Vero Beach Moms - Part 2: Building Community Through Coffee, Testimonies & Women's Health Programs

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What happens when one woman's personal health struggles transform into a mission to support an entire community of mothers? Calah's journey with the Vero Beach Moms nonprofit reveals the power of vulnerability, relationship-building, and creating safe spaces where women can truly find their place.

At the heart of this conversation lies a simple but profound mission: helping every mom connect with her community in meaningful ways. Calah shares how she prioritizes face-to-face meetings and authentic relationships over digital connections, rotating between local coffee shops for her "Coffee and Testimonies" program. This ingenious approach simultaneously supports local businesses while creating comfortable environments where women can share their stories without judgment.

The most moving segment explores the creation of "She Strong" - born from Calah's personal experience with severe fibroids and hysterectomy. Rather than suffering in isolation, she transformed her health journey into a comprehensive program bringing together pelvic floor therapists, nutritionists, chiropractors, and other specialists for quarterly women's health luncheons. Her candid discussion about the challenges women face - from childbirth and postpartum depression to perimenopause and beyond - highlights how shared experiences can become sources of strength rather than shame.

What makes this episode particularly refreshing is Calah's willingness to balance serious topics with genuine humor, from her daughter's embarrassment at mom's "booping" her nose to the funny man-voice she uses when excited. These moments of levity remind us that community-building doesn't have to be solemn to be meaningful.

Whether you're a mother seeking connection, someone interested in nonprofit development, or simply curious about innovative approaches to community support, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating spaces where vulnerability becomes strength. Connect with Vero Beach Moms nonprofit through their social media or website to learn about upcoming events and programs.

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Episode Transcript

Brian (00:00):
So welcome back to the Vero Beach podcast.
This is part two of ourinterview here with Calah from
the Vero Beach Moms nonprofitorganization.
So, Calah, I guess let's justjump right into it.
What does a typical day looklike for you, not only as the
founder of this nonprofit?
What can we do?

Calah (00:16):
But then again I have to bring myself back and I got to
calm down a little bit and gookay priorities first.
What I really focus onday-to-day, weekly basis is
building relationships.
That's the biggest thing.
Anybody I ever meet with isinterested in the nonprofit or
want to know about our programs.

(00:37):
I always try to meet with them,if I can, in person.
I've not over Zoom, but inperson.
I really try to do that forthem to really understand, you
know, the mission of thenonprofit behind the scenes
emails, building programs,praying over them as one of the
most important things, becauseit's about you know being a
light.

Brian (00:56):
You're bringing up mission a lot.

Calah (00:57):
Do you have a mission statement?
Yeah, Vero Beach Moms nonprofit.
We want every mom to find theirplace in the community.
That is the first part of themission field and that's where
we stand and everything fromthere which it flows.

Brian (01:06):
So find your place.
I love it.

Shawna (01:08):
Can you tell us some of the programs that you're doing
now Sure Coffee and Testimonieswhich I had brought up before,
is really important.

Calah (01:14):
We really want to try to have a safe place for moms to
come to meet.
We are going to be picking adifferent coffee shop every
month, and so while we'resupporting other mothers, we're
also supporting businesses, andwe thought that that was really
important to connect with otherbusiness owners, and every place
, from Salve at Calvary toOceans Unite Cafe to Coffeehouse

(01:36):
to Rio Coco we have those allon our list.
I know that there's more.
Sorry if I don't mention them,but we're in the planning stages
of that.
It will be a really great placeto build those relationships,
build support, share testimonies, but also support other
businesses while doing so.

Brian (01:52):
And if anybody's listening like, hey, she didn't
mention us, just let you know.
We only gave her so many shoutouts and she has to pay for
every.
No, I'm just joking, we don'tlike that.
But okay, to break it down, canyou kind of walk us through a
little bit more in detail whatthe coffee and testimonies
experience is like?
Like, let's say, someone'sshowing up for the first time,
what can they expect?

Calah (02:10):
Well, what I would like them to expect is to I hate to
say it this way, but it's like asupport group, not to have to
go in front of a therapist orlike talk about your problems.

Brian (02:18):
It's not like that, but I just feel like that's something
that's missing a little bit inour community and to be able to
have that safe place for moms tocome or women to come to have a
safe place to talk about thingsthat they're going through.
So I want to lean into yourhesitation a little bit.
There it's kind of like asupport group.
Why did that make you hesitantto say that?

Calah (02:36):
I think, because I don't want, I don't want people to
feel uncomfortable, you know,moving into that, that space,
because it can be veryvulnerable, as it was with our
first part of the podcast.
You know, just talking aboutwhat I have been through and
it's not easy to do that andwhen you're talking about your
life and your story or yourtestimony, whatever you want to
call it, you're being vulnerable, you're opening yourself up and

(02:58):
, let's just be honest, theworld can be very critical and
very, very tough and once peopleknow that information, they can
use it against you.
That's why I kind of hesitatedwhen I said it, but I stand firm
on what we're doing.

