I Didn't Create Hello Mama Because I Wanted to Start a Business. I Created It Because I Needed It.

"Sometimes the hardest seasons of our lives become the foundation for our greatest purpose."

There was a time when I thought I had my life all figured out.

I opened and ran a brick-and-mortar juice bar. (It was actually featured on Wes Bergmann's Reality show for entreprenuers called "The Blox," season 10, but that is a story for another day.) When that dream changed, I pivoted to a food truck instead. I was excited about building something that reflected my passion. Then I became pregnant, and suddenly, everything changed.

Looking back now, I don't see those pivots as failures. I see them as stepping stones that led me exactly where I was always meant to be.

One of the greatest lessons motherhood has taught me is this:

It's okay to pivot.

It's okay if your dreams change.

It's okay if life doesn't unfold the way you planned.

Sometimes your greatest purpose is found in the life you never expected. Don't ever let anyone shame you or weaponize your growth as a human being. It says more about them, than it ever will about you, Mama.

My Pregnancy Wasn't What I Imagined

Like so many women, I pictured pregnancy as one of the happiest seasons of my life.

I imagined decorating my daughter's nursery, preparing for her arrival, soaking in every little milestone, and experiencing all of those unforgettable firsts.

Instead, I experienced a difficult pregnancy filled with severe nausea that made everyday life exhausting.

Emotionally, things became even more complicated.

Many of the moments I had dreamed about no longer felt like they belonged to me. Even something as personal as decorating my baby's nursery unfolded differently than I had imagined. I found myself grieving experiences I could never get back while trying to remain grateful for the little girl growing inside me. That season taught me something important; Two emotions can exist at the same time.

You can be incredibly grateful while also grieving.

You can love your baby with your whole heart while mourning the experience you hoped to have.

Learning to Trust Myself

Pregnancy and postpartum also taught me something I never expected.

Becoming a mother meant learning to trust my own voice. As I began setting boundaries around my recovery and the family my partner and I were building, I often felt like my judgment, intelligence, character, and identity as a mother were questioned. There were moments when I felt like my concerns were dismissed instead of heard. At one point, I was made to question whether my healthy boundaries meant something was wrong with me emotionally.

I want to pause here because this matters.

There is absolutely no shame in postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety.

If that is part of your story, you deserve compassion, support, and treatment.

It simply wasn't mine. Because I wanted certainty, I voluntarily completed an extensive psychological evaluation with a licensed mental health professional. After nearly eight hours of testing, I received the reassurance I needed. I was psychologically healthy, and handling postpartum extremely well, without any PPD or PPA. That experience reminded me to trust qualified professionals, trust evidence, and trust my own maternal instincts.

No one knows your heart for your child better than you do.

When Postpartum Became an Emergency

Just when I thought I had made it through the hardest part, I developed postpartum preeclampsia. I was readmitted to the hospital after giving birth.

It was terrifying. One minute I was learning how to care for my newborn daughter.

The next, I was back in a hospital bed fighting to recover from a serious postpartum complication, which included organ damage. The famous magnesium drip treatment for Preeclampsia, was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever had in my life. I can genuinely say, as least in my experience, labor was easier than the dreaded mag drip! I have heard though, just like labor, everyone has a different experience. I would do it again without question to result in a healthy outcome! The truth is. people spend months preparing women for labor. However, very few prepare us for postpartum. Recovering from childbirth while trying to care for a newborn is hard enough. Recovering while facing a medical emergency is something entirely different. Yet just two weeks after that second hospitalization, I returned to college. Not because everything was okay, and not because I wasn't exhausted, but because I refused to let one difficult chapter determine the rest of my story.

The Day Everything Was Covered in Poop

I'll never forget the first day my partner went back to work. It was just me and my newborn daughter. I remember thinking..."I've got this." A few minutes later, she projectile pooped. Not just a little. Everywhere. On the wall. On an entire stack of diapers. And it just kept coming. She was crying. I was crying. I remember standing there thinking, "How is there still more?" Eventually, I got her cleaned up. I took a deep breath. Held her close. And realized...We were okay. Looking back, I laugh. At the time, it felt like complete chaos. Now I realize that motherhood isn't picture-perfect.

It's messy.

It's unpredictable.

It's overwhelming.

And somehow, despite feeling completely unprepared, we figure it out.

Motherhood Unlocked a Strength I Never Knew I Had

Sleep deprivation and postpartum brain led me to accidentally register for mini-mester college classes—full sixteen-week courses compressed into only eight weeks.

I was taking Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology II, and Music History while raising a newborn. There were so many moments I wanted to quit. I remember sitting at my desk with textbooks piled around me while my daughter sat in my lap, happily cooing.

I'd look at her. Then back at my notes, and think, "I don't know how I'm going to do this."

But I also knew I couldn't give up, not because failure wasn't an option, but because I wanted her to grow up watching someone who kept going. Somehow, I survived.

I completed every class. I even tutored younger classmates and shared my notes because I genuinely wanted everyone around me to succeed. Looking back, I honestly don't know how I did it.

I truly believe becoming a mother unlocked a strength inside me that I never knew existed.

Being a mother is a superpower.

Losing Harley

The newborn stage also brought one of the hardest goodbyes of my life.

My dog Harley had been by my side for fifteen years.

Watching him with my daughter was one of the sweetest gifts I'll ever experience.

He became so gentle with her. He laid beside her. Watched over her. Protected her.

I could tell he was beginning to decline. Losing him during postpartum broke my heart. Even today, I still cry when I think about him. Motherhood taught me that joy and grief often exist together. Sometimes we're celebrating new life while mourning another.

Both deserve space.

Why Hello Mama Exists

As I healed, I started hearing story after story from mothers.

Different families.

Different backgrounds.

Different experiences.

But the emotions were the same.

"I feel alone."

"No one prepared me for postpartum."

"I don't know if I'm doing enough."

"I've lost myself."

"I wish someone understood."

That's when everything changed.

I realized I wasn't alone.

And neither were they.

Hello Mama wasn't created because I wanted to build a business.

It was created because I wanted to become the support I desperately needed.

The resource I wish someone had handed me after giving birth.

A place where mothers could find encouragement, practical guidance, postpartum education, hope, and the reminder that they matter too.

Building While Healing

Healing didn't mean my life suddenly became easy. It meant taking one small step after another. I returned to school. Completed my associate degree. I'm now more than halfway through my bachelor's degree. I wrote the Hello Mama postpartum book.

I self-published it before later partnering with BookBaby to expand its reach.

Today, Hello Mama is available internationally through Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, BookBaby, and other online retailers.

Behind the scenes, I'm building something even bigger—because every mother deserves support, education, and resources, no matter where she is in her journey.

To Every Mother Reading This...

If you're rocking your baby while reading this...

If you're healing after childbirth...

If you're exhausted...

If you're grieving...

If you're learning to trust yourself...

If you're setting boundaries...

If you're wondering whether you're enough...

I want you to hear this.

You are not failing.

You are becoming.

You don't have to have all the answers.

You don't have to be perfect.

You just have to keep showing up with love.

Hello Mama exists because I needed someone to tell me those words.

Now, I hope I can be that voice for you.

Welcome to Hello Mama.

I'm so glad you're here.