Welcome to the very well-mind podcast. I'm Mina B, and I'm a licensed social worker,

mental health educator, and author of owning our struggles. I'll be chatting with experts, wellness advocates,

and others about the power of community care in improving your mental health. We'll delve

into topics such as friendships, managing difficult relationships, and most importantly,

how to cultivate belonging and support in our lives. Now, let's jump into today's

episode. Paige Bellenbaum is a licensed clinical social worker and the founding director and chief external relations officer at the Motherhood Center of New York.

For the past 20 years, she has worked in public policy, advocacy, and clinical care with various populations,

including homeless families and incarcerated young adults.

After her first child was born, Paige suffered from severe postpartum depression and anxiety

that nearly ended her life. However, once she began to heal,

she became committed to fighting for education,

screening, and treatment for postpartum depression

so that no more women would have to suffer silently.

She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR, PBS News Hour, Fortune, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Hi, Paige. How are you? Welcome to the show. Mena, I'm so happy to be here. I'm doing great. How are you? Welcome to the show.

Mina, I'm so happy to be here. I'm doing great. How are you doing?

I'm doing really good. You know, I'm really excited to have this conversation with a fellow social worker.

I'm so excited to be talking about the power of community through the lens of social work, but also your own

personal experiences. So I'm really excited for our conversation. I am too. I love a social work,

sister. Well, I'm so excited to pretty much jump into our conversation page. You have done such

amazing work, and you have been so vocal about your

experiences with postpartum depression and anxiety. And this season, we're focusing on the power

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