Welcome!

I am so pleased you are here.

It is my mission to bring you science-backed education and tools so you can psychologically thrive, and feel happier, in motherhood.

Here’s a little bit about me and my qualifications, so you can be certain you are learning from an accredited and highly-specialised expert.

I’m Dr Jennifer Hacker Pearson.

I hold a PhD in Medicine (Neuroscience) and a postgraduate diploma in Psychotherapy. I am also an accredited meditation teacher, postpartum and neuroplasticity* researcher, best-selling author, international speaker and podcast host.

Most importantly, I am “Mama” to my 3 kids. That’s my favourite title and still my most challenging one.

Motherhood has tested me in many ways. Not just the part of mothering my children, and learning how to thrive in that role, but how becoming a mother changed me.

Only after my babies were born, and I learned about the power and paradox of motherhood first-hand, did it become clear to me that when a baby is born, a mother is born.

Matrescence – the term used to describe this transformation of becoming a mother (the birth of the mother) – was not in my vocabulary until matrescence hit me in the face, at force. There was no way to avoid it (and trust me I tried!).

So, I learned about it.

I learned about myself – the “new” me – the mother, and the postpartum process (including matrescence).

In particular I became really curious about how a woman’s brain changes when she becomes a mother and what role this plays in your postpartum experience.

As an aside, I learned about the brain for years before I had children. My neuroscience medical research was published in some of the top peer-reviewed journals including Nature Neuroscience and Neuroscience.

Turns out a woman’s brain changes A LOT when she becomes a mother, as does her mind.
Because a mother’s brain is extremely plastic* (adaptable).

These matrescence brain changes, and your brain to that point in your life, will lead to your own unique postpartum experience. That is due to, among other things, your DNA, your history and your individual neurobiological makeup. So, in order to thrive in motherhood, it is vital to learn about matrescence, and how becoming a mother changesyou.

Most importantly, I want you to know, that with my unique blend of science-backed education and tools you can train your brain and mind to psychologically thrive in motherhood, and feel happier.

Here is what I teach you to psychologically thrive in postpartum:

1. All about the science of matrescence – the transition you go through when you become a mother – and how you change when you enter matrescence
   
2. How your brain and mind change during matrescence, and how this changes how you feel. 
3. How these changes affect you, personally, and your experience in postpartum. 
4. Simple, science-backed techniques, to teach your brain and mind to thrive in motherhood.

*Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change itself in structure and function due to our actions and experiences.

SOME OF MY WORK IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS

Nature Neuroscience
Bagley E.E., Hacker J., Chefer, V.I., Malet, C., McNally, G.P., Chieng, B.C.H., Perroud, J., Shippenberg, T.S., Christie, M.J. Drug-induced GABA transporter currents enhance GABA release and produce opioid withdrawal behaviours. Nature Neuroscience (2011) 14: 1548–54

Neuroscience
Hacker, J., Pedersen, N.P., Chieng, B.C.H., Keay, K.A., Christie, M.J. Enhanced Fos expression in glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactive neurons of the mouse periaqueductal grey during opioid withdrawal. Neuroscience (2006) 137: 1389-96