Postpartum Better | Postpartum Recovery, Breastfeeding, Mom Overwhelm, Returning to Work, Postpartum Identity

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode Chelsea is joined by life and organization coach, Melina Kane, who shares her experiences with postpartum depression and anxiety after becoming a mother. The conversation begins with a reflection on Melina’s journey of conception and pregnancy, both of which came natural and with ease. Despite her better judgment, she shares her biggest regret was not preparing...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, Chelsea is joined by fellow mama (of 8) and host of the Solidarity Sister Podcast, Kristin Wilson. The two dive deep into topics reflecting on Kristin’s early days of motherhood to how her background in education supported her as the at-home parent to the realities of mothering children at vastly different stages of life. During the conversation, Kristin opens...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, Chelsea is joined by fellow mama and business owner, Ashley Sousa. During the conversation, Ashley shares how her journey with founding Mothers Haven, a space for individualized care and support for mothers, began with feeling alone in her prenatal depression when expecting her first. Together, they discuss the false sense of control in motherhood and the press...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode Chelsea is joined by returning guest, Noel Curtis, for what was planned to be a continued conversation on c-section recovery after the 2-week post-op. And while the two cover that - including discussion on how to care for your incision, Noel’s initial thoughts when she looked in the mirror, and guidelines for returning to movement, etc., they also have one of th...

Send us Fan Mail While we are beginning to see a generational shift, the topic of mental health, specifically in the perinatal period, is traditionally taboo. Perhaps that’s relative to societal norms, access to support, or quite frankly the cultural structures in general. Nonetheless, statistically speaking women have never been more sick, overwhelmed, depleted, or isolated than ever before.  In...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode Chelsea sets the stage for a special series coming next month, on the Cultivate with Chelsea podcast, by discussing the importance of celebrating both the highs and lows of motherhood and life in general. Through sharing personal examples she processes the guilt and discomfort that can come with externalizing personal happiness or struggles. In hopes of inspirin...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, Chelsea catches up with 200-RYT yoga instructor, mindfulness teacher, Founder of Live Well with Janelle, and mama of two - Janelle Laurito. If you don’t know Janelle is one of the most approachable, insightful and inspiring women that Chelsea knows. Not only was Janelle a resource for Chelsea through the confusing HR lingo and overwhelm of planning maternity le...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Chelsea breaks down her thoughts on a recent Tik Tok post from a mom influencer that went viral. She also does something she’s never done before and shares a snippet from a recent Cultivate Crew call where she coaches a new mama of 2 under 2, through holding space for herself as she is craving both creation and rest in the early weeks after birth.  Disclaimer: The...

Send us Fan Mail Today Chelsea catches up with Integrative and Functional Registered Dietitian Sheri Vettel, about navigating postpartum nourishment. As fellow IIN graduates, Chelsea and Sheri remind mamas to honor their bio-individuality as they explore Sheri’s staple recommendations for postpartum recovery. She highlights both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda - a practice that she...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Chelsea reflects on a recent podcast interview and shares insights on balancing work and parenting. She also discusses the benefits of involving children in household tasks and finding fulfillment in activities with them. Finding yourself challenged by the practice of slowing down to include them? She shares a four-step method for processing your resistance and ov...

Send us Fan Mail Warning: This episode recalls conversations between provider and patient that challenged the patient's feelings of comfort and safety. It also discusses birth injury and mentions threats of fetal death.  Today Chelsea is joined by owner of King of Prussia Doulas, Lacey Morgan, to discuss how their birth experiences influenced their postpartum experience and ultimately their c...

Send us Fan Mail This week Chelsea did what feels like the most insane thing in a long time… She bought a ticket to a Podcasting Summit, in May, in Los Angeles. Like what?! First - never did she think she’d become a Podcaster, and now she’s attending a conference with other Podcasters?! Though this is technically a work trip, the way she processed the opportunity and choice to attend was very diff...

Send us Fan Mail Today Chelsea chats about mom burnout with licensed therapist and coach, Brooke Jean. Having started her journey as a young, single mom, Brooke shares how societal pressures pushed her to abandon her authenticity, resulting in silent suffering. That was, until a traumatic event forever changed the course of her life. Passionate to support other high-achieving mothers, often found...

