June 19, 2025 • 45 mins
Motherhood changes everything. And sometimes, it cracks us open in ways we never expected. In this episode, therapist and art healer Leanne Morton shares how becoming a mom revealed the limits of even her own professional training. We unpack why so many mothers feel isolated, overwhelmed, and unsure of who they are, despite having prepared “all the right ways.”
We explore how art therapy, community, and compassionate self-inquiry can reconnect women to their true selves. Leanne also guides listeners through a short, heartfelt creative art therapy exercise and explains how her Denver-based Pregnancy Support Circle aims to offer the kind of village every mother deserves. Vulnerable, validating, and deeply human, this episode reminds us that there is no one “right” way to do motherhood, but there are better ways to feel less alone.
To connect with Leanne you can find her at:
FB and IG: @wildsunflowerwellness
Website: www.wildsunflowerwellness.com
Email: leanne@wildsunflowerwellness.com
Register for the Pregnancy Support Circle - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pregnancy-support-circle-tickets-1364917357559?aff=oddtdtcreator
Learn more about the Redefining Us Monthly Community - https://wellmindedcounseling.com/redefining-us-community
Please leave us a review or rating! These help get the show out to more women like you wanting to have these conversations.
Would you like to chat more about this episode's topic? I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @wellmindedcounseling
I wrote a book! Becoming Mommy: Aligning with yourself and finding your voice during pregnancy and motherhood, available at all major retailers - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZT9P3RB?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&bestFormat=true
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_03 (00:00):
Welcome to Redefining Us, where we explore
sexuality, identity, motherhood,and mental health to help women
thrive authentically.
Let's break free from roles thatlimit us and create a life where
you can truly be yourself.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
Thank you for tuning back in.
(00:21):
And today I have with me LeanneMorton, who's a registered art
therapist and a licensedprofessional counselor.
So thank you so much for joiningus today, Leanne.
SPEAKER_01 (00:31):
Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (00:33):
Yeah.
Well, cool.
Yeah, let's just jump right inand share with people what you
do, why you do it, and yeah,what's kind of led you down this
journey.
SPEAKER_01 (00:44):
Well, I am a mom of two.
I have my own practice calledWild Sunflower Wellness.
And before I started mypractice, I obviously had a
journey that led me here.
I moved to Colorado for graduateschool because I found a program
(01:07):
that I really liked and wasintrigued by at Naropa
University psychology thatincluded the mind and the body,
but also the spirit.
So it includes transpersonalcounseling and it also had art
therapy.
(01:28):
So in a previous life, I was aneducator and art was always my
therapy.
It was always something that Icame back to throughout my life
in the way that I was able toexpress myself.
and the way that I was able toprocess through my own emotions,
(01:48):
my own trauma.
And so that became reallyimportant as I moved into my
career.
So I studied elementaryeducation in art, thinking that
I wouldn't really do anythingwith the art piece, mostly just
because it was helping mebalance what I was learning as
(02:09):
an educator.
And then I graduated during therecession and there were no
teaching jobs and life took avery different turn.
So I found out about art therapyand found out about Naropa and I
applied.
So that's what led me toColorado.
(02:30):
I went through my program and Istarted work in the field as
working with women, specificallymiddle school aged girls and
working in a school.
And that was the first time thatI was really aware of a lot of
the issues that girls werefacing and women were facing in
(02:54):
our country.
And that art was really aspecial way to be able to
connect in with them, especiallymiddle school girls who aren't
very open to talking to astranger about their feelings.
Art was really a natural way forthem to express themselves
without having to do muchtalking.
(03:16):
So fast forward to now and well,in the year 2021, I became a mom
and I had done a lot of selfwork.
I felt really prepared to becomea mom.
And of course I had my ownhistory of trauma and anxiety,
(03:36):
which I had worked through.
And when I became a mom, Ireally experienced anxiety and
depression with full force andin a completely different way
than I had experienced it prior.
And realized that even mytraining and even my history of
(03:58):
self-work and really healing,that I needed more support.
And that is why I'm sopassionate about supporting moms
now is because I realized thatit wasn't just me experiencing
such difficult times in thefourth trimester and that it
(04:21):
wasn't my fault.
It's really a result of allsorts of things together,
including parenting.
the society that we belong tothat doesn't necessarily support
moms in the way that they needto be supported.
And once I also found community,my healing really improved.
(04:45):
And that is also something thatI'm really trying to build as a
therapist is how we are able tobuilds community and how
important that is in this seasonof life.
SPEAKER_03 (05:03):
Yeah.
I imagine a lot of the listenersreally resonate with what you're
talking about, this idea ofcommunity and connecting with
each other during a time thatfeels like, I don't know, you're
a brand new person becoming amom.
You're no longer only Leanne oronly Stephanie or whatever
(05:24):
you're Your name is now you'realso this other person and
trying to figure out your newidentity and where that fits is
a big journey to undertake whenyou're doing that in isolation.
So having a community around youis really important.
SPEAKER_01 (05:41):
Yeah, definitely.
What I realize is that we don'treally talk about this too much
is it's a transformationprocess.
And really, every part or everyaspect of life is touched by
motherhood in beautiful ways andin difficult ways.
(06:04):
And it really ships overnight.
And especially a lot of myclients that I work with are,
you know, highly sensitive,intuitive, deep feelers.
And When they realize that it'snot just them that is having
(06:24):
this experience, then everythingchanges.
When we're actually having theseconversations about the
transformation and that there'snothing wrong with them for
feeling the way that they feel.
And I think that is soimportant, the validation piece
(06:45):
and not feeling alone in this.
One thing.
Other aspect that comes in whenI think about that is social
media and how that has such animpact on motherhood, right?
On one hand, we are talkingabout these issues that moms are
(07:07):
experiencing, and it can bereally validating because we
have a platform now to speak outabout how we're feeling and how
we need more support.
And on the other hand, we'rereally lacking the intentional
community piece.
(07:27):
A lot of us are still inisolation and we're getting the
community from a distance, whichis really not the same and is
not how we are built as humanbeings.
We need that relationalconnection with each other.
And we're also just seeing thesebits and pieces that people are
(07:52):
posting.
And really it's up to whoever itis that has the account, what
they choose to share.
Some parents are sharing aboutthe realities of motherhood
while others are only sharingthe good parts.
And I think that can be reallydamaging sometimes.
I
SPEAKER_03 (08:10):
also, you know, As I'm listening to you share,
thinking back to something thatyou said about how you have been
to therapy and you felt likeprepared and entering into
motherhood after processing, youknow, traumas or anxiety and
depression you had in the pastand how entering into
(08:31):
motherhood, it felt different.
And yeah, I've shared on heretoo that I, even as a therapist,
was like, I got this.
Like, it's going to be fine.
Been to therapy since I was 20and I had my daughter at 35.
So 15 years I'm going to therapypretty consistently.
(08:54):
And yeah, I don't think you canreally prepare yourself for the
hormonal shifts in theexperience of becoming a mother.
