From Survival to Intention: What 2025 Taught Me About Supporting Mothers

Beyond The Village. Building Your Perinatal Care Team

In conversations about motherhood, we often hear the phrase “it takes a village.” The idea of a supportive village is important; family, friends, and community all play a role in helping a mother navigate pregnancy and postpartum. But what we don’t talk about enough is the care team. A village offers support. A team provides specialized care. Just like in sports, motherhood isn’t meant to be played alone. It requires a team of professionals who each support a different part of a mother’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. That team may include: * Obstetricians and midwives who guide pregnancy and birth * Pelvic floor physical therapists who support recovery and body healing * Doulas who provide labor and postpartum support * Lactation consultants who assist with feeding challenges * Mental health professionals who support emotional well-being * Perinatal educators and coaches who help mothers prepare for the transition into postpartum The key is understanding that this team doesn’t have to be on the field at the same time. Just like a well-run game, team members are subbed in and out depending on what the mother needs at that moment in her journey. One professional may take the lead during pregnancy, another during birth, and others during postpartum recovery. Each member of the team is responsible for supporting a specific piece of the mother. When those professionals communicate and collaborate, care becomes more coordinated, supportive, and effective. This perspective was recently reinforced for me while sitting in an inclusive space with providers across disciplines: physical therapists, birth workers, mental health professionals, and maternal health advocates, who are working to break down the silos that often exist in maternal care. We all recognize the same thing: Mothers do better when their care is connected. The Whole Mom exists to be part of that collaborative team. Through education, coaching, and postpartum support, our role is to help mothers understand what’s happening during the fourth trimester, navigate the emotional and identity shifts of motherhood, and feel supported as they transition into this new stage of life. When we move beyond the idea of a village and start building intentional care teams for mothers, we create a system where women are no longer expected to navigate one of the most transformative periods of their lives alone. Because when the mother is supported, every life that comes from her is impacted.

Untangling the Mother Wound: Repairing You, Not The Relationship

In this episode, Shelly Sharon and I dive deep into the mother wound, a relational trauma that often begins in childhood and shapes the way women see themselves, connect with others, and navigate motherhood. Together, we unpack a deeply misunderstood truth: healing does not require forgiving the mother who caused the harm. Instead, we explore why true healing is an internal process, rooted in self-awareness, emotional repair, and breaking survival patterns that were formed long before adulthood. We also talk about how the mother wound shows up in identity, boundaries, and relationships, and what it looks like to rebuild a sense of safety within yourself. In this episode, we cover: * What the mother wound really is — and how it develops * Why healing can happen without reconnecting or forgiving your mother * How forced forgiveness can actually block healing * The internal work required to break relational trauma patterns * Ways the mother wound impacts mothers’ own postpartum experience * Steps toward rebuilding confidence, worthiness, and emotional safety Whether you’re in the thick of postpartum or reflecting on patterns that have followed you for years, this conversation offers compassion, clarity, and a path forward. Below are the courses, blogs, and episodes Shelly referenced: BirthRite - free private podcast : https://www.shellysharon.com/birthrite [https://www.shellysharon.com/birthrite]   Reset course: https://www.shellysharon.com/reset [https://www.shellysharon.com/reset]   Blog about the fear of being like your mother: https://www.shellysharon.com/single-post/has-being-unlike-your-mother-been-your-compass [https://www.shellysharon.com/single-post/has-being-unlike-your-mother-been-your-compass]

From Survival to Intention: What 2025 Taught Me About Supporting Mothers

In this episode, I’m taking a moment to intentionally close out the year before opening the next. I share why I believe how we end our day matters just as much as how we begin it, and how our nighttime routines quietly shape our mornings, our nervous systems, and our capacity to move forward with clarity. I reflect on the realities of 2025, the struggles, the stretching, and the lessons that came with building work that lives at the intersection of maternal mental health, education, and advocacy. And I share what’s carrying me into 2026 with hope. This episode also marks an important milestone: the launch of a powerful partnership with Andrea’s Wish Foundation [https://www.andreaswishfoundation.org/]that allows me to offer my 4th Trimester Group Program to ten mothers at no cost, a tangible step toward the kind of postpartum support mothers deserve. I also talk about the recently released state maternal mental health report cards, which gave maternal mental health care in the U.S. a C average, and why this confirms what so many mothers already know: postpartum care is still largely reactive, fragmented, and failing families. This is why I believe education, community, and preventive postpartum support should be the standard of care, not the exception. If you’re a mother navigating postpartum, a provider supporting families, or someone who believes mothers deserve better, this conversation is for you. Applications are now open for ten sponsored spots in the 4th Trimester Group Program through a partnership with Andrea’s Wish Foundation. If you’re postpartum and craving support, connection, and guidance during this season, I encourage you to apply. 👉 Apply here [https://forms.gle/kNRo5vqLLtcj6vzL8]

Learning to let some light into the "Sacred Window" of Postpartum with Christine Eck.

Women can experience 3 sacred windows in their lives: menarche, postpartum, and menopause, and today we open the window to postpartum through a different lens, the Ayurvedic and Universal Mother principles of care.  In this episode, I explore these principles and approaches with Christine Eck, the founder of Sacred Window Studies.  We explore the importance of understanding our bodies, what it means to "nourish" them, specifically in the postpartum period, and how her organization is prioritizing moms' recovery through the Conscious Care Giver Training program.  Our conversation was uplifting and inspiring, reminding me how special and valuable this transformative experience of postpartum is.    Christine is a mother to four children.  She is an Ayurvedic Health Consultant, a Birth and Postpartum Doula, and the founder and director of the Center for Sacred Window Studies.  She is an advocate for social awareness and change for postpartum care in cultures where traditions in caregiving have diminished or disappeared.  She is an educator, speaker, organizer, caregiver, and group facilitator.  Her mission with the Center for Sacred Window Studies is to empower professionals in postpartum care and families with information and tools in creating the support needed during the sacred postpartum window.  She trains Conscious Postpartum Caregivers to support families using diet, routine, herbal support, healing touch, and the Universal Mother Principles of conscious care.  Christine resides in Western Massachusetts and teaches students around the world. Learn more: https://sacredwindowstudies.com/sacred-journey-landing/ [https://sacredwindowstudies.com/sacred-journey-landing/] Schedule a free consult with Christine [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=18888226&appointmentType=33380949]

From Grief to Advocacy: One Family's Experience With Perinatal Suicide. With Andrea's Wish Founder, Kyra Vocci

Trigger Warning:  This episode follows Andrea Kolbe's journey through pregnancy, postpartum, and the devastating loss of her life to perinatal suicide.  In this episode, I sit down with Andrea's sister, Kyra Vocci, who was willing to share Andrea's story with The Whole Mom, in an effort to raise awareness and talk as openly as possible about the risks of perinatal suicide in our country.  Since the loss of her sister, Kyra has made it her mission to raise awareness and advocacy about perinatal mental health, inspiring everyone in her path.  She joined Postpartum Support International's MD Chapter, where I have the honor of working alongside her on this mission.  She has since founded Andrea's Wish Foundation [https://bcf.org/fund/andrea/], where all proceeds have gone to unique approaches at funding additional services for postpartum moms.  She is a powerhouse and someone I am truly honored to know.  Please be mindful of where you listen to this episode and your mental health status at this time.    Should this episode resonate with you, we would love to hear from you.  Please consider making a donation to Andrea's Wish Foundation [https://bcf.org/fund/andrea/]and sharing this episode with family or friends.   “If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For postpartum-specific support, call or text the PSI HelpLine at 1-800-944-4773.”