We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cynthia Wood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Cynthia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
February 1st, 2004. Superbowl XXXVIII – Panthers and Patriots
Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and “NippleGate” drew immense backlash with George W Bush as president. He assigned Colin Powell’s son, without experience, the job of overseeing the FCC. With that came an increase in fines for “outrageous” content – think Howard Stern pre: Sirius.
The trickle down of that event meant that Clear Channel Communications (now iHeart Media), who had Stern syndicated on several of their morning shows across the country were incurring greater fines for his shows, on the regular. They decided he wasn’t worth it. Stern was syndicated through CBS Radio.
My husband at the time was his first year in the “big show” – morning radio show brand – after working his way up in the industry for over a decade. We were in San Diego, CA. I, at the time, was a year or two into the first nonprofit I founded, the E.Y.E.S. Project and working full time in the workers compensation industry.
In my gut, I had a passion for philanthropic work, but had a sense I didn’t want to need it for my living. I was in a very good place to work a great job, that paid decently and had flexibility, so I could also follow my passion, as a passion. This set up – my work and my husband’s trajectory – was what had us working on our next endeavor, becoming parents.
It was six months after Nipplegate that the hammer fell. My husband and I had just spent our week off for the summer volunteering on Catalina Island at a summer camp for teenagers. The day we came back, we were meeting my sister at a local bar because she was visiting and my husband joined us with the announcement that he was out of work.
The moment is engrained in my mind because it was only the kick off occurrence that taught me just how much luck, or a lack of it, has to do with success. Being responsible, hardworking, positioned for opportunity and having a growth mindset only goes so far. That opportunity arrives from a series of transactions that have nothing to do with you and its often luck that has you in the right place to see it.
I could have never guessed what was to come or what and where we are now and I have worked hard to make lemonade out of it.
Cynthia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
It’s likely no one is aware of me as I am not a brand. I am meant to be behind the scene really, it’s where my strength lies and I am largely good with that.
In 2018, I founded and continue to run Mind Body Baby NC, a charitable nonprofit in Charlotte, NC that works to combat and support those who struggle with perinatal mood disorders, have experienced birth trauma or any of the other many common, preventable complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period.
As with all things mental health, the issues are complex, hampered by capitalist priorities and politics and in this case have racism, classism and sexism all baked into it. While changes to governmental policy and the medical industry are vitally important, our work is centered on the individual human that is falling through the cracks. We are working to create change from the ground up.
Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication of pregnancy and birthing. One in three deliveries are considered traumatic. Bias and obstetric violence in the medical system is regularly stripping the health and dignity of birthing people, with the impacts affecting not just the birthing person, but the infant – short term and long term, and the family.
Society is still functioning with the mentality that mother, parents should smile and be grateful the baby is healthy (if it’s healthy of course) and figure it out. There is an assumption that OB and pediatricians are equipped to be guides for new parents in all the challenges that can come their way and that couldn’t be further from the truth, not to mention they can also sometime be the actual cause of the challenge.
Anyway, off my high horse.
Mind Body Baby’s fundamental services are a network of peer driven, therapeutically informed support groups that touch on different experiences, always free of cost and judgement, a resource website that includes free education considering the challenges that often aren’t discussed, and a community care fund that supports equitable access to needed mental health care.
A very important feature of our work is flexibility because no two perinatal experiences are the same and no one comes to the caregiving journey from the same place, with the same kind of “village” support. We start from a mindset of inclusivity and humility, directly impact what we can and work to connect our families with other organizations for the things we cannot serve.
I am very proud of what we have built so far. We are the only organization doing what we are doing in our area, without cost. Honestly, I am not aware of anything similar nationwide that isn’t “for profit” and that is focused on the mental well being of the caregiver.
Collaborations in neuroscience, psychological science and social sciences are plainly aware that the first 1000 days of brain development of the infant is foundational for all their lifetime learning, relating, coping and resilience capacities, is based on experiences and that the primary caregivers and their emotional wellbeing are pivotal to that development, but we haven’t, as a society ,done much of anything to make sure caregivers have what they need to be able to create that vital, healthy attachment.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Without a doubt, in the nonprofit “ownership”, the most vital skills are a gift with words and gab, and ongoing open mindedness.
There is a certain assumption of passion to be doing what I am doing, especially for the pay one tends to receive for this position given our size. But passion will only take you so far if you cannot adequately tell it’s story and feel confident enough continually put it out there.
To do something different, to create the change you want to see – if the need is still there then the current answers on the ground aren’t enough as is – you have to be constantly re-evaluating what the solution might look like. In our case, lived experiences in pregnancy, birthing and early parenting are so incredibly diverse and touched by every other aspect of our lives, past, current and future. Willingness to acknowledge there is no way to know what everyone needs or what has driven their choices and to listen without judgement (something impossible not to think, but very possible not to act on) is a requirement.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Really the story of ‘that moment” that changed our entire trajectory was just the beginning of years of changing and adapting and figuring out who I am.
The ensuing years of becoming broken emotionally and financially, the loss of village and identity and even at one point reputation still have impacts on my day to day life now. Somatic impacts that I have yet to figure out how to expel, impacts in my children and my marriage that can only be moved through and will always be part of us.
It could all fill a book and still break down to bad luck. Increasingly, through my work, I am understanding that with all that bad luck and hardship, I still had my white skin and know the story could still be infinitely worse.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mindbodybabync.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbodybabync
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindBodyBabyNC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindbodybabync/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindBodyBabyNC
Image Credits
Headshot – @myraray Others – @pricsillagreenphotography