Today is part 1 of a 2-part series with the incredible, honest, and inspiring Tracey Yokas. 

Tracey Yokas creates stuff. When she isn’t writing about mental health and wellness, she can be found playing with paint, glitter, and glue. Art fuels her passion for connection in community. She is dedicated to supporting women in their journey towards authenticity, and fulfills her mission by creating safe spaces where art, words, and vulnerability meet. A former entertainment industry professional, Tracey has an affinity for color-coded art supplies. She is the author of the book, Bloodlines: A Memoir of Harm and Healing: https://traceyyokascreates.com/bloodlines-a-memoir/

Tracey shares about her family’s journey with mental illness and healing so that others will know they are not alone. Hope is real.

Tracey earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from California Lutheran University and lives in Newbury Park, Ca. with her family, cats, and fish. You can find her on Facebook @traceyyokascreates, and Instagram and LinkedIn @traceyyokas.

In part 1 of this moving conversation, I talk with Tracey about her journey mothering a daughter with significant mental health challenges. Tracey opens up about the incredible frustration and pain she felt when nothing she was doing to help her daughter seemed to be working and the ultimate opportunity that offered itself when Tracey realized that to support her daughter well she needed to address her own mental health challenges first.

This incredible story touches on generational trauma, mental illness, self care, secure attachment, and creativity and. It is a perfect example of what it looks like to ignore our own needs in motherhood (perhaps simply because we haven’t yet identified that they even exist) and what becomes available to us when we go inside and do the inner work first. Tracey  reminds us that our own self care will always be in service of our children.