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Social & Emotional Development

We need to redefine the concept of boundaries because they're not about drawing a line in the sand one day and everything changes.

Understanding Boundaries

November 29, 2022
With the upcoming holiday season and its related demands, let's talk about boundaries. Whether at work or home, boundaries begin inside you when you sense a need and decide to care for yourself. You know something’s got to give. You can’t keep doing life this way. But you might not know what needs...
Beth Anstandig's picture
Why it's important to evaluate group culture.

Normalizing Group Culture Around Needs

October 31, 2022
When you watch a herd of horses, they’re constantly communicating with each other about group and individual needs. They have a beautiful system of feedback and flow. When a need is expressed, it’s tended to. Yes, like human herds, there’s conflict but horse herds make necessary adjustments, move...
Beth Anstandig's picture
Sometimes we as moms don’t realize just how important our role is – the seriousness of keeping another mammal alive.

New Motherhood Lessons from the Border Collies

August 17, 2022
I live (and work) with a herd of animals – horses, dogs, chickens and more. I spend long hours with them, learning their way of life, their state of being, and their patterns in relationships – including motherhood. In June, we welcomed a beautiful litter of six healthy Border Collie pups. (That...
Beth Anstandig's picture

We’ve added onto President Biden’s Executive Orders.

August 3, 2022
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade took effect, we’ve been doing everything we can to secure our reproductive rights for every single person, in every single state. Their decision reversed our right at the national level to choose when, and if, we want to have children...
Diarra Diouf's picture

Pivot and Change

July 6, 2022
Our innate capacity to adapt to our needs and changes in the environment is a core survival trait. We need to pay attention to the signs and signals that our human animal body is sending us because incredible innovation comes out of crisis. It’s about resilience, adaptability, and what natural part...
Beth Anstandig's picture
We Are MomsRising

15 Washington State Fellows dedicated to bringing equity, and healing to their communities, and MomsRising.

June 30, 2022
Being a parent is a selfless act. For many, advocacy is reimagined here. The dreams of a brighter future for our children and communities is our motivation. Our Washington state Fellows of 2022-2023 encompass selflessness, determination, and vulnerability as they step more deeply into the shared...
Leanne Rye Brock's picture

Getting Over Our Self-Care Shame

June 7, 2022
Self-care gets a bad rap. It's seen as selfish, a sad part of our culture that teaches and models martyrdom. We think of self-care as an occasional luxury -- bubble baths, massages, and spa days—and as a result, moms have bypassed taking care of themselves first. We critique neediness and view at as weakness while we celebrate those who over-give of themselves.
Beth Anstandig's picture

Circling Up and Leaning into Our Mom Herds

May 3, 2022
I took a page out of my own book! The Human Herd: Awakening Our Natural Leadership was released into the wild last month. It was terrifying! Soul crushing anxiety. So, on the eve of the book release, I did what I learned to do staying sober in recovery--and what I've learned from the horses and...
Beth Anstandig's picture

Maternal Mental Health Impacts Communities of Color More Yet Care is Harder to Find

April 14, 2022
Tina Sherman, Senior Campaign Director for Maternal Justice, discussed Black Maternal Mental Health with Lina Acosta Sandaal of Stop Parenting Alone on IG Live. They discussed how women in communities of color are particularly vulnerable maternal health disorders yet encounter more barriers to...
MomsRising's picture

Noticing the Spaces in Between

April 6, 2022
Up until about a year ago, there was very little space for me to "just be" and for me to learn about the inner workings of my heart. I would make space for myself with my animals, writing, recovery, walking, hiking, nature. But I had to squeeze it in. Just when I would scratch the surface of my own...
Beth Anstandig's picture

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