Vision of MAMA Minded

Whether you’re a mama by birth, fostering, adoption, or you are in the midst of an infertility journey, we all have something in common: The painful joy of anticipation. In our podcast debut, tune in to hear us (Joy, Emily, and Sarah) share our visions for the future of Mama Minded, or read the blog post below.

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By Joy Czech

Adapted from Episode 1 by Heather C. Wentz

Have you ever felt isolated? Alone? Lost? Like motherhood has left you on an island where you are the hunter-gatherer, cook, doctor, housekeeper, and law enforcement all in one? Well, as much as you may feel like it …

You. Are. Not. Alone. 

We’ve all been there. Being a mom is like spinning plates — it often feels like you can never spend too much time on a task, or the other areas of your life will come crashing down. In the meantime, there’s the background noise of the mental load: 

Did I do the dishes?

I need to pick up the groceries.

James needs help with his math assignment tonight.

We need to schedule a date.

I need to schedule childcare for the date.

When was the last time I cleaned the bathroom?

The laundry is getting out of hand.

I need to fold the laundry. 

I need to put the laundry away. (Or leave it in a basket for days. Oops.)

The list could go on. I know you know. 

As my friend Emily shares in the podcast, it’s almost impossible to dwell on motherhood and all of its responsibilities without grieving the old version of you. Now, you’re multidimensional. You’re yourself, a mother, a friend, a daughter, a boss, and “you” can get lost in the midst of it all. And, with the weight of all of these roles, it seems impossible to practice self-care.

But somewhere in your community, no matter where you are, other moms are going through the same struggles, the same highs and lows, the same feelings of isolation and overwhelm. And those moms, just like you, need to be fed. Your cup needs to be filled, or you won’t be able to pour out your time and love and energy on your children, or on your spouse. You start to experience burnout. 

But this, getting back in touch with yourself, is exactly where community comes in. 

The Birth of an Idea

When the concept of Mama Minded first came to me 3 years ago, I had no idea where it would go. It started with a study that I read. It was the story of these women who used to gather at the canal to wash their clothes, and beautiful friendships formed over their time together there. Then, one day, a donation of washing machines arrived. It was a dream come true.

Right? 

Wrong. 

What happened was that these women became overcome with anxiety, depression, and loneliness. They lost their connection, never realizing that the blessing of the washing machines would bring all of these negative results.

I felt that this same disconnection was happening in 2021. COVID was at its peak, and I was seeing these births and postpartum journeys spiraling, and everything was shifting faster than we could keep up. Are you vaccinated? Not vaccinated? Our tribe experience was gone. It was then that I realized, we have to have community. If we’re not around the right people, we are going to stay in those lows for too long. We need a tribe. 

For a while, Mama Minded floated around like an idea. I’d think we had the details worked out, and then we’d have to take a step back and reevaluate. A few months into the conceptualization of the podcast, a core group of 5 of us even sat down and recorded our birth stories and just had fun together — only to decide this is not it, and we deleted it all! 

Now, after three years of mulling around, we are finally re-launching what I hope will be a connection point, an encouragement, and a safe space for like-minded moms. 

I think Mama Minded is going to continually evolve as we hit our stride and experiment with what works and what doesn’t, but for now, our vision for Mama Minded is multi-faceted.

Mama Minded Meetings

On a semi-regular basis, we hope to connect moms locally through a variety of activities — whether that’s making yogurt, attending a presentation by pelvic floor doctors, acupuncture, massage, exercise, making sourdough — we want to combine education and fun so that our meetings are relevant, refreshing, and encouraging to moms. We want you to feel more like you again!

For some moms, it’s easier to bring their kids. Other times, we will have events where we want to just focus on you. In the events we’ve held since May, I’ve seen powerful connections form, beautiful friendships begin, and healing take place.

In addition to a social media aspect that will allow moms to connect from a distance and form their own tribes beyond Northwest Indiana, we also hope to hold retreats or organize missional work to complete together. 

Mama Minded Podcast

Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, I have specific women that I call for counsel. We talk at 6 a.m. for 30 minutes, give or take, and every time I feel so filled with their wisdom and guidance. 

I thought, I wonder if there’s a way to share this experience, these fruitful conversations, with other women. Out of this, the Mama Minded Podcast was born. 

Every week, we will release a new podcast for our listeners on a relevant topic. I’m so excited to share these with you! We will have podcasts focused on

• Birth stories

• Postpartum journeys

• Nursing journeys

• “Meet the host” — stories about my life, why I became a doula, my infertility struggles, adoption, and more

• “Meet Matron Mama” — that’s right, my mom, an influential speaker in her own right, will be a regular guest!

We’ll invite professional guests to speak on pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, lactation, pelvic floor therapy, naturopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and other health and wellness fields. We’ll even have a mom inspiration category, where we’ll call in dance and gymnastics instructors, homeschooling moms, and homesteaders to share their experiences and advice, their highs and lows, changing motherhood one story at a time.

Our hope is that our listeners will leave feeling inspired, encouraged, informed, connected, empowered, and loved. Through whatever avenue works best for you, we want to connect moms in such a way that they will never feel alone in their experiences. 

Mama Minded Blog

With each podcast we release, there will be a sister blog on the topic. And guess what — you’re here, on the Mama Minded Blog! Our mission is to be a voice of encouragement and empowerment to ALL moms, and if you catch a quiet moment to read these open letters meant for you, we are here for it. 

Our Heart

We all go through really tough moments in motherhood and life. Like my friend Sarah said in this episode, there are so many times in business and “momming” and marriage that you want to just throw your hands up. It’s a cross we bear, but there’s life and joy, and an “up”, and a resurrection to everything we go through. It’s our “why”, our hope, that keeps us going, even when the “how” seems impossible. 

Like the women at the canal, we need each other in order to be our healthiest, happiest selves. It’s our hope that Mama Minded will help you find your true identity and your joy — all through community.

I have visions and dreams of what Mama Minded will be, but I know they won’t actualize overnight. It’s so much deeper than what I can even see now. It has been amazing to see all the pieces come together to this moment, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings. I hope you’ll join us on this journey!

With love, 

Joy