Becoming a single mom and being an entrepreneur transformed my life in ways I never anticipated. Juggling responsibilities and adapting to this new way of life taught me the importance of giving myself grace. Initially, I strived to maintain the same routines and productivity levels I had when I was married, but after beating myself up to get everything done all the time only made me realize it was an impossible standard. Between running my business, caring for my two kids—one with special needs—managing therapies, and everything else in between “mom life” and “girl boss”  I had to a ..read more

I was so excited to become a mother. I had experienced a smooth and easy pregnancy and I felt so ready to have my son. I wrapped up my last week at work just as my 40-week due date was approaching and I transitioned into waiting for the moment of birth.  I remember that weekend as if it were yesterday. We went to the mall, walked around, enjoyed time at the salon, because of course I had to prepare for birth, and went to have dinner. It was low key and nice. Later that evening, I took a bath and relaxed even further, allowing myself to really enjoy the time to myself. The perfect day to u ..read more

I am a recovering CPA, caffeine and sugar addict turned holistic health coach. By the age of 35 I was burnt out, stressed out and fed up. My motto was work hard play hard and I wore lack of sleep as a badge of honor. I was always trying to prove my worth, that I belonged in this corporate environment with many smart, drive and successful people. I spent years feeling like an imposter and was waiting for the moment when I would be called out. I moved through most days on auto pilot. In 2010 I went through a stressful period in my life that included the birth of our third child and a move to Min ..read more

It feels impossible these days to start a piece of writing or speech without first acknowledging the current global situation in fearful, tearful, or apocalyptic terms. As a teacher, coach, and therapist who has worked with children and families for nearly 30 years, my heart goes out to the homes, children, and families of Ukraine, your homes, children and families, and the homes, children, and families of our animal friends too. Big work and big times are for big people. We find ourselves in a community because big people need big friends and strong families. I’m very happy to be part of your ..read more

The first words to my daughter were – “you’re here. You’re finally here”. I sobbed uncontrollably in my mask. A thick layer of dry saliva caked all around my mouth slowly dissolving. I remember locking eyes with my daughter and thinking “is this how she will see me? Masked with only my eyes showing?” A memory I hope we’d never need to re-visit for the sake of Covid-19 still looming over us. We did skin to skin – she was warm and glowing, covered in vernix and blood.  I remember promising her to do my best in protecting her and feeling a worry in the pit of my stomach reminding me my womb ..read more

Our growing story began in 2012 with a blog that highlighted our struggle with infertility culminating with our process of going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and leading to the birth of our first daughter, Sabrina Natale. Sabi (as we called her), provided so much love and happiness to us and our family. She was a fun loving child, who loved to watch Frozen 100 times and sing “Let it Go” into her microphone. We can still hear that little voice every time the song comes on. One of the best feelings in the world was seeing her running to the door to give me a tight cheek to cheek hug. I s ..read more

Welcome to the vulnerability hour. Today’s message is straight from my journal and it is super personal. I kept quiet and suffered alone for so long. Today I feel brave enough to share. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A couple of months into Spring of 2020, I started to reflect on the way I felt about my best friend and how she treats her firstborn son. She is so in love with him! I remember that feeling…being so in love with my firstborn before I became a mom of two. When you are pregnant with your second child you may wonder if you will love your next child as much as your first. And yet, there I was, five months ..read more

It took three days for my postpartum depression to knock on my door; pushing itself in like an intruder. I had overly prepared for its visit, assembling community support with family and friends, keeping quarantined before my due date and over nesting at home to ensure a smooth transition. But no matter how much I preempted all the possibilities; I was caught in a whirlwind of inner turmoil; hurting in places I forgot could hurt. I was in its grasp; like an anaconda squeezing around its prey before devouring it whole. I felt as though I may bleed out physically and emotionally and no transfusi ..read more

SUBCHORIONIC HEMATOMA. A medical term that I had never heard of before. I knew what a hematoma was, just not a subchorionic hematoma. I found out we were pregnant with our second baby on February 14, 2019! VALENTINES DAY! It was the perfect surprise gift for my husband. I gifted him a positive pregnancy test for him to unwrap as I unwrapped some Alex and Ani bracelets he bought me. It was a day for the books, for sure. My second was planned and was also a frozen embryo transfer pregnancy, just like my first. We were just waiting for the bloodwork and positive tests to come back, and it had th ..read more