulder, Colorado and is also an author of a book called the The Parent-Teen Connection. She gave birth in Denver but had such an interesting experience where the nurses took her baby to the nursery anytime she fell asleep. She wanted that baby near her! Her biggest challenge was having her third child at the age of 43! That rocked her world. To have a child later in life, you have so many different things with the older kiddos but then you have the newborn to feed during the night. Advanced Maternal Age is a horrible way to say it to a mom who may already be fragile. She has a sister who was a huge support and lots of friends but her husband is an incredible support for her. Having a spouse who understands you and is a team with you. Empathy plays such a huge role in marriage and life! Susan's mama moments are when they are all in the same house together. Thanksgiving is one of her favorite times to all be under the same roof. Her worst mama moments were when she didn't handle things better when her kids were younger. She wishes she could go back and change how she reacted to the bickering. Dropping her kids off at college was also one of the hardest part of motherhood. She wishes she would have known she didn't have to be a perfect parent. As an anxious mom, she worried too much about being perfect. Let it go mama!

Cheryl Chiasson is a mom of 3 boys with quite the story. They took in a young man who had a TON of trauma and took him in. With her first two babies, she said she struggled with PPD and intrusive thoughts. She struggled and had no idea what she was struggling with because no one talked about it. Her biggest supporters were both men. First, her husband and second, her father in law (crazy that it was two men!!!). She had the support but didn't ask for help and didn't accept the help because she thought she had to do it all herself. Her best mama moments come when she is now watching her boys be kind to other people and serve others as well as watching her son find happiness, love and when she danced with him at his wedding. How they treat others and go out into the world is both through nature and nurture and being proud of the job you have done as a mom is an important aspect of motherhood. Her biggest regret is raising her voice but because of her childhood and living in a domestic violence situation as a child, she never wanted to have this situation in her own home. When she did raise her voice, she was hard on herself because of the trauma she anticipated she extended to her boys. She wishes she would have known that perfection should not be a goal, that it's ok not to be ok, to ask for help and accept it when offered. Take the time to be with others besides your kids. You have to be a full person without them too. It's ok for their dad to be with them without you and it's ok to take some time for yourself.

Kimberly Vines lives in North Carolina with her three littles (just moved there 2 weeks ago) and is excited to start their new adventure on the east coast. She and her husband lived in an RV for a few years to climb rocks and travel around Colorado. She loves trying new recipes and exploring the outdoors. She was 30 with her first baby and although they were living it up and rock climbing and being nomads, they decided it was time to get serious about starting a family. She was doing the best she could holding onto a full time job while parenting a new baby full time and things worked out during COVID to regroup and started to find herself again. She found mom friends and then realized she wasn't living her "truth." She is doing what she can to extend herself to others and make sure she is connecting with other moms. Parenting is like doing improv every single day. WIth three kids you have to let go of the structure 100% of the time because helicopter parenting is not the answer either. As a first time mom, her sister-in-law was three months ahead of her in pregnancy and she was her biggest supporter. Peer moms are so important to the mamahood journey. Watching her baby wake up smiling from ear to ear makes her day every morning and the pride she has in her oldest daughter and her drive to be who she is makes her proud. Her worst mama moment came when she left her 3 year old son at the park when he wandered off. Who hasn't had that fear in the pit of their stomach? The identity switch you go through is a huge part of being a mom and she wishes she would have known that reaching out to other mamas is essential to your mental health. Take care of each other.

Kristin Goodwin is an amazing badass! She was a pilot as a Brigadier General and served over 30 years in the Air Force. As a woman, graduating from the Air Force Academy and doing flight school at 21, she decided she needed to think ahead to the family she wanted to have. At the age of 25, she wasn't living her authentic life and came to terms with being gay and what that meant to be in the military under Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT). She put her dreams of having a family on hold for 13 years until DADT was repealed. She was so excited to start a family, she rushed into a relationship to have all the things she wanted…being a mom! She had a lot of struggles as a new mom, working for a 4 star general as a new mom being one of them! The pressures were HUGE, the postpartum was rough and she struggled with the emotions of motherhood, unsupportive spouse AND the 12-14 hour days at work. She wanted to be true to herself but couldn't really do that with her job and SHOULD have taken the help but didn't feel like she could (for many reasons). As a new mom, her biggest supporters were her mom and step-dad who ended up staying through the COVID pandemic to help and that was a Godsend. Her best mama moments come so often but finding out she was pregnant with her second daughter was so special since she had to use IVF for that pregnancy. Her worst mama moment was in the delivery of her first baby girl. She counted 16 people in the room and realized she might lose her daughter and that was life changing. She LOVED being pregnant and was glowing and after doing an Iron Man triathlon, and being in amazing shape (and still is!), she thought she could do a natural labor and she labored for over 13 hours because her daughter got stuck. She actually had her second daughter 2 years and 1 day later and she came out in minutes! She actually had 2 babies who were exactly the same weight and length! She said she was pretty naive and thought labor was going to be a bit painful but HOLY MOLY it's way harder than she thought it would be. She also wishes she would have realized that her body would never be the same. Like EVER. She wants moms to know that they are not alone! Kristin and her wife, Dr. Traci have a coaching business called Delta-V. They can be found at thedelta-v.com where they help with one-on-one coaching, executive team building and leadership development. Check them out, because they are truly two of the most amazing badass women you will ever meet.