Brian (03:13):
I think that's a great answer, and the reason why I
wanted to just kind of shine alight on that a little bit is
because it's so sad that a wordsupport is such a good thing.
But I know that you hesitatedand I know others hesitate, so
that's why I wanted to lean intothat a little bit, because it's
like the things that are goodthat will help us, strengthen us
.
We can feel uncomfortable withit, but it's stepping through
those times of feelinguncomfortable that will actually
make us stronger.
What are some of theprecautions that you take to

(03:34):
help make this a safe place?

Calah (03:36):
Well, I would just say I think the best way of doing that
is just being honest andopening up about what I have
been through personally.
I am careful about that, do I?
I don't want to ever make itabout just myself, though.
I want people to be to knowthat it's about them and what
they're going through.
I can tell that there'shesitation, you know.
I am like OK, Calah, you needto speak up, you know, kick off.

(03:57):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
So I will kick off.
But if I, if I, if I can tell wehave a bunch of talkers in the
group and we all know those andyou know, like when you're in
the Bible study, it's alwaysthat one that talks, you know,
and the other person's kind ofsitting there in the corner, you
know.
You just kind of feed off ofthat.
You just pay attention topeople's mannerisms and how
comfortable they feel or theydon't feel, and I really feel
like God has kind of given methat gift and I just try to pay

(04:19):
attention to the Another serviceyou have listed on your site
was she Strong.

Brian (04:31):
So what inspired this and explain to us a little bit
about what she Strong is?

Calah (04:36):
Brian, when you just asked me that question, you
could see my happy dance.
It's so hard to put into wordssometimes because I get so
excited and I get ahead ofmyself.
But this is what I've beenpraying for.
I'll give you a littlebackstory on it.
I was having a lot of healthissues, a lot of issues with my
girl parts Ended up getting Iwas having a lot of health
issues, a lot of issues with mygirl parts Ended up getting

(04:56):
fibroids all over, like all overmy uterus, all over my ovaries,
and I look like I and I'm justgoing to say it and it's
embarrassing, but I look like Iwas about seven months pregnant.
I was so inflamed and I was ina lot of pain and so I went to
my OBGYN and I said I can't dothis anymore.
I just I need help.
I I said I can't do thisanymore.
I just I need help.
I just please, can I have ahysterectomy.
And so she was like, okay,let's talk about this.

(05:21):
And she took it very seriouslyand so I went in and I had my
hysterectomy and it was rightaround the time that I created
the nonprofit and I created myother business with my husband.
So it was a very interestingtime and a very hard time to
move forward.
Was she Strong after myhysterectomy?
I'm like what do I do?
I don't feel like myselfanymore.
I don't know who I am anymore.
I lost everything inside of me.
My womb is gone, I have myovaries, and that's about it,

(05:43):
and they're not even working.
So I wrote a proposal to myfriend who is a local OBGYN in
town not the doctor that did mysurgery, but another one and we
became friends over the lastcouple of years.
Do you know that sat with herfor almost a year and I said,
okay, god you know, maybe thiswasn't meant to be and I just
said, okay, I'm going to let itgo, I'm going to move on, I'm
going to create other programs.
She reached out to me and shesaid Calah, let's do this, I'm

(06:05):
going to support town.
I'm not going to name namesjust because we're still going
through the process of signingup.

Brian (06:13):
You're almost at your limit, yeah.

Calah (06:15):
Yeah, okay, and so long.
Well, you know, I mean I won'tdo the shop, I'll pay the fine.
All right, I'll pay the fine,it's worth it.
And she really believed and shereally saw that there was a
need for this program.
And the amazing thing about sheStrong is she's strong.
Okay, us as women.
We're stronger than we giveourselves credit for.
We go through giving birth tochildren, postpartum depression,

(06:37):
we deal with the mental healthaspects of womanhood, hormonal
health, perimetopause, menopause, physical health, you name it.
I ended up over the summercreating the entire program.
I interviewed about probablyabout 20 to 25 different
providers pelvic floortherapists, chiropractors,

(06:59):
dietician, nutritionists, womenthat help with GPLs, like
anything you can think of.
We have a lot of providers onboard.
They see the purpose, they seethe vision.
We're going to be havingquarterly luncheons.
Each provider will speak at oneevent.
We'll probably have actuallythree speakers.
We want to make it fun, thoughwe don't want to just go in get
your cookie and sit down.
We really want it to be reallyenjoyable for the community.
So women come in.
Maybe a little swag bag, alittle lunch.
We want women to feel likethey're being heard and there is

(07:22):
help for what you're goingthrough and you're not alone.
Oh, that's so good.

Shawna (07:25):
Cause health stuff really makes you feel alone.
Yes, can we shout out ourfriend who we mentioned before
we started recording, who'sgoing to be part of SheStrong?

Calah (07:39):
Ashley, ashley Murray.
She was actually from Breeze.
We had a conversation last week.
She's so sweet.
She was a lot of things she wasinterested in, so she is our
first sponsor of the SheStrong.
So shout out to Ashley Murraywith Breeze.
Thank you so much for yoursponsorship.
She signed up for ournetworking group, which is
separate from she's Strong, andnow she's a provider.
This is what it's about formingthese relationships, with women
supporting their business, butthey're also supporting us and
it's a win-win.

