This podcast is a way to continue the conversations around maternal mental health that were started in the award documentary Dark Side of the Full Moon. Over 1 million women a year still suffer in silence from very treatable disorders, so the hope is to have women continue to share their powerful narratives so others know they’re not alone.
Mission: Motherhood
Jaely is mom to George and Allen , and wife to her husband, Chris. She's also a Musician, Yoga Instructor, Doula, Birth Mentor, and the creator of Our Village Circle. Her mission for Our Village Circle is to create a space of authentic sharing, and elevate the voices of parents and professionals alike to demystify the realities of new parenthood.LINKSOur Village Circle
Katie Spencer is a mother of two beautiful children. She is also a passionate mental health advocate and has worked in the mental health field for over ten years. However, it was through her own personal journey where Katie's passion shifted to helping moms. Katie is a two-time survivor of perinatal mood & anxiety disorders. It was during her first pregnancy that she suffered from perinatal depression and postpartum anxiety. Katie's second child, a son, was born just hours after her mother passed away and just days before the pandemic shut down the country. Grief, lockdown, and changing hormones led to postpartum depression and anxiety. The lack of maternal mental health professionals led to an uphill fight for her life.Katie believes in the power of peer support and strongly believes sharing stories saves lives. She enjoys writing and sharing her story so other moms know there is hope. Katie resides near Scranton, PA with her husband, Matt, daughter Riley, son Jack and their dog, Dakota.The Valiant Momma Blog
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Christina is from a rural town in Missouri where she lives with her husband and eleven-year-old son. When her son was six days old, Christina experienced a mental health crisis when she was overcome with postpartum psychosis. Following a week stay in the hospital, Christina also experienced severe postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, which led to two more hospital stays before she stabilized. Christina is a very passionate maternal mental health advocate and believes that shared experiences not only give hope to those currently struggling, but also provides invaluable insight to healthcare providers.LINKSTina's BlogLoving Your Child Through Postpartum Psychosis and Postpartum Depression
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Valerie Lynn is one of the leading New Motherhood Experts in the United States. She resided in Asia for 16 years with 12 years spent in Malaysia. Valerie, known as The Mommy Planner, has been a major force in introducing and modernizing traditional after birth recovery practices, more specifically the Malay traditions, and treatments to women globally. She researched wrote and published her first book, The Mommy Plan, in Malaysia through the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Traditional Complementary Medicine department where she conducted interviews in hospitals and in the field. Her subsequent cookbook, The Mommy Plan Recipe Book: Healing Meals: Simple Recipes for New Moms are recipes based on the postnatal nutritional guidelines in her first book. The Mommy Plan is endorsed by several leading childbirth educational organizations in the U.S. and internationally with it being required reading for postpartum doula courses. Valerie is Postpartum Support International Country (PSI) Co-coordinator for Malaysia and unofficially for APEC; an international organization in 138 countries. She is on the Board of Directors for YASNITA, 'Women's Path to Success' a Malaysian NGO that trains women entrepreneurs in several areas including 'postnatal care'. Valerie is also a Board Member of the International Maternity Institute and the After Birth Project in the U.S. She is also an approved speaker for Johnson & Johnson. Valerie resides in Brooklyn, New York and regularly travels to Malaysia. Valerie worked in the corporate world for many years holding positions such as Executive Director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Principal of VLM Consultancy where she was provided strategic consultancy services for foreign companies entering the Malaysian and APEC markets. THE MOMMY PLAN RECIPE BOOK - HEALING MEALS: SIMPLE RECIPES FOR NEW MOMS
In 2017, after a round-the-world trip, Chiara and her husband moved to Portland, OR, to start a family. They became parents in summer 2019. She didn't like being pregnant. She never got the pregnancy glow many women talk about. What she got, instead, was morning sickness for the first three months and acid reflux throughout the pregnancy. Her delivery was traumatic. The c-section was her worst-case scenario, which did indeed happen after four hours pushing because her son's head got stuck. She could keep it together during the surgery, but had a panic attack right after. Her husband took time off to help her, but when he went back to work, she developed anxiety and depression. She set up an appointment with a counselor, but as days went by, she realized that talking about her negative patterns made her feel worse. So she decided to listen to her body and connect with her intuition through meditation and other spiritual practices. This is how she found all the answers and healed. After she healed from postpartum depression and anxiety, she felt a deep desire to help other women.
