May She Flourish
For the mum who loves her children and still finds motherhood really, really hard.
You're not broken. You're not a bad mum. You're navigating one of the biggest transitions of your life and you don't have to do it alone.
Kia ora, I’m Stacey May,
I'm a Registered Social Worker, Certified Matrescence Practitioner, and mum of two based in Ashburton.
I came to this work through my own experience of motherhood — the identity shifts, the silent struggles, the feeling of not being able to say out loud how hard it really was. I know what it's like to love your baby deeply and still feel lost, unseen, and unsure of who you are becoming.
Too many mothers move through this transition feeling that way. Supported enough on the surface, but quietly carrying so much more.
May She Flourish exists because mothers deserve so much more than they're often given. A space where you feel truly seen, not just supported on the surface, but genuinely understood in all the complexity of what you're carrying.
I approach every mother I work with with genuine empathy and understanding. My hope is that you leave each session feeling seen, heard, and a little lighter. Relieved to know that you are not the problem, that you don't have to keep carrying this alone, and that it doesn't always have to feel this hard.
Working Together
My 1:1 sessions are a space to slow down, breathe, and finally say the things you have been carrying quietly.
We might explore the mental load, your relationships, your sense of identity, the pressure you feel from yourself or others, or simply why everything feels so heavy right now. There is no agenda and no checklist. Just you, your experience, and the space to make sense of it.
Sessions are available in person in Ashburton or online anywhere in Aotearoa, and move entirely at your pace.
What is Matrescence
“Matrescence is the process of adapting to a series of changes associated with becoming and being a mother.” — Matrescence NZ
Matrescence is the process of becoming a mother. Not just the birth, not just the newborn days, but the ongoing transformation of who you are — your identity, your relationships, your sense of self, your body, your emotions. It's a word that many mothers have never heard. But the moment they do, something shifts. Suddenly there is language for what they have been living. And with language comes relief.
If you have ever felt like you lost yourself in motherhood, you were not lost. You were transforming.