This is a special one just for you, Mama.
We are celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend, and this episode is an open love letter to being a mom and to all you moms out there. 

But before we get into it, I wanted to first acknowledge my mama - Toni Lea Jean. 

My mom is an incredible mom and person, and she had me when she was just 19 years old. By the time my parents were 27 they had a total of 3 kids, including my younger sister who was born with a brain tumor. You can only imagine the weight that my mother has carried since she was just a teenager.

My mom is one of the strongest, most resilient, and most hilarious people that I know, and she has always selfishly shown up for her kids over all else. She still rides shotgun on her children's journey of life to this day. She’s a true ride-or-die. 

Mama - I love you, value you, and see the hard work you have done to raise us. You have taught me how to be an unperfected mama, how to take care of a family, and how to show up selflessly. Thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do. 

now let’s get into why i created spaces for moms in the first place.

So many moms were suffering in silence trying to keep everything afloat, and because there wasn’t a safe space to say it out loud, so many of us were sinking into mental health struggles. There is a parallel between the rise in expectations of the modern day mom and a rise in our anxiety, depression, self-criticism, panic, PTSD, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, substance use, and shame. I say this as a therapist and as a mother myself. 

Motherhood has given me purpose, awareness in myself, strength, resilience, and access to my own gifts that I probably wouldn’t have found had I not become a mother. But boy is it brutiful. 

Us mothers are truly what make the world go round, and we are now doing more than we have ever done. We are the catalyst for connection, collaboration, and healing. We carry the worlds on our shoulders and we are the nucleus, the quarterback, and everything in-between. We are tuned into our kids, our partners, our jobs, our friendships – all aspects of life. We are the bread winners, dinner preppers, schedule organizers, activity coordinators, holiday gatherers, and household cleaners. It is a job that is my absolute favorite, but it is hard. 

I now want to take time to say thank you, mama. Thank you for tending to your children, for being the head of your family, for being the one that holds it down, and for making sacrifices that sometimes go unnoticed.

I see you, honor you, and respect you. There is a reason that “mother” is a title that you have on your journey. Birth moms, step moms, surrogates, grandmothers, all variations in motherhood - you are beautiful exactly as you are. You deserve to be cherished and to pour into your own tank. You are worthy of love and you are deserving of all that is good. This is your loving reminder that you matter, and that you have a ripple effect on the world. I am going to continue to create a movement around mommy’s mental health, because the role of mother matters.

May you tap into who you are underneath all of the pressures, and may you celebrate all of your incredible enoughness this Mother's Day. 

I love you so much, and thank you for all of the beautiful work that you’re doing.

Take care of yourselves and therefore each other!

xo, brooke jean