What happens when preparation, discipline, and “doing everything right” still aren’t enough in postpartum?

In this episode of The Postpartum Standard, Toni Toomey is joined by Priya Rednam Waldo, licensed perinatal therapist, keynote speaker, and coach to high-achieving women navigating motherhood from pregnancy through postpartum and beyond.

A former U.S. Army Captain and West Point honors graduate with credentials from Johns Hopkins University, Priya brings decades of leadership experience into her work supporting career-driven mothers. She is the founder and CEO of Healing Home Counseling Group, an innovative perinatal and youth mental health practice, and now serves as a holistic strategist for women balancing ambition, identity, and motherhood.

Drawing from her own lived experience as the daughter of Indian immigrants, the wife of an Irish man, and a mother of four children welcomed through birth and adoption, Priya offers a deeply nuanced understanding of complex family systems and elite professional environments. Her clients include C-suite executives and leaders across tech, law, medicine, and entrepreneurship.

Together, Toni and Priya explore why postpartum humbles even the most prepared women, why white knuckling motherhood is so common among high achievers, and how to build a postpartum support system that actually works. They discuss traumatic birth, mental load, returning to work without shame, and how to know whether therapy or coaching is the right support at different stages.

This conversation covers:

• Why postpartum is real recovery, not something to power through
• How high-achieving women get stuck white knuckling motherhood
• What a functional postpartum village actually looks like
• Mental load, partnership, and returning to work with confidence
• Therapy vs coaching, and how to know what you need
• Letting go of control without losing yourself

Priya holds advanced certifications including MPH, LMSW, PMH-C, and EMDR for birth and BIPOC-related trauma. As a passionate advocate, she empowers mothers through global education, speaking, and values-aligned partnerships, all rooted in the belief that mothers deserve support, dignity, and care.

If you are a driven woman navigating pregnancy, postpartum, or the return to work, this episode will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone.