Becoming Mama

because you never stop becoming a mama.

Hey Mama, You need to know this. 

The way we are mothering today is not sustainable. 

Without your village. No “me-time”. Guilt and burnout. 

There’s a lot about being mothers that no one tells us about. Until now.

Are you ready to reconnect with yourself?

Check out our Becoming Mama programme in more detail and begin your journey to rediscover yourself in your role as a mother.

In this psychoeducational and supportive environment, through group and individual work, we unpack what it means to be a mother - your full transformation (your identity, role, expectations: aka your matrescence) and the impact of motherhood on your experience - burnout, guilt, overwhelm. The mental load, the invisible load, intensive mothering, perfection…we go there. 

Throughout the programme, you’ll develop a new perspective that allows you to experience motherhood with more clarity, self-compassion and critical analysis - you won’t feel as reactive; you’ll develop choice and intention. You’ll have a profound understanding of your becoming a mother and a new found respect for all that you are.

This is a paradigm shift that your children will see and feel; when you choose yourself, you are choosing your children. 

Mountains

How emotionally available are you for your kids?

Take our FREE quiz to find out and receive resources to support you along your motherhood journey.

Are you…?

  • Lonely in motherhood while simultaneously feeling tapped out and desiring to be left alone?

  • Confused by how “hard” it all is, wondering if you’re missing something?

  • Desiring for “me-time” but also feel guilty for any time spent away from your kids?

  • Resenting your partner for their “freedom” when you feel so consumed by so much responsibility?

  • Feeling lost and questioning where the ambitious, motivated and spontaneous woman that once was has gone?

  • Tired of feeling like you are failing at everything or giving everything 50% all the time?

  • Angry by how unseen you feel in the day to day, having more mom rage moments than you want to admit?

Do you want…?

  • To shed the guilt and spend less time in your head questioning yourself, your choices and defending your needs.

  • To feel more present and connected with your children instead of feeling distracted and tapped out in their presence?

  • To feel less overwhelmed trying to “do it all” and instead make choices that are uplifting and aligned with your values?

  • To be able to ask for help and state your needs without feeling like a burden to others?

  • To have dedicated “me time” that is guilt free, fulfilling and connecting?

  • To feel whole again - like you are more than “just a mother”; you are a woman who is a mother and a mother who is a woman?

Then this group program is the answer.

This is equally important (if not more important) than any prenatal class you ever took. 

There is nothing wrong with you for questioning your experience and feeling disappointed by what motherhood has been like for you…thus far. Ambivalence is the cornerstone of motherhood.

PLUS…

Becoming a mother is one of life’s biggest transformations; it is a new developmental milestone in a woman’s life. 

It’s time to understand your matrescence; becoming a mother is not a destination. In fact, it can take years for a woman to finally fully settle into this new role (regardless of how many children she has!). 

  • Incredible

    I didn’t know what to do with all my confusion, hurt, sadness that I was experiencing in mothering that wasn’t being talked about in any public forums I experienced. Then I found your blog! And your words were so validating and you had a program that would help! And I signed up and will never be the same again in the best way possible. This exists and is so effective at making positive change that is very badly needed in alot of families lives - incredible!

  • I am so grateful I found Chelsea.

    It has changed my life and my mothering experience, I’m so grateful. I’ve looked forward to being a mom my whole life, but felt so confused, sad and alone that it was beyond harder than I could’ve expected. Chelsea made a safe space for me and other moms to be vulnerable so we could learn and grow. It was healing, humbling and filled with lots of happiness. I would recommend it to any mom who struggles with any part of being a mom, wife, woman in our society.

  • This approach is the way to go

    Not sure where to begin.... it feels like I have entered a secret society of endless possibilities that I didn't realize were possible. Choice, permission, freedom. Vulnerability. Owning being a Mother Outlaw. Boundaries. Letting go of pleasing others. This mother-centered approach is the way to go. Society's focus seems to be on the child, but how can a mother support a child if she isn't supported?

  • I finally slowed down enough

    This program should be required for all mothers, no matter how old their children are. I finally slowed down enough to consciously begin rebuilding my life as mother AND woman. Remembering parts of myself that were forgotten and creating room for new possibilities. Chelsea held the most beautiful, supported space for us to begin this journey together.

