Matresence Coaching

If you've been searching for matrescence coaching, you're likely searching for something much deeper than coaching itself. Perhaps motherhood doesn't feel the way you expected. You may feel disconnected from yourself, overwhelmed by the mental load, uncertain about your identity, or like you've somehow lost the person you used to be. These experiences are common during matrescence—the developmental transition into motherhood—and they deserve understanding, context, and compassionate support.

“In my expanded definition, the process of becoming a mother or matrescence, the term first coined by Dana Raphael, Ph.D. (1973) and which I later built further upon, is a developmental passage where a woman transitions through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond. The exact length of matrescence is individual, recurs with each child, and may arguably last a lifetime! The scope of the changes encompasses multiple domains— biological, emotional, social, political, spiritual— and can be likened to the developmental push of adolescence.

These transformations unfold in both “brain and mind”: the maternal brain undergoes measurable morphological and functional reorganization, while the mother’s inner world undergoes profound psychological and ideological restructuring—reshaping her identity, beliefs, values, priorities, and sense of meaning or purpose.”

- Definition written by Aurélie Athan, Ph.D. (2016, updated 2026)

What is
matresence?

What is Matrescence Coaching?

While I don’t offer this myself anymore, typical matrescence coaching sessions might look like this:

  • Conversational, practical and proactive (you’ll gain tools, insight and strategy…you must be READY for the change you crave)

  • Focused on topics such as identity, burnout, REAL self-care (boundaries, values, needs etc.)

  • Intended to leave you feeling uplifted, courageous, hopeful, validated and supported

  • Solution-focused support. You are READY to make the changes necessary to help you find your confidence and freedom once again.

Moms supporting eachother

From Matrescence Coaching to Matrescence and Motherhood Education

For many years, I offered matrescence coaching to support mothers navigating the profound identity shifts that accompany becoming a mother. Through that work, I witnessed something over and over again: mothers weren't simply looking for coaching. They were looking for context.

They wanted to understand why motherhood felt so much harder than they expected. Why they felt disconnected from themselves. Why the mental load felt relentless. Why relationships shifted. Why the person they had always been no longer seemed to fit.

Over time, I realized these questions couldn't be answered through individual coaching alone. They required a broader conversation about matrescence, Motherhood, maternal identity, caregiving, culture, and the realities of modern motherhood. My work naturally evolved from one-on-one coaching to creating educational resources that could reach more mothers while also equipping the professionals who support them.

Today, Mama's Modern Village is dedicated to helping mothers better understand themselves through evidence-informed education, articles, podcasts, and practical resources. While I no longer offer individual matrescence coaching, you'll find many of the same ideas and tools throughout this website. And if you're a professional who supports mothers, I invite you to explore The Matricentric Way, my flagship professional training.

Is Matrescence Coaching right for me?

  • Maybe you put having kids on hold while you focused on your career…

  • You are a mother well into postpartum. You are now feeling the intensity of your transformation. 

  • Becoming a mother has challenged you, forced you to sacrifice your “me time” and that feels like a huge loss to you

  • You thought that once you became a mother, you could somehow maintain the life you created for yourself and still have balance

  • You crave “me time” but feel so guilty if you take it.

Looking for Matrescence Support?

Are you a professional that supports Mothers?

The Matricentric Way training is the first of it’s kind: Matrescence, Motherhood and Maternal Mental Health

Are you ready to deal with the burnout in motherhood and create more guilt free Me-Time?

If so, my Becoming Mama Programme may be for you.
Afterall, we aren’t meant to mother alone…mothers need other mothers.

FIND OUT MORE

  • Your whole life long, Mama. Once you become a Mama...you are in it. You are always evolving as a mama. Each new milestone your child hits, means a new stage in your own mothering journey too. Even when your children go off to college, you are still in your matrescence as your role, identity and feelings about mothering change once again! And...with each new pregnancy, you experience a whole new version of matrescence again. And it might look and feel very different than the last time. You are always becoming "Mama".

  • First coined in 1973 by Dana Raphael, a medical anthropologist, it describes the complexities involved in the transition from woman to mother. However, the term has since been revitalized by Dr. Aurelie Athan at Columbia University who has further described matrescence as a similar life stage to that of adolescence. PS...I am SO fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Athan myself! :)

FAQ’s

  • Because you matter, Mama. Birth is not just about the baby. It is about your birth as a Mama, too. We live in such a child-centered culture, that the mother is often an after thought, let alone a priority. She often feels alone, lost and confused in her transition from woman to mother and without a deeper understanding of this concept, she might feel as if she is failing in her motherhood experience. This one word has the power to increase her confidence that she is normal in her journey almost immediately.

  • First coined in 1973 by Dana Raphael, a medical anthropologist, it describes the complexities involved in the transition from woman to mother. However, the term has since been revitalized by Dr. Aurelie Athan at Columbia University who has furth…