The Catch Up with Claire

COURTNEY: from crisis to capitol hill - one mother's journey through postpartum depression and advocacy

Content note: this episode includes discussion of postpartum depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. If you are struggling or recognizing yourself in this conversation, you are not alone, and support is available. You can reach: * Postpartum Support International call 1-800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) text “help” to 800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) https://postpartum.net/ [https://postpartum.net/] * 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call or text 988 chat via 988lifeline.org [http://988lifeline.org] This May, every episode of The Catch Up with Claire is dedicated to Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month - and this is an important one.  Courtney and I met at Mom Congress, a three-day advocacy event in Washington DC where advocates travel to Capitol Hill to speak directly to lawmakers about creating and signing legislation to improve maternal mental health care in this country. We went because we lived it. And we went because we don't want another mother to go through what we did. In this episode, Courtney shares her experience with postpartum depression and anxiety — including the moment she knew she needed help, going to the emergency room in crisis, and being sent home without the care she desperately needed. She talks about what it took to finally get treatment, what it means to use her voice now after everything she went through, and why telling this story out loud matters. This episode is intense. It is also important. For every mother who has felt like something was wrong but couldn't get anyone to listen. For every partner, family member, or friend who didn't know what signs to look for. And for every woman who has been sent home when she needed to stay. Treatment works. Recovery is real. And no mother should have to fight this hard to get there. In this episode we cover: * What postpartum depression and anxiety can look like in real life * The gap in care that leaves birthing people without support at their most vulnerable moment * Going to the ER in crisis and being sent home — and what it took to finally get help * What it means to advocate for legislative change after surviving it PPD * Why knowing the signs matters for mothers and the people who love them * How treatment works and what recovery looks like on the other side Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/its-summer [https://track.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fsimon-folwar%2Fits-summer/vZub/dY3CAQ/AQ/6327a5bd-ad6d-4695-b5df-a3b75a9d06fe/4/JpvQEp6x0Q] License code: ZOAGMC8HUJK9M7P9

PAIGE: the truth about postpartum depression and getting support

Content note: this episode includes discussion of postpartum depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. If you are struggling or recognizing yourself in this conversation, you are not alone, and support is available. You can reach: * Postpartum Support International call 1-800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) text “help” to 800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) https://postpartum.net/ [https://postpartum.net/] * 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call or text 988 chat via 988lifeline.org May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and this is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have for a long time. I’m joined by Paige Bellenbaum, a licensed social worker, advocate, and co-founder of The Motherhood Center in New York City. After experiencing postpartum depression herself, Paige built her career around supporting mothers through perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and pushing for systemic change in how we care for them. This conversation is personal for me. I first met Paige in one of her new mom support groups almost eight years ago. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what I was going through, but that space led me to getting the help I needed. In this episode, we talk about: * what postpartum depression can look like * why so many women don’t recognize it in themselves * how support groups and treatment work * the gaps in our current system of care * what has changed (and what hasn’t) in maternal mental health * what support can look like for moms right now This is a conversation about a hard topic, but also a hopeful one. Treatment exists. Support exists. And no one should have to navigate this alone. To learn more about Paige and her work, visit: https://www.paigebellenbaum.com/ [https://www.paigebellenbaum.com/]

SOLO EPISODE: the diagnosis that changed (and saved) my life

Content note: this episode includes discussion of postpartum depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. If you are struggling or recognizing yourself in this conversation, you are not alone, and support is available. You can reach: * Postpartum Support International call 1-800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) text “help” to 800-944-4773 (EN) or 971-203-7773 (ES) https://postpartum.net/ [https://postpartum.net/] * 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call or text 988 chat via 988lifeline.org May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and this episode opens the conversation with my personal story of suffering as a first time mom. In this solo, I’m sharing my experience with postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of my first baby — including the moment I realized something was wrong, and the five weeks I spent in a partial hospitalization program getting the support I didn’t know I needed. At the time, I didn’t have the language for what I was going through. I thought I just needed to push through. I didn’t realize I was struggling with something real, common, and treatable. This episode is why I’m dedicating this month on The Catch Up with Claire to maternal mental health: * because no one should have to suffer in silence * because guilt and shame keep too many women from getting help * because treatment exists, and it works This is a story about a hard season, but it’s also about what came after — support, healing, and a different way of understanding myself as a mother and a woman. Please take care while listening. If this episode brings anything up for you, you’re not alone, and support is available. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/its-summer [https://track.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fsimon-folwar%2Fits-summer/vZub/dY3CAQ/AQ/6327a5bd-ad6d-4695-b5df-a3b75a9d06fe/4/JpvQEp6x0Q] License code: ZOAGMC8HUJK9M7P9

KATE: creating time freedom through systems at work and at home

This week I’m sitting down with Kate, a systems strategist and founder of Work Well with Kate, for a conversation that goes beyond business and into how to build systems that work for your life. We talk about: * creating time freedom through systems * splitting parenting and household responsibilities * why childcare is a critical part of the system * and how to stop carrying everything in your head Kate shares her non-linear career path and how getting clear on her values early helped her create a business designed around time freedom. We talk about what it really looks like to scale sustainably, how her work has evolved over the past decade, and why simplifying the backend of your business through systems matters more than doing more. We also get into the part that doesn’t get talked about enough — how systems show up in motherhood and home life. Kate walks through how she and her husband approach shared parenting and household responsibilities, why childcare is a core part of their support system, and how putting structure in place at home can reduce the constant mental load. This is a conversation about building systems in your business, your home, and your life — not to be rigid, but to create more space for how you actually want to spend your time. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to hold everything together, this episode will give you a different way to think about it and a few places to start. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/its-summer [https://track.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fsimon-folwar%2Fits-summer/vZub/dY3CAQ/AQ/6327a5bd-ad6d-4695-b5df-a3b75a9d06fe/4/JpvQEp6x0Q] License code: ZOAGMC8HUJK9M7P9

TAYLOR: what do birth stories, svelte diapers, and costco hot dogs have in common?

In this episode of The Catch Up with Claire, I’m joined by Taylor,  a fellow mom I met through Instagram who also now calls New York City home. After months of trying to coordinate schedules (because, motherhood), we finally sat down to talk and it felt like catching up with an old friend. We talk about what it’s really like to move to New York City and build a life here — from living in Astoria to navigating different neighborhoods and raising kids in NYC. This conversation covers everything from birth stories to the infamous Upper East Side mom Facebook groups, and all the small parts of motherhood in between. It’s a lighter, more conversational episode — the kind of back-and-forth that makes you feel like you’re part of it. If you’re a mom in New York (or have ever wondered what it’s like), this one will feel familiar. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/its-summer [https://track.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fsimon-folwar%2Fits-summer/vZub/dY3CAQ/AQ/6327a5bd-ad6d-4695-b5df-a3b75a9d06fe/4/JpvQEp6x0Q] License code: ZOAGMC8HUJK9M7P9