When a Mother is HELD, a community is healed.
WHAT IS MATRESCENCE?
Matrescence is the transition from Woman to Mother.
Today we stand on the shoulders of the Women who went first.
Matrescence was first coined by American Medical Anthropologist, Dana Raphael in 1973.
Dr Aurelie Athan, a clinical psychologist revived the term as she shares as the working definition of Matrescence:
“The process of becoming a Mother is a developmental passage where a Woman transitions through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond...
Matrescence is individual, recurs with each child, and may arguably last a lifetime!”
The work of Dr Athan helps put this transformational period into perspective: matrescence, like adolescence. Motherhood is a rite of passage, similar to what adolescence is for a child who is transitioning to adulthood.” - Elise Clement, Holistic Psychotherapist.
Dana Raphael nursing one of her sons in the mid-1950s. Dana was a leading advocate for breast-feeding and began an anthropological quest that would end up spanning decades: “Why was breast-feeding more successful in some cultures than in others?”
Dr Aurelie Athan is a Reproductive Psychologist and research Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York specializing in maternal mental health while part of her research focuses on Matrescence.
The becoming of a Mother does not happen overnight, this transition has a name, it is called, “MATRESCENCE.”
- Jen V
MATRESCENCE effects a Mother on many levels:
• Emotional
• Physical
• Economical
• Social
• Spiritual
WHY I CREATED HELD - THE MATRESCENCE COLLECTIVE
I decided a long time ago that I loved being a Mum but I didn’t love all of Motherhood. I felt so ashamed to feel this way; what was wrong with me?
Being a new Mum I felt the overwhelm, the euphoria, the mess and chaos as well as experiencing this miracle of life where you will do absolutely anything and everything in your power, and then some, for this tiny human who relies on you for their existence and all at once!
I was bored and craved mental stimulation. I decided we needed more adventure in our lives. Without much a-do we drove to the tip of Australia with our then, 3 month old baby, a true adventure. Upon our return to the Queensland town of Bowen, I decided we should move our family overseas where my Husband could transfer while I immersed myself in the culture and language I had been studying during the early days of life as a stay-at-home-Mum.
Within months we packed up our lives and moved. A friend and I were passengers in a car when we crashed. I was 7 ½ months pregnant with our second son, living in Borneo, my husband was hours of driving and a flight away and something with my unborn baby didn’t feel right... the result, eventually, was an emergency c-section.
And so the journey began; my biggest identity crisis AND the greatest spiritual awakening of my life.
What I know for sure if that every Woman faces challenging circumstances in their Motherhood journey. What nobody tells us is that we will never be the same Woman we were before we became a Mum, and, that that’s okay!
I created HELD as a space for Women to embody their Matrescence as a becoming in a judgement free space with full permission to release guilt and shame while feeling seen, HELD and heard.
EVERY Mother deserves to be HELD
WHAT I WANT FOR WOMEN IN THEIR MATRESCENCE:
What I see are too many women who go through their own rebirth into motherhood, who fall through the cracks, left, not knowing who they are anymore, feeling isolated and lost, thinking they need to re-invent themselves to be seen, heard and loved.
What I want for Mothers is education, support and societal change.
This platform is where I share my journey and the direct actions I am taking to change the narrative around Motherhood.
Together, we are building the emotional, social and technological infrastructure that modern Mothers deserve.
Thank you for being here - Jen V x
1 The Urgent Question: How Did We Get Here?
How did we find ourselves in a society where Motherhood is grossly undervalued, unseen, and largely unrecognised?
Today, our medical and social systems are almost entirely baby-centric. This leaves Mothers—who are navigating the greatest developmental, physiological, and psychological shift of their adult lives—largely unsupported. They are left to walk this path without the vital emotional, social, economic, and spiritual infrastructure they deserve.
The answer to how we got here is complex and multi-layered. Therefore, our data, research, and solutions must be equally sophisticated.
As our world evolves, technology develops, and human awareness expands, the timeline for systemic change remains fluid as is the forever updating solution. The multi-layered solution I actively build upon is grounded in education, research, lived experience while remaining grounded — sitting face-to-face with the Mothers in their early stages of Matrescence, listening deeply to what supports them, and innovating solutions for what does not.
2 Elevating the Science and Soul of Matrescence
True advocacy requires us to shout this vital word from the rooftops: Matrescence—the profound developmental transition into motherhood.
I studied under Amy Taylor-Kabbaz—author of the best-selling book Mama Rising, host of The Happy Mama Movement podcast, and pioneer of the world's first Matrescence Coaching Training framework. Through this incredibly insightful and emotionally challenging training, I became an accredited Mama Rising Facilitator and Coach, blending evidence-based frameworks with deep intuitive guidance.
To change the landscape of maternal health and well-being, we must first normalise the language of the transition. As Dr Athan explains, ‘we must normalise over pathologise’. I believe this change begins by sharing with and educating every woman, healthcare provider, and organization on this word:
Matrescence (pronounced: Ma-Tres-Cence)
Ma – like the beginning of "maternal"
Tres – rhymes with the word "dress"
Cence – sounds like "cents"
3 The birth of HELD - The Matrescence Collective
To bring this research into practice, I created HELD: The Matrescence Collective—an immersive, 30 day program where we come together in person, designed to support the health and wellbeing of Mothers in a safe and sacred space. The HELD program was created as an early stage intervention with a preventative holistic approach to Mother-Centric care.
To map this complex developmental journey, I use the framework of the Willow Tree. This model aligns the six essential pillars of maternal well-being with parts of this resilient, deeply rooted tree:
1. The Soil - Kindness to Self: Nurture her
2. The Water - Grief & Forgiveness: Processing the emotional shift, releasing tears & fears, hydrating her
3. The Roots - Honour Her: Creating space for sustainable growth, adaptation, and stretching
4. The Trunk - Truth & Values: Rewriting core values that align with her new identity
5. The Branches & Leaves - Flow: Navigating her changes with grace, agility, and trust
6. The Canopy - Belonging: Connection to both self and a supportive community
Pronounced as:
Ma-Tres-Cence
4 Why This Is A Word Every Mother Needs to Know
Matrescence is the word that helps make sense of what a Mother feels when she lacks the language to explain her experience.
The profound shifts a Mother navigates are not "in her head." They are real, measurable, and occur across multiple dimensions: emotional, physical, psychological, economical, social, physiological, and an extraordinary evolution of identity.
5 Connect - Shared Vision and Systemic Synergy
True progress happens when we share a big-picture vision with others who are innovating in their own unique fields.
At a gathering of fifteen leaders, I connected with Faith Rees, Founder & CEO of SixPivot—an organization dedicated to building highly impactful relationships and software with their clients. As we discussed the future of AI, emotional health, and the nervous system, I shared my deep passion for maternal well-being.
Recognizing the intersection of our goals, Faith connected me with Kaila Putter, a PhD (Health) Candidate and Senior Research Officer at James Cook University (JCU) specializing in perinatal mental health.
Kaila’s research primarily centers on the Bamboo Program—an incredible platform designed by JCU's Professor James Dimmock to connect new mothers with experienced volunteer mothers for one-on-one support. Faith and the SixPivot team had generously stepped in pro bono to rescue and rebuild this vital digital infrastructure.
SixPivot
Faith Rees
JCU Townsville
Kaila Putter
Senior Researcher
6 Collaborate - Research, Ethics, and Impact
We rise together.
With deepest gratitude, I acknowledge Faith Rees for introducing this beautifully aligned connection. I am incredibly honored to collaborate with Kaila Putter from JCU in my ongoing research and the delivery of HELD – The Matrescence Collective.
Together, we are currently navigating the formal process of gaining academic ethics approval, ensuring the HELD programs are backed by rigorous standards and integrity.
7 Awareness - Innovating Emotional Sovereignty with Bio-Tech
Modern Mothers have inherited a heavy lineage of stories, DNA, and societal expectations dictating what a "Good Woman" or a "Good Mother" should look like. In generations past, emotions were labeled as weakness, and crying meant defeat. It is no wonder so many Mothers feel numb, living in a constant state of survival mode.
Furthermore, our postpartum, baby-centric healthcare system rarely asks a Mother about her own state of being. We do not ask, "How is your nervous system?" or "Do you feel emotionally supported?" Even if these questions are asked at a standard baby clinic check-up, a Mother will often safely reply, "I'm fine," or "I'm okay."
What if we could change that narrative through advanced technology?
What if we could empower Mothers to deeply read their own emotional well-being? Imagine a wearable device that translates complex physiological signals into a clear, objective metric—giving you immediate insight into your current emotional state so you can de-escalate stress and recover sooner.