Even if you are, maybe you havea few connections to other
people who are mothers.
But I know I found myselflooking at social media all of
the time like, oh, this mom'sdoing this thing.
(09:16):
And oh, this mom's doing thisthing.
Even though in my brain, Ilogically knew that this is
people's highlight reel or thisis, you know, just what people
want me to see.
I still found myself fixating onthese ideas that people were
sharing on social media becauseI didn't get a two-way
conversation with them that Imight from somebody else.
(09:39):
that I could have a relationshipwith in person to get the, you
know, oh yeah, having a child isbeautiful and they also don't
sleep.
And there's only so many tricksthat you can do to get your
child to sleep enough hours foryou to feel well-rested or, oh
(10:00):
yeah, like teaching your kid toroll over is, you know, not that
hard.
Just do X, Y, and Z.
But then you're sitting therethinking like, oh, am I doing
something wrong that I'm notteaching them how to roll over
at the exact developmentalmilestone age that they're
supposed to?
And that's why I think, youknow, social media can be
helpful as a tool, but it can'tbe a standalone resource that
(10:26):
people look to when they aregoing through this brand new
experience.
SPEAKER_01 (10:32):
Yeah, I agree 100%.
there's something that happensin relationship that is just not
as authentic when we're tryingto do that online.
It's also reminding me of theword matrescence, which, if you
haven't heard that word before,sounds really similar to the
(10:54):
word adolescence.
And research is really showinghow similar development is can
be in these two phases of life.
One thing I'm thinking about isthis is a time, matrescence is a
time, when a mother's brain isplastic, essentially is able to
(11:19):
rewire and absorb newinformation.
It's actually physicallychanging.
And it's very similar toadolescence.
how we're trying to understandwho we are in the world and
trying things on.
And really this theme ofidentity is huge during this
(11:44):
time.
And that's something I'm curiousabout is if we are having these
inauthentic or not necessarilyreal relationships online, then
how are we relating to our ownidentity?
motherhood and you know it'ssuch a precious time to create
(12:05):
new neural pathways in our brainwhat if we could actually be in
community what if we could findauthentic community where we
feel nurtured and held and ican't remember which author
probably a lot of them have saidthat it takes a village to raise
(12:28):
a child but it also takes avillage to raise a mother and
many of us don't have thatvillage anymore and we really
need to take some time to beintentional about creating that
for ourselves it's so necessaryand so needed i think there are
(12:50):
so many different aspects towhat has led to us not having a
village anymore, including manyof us are not living in
intergenerational households orare in this modern age have
moved away from our families oforigin and are trying to build
(13:13):
new families in our newlocations.
There's also this presence waveof feminism that has come
through around women being ableto do it all.
And although we can, it doesn'tmean necessarily that we should
be doing it all because we werenever meant to do it all.
(13:34):
If we think back to how we usedto be raising families, in a
village, we didn't have to do itall because everyone had their
own skill set and their own waysof taking care of each other.
It didn't all fall on oneperson.
And so, of course, the mentalload and child rearing right now
(13:56):
feels impossible.
SPEAKER_03 (13:58):
Yeah, I don't know any articles specifically that
relate to this, but I oftentimesthink that there's this
overcorrection that women havemade to prove their value or
prove they deserve a seat at thetable in response to wanting,
you know, equality in everyarena of life.
(14:20):
And that has led mothers andwomen to be isolated because
they're not surroundingthemselves with other people
potentially because they It'sdesirable to have this ultra
independence.
And so trying to figure out howto have your identity of still
being a strong woman or a strongperson and being vulnerable
(14:43):
enough and open enough to knowthat you need to ask for help.
There are other people that cansupport you.
There's other people that wantto support you and lift you up.
Just letting them do that.
SPEAKER_01 (14:54):
One thing I've noticed too with myself and with
clients that I work with issometimes we don't even know
what we need.
And that can be so challenging,especially in the early days of
parenting, because it's sodemanding.
And the energy it takes to thinkabout what we need outside of
(15:16):
caring for a tiny human can feellike such a tall ask.
I remember with my husband, evenwith a very supportive partner,
him asking me, what do you need?
And even giving me time andspace to have alone time.
And even that was challengingand felt disorienting to be away
(15:40):
from my baby.
And so there's all thesedifferent pieces that come into
play.
But when we and if we can beprepared for that or have a team
set up before we enter intoparenthood, whether it is a
postpartum group or it is aperinatal mental health
(16:02):
therapist or it is a pelvicfloor therapist, and your OB
team or your midwife, lots oftimes what I've learned is the
perinatal field, providers whotake care of mamas are very
connected in.
We know a lot of other providerswho can help and who can
(16:23):
support.
So there's so much supportavailable, but taking the time
to build that in beforehand, Ithink is so important to having
not necessarily a stress-freepostpartum period, but a more
nourished one and a more easefulone, one where you are feeling
(16:47):
more supported.
And
SPEAKER_03 (16:50):
I just want to speak to, because I was this person
looking at like, oh, I could geta doula.
And then I was like, actually,I'll be fine.
It's going to go great.
Like, I know, you know, I'm justgoing to be optimistic.
This whole experience is goingto go so smoothly.
I'm not going to need anyadditional support and thinking
to myself, I got this.
(17:11):
And I want people to feelconfident and feel like they can
do motherhood and that they cantackle hard things.
And there's nothing that shouldstop you from, I think,
connecting with other peoplethat are in the community, like
you said, because they are allconnected to some degree, right?
(17:32):
Your lactation consultantprobably knows a doula.
Your doula probably knows amidwife.
Your midwife probably knows atherapist and et cetera, et
cetera.
So really having a team, Ithink, is valuable.
And I don't want to stresspeople out by saying that, but
also trying to be mindful thatbeing prepared is helpful.
(17:53):
And that the classes that youmight go to at the hospital are
helpful, but maybe not all theprep that you need to be doing.
SPEAKER_01 (18:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
It is so hard to know whatyou're going to need postpartum.
And even if there are resourcesthat you can reach for, like
books or a list of providers, soyou don't have to be doing
research while you're sleepdeprived and trying to feed and
(18:23):
care for yourself and a newhuman, I think could be
wonderful.
I
SPEAKER_03 (18:31):
definitely want to just go back to the community
aspect because I think you saidit already, Leanne.
You don't know what you don'tknow.
And being a pregnant mom orbeing a postpartum mom,
especially your first timethrough, or maybe your second
time is very different than yourfirst and you need more support
(18:54):
the second or third time aroundor what have you.
But each experience isdifferent.
And each person that you'reconnected to can give you
different feedback and support.
And yeah, I think I found myselfrelying too much on quote
unquote Dr.
Google and feeling mad that Dr.
Google couldn't actually takeall the nuances of what I was
(19:16):
going through into account whenit was just spitting back an
answer at me.
So yeah, having a space to shareyour whole story or at least
part of the story that thatperson needs to hear in order to
give you a nuanced response isreally helpful.
