Mom & Mind Podcast | Postpartum | Birth | Pregnancy | Maternal Mental Health |

This episode is packed with useful information for everyone. We discuss ways high-functioning and over-functioning mothers can cope differently with the demands of motherhood. You’ll hear actionable tips and practical advice for anyone who feels caught in the grip of anxiety, whether occasionally or on a regular basis. Join us! Tracy Torelli is a therapist who has focused her career on disorders with high relapse rates. Her expertise in working with severe and persistently mentally ill people has shaped her approach to emphasize resilience and wellness as pathways to growth and healing. She has worked most recently as a clinical staff educator for an outpatient clinic at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center and has trained therapists, contributed to various boards, and followed her passion for women’s mental health, reproductive mental health, and a holistic approach to mental health care and advocacy.  Show Highlights: Tracy’s path to this perinatal specialty and the work she does today Tracy’s work with m

Here in the last week of the year, we are wrapping up 2024 and another holiday season. Are you an exhausted mom? You’re not alone! It’s been a busy holiday season complete with all the pressure to be happy, do ALL the things, and present the picture of perfection. Your holidays might have been ugly and imperfect, and now you’re faced with the pressure of a new year and new resolutions to improve yourself and your life. Let’s check in with ourselves in today’s episode. Show Highlights: What is YOUR truth right now? Reflection can bring up a mixed bag of feelings and emotions—and that’s ok! Take the space and time to acknowledge the sad, angry, depressed, and darker parts of your year. Don’t make yourself unwell by suppressing your feelings! Meditate—and listen to yourself—even if only for five minutes. Achievement doesn’t always have to be the next thing on your list.  Resources: Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit cdph.ca.gov Please find resources in English an

Today’s guest is pioneering sweeping innovations in access to maternal and perinatal mental health care, changing the face of care for many women and families. The truth is that too many people are falling through the cracks in our US healthcare system, especially in the perinatal period. Join us to learn what Mamaya Health is doing to help revamp the system! Amy Green is the founder and CEO of Mamaya Health and the Nashville Collaborative Counseling Center. Over the last ten years, Amy has served as a clinical social worker, adjunct professor, nonprofit founder, and entrepreneur. Through her experience with pregnancy loss and a deep passion for creating access to care, Amy founded the NCCC in 2019 to change the landscape of mental health care available to those navigating pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, and loss. Mamaya Health was founded in 2023 as a subsidiary of NCCC to support the next stage of scale and growth of maternal mental health care. Amy is proud to be part of the EY Winning Women of North A

This episode covers an important topic geared toward therapists, perinatal mental health providers, and play therapists who want to have cultural humility with an anti-oppressive stance. You’ll learn what this means and how this viewpoint benefits the families affected by our work. Join us! Meyleen Velasquez is an immigrant Latinx psychotherapist specializing in perinatal and infant mental health. She has a doctorate in social work and focused her research on anti-racist and anti-oppressive mental health services. Her practice supports birthing people and clinicians working from an anti-oppressive framework. Meyleen is a Brown woman living with vitiligo and is the author of What Therapists Need to Know About Perinatal and Early Relational Health: A Guide to Anti-Oppressive Counseling with Caregivers, Babies, and Young Children.  Meyleen sits on the board of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health and has served as the Chair for the Florida Chapter of Postpartum Support International and as th

A common issue that comes up frequently in therapy is taking medication during the perinatal period. There is much debate and many conflicting emotions about this decision of whether or not to take medication. It’s a personal choice that each person has to make, but we need to understand the emotional process around this decision. Join me for a closer look! Show Highlights: Medication should be viewed as another tool in the toolkit. Assessing symptoms that might indicate a need for medication The role of a therapist is to be an objective onlooker. The basic need to “get through” each day The severity of symptoms doesn’t always align with the capacity to function. Taking a sensible approach and a full-picture view Dr. Kat’s process in suggesting medication to a patient The wide range of responses to the suggestion of psychiatric medication: sadness, grief, disappointment, and defeat—-and SO much stigma! The initial benefit of medication is feeling a weight lift off your shoulders so you can use copin