Samantha is the mom of three kiddos. After the birth of her first son and again during the pregnancy with her second, she was riddled with anxiety, fear, obsessive and intrusive thoughts about any and all forms of harm coming to her children. Samantha began attending a newly formed PMAD support group and shortly thereafter became one of the groups facilitators. She is passionate about helping others not feel alone in navigating this journey and providing the best resources possible.
Courtney Ginder resides in Fishers, Indiana with her husband and daughter. She is a passionate maternal mental health advocate after surviving postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter during the COVID-19 pandemic, and believes deeply in the power of sharing stories to let others know they are not alone. She blogs at beyondpostpartumdepression.com and can be found on Instagram and Facebook at @beyondppd. In addition to blogging, she is also the co-leader for the Hamilton County, Indiana Climb Out of the Darkness event, raising awareness and over $10,000 for families impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She is also the Social Media Chair for the Postpartum Support International Indiana Chapter Board of Directors.
Jenny Petrucci lives in Rome. She had her son in 2019, just before the COVID lockdown and suffered with severe postpartum depression. She's now pregnant with her daughter, due February 2022, and searching for support in Italy. She reached out desperate to share her story for the very first time publicly.
Linda Zaffram received her Master of Social Work degree in 2002 from Virginia Commonwealth University. She works in Richmond, VA as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has spent 15+ years developing community outreach programs as well as program development and coordination in non-profit, government and the private sector. She developed a mental health program where she was the program manager, supervisor and clinician for the program that served adults who were indigent and underserved. She serves as field instructor and mentor for Master's level social work students through Virginia Commonwealth University. She owns a private practice providing therapy for ages 16+ adults with specialties in depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief/bereavement, perinatal mood disorders, maternal mental health, emotional, physical & sexual abuse, trauma and birth trauma. She has a certificate of completion in birth story listening through Birthing from Within; perinatal mood disorders and maternal mental health through PSI. Linda became a Certified Compassionate Bereavement Care provider, through the MISS Foundation, because she was inspired to work with individuals and families affected by traumatic grief, specifically perinatal loss, after her own miscarriage, traumatic births due to NAIT, NAIT mothers who have experienced perinatal loss and working in the birth community. She is a professional birth doula through ToLabor, a breastfeeding counselor through the Elizabeth Project/Lamaze International and acupressure for labor trained. She is a 200 hr certified Integral Yoga Teacher and Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher.
Michelle Wiersgalla, MD is a reproductive psychiatrist and psychopharmacology consultant. She attended college and medical school at the University of Wisconsin and did her psychiatry residency at the Harvard Longwood Program. Michelle has repeatedly been recognized as a Top Doctor in psychiatry. She has been a featured speaker at local and national conferences on the topics of perinatal mental health and psychopharmacological approaches to treatment. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two daughters.
Gabrielle Mauren, PhD, LP, PMH-C is a licensed psychologist and the lead of an award-winning (for innovation in clinical care) reproductive mental health program, which has a focus on helping parents who are struggling with mental health concerns related to pregnancy, postpartum, fertility issues and pregnancy loss. She is certified in perinatal mental health care. Dr. Mauren completed her undergraduate studies, graduate training, and postgraduate fellowship at the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. She has been a featured speaker on topics of perinatal mental health at local, national, and international conferences. Gabrielle has been a contributor for articles in parenting and women's interests' magazines. Additionally, she has participated in radio and television stories and podcasts on postpartum mood disorders and other reproductive mental health topics. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and daughter.
Camille is a mom of two boys and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. She works in the film industry as a producer. Camille loves international travel, and documentary filmmaking. In 2005 Camille produced a feature-length documentary with Jennifer and Maureen, directors of the Dark Side of the Full Moon. After the birth of her second child and during the early stages of COVID pandemic, Camille was treated for severe postpartum depression. Now, as she heals and begins to cope with the new normal, Camille opens up about her experience and journey towards recovery
Lina Acosta Sandaal, MA, LMFT is a psychotherapist, development expert, writer, and founder of Stop Parenting Alone, a parenting education and consulting program in Miami, FL. She is a writer on social emotional learning for Macmillan Education, the human development expert for Telemundo's national broadcasts and consultant for MomsRising an advocacy group for family rights in our nation's capital. Her mission is for all parents to fall in love with their parenting journey.
