We were lucky to catch up with Emily Moricz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents have always encouraged me to put in the maximum effort to any project or activity I take on. Whether it was presenting a PowerPoint on why I should get a hamster at age 10 or applying to college, both my mom and dad modeled and taught me that the only answer is hard work, always.

My dad has the ability to build anything, and he has included me in many of his remodel or building endeavors (often to his detriment). I can’t count the amount of times my father lectured me on doing things right the first time, and to never cut once without measuring twice.

My mom, on the other hand, is the inquirer. Whether researching a topic she is unfamiliar with or quickly googling a question on her phone to prove a point, my mother prides herself on doing as much research as possible to equip herself with knowledge. Instead of simply answering the million questions I asked her during my childhood, she gave me the “Big Book of Questions and Answers” so I could research the answers for myself.

These lessons have had a profound impact on my career path. As an Occupational Therapist (and mom) in the emerging field of practice of Maternal Health, I have had to work harder than I ever imagined to start my own small business. Learning practice guidelines, furthering my education in prenatal and postpartum care, networking with other healthcare professionals, all while raising a family— I would have quit a long time ago if not for the lesson of hard work.

Today, my dad helps me dream up where I’ll be in five or ten years if I continue to give this dream my all, while my mom reminds me that I need to do whatever it takes to raise my children and raise them well. Because of my parents, I am pursuing the hard work of both building a business and being a mother. Because of them, I get to help other women in their motherhood journeys while enjoying my own motherhood journey.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Most people have never heard of Occupational Therapy, or think it’s a service provided to help people get jobs. Simply put, an Occupational Therapist helps a person find the best way to do the activities they love. Often, this is in the arena of physical rehabilitation (to address a disease, disability, or injury) or childhood development. I have worked in every setting, from hospitals to outpatient clinics to skilled nursing facilities. After having my first child, I decided to start my own business to be as present as possible with my family while also pursuing my dream career. I slowly stepped into the world of maternal health and wellness after having to do a lot of my own research on postpartum rehabilitation and discovering that there were so many other moms needing help in this area with no idea where to start. How crazy is it that patients undergoing knee surgery will recieve weeks and weeks of therapy, but a postpartum mother is sent home with no instructions on how to heal her body properly to function without pain or weakness?!

After pursuing continuing education on prenatal and postpartum corrective exercise, I set out to provide accessible and easy-to-understand information on exercises that can be done to help moms address common weaknesses/pain during and after pregnancy, especially as it relates to their core, pelvic floor, and posture. My goal is to make this type of healthcare available to all women, which means providing services that are both affordable and accessible in-person and/or online.

I hope to make all mothers feel seen, understood, and empowered. Motherhood is hard enough as it is; doing it alone and with no resources can not only decrease quality of life but drastically increase rates of anxiety and depression. I am on a mission to equip moms with the education and confidence needed to strengthen their pregnant/postpartum bodies, meet the daily demands of motherhood, and feel confident enough to not only mother well but thrive in whatever season they are in. I provide in-person Postpartum and Play groups (local to Columbus, GA) as well as online consultations.

Besides working in my dream career, I stay busy raising my two dream babies and sharing the hilariously messy parts of toddlerhood on Instagram.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I find networking with other professionals in my field to be invaluable. Sometimes this is in a professional setting, but I much prefer talking shop over coffee. I used to be terrified of cold-calling (or rather, cold-DMing) but quickly learned that most people are willing to meet if food is involved! While education and experience go a long way, building a referral system and learning from other women who are doing it right have proven to be not only beneficial but also encouraging in my own practice as a therapist.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back in time, I would choose this profession every single time. I tell people frequently how I have the best job in the world. However, if I knew what I know now, I would have done a few things differently.

First, I never even thought to dream of practicing as a solo practitioner when I was in school, so I had no knowledge of starting a business. I would have saved a lot of time and money if I had basic knowledge of marketing, law, and business structure.

Second, I had no idea the field of maternal health even existed. I was never exposed to prenatal or postpartum care, and therefore never had the opportunity to train or shadow in that setting. I would have greatly benefitted from knowing another therapist in this field seven years ago to shape the trajectory of my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bemotherwell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherwell.ot/

Image Credits

Morgan Duke Photography