In today’s episode, we discuss feminism, motherhood, and how to understand modern feminism, which may differ from how we’ve interpreted it in the past. Looking through a feminist lens can be supportive of moms and their partners. Join us! My guest is Erin Spahr, a licensed therapist, mother, feminist, podcast host, and maternal mental health advocate based in Raleigh, NC. She uses a feminist lens in her work with mothers and strives to help them free themselves from oppressive societal expectations and find more confidence and self-compassion. She hosts The Feminist Mom Podcast, where she discusses the intersection of feminism and motherhood with inspiring guests. Erin created an inclusive provider directory that connects mothers, birthing individuals, and families in the US and Canada with perinatal providers who provide inclusivity and identity-affirming care.  Show Highlights: Erin’s journey into her work with motherhood and feminism from a background in social justice and trauma work Erin’s heightened

I’m excited to welcome Daphne Delvaux, “The Mama Attorney,” to the show for today’s episode. She’s an award-winning trial attorney and the founder of Delvaux Law, the nation’s first and only law firm devoted to women’s rights at work. She created The Mama Attorney, a platform on a mission to educate mothers on their rights at work and teach them to advocate for their needs so they can protect their pregnancies. She helps women get more time with their kids, get more benefits, and ask for accommodations without sacrificing their career goals. Being raised by a single mom in Belgium gave Daphne a desire to advocate for and support mothers. She has been recognized as a leader of the women’s rights movement by news outlets across the globe, including ABC News, Huffington Post, the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, and more. She was awarded the Outstanding Trial Lawyer award for winning an equal pay trial, and she’s the mother of two boys. Her passion for women’s and mothers’ rights led her to champion women in a

There are seasonal themes that come up every year in therapy, and stress around the holidays is always a common issue. The joy of the season and family togetherness come with many challenges. Navigating the perinatal world adds complications to the mix of holiday stress, whether you’re pregnant, a new mom, or busy with older kids; there is a unique exhaustion to holiday parenting. Medical conditions, the pain of loss, and infertility struggles can compound holiday stress even further, and there can be immense pressure to put on a happy face and pretend that all is well. Let’s take a closer look in today’s episode! Show Highlights: Do what you need to do to care for yourself. Challenges with mental health, physical well-being, relationships, and finances Coping strategies; Start by setting limits and boundaries. You can say NO. It’s okay to simplify the holidays. Asking for help is NOT a cop-out. Let go of expectations of perfection. My advice: Step back, take inventory, consider your capacity, and ad

This episode offers multiple perspectives from two expert guests on the subject of postpartum depression. You’ll learn how to recognize the early signs and symptoms, how to understand maternal mental health disparities, and how untreated postpartum depression can have long-term generational consequences. Join us! Dr. Rachel Dalthorp is a psychiatrist and the Executive Medical Director for LifeStance Health. Since 2014, she has focused on caring for women with hormone-related mood and anxiety disorders across the reproductive lifespan, with perinatal psychiatry comprising a large part of her work. In 2018, she worked with like-minded colleagues across the country to create a non-profit organization called ISRP to support advocacy, education, and collaboration in the field. She takes advantage of every opportunity to advocate for access to women-specific mental healthcare.  Born and raised in Toronto, Dr. Ewurana Sackey attended the University of Pennsylvania. After teaching high school in New Orleans and St. L

I'm joined today by Dr. Katrina Furey, a board-certified adult psychiatrist in women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry. We are diving into understanding how hormones impact mental health in the perinatal period and at other times in a woman’s life cycle. Join us to learn more! Dr. Furey is a clinical instructor at the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and has Sound Psychiatry, a private practice in Guilford, Connecticut. She is a consultant for Connecticut’s Access Mental Health for Moms Hotline, offering psychiatric expertise and consultation to medical providers treating women for mental health or substance abuse issues. She also co-hosts the Analyze Scripts podcast, which analyzes the depiction of mental health in fictional TV shows and films. Dr. Furey just launched Repro Psych Academy, a comprehensive series of online courses designed to empower all healthcare providers to feel more confident in diagnosing and managing women’s mental health conditions related to hormon