SPEAKER_01 (19:31):
Yeah, that's such a good point.
especially now that moms now arebeing brought up in this age of
AI and where you can ask chatGPT any question you want and it
will give you some response.
And again, you know, this goesback to human interaction and
(19:54):
relation.
I mean, it is amazing all of thestuff that artificial
intelligence can do and how wehave all of that at our
fingertips.
And nothing is going to replacehuman interaction and being real
with other moms like we justneed each other and we need to
(20:15):
know that we're not alone onthis journey and I just started
a play group in my communitywith some other moms and I have
friends all over the Denvermetro area and Right.
But there's something abouthaving people I know in close
(20:37):
proximity and being able toparent together and just being
in the chaos together and beingin relationship together.
Like that is something that AIor Google can never can never
do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're just, yeah, you're ableto find joy together.
(21:00):
You're able to laugh about ittogether.
You're able to talk about how itwas a really rough morning, how
your kids are having insaneemotional outbursts and how it's
so difficult to use your ownregulation tool.
And all the other moms can belike, yeah, me too.
(21:20):
And you can see their faces.
Yeah.
AI is not doing right.
And it's so powerful.
It's just it's so powerful andit's so healing to have that.
human relationship.
SPEAKER_03 (21:36):
I think another nuances conversation that I want
to add is this idea of askingpeople who are one, in close
proximity to you, but also insimilar stages as you are.
My best friend has children, buther child was already two and a
half by the time that my childwas born.
And so with best intention,she'd be like, I can't remember
(22:00):
what I did when they were threemonths old.
My mind has put that so far outof touch from where I'm at right
now.
And so I think having people whoare at a very similar stage as
you are in your community isreally helpful because I had
other moms that I knew thattheir baby was like two months
(22:20):
or like a month ahead of mine.
I'm like, oh, so they're gonnaknow what happened like a month
ago.
And they sure did, like waybetter than my friend, their kid
two and a half years beforemine.
And so- Really finding peoplethat are at a similar stage is
so, so valuable.
Even my mom would be like, Mom,what did you do?
I don't know.
That was 30-something-odd yearsago.
(22:42):
Again, I was asking for supportfrom people, and people wanted
to be supportive, but I don'tthink they had the context or
the memory from what theyexperienced.
So finding people who are at areally know as close as possible
to what you're currently goingthrough i think is really
helpful especially in thosereally early months slash years
(23:05):
of postpartum
SPEAKER_01 (23:07):
yeah definitely i agree because you can talk about
milestones you can talk aboutfeeding you can talk about the
sleep deprivation you can youknow and Like you're saying, the
more far removed you are, themore difficult it is to
remember.
Especially, I know myselfincluded with the sleep
(23:28):
deprivation, there are justthings that you just don't
remember.
It can feel like survival modefor a while.
And having that closerelationship is really
important.
UNKNOWN (23:43):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (23:44):
I think too, for the moms who are listening who might
be further out in motherhood,also having some
intergenerational relationshipswith other moms can also be
really helpful too.
because they hold wisdom, theyhold guidance.
And it can almost be helpful tosee that, okay, here are some
(24:10):
other moms who've been throughit.
They've been where I've been andthey've gotten through it.
They did it.
And I found that was helpful forme too.
Once I got out of, you know, thefirst year postpartum, when the
postpartum fog lifted a littlebit, it actually helped me hold
(24:33):
hope of, okay, this isn't goingto last forever.
This is just a stage.
Everything is temporary,which...
When I was in the postpartumperiod and people were, which
I'm, you know, once postpartum,always postpartum.
That is my belief, right?
But in that first yearpostpartum, when I was being
(24:56):
told, this is only temporary,it's not going to last, that
wasn't helpful for me to hear.
And I know, especially if you'reexperiencing postpartum mood and
anxiety disorders, it just...
It can feel like your feelingsand your experience is being
(25:16):
invalidated.
But also, you know, as you moveout of postpartum, that really
early stage, it can be helpfulto be like, oh, I should say
that I have two toddlers rightnow, two and a half and four.
And I fall back on that a lot.
Like, oh, yeah, this is only astage.
(25:39):
This is temporary.
These big emotions are so realfor them.
And I can really look to theolder generations to be like,
they've been through it.
They've been there.
I can ask them about their ownwisdom of how they got through
(25:59):
these really difficult stages.
And that has been helpful for metoo.
SPEAKER_03 (26:05):
I also want to add one final thing maybe before we
move on.
This idea that like your kidsare always changing, right?
So like at each phase, you'regetting to learn a new version
of your child.
But in that change, you're alsogene honoring that maybe
something that you thought was agreat idea when they were two is
(26:26):
no longer a great idea at twoand a half.
Or like, you know, you canchange as a mother.
And that's OK.
And allow yourself to evolve asthings evolve within you as you
learn new things.
I think I've heard,unfortunately, some women be
like, oh, man, I wish I wouldn'thave done that when they were
five.
And now they're seven.
Well, you only knew what youknew when they were five.
(26:48):
And now, you know, somethingdifferent at seven, like do that
new thing that you think is goodnow that they're seven.
There's always something newthat's coming out, whether it's
research or anecdotalinformation.
So allow there to be grace inyour transformation as well as a
(27:08):
mom.
SPEAKER_01 (27:09):
Yeah, I tend to work with a lot of high achieving,
high performing individuals andthat can often be a really
difficult aspect of motherhoodis that things are always
changing and always evolving andwe can't really be an expert in
motherhood, right?
(27:30):
Because things are constantlychanging and we are constantly
changing and our kids areconstantly changing.
We're learning with them andwhen we can hold that awareness
when we can have that awarenessand surrender into that peace it
can often allow more presenceand more joy in and just let
(27:53):
ourselves off the hook a littlebit because we can put so much
pressure on ourselves to be theperfect mom or the good
SPEAKER_00 (28:03):
mom
SPEAKER_01 (28:03):
and You know, these myths of motherhood that come up
that often follow us from lifebefore kids, right?
Like trying to be the perfectpartner or trying to be the
perfect woman or the gooddaughter.
And a lot of times that comeswith achievements and that can
(28:24):
often be tied into our ownself-worth.
And so when we don't have asmuch control once we become a
parent, because everythingshifts, including our schedules
and how we take care ofourselves and all the ways that
we used to know ourselves and dothings a certain way, that all
(28:46):
changes.
And that can be reallydisorienting for parents.
a lot of women, especially ifthey identify as high achieving
or have had some perfectionisticqualities.
It doesn't mean that there'sanything wrong, again, but it
(29:07):
can just be, you know, a lot ofthese things that come up in
motherhood can be ways that weactually can feel empowered by
working with them and coming outon the other side feeling like a
more real, authentic, truerversion of ourselves when we're
(29:27):
not trying to perform forothers.
our dad or a society who saysthat we should be a certain way
or do things a certain way.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_03 (29:42):
there's no right way to do motherhood, I think is a
good takeaway.
Absolutely.
Yeah, so I'd like to take this,you know, time to transition to
maybe going through an exercisethat you might lead a mom or a
group of moms through as an arttherapist.
