MOMpreneur: n. defined as a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.
Welcome to our latest installment of MOMpreneur Monday, highlighting businesses and brands that were founded by female entrepreneurs and fellow mommas!
Today’s featured Modern Boca MOMpreneur is Erica Battista, a licensed clinical social worker and perinatal mental health specialist (PMH-C), and the founder of Maternal Mind & Wellness Boca Raton, offering postpartum and EMDR therapy.
Tell us about your background…
My name is Erica Battista and I’m a licensed clinical social worker, perinatal mental health specialist (PMH-C), and founder of Maternal Mind & Wellness. My path to maternal mental health wasn’t exactly a straight line. I began my career as a substance use therapist, but I always felt pulled toward supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and the transition into motherhood. So, while completing my clinical hours, I trained and worked as a birth doula and childbirth educator, immersing myself in the perinatal world from every angle, from the delivery room to the fourth trimester and everything in between.
I’m also a mom to a young son and baby daughter, and becoming a mother didn’t just inform my work, it transformed it. I experienced firsthand how motherhood can crack you open, bring old wounds to the surface, and challenge parts of yourself you thought you had already worked through. That experience is at the heart of my practice and my focus on matrescence, the developmental transition into motherhood. Because I know from both sides of the couch that hearing “you have a healthy baby” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re okay.
How did Maternal Mind & Wellness get started?
Maternal Mind & Wellness was born out of a gap I kept seeing: mothers were being screened for postpartum depression, handed a pamphlet, and then sent home with little guidance about postpartum therapy FL and what came next.
About 1 in 5 mothers experiences a perinatal mental health condition, yet many never receive specialized care. Some find therapists who understand mental health, but not the unique challenges of pregnancy, postpartum, birth trauma, or matrescence. Others simply white-knuckle it alone, believing that struggling means they’re failing.
And often, the mothers who need support the most are the ones nobody thinks to worry about. They’re the high-achieving, capable, hyper-independent women who seem to have everything under control. They’re used to holding it all together and rarely ask for help. But behind the scenes, they may be overwhelmed, anxious, disconnected, or wondering why motherhood feels so much harder than they expected.
I created Maternal Mind & Wellness specifically for her. I wanted to create a space where mothers could be honest about the parts of motherhood that don’t always get talked about and receive care from someone who truly understands the perinatal experience. Because you can love your baby deeply and still struggle. You can be grateful and overwhelmed. You can be a wonderful mother and still need support. You don’t have to wait until you’re falling apart to ask for help or postpartum therapy FL. You deserve support, too.
What is unique about Maternal Mind & Wellness?
I’m not a general therapist who happens to see moms. Perinatal mental health is my entire specialty, from fertility through postpartum. I’m certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C) and trained in EMDR, a therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing experiences, which I use for birth trauma, pregnancy loss, and the childhood patterns that resurface when you become a parent.
My doula and childbirth education background also sets me apart. I understand birth from the inside, not just from a textbook. And because I offer both in-person sessions in Boca Raton and telehealth across Florida, moms can do sessions from the nursery during nap time. No babysitter required.
Why should Modern Boca Mom readers become your clients?
If you’re a Modern Boca Mom reading this, you don’t have to be in crisis to deserve support. Maybe you love your baby deeply, but still feel like a stranger in your own life. Maybe you’re experiencing a level of rage you never expected, anxiety that won’t quiet down, grief for the person you were before motherhood, or intrusive thoughts you’re afraid to say out loud. These experiences are more common than many mothers realize. And most importantly, they are treatable. Struggling doesn’t make you a bad mother, it makes you human. I hear the same thing from my clients again and again: “I wish I had come sooner.”
You don’t have to wait until you’re completely overwhelmed or falling apart before you ask for help. You don’t have to earn support by reaching a breaking point. You’re allowed to get support simply because motherhood feels harder than you expected. And you deserve to feel like yourself again.
What exciting things are coming up with Maternal Mind & Wellness?
We have a lot of exciting things coming up!
- The Matrescence Circle: a six-week wellness cohort I’m co-leading with breathwork facilitator Taliya, blending therapy-informed group support with nervous system work. It kicks off Monday, September 14 (2026) and runs Mondays from 10 to 11:30am. Spots are limited, so if this speaks to you, reach out now.
- Postpartum SOS: my guided audio series is already available, seven short tracks designed for the hardest moments of early motherhood, made to be listened to at 3am with a baby on your chest.
- A mobile app in development that will connect mothers to each other, guided audio support, childbirth education, and specialized perinatal care in one place.
- Long term, my vision is a brick-and-mortar maternal wellness center offering EMDR and postpartum therapy FL right here in South Florida.
What do you love about living and working in South Florida?
One of the things I love most about being a mom in South Florida is the way women show up for one another. There’s a genuine community here of mothers, healthcare providers, and women-owned businesses who believe in supporting each other and helping one another thrive. Modern Boca Mom is a wonderful part of that community, creating connection and giving local moms a place to feel seen and supported. [Editor’s note: awe, thank you so much!]
On a personal level, I feel incredibly lucky to be raising my two children here. There’s something special about having sunshine, warm weather, and the beach as part of everyday life. And after a long or difficult week, there’s nothing quite like putting your toes in the sand and letting the ocean remind you to slow down.
South Florida is more than where I live, it’s where I’m putting down roots. It’s where I want to raise my family, continue building meaningful connections with other mothers, and help shape the future of maternal mental health care in our community.
I’m proud to be building that future right here, alongside the women and families who make South Florida feel like home.
Connect with Maternal Mind & Wellness | EMDR and Postpartum Therapy FL:
WEBSITE: maternalmind&wellness.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/themommyhealer
