It's Okay to Not Be Okay: Sonny Williams on Maternal Mental Health | Courage to Confide campaign
The Breadwinners PodcastShow Notes
Postpartum is not a diagnosis. It's an experience every mother has, whatever form it takes. What determines whether you need support is severity and how long it lasts, and most of us were never taught the difference.
In this episode, Alexis sits down with Sonny Williams, a perinatal mental health certified counselor and clinician with BetterHelp, to break down the real spectrum of maternal mental health, from baby blues to postpartum anxiety, OCD, depression, and psychosis. This conversation is part of the launch of Courage to Confide, our campaign built on one belief: the courage to confide is the confidence to lead.
What you'll learn:
The difference between "PMADs" (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) and why postpartum depression is only one piece of a much bigger spectrum
How to tell the difference between support and help, and why you need both
Why identity shift, not just hormones, is at the center of the postpartum experience
How ambition and motherhood can coexist without shutting down who you were before
Concrete tools for what to do when you notice something is off, for yourself or someone you love
Sonny Williams is a licensed professional counselor and perinatal mental health certified counselor who works with mothers across the full spectrum of the perinatal journey, from fertility through the first year postpartum. She joins the show to give clinician-backed language to a conversation that too often only lives in headlines.
It's okay to have it all together and look polished and always be presentable. It's also okay to not be okay. #CourageToConfide
If any part of this piece feels close to home, we’ve partnered with BetterHelp to offer a free month to anyone who signs up through The Breadwinners.
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