What if this data was entirely your own—secure, private, and sovereign—giving you the choice to share trends with your coach or maternal healthcare professional?
in
Truth
is here
This is exactly why I am so excited to share this brand-new collaboration:
HELD and inTruth.
Through this partnership, we are launching specialised programs that bridge our deep understanding of Matrescence with cutting-edge biometrics. For the first time, we aren't just talking about emotional recovery; we are actively measuring it.
We map the core pillars and activities of the HELD program directly against how your unique body responds on a physiological level. By tracking your real-time biological data, we strip away the guesswork. You will learn exactly which practices, rituals, and methodologies soothe your nervous system, allowing us to tailor individual pathways that truly support your personal emotional recovery.
This is the evolution of maternal care.
It is a new awareness of Matrescence, backed by science, and entirely led by you.
Nicole Gibson
Chief Executive Officer
This ability is here. This technology is called inTruth Technologies.
Meet Nicole Gibson, Founder & CEO of inTruth:
I have been closely involved with inTruth and have known Founder & CEO, Nicole Gibson, for over five years. Nicole is a recognised pioneer in emotional health innovation. Having served as Australia’s youngest-ever Commonwealth Mental Health Commissioner in her early 20s, she went on to found inTruth—the world’s first emotion bio-tech with a bold mission to revolutionise how people understand and master their emotions, empowering individuals and organisations to lead with self-awareness, integrity, and impact.
8 Where to from here?
The word Matrescence and its meaning is not taught to medical students, so, how can they help?
This is where we as a community, step up. The medical system needs to know of the many facilitators, space holders, accredited Matrescence Coaches, and specialist Maternal Health care practitioners who have created a variety of supportive practices and services for Mothers struggling with the array of situations that Motherhood brings; from traumatic births, to grief and loss, to returning to work and the everyday challenges that are involved with the transition from Woman to Mother—socially, emotionally, physically, economically, physiologically, and psychologically.
As advocates of Matrescence, we as Mothers, daughters, partners and parents, must share with GPs, Nurses, Doulas, Midwives, Obstetricians, Paediatric Chiropractors, Sonographers, and all health professionals involved with both the child and the Mother’s care, what Matrescence is and the effects it has on Mothers.
I have created a brochure that explains Matrescence and the ways we can help support Mothers, titled; “This is the brochure you were never given in Motherhood” and I am happy to send it to you to share with your healthcare practitioner.
Societal change cannot happen in solitude; it requires a collective.
“The truth is, this topic is global, every person on the planet is effected:
We either ARE a Mother or we come from one.
This is the undeniable truth and the reason why we are in this together - to support her in Matrescence is our shared responsibility.” - Jen V
My hope is that one day in the very near future, we are asking Mothers, “How is your Matrescence?” over “Is your baby feeding well?”
When we ask a Mother how she truly is feeling, what her support network looks like, if she is eating and having time to shower herself—we begin to heal something within her, something ancient. She begins to feel seen and heard as her, not only a Mother. She learns that she, as the Woman within the Mother, matters.
“The way we see, value and hold Mothers is the way we see, value and hold humanity. The time to do better is now.”
Jen V
Thank You for joining me on this journey.
Below is my gift to you, the gift that keeps giving.
Please, share these links with a Mum you know and love, today.
To continue to build and nurture the support infrastructure around her, share these links with her partner, her Mother, Women who may be planning a family and with any health care professionals you encounter.
I deeply appreciate you, much love, Jen V x
We stand on the shoulders of greats and their work must be shared.
Dana Raphael - The University of Southern Queensland writes the history of Dana Raphael and her coining of the word ‘Matrescence.’ https://www.unisq.edu.au/news/2026/01/the-conversation-mother
Dr Aurelie Athan - https://www.matrescence.com/speaking
Dr Alexandra Sacks TedX Talk - A new way to think about the transition to motherhood. https://www.ted.com/talks/alexandra_sacks_a_new_way_to_think_about_the_transition_to_motherhood
Amy Taylor-Kabbaz book “Mama Rising” https://amytaylorkabbaz.com/mama-rising/
Nicole Gibson Founder & CEO of inTruth Technologies - https://www.intruth.io/
Leaders in this great space of Matrescence that I did not refer to, however, their work and advocacy deserves a mention:
Zoe Blaskey - Founder of Motherkind, Author and Podcast host and so much more https://www.motherkind.co/about-1
Lucy Jones - Famous for her book ‘Matrescence’ https://lucyfjones.com/
