Peer Support Artist

As well as being a mother myself to a sassy 3 year old, I am an artist, a crafter, a poet, a tattooer, and used to be an educational assistant for many years (so teaching is something I deeply cherish). I live with my son, dog and husband, Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, Insomnia, and recently Bipolar 2 (I know right? It’s a full house ;). I’ve been living with my depression for more of my life than not. And if you want to know about my journey through that and postpartum depression, I’m an absolute open book. So I will be happy to take any of your questions. But my guess is that we will all have some knowledge to share about getting through the MOST MUNDANE moments of rewatching that one Sesame Street clip again that your kid must watch yet again. Or how lonely nap time can feel when your friends are all at work and you’re anxiously watching the baby monitor. Or how everyone in your stage of life is doing something completely different, but you have either the baby and they have the grown kids, or vice versa.

Therapist, MSW, RSW.

I recently became a mother (in the traditional sense of the word) after giving birth to my son at the end of March this past year. The transition from no children to now being wholly responsible for a tiny human has been a whirlwind, as it is for many of us. Beyond being a mother, I also have other hats (as we all do) like wife, friend, business owner, therapist, and more. Trying to balance these roles with being a parent can feel like an impossible feat. There are a lot of beliefs and expectations around motherhood that are painful and unfair. I find that the stories we tell ourselves about what motherhood “should” look like for us can be really harmful, but also quite hard to let go of at the same time. There can also be some gatekeeping around who gets to claim the role of mother and who is acknowledged as a mother. if being a mother has been part of your identity, my hope is that we can use crafting, community, and a little bit of group therapy to bring some collective healing.