“I Didn’t Know How Much I Needed a Community Until I Had One”
Why Community Matters for Mum’s Mental Health — Especially This Week - By Georgie, Co-Founder of Mums Who Build
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025: Why Community Is Everything
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is community — and for me, it couldn’t be more personal.
Because I didn’t know how much I needed a community… until I had one.
A Traumatic Start to Motherhood
Back in 2016, my journey into motherhood began with trauma.
I was pregnant with my first son, Freddie, when things suddenly changed. At 29 weeks, I was admitted to hospital with a bleed. He was diagnosed with severe growth restriction. I was monitored daily, lived in constant fear, and eventually had an emergency C-section.
Freddie was born at just 3.7 pounds and rushed straight to intensive care. I didn’t get to hold him. I couldn’t breastfeed. I left the hospital without my baby in my arms.
That experience was shattering. And while Freddie eventually came home, the challenges didn’t end there. Delayed milestones. Endless medical appointments. At 18 months, we began exploring an autism diagnosis. Later, Freddie was diagnosed with Russell-Silver Syndrome, a rare genetic condition.
Freddie is now pre-verbal and beautifully unique. But parenting a neurodivergent child means constant advocacy — EHCPs, specialist support, educational battles. It’s relentless.
The Invisible Mental Load So Many Mums Carry
I didn’t get counselling. I didn’t process it. Like so many mums, I just kept going. And going.
By 2023, with my second son in nursery and Freddie in school, I finally had space to think… what now?
But I couldn’t find work that was truly flexible. School hours, no after-school care, therapy appointments — the traditional “return to work” route just didn’t work for me.
Then I met Bex — at a first birthday party, of all places. We got talking. I shared my story, and she shared an idea: what if mums could support each other to rebuild their confidence and careers together?
From that conversation, Mums Who Build was born.
How Community Changed Everything
Two years on, I’m not the same person I was. Because community changed me.
It gave me:
Purpose beyond motherhood
Friendships I didn’t know I needed
Confidence I thought I’d lost
Skills I didn’t know I could learn
The ability to finally prioritise my wellbeing - carving out time weekly for me
Through Mums Who Build, I’ve:
Rebuilt my mental and physical strength through Free XENA monthly wellbeing content & Pure Muscles’ IRL gym classes
Built knowledge through skills workshops - subjects such as Nutrition, perimenopause, impostor syndrome
Gained financial literacy confidence and tools, Including through a SEND parent lens
Ai, Business strategy, pitching, Public speaking, website and social media skills
Reconnected with my creativity
Built a professional and personal support network of the most incredible like-minded women
Realised I’m not alone
Mums Deserve More Than Just Survival — They Deserve Community
At Mums Who Build, everything we do is grounded in three pillars:
-Wellbeing
-Connection
-Financial Fitness
Because when mums are well, supported and financially empowered, everything changes — for them, their children, and their future.
Introducing the Big Mob Mum Meetup
In April 2025, we launched what we believe is the ultimate free weekly meetup for mums in London:
The Big Mob Mum Meetup.
Every Friday, we bring mums together at Crate Walthamstow for a free, empowering, childcare-friendly event. It’s a place to refuel, recharge and reconnect.
Here’s what you can expect:
✨ A weekly wellbeing talk — hosted by Katie O’Malley (Digital Director, ELLE UK & founder of A Long Way To Go)
💡 Spotlights on incredible mums building businesses
🧡 Conversations that are honest, uplifting, and real
☕ Coffee, co-working, community — and space to just be
There’s nothing else like it in London. It’s completely free. And it’s for you.
💥 Join the Movement
This Mental Health Awareness Week, I want to say this clearly:
I am proof that community can change everything.
Mums Who Build didn’t just help me rebuild — it helped me heal.
If you’re a mum navigating life, career, or motherhood transitions, come join us this Friday. It could be the first step towards the community you didn’t know you needed.
🎟️ Reserve your free ticket to the Big Mob Mum Meetup on Eventbrite →
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You are not alone. You are not behind. And you are not meant to do this without support.
We’re here. We’re building something — together.