  • I recommend this group to all mothers

    I didn’t subscribe to the picture of motherhood I was sold—you know, the gender reveals, baby showers, floral white dresses, blush colored nursery Pinterest boards, and sourdough breads. So I thought there was no community for me. I was convinced there was no one that would meet me in the depths of this experience. No place for me to talk about all the intersections to my motherhood experience. No storytelling or story sharing. Chelsea’s program debunked all these beliefs, forming a nurturing circle of support for all of us to have the space we need on this journey. I will forever be grateful for her desire to walk alongside us in support, and most of all genuinely in truth. I recommend this group to all mothers, no matter where you are on the journey.

Are you ready to get started?

Check out our becoming mama coaching and programs and begin your journey to rediscover yourself in your role as a mother.

When you become a mother, your identity and how you relate to the world (including your own tiny world), changes greatly. 

This is something NO one and NO book could ever prepare you for; this is almost an initiation into motherhood.

For many women, these feelings and thoughts hit a bit later than expected…after the initial newborn stage has ended and the pure exhaustion, lack of freedom, and running to-do list seem never ending…

Typically, in my work I see this with women in their first five years postpartum…

It’s then when these bigger life questions pop up…

Lonely mom.

Who am I?

What do I want in life?

Why are my values all different these days?

I used to think I knew what I wanted, but I have NO idea anymore…

And most importantly, who do I WANT to be…as a mother AND a woman, outside of the role of mother?

Maybe you used to have it all planned out. You knew exactly how it would go. You’d get pregnant, have your baby, take 12 weeks of mat leave and then enroll your baby in day care and head back into the office to keep hustling in your career…

But now…you can’t imagine ever doing that. Your career seems like a far distant dream. 

Or maybe you have LOVED being home full-time with your kids but now feel a yearning to try something different, expand yourself in a new direction: perhaps returning to work or taking more time for yourself. Or maybe you feel completely and utterly exhausted from trying to do it all and pretend to love every minute of it. It’s leading to moments of mom rage and frustration towards everyone and everything in your life. Being a mother is NOT what you imagined it would be.

This is all your matrescence (and it is SO much more than this). The good news? You can and will reorient back to yourself once again, Mama. This is all part of the process (granted, made much more difficult by…our current culture, the invisible load, the mental load, the lack of system supports etc.).

Many factors contribute to how we feel in motherhood, but a VERY HUGE aspect is mothering in our current culture…the expectations placed on mothers to be everything to everyone, meet their child’s every need and emotionally be present to handle every meltdown, is simply TOO much. 

When you fully understand your own matrescence, you’ll:

  • Finally feel seen in who you are becoming as a Mama (if even by yourself)

  • Have more compassion for yourself as you acknowledge the multitude of dimensions you are tapping into as a Mother

  • Recognize that feeling “lost” is a necessary aspect of your journey and in fact, an opportunity to deepen your connection with yourself

  • Feel less alone in your experience as you now can honor this transformation in yourself as one that ALL women who become mothers share

  • See yourself as a WHOLE woman deserving of nurturing every aspect of your identity (no matter the guilt that arises)

  • Gain a profound respect and reverence for yourself and all mothers

When you fully understand what it means to be mothering in our current culture, you’ll:

  • Be able to ask for help with far less guilt; you won’t see yourself as a burden, but rather as a human worthy of getting your needs met. 

  • Feel far less of a failure and be more able to see how the system has been failing you; you’ll get angry instead of feeling so guilty. (BONUS - the anger is a catalyst for change!)

  • Feel more willing and able to make and take “me time” knowing that you’re showing your children what it means to live a full life and attune to themselves.

  • Prioritize the to-do list in a completely new way; no longer feeling responsible to get everything done (at least not by yourself). You’ll do what matters most to you and get help where you need it. Basically, you’ll stop trying to do it all.

  • Live life YOUR way; by your values…not what society expects of you.