SPEAKER_01 (30:00):
Yeah, so I know on the podcast, you might not be at
home, you might be driving inthe car, you might be on a walk.
So if it feels too difficult todo this meditation with your
eyes closed, please just keepyour eyes open and sort of use
your mind's eye and hold yourattention in your body.
(30:25):
And if you are at home, if youwant to close your eyes, if you
are in a comfortable position,I'm just going to lead you into
a little bit of a guidedmeditation and then we're going
to do a short art activity.
So maybe you can take thisopportunity also to pause the
podcast or pause.
(30:46):
grab a piece of paper and anyart materials you have on hand.
Maybe your kids have somecrayons laying around or some
markers that anything will do.
So if it does feel safe, you canclose your eyes if that feels
comfortable and just take amoment to notice your breath as
it is.
(31:07):
You don't need to changeanything.
Just become aware of the inhaleAnd the exhale.
Now slowly bring one hand toyour heart and just feel the
(31:28):
warmth of your own touch as yourhand is on your heart and the
steady rhythm of your heartbeatthat's been with you all along.
This is your anchor and yourcenter.
(31:50):
With your hand here, begin todeepen your breath.
Inhale gently through your nose.
And feel the breath move intoyour chest beneath your hand.
And then slowly exhale throughyour mouth.
(32:12):
Inhale into your heart space.
And exhale, softening yourshoulders, your jaw, your belly.
You can even allow each breathto be an offering of kindness.
(32:33):
Inhale on here.
Exhale on the neck.
Breathe in love.
Breathe out guilt.
Breathe in gentleness.
(32:55):
Breathe out expectations.
You don't have to hold it allright now.
Let this be a moment to holdyou.
We'll take one final deepbreath.
(33:19):
And as you exhale, you can holdthe intention to keep this
softness with you throughoutyour day.
So if you do have your artmaterials, you can come to your
paper now.
If you don't have your artmaterials, you can just imagine
(33:45):
this, what would, come to yourmind.
So draw a heart the size of yourpaper.
And the invitation is to createa visual expression of what your
heart feels or needs in thismoment.
(34:09):
There's no right or wrong way todo this.
You can just add color,movement, emotion, and just be
curious about what your heartmight express if it had space on
(34:30):
the page to do that.
What does your heart want you toknow, remember, or feel right
now?
And some other prompts to thinkabout is the message I have for
(34:54):
you is, so if you think aboutyour heart being able to have a
voice, what would that messagebe?
Or even just choosing one wordfor this experience, how you're
feeling right now.
(35:24):
And just take a moment to reallyobserve what you drew.
Sometimes I tell people to holdtheir image away from them.
They get a differentperspective.
Just notice how you're feelingright now compared to how you
felt before we started this.
(35:47):
So this is a very simplifiedexample of what therapeutic art
making is like and what arttherapy is like.
If you have never heard of arttherapy or you have heard a
couple of things there are youknow some ideas out there about
(36:08):
what art therapy is and what itisn't and my mission is to
really express and get peopleThe message across the art
therapy can be for everyone,even moms.
And I think it's especiallybeautiful for moms because we
have the power to create lifeand the ability to create life.
(36:32):
And lots of times, somewherealong the way, we forget that
we're creative.
Just because we are a humanbeing, we are born into this
world innately creative.
If you look at any kid who picksup a crayon, they are thrilled
to be making something.
(36:52):
And they don't care what itlooks like.
They are very proud most of thetime, right?
They can't wait to show you whatthey made.
And so that little part of uslives inside of all of us still.
And the beautiful thing aboutart therapy and bringing that to
moms is it's a way to remember,especially during this pandemic.
(37:13):
postpartum time when things canfeel really overwhelming.
We might not know who we areanymore or how to even connect
in with the things that we loveand enjoy.
This can be a really beautifulway to find our way back.
And something as simple as this,drawing a heart on the page and
(37:33):
using colors and lines andshapes to express what you're
feeling and really be a way ofallowing yourself to be present
and to tune in and to makechoices for yourself.
Even if it is just choosing acolor, choosing a line or
choosing a shape, it can reallybe that simple.
It's not necessarily about whatthe art looks like, which is
(37:57):
what a lot of us have come tobelieve about art, right?
Like it's just for a certainperson or your art has to be
hanging in a museum in order foryou to call yourself an artist.
And that's just not true.
My belief is that we are allcreative, a way of, a means of
finding our way back.
SPEAKER_03 (38:18):
Well, thank you so much, Leanne, for sharing that.
Hopefully everyone felt like theexercise was was helpful.
I participated and came up witha few things that make me think
like, hmm, needed to tap backinto my heart a little bit more
often.
So thank you for sharing that.
Yeah, you're welcome.
So I want to maybe transition tothe next thought of our
(38:41):
pregnancy support circle that weare offering to the community of
Denver metro area.
It's going to be starting onJune 9th.
It's donation based and We willhave the event link in the show
notes on the website and youcould go to Eventbrite and find
it or on my website and ournewsletters, Leanne's newsletter
(39:05):
website as well, I'm assuming.
So people hopefully can connectwith us there.
Do you want to share anythingmore about the group?
SPEAKER_01 (39:16):
Yeah, I mean, our whole goal, Stephanie and I have
talked about how important it isfor us to create spaces like
we've shared on the podcasttoday.
that make it accessible and easyfor moms to meet and feel
supported and nurtured throughthis journey so that they don't
(39:39):
end up feeling isolated and sothat they are able to create
friendships that last into thepostpartum period and feel like
they have the tools to reallyallow themselves to thrive in
motherhood and that's you knowthe goal of this And we really
(40:01):
hope that we are just there asguides and that the moms who
attend are really able to tapinto what they are needing from
the group.
And we will offer somemindfulness.
We will offer on my end someexpressive arts, like some
simple tools that you can put inyour toolbox to pull out at any
(40:24):
time if you need someregulation.
And to really be able to have asafe space to talk about what's
coming up in pregnancy and thatyou don't have to just bear
through it.
Like there are some challengingaspects and we get that and know
(40:46):
it.
And this can also be a space toshare about these things and
practice being vulnerablebecause we all have really need
spaces like that where we'reable to show up and share how
we're really feeling yes
SPEAKER_03 (41:05):
yeah and being able to explore your values and your
emotions and just like howyou're interconnected to your
family and the relationshipsthere and how everything may
feel like it's upside down buthopefully with guidance and
support you'll be able to likeLeanne said thrive in
(41:25):
motherhood.
And a part of that puzzle couldbe attending our pregnancy
support circle.
So I hope you check it out.
And just to have Leanne sharewhere you all can reach her.
I'm sure people listening knowhow to reach me already.
So Leanne, how can people findyou if they want to connect to
work with you individually even?
SPEAKER_01 (41:43):
Wow.
Again, my practice is calledWild Sunflower Wellness.
So you can reach me atwildsunflowerwellness.com.
And...
I can also be reached at myemail, which is leanne at
wildsunflowerwellness.com.
