What were the circumstances behind the creation of Motherdom?

I suffered with low mood and anxiety in my second pregnancy (in 2017). I was lucky to receive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through the NHS but was alarmed at the lack of a media platform focused on maternal mental health and wellbeing. As a journalist, I decided to create one. So Motherdom was born!

How did you break out of your own cycle of low mood and anxiety?

CBT was life changing for me. It helped me to realise that I'm not my thoughts, my thoughts don't need to control me, and I can even change my thought patterns. Having therapy was one of the best things I ever did. And working on Motherdom has been another kind of therapy for me; by connecting with an amazing community of women who all care passionately about looking after mums' mental health and wellbeing, I have also continued to heal.

Did it take long to develop Motherdom as a project and what were you looking to achieve?

It took me 16 months to build up to the launch, before registering our trademark and publishing our first print magazine in March 2019. My vision for Motherdom is to create a world of happier parents. I wanted Motherdom to be a space where parents could feel that their mental health and wellbeing was being discussed, and I hope that we've achieved that. 

Was finance a problem?

We were successful in raising investment from the social investor Resonance as well as funding from The Reach Fund.

Is it now all you had in mind when you started out?

The feedback we have had from mums since launching our new website in March 2021 has been overwhelming. That shows me that it's a platform that's much needed, and long overdue. It's always lovely to get an email or a message on LinkedIn from someone who tells me they've just discovered it and that it's a brilliant resource. We also have great relationships with professionals too, and all of our content is reviewed by our editorial board before publication. It's really important to me that our articles are as safe, supportive and accurate as possible. As we know, now more than ever, health journalism has to be treated with the utmost care and diligence.

For advice and more information, please visit Motherdom