Let's Be Real - Mama Journeys - Episode 146 W/Karen Peterson

Karen Peterson is a grateful mama and is a co-founder of a nonprofit called Couve Collective, community centers for people in recovery.  Her and her husband are excited to be grandparents very soon!  She worked for Boeing for years but decided she needed to give back to families who experience addiction and the effects that has on their family. She lives in Vancouver, Washington and is grateful for the sunshine when it happens!  She had her son in her late 20’s but she wasn’t as thrilled to be a parent as her husband was and then had him 7 weeks premature. Her son tied a knot in his umbilical cord so it was good that he decided to be born early. Her daughter was born 5 years later and is now going to be a mama! Her biggest challenge was understanding the weight and responsibility of being a mom and wanting to “get it all right.”  Her biggest supporter was her own mom.  She could count on her no matter what and literally knocked on the door and handed her son to her and said, “I need a break.”  Her husband has also been such a huge support and help. Watching her kids be happy has been such a joy for her. Her son has been through a lot throughout his life, leading him to be addicted to Oxycontin. She watched him become homeless because of his addiction. Her dream from that was to build a community center for people experiencing addiction and the aftereffects of it. Her daughter is an internal medicine doctor and is a huge success as well. To see them happy, healthy and as close as they are is her best mama moment. They realized that his love language wasn’t being met and he “found” that when he discovered opioids. She says she wouldn’t have wanted to know any of what she knows now as a new mom. The surprise is pretty important to experience as a mom!  You face each step as it comes to you and as a mom, you figure it out. You can find them at https://couvecollective.org.  This is a community they have created for people to be a helpful and healthy member of their community.