Send us Fan Mail Well mamas, Chelsea is 99.9% sure that her daughter has her first crush and it’s bringing up all the feels. In navigating this “new” and the start of both the feeling and processing of BIG emotions, Chelsea is reminded of advice she received from a mama friend before Frankie was even born.  In this episode she shares the moments she misses from the newborn days, what she’s cherish...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s be real, relationships - especially our intimate one - is VERY different after kids. And honestly this was one area that Chelsea was most fearful of changing as she prepared for life postpartum.  Join Chelsea as she chats with therapist and social worker in private practice from British Columbia, Cecilia Mannella, about a much requested and timely topic - navigating our inti...

Send us Fan Mail Right before her daughter’s first birthday, Chelsea joined her local mom’s FB group. Of late there have been a lot of posts from expecting mom’s asking for advice and must-have product recommendations. Join Chelsea as she reflects back on the first weeks to months postpartum as she recalls what items (and more importantly the people that) were the game changers. Admittedly, it was...

Send us Fan Mail In 2021 the gift baby registry was $12 billion and the postpartum care industry was $2.22 billion. Now she’s not the brightest with math, BUT Chelsea knows enough to realize the significant difference between these investments and she’s not alone in understanding the detriment this ultimately puts mothers and their babies at. Join Chelsea as she fangirls over Doula and Founder of...

Send us Fan Mail Chelsea admits that she kinda dropped a bomb during her last episode and then didn’t give you the solution or guidance you are deserving of. In today's BONUS episode, she shares how she prepared for her first months postpartum and has a HUGE announcement for all of the expecting mamas out there.  Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended t...

Send us Fan Mail This is a safe space, right?! Join Chelsea for an episode that she has been itching to record but honestly fearful to share. And not from a feedback or criticism way but from a, God, please have her do it justice kind of way. Warning: her point-of-view may stir up a lot of emotion and perhaps even confusion BUT she asks that you please hear her out… Disclaimer: The information and...

Send us Fan Mail With a baby comes a lot of change, some expected and some not. Join Chelsea as she chats with fellow mama, friend, and podcaster, Brooke Koeninger who shares how she internally struggled with her ambition for a successful career and desire to be present with her family for years.  Brooke, now seasoned mama of 3, acknowledges her greatest challenge was her resistance to the change...

Send us Fan Mail With a background in wellness, which started with a role as a Pilates Instructor, Chelsea anticipated her workout regimen would shift during pregnancy and in the immediate postpartum period. What she didn’t expect was that she’d completely forgo her old routine completely. Join Chelsea as she reflects on the impact that mindful movement has had on her postpartum - mind, body and s...

Send us Fan Mail The start of a New Year can bring up all the feels, specifically when contemplating the potential for change it brings. And quite honestly, the start of motherhood can feel like a New Year on steroids.  Join Chelsea as she chats with fellow mama, Lesley Alberts, on the immense learnings, resilience, and trust that have come from life after birth. Together, they reflect on the chal...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Chelsea reflects on, what she believes to be, one of the greatest years of her life - even with the (many) unexpected plot twists that came her way. Over the past several weeks common themes of rest and receiving have continued to come up in conversation for her. Listen as she acknowledges the similarities of our engrained "hustle culture" to motherhood a...

Send us Fan Mail Today Chelsea as she catches up with friend and girl mom, Anna Glennon. In this episode, they explore how influential our children are in holding us accountable with our own values, which sometimes is painful - especially in the depths of sleep deprivation. The two laugh, cry, and hold space for each other as they relate and learn from their unique yet shared experiences. Full tra...

Send us Fan Mail Between the weather shifts, excessive sugar intake, and just straight up exposure to extra gunk with gatherings, who isn't holding their breath and hoping not to miss out on the holidays? Balancing constant worry, close proximity (though who can resist the extra snuggles?), and caregiving 24/7, it’s no wonder that we mamas find ourselves rundown too. In this episode, Chelsea...