Becoming a parent completely shifted my world. Before my son was born, I was just living life moment-to-moment, but parenting pushed me to grow in ways I hadn’t imagined. Diagnosed as autistic in adulthood, I had to learn how to advocate not just for myself but also for my child, who is autistic and has ADHD. Our journey hasn’t always been smooth, especially when navigating systems or other adults who had negative views about neurodivergency. I’ve learned to set aside traditional expectations and instead celebrate my son’s unique way of being in the world. Through our gentle parenting approach, I’ve developed strategies for communication, collaboration, and skill-building that respect both of our needs. Parenting helped me find my voice and deepen my empathy, both for myself and others. I know how isolating and overwhelming this path can feel, and I’m here to offer support, validation, and real-world tools to anyone walking a similar journey.

I grew up in a home where fear felt normal. My dad used meth to cope with his mental health struggles and the pain of losing his father, but it came out as anger. He lashed out at my mom constantly, and I was surrounded by yelling, chaos, and instability. I never felt safe. By the time I was a teen, I had turned to drugs myself—starting with marijuana at 13, then cocaine, and eventually meth by 1-It felt like the only way to numb everything I had absorbed growing up. At 23, I hit a breaking point and made the decision to leave hard drugs behind. A few years later, becoming a mom gave me a new purpose. I looked at my children and knew I had to give them something different. That meant healing, taking accountability, and learning how to parent with love instead of fear. I’ve worked hard to break those generational patterns, and I’m proud of the mom I’ve become. Now I support others who are trying to rewrite their family story because I know what it means to grow up in pain and still choose to build something better.

When my son got diagnosed at two with autism, I was having a hard time with simple parenting task that made me feel I was doing something wrong. Then once the diagnosis came, I started having a deeper understanding for why things felt so hard

I was in an abusive marriage. I was verbally abused daily. My husband was in charge of the money. There was a period of time that he would not buy food for the house. He would always say that we didn’t have any money for food. Later I found out that he had loaned someone $800 during that time.There were a couple of times that he became physically abusive. I got to where I would always have a bag packed. He alienated me from my family and friends. There were a couple times that I thought suicide was the only way out. As a way to stay in control, he would call the police to the house when I was frustrated with how he treated me and showed favoritism towards his kids. His kids are in school. I always found it odd that he would always want to sleep with them, especially after learning of his childhood abuse. He had everyone around us fooled, keeping a perfect image in front of all of his friends. I want to be a help to abuse and trauma survivors.

I had always dreamed of breast-feeding my children up until a year old. When I had my son, I didn’t take any bottles to the hospital or formula. I ended up having to ask the hospital for some formula to get him through while we were there. Once at home, I continued trying to breast-feed. It got to where I would have to make as much in formula as he took in breastmilk. It really bothered me for a while that I wasn’t able to do the one thing that I wanted to do the most.

Being a mother while healing trauma is one of the hardest journeys. I’ve navigated NICU life, grief, emotional breakdowns, and rebuilding without a partner. I understand the pressure, exhaustion, and guilt mothers carry. I offer a nonjudgmental space to breathe and be human.

For a long time, I lived disconnected from myself constantly strong for others, but silent about my own pain. I carried grief, hormonal shifts, and emotional scars in my body until it began to speak louder than I did. My healing began when I finally slowed down, listened within, and rebuilt safety in my own nervous system, not through force but through compassion, softness, and truth. That journey taught me the power of presence not fixing, not advising, but witnessing without judgment. Friends and even strangers started opening their hearts to me naturally, and I discovered my gift: helping people feel seen, safe, and less alone in the parts of themselves they’ve been afraid to face. Now, I hold space for others the way I once needed gently, honestly, and with deep respect for their pace and lived experience.

At 29, I nearly lost my life during a high-risk pregnancy. I lost a child during that pregnancy, and my surviving baby was born at 28 weeks. The grief, guilt, and trauma were unlike anything I had ever felt. Healing didn’t come in a straight line it came from compassion, community, and learning to breathe again. I now hold brave, soft space for parents carrying similar pain.

Being an adult child of divorce, I fully understand what divorce does not to the family, but to the children involved. I know what it is like to experience parental alienation in the eyes of children, and I know what it feels like to feel torn between households once the divorce is completed.

I have three lovely adult children now but I you know I went through a split up with the mother of their children and you know that that was tough on me but I've been through a lot I've been through the ringer on on that one on the trying to co-parent it gets tough It's hard to navigate I'm still on the I'm still on the inside and we all still talking it takes a while though it took it took a while

When my daughter was 11, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It completely knocked the wind out of me. No one in my family had diabetes, and I had no idea how to manage it. On top of that, she’s also on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. The learning curve was steep, and I often felt like my entire life revolved around her care. I loved her deeply, but I struggled to find me in the process. Over time, I had to learn how to provide love and stability for her while also honoring my own well-being. It meant choosing a different path—one that others didn’t always understand. It’s been lonely at times, but it’s also made me stronger and more compassionate. I want to be here for other parents who feel the weight of it all—to remind you that you’re not alone, and it’s possible to support your child while still taking care of yourself.

