My guest has written a powerful book about the history of postpartum depression in America, highlighting the changes in our cultural understanding of PPD. Join us for this discussion. Rachel Louise Moran is an associate professor of history at the University of North Texas, where she teaches US women’s and gender history and the history of medicine. She’s the author of a new book, Blue: A History of Postpartum Depression in America. The book is a history of postpartum distress and mental illness...
Feb 17, 2025•43 min
Planning ahead for the postpartum has proven to be a helpful strategy to overcome the challenges and unique dynamics of this transitional time. My expert guest and I dive into this topic in today’s episode. Join us! Gayane Aramyan, LMFT, is based in Los Angeles and specializes in perinatal therapy. She helps women and couples navigate pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. She earned her master’s degree in clinical psychology with a marriage and family emphasis from Pepperdine University and has...
Feb 10, 2025•41 min
Today’s session is about recognizing abusive behaviors in family members and taking appropriate action to protect your mental and physical health. I want to give a warning that some of these situations can be difficult to hear if you have a history of various kinds of abuse. Abusive family members can come in the form of a partner, sibling, extended family, and even parents of adult kids who are now becoming parents. We have previously discussed how your new life as a parent can bring up issues ...
Feb 06, 2025•52 min
I’m joined today by Aaisha Alvi, a writer and fierce postpartum psychosis awareness advocate. In her recent book, A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis, she shares her experience and explains how her symptoms of psychosis were missed, ignored, and overlooked by many healthcare providers until she finally got the help she needed. Aaisha shares her story with us and discusses the differences between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, along with the biggest misconceptions a...
Feb 03, 2025•48 min
My guest shares her story of an uncomplicated pregnancy that resulted in an emergency hysterectomy just minutes after her daughter’s birth. Join us to hear her story of grief, trauma, feelings of isolation, and healing. Lindsey Harris is a mental health therapist in Princeton, TX, and she specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. She brings a deeply personal perspective to mental health conversations after experiencing postpartum depression and birth trauma in 20...
Jan 27, 2025•44 min
In today’s Behind the Sessions episode, Dr. Kat, a perinatal psychologist, explores how motherhood can magnify anxiety and self-doubt, especially for those with pre-existing tendencies towards anxiety or perfectionism. She discusses how these emotional challenges often resurface during pregnancy and postpartum, leading to feelings of inadequacy. Dr. Kat emphasizes the importance of recognizing and understanding these patterns, advocating for self-compassion and realistic expectations. She encour...
Jan 23, 2025•33 min
Today, my guests are talking about their new card deck for postpartum folks. Available in English and Spanish, the card deck is called “Centering You” and is a collaboration between these longtime friends and perinatal therapists. In this episode, they will explain what the card deck is and how it can be helpful. They are offering a special discount to Mom and Mind listeners, so don’t miss your chance to buy this unique product! Marianela Rodriguez-Reynaldo is a mother, certified lactation educa...
Jan 20, 2025•40 min
There are internal and societal pressures in making birthing and parenting decisions that are magnified for the BIPOC community. My guest explains how incorporating ancestral practices can be supportive and shares her valuable work and the importance of doulas for people of color. Dr. Suzanne Mungalez (aka Dr. Zann) is a licensed clinical psychologist in CA certified in perinatal mental health, childbirth educator, certified lactation education specialist, and trained doula. She has worked in ho...
Jan 13, 2025•47 min
Today, Dr. Kat discusses the pressures and expectations of the new year, particularly around personal goals, parenting, and self-reflection. She addresses feelings of inadequacy that arise from societal standards and social media comparisons. Dr. Kat emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, manageable goal-setting, and recognizing that perfection is unattainable. She advises listeners to focus on small, realistic changes and to limit exposure to social media to avoid unfair comparisons. Tun...
Jan 09, 2025•30 min
This is an important conversation that affects many women at various stages of life, perhaps none so much as during pregnancy and postpartum. We are covering eating disorders, body image, trauma, and core beliefs. Join us to learn more! Andrea Wetterau is a mother of two and a therapist specializing in pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenting, specifically to empower people on their journey toward healing from trauma and finding peace in relationships with food and their bodies. Our conversati...
Jan 06, 2025•40 min
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 ha...
Dec 30, 2024•43 min
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 YO...
Dec 26, 2024•21 min
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 serv...
Dec 23, 2024•49 min
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 ment...
Dec 16, 2024•57 min
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 Th...
Dec 12, 2024•31 min
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 expectati...
Dec 09, 2024•46 min
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 accommo...
Dec 02, 2024•51 min
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 ...
Nov 28, 2024•36 min
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 dis...
Nov 25, 2024•53 min
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 A...
Nov 18, 2024•51 min
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/p...
Nov 14, 2024•32 min
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 So...
Nov 11, 2024•54 min
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 fo...
Nov 04, 2024•54 min
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 ...
Oct 30, 2024•44 min
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, ...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr
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 comp...
Oct 21, 2024•50 min
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 t...
Oct 17, 2024•32 min
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 Americ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr
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...
Oct 07, 2024•47 min
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, decompr...
Oct 03, 2024•24 min
