Momwell

Erica Djossa

We often enter motherhood envisioning joy, nurturing, peace, and love. But the reality can blindside us. Nobody tells us about Mom Rage, overstimulation, intrusive thoughts, or other mental health struggles. Unfortunately, when we seek help, we might face a lack of support, a system that doesn’t put moms first, and a world that turns a blind eye to the challenges of motherhood. We’re here to change that. We believe that moms deserve access to community, support, and mental health literacy. If you’re struggling with motherhood, you’re not alone–and you’re not failing. On The Momwell Podcast, host and psychotherapist Erica Djossa teaches strategies to help you cope with the psychological and emotional load of motherhood and prioritize your mental health and wellbeing. Erica shares the best kept secrets of the therapy world and interviews other professionals (psychologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, fertility specialists, lactation consultants, and more!) who provide their expertise to empower you on your motherhood journey.

Episodes

Mentioned books

Jul 28, 2021 • 1h 1min

079: When Treatment Becomes Trauma with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Quincee Gideon

Have you ever been in a medical situation where you felt completely powerless? Have you ever had decisions made about yours or your child's care and felt like your voice was not heard?? There are so many situations that can cause medical post traumatic stress syndrome, and these are just a couple. Since so many mothers experience medical PTSD, I thought it would be a good idea to unpack what medical post traumatic stress syndrome really is and what we can do about it. Clinical psychologist Dr. Quincee Gideon is going to help us tease this out today. Trauma care is her speciality. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3748FdF Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 21, 2021 • 56min

074: The Self-Compassionate Mother with Associate Professor and Author Dr. Kristin Neff

If your best friend called you upset because her baby has a horrible diaper rash that she blamed herself for, would you hop on the bandwagon and agree that it was her fault? Or would you offer suggestions to get rid of the rash and remind her that it happens? If she lost her cool on her toddler, would you scold her? Or would you respond with care? Now imagine your own child has a bumpy red bottom or you are the one who lost their cool, would you respond the same way? Probably not. Most of us can comfort and support our friends when they make a mistake but not ourselves. Dr. Kristin Neff is here today to talk to us about the importance of self-compassion and how we can learn it. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3d5l5Wl Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 2021 • 58min

073: The Overstimulated Mommy with Occupational Therapist Larissa Geleris

Do you ever feel yourself snapping at your kids or partner when you’re not even angry, you’re just overwhelmed. That’s called overstimulation and it happens when your brain has 50 tabs open and trying to move back and forth is both frustrating and overwhelming. I find myself wanting to wear ear plugs around the house just so that I can hear myself think. Noise is one of the many sensory factors that contribute to the sensory overload that many parents experience. Larissa Geleris, an occupational therapist and mother of two with extensive experience and training in Sensory Processing Disorder in children, uses that experience to support parents in understanding their own sensory triggers. And today, she’s going to help us understand our own sensory issues and how to cope with them in parenting. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3wAthFO Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 9, 2021 • 56min

072: Mom Brain with Neuroscientist and Psychotherapist Dr. Jodi Pawluski

Did you know that most moms will report experiencing some amount of memory loss during the postpartum period? If you can’t remember what you ate for breakfast, it’s okay! No other mom can either. As a mom of three boys I can totally relate to the forgetfulness and brain fog that sets in during those early postpartum days. Mom brain can be annoying—who wants to forget why they walked into a room—but it doesn’t have to be bad. Dr. Jodi Pawluski is here today to help us understand the physical and chemical changes in our brains and how to better care for our changing brains. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3gnPLCG Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 2, 2021 • 1h 5min

071: OCD in Postpartum and Motherhood with Licensed Professional Counselor Jenna Overbaugh

Did you know that the majority of mothers experience scary and intrusive thoughts in the postpartum period, but feel so much shame they hardly talk about it? Even worse, these intrusive thoughts can become debilitating and take control of a mother's life leading to postpartum Obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD).” For a lot of people, a thought like that might trigger extreme shame and guilt, causing PPOCD to be one of the most commonly misdiagnosed perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Because OCD requires evidence-based techniques and postpartum OCD is so unique, licensed counselor Jenna Overbaugh is here to help us unpack what obsessive compulsion is and how to know when we might be experiencing it. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/34BwNDr Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 26, 2021 • 1h 4min

070: Whole Brain Mommying with Neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

Understanding how your brain works is incredibly empowering. Maybe your go-to emotion is rage when your brain is at capacity or perhaps your brain gets stuck in anxious overdrive. Or perhaps your child's brain gets flooded with big emotions that appear as frequent tantrums, which leaves you feeling like they are intentionally disobeying. If we understand how the brain influences our emotions, we can discover our best coping skills. Neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor joins us to talk about the differences in the left and right hemispheres of our brain, how they work together, and how we can use this awareness to help regulate our emotions in motherhood. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3wzZpZu Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: happyasamother.co/wellness Follow Happy as a Mother on Instagram: instagram.com/happyasamother Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: happyasamother.co/newsletter Register for one of our popular workshops: happyasamother.co/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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