And I'm also on all the socials,Instagram and Facebook as well.
(42:05):
All right.
Well, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Thank you so much for having me.
This was such an inspiringconversation.
SPEAKER_03 (42:15):
Thank you for tuning in to Redefining Us once again
and share with other people soother people can continue to
listen to Redefining Us and wecan get into more listeners
ears.
If you follow us or subscribe orleave a comment or review,
that'd be greatly helpful forother people to find us and also
(42:37):
just for me to get somefeedback.
What do you guys want to hear mesay?
What do you women care abouthearing?
I'm totally open to Thank you somuch for joining us today.
(43:15):
So you can be in the know withall the things that are
happening in the Redefining Uscommunity.
Once again, thank you so muchfor listening and keep being
awesome.
Welcome to Redefining Us, where we explore
sexuality, identity, motherhood,and mental health to help women
thrive authentically.
Let's break free from roles thatlimit us and create a life where
you can truly be yourself.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
Thank you for tuning back in.
(00:21):
And today I have with me LeanneMorton, who's a registered art
therapist and a licensedprofessional counselor.
So thank you so much for joiningus today, Leanne.
SPEAKER_01 (00:31):
Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (00:33):
Yeah.
Well, cool.
Yeah, let's just jump right inand share with people what you
do, why you do it, and yeah,what's kind of led you down this
journey.
SPEAKER_01 (00:44):
Well, I am a mom of two.
I have my own practice calledWild Sunflower Wellness.
And before I started mypractice, I obviously had a
journey that led me here.
I moved to Colorado for graduateschool because I found a program
(01:07):
that I really liked and wasintrigued by at Naropa
University psychology thatincluded the mind and the body,
but also the spirit.
So it includes transpersonalcounseling and it also had art
therapy.
(01:28):
So in a previous life, I was aneducator and art was always my
therapy.
It was always something that Icame back to throughout my life
in the way that I was able toexpress myself.
and the way that I was able toprocess through my own emotions,
(01:48):
my own trauma.
And so that became reallyimportant as I moved into my
career.
So I studied elementaryeducation in art, thinking that
I wouldn't really do anythingwith the art piece, mostly just
because it was helping mebalance what I was learning as
(02:09):
an educator.
And then I graduated during therecession and there were no
teaching jobs and life took avery different turn.
So I found out about art therapyand found out about Naropa and I
applied.
So that's what led me toColorado.
(02:30):
I went through my program and Istarted work in the field as
working with women, specificallymiddle school aged girls and
working in a school.
And that was the first time thatI was really aware of a lot of
the issues that girls werefacing and women were facing in
(02:54):
our country.
And that art was really aspecial way to be able to
connect in with them, especiallymiddle school girls who aren't
very open to talking to astranger about their feelings.
Art was really a natural way forthem to express themselves
without having to do muchtalking.
(03:16):
So fast forward to now and well,in the year 2021, I became a mom
and I had done a lot of selfwork.
I felt really prepared to becomea mom.
And of course I had my ownhistory of trauma and anxiety,
(03:36):
which I had worked through.
And when I became a mom, Ireally experienced anxiety and
depression with full force andin a completely different way
than I had experienced it prior.
And realized that even mytraining and even my history of
(03:58):
self-work and really healing,that I needed more support.
And that is why I'm sopassionate about supporting moms
now is because I realized thatit wasn't just me experiencing
such difficult times in thefourth trimester and that it
(04:21):
wasn't my fault.
It's really a result of allsorts of things together,
including parenting.
the society that we belong tothat doesn't necessarily support
moms in the way that they needto be supported.
And once I also found community,my healing really improved.
(04:45):
And that is also something thatI'm really trying to build as a
therapist is how we are able tobuilds community and how
important that is in this seasonof life.
SPEAKER_03 (05:03):
Yeah.
I imagine a lot of the listenersreally resonate with what you're
talking about, this idea ofcommunity and connecting with
each other during a time thatfeels like, I don't know, you're
a brand new person becoming amom.
You're no longer only Leanne oronly Stephanie or whatever
(05:24):
you're Your name is now you'realso this other person and
trying to figure out your newidentity and where that fits is
a big journey to undertake whenyou're doing that in isolation.
So having a community around youis really important.
SPEAKER_01 (05:41):
Yeah, definitely.
What I realize is that we don'treally talk about this too much
is it's a transformationprocess.
And really, every part or everyaspect of life is touched by
motherhood in beautiful ways andin difficult ways.
(06:04):
And it really ships overnight.
And especially a lot of myclients that I work with are,
you know, highly sensitive,intuitive, deep feelers.
And When they realize that it'snot just them that is having
(06:24):
this experience, then everythingchanges.
When we're actually having theseconversations about the
transformation and that there'snothing wrong with them for
feeling the way that they feel.
And I think that is soimportant, the validation piece
(06:45):
and not feeling alone in this.
One thing.
Other aspect that comes in whenI think about that is social
media and how that has such animpact on motherhood, right?
On one hand, we are talkingabout these issues that moms are
(07:07):
experiencing, and it can bereally validating because we
have a platform now to speak outabout how we're feeling and how
we need more support.
And on the other hand, we'rereally lacking the intentional
community piece.
(07:27):
A lot of us are still inisolation and we're getting the
community from a distance, whichis really not the same and is
not how we are built as humanbeings.
We need that relationalconnection with each other.
And we're also just seeing thesebits and pieces that people are
(07:52):
posting.
And really it's up to whoever itis that has the account, what
they choose to share.
Some parents are sharing aboutthe realities of motherhood
while others are only sharingthe good parts.
And I think that can be reallydamaging sometimes.
I
SPEAKER_03 (08:10):
also, you know, As I'm listening to you share,
thinking back to something thatyou said about how you have been
to therapy and you felt likeprepared and entering into
motherhood after processing, youknow, traumas or anxiety and
depression you had in the pastand how entering into
(08:31):
motherhood, it felt different.
And yeah, I've shared on heretoo that I, even as a therapist,
was like, I got this.
Like, it's going to be fine.
Been to therapy since I was 20and I had my daughter at 35.
So 15 years I'm going to therapypretty consistently.
(08:54):
And yeah, I don't think you canreally prepare yourself for the
hormonal shifts in theexperience of becoming a mother.
Even if you are, maybe you havea few connections to other
people who are mothers.
But I know I found myselflooking at social media all of
the time like, oh, this mom'sdoing this thing.
(09:16):
And oh, this mom's doing thisthing.
Even though in my brain, Ilogically knew that this is
people's highlight reel or thisis, you know, just what people
want me to see.
I still found myself fixating onthese ideas that people were
sharing on social media becauseI didn't get a two-way
conversation with them that Imight from somebody else.
(09:39):
that I could have a relationshipwith in person to get the, you
know, oh yeah, having a child isbeautiful and they also don't
sleep.
And there's only so many tricksthat you can do to get your
child to sleep enough hours foryou to feel well-rested or, oh
(10:00):
yeah, like teaching your kid toroll over is, you know, not that
hard.
