April 2014. A wedding, a new house, a new area in fact, swiftly followed by finishing my job and finally a new baby. All within 9 months! Little surprise that my life After Babies was so vastly different from my life Before Babies!

Whilst your experience with a new baby may not have been quite like mine, I am sure you can relate to feeling a very different person with no time for naval gazing as you adjust to the new normal. Recently though I have been listening to my YouTube playlist from my life Before Babies and have been reminded of that person I once was. It has inspired me to explore who I am as a mother.

And what better person to help me in this than Hana Manthorpe, a local small business owner who is this week starting a group for women who want to be curious about life post-baby.

Hana is a Life Coach with 8 years of experience, who left the corporate world to seek more from life. She wanted to make a tangible contribution to something that meant a lot to her and wanted to help others improve their experience of life. In the light of her own years of suffering with depression and anxiety, she has a real desire to support women who have great lives on the outside but are struggling on the inside.

And so...The LikeMinded Mums Club, a fortnightly group meeting up in a pub’s private room for any mothers who love learning and want to be real and honest about their experiences. No commitment necessary, come and go as you need.

The club has its roots in a one-off workshop Hana held for new mothers to encourage them to see post-birth as a time for a new vision of their life rather than a return to the “old” them. One participant, Gem Vickers, suggested Hana transform the workshop into an ongoing group that would meet a need in the lives of new mums. Hana therefore designed The Likeminded Mums Club, structured around a 45 minute period for sharing followed by discussion of a stimulating topic in the second part of the evening, including guest speakers, and with the flexibility to be shaped by the participants themselves.

Hana sees her role as creating a safe, friendly, child-free space where women can share openly. Whether you need to cry and rant or are in the mood to laugh and be in awe of the rollercoaster ride that is motherhood, this is the place for you. For those feeling alone, this is a place to find company and friendship. Ground rules will mean each member of the group can be assured of confidentiality, respect from each other and the opportunity to share as much or as little as you like.

I can’t wait to attend this amazing group, where I am looking forward to making new friends and to going deeper than my daily conversations about sleep deprivation and best local playgroups, and I really hope I see you there!

For more information,

Tickets for The LikeMinded Mums Club
The LikeMinded Mums Club Facebook page
The Mental Movement website
The Mental Movement Facebook page

Empowered to Succeed: LikeMinded Mums Club