In this episode of HRtbeat, the Highlands Ranch podcast, Jake Freedle welcomes back Nikki Brooker, founder of the nonprofit YANA, (You Are Not Alone), for an inspiring update on her organization's work in providing vital support to new moms. YANA's program, Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies, now operates in three hospitals, offering comprehensive, year-long support to mothers, including personal outreach, community gatherings and digital resources. Nikki shares the tremendous impact of their 96% acceptance rate, emphasizing how this unique program fills a gap in maternal care, especially during the challenging first year. She discusses the importance of community and mental health support, touching on YANA's funding journey, including grants from Douglas County and encouraging donations for the upcoming Colorado Gives Day. To get involved or support their mission, visit yanamom.com and tune in to hear more about the organization's next steps and heartwarming stories. We talked about: Journey of expanding YANA's hospital partnerships, now reaching three hospitals. How Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies connects moms with weekly gatherings, an app and direct support. Role of Douglas County's grant and other funding to help sustain YANA's free services for moms. The $60 per mom cost for providing year-long, wraparound support, showcasing YANA's efficiency. YANA's goal, to combat isolation in motherhood and to build a supportive "village" for maternal mental health. Learn more about Nikki Brooker: Visit her website https://yanamom.com/ Get to know her new program https://yanamom.com/strong-mamas-program/ Show your support https://www.coloradogives.org/donate/yanam2m Listen to her podcast https://yanamom.com/lets-be-real-podcast/ Find her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yanam2m/ Connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yanam2m Follow her on Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@yanam2m

Bracha Goetz is an author of 42 children's books that help children's souls to shine as well as a memoir called Nourish the Soul. She has 6 grown kids and 36 grandchildren with two more on the way. Bracha was 24 when she started having kids and he's now 44 years old! She went to Harvard and medical school but went to Israel for the summer and didn't come back to medical school. She met her husband and lived there for 10 years. She came back to America to take care of her parents. She has been in the states for 30 years but they are making their way back to Israel. They had 5 kiddos in Israel and one in Baltimore. Raising 5 kids in Israel was really hard without family around but she moved to a small settlement with a great network of friends who were all settlers and pioneers of this settlement. Her best mama moment is seeing the amazing grandchildren her kids are raising. She devoted her energy, her time and her talents in her kids and now sees all of those fruits of her labor in her grandkids. She spends her time ensuring people know that you can be extremely intelligent and choose to put your time and effort into being the best mom and homemaker you can be. Her worst mama moment was way back when she dropped her first baby as an infant. She was terrified that she hurt her own baby. She had no experience as a caretaker so she was a fish out of water. Until she connected with other mothers, she was lonely and had no idea that the difficult times aren't going to last forever. Now looking back, everything was a blur and it's hard to remember all of the rough days. Take a deep breath and know that this too shall pass. She also wants you to value the little things with your kids. Cuddling and reading books were her bonding time and that lead to what she's doing now. She thinks one of the most important things to instill in kids is gratitude. This creates happiness for life. Bracha is the grateful granny! You can find her at www.growingimpactpublications.com

As a mama of 4 and grandma of 8, Susan May has been in the "mothering business" for quite awhile. She was a substitute teacher for over 20 years and she is also a writer and has published many novels including harlequin novels and a nonfiction about her son and his heart transplant. Her author name is Susan Carlisle. Her oldest just turned 40 and they share a birthday! She has been married for 42 years after attending Auburn University. She had 4 (almost) under 4 and had a busy house but didn't think that through when it came to paying for college! Empty nesting together wasn't hard on her because she was so excited to watch them fly! Her youngest son was born with a heart condition and needed surgery and possibly a transplant. He is one of the oldest people on record who is living with a heart transplant. Her biggest supporter during early motherhood was her mom, who stepped in with the other three while she spent a lot of time in the hospital with her youngest who needed the heart transplant. Her best mama moment is when the entire family is sitting at one big long table. NO kids table. EVERYONE at one table is her favorite part of being a mama and grandma. She wants mamas to know that things are survivable. Being proactive for your kids because there is no alternative. Fight for what you know they need. She wishes she would have known that being a mom is a lot of work! She did things in the "acceptable" order with school, marriage and kids but that doesn't work for everyone. She has learned how unbelievably strong you can love another human being. She also believes that everyone is going to get their season. Each kiddo will need you at different times. You can find Susan at susanCarlisle.com or susancmay.com.

