Hi, I'm Christina!

I'm a mom of two, wife, mental health therapist, writer, public speaker, and children's book author.

Like every mama, I am constantly juggling all the things. By day, I stay-at-home parent my pretty spectacular and equally exhausting young kids while attempting to work on my social-emotional children’s book series and to write for my blog Real Life Mama and other highly regarded publications. And by night (well, evening, really) via telehealth, I am a practicing licensed mental health therapist. And of course I try to make time for my marriage, and for myself, but it’s not always easy.

Even with my background in mental health, I am often overcome by how challenging motherhood and life can be. I am a work in progress, and I feel the pains that you do, which is why I care so deeply about supporting others through all the ups and downs they experience. We all can use a hand every now and again.

When I'm not working, I can be found singing loudly, crafting inconsistently, cooking and baking, exercising, going to the beach (my happy place), and having wild dance parties with my family in the living room.

Christina Furnival portrait
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My Story

When my daughter was born five years ago, I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of being a mom. I was utterly overwhelmed by motherhood, and I felt incapacitated by postpartum depression and anxiety. Getting through each day while keeping my child alive (and hopefully thriving) was all I could handle -- and I often felt like I couldn’t even handle that very well.

One in five women will experience a postpartum mood disorder. I am one in five. When I gained the title “Mom”, I also lost a part of myself. And I found a host of new anxieties, intrusive thoughts, apathy and disinterest, brain fog, and feelings of incompetence.

My personal story of finding myself again along with joy in motherhood is part of the reason I founded my blog and this website. Motherhood and life is so complicated and it’s often messy.

With my personal and professional experience, I strive to normalize and shed light on the complexities of life so that you feel seen, connected, informed, and equipped.

Qualifications

  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #2719 in California
  • Master of Science in Professional Counseling - David Lipscomb University
  • Bachelors of Arts in Spanish and Child Development - Vanderbilt University

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