Gracefully Balanced Perinatal Counseling, LLC

07/03/2025

Missed the conversation on “Empowering Mental Health through Collaborative Care”?
You can catch the replay here!
I’m grateful to have been part of such a meaningful and necessary discussion. https://youtu.be/TKsEn-6Epzs

07/01/2025

I had the privilege today to team up with the Society for Women’s Health Research in a powerful conversation on Empowering Maternal Health Through Collaborative Care, proudly sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to lend my voice to this important dialogue and to be part of shaping how we show up for birthing people in new and impactful spaces. The work continues—and I’m honored to be part of it. 💜

06/07/2025

Join me and on July for “Empowering Maternal Health through Collaborative Care” as we highlight how different maternal health care professionals can be involved in pre-pregnancy, perinatal, and postpartum care: https://swhr.org/event/empowering-maternal-health-through-collaborative-care/

05/08/2025

05/06/2025

EMDR Training: Part II—complete! Just one more consultation hour and I can officially call myself “trained” (cue confetti and nervous excitement). So thankful for this wild, emotional, brain-rewiring journey—and shoutout to my practicum crew for being the best crew to learn, laugh, and ugly cry with. Almost there… onward, upward, and slightly more regulated!

05/01/2025

This week, while reading “The Giving Tree”, I had the most beautiful revelation about self care and motherhood. Here’s a powerful reframe when challenged with mom guilt.

Analogy: “The Giving Tree and the Living Tree”

“You may remember the story of The Giving Tree — a tree that gave everything she had to the boy she loved. She gave her apples, her branches, even her trunk, until there was almost nothing left of her. And while her giving came from love, over time, there was less and less of her to offer. Eventually, she could only offer a stump to sit on.”

“Motherhood can sometimes feel like this: an endless giving of your energy, your time, your body, and your heart. And the world often praises this ‘giving until there’s nothing left’ as the ideal picture of a good mother. But what if we thought about it differently?”

“Imagine instead a Living Tree. A tree that still gives — shade, shelter, fruit — but also knows it must nourish itself too. It stretches its roots deep into the ground to drink water, so it can stay strong. It soaks up sunlight every day, not out of selfishness, but because it knows that to continue giving, it must stay alive, thriving, and well. This tree models resilience for all who rest under it. It teaches its children not just how to give, but how to live.”

“You are not a bad mother for needing water, sunlight, and time to replenish your soul. You are a Living Tree. Caring for yourself is not taking away from your family — it’s making sure that you can continue to be the strong, loving presence your children depend on not just now but for a lifetime.”

“Your giving is powerful. But your being — your living, breathing, caring for yourself — is just as important. You are allowed, and encouraged, to do both.”

Gracefully Balanced Perinatal Counseling, LLC

05/01/2025

This week, while reading “The Giving Tree”, I had the most beautiful revelation about self care and motherhood. Here’s a powerful reframe when challenged with mom guilt.

Analogy: “The Giving Tree and the Living Tree”

“You may remember the story of The Giving Tree — a tree that gave everything she had to the boy she loved. She gave her apples, her branches, even her trunk, until there was almost nothing left of her. And while her giving came from love, over time, there was less and less of her to offer. Eventually, she could only offer a stump to sit on.”

“Motherhood can sometimes feel like this: an endless giving of your energy, your time, your body, and your heart. And the world often praises this ‘giving until there’s nothing left’ as the ideal picture of a good mother. But what if we thought about it differently?”

“Imagine instead a Living Tree. A tree that still gives — shade, shelter, fruit — but also knows it must nourish itself too. It stretches its roots deep into the ground to drink water, so it can stay strong. It soaks up sunlight every day, not out of selfishness, but because it knows that to continue giving, it must stay alive, thriving, and well. This tree models resilience for all who rest under it. It teaches its children not just how to give, but how to live.”

“You are not a bad mother for needing water, sunlight, and time to replenish your soul. You are a Living Tree. Caring for yourself is not taking away from your family — it’s making sure that you can continue to be the strong, loving presence your childrGracefully Balanced Perinatal Counseling, LLCetime.”

“Your giving is powerful. But your being — your living, breathing, caring for yourself — is just as important. You are allowed, and encouraged, to do both.”

Gracefully Balanced Perinatal Counseling, LLC

04/12/2025

Motherhood is an emotional rollercoaster—and yes, sometimes it includes grief.
From the loss of your former self to the shifting dynamics in relationships, it’s more than just sleepless nights and diaper changes.

I shared more on this during my recent talk with DOWA—don’t miss it!
Tune in for an honest conversation about the hidden layers of motherhood. https://parents.dowahealth.com/user/home

03/13/2025

So proud to have been a maternal mental health provider contributing content so this amazing new resource!

If the chaos of motherhood is impacting your mental health, your physical well-being, your relationships or your parenting—try Dowa for free until April 30th.

Founded by a mom who overcame her own mental health journey and found balance—Dowa bridges the complex connection between your mind, body, and emotions.

If you’re like most moms that are overwhelmed by where to find help, they do all the leg work and bring the experts to you! They have over 100 tools and courses by licensed and certified maternal health providers (like me!), with practical, emotional, and evidence-based support for your mind, body and home.

https://signup.dowahealth.com/partner

03/10/2025

The Underrated Superpower of Co-Regulation

One of the most underrated superpowers isn’t something flashy or loud—it’s the ability to co-regulate someone else’s nervous system simply by being regulated yourself.

When you’re calm, grounded, and emotionally steady, your presence alone can help soothe another person’s stress, anxiety, or overwhelm. This is how babies learn to self-soothe, how partners bring each other comfort, and how friends help each other through hard times.

In a world that thrives on urgency and overstimulation, being a source of calm is a gift. It’s a ripple effect—your regulation creates space for others to breathe easier.

So if you’re working on your own emotional regulation, know that it’s not just for you. Your peace is powerful. Your calm is contagious. And in moments of chaos, your ability to hold steady might be exactly what someone else needs to find their way back to center.