Meera Ishaya is an Ishaya monk and a mom! After becoming extremely depressed, leaving her the feeling that she didn't want to be alive anymore, and that turned into a whole new world for her. She thinks that trying to prove that she was a good mom, the most depressed she became. Being a monk has opened up a whole new world. She has published numerous books but her first is about coming back to being who you are. Being authentically YOU is essential. Being a monk is about learning that we are all one. It takes away the mind chatter and grounds you. She came to this world after thinking, "there has to be more to life than this." And she found it by being an Ishaya monk. Her two kiddos have helped to keep her grounded. Aftering having her kiddos, she struggled with massive pain along with mental health issues. She had Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction which was excruciating and she was struggling to stay alive. She was on crutches and couldn't walk but then had to get back to "normal" through excruciating pain and physical therapy including having someone dress her! She was pushed to another place where she found 100% peace. When you open yourself up to the possibilities of what's out there, things come to you. Her biggest supporter was her husband and when she finally found her "people" in Spain at this retreat where she felt 100% supported. Her best mama moment was when her daughter said, "I couldn't have gotten through this without you, I love you." It feels good when you are appreciated and supported by the people you love the most. She wishes she would have known how to mediate and to not punish. Less is more and through meditation she has let go of a lot of the stress she was experiencing. You can find her at her youtube channel and website boundless-meditation.co.uk Check out her episode at https://yanamom.com/lets-be-real-podcast/

Erin Barry is a divorced mom of three adult kiddos with a combined family and now a mom of 6 with a new baby granddaughter. She is a life coach working to help people find their real, authentic selves. She lives in Minnesota and is a soccer referee and enjoys doing that with her daughter. She was 27 when she had her first and has enjoyed watching them all become adults. Her biggest challenge as a mom has been mental health and chronic hives with one of her kiddos. Trying to manage those issues and having NO control of the issues is so hard as a mom. As moms, we are supposed to be the ones who "fix" things and sometimes we just can't. She had a lot of great support through her family when she was having her babies because she lived close enough to them. With a mom who was a daycare provider, she was blessed to have her as the caretaker of her kids. It was always important to her that her kids have good relationships with each other and listening to them empower each other is part of her favorite parts of being a mama. She wishes she would have known about time adjustments needed to be made when you have children. You might think you are busy now but just wait! Breastfeeding isn't natural for everyone and sometimes outside pressures made her feel like she didn't have a choice and it was terrible. She wants moms to know that creating traditions is important and those are some of her best memories. Create your own traditions and cherish them. Also, have grace with yourself, especially with life balance. You need to foster relationships, especially with yourself. You can find Erin at liveyourtruthjouney.com

Juliana Mackin is a mom of three working in PR firms and managing technology groups but has decided to open her own businesses. Her mama journey started later in life because her husband is 5 years younger but the positives of being an older mom is that she has more financial stability to work in a career first. She feels like she knows more about herself as well and that has been a huge positive. The mom guilt never goes away but has learned to accept that. Her biggest challenge has been the struggles of taking on too much and moved to the states from the UK and when she was overwhelmed with all of the mamahood challenges and hormonal changes she says that was really hard but since that was her first baby, she then knew that it was normal to feel that way with babies number 2 and 3. She didn't bond at first with baby number 3 and she realized how normal that was too. Her best mama moments are when her kids progress and are growing and showing pride in themselves. Her 5 year old got up in front of a crowd of people and played his ukulele and her daughter sang and to watch them be proud of themselves was a great feeling. Her worst mama moments are when she is frustrated with them and sometimes shows those frustrations and expresses her stress. She wishes she would have known what it truly is like to be a mom because with number three, she seems to have it more "together." But don't we learn that as we go and our kids' personalities could also be more nurture than nature. She wants you to know that anything you are feeling guilty about is probably normal and other moms are feeling the same way. Don't beat yourself up!

Suzanne Jamieson lives in Santa Monica, California and is a mom of a 9 and 12 year old. She went to school to be a performer and after being a mom, decided that chasing the audition wasn't in the cards. She couldn't find a lullaby album for her baby so she created her own! Her new album is called Love Is and is available wherever you stream music. The idea behind this album was the silo-ing of our country and the division and hate. The album explores what love is, different kinds of love and how to actionably show love to every part of our lives. Funneling the great ideas for kids into music, why not use music as a positive vehicle for it. She's a DOer and she figured out what she needed and created it. She found mama circles in LA and that changed her mama journey in so many ways because she realized how important your community is for your own mental health and parenting. Her best mama moments are all the little things like having a teacher say that her child is empathetic or other fleeting moments that she savors. Her worst mama moment is something she can laugh about now but back then it was a huge issue that made her question her own mental health at the time. She wishes she would have known that this is the LOOOOONG game…in 20 years will THIS matter? Are you teaching them your values? Are you teaching them the good? Look at parenting from a broader perspective and not just should they eat that bag of chips? Showing your kids that you care about your own life too and your passions mean something too. If you stop loving yourself and pursuing the things you care about, you take away the pot of love and show your kids that you don't matter. Self awareness is really important too. You can join her monthly newsletter by signing up through her website at suzannejamiesonsings.com