The Authentic Mom Workshop: Information and Tools
Welcome to the information page for the Authentic Mom Workshop. This workshop is being offered in partnership between Chelsea Hicks-Webster of Creating Me and Childreach, and on this page you’ll find information about the workshop and links to the self-guided video, the worksheet, and the follow-up sessions, as well as other resources. If you have any questions about this workshop, please feel welcome to contact us.
This workshop is for anyone who finds motherhood hard sometimes.
Being a parent comes with a full range of emotions. There are a lot of little joys, milestones, and happy moments with your child, and there are also a lot of hard parts. Figuring out parenting, balancing an overwhelming schedule, communicating with your partner, finding that red cup that is so important to your three-year-old. Working through the stress and big emotions – yours and your child’s – can be challenging, and can sometimes feel overwhelming.
In this workshop, you’ll learn a process for responding authentically to your stressors*, come away with tools to work through challenges, and hopefully, find some peace where you might have felt overwhelm.
*Please note: This workshop is not therapeutic and the strategies are not recommended for processing trauma or traumatic stress. Traumatic experiences and traumatic stress should be safely approached with the help of a mental health professional. Please see links below for mental health support services in the London area.
A person works at a desk using their computer and planner. (Stock Image)
What You’ll Learn
In this workshop, you will learn a radical truth: Your stress is actually very useful.
The same goes for all negative emotions – stress, anxiety, frustration, overwhelm. Those emotions exist to tell you when something important isn’t working well for you.
When you learn how to honour the useful message within your stress, you will have a roadmap to the person you want to be and the life you want to live.
In this workshop, you will:
Learn a simple, 3-step process for responding to stress effectively and authentically – which helps to create peace and happiness on the other side.
See how the process applies to relatable, mom-life situations (including overwhelming schedules, kids not listening and co-parenting tension.)
Learn the common barriers to addressing stress authentically – and how to solve them.
Here’s How it Works
Step 1: Watch the video below.
Step 2: Apply the content using the worksheet.
Step 3: Get live support.
Workshop Materials
The Video
Watch the 75-minute video below anytime that works for you. We’ve included time stamps showing ‘chapters’ of the video, so you can watch it in chunks or relisten to content of interest.
Chapters
0:00 – Introduction
15:16 – The value of stress
22:29 – How to respond to stress authentically
35:20 – Example 1: Overwhelming schedule
48:32 – Key takeaways
49:42 – Helping kids respond to their own stress
56:01 – Overcoming barriers to authentic stress response
1:04:24 – Example 2: Frustration with child ignoring you
1:11:02 – Example 3: Frustration with your partner’s parenting
The Worksheet
This worksheet offers a simple, 6-step exercise to help you respond authentically to a stressor. Try it.
Support
Attend our Group Question & Answer sessions with Chelsea Hicks-Webster and a Childreach facilitator or a 1-on-1 virtual coffee chat with Chelsea Hicks-Webster (both resources are free).
There are currently no Group Question & Answer sessions scheduled. We will post here and on our Eventbrite page if future sessions become available. To access further information and support, please schedule a Free Coffee Chats with Chelsea. Coffee Chats are offered on an ongoing basis. Click the link to select a time that works for our schedule.
Who is This For?
The language and content of this workshop is geared toward parents and caregivers who identify as women or who were socialized as women and experience the overwhelm of trying to maintain a work-life balance, hiding or minimizing stress or challenging emotions, or trying to engage in self-care while caring for others. This is a safe and inclusive space and may resonate with birth parents, foster or adoptive parents, caregivers, grandparents, and more.
About the Facilitator
This workshop is led by Chelsea Hicks-Webster, MSc, Certified Life and Parenting Coach, and founder of Creating Me (a social enterprise dedicated to helping moms improve their own happiness and well-being).
Chelsea knows how hard it can be to balance the competing demands in motherhood and feel alone. Not long ago, Chelsea had 3 kids under 2, a loving husband and a career running an international research centre. On the outside, her life was picture perfect. On the inside, she was stressed to the point of dysfunction.
With the help of a Life Coach, Chelsea learned to find true happiness in the chaos of motherhood. The impact of this shift inspired a career change.
Chelsea now provides affordable life coaching to women with young kids, often working in partnership with organizations like Western University, Ontario EarlyON centres, and the Thames Valley District School Board.
Counselling & Mental Health Support
The following services offer a variety of counselling options, including virtual, in person, geared-to-income, non-crisis, crisis, and more. Please contact these services for more information and to determine which will best suit your needs.
Journey Well Health & Wellness
Reach Out 24/7 | Mental Health and Addiction Support Line
Tandem | One number for immediate child and youth mental health support