Brian (08:00):
I'm excited about it, but I can't go.
So but I am going to.
I am going to share someinsight.
First off, she's Strong.
It kind of makes me think aboutwith Shauna, you know she's
what.
Are you like?
45 now, baby?
I mean sorry, 43, 43, she's 43.
Oh my gosh, I thought I was, oh, I'm getting ready to turn 47.
So that's why I was confused.
I was like two years, you're 43I'll be 44 in in uh november.

(08:23):
Oh wait, how old am I 2025.

Calah (08:25):
Oh okay, I'm 46.
I'm so sorry.

Brian (08:28):
I don't know how old.

Shawna (08:29):
I am now I'm 44 and I'll be 45 in November.

Brian (08:33):
Yes, I thought she was two years.

Shawna (08:34):
I thought it was 2024.
This is married life.

Brian (08:37):
This is a very confusing podcast, Thankfully.

Shawna (08:39):
I don't care how old I am, so it doesn't hurt my
feelings.

Brian (08:48):
But it's just funny because got my own age wrong.
I got it wrong too, but it wasright in the middle.
But anyways we're now.
We're getting sidetracked.
The she's strong.
When I think about Shauna ather age, like she hot has got
two different meanings now,Cause now it's like if I'm like
babe, you're hot, She'd be likeoh, I'm like, no, really You're
hot, Like you're like volcano,I've got to go on the other side
of the room.

Shawna (09:04):
Thankfully for me, the hot flashes aren't affecting me
yet, like I don't feel super hot.

Brian (09:09):
No, I just look over at the bed and it's like glowing
red, like lava, and I'm like no,it's not waking me up, it's not
, it's, it's.

Calah (09:16):
those side effects are tough.
The hot flashes, low libido.

Brian (09:19):
I'm here for you guys.
Depression, all that, it's hard.
I'm going to start first beforeyou do that.

Shawna (09:23):
He's strong.
He's strong, exactly.

Brian (09:30):
I do love the name she's Strong, because it made me think
about years ago when I launchedmy business full time.
I wanted to learn more aboutrunning a business, so we were
part of a master class or masterseries class through Dave
Ramsey.
He has things for EntreeLeadership.
I loved it and the last dayeven though it was kind of
awkward for me, even though I'mlike an extrovert that last day

(09:51):
of the conference we walked inand when they opened the doors
their team was on both sides,like giving us high five, like
high energy.
So I was just thinking, whenyou said she's strong, like
we're leaving, you're talkingabout having fun and stuff, and
I just thought, man, that energyis going to be so important.
So you mentioned you guys sharefunny stories.
Tell us something funny aboutyourself.
So what's something funny aboutyou?

Calah (10:13):
I don't want to.
Oh man, I am a weirdo.
I am weird Like my, okay, I'lltell you a story.
So my daughter, when she oh man, I can't remember what grade
she was in, it might've beenkindergarten or first I would
always do this weird thing withher at home and I'll tell you in
a minute.
So I'm walking her up to herclassroom, you know she's going

(10:33):
through the door and I'm like Ishould boo.
Boo, I love you.
And like booped her nose andshe's like don't ever do that
again.
I mean, the poor kid, she waslike mom, you're so embarrassing
.

Shawna (10:49):
I have a very weird personality.
I talk in a man voice when Iget excited, and now my daughter
does it.

Calah (10:54):
Can we hear an example?
I get really excited.
I love that.
That's hilarious.
I think sometimes the humor haskept me from like not breaking
down too, and let's just behonest, we all love humor, we
all love to laugh, and it getsyou through the hardest times in
life.
I get it from my dad, though,because my dad is very silly.

Brian (11:11):
I love that you brought that out, because that's the
part of the fun that you'retalking about.
She's strong, you guys have funand we got to see that a little
bit.
So, as we get ready to wrap upthis episode, I would love to
find out how can the moms in thearea learn about all these
events and the things thatyou're putting on?

Calah (11:28):
Thank you for asking that .
So the biggest thing is to befollowing the Vero Beach Moms
nonprofit page.
If you're active on the page,you're going to see we have an
events tab and we have all theevents listed there.
We also have featured and thenwe also have the website.
May I do a shout out with that?
If you don't mind he's kidding,you're allowed to have as many
as you want.

Shawna (11:45):
No, I know he's kidding.
I know I just wanted to do that.
I know I just didn't want toOkay.

Calah (11:49):
So I just wanted to give a shout out to Tracy Spartland.
She came on this past year andshe's really amazing and she's
brought things to light that Ireally needed help with.
So I just told her.
I said I've been really prayingabout a website to do that for
me Nice, so I just have to giveher a shout out.

Brian (12:06):
So what's your website address where people can learn
more?

Calah (12:09):
Vero Beach Moms Nonprofit .

Brian (12:10):
Well, Calah, this has been a great episode.
I can't wait to talk to youabout Vero Beach.

Shawna (12:15):
See you next time, neighbor.