Yes, I am all of these things! I pursued many years of education with a Neuroscience bachelor’s degree to a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling specializing in Play Therapy + Marriage & Family Therapy, followed by four years of medical school, 3 years of Pediatric Residency in Honolulu, Hawai’i and an additional year of training in Sports Medicine. My favorite part of being a Pediatrician is interacting and connecting on a deep, fulfilling and meaningful level with the Mamas. It has always been my gift to meet Mamas where they are, having magical interactions interwoven with empathy for what they are feeling and experiencing. I have had the privilege to learn the stories, listen, empower + deliver care to the babies and children of thousands of Mamas. I have cried with Mamas, laughed with Mamas, danced with Mamas, sat in reverent silence or held the hand of a Mama giving her the sacred space she needed. I’ve celebrated life and I’ve grieved with Mamas.
Walking into the delivery room for a vaginal delivery or scrubbing in for a C-section to catch a new miracle and swaddle that precious newborn and present it to Mama (And taking pictures of course - gotta get those precious moments of Dad or partner cutting the cord and the first pics of Mama holding baby - will always be moments I can close my eyes and transport back to with supreme gratitude for the gift of being in those moments- that balance between anticipation and the arrival of a new life. I have held the hands of a Mama and explained to her what was happening during codes as we worked on reviving a baby or child and holding her in her palpable and piercing grief when that child died and became an angel. I’ve helped Mamas in their times of trial, triumph, crisis + success, and in all the moments in between.
It was my dream to become a Doctor since childhood and I fulfilled that dream with every fiber of my body. I did 28 hour shifts 39 weeks pregnant with my daughter, and studied for my medical boards with both of my babies while they were young. It takes extreme courage to pursue our dreams and even greater courage at times to to walk a new path when they are not serving us anymore. I am not currently practicing clinically as YOU are my dream, Mama. I shined clinically and know I was an amazing Pediatrician + Sports Medicine Physician. I do miss certain aspects of clinical care. However, my dream to serve Mamas and to create a space where you can see how much you are meant to shine and to know, really know, that you are safe to rise… this is my life calling. It became easier to know this was the direction my life and career and all of the training and extreme hours and education I had pursued in my life was leading me. It was all for the purpose of learning to posture myself professionally to boldly go off script and into a place that had never been created before to bring you this. I declined multiple clincal jobs over the course of a year leading up to and after the birth of my second baby and allowed the voice and conviction within me to grow ever louder to be in this WITH YOU.
Mama Mindset is me as a human, as a mama. I am so excited to pour out pearls of knowledge I’ve learned and empower you in any way that I can. Mama Mindset is my ideal office as there are no time constraints on the time we can spend, I don’t have to politely conclude the conversation just as the Mama was revealing to me her fears and concerns because I have 20 patients waiting, etc. We can take time here to see one another, listen, validate, celebrate and to step into our purpose. My clinical practice has shifted. I have seen enough in my years of working with Mamas and their babies that this space is the most important office/hospital room/space I could ever occupy. My stethoscope is firmly planted upon your soul, to show you how beautiful, vibrant and talented you are. You are meant to be a Mama. You are meant to succeed. Everything is working out for your highest good.
You are not only the expert on your child, but you are the expert on yourself. Here, you will reconnect to yourself in a way that I hope allows you to achieve everything you’ve ever desired. No medical advice is available here and we are not in any type of Doctor-patient relationship between myself and you or myself and your precious babies. You know all the legal mumbo-jumbo. There are many brilliant and talented colleagues I applaud living in their genius zones everyday to serve you + your babies medically, so ensure you connect and value the bond you form with your OB-GYN for yourself and the Pediatrician you select for your baby.
My goal here is to be a conduit in compassion as you claim all that is good and right in the world and within you. I know I was placed here to serve you in this way. I always used to imagine my ideal practice in the midst of the grind of my busy days, 28 hour shifts, at times 90 hour weeks and wish that I could slow things down to just stay in the sacred stillness with Mamas. Each time I saw a glimpse of her joy and her unbridled wild side as a Mama living out her purpose, it gave me life and helped me keep going and being the best Doctor I could be for the next patient. The voice within me grew louder and louder to create the life I envisioned for myself and for all Mamas. And so I went out into the unknown at a time in my life when I shocked myself and my colleagues turning down prestigious jobs and titles because the one I desire the most is that of Mama. And I hope to walk this path with you. I will be here whenever you’re ready. Mama, How Good are you Willing to let your life get?!