My Path
Before becoming a parent, I had read dozens of books on child development, neurology and education by authors like Dan Siegel, Joanna Faber, Kim John Payne, Rudolf Steriner, Jack Petrash, and Robert Melillo.
I had 7 years of experience teaching preschool and elementary aged children in a Waldorf School.
I also had experience helping children struggling with ADHD, Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder as a Program Director for Brain Balance. I had an abundance of tools and techniques as well as a strong determination to create routines for my children that would support healthy development according to the most recent research.
What I didn't have: a plan to take care of my needs, adequate support, or knowledge of the unique challenges and gifts my child would bring.
My determination to provide my kids with an ideal childhood led me to neglect my own needs. I was extremely sleep deprived and I found myself struggling with rage and resentment. I felt like I was failing and the guilt was consuming me.
I wasn’t at all the parent I wanted to be and knew I could be.
3 years and 2 kids into parenting and I finally sought help from a therapist. I knew I was trying to do too much — I even wrote on my intake form that I wanted help prioritizing.
Unfortunately, after 6 months working together, I just felt worse about my situation.
I know now that the problem was that she didn’t truly understand. She wasn't a parent and she wasn’t married, so she couldn’t relate to any of my struggles nor could she help me identify what to prioritize and what to deprioritize.
It wasn’t until I switched to working with a talented coach (who was also a parent!) that I felt seen and understood. She also gave me clear tools to move out of the emotional rut I was in.
Today, 3+ years into my healing journey, I have created a unique program to help overwhelmed moms prioritize.
As a mother, there are so many needs to meet — you can’t possibly do it all yourself or perfectly.
Often we find ourselves comparing our success with other mothers who have different support systems and different challenges.
When we let go of the desire to be perfect parents, instead embracing “good enough” and offering ourselves compassion, we’re able to make real progress on what matters most: our wellbeing and our children’s wellbeing, which are intertwined.