Heidi is a limited license clinical mental health counselor. A two-time survivor of perinatal mood disorders she has worked in the maternal mental health field for over eight years through peer support and training. Heidi has training through Postpartum Support International, The Bloom Foundation, and Postpartum Progress focusing on postpartum mood disorders, treatment, and therapy. Heidi's personal experience postpartum and as an Adult Child of an Alcoholic give her the knowledge and tools to help families through the transitions of parenthood and complex family systems. Heidi is passionate about supporting and guiding clients with other mood disorders as well including bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Additionally, she is also a patient advocate for Sage Therapeutics, the leading developer of Zulresso the first and only FDA-approved medicine specifically for postpartum depression. Heidi is currently practicing counseling in the Metro Detroit area, for more information please contact Heidi directly at heidi@phoenixpathway.com .
Dr. Trill is the mother to two beautiful daughters who had severe infant food sensitivities. After processing the fact that she could hurt her children through breastfeeding, she started researching how to produce breast milk they could properly digest. She discovered that many parents experience the same troubling situation, so she created a place for parents to find answers to their questions about infant food sensitivities and empower them to continue their breastfeeding journey. This is how Free to Feed™ was born.
Sarah Ornst Bloomquist, CFLE, CLC is Moms Mental Health Initiative Co-Founder and Executive Director. She has been advocating for women's maternal mental health since she experienced her own postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of her first son. Sarah brings over 20 years of professional experience including her work as child advocacy program coordinator at Cottageview Children's Center, life coach at Innermost Coaching, relationship specialist at Fathers and Families Center, and as a counselor at Women's Care Center in Milwaukee. Sarah is a Certified Life Coach, Certified Family Life Educator, and speaker. She is committed to helping moms break down the obstacles to effective treatment and find hope in the process. Born and raised in the greater Milwaukee area, Sarah is a cheesehead at heart. She currently lives in Ozaukee County and is a proud mom of two. She enjoys spontaneous, mini-excursions with her family, hanging out with friends and neighbors, and taking her rescue dogs for walks.
Lisa Tremayne is a Registered Nurse with a certification in Breastfeeding as well as Childbirth Education. Lisa is the founder and the Director for the Center for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey. This is one of the few intensive outpatient mother and baby programs for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the United States. Lisa was a maternal child health nurse for over twenty years before specializing in maternal mental health since 2015. She is a member of the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, a maternal mental health advocate, and has lobbied for bills affecting screening and treatment for the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health since its inception in 2014. Lisa is also a Peer Expert Advisor for the Maternal Mental Health Research Collaboration, which includes research priorities currently exploring peer support as a viable treatment modality for maternal mental illness. Lisa has been interviewed as a perinatal mood and anxiety disorders expert on radio, podcasts, magazines (online and in print), and television. LINKSMonmouth Center: Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program
Kristina is originally from Raleigh, NC but now resides near Johnson City, TN with her husband and two beautiful little girls. A life experience that was at one time debilitating has served to launch Kristina Dulaney's life passion to help others. Dulaney is founder of Cherished Mom, the mission of which is to promote awareness, support and education for perinatal mood disorders to moms, families, healthcare professionals and the community. Dulaney is a vocal advocate for eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health disorders. Her own personal journey of overcoming postpartum psychosis is inspiring. Her founding of Cherished Mom, her vulnerability in sharing her story on various media platforms, as well as her support of and advocacy for perinatal moms have allowed her to become a nationwide advocate for women and families facing the struggle of perinatal mental health disorders.
Kyleigh Dunn is wife to Ezra and mother to three young girls. She seeks to spread awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the church and encourage moms experiencing them. Kyleigh blogs at www.thesojourningdunns.wordpress.com and can be found on Instagram @kyleighrdunn or Facebook @thesojourningdunns.
Lesley is a Social Worker in New Jersey. She has extensive experience in the field of maternal mental health, supporting, counseling and advocating on the local and national level for new mothers. Lesley uses motivational CBT- and DBT-based skills to help manage anxiety, depression and adjustment disorders in a safe and supportive way. An avid proponent of peer support and normalizing mental health struggles, Lesley runs the “Managing the Mental Load” virtual support group for moms in addition to providing individual counseling. Lesley previously served on the Board of Directors, and as Northern NJ Warrior Mom Ambassador, for Postpartum Progress Inc., spoke at the Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey's “Contemporary Discussions in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders” Conference, and has completed multiple professional trainings including Mental Health First Aid, and courses via the Beck Institute, the Seleni Institute and Postpartum Support International among others. Lesley holds a bachelor's degree in public relations from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School of Public Communications and worked at a NYC-based PR firm for more than 12 years prior to going back to graduate school and receiving her Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree from Simmons University.