Just do X, Y, and Z.
But then you're sitting therethinking like, oh, am I doing
something wrong that I'm notteaching them how to roll over
at the exact developmentalmilestone age that they're
supposed to?
And that's why I think, youknow, social media can be
helpful as a tool, but it can'tbe a standalone resource that
(10:26):
people look to when they aregoing through this brand new
experience.
SPEAKER_01 (10:32):
Yeah, I agree 100%.
there's something that happensin relationship that is just not
as authentic when we're tryingto do that online.
It's also reminding me of theword matrescence, which, if you
haven't heard that word before,sounds really similar to the
(10:54):
word adolescence.
And research is really showinghow similar development is can
be in these two phases of life.
One thing I'm thinking about isthis is a time, matrescence is a
time, when a mother's brain isplastic, essentially is able to
(11:19):
rewire and absorb newinformation.
It's actually physicallychanging.
And it's very similar toadolescence.
how we're trying to understandwho we are in the world and
trying things on.
And really this theme ofidentity is huge during this
(11:44):
time.
And that's something I'm curiousabout is if we are having these
inauthentic or not necessarilyreal relationships online, then
how are we relating to our ownidentity?
motherhood and you know it'ssuch a precious time to create
(12:05):
new neural pathways in our brainwhat if we could actually be in
community what if we could findauthentic community where we
feel nurtured and held and ican't remember which author
probably a lot of them have saidthat it takes a village to raise
(12:28):
a child but it also takes avillage to raise a mother and
many of us don't have thatvillage anymore and we really
need to take some time to beintentional about creating that
for ourselves it's so necessaryand so needed i think there are
(12:50):
so many different aspects towhat has led to us not having a
village anymore, including manyof us are not living in
intergenerational households orare in this modern age have
moved away from our families oforigin and are trying to build
(13:13):
new families in our newlocations.
There's also this presence waveof feminism that has come
through around women being ableto do it all.
And although we can, it doesn'tmean necessarily that we should
be doing it all because we werenever meant to do it all.
(13:34):
If we think back to how we usedto be raising families, in a
village, we didn't have to do itall because everyone had their
own skill set and their own waysof taking care of each other.
It didn't all fall on oneperson.
And so, of course, the mentalload and child rearing right now
(13:56):
feels impossible.
SPEAKER_03 (13:58):
Yeah, I don't know any articles specifically that
relate to this, but I oftentimesthink that there's this
overcorrection that women havemade to prove their value or
prove they deserve a seat at thetable in response to wanting,
you know, equality in everyarena of life.
(14:20):
And that has led mothers andwomen to be isolated because
they're not surroundingthemselves with other people
potentially because they It'sdesirable to have this ultra
independence.
And so trying to figure out howto have your identity of still
being a strong woman or a strongperson and being vulnerable
(14:43):
enough and open enough to knowthat you need to ask for help.
There are other people that cansupport you.
There's other people that wantto support you and lift you up.
Just letting them do that.
SPEAKER_01 (14:54):
One thing I've noticed too with myself and with
clients that I work with issometimes we don't even know
what we need.
And that can be so challenging,especially in the early days of
parenting, because it's sodemanding.
And the energy it takes to thinkabout what we need outside of
(15:16):
caring for a tiny human can feellike such a tall ask.
I remember with my husband, evenwith a very supportive partner,
him asking me, what do you need?
And even giving me time andspace to have alone time.
And even that was challengingand felt disorienting to be away
(15:40):
from my baby.
And so there's all thesedifferent pieces that come into
play.
But when we and if we can beprepared for that or have a team
set up before we enter intoparenthood, whether it is a
postpartum group or it is aperinatal mental health
(16:02):
therapist or it is a pelvicfloor therapist, and your OB
team or your midwife, lots oftimes what I've learned is the
perinatal field, providers whotake care of mamas are very
connected in.
We know a lot of other providerswho can help and who can
(16:23):
support.
So there's so much supportavailable, but taking the time
to build that in beforehand, Ithink is so important to having
not necessarily a stress-freepostpartum period, but a more
nourished one and a more easefulone, one where you are feeling
(16:47):
more supported.
And
SPEAKER_03 (16:50):
I just want to speak to, because I was this person
looking at like, oh, I could geta doula.
And then I was like, actually,I'll be fine.
It's going to go great.
Like, I know, you know, I'm justgoing to be optimistic.
This whole experience is goingto go so smoothly.
I'm not going to need anyadditional support and thinking
to myself, I got this.
(17:11):
And I want people to feelconfident and feel like they can
do motherhood and that they cantackle hard things.
And there's nothing that shouldstop you from, I think,
connecting with other peoplethat are in the community, like
you said, because they are allconnected to some degree, right?
(17:32):
Your lactation consultantprobably knows a doula.
Your doula probably knows amidwife.
Your midwife probably knows atherapist and et cetera, et
cetera.
So really having a team, Ithink, is valuable.
And I don't want to stresspeople out by saying that, but
also trying to be mindful thatbeing prepared is helpful.
(17:53):
And that the classes that youmight go to at the hospital are
helpful, but maybe not all theprep that you need to be doing.
SPEAKER_01 (18:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
It is so hard to know whatyou're going to need postpartum.
And even if there are resourcesthat you can reach for, like
books or a list of providers, soyou don't have to be doing
research while you're sleepdeprived and trying to feed and
(18:23):
care for yourself and a newhuman, I think could be
wonderful.
I
SPEAKER_03 (18:31):
definitely want to just go back to the community
aspect because I think you saidit already, Leanne.
You don't know what you don'tknow.
And being a pregnant mom orbeing a postpartum mom,
especially your first timethrough, or maybe your second
time is very different than yourfirst and you need more support
(18:54):
the second or third time aroundor what have you.
But each experience isdifferent.
And each person that you'reconnected to can give you
different feedback and support.
And yeah, I think I found myselfrelying too much on quote
unquote Dr.
Google and feeling mad that Dr.
Google couldn't actually takeall the nuances of what I was
(19:16):
going through into account whenit was just spitting back an
answer at me.
So yeah, having a space to shareyour whole story or at least
part of the story that thatperson needs to hear in order to
give you a nuanced response isreally helpful.
SPEAKER_01 (19:31):
Yeah, that's such a good point.
especially now that moms now arebeing brought up in this age of
AI and where you can ask chatGPT any question you want and it
will give you some response.
And again, you know, this goesback to human interaction and
(19:54):
relation.
I mean, it is amazing all of thestuff that artificial
intelligence can do and how wehave all of that at our
fingertips.
And nothing is going to replacehuman interaction and being real
with other moms like we justneed each other and we need to
(20:15):
know that we're not alone onthis journey and I just started
a play group in my communitywith some other moms and I have
friends all over the Denvermetro area and Right.
But there's something abouthaving people I know in close
(20:37):
proximity and being able toparent together and just being
in the chaos together and beingin relationship together.
Like that is something that AIor Google can never can never
do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're just, yeah, you're ableto find joy together.
