GET TO KNOW OUR CEO & FOUNDER
OLIVIA SHERIDAN
Olivia is a devoted mother to three beautiful children, Elliot, Ethan, and Coralia. Olivia is a stay-at-home mother. Her family deeply values their Christian faith. Olivia’s personal journey as a mother of three and her past trauma experiences with six miscarriages, infertility, depression, postpartum depression, and anxiety are what lead her to create Postpartum Mamas.
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Olivia has created the Postpartum Mamas Mental Health Support group Program as well as a nine-month mental health curriculum discussing topics such as Suicide Awareness in September to Postpartum Depression & Domestic Violence in October as well as Infertility & Miscarriage in November. The Postpartum Mamas program is currently serving mothers residing in various states and has been integrated in Pathway Health Clinic, CA to assist postpartum patients and mothers with mental health support as well as Chapel Hill Church in Gig Harbor, Wa.
Olivia's goals are to integrate our valued mental health program into many more facilities statewide & continue to serve mothers in need of better postpartum and mental health support. Olivia also created the Postpartum Mamas Mental Health Fund in hopes to assist mothers with various crisis needs and has assisted with donations within our Mamas Mental Health Fund thus far assisting with educational, housing, food and mental health assistance.
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She has personally experienced depression, anxiety, and six miscarriages including ectopic and blighted ovum pregnancies, domestic violence, single motherhood, and represented herself in trial in the judicial court system through an abusive divorce and received 100% custody of her 3 children.
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Olivia Sheridan has the heart to help those who do not have the resources to help themselves as she has personally been though the very painful but necessary journey many of her mothers are currently struggling with. She is Latino, Hispanic, and Native American, representing many of our mixed racial community of the diversity of mothers that Postpartum Mamas serves. Olivia is always ready to assist any and all mothers in any emergency crisis with an open mind, offering solutions with an immediate plan of action, and non-judgmental heart. This has enabled many of our mothers to gain a sense of dignity and empowerment in their journeys of motherhood, mental health struggles, and their healing process.
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Olivia holds a Bachelors of Arts in Human Development and working towards her Masters in Social Work & LCSW from the University of Washington.
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"With God all things are possible." Mathew 19:26
Olivia Sheridan
Proud Mama
Founder Postpartum Mamas
Gig Harbor Support Group Facilitator
Executive Director/CEO​
Vice President, Board of Directors
LINDA LEDESMA
Linda retired from the City of Carlsbad, California's Police Department after serving for twenty-seven years as the department's Coordinator of the Juvenile Justice Program for At-Risk Youth creating alternate consequences to divert youth from the criminal justice system. She enjoyed retirement and many wonderful memories as a full-time wife to her husband of forty-three years, who recently entered the floodgates of heaven in 2021. Al was her beloved soulmate, and positive role model to many in their hispanic community and who she misses so dearly. Linda is a mother, devoted grandmother, and friend. Linda has personally experienced heart-breaking loss in her lifetime and has since developed a strong faith-based passion for all things relating to young women faced with difficult decisions regarding life changing circumstances.
Linda has spent time working as a Counselor for the Carlsbad Police Department's GUIDE (Greater Understanding through Intervention, Diversion, and Education) Program, a Youth Counselor with Centro Youth Services in Oceanside, CA, a Counselor for the North County Chicano Federation, a Program Director for Carlsbad Boys Club, and a Teacher's Aide for Carlsbad Unified School District and Head Start Program. On top of her impressive resume, Linda has also served on multiple advisory boards including Carlsbad High School's Peer Advocates Program, Tri-City Hospital Community's Advisory Board, New Village Arts Theater, Man/Hermanitas North County, and Carlsbad YES (Youth Enrichment Services). With her many dedicated years of service, it is little wonder as to why she has been the recipient of both the Kiki Camarena Law Enforcement Award/Red Ribbon Week and the Carlsbad Police Department Civilian of the Year.
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Linda met Olivia Sheridan as a teenager when she interviewed to serve as a member of the Peer Advocates Counseling Program for Joyce Kistler at Carlsbad High School. She was drawn to Olivia's willingness to help everyone and found that she exemplified high moral character, integrity, sensitivity, and strong leadership qualities. It is no surprise to her that Olivia is making great strides with Postpartum Mamas helping all mothers in their experiences and journeys through motherhood and Linda looks forward to being part of the journey.
President of Board
Ellie Dahl
Ellie Dahl has been recently named as our Board President and is now actively involved in supporting Postpartum Mamas to provide mental health support groups to mothers experiencing depression, anxiety and all mental health struggles. Ellie's esteemed background includes being a former founding member of the Aviara Women's Foundation which originated in1999 to benefit the cause of women and children. While serving on the Board of Directors, Ellie helped sponsor activities to raise money to support the Woman's Resource Center and Girls and Boys Club in Carlsbad, California. In 2001, Ellie was awarded the Women Who Mean Business Award issued by the San Diego Business Journal which honors women in San Diego on an annual basis for their business and volunteer achievements. While the Director of Human Resources at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, Ellie also received the Workplace Excellence Award issued by the Society for Human Resource Management for the Largest Employer Category in 2000.
