We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emilie Berkman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emilie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

From the time I was a little girl, I had one dream: to be a mom. I envisioned a life filled with love, laughter, and the joys of nurturing a family. My path seemed clear, and I followed it with determination, working with young children for nearly two decades as an educator and nanny. I had seen firsthand the beauty and challenges of parenting and knew that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom who parented peacefully.

However, life had its own plans. I am a complex trauma survivor, but I foolishly believed that I had healed enough to ensure my past wouldn’t cast a shadow over my child’s childhood. But when I stepped into motherhood, it was far from the idyllic picture I had painted in my mind. New motherhood brought unexpected stresses: breastfeeding issues, the grief of a fresh loss, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. All these pressures manifested as a terrible rage that took me by surprise. I felt out of control, trapped in a cycle of anger that I couldn’t understand or manage.

The internet offered little help, and none of my tried-and-true stress management tools seemed to work. Desperate for answers, I returned to school to study trauma in depth. The knowledge I gained was invaluable and helped to a degree, but I was still struggling. My anger was hurting my marriage and my relationship with my daughter, affecting her well-being in ways I couldn’t bear.

Then, thanks to social media, I stumbled upon somatic work. Initially, I reached out to a coach and explored the mode of healing to better manage my escalating anxiety, but within only a few days, I noticed a profound shift. I was less angry, less reactive, and more in control of my emotions. The transformation was rapid and life-changing in a way that I hadn’t experienced with any other healing modality. I felt a newfound peace that I had longed for and a deep calling to share my journey.

I began sharing my struggles and breakthroughs on social media, and the response was overwhelming. Women from around the world reached out, expressing their own battles with rage and their sense of hopelessness. They had felt alone in their struggles, and my story gave them a glimmer of hope. It became clear that my journey was not just about me; it was about helping other mothers who were silently suffering.

Inspired and motivated, I wrote my book, “The Angry Mom’s Guide to Self-Regulation,” as my daughter napped on my chest each afternoon. The process was therapeutic, and each page was a step towards healing—not just for me, but for the countless mothers who would read it. Shortly before I published my book, I completed my studies and launched my coaching practice the same month my book was released.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I never wanted anything more than to be a mom, but my family pushed me to find a career. So naturally, I chose a career that allowed me to care for young children. I babysat from a young age, and became a nanny after school and on the weekends when I was 16, already perusing child development classes in high school, and then on to college. I spent about 18 years in the early childhood education and childcare industry, gaining extensive experience and insight into child development.

Now, as a mom, I coach other mothers in healing their trauma and adopting evidence-based parenting styles. I am proud to have a hand in healing the relationships between mothers and their children throughout the world. I think the most important thing I really want mothers to understand is that we’re not aiming for perfection here. Our children need us as healthy and responsive as possible, yes but they don’t need us to be perfect. As long as we’re doing our best and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes, or make poor choices, we’re doing a great job.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a complex childhood trauma survivor, I struggled with a poor sense of self, low self-esteem, and a strong tendency to be a people pleaser, which left me hurt many times. My journey has involved unlearning toxic patterns and beliefs, including the notion that I am not smart, capable, or creative enough. I never imagined I would be a business owner or a leader in this way. I’ve had to overcome a lot to get here. I’ve also had to change my mindset around money and abundance, and learn to set and uphold clear, healthy boundaries instead of bending over backwards for everyone else at the expense of my own well-being. I truly wish I could help everyone, but I accept that I can only do so much, and that if I fail to uphold healthy boundaries with my business, my clientele, my following, and the world around me, I will be failing to protect myself and everyone else I work with or am in relationship with, and failing to provide the help I aim to provide.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think pretty much everything about my story illustrates resilience, and…

Balancing my business with motherhood has been challenging. I run my business on about 15 hours of childcare a week, always prioritizing my daughter’s needs and ensuring I am a present mother. There are days when I think about giving it all up to focus solely on my daughter, but the impact I’ve made keeps me going. Knowing that I’ve already helped so many mothers and families, and recognizing that there are so many more out there struggling with unresolved trauma, drives me forward.

My journey from a struggling new mother to a coach and author helping others has been arduous but incredibly rewarding. The rage that once felt insurmountable has become a catalyst for positive change, not just in my life but in the lives of many others. This mission is more than a business—it’s a calling, a way to turn my pain into purpose, and to ensure that no mother has to face her struggles alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.the-peaceful-mother.com
• Instagram: @the.peaceful.mother
• Facebook: @the.peaceful.mother
• Youtube: @the.peaceful.mother