Looking back on my first year of motherhood, this transformative journey has filled me with wonder and awe. Beyond the immense physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and postpartum, I've come to a striking realization—one that hits even harder than the sleepless nights and the constant guessing game of a baby's needs.

In modern society, particularly in first-world countries and large cities, mothers and babies have become what one podcast fittingly called "a forgotten species." While society enthusiastically promotes the joy and wonder of parenthood, the reality is harsh: our world makes it incredibly difficult for women and mothers to truly thrive.

Think about this: Why is it that when we ask a mother how she's doing, and she feels safe enough to be honest, the answer is invariably "hanging in there"—always accompanied by a smile? Is this what motherhood should be? Just hanging in there, compromising who we really want to be? We often dismiss this with "yes, motherhood is hard," but that misses the point entirely. What's truly hard is trying to be a mother in a world designed for men.

As Meryl Streep insightfully observed, women have learned to speak 'man'—we've mastered their language out of necessity. Yet men haven't learned to speak 'woman.' How can we progress until we all learn to speak 'human'?

My daughter has given me more than strength; she's given me the courage to move beyond complaint to action. Instead of merely acknowledging these systemic issues or attempting to fit into frameworks that demand endless struggle, I've decided to create something—a platform, a space, a community—to spark awareness and cultivate critical conversations about these issues.

This platform is more than a space for conversation—it's a solutions hub where we transform experiences into action. Here, we delve deep into how societal structures have overlooked the needs of women, mothers, and caregivers. Through collecting both personal stories and practical solutions—whether existing tools that work or innovative ideas waiting to be tried—we're building a resource that helps create real change. This space will become not just a catalyst for the conversations we need to have, but a toolkit for the changes we need to make.

While I may not change the world single-handedly, I hope to inspire others to envision new possibilities for how we can unite as humans to support each other. My ultimate goal is to help create a world where women don't just survive motherhood—we flourish in it.

Together, we can build systems that truly support everyone, turning "hanging in there" into "here thriving."