(21:00):
You're able to laugh about ittogether.
You're able to talk about how itwas a really rough morning, how
your kids are having insaneemotional outbursts and how it's
so difficult to use your ownregulation tool.
And all the other moms can belike, yeah, me too.
(21:20):
And you can see their faces.
Yeah.
AI is not doing right.
And it's so powerful.
It's just it's so powerful andit's so healing to have that.
human relationship.
SPEAKER_03 (21:36):
I think another nuances conversation that I want
to add is this idea of askingpeople who are one, in close
proximity to you, but also insimilar stages as you are.
My best friend has children, buther child was already two and a
half by the time that my childwas born.
And so with best intention,she'd be like, I can't remember
(22:00):
what I did when they were threemonths old.
My mind has put that so far outof touch from where I'm at right
now.
And so I think having people whoare at a very similar stage as
you are in your community isreally helpful because I had
other moms that I knew thattheir baby was like two months
(22:20):
or like a month ahead of mine.
I'm like, oh, so they're gonnaknow what happened like a month
ago.
And they sure did, like waybetter than my friend, their kid
two and a half years beforemine.
And so- Really finding peoplethat are at a similar stage is
so, so valuable.
Even my mom would be like, Mom,what did you do?
I don't know.
That was 30-something-odd yearsago.
(22:42):
Again, I was asking for supportfrom people, and people wanted
to be supportive, but I don'tthink they had the context or
the memory from what theyexperienced.
So finding people who are at areally know as close as possible
to what you're currently goingthrough i think is really
helpful especially in thosereally early months slash years
(23:05):
of postpartum
SPEAKER_01 (23:07):
yeah definitely i agree because you can talk about
milestones you can talk aboutfeeding you can talk about the
sleep deprivation you can youknow and Like you're saying, the
more far removed you are, themore difficult it is to
remember.
Especially, I know myselfincluded with the sleep
(23:28):
deprivation, there are justthings that you just don't
remember.
It can feel like survival modefor a while.
And having that closerelationship is really
important.
UNKNOWN (23:43):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (23:44):
I think too, for the moms who are listening who might
be further out in motherhood,also having some
intergenerational relationshipswith other moms can also be
really helpful too.
because they hold wisdom, theyhold guidance.
And it can almost be helpful tosee that, okay, here are some
(24:10):
other moms who've been throughit.
They've been where I've been andthey've gotten through it.
They did it.
And I found that was helpful forme too.
Once I got out of, you know, thefirst year postpartum, when the
postpartum fog lifted a littlebit, it actually helped me hold
(24:33):
hope of, okay, this isn't goingto last forever.
This is just a stage.
Everything is temporary,which...
When I was in the postpartumperiod and people were, which
I'm, you know, once postpartum,always postpartum.
That is my belief, right?
But in that first yearpostpartum, when I was being
(24:56):
told, this is only temporary,it's not going to last, that
wasn't helpful for me to hear.
And I know, especially if you'reexperiencing postpartum mood and
anxiety disorders, it just...
It can feel like your feelingsand your experience is being
(25:16):
invalidated.
But also, you know, as you moveout of postpartum, that really
early stage, it can be helpfulto be like, oh, I should say
that I have two toddlers rightnow, two and a half and four.
And I fall back on that a lot.
Like, oh, yeah, this is only astage.
(25:39):
This is temporary.
These big emotions are so realfor them.
And I can really look to theolder generations to be like,
they've been through it.
They've been there.
I can ask them about their ownwisdom of how they got through
(25:59):
these really difficult stages.
And that has been helpful for metoo.
SPEAKER_03 (26:05):
I also want to add one final thing maybe before we
move on.
This idea that like your kidsare always changing, right?
So like at each phase, you'regetting to learn a new version
of your child.
But in that change, you're alsogene honoring that maybe
something that you thought was agreat idea when they were two is
(26:26):
no longer a great idea at twoand a half.
Or like, you know, you canchange as a mother.
And that's OK.
And allow yourself to evolve asthings evolve within you as you
learn new things.
I think I've heard,unfortunately, some women be
like, oh, man, I wish I wouldn'thave done that when they were
five.
And now they're seven.
Well, you only knew what youknew when they were five.
(26:48):
And now, you know, somethingdifferent at seven, like do that
new thing that you think is goodnow that they're seven.
There's always something newthat's coming out, whether it's
research or anecdotalinformation.
So allow there to be grace inyour transformation as well as a
(27:08):
mom.
SPEAKER_01 (27:09):
Yeah, I tend to work with a lot of high achieving,
high performing individuals andthat can often be a really
difficult aspect of motherhoodis that things are always
changing and always evolving andwe can't really be an expert in
motherhood, right?
(27:30):
Because things are constantlychanging and we are constantly
changing and our kids areconstantly changing.
We're learning with them andwhen we can hold that awareness
when we can have that awarenessand surrender into that peace it
can often allow more presenceand more joy in and just let
(27:53):
ourselves off the hook a littlebit because we can put so much
pressure on ourselves to be theperfect mom or the good
SPEAKER_00 (28:03):
mom
SPEAKER_01 (28:03):
and You know, these myths of motherhood that come up
that often follow us from lifebefore kids, right?
Like trying to be the perfectpartner or trying to be the
perfect woman or the gooddaughter.
And a lot of times that comeswith achievements and that can
(28:24):
often be tied into our ownself-worth.
And so when we don't have asmuch control once we become a
parent, because everythingshifts, including our schedules
and how we take care ofourselves and all the ways that
we used to know ourselves and dothings a certain way, that all
(28:46):
changes.
And that can be reallydisorienting for parents.
a lot of women, especially ifthey identify as high achieving
or have had some perfectionisticqualities.
It doesn't mean that there'sanything wrong, again, but it
(29:07):
can just be, you know, a lot ofthese things that come up in
motherhood can be ways that weactually can feel empowered by
working with them and coming outon the other side feeling like a
more real, authentic, truerversion of ourselves when we're
(29:27):
not trying to perform forothers.
our dad or a society who saysthat we should be a certain way
or do things a certain way.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_03 (29:42):
there's no right way to do motherhood, I think is a
good takeaway.
Absolutely.
Yeah, so I'd like to take this,you know, time to transition to
maybe going through an exercisethat you might lead a mom or a
group of moms through as an arttherapist.
SPEAKER_01 (30:00):
Yeah, so I know on the podcast, you might not be at
home, you might be driving inthe car, you might be on a walk.
So if it feels too difficult todo this meditation with your
eyes closed, please just keepyour eyes open and sort of use
your mind's eye and hold yourattention in your body.
(30:25):
And if you are at home, if youwant to close your eyes, if you
are in a comfortable position,I'm just going to lead you into
a little bit of a guidedmeditation and then we're going
to do a short art activity.
So maybe you can take thisopportunity also to pause the
podcast or pause.
(30:46):
grab a piece of paper and anyart materials you have on hand.
Maybe your kids have somecrayons laying around or some
markers that anything will do.
