At The Mother Tree Effect, they believe that when a mother thrives, her family thrives too. Founder Laura Christiansen understands all too well the loneliness and isolation that can come with motherhood, with modern society neglecting the mother’s need for support and connection, and she has made it her mission for every mother to feel nourished, supported and empowered. She created The Mother Tree Effect to put community and nourishment into the hands of mums, supporting and empowering them to feel more confident, connected and centred throughout postpartum and the motherhood journey. Here Laura talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about her own experiences of motherhood and how they have inspired her to help others.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I really struggled as a mum at times, especially the 3rd time around. I experienced loneliness, isolation, depression and anger, and worried at times for myself and my baby. I was never alone but I felt lonely. I looked after myself with nutrition, supplements, self-care, and body-based therapies, but none of it seemed enough.
What was missing for me was connection and support. It was a big eye opener for me at how modern motherhood neglects the mother.
I know this is a common experience for so many mums and I want to be part of creating a different future for the other mamas out there and for my own daughters.
Modern motherhood can be really lonely and overwhelming and mothers often feel undervalued and under supported. Many of us find ourselves silently struggling and being so consumed by the ‘to-do’s of motherhood that we don’t even know what we need or how to get our needs met. It can take a lot of effort to get the support you need and it can sometimes be costly as well.
We used to live in communities where parenting and domestic tasks would be shared. The village ensured mothers’ needs were met and raising children was a shared responsibility.
Unfortunately, this has been lost to patriarchy and mothers often find themselves feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, unsupported and unfulfilled, with postnatal depression on the rise.
I really want to be part of changing that trajectory and help mums to access more peace, balance and fulfilment and feel truly supported on their journey.
That’s why I started The Mother Tree Effect. The mother tree connects all the other trees to each other in the forest and they share information and nutrients through their complex root system, supporting each other to thrive.
I want to part of the change that sees communities connected and supporting each other, the mother’s role as valued and families truly thriving.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I started off as a youth worker, working with young people experiencing homelessness. I went on to complete my degree in social work, which led me to working in child protection and out of home care, where I worked as a case manager supporting children and their families involved in the child protection system.
It was very rewarding but also challenging and high stress work and after having my own children, I wanted to be able to be fully present with them.
So I started exploring other work and business paths and it brought me to coaching and healing. I undertook further studies in life coaching, energy healing, mindfulness and women’s mystery work and started coaching women to release the blocks to their full potential.
A couple of years in, I made the decision to use my skills and experience to focus my work on supporting mothers, as that was where I was being led through my own personal journey.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
When I decided to focus my work toward mothers, I realised that I could bring all of me to my work, that all the parts of my life were relevant in my work with mums. Many jobs require us to pretend like we don’t have children and just get on with the tasks, and what I love about my business is I get to serve even deeper as I express even more of who I am in the world. I have created a holistic and unique approach where I get to share and serve with all of my passions.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Haha balance! What is that? Having my third child threw any balance I had out the window!
To be honest, I’m still figuring out the perfect balance, and just trying to be kind to myself through the process.
I don’t know if you ever really find balance with business and children; it’s just a matter of priorities and what’s truly important to you in your life.
My kids always come first – that is my first and most important job, and I often remind myself on the busy days that I have achieved enough just by meeting their needs. Anything outside of that is a bonus.
I’m hoping that as my baby grows and depends on me less, the balance will come naturally.
I have a few days where I work on and in my business and I try to stick to those days, so I can be present with motherhood outside of that. Some weeks flow better than others and I try not to put too much pressure on myself while the kids are so young.
I have a daily movement and meditation practice, which I am pretty good at prioritising. That helps me feel grounded and balanced through the day. And I do other things to nourish myself like acupuncture, chiropractic, women’s circle and nature time, which all help maintain my health and wellbeing.