We are exploring a topic that pops up frequently in therapy sessions. Relationship issues are often an underlying factor of other challenges that prompt women to seek therapy. They are looking for problem-solving solutions to help with the pain they are experiencing in their relationships. Let’s take a closer look in today’s episode. Show Highlights: Gaslighting–a form of psychological manipulation that can have devastating effects on a relationship Many clients desperately want their husbands/partners to seek therapy. One-sided efforts by one partner can only go so far toward healing the relationship.  Movement forward in the relationship usually happens as a result of couples therapy.  How our conditioning sets us up with the perfect formula for a tension-filled marriage Having kids changes EVERYTHING in a relationship! Feeling isolated and alienated makes every problem seem magnified. Healing CAN happen! Resources: Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit cdph.

Today’s guest shares her experiences through a difficult postpartum journey. Her story covers anxiety, psychosis, and alcohol dependence, but she turned things around to empower women and coach them to be their best selves. Join us for Andrea’s story. Andrea Owen is an author, global keynote speaker, and professionally certified life coach who helps high-achieving women maximize unshakeable confidence, master their mindset, and magnify their courage. She hosts the wildly popular podcast, Make Some Noise, and her books include How to Stop Feeling Like Shit, Make Some Noise, and 52 Ways to Live a Kickass Life. With multiple certifications, Andrea is a She Recovers coach and a Daring Way facilitator.  Show Highlights: Andrea’s story: a first pregnancy of stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and postpartum psychosis A C-section, sleep issues, breastfeeding issues, and colic compounded the problems until Andrea finally began to feel better after a few months.  A second pregnancy when her son was 15 months old, a do

We often mistakenly think physicians are immune to postpartum challenges, but nothing could be further from the truth. Today’s guest shares her story of pregnancy loss, traumatic birth, and intense postpartum difficulties. From feeling shamed and unsupported, therapy helped her find a place of forgiveness and a healthy mental space for herself. Join us to learn more! Dr. Phindile Chowa is an emergency-trained physician currently practicing in Georgia. She attended the University of Pittsburgh for her undergraduate studies and medical school, completing her residency at Harvard. With several years of experience in a large academic hospital, she swiftly ascended to an administrative role within the emergency department, focusing on enhancing the patient experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she witnessed transformative changes in healthcare delivery, motivating her to redefine her medical practice. Determined to restore dignity to patient care, she established the concierge medical practice, EMCare2U, where

SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP! We are talking about a very important topic…SLEEP! We’ve all heard that new moms and parents don’t sleep when they have a baby, but its actually a pretty huge deal. Lauren DePaola is going to give us the information we need to know about how it Impacts us and why we need to be taking a closer look on protecting our sleep as much as possible. We cover stages of sleep, how much sleep you really need and what kind, what can happen when you don't get enough sleep and why its so important!!!! Lauren DePaola, LCSW is a wife, mother of two boys and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida. She owns a private mental health practice with a focus on reproductive mental health: Postpartum Wellness & Family Counseling, located in Gainesville, FL. Lauren is the founder of the Alachua County Perinatal Mental Health Coalition, the President of the Florida Chapter of Postpartum Support International and Co-Chair of the newly formed Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative.    Resources: Call the

You are in for a treat as we hear from someone who is fully committed to the advocacy and activism it takes to make a difference in the lives of new moms. She is relentless in her fight and the scope of her work is far-reaching. I’m excited to be joined by Paige Bellenbaum for today’s show.  Paige Bellenbaum is a social worker, founding director, and Chief External Relations Officer at The Motherhood Center of New York. This place is doing phenomenal work in the field of perinatal mental health, helping push the dial forward on the kind of care that new moms who are suffering should be receiving. She’s been able to put forth legislation in NY to help mothers by mandating hospitals to provide education and encourage screening for all new and expectant mothers. Paige has worked in public policy, advocacy, community organizing, and in direct practice with disadvantaged communities. Paige shares her experience as a mom and how it brought her into this work. After Paige’s first child was born, the postpartum depre

