#thebeautifulstruggle

Her first time with us, here at #thebeautifulstruggle, was marked by bravery- the courage to recant what it’s like being pregnant for the first time, but losing the baby under harrowing circumstances.

Claire Daniels is a survivor who let her guards down to share her story to lift up and shine a light on mother’s and father’s who are silently dealing with grief, sadness, and the fear of trying again.

But in this episode, we learn how life can take an unexpected turn as she humbly returns to shine a light on perseverance, faith, surrender, and the ultimate joy of becoming a Mother, once again.

This final episode of season two will leave you in awe of God’s power and grace, what happens when you face the fear of loss head on, and what it means to live with a heart open to love after loss.

Tune in to Claire’s episode below as she unpacks becoming a Mother after neonatal loss.

“As a first-time mom, I didn’t know if this was normal.”

Multiple organ failure. More than 100 days in the hospital for recovery.

A mother, business owner, and educator, Fathiyyah Doster is making it her life’s mission to make sure every expecting mother is aware of the danger of Preeclampsia.

At almost 37 weeks, Fathiyyah recalls experiencing an abnormal sensation one evening, that made her wonder if she was going into labor. Thinking it was a little more than gas and bloating, she decided to call a friend.

Knowing her body and trusting her gut, she decided to go to the hospital and checked.

It’s a decision that saved her life.

Abnormally high blood pressure and experiencing a seizure on site, Fathiyyah would have no choice but to deliver her baby immediately.

What Fathiyyah recants for us in this episode is resiliency at its very best. We learn through her detailed storytelling that listening to your body is paramount, trusting its ability to heal and be restored is life-saving.

Listen in to her story below.

I’m a mom and I’m going to have to battle cancer as a business owner.

Jessica McDermott is more than a survivor.

She’s a victor.

At just six months post-partum, after the birth of her second child, Jessica discovered she had cancer.

At 24 years old. Let that sink in for a second.

When I first heard of Jessica’s story, I was halted in my tracks, wondering what must have been going through her mind? What was her body was going through, still pretty early post-partum, and just what would this diagnosis mean for her at the time?

We’ve never shied away from talking about the most harrowing experiences of health and motherhood, so I knew talking to her would be a must.

And what an amazingly insightful conversation it was.

Jessica candidly shares how she equipped herself emotionally to fight, how she mustered the courage to be there for not only herself, but her first child and fiance. Jessica bravely takes us through what it was like as an entrepreneur, having to put her business on hold, all in the name of courageously fighting, and overcoming, Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The most amazing part?  Learning she would become a new mom, again.

Listen in for an amazing recant of miracles, motherhood and what a cancer survivor doesn’t want to hear.

  We have a tendency of separating ourselves from nature when we are in fact apart of nature.

#Selfcare, #Selflove, #Selfhealing

Millennial mom’s are being inundated with methods of keeping our bodies in optimal health. Whether you are trying to conceive, are successfully pregnant or navigating the changing waters of post-partum, there is some educational space devoted to teaching you something new.

But what about making these methods practical in a world so fast-paced?

Meet Dr. Naika Apeakorang.

A Naturopathic Doctor, Acupuncturist, and Herbalist, Dr. Naika specializes in hormones, digestion, and mind-body balance, but she also loves educating her local community through workshops. I loved Dr. Naika’s down-to-earth approach and knew she could help us sift through the overwhelming options of reconnecting our mind, body and spirit to nature.

She delivered.

From specific acupuncture points that help with gestational discomforts to which teas help tone the body post-birth, Dr. Naika helps us get grounded in it all.

Listen in below and don’t be afraid to stop, start, and rewind!

I just knew that eventually, she would have to start learning from other people.

There are some milestones in motherhood, no matter how prepared you think you are, that can throw you for an emotional loop.

Preschool is one of those milestones.

Brittany and I sat for a conversation where we let it all out- anxiety, worry, preconceived notions- everything we thought could go wrong in letting our babies out to learn in the hands of new leaders. What we eventually learn is sending our children to preschool doesn’t have to be an anxiety-provoking experience if we approach it with love and open-mindedness.   After making the decision to become a full-time, stay-at-home-mom, Brittany shares with us some of her biggest lessons on teaching her daughter self-love, the art of making friends, and learning what to do with new-found free time.

Listen in as we talk race, adjustment, and finding the joy in new levels of parenting.