Women in Wellness: meet Jenny Tucker!
Opening the conversation for all things motherhood, mental health, and providing resources to moms at any stage.
I’m so excited to bring you the latest Women in Wellness blog post featuring Jenny Tucker from Centerline Community! Jenny is a wife, mom of 2 adorable kids (Bowen and Leona) and is paving the way to provide more resources to moms to help them feel more supported and empowered through the different stages of motherhood. This is a special conversation not only because Jenny is my cousin, but she is so open and honest about destigmatizing mental health and advocating for moms to get the support they deserve. I love that she has used her personal journey through the ups and downs of becoming a new mom and turned it into a beautiful community of women who support each other during the messy and magical seasons of motherhood. Grab your latte and enjoy this open conversation below with Jenny!
Tell us about Centerline Community!
The Centerline Community is a virtual support community for new moms. We provide support, education, and empowerment through virtual groups, workshops, classes, and events and have an online community connecting new moms at any stage of motherhood. Our mission is to help fill the gaps in perinatal and maternal healthcare and in support for parenthood because motherhood can be isolating and support can be challenging to find, but it shouldn't have to be. We believe moms (and all parents) deserve MORE so we're setting out to provide it.
What inspired you to create Centerline Community? How has your personal journey influenced the services and programs offered?
Centerline kind of started on accident. I received a Masters in Counseling in 2017 and am also a yoga teacher, and I was working as a school counselor in Santa Barbara in special education when I created a business called Centerline Counseling Services. I planned to offer mindfulness-based workshops and events to support students and school staff outside of my high school counseling job at other schools and organizations in the area. But then I got pregnant at the same time as a friend, and we started a support group and yoga class for other expecting moms as a way to make pregnant friends because it was also March 2020, the start of the pandemic.
The mom support really took off and I both saw and felt the intense need for more support for moms because there just wasn't much out there, pandemic or not. So I ran with it! We started with 5 moms in an online yoga class and today we have over 700 members. I quit my school job and now work part time from home nurturing this community alongside my babies. It has been the ultimate honor and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
What programs and offerings can Centerline Community members expect?
Members can expect spaces and opportunities to connect, learn, and feel seen and heard. When I became a mom, after the first few weeks of meals and flowers and texts, it felt like all the support just kind of disappeared, and it was really lonely.
This community was the only thing that really kept me afloat. We just launched a brand new membership offering called The Mothership that includes access to our online community and in person meetups on the central coast (we have a physical presence in SB, Santa Ynez Valley, and Ventura with more cities on the way!) twice monthly support groups, workshops and Q and A sessions on everything from pelvic health, mental health, and baby sleep to sex and intimacy, lactation, and toddler tantrums.
What has been your biggest learning experience starting a business and juggling motherhood?
Oh my gosh. That is tough! It is all SUCH a journey. I started this business alongside having my first baby so I have learned so much about myself and about the process along the way, which has not always been glamorous. I think the biggest lessons have been to give myself a LOT of grace, and to trust my intuition. In starting a business, I assumed everyone new more than me, and that I would always be the amateur since I didn't know what I was doing. And actually, same goes for motherhood. But what I've learned is that NO ONE knows what they are doing and that it's 100% OK to just put one foot in front of the other. No need to worry about falling behind. And no need to compare myself to anyone else. And as for trusting my gut and my inner knowing, that's actually one thing that, in my experience, women are constantly encouraged NOT to do both in business and in motherhood. But it's exactly where our power lies. And it's the only thing that has brought me peace and fulfillment in both areas, as a mom and as a business owner. Don't listen to anyone that encourages you to ignore your instincts - in motherhood, in entrepreneurship, or in any aspect of your life. You already have everything you need within yourself. That's something I'd tell my past self, and to anyone else out there who's doubting themselves. You can do it!
How do you prioritize your mental health?
First and foremost, I am on medication and I go to therapy. I think it's important to normalize those things, especially for new moms. I had a lot of resistance to getting help for what ended up being undiagnosed Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, and a condition called DMER (dysphoric milk ejection reflex). And PS if anyone reading this wants to talk, please message me! You are not alone. I also notice that if I don't eat whole foods, get time outdoors, or move my body, that I do NOT feel like myself and can easily fall into a funk mentally. So I prioritize those things and I am vocal with my husband and support system about making sure there's time and space to make them happen. I also finally dropped the guilt around utilizing childcare, and will schedule a babysitter so I can go to yoga or take a couple hours alone. It's so worth it!
I have complicated feelings about the medication piece though because I don't think the solution for PPA and PPD is simply to medicate moms and move on. I think there are a lot of deep rooted issues and there's a brokenness in the systems moms rely on (like current parental leave, maternal healthcare, and childcare structure to start) that cause us to burn out and experience depletion, stress, and isolation that manifest as these mood disorders that then seriously affect out day to day and our overall and long term health.
“...if we change the way we support new moms, we can change the world and heal parts of our culture that are causing a lot of harm.”
What are some ways friends or family members can provide support to new moms?
Such a great question, thank you for asking this! First, when it comes to a loved one having a baby, take some time to wrap your head around the fact that this is not about YOU, and it's also not about the baby. This is about the mom. I truly believe that if we change the way we support new moms, we can change the world and heal parts of our culture that are causing a lot of harm. In dominant American culture, we are not educated on fertility, birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, or matrescence (the transition to becoming a mother). So it is super common for people to think they're support a new mom when they're really adding stress. If a new mom says or does something that surprises or confuses you, or that you don't agree with, give her the benefit of the doubt. Trust her. Don't ask to hold her baby. Her newborn still thinks he's part of his mom's body until at least six months of age. Six months! So you can imagine that a two week old baby crying for his mom is really, truly in distress. Separation from his mom's touch can be detrimental to early development and for healing to mom. There's so much more going on than any of us realize. This is part of Centerline's mission is to educate people on these things and normalize it all. And don't expect her to get off the couch or even out of bed at first.
I'm talking weeks and months, not days. When moms give birth, they have a wound inside of their uterus the size of a large dinner plate. It takes at least six weeks, sometimes more, for this wound to heal. All the while they're bleeding from this wound while their body is also attempting to recover from birth AND feed and care for a brand new baby who is scared of the cold, chaotic world after spending 9 months in the cozy calm womb. The more often they get on their feet, the longer it takes this wound to heal and their body to recover. Too much activity early on can be detrimental to mom's long term health.
What's next for Centerline Community?
It changes every day! I personally have so many ideas and the team continues to grow which is so exciting. We are definitely excited to create more in-person offerings in additional cities because that face to face interaction for moms is so crucial. It's said that the oxytocin produced between two moms interacting is similar to that produced when a mom snuggles her new baby. It's a warm happy feeling that literally changes the brain, in the best way. Moms need each other.
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness is achieved by tending to mind, body, and spirit. It's being in a physical, mental, and emotional state that allows one to live and love fully. It's seeing and being seen, listening and being heard. It's connection to the gifts of our earthly life, like nature and nurture and each other. For moms, wellness requires a village. We can't achieve it alone.
A huge thank you to Jenny for graciously taking the time to open up and give us a peek into her journey as a mom and entrepreneur! For more information about Centerline Community and to explore membership options visit their website and Instagram, and you can follow along with Jenny at @jfratt on insta. <3