Ellie obtained two Bachelor of Science degrees from Washington State University in Hospitality Management and Business Administration. Her business career has centered on Human Resources Management positions in the luxury, five star hotel business for over 30 years where she established herself as a collaborative, inspirational, and authentic senior executive, skilled in recruitment, training, benefits administration, negotiations, employee relations and employment law.
Ellie has also experienced being a single mother of two and the sacrifices of single motherhood that she had to make giving her a keen awareness & compassion for single mothers within Postpartum Mamas. Ellie enjoys being apart of assisting in the allocations of funding for many of our single mothers from our "Mamas Mental Health Fund." to help support and alleviate some of their life challenges.
Please join me in welcoming Ellie to contribute her expertise in leadership to PPM.
Director Mental Health Committee
Shannon Morrell LMFT
Shannon Morell serves as a member of our board with a LMFT license as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and serves as Counselor for Camp Pendleton military base in Oceanside, CA providing counseling services to military mothers and their families as well as domestic violence counseling, curriculum, and education for the clients she so passionately serves. Shannon is the CEO of Legacy Life Counseling and Consulting, Inc a private practice in Oceanside, Ca.
She is the Founder and President of a new nonprofit “Ministry Women H.E.A.L.” that provides a safe and encouraging retreat setting for women in all aspects of ministry; where women can focus on healing and growing through trauma (past or present), unspoken deep seeded pains, and “church hurts” that may be holding them back from fully living in their calling and the joy of life that was attended for their life.
Shannon enlisted into the United States Navy at the age of 18, where she met her husband of now 19 years U.S. Marine (retired) David Morell. After serving in the Navy she received her Bachelors in Social Psychology and her Masters in Counseling Psychology.
Work history past and present:
• Juvenile Probation and Court Counselor
• Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Victim Advocate
• Mobile Adolescent Service Team Therapist
• Resiliency Trainer for UCLA Semel institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior
• Youth/ Teen Ministry Director
• Embedded Behavioral Health Prevention Specialist
• Women’s Facilitator for Mighty Oaks Warrior Program
Shannon has an extensive background working in trauma such as suicide prevention and post-vention efforts, intimate partner violence and alcohol and drug education. Shannon is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the CEO of Legacy Life Counseling and Consulting, Inc a private practice in Oceanside, Ca. She is the Director of the Counseling Ministry.
We warmly welcome Shannone Morrell to our Postpartum Mamas Board of Directors with much valued experience & extensive knowledge in crisis and domestic violence education in order to best assist our Postpartum mothers through various motherhood struggles.
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Holly Alejo
Board Director & Treasurer
Holly was a former founding member of Advocacy for students at Fremont School for the Deaf and Fremont School for the Blind while completing her internship for Chabot college in California. She is the founder for Paddleboarding excursions in Southern California with individuals without limbs, due to trauma or accidents, creating abilities for them to enhance their life through water therapy paddleboarding. Holly got her Bachelor's degree in business at California State University East Bay. Holly attended Quantum University learning advanced techniques for the process of brain, heart and mind coherence exercising the brain through a process of Metacognition and Neuroplasicity. She holds her Masters in Meditation where she gently leads others in the path of deep inner healing and empowers women to rebuild and create their new life moving through pain, transition, trauma, and healing. She is very active in volunteering for midwifery and the birthing process from prenatal to labor and delivery into the depths of Postpartum. She is an advocate for mothers fighting for custody in the judicial court system process as she is a single mother of two teenage sons, and left a marriage experiencing domestic violence herself. She knows what it’s like to have to get up and fight a battle every day to fight for dignity and freedom as an empowered woman and mother no matter the economical burdens and low access to resources which are faced in the process. Holly assists in valuable meditation techniques during our support groups for mothers, observes & participates in our California support group, and assists with the annual mental health healing annual PPM retreats as a Facility & Outreach Coordinator. She also is currently battling and surviving breast cancer and leads her life with hope and optimism no matter the circumstances. Holly comes from a diversified, culture and background, and is from Pacific Islander, Swedish, and Native American roots.
MEET OUR PPM TEAM
CONTACT
Shelby Anderegg
PPM Enrollment & Social Media Assistant
Phone: (630) 664-0517
Email: Shelby.Anderegg@gmail.com
www.messytomightymama.com
Shelby Anderegg, our Enrollment & Social Media Assistant is a wife and mother of two beautiful children, Mia (6) and Parker (4). She currently lives in Illinois where she was born and raised.
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Shelby suffered severe postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of her son Parker. Recovery was a very slow & painful experience for Shelby. It resulted in her leaving her almost 9 year career to focus on her healing and the well-being of her family. She is currently blessed to be a full-time stay at home mom, an assistant with Postpartum Mamas, and a small business owner of not one but TWO businesses - Messy to Mighty Mama, a motherhood/postpartum life coaching practice) and Photographie by Shelby, a family photography business. Shelby is ALWAYS pursuing new adventures where she can support others in any way and lives to make others smile.
As part of the Postpartum Mamas team, Shelby helps spread our uplifting messages of hope to any and all mamas through social media outlets and helps mothers in need of vital mental health support find the support group they have always been looking for.to feel connected and less isolated in their communities. She is very excited to continue serving with integral support for our mothers within Postpartum Mamas statewide.