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Motherhood rarely looks the way we imagined. For Melissa, it meant recovering from a C-section, navigating digestive issues and IBS, caring for a chronically ill husband, and raising a daughter during the COVID-19 pandemic, all while grieving the loss of her parents.

In this conversation, Melissa shares her journey of balancing caregiving with motherhood, managing her own health, and finding joy in simple practices like journaling, coloring, and walking. With honesty and faith, she shows us how building a “toolbox” of self-care practices can help parents hold both grief and joy at the same time.

• Caregiving is both a calling and a challenge. Melissa’s professional and personal experiences highlight the toll caregiving takes, and the need for support.
• Postpartum recovery doesn’t have an expiration date. Even years later, healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually is valid and important.
• The pandemic compounded isolation. Melissa became a new mom while caring for her husband during COVID-19, amplifying stress and burnout.
• Self-care isn’t selfish. From journaling to coloring with her daughter, Melissa models simple ways to integrate peace into daily life.
• Faith and community are anchors. Spiritual practice, church groups, and online communities became lifelines in seasons of loss and overwhelm.
• Peace is proactive. As Melissa shares, finding peace requires intentional effort, not passive waiting.

• “Caregivers are often told to pour from an empty cup — but I refuse to be a statistic.”
• “Postpartum recovery doesn’t stop at six weeks. Sometimes it takes years — and that’s okay.”
• “My daughter has never known life without caregiving, but I want her to also know joy.”
• “Finding peace isn’t passive. It’s active, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable.”
• “Coloring with my daughter isn’t just playtime — it’s healing time.”
• “Even in seasons of grief, you can still choose joy.”
• “Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s survival.”
• “Every parent deserves to know: you are seen, and you matter.”

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Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch

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This week, Chelsea steps away from their typical format to "try again" at a moment they’ve replayed for twenty years. At sixteen, Chelsea met their hero, Brandi Carlile, and was left stumbling over words, unable to express the profound impact of her music.

Now, in their late 30s, navigating life as a disabled, non-binary, and chronically ill parent, Chelsea uses this space to pen an open letter to the artist who has been the "steady hand" on their shoulder through every storm.

Chelsea reflects on how Brandi’s discography served as a lifeline during mental health mayhem, gender identity journeys, and the "pitch black void" of perinatal mental health struggles. From psychiatric hospitalizations to living room concerts with their "neuro-sparkly" children, Chelsea shares how specific songs like The Mother, The Joke, and The Story helped them navigate the specific shame and beauty of being a disabled mom.

This episode is a raw testament to the power of art to save a life hundreds of times over.

🗝️Key Takeaways

• The Impact of Art on Survival: Chelsea credits Brandi Carlile’s music as a primary reason they are "still breathing" after two decades of mental and physical health challenges.
• Navigating Disability and Motherhood: Being a disabled mom involves a "specific kind of mess" that requires relying on others to carry a load you wish you could carry yourself, often accompanied by heavy guilt and shame.
• Music as a Clinical Tool: Chelsea recounts singing lyrics softly at the suggestion of kind nurses to survive endless nights during psychiatric hospitalizations.
• Identity and Duality: Through their journey as a non-binary and queer individual, Chelsea found comfort in the idea that one can be "mainstream and a misfit at the same time".
• Vulnerability as Light: Instead of hiding "broken parts," Chelsea discusses learning that these vulnerabilities are what actually "let the light in".

💬Sound Bites

• "How do you tell a person in 30 seconds behind a merch table that they are the reason that you're still breathing?"
• "I've spent much of my life in a body that feels like a house on fire."
• "Being a disabled mom is a specific kind of mess. It means relying on everyone else to carry the load I wish I could carry."
• "Your music reminds me that right isn't a straight line."
• "Our stories don't mean anything if we've got no one to tell them to."

Links & Resources

• Music Highlight: The Mother by Brandi Carlile (A reflection on the mess and beauty of parenthood)
• Support Resource: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988)

This episode discusses topics that may be triggering for some individuals. Please check the show notes for more information and be mindful of your own mental health and comfort levels.

Real moms. Real talk. Zero sugarcoating.
Join Odd Moms On Call as we tackle parenting in a world on fire—one hot take, eye roll, and belly laugh at a time.

Support the show

Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch

Send us a text

When Amy became a mom, she thought she had to “grin and bear it.” Instead, she found herself battling exhaustion, anxiety, and postpartum rage that left her terrified of her own reactions.

In this raw and compassionate conversation, Amy shares what it felt like to lose control, the turning point that led her to accept medication, and how she found her way back to herself. We also talk about cultural stigma, the importance of support networks, and why giving kids honest language around emotions matters.

Whether you’ve experienced postpartum rage yourself or love someone who has, this episode is a powerful reminder that naming our struggles is the first step to healing.

• Postpartum rage is common but often overlooked — and deserves recognition and support.
• Accepting medication is not failure; it can be a lifeline.
• Cultural attitudes toward mental health still impact how we seek help.
• Parenting without a “village” leaves many mothers isolated and vulnerable.
• Honest conversations with children about emotions help break generational cycles of silence.

• “I was terrified I was going to hurt my kids — and that’s when I knew I needed help.”
• “Taking Lexapro didn’t make me a failure. It made me a better mom, a better wife, and a better me.”
• “Most grown adults can’t handle their emotions — why do we expect parents to always hold it together?”
• “We all deserve at least one person we can fall apart with, snot bubbles and all, without judgment.”
• “Postpartum rage isn’t an official diagnosis, but it is very, very real.”

Support the show

Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch