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My goal is for the show to be a mix of personal stories, expert interviews, information, and education. Even though my story isn\u2019t usually at the forefront, I find that it\u2019s powerful and meaningful to share my experiences, and that\u2019s the focus of today\u2019s episode. Join us!\nYou know me as Dr. Kat, but my full name is Katayune Kaeni. I\u2019m a psychologist, wife, and mother to two lovely humans. I\u2019m perinatal mental health certified, and my entry into the world of perinatal mental health began ten years ago with the birth of my first child, my daughter. I\u2019m proud of my children, and I look at this podcast as another beautiful creation that I\u2019ve birthed into the world. Just like the motherhood journey, my four-year podcast journey has been full of many mistakes and lots of learning; we\u2019ve covered many topics, but there is so much more to learn! To date, Mom & Mind is heard in 69 countries, with over 356,000 downloads and a horde of social media followers. Welcome to Episode 180!\nShow Highlights:\n\nFor everyone with a perinatal mental health issue, there is always a story behind the pain\n\nWhy and how my relationship with my body changed and began a different phase in my life\n\nHow I knew at age 12 that I wanted to be a mental health counselor, even though I already was dealing with anxiety and depression\n\nIn high school, a skiing accident left me with an ACL injury that required surgery, along with my first concussion\n\nIn college, risk factors kept building as PMS brought panic attacks and more depression; over the years I tried doctors, diuretics, birth control pills, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy healing\n\nIn grad school, family stressors brought more depression and anxiety, and I met and married my husband; a biking accident led to my second concussion that wasn\u2019t treated properly\n\nAs I entered the world of employment, I suffered yet another concussion; other risk factors included anxiety, depression, being a highly sensitive person and a perfectionist, and then---my first pregnancy\n\nBecause pregnancy brought me relief from PMS and hormonal craziness, I actually felt wonderful--better than I had in many years\n\nTen years ago, in 2010, my daughter was born, and the problems began on Day 1\n\nHow I dealt with breastfeeding issues, poor sleep, and intense anxiety; the intrusive thoughts were overwhelming and embarrassing because of their sexual nature\n\nWhy I never even told my husband how I was feeling--even a year into our daughter\u2019s life\n\nAs a psychologist, I didn\u2019t want anyone to know that I was suffering, so I lied on a depression screen\n\nHow I finally decided to make changes, and I started with learning more about perinatal mental health and helping others\n\nHow getting past the shame, guilt, and embarrassment was a huge obstacle for me\n\nHow I started accepting clients into my private practice and continued to learn more and more\n\nToday, I\u2019m still triggered from time to time, but I can recognize the signs now better than before\n\nWith my second child, I had similar experiences, but the problems were less intense because I knew what was happening\n\nHow my PMS symptoms became worse and more difficult to manage after my two children were born\n\nHow I\u2019m taking measures to manage my mental health\n\nWhy I want people to have a broader sense of perinatal mental health conditions\n\nMy goal for myself is to learn to live with it well and have more opportunity for healing\n\nMy healing isn\u2019t complete, because life brings up things I have to deal with on a daily basis\n\nMy goal with the podcast is to normalize the fact that we all struggle, and make it OK to reach out and get help\n\nResources:\nEmail me: hello@momandmind.com\nFind my website:\xa0Mom And Mind