Sound familiar?
"A mother should do anything to save her child, so can't say no."
"A mother gives all so her child knows they are loved (even when it causes pain and exhaustion)."
"A mother is only as happy as her most struggling child."
"If I say no, my child won't get better, won't know I love them, will distance from me, I'll lose them."
Yup, there's lots of beliefs about what a mother is and what a mother does, and what she should and shouldn't do. It's no wonder boundaries are misunderstood and therefore harder to create, much less live.
This is why it matters that you give yourself permission to include yourself on the top of the list of people you care about, especially when some relationships might be difficult.
Boundaries matter because you matter! Because they save the relationship with your child, and simplify your next steps when things so sideways. We know they go sideways.
Loving from a place of peace (not fear) and with boundaries can solve a whole lot of stress and confusion. This is what empowers your love, YOU ~ an empowered mom!
“Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously”
~ Prentis Hemphill
Welcome, I'm Joanne
Hello to you, my fellow courageous mom. I'm Joanne Richards, mom of a child who struggles with substance use and mental health issues. I'm also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, Certified Grief Educator, with a Certification in The Invitation to Change and Trauma Sensitive Heart Math. I've earned a broad personal and professional perspective of loving a child through addiction.
I believe that unless and until we do our own healing, we will remain in a cycle of suffering. I have caused more difficulty, estrangement, and increased struggle because I just didn't know or wasn't doing enough for my inner peace. Much of it was preventable. Of course, I didn't do it deliberately, I did it because of fear, lack of knowledge and skills.
Fear is the number one contributing factor that causes so many preventable problems. That's why I really want to support moms through the hard stuff with expert coaching, meaningful discussion, and doable skill building within a safe, supportive, and understanding community of other moms, to be informed and have a treasure box of tools to make the hard easier.
With over 20 years of professional training and personal experience, I've collected some of the most effective and powerful tools and methods, thankfully that have supercharged my own healing, and I trust can supercharge yours too. My approach is deeply grounded in a foundation of compassion, empathy, faith, with practical, evidence-based strategies that promote healing and self-empowerment. I call it loving with skills. I'd love for you to join me. Love wins here!
Introducing Saying No, with Love
A 6 Week Live Online Course to Find Peace, Empower Your Love, and Strengthen the Bond with Your Child, Even When You Say "No"
In the course "Saying No, with Love" you will find a path to heal worry, guilt, regrets, resentments, and confusion that stops you from feeling free to feel, to want, to need, and to do what is most important to you. To do that, it's most important to learn The Art of Saying No, with Love.
You're held in a safe and gentle place so that you can listen and hear your inner wisdom's guidance. Joining Saying No, with Love helps you find that wisdom so that you trust your decisions, you trust what feels right for you and your family, and you learn what you can do instead of feeling helpless, and how to do it.
There is no helpless here. There is no powerless here. The clarity and power of Love guides you.
Saying No, with Love: Your Peace, Resilience, Skills, and Confidence.
In Saying No, with Love, you have the time, attention, and care so that you can continue on your own healing path, and therefore be in a much better place to support your child. You no longer have to pretend, hide or numb your emotions, you can meet them with compassion, honesty, and tender loving care. There are undeniably very tough times when you have a child struggling with addiction. Isn't that why peace, feeling more capable, resilient, and having skills and tools that work are so much more important and needed now? It starts and continues with you!
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Get personalized guidance to personalize your healing path.
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Transform your worry to peace.
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Let go of guilt and anger.
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Improve connection with your child and all relationships.
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Improve the clarity of your communication.
Here's what The Kindness of Boundaries gives you
Experience a unique combination of compassionate support, learning, and practicing effective strategies and tools for your personal healing and "love skills" so that you can have your life and better heal the relationship with your child too. Restore your peace, create better balance, and strengthen your resilience to do the hard things with less pain and confusion, able to meet circumstances and influence change.
Mindset Coaching
Stay focused and intentional, supported by Joanne's coaching so that you can experience consistent support in your healing, learning, and trying on new skills that can help you and your child, especially when you and they may need it the most.
Supportive Community
Connect with other moms in community to share similar experiences, and to provide mutual support and understanding. We need each other to heal and grow, to inspire, and rise. Together we strengthen our collective impact in the world.
Support & Accountability
Be in the flow of self-care and encouragement as you naturally progress from confusion to the confidence that you can make a big difference. Stay on track so that you can show up without added stress when your child needs you the most.
Have questions?
Here are some answers!
How do I know it will work for me?
What can I expect from Saying No, with Love?
What is my time investment and how long does the program last?
Is there any support available between sessions?
How is coaching different from therapy?
How will this help my child?
Can I cancel my enrollment if needed?
What is The Invitation to Change?
The Saying No, with Love Course is a comprehensive coaching program for moms of children struggling with substance use to have support to cope with emotions and challenges, to learn and practice valuable skills of loving a child through their addiction, and create conditions that can inspire change.
A member may cancel between the first and second session with a 50% refund. If a member presents behavior that will negatively impact the group and has not offered resolution, she may be asked to leave.
This is not therapy. No online discussion should be used to replace professional help if that is needed.
