Dawn K. Gibson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and not your average psychotherapist. She’s a holistic and somatic psychotherapist who sees the whole person (mind, body, and spirit) rather than just “the problems.” She incorporates mindfulness, movement, ritual, ceremony, energy psychology, and more into the work she does with women.
Find out how this mom saw a community need for postpartum support services and built a business around that need.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.
I’m an LCSW, and I’ve been working in the mental health field for almost 15 years. I’ve been passionate about childbirth and working with pregnant and postpartum women for many years now, but I chose to work for other organizations until recently.
While working in my previous job, I saw a need for community resources for pregnant and postpartum women struggling with depression, anxiety, and adjusting to motherhood and adding other children to the family. I couldn’t find any support services specifically for postpartum moms who had babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
I decided I needed to take my passion and knowledge to these women and start my own business, Mindful Mothering. My focus is on supporting and educating women through the challenges of pregnancy and their first year postpartum. I offer services in individual counseling and coaching and as the facilitator of prenatal, postpartum, and NICU postpartum groups.
What did you do before launching your own business?
Besides giving birth to my three amazing children, I have a wide range of experience in the mental health field. I worked with homeless families, in the school setting, in private practice, and the hospital setting. While in the schools, I provided play therapy to elementary school students and group and individual counseling to middle and high school students. I counseled parents on parenting issues and more effective ways of connecting with their children. I also counseled pregnant and parenting teens.
When I was in private practice, I provided therapy to postpartum women, couples, and teenagers and guidance to mothers struggling with parenting young children.
I also worked in the hospital in a multitude of settings, including the perinatal area. During my time as a Perinatal Social Worker, I assisted pregnant women on extended bed rest due to pregnancy complications, postpartum women, and families whose children were in the NICU for an extended period of time.
Lastly, I became a stay-at-home mom after my son was born, and then again after my youngest daughter was born.
How did you fund your business?
My husband works full-time, so we have used his income to help fund my business at this point.
How many hours do you work a week, and how much is spent in your home office?
I am currently working part-time, so I can still be available to my children. I work about 15-20 hours per week, with 5-10 of those being out of my home. I do have an office outside the home to meet with my clients, but I do my paperwork, phone calls, and internet marketing out of my home.
How would you rate your success?
Mindful Mothering is a new venture, but due to the nature of my work, I hope to be very successful. I feel the services I’m offering are greatly needed in our community. Many women struggle after having a baby and may not develop depression or other post-pregnancy issues until well into the sixth month postpartum or even later.
Other women never become depressed but simply need a place to be heard and understood while adapting to all of the “newness” of having a baby or adding a baby to the family. I’m creating a space for women, no matter what their specific issue, to connect, to be authentic, and to be honest about the challenges they face daily in this amazing journey called motherhood.
What has been your biggest business struggle as an entrepreneur?
Time! It is challenging to find the time to work on my business while caring for my children. I have three little ones and a husband who has taxing work hours. I’m still learning to balance family, partner, children, and work. I feel it is a process, and we will continue to shift as my business grows. It is all worth it, though!
What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur?
If you have children, get a support system in place. It is OK to ask for help! I know that without my support system, this would be much more challenging and may not even be possible for me at this time.
Also, be clear about your goals, write them down, or create a vision board, stay positive, and focus on what you want for yourself, your personal life, and your business. I found that during this process, everyone has had an opinion. Some people have even been critical and challenging of certain decisions I’ve made. I have great clarity about what I want to create, and I’m my true authentic self, so this criticism has not affected me in a negative way. In fact, I’ve used these challenges as an opportunity to look more deeply inside myself. This is your business, not anyone else’s. If you’re passionate about something and believe in what you are doing, that is truly what matters.
How do you manage all of your personal and business activities?
This is a constant challenge for me and changes depending on the time of year and the stage of development my baby is in. I’ve arranged specific days to work each week, and I have childcare lined up as well. My oldest daughter rides in a carpool on those days, so I also have extra time to work. The other days are spent with family and on household duties. I do try to meditate once everyone is asleep and after I work for a couple of hours at night. Again, this is a balancing act that constantly changes. My children are very important to me, so I try to be as flexible as I can as they grow, and as we all figure this out together!
Thanks to Dawn Gibson for sharing her story!
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