I was faced with making a decision about an unexpected pregnancy twice in my life. Once at 17 and again at 25. The circumstances were different each time. At 17, my parents chose for me and at 25, I had to go through my own process to choose what was best for me. Both times, the choice was to terminate the pregnancy. It was the right decision for me each time. Both experiences had significant influence on my life and choices moving forward. I had to go through different grieving and healing processes for each termination. One thing I would have benefited from is someone to talk to who had been there.

I grew up in a home where religion was strong and drugs were never around, so I never thought addiction would be part of my story. But after a car accident in 2019, I was prescribed pain medication and found myself caught in a cycle I couldn’t seem to break. As a newly single mom to three kids, I knew I needed to find a way out. A trusted friend suggested medicinal marijuana, and with that, plus support, CBD, and physical therapy, I was able to finally get off all substances. It wasn’t easy — I had to figure out so much on my own, diving into books, podcasts, and eventually going back to school for psychology to better understand healing and growth. Through all the challenges, I found a new version of myself: stronger, happier, and more resilient than ever. I would love to walk with you if you're trying to break free, rebuild your life, and find your own strength again.

As a daughter of traditional South Asian immigrants, my upbringing was quite different than my American peers. I still hesitate to share if I'm hanging out with a male friend, even though I am pestered about marriage. Getting older has also involved outgrowing attitudes about myself, family, and relationships that hold me back, guilt included. I've worked to find my authentic self and accept occasionally being the black sheep in my close-knit family whom I love being near, but still need to enact boundaries with or know when to deep breathe instead of react. This also involves understanding the challenges with comparing to cousins in India, or peers whose parents grew up in America. If you've been stressed by the conflict of the third-culture sandwich, I'd love to chat.

At the age of 25 after having my two daughters I learned about postpartum depression, and was diagnosed with Asperger’s. Since then I have navigated life as a mother, spouse, educator and advocate for disability justice and I would like to help bring equity and inclusivity to the world

My zany family of 4 has unique challenges that we navigate together with love, compassion and a lot of laughter. I have two daughter’s with their own learning challenges, and identity questions. My husband and I try to guide them from our different life perspectives. We are an inter faith, Inter racial, and mixed orientation couple. We feel that open communication as a family has been our greatest strength. As a family we have moved overseas and enjoy traveling together. If you need a person to help you navigate moving with your family, or strengthening your bonds through adversity, I would love to chat!

Life has thrown me more than my fair share of obstacles! Illness from childhood. Broken home. GenX childhood- so I basically raised myself AND my younger brother. Teen pregnancy... so married at 17. Abusive home, eventually into a single parent home. Latchkey kid. Yet.... I am still married, yes, to the same man, over 35 years later. We raised 3 kids into adulthood to be independent, and all college educated. I owned my own business and then ran a multi-level beauty company that I grew over 10 fold in 10 years, eventually having to leave due to my declining health, but I was very successful at what I did. I found successes and happiness in spite of a lot life has thrown at me. Resilience, creativity, resourcefulness, and the ability to get up and dust myself off to keep going even when I feel awful... all things I value, but I also value kindness, honesty, caring and friendship even more.

Living with multiple invisible illnesses—like Crohn’s, Ehlers-Danlos, Lupus, POTS, MVP, MCAS & ADHD—can feel isolating & make socializing challenging- through many of life's stages. From the confusing teen years into the juggling game of marriage & parenthood, on into the sometimes lonely empty-nester years, I’ve navigated these experiences myself & can help you find purpose, connection & fulfillment- even in a disconnected world. In this session, we’ll explore ways to manage expectations & navigate daily challenges, embrace self-care & create meaningful routines that support your well-being & sense of belonging. We can also simply unpack & unload the burden you're carrying in this world that doesn't always seem built to embrace emotions that can often feel bigger than our capacity to carry them. More than anything I care that you feel heard when you speak with me, I aim to be a safe space, where you can discuss whatever you need to lighten your mental load & find peace.

I was a daily drinker for 18 years and now I have 18 years of continuous sobriety! My journey hasn’t been smooth sailing. I’ve faced addiction, mental health challenges, co-parenting struggles, and the heartbreak of losing loved ones. Through it all, I leaned into therapy and a strong support network to come out stronger. I'm now a Certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist, and helping others find their footing is something I care deeply about. Whether you're navigating sobriety, parenting kids with complex needs, or just trying to keep your head above water, I’m here to listen, relate, and support however I can.

I’ve lived a full life—with all the ups, downs, sharp turns, and potholes that come with it. I'm a mother of two sons of retirement age: the younger, I'm total estranged from, and it's the same as losing a child; the elder, a practicing alcoholic, is tricky. As a former marriage and family therapist, a caregiver for my dad during his final years, and someone who has fought my own battles with addiction and recovery, I deeply understand being in hard places. My struggles were relationship acceptance and guilt and shame. I was an inadequate parent and it brought great pain to us all. But I finally sought help. I no longer accept the unrealistic perfect mother model. Once I understood my boundaries, our relationship improved. I stopped listening to abusive complaints. Now we can tell when things are "going south" and we can gracefully withdraw from conflict. Acceptance and boundaries are game changers. They can be for you, too. Let me support and help guide you in this process.