It's the seismic, beautiful, disorienting shift into motherhood, and no one prepared you for how hard it might be feeling. I'm Janet, your Matrescence Practitioner, and I'm here for online and in-person support in your matrescence journey.
It's the physical, emotional, psychological and identity shift that begins at conception and lasts a lifetime.
Like adolescence, it is a major developmental stage of life. A time of rapid change, growth, uncertainty and rewiring. The difference is that society prepares us for teenage transformation, but rarely prepares us for the even more profound transformation of becoming a mother.
I hope my work in matrescence gives a name to the non-linear journey of becoming, that mothers feel but struggle to explain. Your body, your brain, your relationships, your priorities, your sense of self all change. Matrescence is a natural, biological process every mother goes through, each in their unique way.
Your midwife has left, and you don't feel like yourself. A Matrescence Practitioner helps you navigate this enormous transformation, supporting you right when you need it, so you can focus on bonding with your baby and adjusting to this new phase.
Evidence-based practice with lived experience, woven together. You're guided by someone who understands matrescence deeply, and can meet you where you are at, with reliable information at the right time. No information overload, or well-meaning conflicting advice.
Once you can name what you're going through, you can move through it. Understand the disorienting shift you are experiencing and the internal and external environments at play, to find your own path in matrescence. One that feels right for you.
of mothers don't meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of postnatal depression, but they still deserve support.
Kia ora, hi! I'm Janet.
I care deeply about changing how mothers experience their path into motherhood. I crashed into motherhood after years in corporate tech and leadership, where my life revolved around achievement and working with many teams of people in a single day.
Overnight, I moved into a world where I sat with my baby in my arms, stuck on the couch learning to breastfeed. It was suddenly hard to measure my achievements each day.
Somewhere along the way, I'd overlooked a different kind of leadership, one that we rarely acknowledge or celebrate. I was learning that nurturing, presence and connection are some of the hardest and most sacred work we ever do.
Since then, I've redesigned my life for more flexible work, leant into my creativity and I've surrounded myself with women who lead in a different way.
I bring my lived experience and my creativity to this Matrescence Practitioner role, and I'd love to work with you to find your own path in motherhood, one that aligns with your values and the life you'd like to build.
1:1 Matrescence Practitioner coaching, 50 minutes. A space to land, debrief, and find clarity on whatever's surfacing this week.
I want this service to be accessible, so please reach out if you'd like to access my sliding scale pricing.
6 sessions of 1:1 Matrescence Practitioner coaching. Ongoing, continuous care to walk alongside you through matrescence.
I want this service to be accessible, so please reach out if you'd like to access my sliding scale pricing.
Small group circles with other mothers navigating matrescence alongside you. Shared stories and a shared understanding.
Kindr promise: try it risk free. If you don't start your care by three months postpartum, we'll refund you completely.
Janet Horwell is professionally trained as a Matrescence Practitioner through Matrescence New Zealand's Practitioner Training. It has been designed and run by psychologist Christina Bond.
Kindr is committed to ongoing training in overall postpartum health, nutrition and sleep, and this underlines why mothers and families trust us.
I create a space where you can have time once a week all to yourself to be seen, heard and validated in all that you are juggling.
Mothers share their challenges and celebrations in our sessions. Things like how hard mothering can be, how conflicting the emotions can feel all at once. How unfair it feels mothering in a society that was not designed with mothers in mind. Perhaps it will be the first time all week, month or year that you have had an hour to think about yourself and how you feel, what you value and what you want to prioritise in this life. Motherhood can feel hard because it is hard. And I am here for all of it: the validation, the tears and the celebration.
I have got the evidence-based knowledge and experience to see what you are doing that maybe you do not even see yourself. Or you feel, but do not have the words for. And that support is hard to find sometimes.
We often start a session with some breathwork to arrive. You share what is coming up for you, and together we unravel it. I guide you to find solutions that you come up with that could work for you. You are the expert of your life, your constraints, your children and family. You are the best person to know what would align with your values and life.
This process helps you build trust in your own judgment, intuition and mothering.
I do not replace your midwife, GP or psychologist. I do not diagnose or provide medical treatment. I help you listen to your intuition, your values and trust what you already know.
50 minutes.
Yes. Matrescence is for life. I help mothers navigate miscarriage, early postpartum when their midwife leaves, when they are finding new purpose in mothering, or a new purpose away from their work, kids starting school, kids leaving home, becoming a grandmother, and everything in between.
Yes. I offer 15-minute get to know me sessions.
$140 per session. I am actively working on making this support more accessible to mothers. In the meantime, I have a limited number of discounted sessions I offer. If you need this, please reach out.
Family and friends are so important in your support village. A Matrescence Practitioner does not replace these key people, but can be an additional support. My role is weaving evidence-based knowledge with real life experience. I am there to listen without judgment, and will work together with you to find ways to navigate your journey that are aligned with your values and life.
Getting your ongoing village set up is key for long-term, sustained support, and we'll show you how. Sign up for a free template, plus the occasional email with useful tips and discounts.
Kindr is not a crisis support, but if you are in need of urgent support please contact one of the following:
Ask a quick question and it'll be sent straight to Janet's inbox.