Today, we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Wakefield.
Hi Samantha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My name is Samantha Wakefield and I am a holistic nurse practitioner and the owner of Mindful Mocha Mama. I always knew that I had a deep interest in healing and the healing arts. I grew up in Baltimore and I remember as a kid wanting to be a pediatrician after visiting the doctor even though I got a shot that visit, I also got a lollipop.
I grew up in a very conservative Christian household and we often went to tent revivals and I would be completely enraptured by the miraculous healings that would come as a result of folks coming down for prayer, falling out. They would be convinced of their healing and their faith and to me, that was absolutely stirring for an 11-year-old.
So on I went to pursue the traditional western track for those interested in healing. I came to Emory as an undergraduate with a goal of studying medicine, but I was being called to people so intensely it was like I couldn’t shake it, and going through pre-med courses seemed like such a hurdle for me.
I then shifted to Anthropology and began talking with my advisor about traveling the world and helping developing nations blend indigenous healing practices with modern medical advances. That was a turning point for me. I remember he looked at me and said I think you should go to Nursing school. My wife is a midwife and she travels the world assisting and training traditional birth workers I think you can do what you want to do within a nursing context.
Since then, I have not taken my eye off of what I know is my calling and passion. Integrating the best of ancient wisdom with modern science to facilitate total healing. Mind body and spirit. not just within the clinic walls but how to integrate a practice of healing into your day-to-day life. I have worked in hospitals, clinics, and in-home settings taking care of laboring women all the way to caring for geriatric clients in their homes.
At the same time as building my career, I was starting a family and after my third baby, I had postpartum depression, which up-leveled my interest and involvement with mind/body practices. I used meditation, mindfulness, and yoga to bring me back to a place of connection with myself and my family. I continued to practice these techniques and became a big advocate of mental well-being at my job. But nothing can prepare you for a pandemic.
Being a front-line worker during the pandemic really challenged me and everyone else, I not only had to be super intentional about my self-care, well-being I was also simultaneously triggered often by the amount of fear and unknown. My intentions for loving myself and taking care of myself up-leveled and I decided I was going to serve people that most aligns with my calling but also It is very much needed.
So in January 2021, I started Mindful Mocha Mama as a place for working moms to come and hear about how mind/body practices coupled with traditional remedies can transform your healing journey. I have now expanded to all women and my focus really is to educate women in particular Black women about the power of their own agency to facilitate total healing. Mind, Body, and Spirit
There is a crisis on our hands with Black maternal health and Health disparities. It is going to take a multi-disciplinary approach and I feel uniquely called to address how we can heal the trauma of our ancestors that is being expressed through us. To address this, I offer 1 on 1 coaching services that include energy healing/Reiki, nutritional support, somatic (body-based) therapies for trauma healing, and consultation on medical treatments.
I also run retreats in person and virtually to gather a group of like-minded women together to amplify our connection to the divine feminine and see how moving and powerful we are together to achieve our goals and feel at peace. I also run an ongoing community that offers women a safe space to get tips on how self-care can be integrated throughout your day through emotional regulation techniques, and mindfulness. and food as a mood. Just to name a few. Thank you.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The mental/emotional challenges have been making my own mental and emotional health a priority. Actually embodying the techniques that I teach and guide folks to is instrumental in being an effective coach. Sharing my insights on the road that I have already walked but also sharing a pothole I might be presently standing in and also still be on my healing journey.
Entrepreneurship has been challenging at times for an empath like me. I feel very deeply and I have some big feelings about capitalism and my relationship with money is healing. We did not have a lot of money growing up and that affects how you show up in the world, and what you think about your own worth and power. I also think that Black women especially have healing to do around this. you hear stats like Black women make 67 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men and I feel the impact of that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mindful Mocha Mama?
Mindful Mocha Mama supports and guides women to find holistic practices that facilitate total mind-body-spirit wellbeing whether that is getting away or finding rest and peace throughout your day. I offer 1 on 1 coaching services that include energy healing/Reiki, nutritional support, somatic (body-based) therapies for trauma healing, and consultation on medical treatments.
Clients leave my sessions feeling energized and empowered with a personalized plan that we’ve collaborated on to get them to their self-care goals. I offer corporate clients options for wellness sessions and team-building exercises centered on wellness and emotional regulation at work. We also run retreats in person and virtually to gather a group of like-minded women together to amplify our connection to the divine feminine and see how moving and powerful we are together to achieve our goals and feel at peace.
We have an online community that offers women a safe space to get tips on how self-care can be integrated throughout your day through emotional regulation techniques, and mindfulness. and food as a mood. Also have topics and guests speak on conscious living, conscious parenting, and generally aligning your life to the wellness you want to embody.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
When manifesting your dreams remember how you build them often will be how you maintain them. What I mean is make sure you are caring for yourself, and having boundaries in place. getting rest. If you compromise those things to get to your goal it will be hard to get that balance if ever.
I don’t believe we were meant to be in constant hustle mode. I take my cue from nature and honor my cycles of work and rest. There is a time to birth something new, a time to produce, a time to scale up, a time to scale back, a time to rest and maybe go dormant for a while.
Contact Info:
- Website: mindfulmochamama.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmochamama/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075993399855
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-wakefield-4aaa527b/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mindfulmochamom
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IikrPNHyVsNWXv5GdNlvA
Image Credits
Candid Frames Photography