I’m happy to welcome back a previous guest on the podcast. Lynn Wilhite is a licensed clinical social worker who joined me for Episode 263, Coping with Treatment-Resistant Depression. Things have changed for Lynn since she has recently been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and PTSD. She shares the impact of her diagnoses and how she’s making connections about why things were so difficult for her in the past. Her insights help us understand how the many layers and factors of ADHD and autism have complicated her journey. Lynn has paused her work in therapy and social work to focus on her healing, understand her diagnoses, and learn more about her son’s autism diagnosis. She feels passionate about bringing neurodivergence into the postpartum conversation, along with normalizing and destigmatizing autism and other forms of neurodivergence for new moms. She is currently writing a book about her postpartum and parenthood journey. Join us to learn more from Lynn’s story! Show Highlights: Developments in Lynn’s life si

In my therapy practice, I meet with moms at all stages of their reproductive journeys. It is a consistent thing that perinatal mental health conditions sneak up on people. Many new moms don’t know when to be concerned and when to seek help for perinatal depression, which can happen at any point in the reproductive journey and worsen in the postpartum. It’s important to notice the signs and symptoms. Let’s take a closer look! Show Highlights: The “baby blues” vs. postpartum depression—”How do I tell the difference?” Symptoms that signify a deeper problem and possible postpartum depression Identifying issues with eating and sleeping patterns that could point to postpartum depression Postpartum depression differs in context from generalized depression. Feelings of failure, self-criticism, and isolation as a new mother “I FEEL bad because I AM bad.” Postpartum depression is relatively common (Around 20% of mothers will experience it.) Difficulty bonding with a new baby can indicate postpartum depression.

Join us for this episode with my guest, Dr. Jasmine. She is a mom of one, a clinical pharmacist, and she holds a perinatal mental health certification. As a survivor of severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and insomnia, she has also served as a peer mentor volunteer for Postpartum Support International (PSI). A fierce maternal mental health advocate and second-generation Taiwanese-American, Dr. Jasmine hosts a podcast called Healing the Tigress, which features conversations around Asian American Pacific Islanders’ (AAPI) maternal mental health. Her newsletter, blogs, and Instagram focus on motherhood, mental health destigmatization, and gentle parenting. Her writing has been featured in Mother.ly, Psyched Mommy, and she was interviewed last fall about her PPD story by Women’s Health.  Show Highlights: Dr. Jasmine’s story of infertility, her pregnancy, and her daughter’s birth The super storm that drove Jasmine’s postpartum depression into a downward spiral Feelings of worthlessness, failure, and asking,

Today, Dr. Kat hosts Dr. Marlena Fejzo, an expert on hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe form of pregnancy sickness. Dr. Fejzo, affiliated with the University of Southern California and the HER Foundation, discusses HG's debilitating symptoms, its long-term health impacts, and the challenges within the healthcare system. She emphasizes the need for better awareness, research, and treatment protocols, including the importance of thiamine supplements and support groups. Dr. Fejzo also highlights her ongoing research on genetic factors and potential treatments, advocating for improved care and support for HG patients. Join us! Bio:  Dr. Marlena Fejzo is a women’s health scientist and expert on severe pregnancy sickness. She is a researcher at the University of Southern California, Research Director of the HER Foundation, and Chief Scientific Officer of Harmonia Healthcare. Fejzo found the first genes for uterine fibroids and for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. In March, Fejzo was honored as one of Time’s

Today’s episode covers a common problem I see with clients in therapy; it’s the issue of fighting sleep. People are exhausted, running on empty, and not getting the sleep they need. When the kids go to bed, there is an urge to stay awake and get things done or have alone time when your body is screaming for the sleep it needs. During the perinatal time, the loss of sleep is prevalent in many instances and impacts every area of life! Join me for more!  Show Highlights: Time for relaxation, decompression, and autonomy shouldn’t take priority over sleep. Is there avoidance going on? Avoidance of sleep can be related to trauma or PTSD. A cycle of repeatedly pushing sleep back leaves you frayed, irritable, anxious, and depressed. No judgment from me, but a gentle urging to take an honest look at your sleep challenges Look to compromise by guarding the nights you stay up to have alone time, but prioritize your sleep on other nights. Tips for promoting good sleep Resources: Please find resources in English