Three Years In: From Pandemic Mat Leave to a Practice That Feels Like Home
I never expected to start a business with a toddler climbing on my back and a preschooler asking for snacks while I tried to type client notes.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Five years ago, I returned from maternity leave during the first pandemic lockdown—trying to juggle a one-year-old, a three-year-old, and a fully virtual caseload in a system that wasn’t built to support families, women, or frontline care providers.
Despite being “back to work,” nothing felt right. I was being asked to return to the office, even though my clients could see me perfectly well from home. My workload hadn’t decreased, my home life was still 24/7, and I didn’t have any control over my hours or environment.
I felt guilty for dreading meetings and resentful about decisions that didn’t make sense for our reality. I loved my co-workers and after a decade of having many of them in my life and even at our wedding, it just wasn’t filling my ambition anymore. My nervous system was on overdrive, and I was starting to lose passion for the work I once loved.
But in the middle of that fog, there was one thing that kept me going:
Sessions with new moms.
When I was working with women navigating the tender, overwhelming, identity-shifting postpartum period, I felt something shift. My energy came back. I felt connected. I saw myself in them—and I knew I wanted to do more. I knew I had to do more. There were not enough resources for moms to access support - so many of the moms I met while facilitating our local After Baby group in Barrie ON did not have access to a trained perinatal therapist. They could come to our group, but only clients registered to the NP Clinic I worked at could see me for support beyond the group.
That spark was the seed of what’s now become a thriving, community-rooted practice built around trauma-informed care and nervous system healing for women.
What I Started With:
A laptop and a whole lot of hope
No admin support
No office
No clear blueprint
And two tiny humans within earshot
What We’ve Built Together:
A specialized team of three phenomenal associates
A rock-solid operations manager
Two warm, welcoming therapy spaces
A growing online community of women supporting women
Workshops, student mentorships, system-level advocacy, and collaborations that ripple far beyond the therapy room
Why It Matters
This work is deeply personal. I know what it’s like to feel like you're supposed to be fine—but you’re not. To feel resentful, anxious, overwhelmed, even ashamed of how hard it all feels. To wonder where your “old self” went and why no one else seems to be talking about it.
This practice was built to meet those moments.
To offer real, efficient, trauma-informed support that helps women reconnect with who they are—without needing to explain why it’s so hard.
We focus on healing at the root, not just coping at the surface.
We don’t expect perfection.
We meet you where you are.
What I’ve Learned:
✅ Healing is more possible—and more efficient—when we work with the nervous system (EMDR sessions continue to inspire me!!)
✅ Community is powerful medicine
✅ We need systems-level change and compassionate, immediate care
✅ Building a business doesn’t mean sacrificing your values—it means building around them
What’s Next
We’re dreaming big:
Supporting more families across Simcoe-Muskoka and beyond
Expanding our online offerings
Welcoming new practitioners into our circle
Continuing to advocate for better maternal mental health at a systems level
And building a future where women’s health is actually centered in the care we deliver
To everyone who’s been part of this journey—thank you.
Whether you’ve been a client, collaborator, colleague, or supporter from afar, I’m so grateful.
You’ve helped build something that’s more than a practice.
It’s a movement.
And we’re just getting started.
With love and deep gratitude,
Amber