So if it does feel safe, you canclose your eyes if that feels
comfortable and just take amoment to notice your breath as
it is.
(31:07):
You don't need to changeanything.
Just become aware of the inhaleAnd the exhale.
Now slowly bring one hand toyour heart and just feel the
(31:28):
warmth of your own touch as yourhand is on your heart and the
steady rhythm of your heartbeatthat's been with you all along.
This is your anchor and yourcenter.
(31:50):
With your hand here, begin todeepen your breath.
Inhale gently through your nose.
And feel the breath move intoyour chest beneath your hand.
And then slowly exhale throughyour mouth.
(32:12):
Inhale into your heart space.
And exhale, softening yourshoulders, your jaw, your belly.
You can even allow each breathto be an offering of kindness.
(32:33):
Inhale on here.
Exhale on the neck.
Breathe in love.
Breathe out guilt.
Breathe in gentleness.
(32:55):
Breathe out expectations.
You don't have to hold it allright now.
Let this be a moment to holdyou.
We'll take one final deepbreath.
(33:19):
And as you exhale, you can holdthe intention to keep this
softness with you throughoutyour day.
So if you do have your artmaterials, you can come to your
paper now.
If you don't have your artmaterials, you can just imagine
(33:45):
this, what would, come to yourmind.
So draw a heart the size of yourpaper.
And the invitation is to createa visual expression of what your
heart feels or needs in thismoment.
(34:09):
There's no right or wrong way todo this.
You can just add color,movement, emotion, and just be
curious about what your heartmight express if it had space on
(34:30):
the page to do that.
What does your heart want you toknow, remember, or feel right
now?
And some other prompts to thinkabout is the message I have for
(34:54):
you is, so if you think aboutyour heart being able to have a
voice, what would that messagebe?
Or even just choosing one wordfor this experience, how you're
feeling right now.
(35:24):
And just take a moment to reallyobserve what you drew.
Sometimes I tell people to holdtheir image away from them.
They get a differentperspective.
Just notice how you're feelingright now compared to how you
felt before we started this.
(35:47):
So this is a very simplifiedexample of what therapeutic art
making is like and what arttherapy is like.
If you have never heard of arttherapy or you have heard a
couple of things there are youknow some ideas out there about
(36:08):
what art therapy is and what itisn't and my mission is to
really express and get peopleThe message across the art
therapy can be for everyone,even moms.
And I think it's especiallybeautiful for moms because we
have the power to create lifeand the ability to create life.
(36:32):
And lots of times, somewherealong the way, we forget that
we're creative.
Just because we are a humanbeing, we are born into this
world innately creative.
If you look at any kid who picksup a crayon, they are thrilled
to be making something.
(36:52):
And they don't care what itlooks like.
They are very proud most of thetime, right?
They can't wait to show you whatthey made.
And so that little part of uslives inside of all of us still.
And the beautiful thing aboutart therapy and bringing that to
moms is it's a way to remember,especially during this pandemic.
(37:13):
postpartum time when things canfeel really overwhelming.
We might not know who we areanymore or how to even connect
in with the things that we loveand enjoy.
This can be a really beautifulway to find our way back.
And something as simple as this,drawing a heart on the page and
(37:33):
using colors and lines andshapes to express what you're
feeling and really be a way ofallowing yourself to be present
and to tune in and to makechoices for yourself.
Even if it is just choosing acolor, choosing a line or
choosing a shape, it can reallybe that simple.
It's not necessarily about whatthe art looks like, which is
(37:57):
what a lot of us have come tobelieve about art, right?
Like it's just for a certainperson or your art has to be
hanging in a museum in order foryou to call yourself an artist.
And that's just not true.
My belief is that we are allcreative, a way of, a means of
finding our way back.
SPEAKER_03 (38:18):
Well, thank you so much, Leanne, for sharing that.
Hopefully everyone felt like theexercise was was helpful.
I participated and came up witha few things that make me think
like, hmm, needed to tap backinto my heart a little bit more
often.
So thank you for sharing that.
Yeah, you're welcome.
So I want to maybe transition tothe next thought of our
(38:41):
pregnancy support circle that weare offering to the community of
Denver metro area.
It's going to be starting onJune 9th.
It's donation based and We willhave the event link in the show
notes on the website and youcould go to Eventbrite and find
it or on my website and ournewsletters, Leanne's newsletter
(39:05):
website as well, I'm assuming.
So people hopefully can connectwith us there.
Do you want to share anythingmore about the group?
SPEAKER_01 (39:16):
Yeah, I mean, our whole goal, Stephanie and I have
talked about how important it isfor us to create spaces like
we've shared on the podcasttoday.
that make it accessible and easyfor moms to meet and feel
supported and nurtured throughthis journey so that they don't
(39:39):
end up feeling isolated and sothat they are able to create
friendships that last into thepostpartum period and feel like
they have the tools to reallyallow themselves to thrive in
motherhood and that's you knowthe goal of this And we really
(40:01):
hope that we are just there asguides and that the moms who
attend are really able to tapinto what they are needing from
the group.
And we will offer somemindfulness.
We will offer on my end someexpressive arts, like some
simple tools that you can put inyour toolbox to pull out at any
(40:24):
time if you need someregulation.
And to really be able to have asafe space to talk about what's
coming up in pregnancy and thatyou don't have to just bear
through it.
Like there are some challengingaspects and we get that and know
(40:46):
it.
And this can also be a space toshare about these things and
practice being vulnerablebecause we all have really need
spaces like that where we'reable to show up and share how
we're really feeling yes
SPEAKER_03 (41:05):
yeah and being able to explore your values and your
emotions and just like howyou're interconnected to your
family and the relationshipsthere and how everything may
feel like it's upside down buthopefully with guidance and
support you'll be able to likeLeanne said thrive in
(41:25):
motherhood.
And a part of that puzzle couldbe attending our pregnancy
support circle.
So I hope you check it out.
And just to have Leanne sharewhere you all can reach her.
I'm sure people listening knowhow to reach me already.
So Leanne, how can people findyou if they want to connect to
work with you individually even?
SPEAKER_01 (41:43):
Wow.
Again, my practice is calledWild Sunflower Wellness.
So you can reach me atwildsunflowerwellness.com.
And...
I can also be reached at myemail, which is leanne at
wildsunflowerwellness.com.
And I'm also on all the socials,Instagram and Facebook as well.
(42:05):
All right.
Well, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Thank you so much for having me.
This was such an inspiringconversation.
SPEAKER_03 (42:15):
Thank you for tuning in to Redefining Us once again
and share with other people soother people can continue to
listen to Redefining Us and wecan get into more listeners
ears.
If you follow us or subscribe orleave a comment or review,
that'd be greatly helpful forother people to find us and also
(42:37):
just for me to get somefeedback.
What do you guys want to hear mesay?
What do you women care abouthearing?
I'm totally open to Thank you somuch for joining us today.
(43:15):
So you can be in the know withall the things that are
happening in the Redefining Uscommunity.
Once again, thank you so muchfor listening and keep being
awesome.
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