From the Foundation's website… Alexis Joy D'Achille was a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a dear friend. Her relationships knew no bounds. She put all those around her at ease with her cool manner and quick sense or humor – lightening and brightening any mood. She was bold, vivacious, and larger than life. She composed herself every day with style and grace. Alexis truly brought Joy into people's lives. Alexis was also born to be a mother, which is why she and her husband Steven were thrilled to welcome their baby girl Adriana to the world in August of 2013. Throughout her pregnancy, Alexis was her usual, happy self. So excited to meet her daughter, making every preparation and accounting for every detail (in true Alexis fashion). From the moment Adriana arrived, Alexis seemed stressed. Once home, she felt out of control, with anxiety beyond the “normal” new mom worries. Though she sought help, she was not able to get the relief she needed from what was now obviously postpartum depression. Clearly not seeing any other way out, she took her own life on October 10th, 2013, just 6 weeks after Adriana's birth. The way Alexis died was not the way she lived. She had a doting husband, a beautiful daughter, gorgeous home, great family and friends, and a fulfilling career – everything a girl could hope for. That's why her passing was so tragic and unexpected. If she could feel that lost and alone, any woman can. In the weeks after, Steven decided he would make it his mission to do what he could to stop something like this from happening again…To create a legacy for Adriana to carry on in her mother's name.
Featherstone is a perinatal Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and founder of Eucalyptus Health, focusing on improving outcomes for families by decreasing parental mental illness and substance use to decrease ACE's for children, and improving overall functioning of families within communities. They currently serve as the organizer of the Greater Richmond Perinatal Mental Health Coalition, which serves to improve screening and access to treatment for new and expecting parents and partners affected by mental health disorders. Their passions outside of mental health are in sexual and contraceptive education for teens and adults, STI awareness, and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Featherstone is a perinatal Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and founder of Eucalyptus Health, focusing on improving outcomes for families by decreasing parental mental illness and substance use to decrease ACE's for children, and improving overall functioning of families within communities. They currently serve as the organizer of the Greater Richmond Perinatal Mental Health Coalition, which serves to improve screening and access to treatment for new and expecting parents and partners affected by mental health disorders. Their passions outside of mental health are in sexual and contraceptive education for teens and adults, STI awareness, and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Catherine Mellinger is certified Expressive Arts Therapist and lead artists of Post-Part, an inter-arts project currently being exhibited in Kitchener (Ontario, Canada) and virtually in partnership with Climb Out of the Darkness - Waterloo Region. Post-Part is inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story The Yellow wallpaper, and combines collage, illustration, audio composition and RGB innovation to create an immersive arts experience centred in first hand accounts of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. In response to Covid-19, Mellinger and her collaborators created an all virtual exhibition which anyone can gain access to by donated $25 or more to their local Climb. Visit http://www.post-part.com for more info or to donate and receive the exclusive link.
Today's guest is Laurie Syphard who shares her struggle with postpartum OCD and how she overcame it. Show Highlights: Laurie's Birth Experience Symptoms of Postpartum OCD The Journey of Being her Own Advocate How she prepared for her second birth experience differently. Breastfeeding Decision Making The Importance of Story Telling
Nyna Giles is the youngest daughter of Carolyn Scott Reybold, a Ford model best known as one of Grace Kelly's bridesmaids. She is the co-author of the mother-daughter memoir, The Bridesmaid's Daughter published by St. Martin's Press in 2018. Having had a successful, 20-year career in advertising, digital marketing and sales, Nyna now serves as Chief Operating Officer for Giles Communications, a leading public relations firm. She is an advocate for the mentally ill, traveling the globe to share her story, revealing the challenges brought on by her mother's untreated mental illness and her own lost childhood and education. Nyna is on the Board of Directors of NAMI Westchester, serving as Secretary. She is also a volunteer with the Postpartum Resource Center of NY. Nyna lives in Ridgefield, CT with her husband and has three grown children and three stepchildren.