Sure. When you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, lost and unseen you desire to find joy and happiness in your experience again. Yes, agreed. But that’s not the goal; that’s a perk. We’re going to the root; not just the “symptoms”. We’re talking foundational healing and understanding; not just what you see and feel in fleeting moments. 

The goal is to own your transformation, see yourself as both a woman AND a mama (not just a Mama), and have profound respect and reverence for yourself in all you are becoming. (When you have that level of respect for yourself, it’s amazing what that begs of the other relationships you have in your life. Get ready for it.)

And here’s the bonus 

Caring for yourself in this way, learning to value yourself as a Mother, isn't just for you. No, no. The effect it has on your children, future generations and all the Mamas-to-be in your lineage…

Goose. Bumps. 

You can right the ship for your children. You can show them that being a mother, matters; that you are a human being fundamentally deserving. 

You can show them what it means to be “whole”. What it means to know your own self-worth. What it means to “matter” and be deserving of self-respect and respect from others. You can end the martyrdom in mothering and the selflessness and strive for perfection that is being a woman. You can show them that life is messy AND beautiful all at once and that they can indeed cope with it all. You can model to them what it means to cry, mess up, get angry at times and then the tools to repair and build an even stronger attachment than ever before. 

You can be this change for yourself and your family. And when you do that, you are changing the world (cliche, I know…but it’s true). 

Can you really afford NOT to intentionally partake in this journey? 

It’s happening to you no matter what. 

It’s just your choice how purposeful and present you are with yourself; how much you choose to actively engage with your transformation rather than let it just “happen” haphazardly to you (cue some of the overwhelm, feeling lost and unseen). 

There’s no right or wrong way you navigate your matrescence. We each have our own paths; just know that it is hard at times no matter what you choose (yep, even if you participate in this program!). Yet if you join this Village, you’ll end up becoming your own guide to your transformation…able to lead yourself through all the seasons of motherhood you’ll encounter in the future with skills, presence, compassion and a fierce respect for yourself as a Mama and a Woman.

Here is what to expect in the program

Initiation: The Birth of the Mother as a Rite of Passage.

Your Birth, Mama.

Your journey of "becoming Mama" began the moment you answered the "call to mothering".

The birth of your baby is a milestone; not the destination.

You'll learn about "matrescence", the transition from woman to mother and explore your own journey: past, present and future.

You'll be shown the inherent importance of ritual in honoring this rite of passage and the importance of daily ritual too.

Hibernation: Turning Inwards

Rest, Retreat and Return

Getting lost is an essential aspect of "becoming Mama"; although it can feel incredibly undoing to the modern woman.

You'll explore what self-nurturing and self-worth really look like (not your standard "self care" talk) when you listen to your own needs. You'll gain skills that increase your self-compassion and self-knowing.

Differentiation: Seeing the Change within You

You are a forever different person, Mama.

You'll dive deeper into acknowledging all the ways in which you've changed since becoming a Mama and how you feel about them. This is understanding your Matrescence in real-time. This is where you bear witness to your shifting identity, values and priorities.

Release and Surrender

Motherhood and grief. Acceptance.

This is a part of motherhood often unspoken of, yet is inherent in many different aspects of your journey. In this lesson, you'll gain a new perspective on grief and a deep appreciation for what it can offer you in your journey. You'll explore what aspects of your pre-motherhood self you are ready to let go of and create ceremony to honor them as they depart you.

Re-claiming and Owning

Seeing yourself as "WHOLE" with deep respect and reverence for all you are becoming. 

Mama, you now emerge as WHOLE (at least for this season). In this lesson you'll reflect on all you have become and who you intend to be moving forward (not only as a Mama but also as a Woman). You'll have the tools to stand confidently in your choices, defy the expectations that don't fit your anymore and be a mentor yourself to other mamas on their journey.

Re-calling and Remembering

You are more than "just a Mama".

As you come out of "hibernation" and begin to find your feet again, it's time to awaken those other identities. You'll explore what lights a fire in you, in your relationships and gives you meaning and purpose outside of mothering.

You'll see yourself outside what is expected of you.

Still on the fence?

Use the link below to find out everything you need to know, hear from previous participants and experience Chelsea talk about the programme in more detail.