Mental Health, Rest, and the Power of Nature: A Conversation with Alyssa Coleman

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So many of us working in birth and parenting spaces know firsthand how fragile mental health can feel. The constant pressure to keep moving, to keep giving, and to keep showing up, even when we’re running on empty, is unsustainable. Yet our culture rarely encourages rest or models what true restoration looks like.

That’s why this week’s Hot + Brave episode with Alyssa Coleman feels so refreshing. Alyssa, is an MSP alumni and the founder of Nurture the Journey, and she is in the middle of a thesis project exploring how nature-based retreats can support mental health. Our conversation moves through the urgency of addressing burnout, the science behind rest and recovery, and the unique way that time in nature can transform how we feel in our bodies and minds.

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Why Mental Health Needs More Than Band-Aids

In our chat, Alyssa is candid about the mental health challenges that so many people face… especially those in caregiving roles. Instead of focusing only on crisis response, she’s asking bigger questions: how do we prevent burnout? How do we create space for healing before someone hits a breaking point?

Her thesis project digs into these questions by looking at nature-based retreats as a model for sustainable care. These retreats aren’t a luxury or an escape. They’re an intentional pause, a chance to step outside daily stressors and into an environment where rest and reflection are possible.

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The Wisdom of Nature

Alyssa lights up when she talks about nature. To her, it’s not just a backdrop but an active partner in healing. Forests, rivers, and open skies invite us to slow down and notice our own rhythms again. Research supports this, time in nature has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, lower blood pressure, and improve overall mood. Alyssa’s project is about weaving this evidence with lived experience, creating a framework that can support maternal mental health in accessible and meaningful ways.

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Connecting Birth Work and Maternal Mental Health

What makes Alyssa’s perspective so powerful is the way she connects her thesis to birth work. As doulas and care providers, we know that mental health is not separate from reproductive health. The rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are rising, with some studies estimating that 1 in 5 new parents experience them. Too often, families are left to navigate these struggles alone.

By studying and practicing nature-based retreats, Alyssa is offering one pathway toward prevention and healing. She imagines spaces where families, birth workers, and communities can step away from the constant grind and find the grounding they need to thrive.

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An Invitation to Rest Differently

This conversation is a reminder that rest is radical. Creating opportunities for people to pause, breathe, and be held by the natural world is an act of care that ripples outward. Alyssa’s thesis is just the beginning,  a spark for what could become a much larger movement toward integrating nature and mental health care into how we support one another.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, burned out, or stretched too thin (and who hasn’t?), this episode will speak to you. It’s a call to imagine care differently, to consider how nature might play a bigger role in our healing, and to remember that our well-being matters.

If you want to join Alyssa’s retreat or donate please go here: https://nurturethejourney.my.canva.site/

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