Inspired Southerner

We tell real stories about the South.

Motherhood in Bloom: Self-care course helps moms parent intentionally

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Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha Cox offers a Motherhood in Bloom self-care course for moms


Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox is helping moms relieve stress and extend themselves more grace during the month of May by offering them a free trial of one of the modules in her new online self-care course, Motherhood in Bloom. The course is designed to help moms parent intentionally and is comprised of six modules. This course celebrates the woman who existed before the children, dares moms to replace the traditional notion of sacrificial motherhood with one that reflects modern-day parenting where self-care is no longer a dirty word and teaches moms to pursue health and wholeness. No more pouring from an empty cup.

Motherhood in Bloom Self-Care Course

Inspired Southerner Mother in Bloom
Dr. Leesha’s children’s book is a wonderful story about spiritual truths.

Dr. Leesha is passionate about transforming the lives of moms who wish to parent effectively but without losing themselves or their sanity in the process.

“I have taken the bull by the horns by showing mothers that they never really lost their identity after having children,” said Leesha Ellis-Cox, creator of Motherhood in Bloom. “We focus on both the mom and the amazing woman who existed before children because our identity does not solely revolve around our role as mommy. The truth is it never did.”

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha helps moms let go of “mommy guilt”

Mastering Your Mommy Mindset Self-Care Course

The trial module, Mastering Your Mommy Mindset, is divided into three components: 1) Defining a healthy mommy mindset; 2) Cultivating mindfulness; and 3) Understanding the relationship between your mindset and parenting. The entire course covers six modules: 1) Remembering who you are; 2) Parenting 101; 3) Mastering Your Mommy Mindset; 4) Maintaining Your Mental Health; 5) Practicing Self-Care For Real, For Real; and 6) the Supermom Course Wrap Up. The entire course is available for $197.

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Dr. Leesha helps moms let go of the “mommy guilt”

During the month of May, Dr. Leesha is supporting and advocating for mothers through her:

  • Five-day super self-care challenge
  • Nightly Facebook Live sessions for the entire month of May which is Mental Health Awareness Month
  • Her Amazon best-selling books, Ditch the Mommy Guilt: A Blueprint for the Modern Mommy and The Love Garden
Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Motherhood the Remix is a fun, fresh conference for moms

Motherhood the Remix Conference

Her signature event, Motherhood the Remix, is a fun, fresh conference for moms designed to honor their strength and vulnerability, grow their mommy tribe, and learn how to be a better parent while also investing in themselves. She created this event because she knows, first-hand, how tough parenting can be as the mother of three energetic children, wife, entrepreneur, and physician. She adds, “I know mothers struggle to fulfill the needs of their children and families and while at the same time, fail to meet society’s unrealistic parenting expectations.”

Inspired Southerner Motherhood in Bloom
Cox helps moms avoid the mommy burnout.

She boldly and loudly calls “foul” on these unrealistic expectations and is raising the bar so that moms no longer feel guilty, weighed down by a never-ending to-do list that puts them at risk for mommy burnout. Dr. Leesha pours into moms not only as a mental health expert and parents but also as a friend who helps women grow and blossom into their best selves. “Happy, healthy moms raise happy, healthy kids! Here’s to helping momma become happy, healthy, and whole!”

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Alabama entrepreneur uses illustrations to overcome mental illness

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Inspired Southerner Kristin Farmer Depression
Kristin Farmer decided to celebrate her life through her artwork

Kristin Farmer loves to celebrate life. She has overcome so much in hers because she has been battling Bipolar Disorder, a mental illness, for the last 13 years. The disease could have affected her negatively, but instead, she decided to channel her feelings by creating the whimsical Curly Contessa, a brand through which she celebrates living.

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa artwork
Curly Contessa represents the matriarch of curly tresses.

The Matriarch Curly Contessa

The idea for the brand came to her when she was sitting on the side of her bed thinking about how she could treat herself. Curly Contessa is a series of hand-drawn illustrations that represent the matriarch of curly tresses. She’s a boss babe, go-getter and trendsetter.

She couldn’t find anything that represented her, an accomplished, young African-American woman, so through a series of illustrations and drawings, she create Curly Contessa. For her, the image celebrates women of color everywhere and is an image that helps them celebrate the little things in life and offers comfort, no matter what they were going through. 

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa wine glasses
Kristin has created wine glasses that showcase her illustrations.