Resources:PSI FREE Online Support GroupsClimb Out of the Darkness Fundraising Event
Today's guest is the Assistant Clinical Director at The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia and a licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania and my friend, Dr. Samantha DeCaro, PsyD. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at LaSalle University, and her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego, CA. She also provides both clinical supervision and training to primary therapists, counselors, and post-doctoral residents at Renfrew's residential treatment facility in Philadelphia. She's been featured in the media as an eating disorder expert on various television shows, radio programs, podcasts, and online magazines. Show Highlights: Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating Motherhood and the “Body Bounce Back” Thinking Traps/Rigid Thinking and The Power of Thoughts around Food Treatment Model & The Importance of Relationships in Recovery How to Reach Out for Help
Today's guest is owner of The Anxious Adult and mom, Liz Coalts. Liz suffered from postpartum depression and anxiety with intrusive thoughts after the birth of her first daughter. She hid her symptoms and didn't' begin treatment until her daughter was 16 months old and was 3 months pregnant with her second daughter. Despite being treated for postpartum depression and anxiety, and having a detailed care plan, Liz still found herself being committed to a psychiatric hospital at 3 months postpartum. Liz continues to manage her mood disorder with medication and continues to share her story to help others. Liz also created The Anxious Adult and I think her tagline describes it best...Helping smart and overwhelmed adults manage the anxieties of business and life. Let me help you manage the logistics of your business so you can focus on the parts you love! Show Highlights: Liz talks about postpartum depression and anxiety following the birth of both her daughters the intrusive thoughts that left her paralyzed with fear her 5-day stay in the psychiatric ward how she's using her experience to help others how to register for her online workshops
Today's guest is owner of Soleil Coaching and Wellness and mom, Saskia Meckman. Saskia was the very first mom we interviewed for our documentary Dark Side of the Full Moon. She was just coming “out of the fog” of her depression and expressed with conviction that she would've loved to have been screened for PPD, because she knew right away something was wrong. Saskia has been delivering international corporate training and coaching global executives for over 20 years. She has also been offering stress reduction programs incorporating yoga and meditation for over 15 years. Combining these skills by offering corporate wellness and mindfulness programs for global companies is her passion. She was born in the US and grew up in Europe - France, Germany, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. With an Ecuadorian mother and a Dutch-Austrian-Danish father, she speaks five languages and is well versed at working with people from all over the world. She has a BA in Psychology with a Teaching Degree and a master's in international and Intercultural Management. She is a Certified Yoga Instructor and has spent over 25 years studying wellness. Saskia has a unique approach in combining her personal and professional international background with her wellness and mindfulness experience to create transformational global corporate programs. Show Highlights:Saskia talks about the healing power of sharing her story to other moms early on in her recovery. how she became known as the “mom you could talk to” at the playground about the not so pleasant parts of motherhood the daily feeling of gratitude that shows up in every aspect of her life how posting the hour “for herself” every day on Facebook led to her very popular mindfulness workshops how to register for her online workshops
Today's guest is Mrs. New York USA Ambassador and author, Bridget Croteau. She lives in Suffolk County, New York with her husband, Beau, their two children, Natalie and Chloe and labradoodle, Jake. Bridget had postpartum depression and anxiety following the births of both her daughters. After her recovery, she began volunteering with the Postpartum Resource Center of New York. She is the author of Me, Again: How Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Transformed My Life. Bridget is serving as Mrs. New York USA Ambassador 2020/2021 and promoting her platform "You Are Not Alone" to raise awareness for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and to help moms, dads and families feel less alone. Show Highlights: Bridget shares • her struggle with not having the birth that she had envisioned, her struggle with breastfeeding, and how this made her feel like she was failing as a mother. • the moment she turned to “Dr. Google” and realized she had postpartum depression. • when she knew she was ready to have another baby. • the hobby she found, to find herself again. • the experience of using her pageantry platform to share her story. Resources: Website Facebook Page Buy Bridget's Book
Emily Jankowski-Newton and Carrie Flora make the world's largest event raising money for maternal mental health happen each year. Climb Out of the Darkness is operated by Postpartum Support International and brings together providers, survivors and embers of the community to shine a light on the darkness that most mothers don't talk about. Interested in finding a Climb near you? Visit https://www.postpartum.net/join-us/climbout/ for more information.
This podcast is a way to continue the conversations around maternal mental health that were started in the award documentary Dark Side of the Full Moon. Over 1 million women a year still suffer in silence from very treatable disorders, so the hope is to have women continue to share their powerful narratives so others know they're not alone.
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