“Battling a mental illness is tough,” said Kristin Farmer the founder and creator of Curly Contessa. “I’ve had to re-train myself just to get through each day of the week. So I find myself celebrating the little things like being able to brush my teeth. Because there have been times where the thought of getting out of bed made was hard for me. Now at the end of the day, I get to pour a toast to myself in my own my tribe wine glass or black girl wine glass.”

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa wrapping paper
Curly Contessa wrapping paper.

Self-care Routine

The wine glass evolved into a lovely painted scarf, wrapping paper and sweatshirts adorned with Curly Contessa’s face. Curly Contessa is a labor of love that also helps Kristin overcome what she may be going through at any given moment. Curley Contessa has become part of her self-care routine. And now, she considers herself blessed because she has learned to deal with her mental illness by celebrating others. 

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa
Kristin Farmer decided to celebrate women of color by creating the Curly Contessa

Expressing Love for Women

As a result, her business has grown over the last couple of years. She encourages anyone who wants to start a business to express themselves through a creative outlet or idea that they just start, fail fast and often. Without those pitfalls she says, there is no success. So consequently, she believes entrepreneurs should find a mentor or business coach. She has grown her business through the trials and tribulations that she recommends. Kristin’s Curly Contessa is a way for her to give back to those who have helped her overcome her illness. The illustrations are the way she expresses love for women of all skin tones.

Inspired Southerner Curly Contessa Scarf
Kristin created the Curly Contessa silk scarf

“I love celebrating my tribe. I send friends and love gifts for holding me down when I’ve been through a bad spell and it’s important for those gifts to represent them. To represent us. Our diverse hair textures and varying skin tones,” she added. 

Alabama optometrist Alexia Vaughn advocates for diabetes prevention

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Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Dr. Alexia Vaughn is helping to increase awareness about Type 2 diabetes.

Even as a child living in Killen, Alabama, Alexia Vaughn knew she would one day be a doctor. She just wasn’t sure which type of doctor she wanted to be. Her education led her down the path to becoming an optometrist.

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Yearly eye exams play a role in early detection of Type 2 diabetes.

Educating Patients about Type 2 diabetes

As president and owner of Advanced Eye Care in Birmingham, she has dedicated her practice to providing excellent eye care to her patients. She also uses her practice to educate people about the risks of diabetes.

“I love helping my patients by advising them about how to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Alexia Vaughn, owner of Advanced Eye Care. “It’s important that people understand that what they eat and drink does affect the overall health of their eyes.”

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Get physically active to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Leading a Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle, Vaughn states, includes at least eight hours of sleep, regular exercise, smart food choices and eye exams to protect vision. Her main reason for advocating for a healthier lifestyle is to prevent diabetes. More than 100 million adults are currently living with diabetes. Alabama ranks third in the United States for people being diagnosed with diabetes. However many with the condition remain undiagnosed. 

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Regular exercise will reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Yearly Eye Exams

Type 1 diabetes is autoimmune and many times diagnosed in childhood. Type 2 diabetes risk factors include obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition. Having your eyes examined once a year is one way to detect the uncontrolled disease adds Vaughn. She goes on to say that African-Americans and the elderly are significantly more likely to have and die from diabetes. And, the disease is more prevalent in rural areas.

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Diets complete with fruits and vegetables also reduces your risk Type 2 diabetes

“I have chosen to advocate for early detection of diabetes and changing one’s lifestyle because it is predicted that in the next 30 years, one in three will be living with the disease. The number of people living with diabetes is on the rise because of an increase in obesity rates, lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. That means the rate of blindness from this disease will rise as well,” added Vaughn.

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Alabama’s Black Belt region is known as the diabetes belt.

Diabetes in Alabama’s Black Belt

Alabama’s Black Belt is known as the diabetes belt. Vaughn is working towards decreasing the increased rate of the disease by educating the people who live in the area. “Until we increase educational programs in the Black Belt, the number of people being diagnosed or undiagnosed will continue to rise. I am working every day to close the gap between health disparities in this part of the state,” she stated.

Inspired Southerner Dr. Alexia Vaughn
Healthy lifestyles mean staying active every day, even on weekends.

Vaughn recommends that people get regular exercise at least 150 minutes per week, eat a proper diet low in processed foods and high in fruits and vegetables, and to maintain a healthy weight to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

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We tell real stories about the south. ~Kara Kennedy, Publisher